October 1, 2011
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Grace flowing, abounding to us, Gifts for men, yea, the rebellious (Psalm 68:18)
" Thursday, December 19 [1844].—How sweet the Word to my taste! Enjoyment of fellowship with God in prayer. My peace interrupted by the secret workings of the impatient, restless flesh. ' When I would do good, evil is present with me.' Difficulty of restraining the tendency to impatience under the crosses of the day. The very tendency disabled me to draw, as I should have done, upon the treasures of strengthening, sanctifying grace which are in Christ.
" O to be free from the body of this death! It would gladly, if it could, free itself from the restraints of God's blessed Word and Spirit ! When shall the enemy be slain, and my soul wholly free ! Went with my rankling sore to the throne of grace. Some comfort. I am ashamed to be always, always going back to God stained with guilt; but still I have found God gracious—ready to heap coals of fire upon my head by pouring out on my hell-deserving soul the treasures of His love and pity. ' There is forgiveness with Thee, that thou mayest be feared.' ' Gifts for men, yea, for the rebellious also !' O my soul, bless the Lord, ' who forgiveth all thine iniquities.'
" Lord Jesus, O that I were holy as Thou art holy! ' How long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph ?' They say unto me daily, ' Where is now thy God ?' O Lord, plead in me Thine own cause; shew that, as Thou art my righteousness, Thou art my sanctification also."– Memoir of the Rev. W.H. Hewitson, Late Minister of the Free Church of Scotland, at Dirleton [1852] by John Baillie, Fourth edition, 121-122, emphasis mine.
Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive:
thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also,
that the LORD God might dwell among them.
Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits,
even the God of our salvation. Selah.(Psalms 68:18-19)Grace flowing, abounding to us, Gifts for men, yea, the rebellious
O, how great God's goodness
What longsuffering kindness
The mountains surround us
The hills melt, the wine drops
In mercy and truth, plenteous
His feast, fat and bounteousHealing wounds, freeing the captives
Oil pouring, beauty for ashesForget not Him who loads us
Loads us daily with His benefitsOur sacrifice and high priest, Christ Jesus
Justifying and sanctifying grace
Grace flowing, abounding to us
Gifts for men, yea, the rebelliousGifts for men, yea, the rebellious
For our rebellion, His obedienceGifts for men, yea, the rebellious
For our sin, His righteousnessGifts for men, yea, the rebellious
For our evil, His goodnessGifts for men, yea, the rebellious
For our curse, His blessednessGifts for men, yea, the rebellious
For our profane, His preciousGifts of men, yea, the rebellious
For our crime, His forgivenessGifts of men, yea, the rebellious
For our guilt, His innocenceGifts of men, yea, the rebellious
For our filth, His holinessGifts for men, yea, the rebellious
For our death, His livelinessGifts for men, yea, the rebellious
For our plague, His exuberanceGifts for men, yea, the rebellious
For our grief, His condolenceGifts for men, yea, the rebellious
For our shadows, His effulgenceGifts for men, yea, the rebellious
For our gloom, His brillianceGifts for men, yea, the rebellious
For our night, His radianceGifts for men, yea, the rebellious
For our tears, His jubilanceGifts for men, yea, the rebellious
For our fret, His cheerfulnessGifts for men, yea, the rebellious
For our shake, His steadinessGifts for men, yea, the rebellious
For our hardship, His richnessGifts for men, yea, the rebellious
For our lack, His sustenanceGifts for men, yea, the rebellious
For our frailty, His fitnessGifts for men, yea, the rebellious
For our weakness, His chariotsGifts of men, yea, the rebellious
For our thirstings, His fullnessGifts for men, yea, the rebellious
For our hunger, His choicestGifts for men, yea, the rebellious
For our famine, His fatnessGifts for men, yea, the rebellious
For our lean, His opulenceGifts for men, yea, the rebellious
for our vile, His deliciousGifts for men, yea, the rebellious
For our bitter, His sweetnessGifts for men, yea, the rebellious
For our toxic, His fragranceGifts for men, yea, the rebellious
For our fright, His assuranceGifts for men, yea, the rebellious
For our arid, His freshnessGifts of men, yea, the rebellious
For our sluggish, His vibranceGifts for men, yea, the rebellious
For our ice, His zealousnessGifts of men, yea, the rebellious
For our dearth, His abundanceGifts for men, yea, the rebellious
For our gall, His faithfulnessGifts for men, yea, the rebellious
For our doubtings, His promiseGifts for men, yea, the rebellious
For our solus, HimselfO, how great God's goodness
What longsuffering kindness
The mountains surround us
The hills melt, the wine drops
In mercy and truth, plenteous
His feast, fat and bounteousHealing wounds, freeing the captives
Oil pouring, beauty for ashesForget not Him who loads us
Loads us daily with His benefitsOur sacrifice and high priest, Christ Jesus
Justifying and sanctifying grace
Grace flowing, abounding to us
Gifts for men, yea, the rebelliousIn this strong city, in the wilderness
Bless the Lord for all His benefitsThough we face a death sentence
Showers fall at His presenceGifts for prodigals through the cross
Flaming love, His name is jealousIn bold assurance, draw near, find Him gracious
He ever lives to confirm His inheritanceAll day long His hands stretch to us
Covenant mercies always for usOur Beloved will come and visit us
Springing with essential sustenanceHe who revives the waste place
Will not long hide His lovely faceWait, I say, wait on Him with patience
See Him march through the wildernessBreathing peace, lifting His countenance
Making His face to shine upon usDew of heaven will drop, your soul He will refresh
Fire in the heart bearing familial witnessNot one word will ever fail of His good promise
Taste and see, be satisfied with His presenceServe Him with godly fear and reverence
Sing out, you saints, make His praise gloriousChildren, what other love can compare to His?
