(Letter 149 in my series of letters on assurance and fighting for joy)

In my post Three Years Later: Dancing & Skipping with Mrs. Durham, I had written:

Three years ago this month, I became desperate to know, to really know, the joy of the Lord. I had found myself continually overwhelmed and overcome by the here-and-now, by my circumstances, unable to run the race set before me, being dragged down, down, down into doubt, depression, and despair. I was wilting and withering, and not thriving and blossoming as I knew I ought to be as a Christian.

At that time, through my reading and studying the Bible, as well as through other reading (including that of Jonathan Edwards and Martyn Lloyd-Jones ~ and Lord willing, in the near future, I'm hoping to blog on a portion from one of ML-J's books about this, and when I do, I'll add the link here), I'd begun to see there was a supernatural joy available to all the children of God (no exceptions) that I'd not yet experienced – though I'll admit that for quite some time prior to that, I was skeptical about it, and I balked at the notion; I doubted and even argued that such a joy wasn't a real possibility for me due to my own personality (prone to depression and unhealthy introspection). I'd put myself in the very dangerous position of limiting and provoking Holy One of Israel (see Psalm 78).

The Bible must always be our primary authority. We are to test and try all things against the God-breathed, infallible Word. However, in addition to the Bible, God has always provided His Church with ministers to instruct and equip and build us up and guard us in His ways (~ Eph. 4:7-16). If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you know that the late Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was one of those men who has been instrumental in my life (in addition to that post, please see my posts here, here, and here.)

As I titled this blog, I truly did bristle at much of what ML-J had written about joy in his book "Safe in the World" (a compilation of his sermons on John 17) – in particular, these words from Chapter 9 ("True Joy") really provoked and incited me:

   We have been considering together the ways in which, as Christians, we manifest our Lord's glory, and we have reminded ourselves of our tremendous responsibility as we realize that we, and we alone, are the people through whom the Lord Jesus Christ is glorified in this world of time.

   Now that was the second reason for our Lord's prayer –– the first reason, you remember, was because of who and what we are – and here we come to the third reason, which he puts quite plainly in verse 13. He says, in effect, 'I am praying all these things audibly in their presence because I am anxious that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.' He is anxious that this joy that he himself had experienced should also be fully experienced by these his followers. There is, therefore, a very definite logical sequence in the arrangement of these matters. In dealing earlier with the ways in which the Lord Jesus Christ is glorified in us, we spoke of the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, and so on. At that point, in dealing briefly with joy, I said that I would not go into it in detail, because we would be returning to it, and this is where we must do that. And what we see here is that one of the ways in which we, as Christians, can glorify Christ is this life and world, is by being filled with this spirit of joy and rejoicing. This is a fruit of the Spirit which our Lord singles out in particular in this prayer to the Father on behalf of his followers. And so we glorify him in a very special way be being partakers of this his own joy.

   Obviously, therefore, this is an important subject. Our Lord would not have singled it out like this and given it a special place and emphasis unless it was something of vital concern. So clearly we must start our consideration of it by reminding ourselves again of what a wonderful display this is of our Lord's care and solicitude for his own people. How anxious he is that their welfare should be catered for! He is going to leave them, he is going back to the Father, but he does not lose interest in them for that reason. In a sense he is still more interested in them, and though he is going to face the shame and the agony of the cross, what is uppermost in his mind is the condition and the future of these disciples of his, whom he is leaving behind.

   But there is more than that – indeed it is something which is of even more vital concern. All that we have been saying is something to rejoice in, but there is a bigger, deeper lesson here. This whole subject of joy is one which is prominent in the New Testament, and, therefore, it must be of primary importance to Christian people. We can see in John 16 how our Lord constantly referred to it, and if you go through the four gospels and look for it, you will find that he was always emphasizing it. And if you read the epistles you will find the subject of joy there, in perhaps a still more striking manner, for some of them are almost exclusively devoted to it. It is a great theme, for instance, of the epistle to the Philippians. Paul's concern there is that Christian people should experience this joy – 'Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice' (4:4). It was his burning desire for all Christian people. And then, what, after all, is the purpose of the book of Revelation except that God's people should be taught how truly to be filled with joy and to rejoice? John himself in his first epistle very specifically says, 'These things write I unto you that your joy might be full' (1:4). He was an old man realizing that he was at the end of his journey and thinking of the Christian people he was leaving behind in this difficult world. So he wrote his letter to them in order that their joy might be full. It is, I say, one of the outstanding themes of the entire New Testament, and so it behoves us to be very clear in our minds about it.

   There are certain principles that seem to me to stand out very clearly. The first is that we are not only saved for eternity. The gospel of Jesus Christ, of course is primarily something that does safeguard our eternal destiny. Its fundamental purpose is to reconcile us to God and to see that we are saved in that final and eternal sense. It puts us right once and for all and into a right standing in the presence of God. It reconciles us to God, and establishes definitely in our experience that we are his children. It takes from us the fear of the death, of the grave, and of judgement, and it assures us that our eternity and our eternal destiny is safe and secure. But – and this is what is emphasized in this particular verse – we are not only saved for eternity. It is a false and incomplete view of Christian salvation that postpones its blessing to the realm that lies beyond this present life and beyond the grave.

