Solus Christus Reformed Baptist Church

Our winters shall not frown forever: summer shall soon smile. The tide shall not eternally ebb out: the floods must retrace their march. The night shall not hang its darkness forever over our souls: the sun shall yet arise with healing beneath his wings. "The Lord turned the captivity of Job." Thus, too, our sorrows shall have an end when God has gotten His end in them. The ends in the case of Job were these, that Satan might be defeated, foiled with his own weapons, blasted in his hopes when he had everything his own way.

If the spirit that is at work among a people is plainly observed to work so as to convince them of Christ, and lead them to him--to confirm their minds in the belief of the history of Christ as he appeared in the flesh--and that he is the Son of God, and was sent of God to save sinners; that he is the only Saviour, and that they stand in great need of him; and if he seems to beget in them higher and more honourable thoughts of him than they used to have, and to incline their affections more to him; it is a sure sign that it is the true and right Spirit; however incapable we may be to determine, whether that conviction and affection be in that manner, or to that degree, as to be saving or not.

Being a soul-emptying, a reason-denying grace, the more it faith with beyond its search and reach, the more satisfaction it finds. "This is that which I looked for," saith faith, "even for that which is infinite and unsearchable, when I know that there is abundantly more beyond me that I do not comprehend, than what I have attained unto; for I know that nothing else will do good to the soul." Now, this is that which really puzzles and overwhelms reason, rendering it useless. What it cannot compass, it will neglect or despise.

Now, what is the way to receive that which comes from mere sovereignty and prerogative? Doth not the nature of the thing require humble waiting? If, then, either impatience cast the soul into frowardness, or weariness make it slothful (which are the two ways whereby waiting is ruined), let not such a one expect any comfortable issue of his contending for deliverance out of his depths.

The Grace and Duty of Being Spiritually Minded - 13 The work of the renovation of our affections — How differenced from any other impression on or change wrought in them, and how it is evidenced so to be — The first instance, in the universality accompanying of affections spiritually renewed — The order of the exercise of our affections with respect unto their objects.

In connecting this verse with the preceding, how accurately is the middle path preserved, equally distant from the idea of self-sufficiency to "keep the Lord's statutes," and self justification in neglecting them! The first attempt to render spiritual obedience will quickly convince us of our utter helplessness. We might as soon create a world, as create in our hearts one pulse of spiritual life. And yet our inability does not cancel our obligation.

But where, in my strictest walk, is my hope of acceptance, but in Him, whose obedience has "fulfilled all righteousness" in my stead, and whose death "has redeemed me from the curse" of my unrighteousness, when repentance, prayers, and tears, would have been of no avail? Yet it is only in the path of holiness that we can realize our acceptance. The heart occupied with this world's pleasure knows nothing of this heavenly joy. Its brightness is dimmed-its freshness fades-its life withers-in the very breath of an unholy world. A godly assurance of the present favor of God must be weakened by self-indulgence, unwatchfulness, allowance of secret sins, or neglect of secret duties.

It can now be shown wherein anger is undue or unsuitable in its nature. And this is the case with all anger that contains ill-will, or a desire of revenge. Some have defined anger to be a desire of revenge. But this cannot be considered a just definition of anger in general; for if so, there would be no anger that would not imply ill-will, and the desire that some other might be injured.

There is a great aptness in persons to doubt of things that are strange; especially elderly persons, to think that to be right which they have never been used to in their day, and have not heard of in the days of their day, and have not heard of in the days of their fathers. But if it be a good argument that a work is not from the Spirit of God, that it is very unusual, then it was so in the apostles' days. The work of the Spirit then, was carried on in a manner that, in very many respects, was altogether new; such as never had been seen or heard since the world stood.

How wondrous is God's patience with the world today. On every side people are sinning with a high hand. The divine Law is trampled under foot and God Himself openly despised. It is truly amazing that He does not instantly strike dead those who so brazenly defy Him. Why does He not suddenly cut off the haughty infidel and blatant blasphemer, as He did Ananias and Sapphira? Why does He not cause the earth to open its mouth and devour the persecutors of His people, so that, like Dathan and Abiram, they shall go down alive into the Pit?

There are sometimes sudden impressions made on spiritual affections, which are always of great advantage to the soul, renewing its engagements unto God and duty. So was it with Jacob, Genesis 28:16-20; so is it often with believers in hearing the word, and on other occasions. On all of them they renew their clearings unto God with love and delight. But the effect of these impressions on unrenewed affections are neither spiritual nor durable; yea, for the most part, they are but checks given in the providence of God unto the raging of their lusts, Psalm 9:20.

