October 24, 2011
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Psalm 131 ~ Lord, calm my soul; Lord, wean my soul in this mephitic air | W.H. Hewitson
Psalm 131
1 LORD, my heart is not haughty,
nor mine eyes lofty:
neither do I exercise myself in great matters,
or in things too high for me.
2 Surely I have behaved and quieted myself,
as a child that is weaned of his mother:
my soul is even as a weaned child.
3 Let Israel hope in the LORD
from henceforth and for ever.Lord, calm my soul
o, soul, be calmed
hope in the Lord
receive His balm
Lord, wean my soul
o, soul, be weaned
praise and enjoy
the God unseenhumble my haughty heart,
lower my lofty eyes
may I not be occupied
with things too great or too highblood of Christ speak
my surety, my anchor
subdue my selfish canker
speak above worldly rancorthis momentary affliction
in apparent defeat
You reign sovereignly
dwell on the mercy seatin You may I hope
from henceforth and for ever
though earthly ties may sever
Your covenant love is foreveron my pilgrimage
journey through this mephitic air
may I cast on You my ev'ry care
feast at Your table preparedhave mercy upon me
for my hunger supply living bread
into my heart, may Your love be shed
oil pour down afresh, anoint my headunder Your wing I trust
enjoying fat things and wines refined
to Your will here I gladly resign
with You alone filled and satisfiedLord, calm my soul
o, soul, be calmed
hope in the Lord
receive His balm
Lord, wean my soul
o, soul, be weaned
praise and enjoy
the God unseen
Isaiah 25:6 And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.From Memoir of the Rev. W.H. Hewitson: late minister of the Free Church of Scotland at Dirleton by the Rev. John Baillie, 4th edition, 1853, 93-94:
His [Hewitson's] Christianity was not a sickly sentimentalism, nursing itself on frames and feelings. It was eminently a walk of faith; his aim was to be ever looking away, under a sense of his deep necessities, from self to the living Lord. He writes:—" Dalmellington, Feb. 1, 1844.—[To William Dickson, Esq.] —How little I am like Jesus, who, when He walked on earth, 'was in heaven;' who, as has been beautifully said, 'always repelled sin, but touched it at every point!' We live in a mephitic air; and, but for the refreshing supplies of the wind which blows from heaven upon the soul, we should soon be deprived of spiritual sensibility, if not of spiritual life. Sensitiveness and quick-working imagination are apt to throw round the throne of our Father in heaven, and the presence of our gracious Lord, an atmosphere of feelings too much akin to those which are excited by unpleasant contact with the world, or sometimes even with Christian friends. Such feelings form a perverting and painted medium, which turns awry and discolours the beams of light and love that come down from ' the Father of lights and mercies.' They penetrate, by a subtle influence, all our thoughts of God and of His Son Jesus Christ; and, till they subside, the soul is cast down and disquieted. The only remedy is, I find, simple, childlike believing—implicit confidence in the Word of God, which is the sole object of saving faith. To see Christ our righteousness, and in Him our righteousness accepted already (for He is raised from the dead), and glorified (for He is at God's right hand),—that is a panacea for every soul-disease, that gives comfort to our heart, and glory to the grace of God."
Related:One Friend alone | letter 100 on assurance & fighting for joy
By Shimei Cursed, By Jordan Refreshed (II Samuel 16:5-14)
Embittered, pricked in heart? Go into the sanctuary of God (Psalm 73)
Are you a radiant Christian or a drunken old woman? (letter 82 on assurance & fighting for joy)
Where do you go when the world is unlovely? (Psalm 84 & the theology of Biblical counseling)
when we're being shaken: let us look unto JESUS!
O, this cross! ~ We are but vessels
"Blessed is the Man that endureth Temptation" by Joseph Hart
"if I would but cease struggling ... I might be happy" (Edward Payson)
What Is Christian Contentment?