   This sounds so obvious that it is almost foolish to emphasize it, and yet if you go into the history of the church you will find that very often, and sometimes for a very long period, Christian people, by the subtlety of Satan, have been entirely robbed of this particular aspect. This has very often been a result of our reaction – a healthy and right reaction – against worldliness. Christian people have realized that because they are not of the world they should separate themselves form everything that belongs to it. They interpret that as meaning that while they are in this life they are – to use that line of Milton's – 'To scorn delights, and live laborious days'. So they have thought of the Christian as someone who is melancholic, someone who is never going to experience any happiness or joy in a sinful world like this, but who really does look forward to a great joy of unmixed bliss in the land that lies beyond the present and the seen. Thus they seem to rob themselves entirely of any benefits or blessings from salvation in this present life. Now that is tragically and pathetically wrong. The blessings of Christianity are to be enjoyed in this world as well as in the world to come. There are different aspects, of course, of salvation, but we must never so emphasize the future as to derogate from the present and detract from the future. There are blessings to be enjoyed here and now and our Lord emphasized that very clearly in this verse.

   But then I draw a second deduction, which is that one of the particular blessings which the Christian is meant to enjoy in the present life is this experience of joy. Our Lord says that he prays in order that this joy might be 'fulfilled in themselves'. We see that in John 16 when he exhorts us to pray: 'Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full' (v. 24). The Christian is meant to be a joyful person, one who is meant to experience the joy of salvation. There is no question about that; it is something which is taught everywhere in the New Testament, and so it is our duty as Christians to have this joy, and to be filled with it. And we must give ourselves neither rest nor peace until we have it.

   But there are many obstacles to that, and many things which hinder the Christian from having it. There are certain people, I know, who react against the false and carnal sort of joy, that they rob themselves of true joy. But the opposite of carnal and fleshly joy is not to be miserable. It is to have true joy, the joy of the Lord Jesus Christ himself. And in the light of all these exhortations from him and from the apostles we must start by realizing that it is our duty to possess and to experience this joy of which our Lord speaks. We have no right not to have it. Indeed, I put it as my third principle that it is clearly dishonouring to the Lord Jesus Christ, and to the work he has done, not to have this joy. The teaching seems to be that he came into this world in order that we might have it. Take, for instance, the words at the end of chapter 16: 'These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace' (v. 33). That verse couples peace and joy together: 'In the world ye have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.' And because he has overcome the world, we are meant to have this joy and to experience it; we are meant to be Christian people who rejoice.

   This links very naturally with the precious subject of glorifying him – a miserable Christian does not and obviously cannot glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. Everybody else is miserable, the world makes people so. But if the Lord Jesus Christ has done what he claims to have done, and has come to suffer all the he suffered in this world, to the end that his people might be made different, they are obviously to be a joyful people. He has done all that in order to make it possible for us, and so our failure to be joyful in our lives is to detract from his glory and to cast queries upon his wonderful work. It thus behoves us as Christian people to realize that is out duty to be joyful. This is often put to us in the New Testament as an injunction. We are commanded to rejoice and if you are commanded to do something, it means that you must do it. Now that, obviously, is going to raise a question in our minds as to the nature of this joy. People say that it is no use going to a miserable man and telling him to cheer up. But there is a sense in which you can do that – not directly, but indirectly – and it will result in joy. This is what we must consider together. 'Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice' – that is what we are meant to do, and we are meant to be joyful, not only for our own sakes, but still more for his.

   So that leads us to the vital question – what is this joy, and what do we know about it? We will content ourselves, for the moment, with just looking at what our Lord himself tells us in this particular verse. The first thing is that it is his joy. 'These things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.' Now this is most important because it means that it is not the kind of joy that some people sometimes seem to think it is. It is the kind of joy that he himself possessed and therefore we can say of necessity that it was not carnal or fleshly, it was never boisterous.

   I emphasize those negatives because it is always essential to point out that in a matter like this there are two extremes that must always be avoided. I have already mentioned one of them, that of being so anxious to avoid the carnal as to become almost melancholic, but we must also avoid this other extreme. There are certain people – and they have been very much in evidence I should think for the last fifty years or so – who, having realized quite rightly that a Christian is meant to have joy, have been so anxious to manifest the fact that though they are Christian they are still joyful, that they assume a liveliness which is certainly not the joy of the Lord Jesus Christ. They are a kind of boisterous Christian, but our Lord was never boisterous. Our Lord's joy was a holy joy. Yes – let us not hesitate to say it – it was a serious joy. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and yet joyful.

At the time I first read those words of Lloyd-Jones, I felt them to be goads, and I was vigorously kicking at them! But now I thank and bless and praise God for each and every one of those words!

In Ecclesiastes 12, Solomon wrote about such blessed goading...