Richard Allestree, 1619-1681 The Whole Duty of Prayer Collected by David Jonescue Gleanings in Puritan Prayers Volume 2

This unpretentious little Volume IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BY THE PUBLISHERS. THE STEMS GROW UP EVERY WEEK: THE SHOCKS APPEAR ONCE A MONTH: THE SHEAVES ARE BOUND TOGETHER ONCE A YEAR: And it is thought that these samples, gleaned from the Sermons, will be welcome to many, but chiefly to those who are most familiar with the ample fields from which they are gathered.

This unpretentious little Volume IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BY THE PUBLISHERS. THE STEMS GROW UP EVERY WEEK: THE SHOCKS APPEAR ONCE A MONTH: THE SHEAVES ARE BOUND TOGETHER ONCE A YEAR: And it is thought that these samples, gleaned from the Sermons, will be welcome to many, but chiefly to those who are most familiar with the ample fields from which they are gathered.

The distinguishing grace of God is seen in saving those people whom He has sovereignly singled out to be His high favorites. By "distinguishing" we mean that grace discriminates, makes differences, chooses some and passes by others. It was distinguishing grace which selected Abraham from the midst of his idolatrous neighbors and made him "the friend of God." It was distinguishing grace which saved "publicans and sinners," but said of the religious Pharisees, "Let them alone" (Mat 15:14).

the Grace and Duty of Being Spiritually Minded Chapter 5 A diligent endeavor to live in a holy resignation of our persons, our lives, our families, all our enjoyments, unto the sovereign will and wisdom of God, so as that we may be in readiness to part with all things upon his call without repining. This, also, is plainly declared in the voice of present providences. God is making wings for men's riches, he is shaking their habitations, taking away the visible defenses of their lives, proclaiming the instability and uncertainty of all things here below; and if we are not minded to contend with him, we have nothing left to give us rest and peace for a moment but a holy resignation of all unto his sovereign pleasure.

Every thing that appertains to holiness of heart, does indeed belong to the nature of true Christianity, and the character of Christians; but a spirit of holiness, as appearing in some particular graces, may more especially be called the christian spirit or temper. Some amiable qualities and virtues more especially agree with the nature of the gospel constitution, and christian profession; because there is a special agreeableness in them with those divine attributes which God has more remarkably manifested and glorified in the work of redemption by Jesus Christ, the grand subject of the christian revelation.

The goodness of God is seen in the variety of natural pleasures which He has provided for His creatures. God might have been pleased to satisfy our hunger without the food being pleasing to our palates—how His benevolence appears in the varied flavors which He has given to meats, vegetables, and fruits! God has not only given us senses, but also that which gratifies them; and this too reveals His goodness.

A look back on 40 years of creating audio-books. What were things learned along the way? What was recording like in 1985? What were the early sources: who were my teachers, what books were my materials?

Sin has an indwelling and captivating power, whereby it continually assaults the principle of spiritual life, beating down the Christian's defenses, battering his armor, routing his graces, wasting his conscience, destroying his peace, and at last bringing him into a woeful captivity unless it be mortified. Corruption does not lie dormant in the Christian: though it reigns not supreme (because of a principle of grace to oppose it), yet it molests and often prevails to a very considerable extent. Because of this, the Christian is called upon to wage a constant warfare against it: to "mortify" it, to struggle against its inclinations and deny its solicitations, to make no provision for it, to walk in the Spirit so that he fulfill not the lusts of the flesh.

Present news (2) what books am I narrating now? (3) subjects for a future podcast. A plea to pray for this work.

side, all the artifices of the world, all the paint it puts on its face, all the great promises it makes, and the false appearances and attires that it clothes itself with by the help of Satan, have no other end than to draw and keep the affections of men to itself. And if the world is preferred before God in this address which is made to us for our affections, we will justly perish with the world unto eternity, and be rejected by Him whom we have rejected.

Christians are weak and insufficient, even in the strength and height of all their acquisitions and preparations; who are you to grapple with such an adversary? Certainly, you are no match for him who conquered Adam hand to hand in his state of integrity. It is not your inherent strength that enables you to stand, but what you receive and daily derive from Jesus Christ. Without me, or never so little separated from me, you can do nothing (John 15:5).

The first time this divine perfection is mentioned in the Word is in that wondrous manifestation of Deity to Moses, when Jehovah proclaimed His "Name," i.e., Himself as made known. "The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth" (Exo 34:6), though much more frequently the Hebrew word, chesed, is rendered "kindness" and "lovingkindness."

There are many today who talk about the love of God, who are total strangers to the God of love. The divine love is commonly regarded as a species of amiable weakness, a sort of good-natured indulgence; it is reduced to a mere sickly sentiment, patterned after human emotion. Now the truth is that on this, as on everything else, our thoughts need to be formed and regulated by what is revealed thereon in Holy Scripture. That there is urgent need for this is apparent not only from the ignorance which so generally prevails, but also the low state of spirituality which is now so sadly evident everywhere among professing Christians.