Bible Reading-Isaiah: When We Think the LORD Has Forsaken and Forgotten Us
A Hymn for "Shelf" Times ..."Lord, We Know That Thou Art Near Us"
Letter 16 on assurance and fighting for joy (our prayers, His wise denials and joy)
Shall we not drink the cup the Father has given us? (Letter 53 on assurance & fighting for joy)
dreams grasped, dreams released | letter 104 on assurance & fighting for joy
disappointment ~ appointment | letter 119 on assurance & fighting for joy
"Who wants candles when he has the sun?" ~ Edward Payson | letter 124 on assurance & joyScripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.
Work found at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lush_Grass_Ahead_-_geograph.org.uk_-_820980.jpg / by Ian Paterson / CC BY-SA 3.0
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Comments (4)
Jesus said of a couple Gentile women that their faith was strong. This morning my reading schedule took me to Matthew 15 where the Syrophecian woman basically said, 'Jesus I will accept your crumbs.' lol He said that she had great faith and her child was delivered from afar.
It seems to me and for me that my calmness is directly related to my enjoyment of scripture reading in the morning. I agree with Hewitson's observations---too much emphasis on feelings and not enough on faith--in the Word---assuming I understood this high level writing and vocabulary. Faith is what is important. If that is right, feelings are calm-----er. lol I have calmness, but it slips away during the day sometimes. lol
I think Campus Crusade for Christ shows a a little train with these words: Fact, Faith and Feelings---in that order.
frank
It is disquieting, frustrating to see how often Christian friends get off track in their faith. Maybe "childlike faith" connotes a lack of maturity, but I much prefer to own that immaturity as opposed to such far-reaching examination which presupposes doubt as the starting point for growing to know Christ. Thanks be to God for the faith that He has freely given to me from the very start - that faith that allowed me not only to take hold of His gift of forgiveness for my sins (which I so desperately needed) but also became so much a part of me that I don't know how to walk any other way. It seems that I am not singularly so blessed, but that some (perhaps in suspicions carried over from the effects of the duplicity and craftiness of man and the devil) find God's love and grace just too big and grand to believe.
Thanks to your quote of Hewittson I have learned a new word - mephitic! Nauseous, putrid, foul, poisonous...what an apt word for the atmosphere of the world (not the earth as a planet). We are seated in the heavenly places, where Christ is, and can breathe by faith the pure air of His righteousness and purity....how beautiful and fragrant!
@ANVRSADDAY - I'd heard that analogy of the train before, but had forgotten it. Our feelings will vary with the circumstances, but God always remains the same.
I can DEFINITELY relate to this: I have calmness, but it slips away during the day sometimes.
Day in and day out in this fallen world, we all face a variety of temptations that lure us away from the calmness that is freely available to us in Christ. We need to continue to refocus and set our eyes back on Christ & things above, so we might experience that peace of God that passes all understanding.
@quest4god@revelife - It is disquieting, frustrating to see how often Christian friends get off track in their faith. - Yes, for sure! As soon as any of us lose that sense of humility the psalmist had, we can get off track, for we begin to walk according to the imagination of our own hearts, and doing what seems right in our own eyes.
"Mephitic" was that word I was trying to remember a while back. I had read Hewitson a year ago last summer, but I've been dipping back into it from time to time since then. I didn't remember reading that section at all the first time through. I've been wanting to write about this quote for a while now. I wasn't expecting to do so in this way, but his words here were perfect for my own soul at the current time.
We are seated in the heavenly places, where
Christ is, and can breathe by faith the pure air of His righteousness
and purity....how beautiful and fragrant! - Yes! But how many Christians do you know have a REAL SENSE of Christ's beauty and fragrance?
" But how many Christians do you know have a REAL SENSE of Christ's beauty and fragrance?"
That's exactly what I am coming to realize - that every child of God belongs there whether they have realized it or not. Your posts are part of what God is doing to wake up His children to the new life He has given them. I believe my calling is quite the same.