August 5, 2011
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In which circle do you take your stand? ~ Hewitson's holy ambition ~ Are you a true disciple?
Yesterday I posted about Edward Payson's experience of the living Christ. Payson is mentioned in John Baillie's "Memoir of the Rev. W.H. Hewitson, Late Minister of the Free Church of Scotland, at Direlton [1852]":
"Don't you think," asks Mr Hewitson, "that in the case of many Christians regeneration is followed by a considerable period of—not darkness, but—obscurity (such as that of the understanding in childhood), unfitting the soul to take in a whole Christ, and consequently to enjoy a perfect peace? Such Christians live far below their privileges, as accredited children of adoption, born to an inheritance not in themselves, but in Christ." In Mr Hewitson himself, the childhood is seen only in his single-hearted sincerity; in understanding, he is already a man.
Dr Payson has supposed the various classes of Christians to be ranged in different concentric circles round Christ as their common centre. "Some," he says, "value the presence of their Saviour so highly, that they cannot bear to be at any remove from Him. Even their work they will bring up, and do it in the light of His countenance, and, while engaged in it, will be seen constantly raising their eyes to Him, as if fearful of losing one beam of His light. Others, who, to be sure, would not be content to live out of His presence, are yet less wholly absorbed by it than these, and may be seen a little further off, engaged here and there in their various callings, their eyes generally upon their work, but often looking up for the light which they love. A third class, beyond these, but yet within the light-giving rays, includes a doubtful multitude, many of whom are so much engaged in their worldly schemes, that they may be seen standing sideways to Christ, looking mostly the other way, and only now and then turning their faces towards the light." In the innermost concentric circle Mr Hewitson now took his stand. "From the time," writes his earliest friend," that he was brought clearly to see Christ as his 'all in all,' his soul was filled with his glory, as a present Saviour and ever-living Friend; his communion with Him became more like that of one friend with another, who are personally near, than of a distant correspondence." His holy ambition now was to "follow the Lord fully." "A blessing it is beyond every other," are his own expressive words at this period," to have an ear deaf to the world's music, but all awake to the voice of Him who is 'the chief among ten thousand, and altogether lovely.'"
(32-33)In referencing Edward Payson's analogy of the different concentric circles, Baillie actually failed to include another class of circle that Payson mentioned, a class yet farther out – beyond the third class... This from the "Memoir, Select Thoughts and Sermons of the Late Rev. Edward Payson, Volume 1" by Edward Payson (1783-1827) and Asa Cummings (p. 262 - boldface, mine):
"And yet farther out, amongst the last scattered rays, so distant that it is often doubtful whether they come at all within their influence, is a mixed assemblage of busy ones, some with their backs wholly turned upon the sun, and most of them so careful and troubled about their many things, as to spare but little time for their Saviour.
"The reason why the men of the world think so little of Christ, is, they do not look at him. Their backs being turned to the sun, they can see only their own shadows; and are, therefore, wholly taken up with themselves. While the true disciple, looking only upward, sees nothing but his Saviour, and learns to forget himself."
* * *In what circle around Christ do you take your stand?
Do you take your place in that innermost circle along with Mr. Hewiston?
Do you value the presence of your Saviour so highly, you cannot bear to be at any remove from Him?
Are you constantly raising your eyes to Him, as if fearful of losing one beam of His light?
Like Hewitson, is your ear deaf to the world's music, but all awake to the voice of Him who is 'the chief among ten thousand, and altogether lovely'?Or – are you a little further off... but still often looking up for the light which you love?
Or – are you in that third class, engaged in your worldly schemes, only now and then turning your face towards the light?
Or – are you yet farther out, amongst the last scattered rays? Is your back wholly turned upon the sun?
Are you a Christian who lives far below your privileges, as an accredited child of adoption, born to an inheritance not in yourself, but in Christ?
Is your relationship to Jesus Christ like that of one friend to another – or a distant correspondence?
Is your ambition holy like Mr. Hewitson's?
Are you seeking to follow the Lord fully?Are you looking only upward?
Are you looking at Jesus and wholly taken up by Him?Or is your back turned to the sun?
Are you seeing your own shadow and wholly taken up with yourself?Are you a true disciple?
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked.
The Lord knows those who are His.
Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.Mark 4:13 And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17 And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
Related posts about ...our spiritual inheritance:
The Father's Inheritance (Eleven days' journey ~ A lamentation & an exhortation)
Letter 21 on assurance and fighting for joy (knowing our inheritance in the saints)
Letter 23 on assurance and fighting for joy (the basket of sovereign grace)
Doubting one, do you know Me as a rewarder? | letter 78 on assurance & fighting for joy
The Lord of bliss offers us bliss today (letter 79 on assurance & joy)
Are you a radiant Christian or a drunken old woman? (letter 82 on assurance & fighting for joy)
As a deer pants ... Is your soul panting for God? (Psalms 42 & 43)
Advent #1 WHY HAS JESUS COME? that we might have life & life more abundantly
one Friend alone | letter 100 on assurance & fighting for joy
Can there be more? | letter 113 on assurance & fighting for joy
Fear not, little flock (Luke 12:32) | letter 123 on assurance & fighting for joy
Be not an Esau (Genesis 25:29-34, Hebrews 12:15-17)
The Dove's Resting Place | What kind of dove are you?
Where are you lifting up your eyes? Psalm 121:1-2
this earthly manna ~ the Christian hedonist's plea
Two Fountains ~ Where are you drinking? What is flowing? Don't waste your drinking!
Links to my posts on true and false religion and legalism
holy ambition:Resurrection Day: Don't Waste Your Life (Lecrae) | Whose Life is it anyhow?
Is your faith living – or is it dead? (Isaac Watts)
Neck check (Bible reading: Nehemiah 3)
Don't Waste Your Singleness | Single one ... be single-eyed
"Call to Me and I will answer you" (thoughts on holy ambition)
adopting God's purpose for the nations is for your joy & His glory (Letter 76 on joy)
"the infinite significance of the eternal Kingdom"
Is your ambition holy? / What are you living for? (Louis Paul Lehman) / The Christian's Aim
Half a heart, half a heart (How long? If the LORD is God, follow Him)
"I must..." (John 9:4)
His seed (If ye be Christ's ~ He came seeking fruit)W.H. Hewitson:
update w/ excerpt: Lloyd-Jones' sermons on the role of experience in Christianity
"Look to Nothing but Christ" (W.H. Hewitson on sanctification)
"How mad a true minister of Christ must appear in the eyes of many!"
Hewitson: "Some desperate unbelief there must be in the churches"Edward Payson:
"Who wants candles when he has the sun?" ~ Edward Payson | letter 124 on assurance & joy
Work found at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Concentric_circles_isotropy.svg / CC BY-SA 3.0
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Comments (3)
very nice
I would rather hear Him say where I am, but my heart is fixed on Him. I know that. Jesus is all the world to me.
@dmcx2010 - Thanks. I love reading Christian biography and thought this was a really good illustration for us to use to check our love for Christ.
@quest4god@revelife - You make a really important point there since we can be deceived as to our standing before God (~ Jer. 17). We need to ask Him to search us.
Matthew 25:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
That's very sobering. We need to continue to work out our salvation w/ fear and trembling and be diligent to make our calling and election sure.