Bless Jehovah, Father of the fatherlessO, how great God's goodness
What longsuffering kindness
The mountains surround us
The hills melt, the wine drops
In mercy and truth, plenteous
His feast, fat and bounteousHealing wounds, freeing the captives
Oil pouring, beauty for ashesForget not Him who loads us
Loads us daily with His benefitsOur sacrifice and high priest, Christ Jesus
Justifying and sanctifying grace
Grace flowing, abounding to us
Gifts for men, yea, the rebelliousO, Lord Jesus, great Savior, we are rebellious
We are great sinners, have mercy upon us* * *
But we had the sentence of death in ourselves,
that we should not trust in ourselves,
but in God which raiseth the dead...
(II Corinthians 1:9)* * *
"Your command limits my attention, at present, to a part of your letter and points me out a subject: yet, at the same time, you lay me under a difficulty I would not willingly offend you, and hope the Lord has taught me not to aim at saying handsome things. I deal not in compliments: and religious compliments are the most unseemly of any. But why might I not express my sense of the grace of God manifested in you as well as in another? I believe our hearts are alike, destitute of every good, and prone to every evil. Like money from the same mint, they bear the same impression of total depravity. But grace makes a difference and grace deserves the praise. Perhaps it might not greatly displease you, that others do, and must, and will think better of you, than you of yourself. If I do, how can I help it when I form my judgment entirely from what you say and write? I cannot consent that you should seriously appoint me to examine and judge of your state. I thought you knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, what your views and desires are: yea, you express them in your letter, in full agreement with what the Scripture declares of the principles, desires, and feelings of a Christian. It is true that you feel a contrary principle; that you are conscious of defects and defilements; but it is equally true that you could not be right, if you did not feel these things. To be conscious of them, and humbled for them, is one of the surest marks of grace; and to be more deeply sensible of them than formerly, is the best evidence of growth in grace. But when the enemy would tempt us to doubt and distrust, because we are not perfect, then he fights not only against our peace, but against the honour and faithfulness of our blessed Lord. Our righteousness is in him; and our hope depends not upon the exercise of grace in us, but upon the fulness of grace and love in Him, and upon his obedience unto death.
"There is a difference between the holiness of a sinner and that of an angel. The angels have never sinned; nor have they tasted of redeeming love, they have no inward conflicts, no law of sin warring in their members. Their obedience is perfect, their happiness complete. Yet if I be found among redeemed sinners, I need not wish to be an angel. Perhaps God is not less glorified by your obedience, and, not to shock you, I will add, by mine, than by Gabriel's. It is a mighty manifestation of his grace, indeed, when it can live, and act, and conquer in such hearts as ours; when in defiance of an evil nature, and an evil world, and all the force and subtlety of Satan, a weak worm is still upheld, and enabled not only to 'climb' but to 'thresh' the mountains; when a small spark is preserved through storms and floods. In these circumstances the work of grace is to be estimated, not merely from its imperfect appearance, but from the difficulties it has to struggle with and overcome. And therefore our holiness does not consist in great attainments, but in spiritual desires; in hungerings, thirstings, and mournings; in heart humiliation, poverty of spirit, submission, meekness; in cordial admiring thoughts of Jesus, and dependence upon him alone for all we want. Indeed, these may be said to be great attainments; but they who have most of them, are most sensible that they, in and of themselves, are nothing have nothing, can do nothing, and see daily cause for abhorring themselves, and repenting in dust and ashes.– Extracts from unpublished Letters of the late Mr. [John] Newton, Oct. 1617, found here in The Christian Observer [From the London Edition], October 1817, # 190, emphasis mine.My memory is nearly gone;
but I remember two things;
That I am a great sinner, and
that Christ is a great Saviour.
(John Newton)
Related:we are but worms ~ nothing good dwells in us, nothing but our Christós
the Lord God must be my strength and my portion
"I will be like the dew" (Hosea 14:5) ~ Precious Dew, Heavenly Shower
Tonight I am weak
Blessed dependence ~ "Leaning upon her beloved"
Naphtali News: God speaking to me about my failures & the one thing needful (a post on the Holy Spirit)
God speaking to me about my failures: I can sing in my barrenness when I consider Jesus
why we need a new heart (Bible reading - Matthew 5)
Why not pray for the baptism of the Holy Spirit
Encouragements to press on: the Creator upholds His new creation
the pilgrim's Assurance ~ His Sovereign pouring | letter 110 on assurance & fighting for joy
Can there be more? | letter 113 on assurance & fighting for joy
transparency in blogging & the struggle for sanctification
the believer's sanctification and calling an "impossible possibility" (Telecast)
"As your days, so shall your strength be"
my 3rd Xangaversary: "His grace abounded to this chief of sinners"Scripture quotations from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.
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Comments (2)
He is all that we are not, but His work in us is not in vain, thanks be to His redeeming love.
@quest4god@revelife - "He is all that we are not" - Yes! That reminded me - when I first started writing this post a couple days ago, these words from Crowder's "Wholly Yours" came to mind:
I am full of earth
You are heaven’s worth
I am stained with dirt
prone to depravity
You are everything
that is bright and clean
The antonym of me
You are divinity
Praise God for His redeeming love!