10 The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.   11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.

Though I initially didn't welcome those words of Lloyd-Jones (far from it!), in retrospect, I can see his words were words of truth and words of the wise, and they were much-needed goads and nails for my miserable and misdirected and misguided soul, words which came to me from the Good Shepherd through one of His undershepherds, so I might begin to learn to rejoice in the Lord always!

In his Complete Commentary on Ecclesiastes, here's Matthew Henry writing about God's blessed and precious goading and nailing:

      That which he [Solomon] and other holy men wrote will be of great use and advantage to us, especially being inculcated upon us by the exposition of it, 11. Here observe,

     (1.) A double benefit accruing to us from divine truths if duly applied and improved; they are profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and instruction in righteousness. They are of use, [1.] To excite us to our duty. They are as goads to the ox that draws the plough, putting him forward when he is dull and quickening him, to amend his pace.

The truths of God prick men to the heart (Acts ii. 37) and put them upon bethinking themselves, when they trifle and grow remiss, and exerting themselves with more vigour in their work. While our good affections are so apt as they are to grow flat and cool, we have need of these goads. [2.] To engage us to persevere in our duty. They are as nails to those that are wavering and inconstant, to fix them to that which is good. They are as goads to such as are dull and draw back, and nails to such as are desultory and draw aside, means to establish the heart and confirm good resolutions, that we may not sit loose to our duty, nor even be taken off from it, but that what good there is in us may be as a nail fastened in a sure place, Ezra ix. 8.

     (2.) A double way of communicating divine truths, in order to those benefits:-- [1.] By the scriptures, as the standing rule, the words of the wise, that is, of the prophets, who are called wise men, Matt. xxiii. 34. These we have in black and white, and may have recourse to them at any time, and make use of them as goads and as nails. By them we may teach ourselves; let them but come with pungency and power to the soul, let the impressions of them be deep and durable, and the will make us wise to salvation. [2.] By the ministry. To make the words of the wise more profitable to us, it is appointed that they should be impressed and fastened by the masters of assemblies. Solemn assemblies for religious worship are an ancient divine institution, intended for the honour of God and the edification of his church, and are not only serviceable, but necessary, to those ends. There must be masters of these assemblies, who are Christ's ministers, and as such are to preside in them, to be God's mouth to the people and theirs to God. Their business is to fasten the words of the wise, and drive them as nails to the head, in order to which the word of God is likewise as a hammer, Jer. xxiii. 29.

I invented and concocted a long litany of arguments and excuses for why Lloyd-Jones' words didn't apply to me, and, even more gravely, for why Jesus' words didn't apply to me. But the Lord was patient and longsuffering with me, and I will tell you this:  God kept goading, and kept nailing! Thank God for grace that abounds to stiff-necked sinners like myself! God intended all that goading and all that nailing for my good... every prick and every puncture sovereignly ordained, coming down from the Father of lights in order to excite my dull soul to my duty as a Christian to pursue and possess joy, and to engage me to persevere in that duty. As part of that process, God began to hedge up my way with thorns and make me even more miserable (much like Hosea's wife ~ see Hosea 2). In the Valley of Achor (trouble), God did open wide a door of hope, so I might begin to drink of the joy that Jesus died to give me. But along the way I had to let God explode my flawed, false, and faulty theological concepts that a Christian shouldn't and couldn't really be joyful, and that any experience of God's joy I might have would have to be somehow limited by my own personality and my own particular circumstances. Though like Sarah, I didn't exactly laugh at the prospect of joy being a reality for me, I confess that I did smirk...

Genesis 18:11  Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. 12  Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? 13  And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? 14  Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. 15  Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.

My brothers and sisters, how dare you and I smirk or laugh at the exceeding great and precious promises of God! We are not only justified by faith, but we LIVE by faith. We live by faith in the God who makes promises that seem so far-fetched and so absurd and so impossible to our puny and pygmy fleshly understanding. However, let us never forget this:  we have the mind of Christ, and we have the Holy Spirit that we might know the the things that are freely given to us of God (see I Cor. 1:6-16), that we might begin to know and plumb and dip into and taste and see and savor the unsearchable riches of the glory of our inheritance in Christ.

Is anything too hard for the LORD? Is it too hard for the LORD to grant you joy in Him?

Go to the Scripture, and seek out good, orthodox instruction from men like ML-J, and pray to the Holy Spirit to lead you into all truth (remember: the devil is a liar and the father of lies!), and then watch God begin to blow-up your own home-spun theology and your ill-formed and false conceptions about the character of God and of Christianity, and I will guarantee you this: you will find God to be more precious and more glorious and more wonderful than you could have ever imagined, and you will begin to get a taste of what the Psalmist wrote when he said:

Psalm 16:11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

All who are Christ's have already been reconciled to God by the Lord Jesus Christ by grace through faith in the the offering of Jesus' body and blood on our behalf. Therefore, all who believe have already been brought on to that path of life, and we have already been given access to drink of that fullness of joy and to sup of those pleasures forevermore beginning in the here and now!