The wrath of God is eternal detestation of all unrighteousness. It is the displeasure and indignation of divine equity against evil. It is the holiness of God stirred into activity against sin. It is the moving cause of that just sentence which He passes upon evil doers. God is angry against sin because it is a rebelling against His authority, wrong done to His inviolable sovereignty. Insurrectionists against God's government shall be made to know that God is the Lord. They shall be made to feel how great that Majesty is which they despise, and how dreadful is that threatened wrath which they so little regarded.

It is our duty to instill a deep sense in our hearts, as the first thing God aims at in his calls, of our past mistakes, and of our current dead, miserable state; in comparison to that vigor, liveliness, and activity of grace that should be found in us. Should we not lay the foundation here? If so, then we should apply ourselves to it.

chapter 20 I have heard multitudes testifying of it; complaints are received from many in this nation, and the neighboring nations, that there is a significant decline in the power of grace and life of faith, among all sorts of believers. Some of them will go further in their evidence, and tell us that they find the effects of it in themselves; they find it a matter of great difficulty, requiring significant watchfulness and diligence, to maintain their former spiritual states; and even after all their efforts, they do not achieve their desire.

The first thing I would focus my thoughts upon, and that my faith relies on, in this case, is this,—there is a fixed, predetermined time in the counsel of God, when Antichrist and Babylon, and idolatry and superstition, along with the profanity of life they have introduced, will be destroyed. It is so fixed, that it will not be altered: all the wisdom of men, all the sins of men, and all our disbelief, will not delay it a day; it will assuredly happen in its appointed season.

Case 3 Unto this great prevalence and predominance of sin in the whole nation, there is added a strange and unspeakable security. The truth is, men were a little awakened for a while in the nation. When the judgments of God—the pestilence, the fire, the sword, and, the year after, another warning from heaven—were upon us, then there was a little awakening, like a man out of a deep sleep, who lifts up his head and rubs his eyes for a time.

Seeing we have, in the next place, felt decays in the midst of the performance of multiplied duties, labor to bring spirituality into your duties. "What is that," you will say, "and wherein does it consist?" It is the due exercise of every grace that is required to the discharge of that duty. Let every such grace be in its due exercise, and that is to be spiritual in duty. As, for instance, would a man be spiritual in all his prayers?—let him, then, consider what grace and what exercise of grace is required for this duty.

Case 5 (1.) Our direction for solemn worship in the church generally respects Christ as mediator, in Scripture. The general worship that is to be performed unto God in the assemblies of the saints, does look upon Christ as executing his mediatory office; and so our address is unto the throne of grace by him. By him we enter into the holy place,—through him and by him unto God. "I bow my knees unto (God) the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," Eph. 3:14. God, considered as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, is the proper, ultimate object of the solemn worship of the church.

To abide in Christ is to be always near to Christ, in the spiritual company of Christ, and in communication with Christ. It does not lie in a mere, essential act of believing, whereby we are implanted into Christ and will not depart from him; but there is something of a special, spiritual activity of soul in this abiding in Christ: it is abiding with him and in his presence. And as this abiding with Christ must be by some acts of our souls, let us consider what acts those are, which may give a little further light into this matter.

Case 7 We pray with earnestness and fervency, with noise and clamor of speech, but do not industriously pursue the things we pray for. Unless we watch and follow after these things, we shall not have grounds for faith in the hearing of our prayers;—as, for instance, when the soul is burdened with a corruption, there is nothing we are more fervent in prayer unto God against; yet, when we have done this, we take no more care to get it mortified. Where is our faith that our prayers may be heard in this matter?

The inclination of constitution gives particular advantages to particular sins. Some may be very much inclined to envy; some to wrath and passion; and others to sensual sins—gluttony, drunkenness, uncleanness—to name the things which our Savior names and warns us of. It is with respect hereunto that David said he "would keep himself from his iniquity," as some think. I have only this to say—that it has been much from the fallacy of the devil that men have been apt to plead constitution and the inclination of their constitution to the extenuation of their sin; when, indeed, it is an aggravation.

There will, even after sincerely believing and closing with Christ, be many heavy charges brought against a soul from the law and the guilt of sin in the conscience. Now, in such a case, the inquiry is, What does the soul abide by when it is shaken? Why, truly, if a man goes only upon mere convictions, on such shaking impressions of the guilt of sin, he will be very ready and inclined in his own mind to tack about to some other relief.

Under prevalent corruption there is a drawing back; for I would state the matter thus:—a person who is a professor, and has kept up to duties and obedience until some lust has gained strength, by constitution, temptations, or life circumstances, and has drawn him away from his former renewal in walking with God; there is then a drawing back. Now, says the apostle, "If any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him," Heb. 10:38. And when God has no pleasure according to the various degrees of backsliders (it may be that is meant of final apostasy)

It is a dark and challenging dispensation of providence when the world and nations of the world are filled with confusion and bloodshed, and no just reason appears for it to be so. When our Saviour predicts a difficult season in Matt. 24 and Luke 21, he says, "There will be terrible times, such as never were; nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be wars, bloodshed, and earthquakes; and the very elect will barely escape." Therefore, God refers to such a time as "a day of darkness," indeed, of "thick darkness," Joel 2:2, a dark, gloomy day.

"'I called for mourning, and fasting, and girding with sackcloth,' and you indulged in feasting on all occasions." "Surely, says the LORD, this sin shall not be purged from you until you die." And it is counted among the sins of the most profligate people, that when God's hand is lifted up and ready to strike, they will not see, so as to learn righteousness, Isa. 26:11. Therefore, let us beg for grace.

Case 10 When a person is faced with the danger of sin, the next step is to burden their conscience with the guilt of it. The truth is, our minds are often slow to comprehend the danger of sin due to various reasons, and our consciences are reluctant to bear the weight of its guilt. I am not referring to individuals with hardened consciences, who feel no guilt no matter how much is placed upon them, but even the consciences of reformed individuals.

Chapter 8 In this attribute is our safety and rest, amidst the confusions of the world, and daily disappointments we are vexed withal, through the vanity and falseness of the creature; as to creatures, the very best of them are but vanity, yea, vanity of vanity, the vainest vanity, Eccl. 1:2. "Every man in his best estate is altogether vanity," Psal. 39:5. Yea, those that we expect most from, give us most trouble, Mic. 7:5.

The ordinary case of a laboring soul, before closing with Christ, is to abstain from sin, pray more or less, be found in duties, and under strong desires to be accepted with God. And what is the end of these labors and endeavors? They labor and are weary;—that is, they see their labor comes to no effect; they do not find rest, and peace, and acceptance with God. And here is the turning point; Isa. 57:10, "Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way; yet do not say: There is no hope." When the soul hath labored for acceptance with God, and comes to be weary, saith Christ, "Come unto me."

These discourses are intensely practical and rich in spiritual wisdom. They will be treasured by all who long for a faith that is more than surface-deep, and for a Christianity that lives and breathes in the heart—not just in outward forms.

GOD first warns, and then smites, he delights not to surprise men; when indignation was coming, he tells his people of it in the text, and admonishes them to hide themselves. "Surely the Lord will do nothing, but he revealeth his secrets to his servants the prophets," Amos 3:7. Thus when the flood was to come upon the old world, he gave them 120 years warning of it, Gen. 6:3. compared with 1 Pet. 3:19. So when Sodom was to be destroyed, God would not hide it from Abraham; Gen. 18:17. "Shall I hide from Abraham the thing that I do?"

But now I turn to you. Men and brothers, heaven and earth call upon you. Indeed, hell itself preaches the doctrine of repentance to you. The angels of the churches travail with you; Gal. 4.19 the angels of heaven wait for you, for your repenting and turning to God. O sinner! Why should the devils make merry with you? Why should you be a morsel for that devouring Leviathan? why should harpies and hell-hounds tear you apart, and make a feast of you.

Though grace, while imperfect, does not root out an evil natural temper, yet it is of great power and efficacy to correct it. The change wrought in conversion, is an universal change: grace changes a man with respect to whatever is sinful in him; the old man is put off, and the new man put on; he is sanctified throughout. He is become a new creature, old things are passed away, and all things are become new; all sin is mortified, constitutional sins, as well as others.

There is not the least encouragement to the soul of a sinner to deal with God without this discovery. Secondly, That this discovery of forgiveness in God is a matter great, holy, and mysterious; and which very few on gospel abiding grounds do attain unto. Thirdly, That yet this is a great, sacred, and certain truth, as from the manifold evidences of it may be made to appear. Fourthly, That this is a stable support unto a sin-distressed soul shall be manifested,.

Being in this estate, perplexed in itself, lost in and under the consideration of God's marking iniquity according to the tenor of the law, that which it fixes on, from whence any relief, stay, or supportment might be expected in such a condition, is laid down in this verse. Verse 4.—"But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared."

Satan is the arch-counterfeiter. The Devil is now busy at work in the same field in which the Lord sowed the good seed. He is seeking to prevent the growth of the wheat by another plant, the tares, which closely resembles the wheat in appearance. In a word, by a process of imitation he is aiming to neutralize the Work of Christ. Therefore, is Christ has a Gospel, Satan has a gospel too; the latter being a clever counterfeit of the former. So closely does the gospel of Satan resemble that which it parodies, multitudes of the unsaved are deceived by it.