As I said, God kept goading and nailing, and the discipline was very grievous at many times, but it was all for my good. (And He continues to goad and nail: that's part of His loving discipline to all His children ~ the Father chastens those He loves! If we are without such discipline, then we are illegitimate children and not His children! ~ Heb. 12:3-11). God opened my heart to consider His precious Word, so that I eventually began to understand and embrace that Jesus' words were spoken to me and were prayed for me... Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word...

It was just over three years ago that I began to ask, seek, and knock for that joy which was my duty to have, and that joy which is the duty of all Christians to have. (I recounted some of that story in my post here.) I got tired and weary of being miserable, and by faith I put myself into the blessed yoke of Jesus. I had come to see that my choosing to live as a miserable Christian was living (if you want to call that living!) at such a low level because I was flat-out refusing to embrace and trust God's blessed promises, and to pray for and to expect God Himself to impart to me His joy. Many of you are in that very same place right now. I urge you to go to the Good Shepherd and read and soak in His promises for you, and then to ask, seek, and knock. He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Wrestle with Him like Jacob, and importunately plead like the widow! Remember:  without faith it is impossible to please Him! Ask God to bless your mustard seed of faith, or if you don't even have a mustard seed of faith, ask Him to give it to you! Remember: to enter into Jesus' joy is the duty of all Christians, no exceptions. May God guard us so we might not be guilty of provoking, grieving, tempting, and limiting our God as the Israelites did:

Psalm 78:40  How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert! 41  Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. 42  They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy. 43  How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan...

When we're not seeking by faith what has been already purchased for us at Calvary and what is already ours by the second birth, we are not only robbing ourselves of joy, but we are also robbing our God of the glory due His name. Remember His hand! Remember His power! Remember His love! Remember His mercy! Remember His grace! Remember the day He delivered you from the devil's realm of darkness, sin, and death!

May the Holy Spirit of God continue to guide and lead us into all truth, and by His truth set us free to glorify and enjoy God as God has intended for us. God willing, I will continue goading and nailing you, as my Lord did for me. May God make my efforts effectual for your progress AND JOY in the faith... ~ Karen

my other posts on assurance & fighting for joy.
my posts on Christian hedonism

More from Martyn Lloyd-Jones:

Updated 2/12/13:  Thanks to the MLJ Trust you can access for free over 1600 sermons of the late Dr. Lloyd-Jones at the Martyn Lloyd-Jones Audio Library here:  (http://www.mljtrust.org/). I regret to say that the sermon I cited here as well as the other sermons from this book aren't currently available on the site.

You can also subscribe to a weekly Podcast of Dr. Lloyd-Jones' sermons at Living Grace Ministries at oneplace.com.

Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

Photo credits:

I edited the Work found at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chianina_steer_lying_down.jpg  / CC BY-SA 3.0
I edited the Work found at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oxen.jpg  / Public Domain

Almost four years ago, I blogged about how my NKJV Bible is filled with lots of notes and references that I've written in it. It's really my own personalized study Bible, so to speak (see my posts here and here). Though I had that particular Bible rebound in early 2009...

... it's beginning to come apart again, and even though I managed to find an identical copy of that Bible, I can't bring myself to lay this one aside...

In my recent post "Dancing and Skipping with Mrs. Durham," I included a poem I'd written with the following lines based on Psalm 55:22 (KJV - "Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee..."):

"Cast thy burden," the LORD proclaims,
"On My bosom, both night and day,
"My lamb, your weary head lay."

This past Sunday morning, as I turned to the book of Philippians in that Bible (our church is currently in the midst of a series on Philippians), I noticed a notation I'd made in reference to Philippians 4:6-7 (Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus). The notation was a quotation taken from the 17th century Scottish Puritan Henry Scougal's (1650-1678) book "The Life of God in the Soul of Man":

To do justice to Scougal's words, I'll give you the fuller context of what he wrote in the portion of the book entitled,

THE DUTIES OF RELIGION ARE DELIGHTFUL TO HIM.

The exercises of religion, which to others are insipid and tedious, do yield the highest pleasure and delight to souls possessed with divine love; they rejoice when they are called "to go up to the house of the Lord, that they may see his power and his glory, as they have formerly seen it in the sanctuary," Psalm lxiii.2. They never think themselves so happy as when, having retired from the world, and gotten free from the noise and hurry of affairs, and silenced all their clamorous passions, (those troublesome guests within), they have placed themselves in the presence of God, and entertain fellowship and communion with him; they delight to adore his perfections, and recount his savours, and to protest their affection to him, and tell him a thousand times that they love him; to lay out their troubles or wants before him, and disburden their hearts in his bosom. Repentance itself is a delightful exercise, when it floweth from the principle of love:  there is a secret sweetness which accompanieth those tears of remorse, those meltings and relentings of a soul returning unto God, and lamenting its former unkindness.

The severities of a holy life, and that constant watch which we are obliged to keep over our hearts and ways, are very troublesome to those who are only ruled and acted by an external law, and have no law in their minds inclining them to the performance of their duty; but where divine love possesseth the soul, it stands as sentinel to keep out every thing that may offend the beloved, and doth disdainfully repulse those temptations which assault it; it complieth cheerfully, not only with explicit commands, but with the most secret notices of the beloved's pleasure, and is ingenious in discovering what will be most grateful and acceptable unto him; it makes mortification and self-denial change their harsh and dreadful names and become easy, sweet, and delightful things.

~ from Henry Scougal's "The Life of God in the Soul of Man," (New York: Cosimo, 2007; originally published in 1741), 72-74. You can access a copy of book here: <http://books.google.com/books?id=W6lbAAAAQAAJ&pg=PR3#v=onepage&q&f=false>.

Has the divine love of Christ possessed your soul?

Does your life burst forth with the precious fruit of the Life of God in your Soul in the ways Scougal describes?

Are the duties of religion sweet and delightful to you – or are they insipid and tedious?

Does your religion spring from a principle of love, from an internal heart religion – or are you only ruled and acted by an external law?

Ezekiel 36:22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. 23 And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord,” says the Lord God, “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. 24 For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. 25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. 28 Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. 29 I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. I will call for the grain and multiply it, and bring no famine upon you. 30 And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations. 31 Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations. 32 Not for your sake do I do this,” says the Lord God, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!”

John 14:19b
Because I live, you will live also.

II Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Isaiah 27:6
Those who come He shall cause to take root in Jacob;
Israel shall blossom and bud,
And fill the face of the world with fruit.

Isaiah 35
1  The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;
the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;
it shall blossom abundantly
and rejoice with joy and singing.
2  The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the LORD,
the majesty of our God...
10  And the ransomed of the LORD shall return
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

John 15:8
By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

Philippians 1
 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, 5 for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; 7 just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart . . . you all are partakers with me of grace. 8 For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.

9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, 11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

For your progress AND JOY of faith (Philippians 1:25),
Karen

---

Other posts about Henry Scougal's "The Life of God in the Soul of Man":

Pressing on in the New Year
Second Sunday after Christmas: Is your religion true religion? (Henry Scougal)
Mistakes about Religion & What Religion Is ~ Henry Scougal
Encouragements to press on in battling sin, # 2: moving beyond despondency | Scougal

My posts on True & False Religion and Legalism including:

1st Sunday after Epiphany: Characteristics of false religion, # 1-Hypocrisy
Characteristics of true religion, # 2, part 2: Not of the letter but of the Spirit
Finding pleasure in Him
Moderation in pursuing God? An answer from Jonathan Edwards
Moderation in pursuing God? An answer from George Whitefield
"Alas! if this be not true religion, what is?" ~ George Whitefield
why we need a new heart (Bible reading - Matthew 5)
Advent #1 WHY HAS JESUS COME? that we might have life & life more abundantly
What is a nominal Christian?
Phebe Bartlet – a child put in our midst ~ "Do you love Me?"
"give me also springs of water" - Will you be an Achsah? (letter 66 on assurance & fighting for joy)
Are you a radiant Christian or a drunken old woman? (letter 82 on assurance & fighting for joy)
Three Years Later: Dancing & Skipping with Mrs. Durham | Letter 147 on fighting for joy
Oct. 16, 1555 ~ Ridley & Latimer: monuments of joy | letter 148 on fighting for joy
Advent # 5 WHY HAS JESUS COME? So we might draw near to God | Even a Vapor ~ Letter 133 (Naphtali revisited)

Other related posts:

Letter 13 on assurance and fighting for joy (strengthened for endurance and patience with joy)
Letter 17 on assurance and fighting for joy (will we be diligent to enter into His joy?)
Linger, linger, linger – so you might know God's love
Considering Jesus: (1) Making time to consider Jesus
Considering Jesus: (2) Why do we do quiet time anyhow?
take to heart ALL the words (more on quiet time)
Get gnawing, put your nose down in the Book to feed the white-hot flame of God's gift
"Garbage In" (Are you truly His disciple?)
Are you a foolish or a wise pilgrim? (What have you done with your roll?)
As a deer pants ... Is your soul panting for God? (Psalms 42 & 43)

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible. Emphasis mine.

Scripture quotations unless otherwise indicated are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Photo credits:

I edited the work found at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Lord_is_my_Good_Shepherd.jpg / ((PD-Art|PD-old-70}}

Work found at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alexandre_Couder_-_Woman_Kneeling_in_Prayer_-_Walters_371369.jpg  / CC BY-SA 3.0 / {{PD-Art|PD-old-100}}

Work found at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hare_desert-flowers.jpg  / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Public Domain

On this day in 1555, during the reign of Queen Mary I, Nicholas Ridley and Hugh Latimer were burned at the stake in Oxford, England for heresy. Christian biography always serves as a good and necessary reality check and a challenge; that's why I periodically remind you to read good Christian biography (please see my note below). I found the account of these two faithful saints of the English Reformation to be a fitting, humbling, and challenging follow-up to my blog from a couple days ago in which I'd written about Margaret Durham, who "danced and skipped for joy" during the time of the Persecution in Scotland in the following century. In that post, I shared my experience of fighting for joy from three years ago:

On October 9, 2009, sitting in a coffee shop, I began to embrace the promises of God and to seek the face of God in earnest so I might experience Habakkuk 3 joy no matter what:  no matter my circumstances, no matter my feelings, no matter what others might say about me or do to me, no matter the amount of fruit (or no fruit) in my ministry, etc. I was seeking to know and to experience joy in the Lord so I might be sustained to carry on and persevere in and through all God had in store for me. I was asking, seeking, and knocking for God-breathed joy such as that which the first century Church possessed (or should I say the joy which possessed them?!) – Habakkuk 3 joy which enabled the early Christians to rejoice and sing in hardship and persecution. I was seeking the joy of the Reformers who would not relent and sang in triumph as they were martyred, and the joy which the Scottish Covenanter Mrs. Durham exhibited (a portion of her story is recounted below).

Reading the account of these two men, we find living proof of how God showered His grace upon and manifested His mighty power in and through Ridley and Latimer, in accordance with Paul's prayer in Colossians 1 to ...

fill these men with the knowledge of God's will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so they walked worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increased in the knowledge of God; Ridley and Latimer were strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made them meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light... (adapted)

When you who are Christians begin to argue that such patience and longsuffering with joyfulness isn't possible for you, I'll say, "Yes, in one way it isn't." For apart from the mighty power of God at work in you, it is impossible. But remember: the things that are impossible with man are possible with God! God's will for us is to be strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness and thanksgiving. My brothers and sisters, this is part of our inheritance along with all the saints, along with Master Ridley and along with Master Latimer! I pray that as you read the accounts below, you'd remember that Ridley and Latimer and countless saints like them were all men with natures like us (James 5:17). Our God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think (~ Ephesians 3:20-21). Ask, seek, and knock. Ask God to increase your faith, ask the Holy Spirit to descend upon the Word of God, that you might no longer read the Bible's promises as a dead letter but as the living word of God for you, so you might embrace the promises and trust and hope in and plead to this God –– the God who brings life to the dead, the God who calls things into existence that never were! Our God is able to perform that which He promises (~ Romans 4:16-21).

Here were the articles which were being disputed for which Master Ridley and Master Latimer were brought to trial, and which led to their condemnation and martydrom, for these two men (along with Thomas Cranmer) answered "No" to all three:

First, Whether the natural body of Christ be really in the sacrament, after the words spoken by the priest, or no?

Secondly, Whether in the sacrament, after the words of consecration, any other substance do remain, than the substance of the body and blood of Christ?

Thirdly, Whether in the mass be a sacrifice propitiatory for the sins of the quick and the dead?

The night before he [Master Ridley] suffered, his beard was washed and his legs; and, as he sat at supper, the same night, at Master Irish's, (who was his keeper,) he bade his hostess, and the rest at the board, to his marriage; "for," said he, "to-morrow I must be married" and so showed himself to be as merry as ever he was at any time before.

In describing the time of imprisonment of Cranmer, Ridley, and Latimer, Foxe wrote

... they were most godly occupied, either with brotherly conference, or with fervent prayer, or with fruitful writing.

Albeit Master Latimer, by reason of the feebleness of his age, wrote least of them all in this latter time of his imprisonment; yet in prayer he was fervently occupied, wherein oftentimes so long he continued kneeling, that he was not able to rise without help...

And here was one of the "principal matters he [Latimer] prayed for":

That as God had appointed him to be a preacher of his word, so also he would give him grace to stand to his doctrine until his death, that he might give his heart blood for the same....

... concerning his constancy, even in the most extremity the Lord graciously assisted him. For when he stood at the stake without Bocardo-gate at Oxford, and the tormentors about to set the fire to him, and to the learned and godly bishop Master Ridley, he lifted up his eyes towards heaven with an amiable and comfortable countenance, saying these words, "God is faithful, which doth not suffer us to be tempted above our strength." And so afterward by and by shed his blood in the cause of Christ, the which blood ran out of his heart in such abundance, that all those that were present, being godly, did marvel to see the most part of the blood in his body so to be gathered to his heart, and with such violence to gush out, his body being opened by the force of the fire; by the which thing God most graciously granted his request, which was, that he might shed his heart blood in the defence of the gospel.

I could stop there, but I want to give you some further excerpts... beginning with the time when these two dear saints, of whom the world was not worthy, were heading to the stake...

Then Master Ridley, looking back, espied Master Latimer coming after, unto whom he said, "Oh, be ye there?" "Yea," said Master Latimer, "have after as fast as I can follow." So he, following a pretty way off, at length they came both to the stake, the one after the other, where first Dr.  Ridley entering the place, marvellous earnestly holding up both his hands, looked towards heaven. Then shortly after espying Master Latimer, with a wondrous cheerful look he ran to him, embraced, and kissed him; and, as they that stood near reported, comforted him, saying, "Be of good heart, brother, for God will either assuage the fury of the flame or else strengthen us to abide it."

            With that went he to the stake, kneeled down by it, kissed it, and effectually prayed, and behind him Master Latimer kneeled, as earnestly calling upon God as he. After they arose, the one talked with the other a little while, till they which were appointed to see the execution, removed themselves out of the sun. What they said I can learn of no man. . .

Dr. Ridley and Master Latimer kneeled down upon their knees towards my Lord Williams of Thame, the vice-chancellor of Oxford, and divers other commissioners appointed for that purpose, who sat upon a form thereby; unto whom Master Ridley said, "I beseech you, my Lord, even for Christ's sake, that I may speak but two or three words." And whilst my Lord bent his head to the mayor and vice-chancellor, to know (as it appeared) whether he might give him leave to speak, the bailiffs and Dr. Marshal, vice-chancellor, ran hastily unto him, and with their hands stopped his mouth, and said, "Master Ridley, if you will revoke your erroneous opinions, and recant the same, you shall not only have liberty so to do, but also the benefit of a subject; that is, have your life." "Not otherwise?" said Master Ridley. "No," quoth Dr. Marshal. "Therefore if you will not so do, then there is no remedy but you must suffer for your deserts." "Well," quoth Master Ridley, "so long as the breath is in my body, I will never deny my Lord Christ, and his known truth: God's will be done in me!" And with that he rose up, and said with a loud voice, "Well then, I commit our cause to Almighty God, which shall indifferently judge all." To whose saying, Master Latimer added his old posy, "Well! there is nothing hid but it shall be opened." And he said, he could answer Smith well enough, if he might be suffered.

            Incontinently they were commanded to make them ready, which they with all meekness obeyed. Master Ridley took his gown and his tippet, and gave it to his brother-in-law Master Shipside, who all his time of imprisonment, although he might not be suffered to come to him, lay there at his own charges to provide him necessaries, which from time to time he sent him by the serjeant that kept him. Some other of his apparel that was little worth, he gave away; other the bailiffs took.

            He gave away besides, divers other small things to gentlemen standing by, and divers of them pitifully weeping, as to Sir Henry Lea he gave a new groat; and to divers of my Lord Williams's gentlemen some napkins, some nutmegs, and rases of ginger; his dial, and such other things as he had about him, to every one that stood next him. Some plucked the points off his hose. Happy was he that might get any rag of him.

            Master Latimer gave nothing, but very quietly suffered his keeper to pull off his hose, and his other array, which to look unto was very simple: and being stripped into his shroud, he seemed as comely a person to them that were there present, as one should lightly see; and whereas in his clothes he appeared a withered and crooked silly old man, he now stood bolt upright, as comely a father as one might lightly behold.

            Then Master Ridley, standing as yet in his truss, said to his brother, "It were best for me to go in my truss still." "No," quoth his brother, "it will put you to more pain: and the truss will do a poor man good." Whereunto Master Ridley said, "Be it, in the name of God;" and so unlaced himself. Then, being in his shirt, he stood upon the foresaid stone, and held up his hand and said, "O heavenly Father, I give unto thee most hearty thanks,  for that thou hast called me to be a professor of thee, even unto death. I beseech thee, Lord God, take mercy upon this realm of England, and deliver the same from all her enemies."

            Then the smith took a chain of iron, and brought the same about both Dr. Ridley's and Master Latimer's middle: and, as he was knocking in a staple, Dr. Ridley took the chain in his hand, and shaked the same, for it did gird in his belly, and looking aside to the smith, said, "Good fellow, knock it in hard, for the flesh will have his course." Then his brother did bring him gunpowder in a bag, and would have tied the same about his neck. Master Ridley asked what it was. His brother said, "Gunpowder." "Then," said he, "I will take it to be sent of God; therefore I will receive it as sent of him. And have you any," said he, "for my brother;" meaning Master Latimer. "Yea, sir, that I have," quoth his brother. "Then give it unto him," said he, betime; lest ye come too late." So his brother went, and carried off the same gunpowder unto Master Latimer.

            In the mean time Dr. Ridley spake unto my Lord Williams, and said, "My Lord, I must be a suitor unto your Lordship in the behalf of divers poor men, and specially in the cause of my poor sister: I have made a supplication to the queen's Majesty in their behalfs. I beseech your Lordship, for Christ's sake, to be a mean to her Grace for them. My brother here hath the supplication, and will resort to your Lordship to certify you hereof. There is nothing in all the world that troubleth my conscience, I praise God, this only excepted. Whilst I was in the see of London, divers poor men took leases of me, and agreed with me for the same. Now I hear say the bishop that now occupieth the same room, will not allow my grants unto them made, but, contrary unto all law and conscience, hath taken from them their livings, and will not suffer them to enjoy the same. I beseech you, my Lord, be a mean for them: you shall do a good deed, and God will reward you."

            Then they brought a faggot, kindled with fire, and laid the same down at Dr. Ridley's feet. To whom Master Latimer spake in this manner "Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man. We shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out."

            And so the fire being given unto them, when Dr. Ridley saw the fire flaming up towards him. he cried with a wonderful loud voice, In manus teas, Domine, commendo spiritum meum: Domine recipe spiritum meum. And after, repeated this latter part often in English, "Lord, Lord, receive my spirit;" Master Latimer crying as vehemently on the other side, "O Father of heaven, receive my soul!" who received the flame as it were embracing of it. After that he had stroked his face with his hands, and as it were bathed them a little in the fire, he soon died (as it appeareth) with very little pain or none. And thus much concerning the end of this old and blessed servant of God, Master Latimer, for whose laborious travails, fruitful life, and constant death, the whole realm hath cause to give great thanks to Almighty God.

            But Master Ridley, by reason of the evil making of the fire unto him, because the wooden faggots were laid about the gorse, and over-high built, the fire burned first beneath, being kept down by the wood; which when he felt, he desired them for Christ's sake to let the fire come unto him. Which when his brother-in-law heard, but not well understood, intending to rid him out of his pain, (for the which cause he gave attendance,) as one in such sorrow not well advised what he did, heaped faggots upon him, so that he clean covered him, which made the fire more vehement beneath, that it burned clean all his nether parts, before it once touched the upper; and that made him leap up and down under the faggots, and often desire them to let the fire come unto him, saying, "I cannot burn." Which indeed appeared well; for, after his legs were consumed by reason of his struggling through the pain, (whereof he had no release, but only his contentation in God,) he showed that side toward us clean, shirt and all untouched with flame. Yet in all this torment he forgot not to call unto God still, having in his mouth, "Lord, have mercy upon me," intermingling his cry, "Let the fire come unto me, I cannot burn." In which pangs he laboured till one of the standers-by with his bill pulled off the faggots above, and where he saw the fire flame up, he wrested himself unto that side. And when the flame touched the gunpowder, he was seen to stir no more, but burned on the other side, falling down at Master Latimer's feet; which, some said, happened by reason that the chain loosed; others said, that he fell over the chain by reason of the poise of his body, and the weakness of the nether limbs.

            Some said, that before he was like to fall from the stake, he desired them to hold him to it with their bills. However it was, surely it moved hundreds to tears in beholding the horrible sight; for I think there was none that had not clean exiled all humanity and mercy, which would not have lamented to behold the fury of the fire so to rage upon their bodies. Signs there were of sorrow on every side. Some took it grievously to see their deaths, whose lives they held full dear: some pitied their persons, that thought their souls had no need thereof. His brother moved many men, seeing his miserable case, seeing (I say) him compelled to such infelicity, that be thought then to do him best service, when he hastened his end. Some cried out of the fortune, to see his endeavour (who most dearly loved him, and sought his release) turn to his greater vexation and increase of pain. But whoso considered their preferments in time past, the places of honour that they some time occupied in this commonwealth, the favour they were in with their princes, and the opinion of learning they had in the university where they studied, could not choose but sorrow with tears, to see so great dignity, honour, and estimation, so necessary members sometime accounted, so many godly virtues, the study of so many years, such excellent learning, to be put into the fire, and consumed in one moment. Well! dead they are, and the reward of this world they have already. What reward remaineth for them in heaven, the day of the Lord's glory, when he cometh with his saints, shall shortly, I trust, declare.

To read more on the Marian persecutions: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marian_Persecutions

Related posts:

My other letters on assurance & fighting for joy including:

Letter 17 on assurance and fighting for joy (will we be diligent to enter into His joy?)
asking a hard thing (letter 84 on assurance & fighting for joy)
five years ago ~ for your joy (AND an inheritance | Richard Sibbes & the Sealing of the Spirit) ~ Letter 136
Three Years Later: Dancing & Skipping with Mrs. Durham | Letter 147 on fighting for joy

Why not pray for the baptism of the Holy Spirit
"The Christian should not just believe the truth, and know it..." | the Father's assurance
Advent #1 WHY HAS JESUS COME? that we might have life & life more abundantly

the best Mother's Day present: to see my children rebel
Reformation Sunday: Luther-"Just an individualist who never co-operated" or Contender for the truth?
the church reformed, always being reformed, lest we become deformed (Reformation Day)
Reformation Rebels: Are you willing to be a rebel for the sake of the Church?
the church reformed, always being reformed, lest we become deformed (Reformation Day)
"the infinite significance of the eternal Kingdom"

postcards from England: we're never to give way to false gospels
A little child shall lead us: Christ died for our sins (precious penal substitution)
"All My Heart This Night Rejoices" - the Lamb ... full atonement maketh
How could we? (Bible Reading - Leviticus 22)
the priest shall make atonement

Regarding Christian biography: Please see my tags marked bio. Also, if you're not sure where to start in regard to Christian biography, I'd suggest your checking out John Piper's biographical messages found at http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/biographies/by-title. Some of these are now available in PDF as well as ebook format; please check here: http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/books/by-title.

Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

Photo credit: I edited the image found here: http://magicstatistics.com/wp-content/pictures/art/Ridley_Latimer.jpg / Originally from Foxe's Book of Martyrs / {{PD-Old}}