TWO MEDITATIONS BY JOHN FLAVEL

Puritan pastor John Flavel (1628-1691) was the son of a dissenting pastor Richard Flavel who died in 1665 of the plague while in prison. Like so many of the Puritans, John Flavel was a deep student of God's word. He pastored in Dartmouth, England and some of his writings concerning Christ are the sweetest in the vast Puritan legacy. Perhaps his best known works are Keeping the Heart, The Fountain of Life Opened, and The Mystery of Providence.

CHRIST, THE CHIEF OBJECT OF OUR LOVE

How worthy is Jesus Christ of all our love and delights? You see how infinitely the Father delighteth in him, how he ravishes the heart of God; and shall he not ravish our hearts? I present you a Christ this day, able to ravish any soul that will but view and consider him. O that you did but see this lovely Lord Jesus Christ! Then would you go home sick of love: surely he is a drawing Saviour, John 12: 32.

Why do ye lavish away your precious affections upon vanity: None but Christ is worthy of them: when you spend your precious affections upon other objects, what is it but to dig for dross with golden mattocks? The Lord direct our hearts into the love Of Christ. O that our hearts, loves and delights did meet the heart of God in this most blessed object! O let him that left God’s bosom for you, be embosomed by you, though yours be nothing to God’s; he that left God’s bosom for you, deserves yours.

CHRIST, ESSENCE OF ALL DELIGHTS

Christ is the very essence of all delights and pleasures, the very soul and substance of them. As all the rivers are gathered into the ocean, which is the meeting-place of all the waters in the world, so Christ is that ocean in which all true delights and pleasures meet.

LESSONS FROM BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY

SCRIPTURE MEDITATIONS BY W.F. BELL

Many of us in the modern church often feel like the Jews who were carried captive to Babylon (Psalm 137). There, under the divine chastisement, they hung their once-tuned harps upon the willows in that desolate land. Their anti-Jehovah captors mocked them (adding to their misery), requesting of them a song of mirth. But, note their sad reply: "How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?" It was impossible, since the once-favored nation was separated from their beloved Jerusalem. "Better to hang their harps on willows than profane them to the service of idols," said C. H. Spurgeon.

We too weep in the modern church and are in mourning as we remember our beloved Zion! How jealous we all should be for the honor and prosperity of Christ's church! We long, with those ancient Jews, for the restoration of songs of praise to the eternal Yahweh! We care nothing for fleshly praise and worldly applause in the "trendy" church of our day. And we too plead, as those ancient castaways, for God to truly arise in retribution, casting out our enemies. Anti-christs abound in our day, but not too many for our holy God to "cast out." But only real, heaven-sent revival will ever conquer our foes and brighten our days!

The world of the ungodly absolutely hates true religion (the gospel of Christ) -- and God's people must hate all false religion. There can be no compromise, and we must ever be praying, "Remember, O Lord." Our hearts may be heavy with the burlesque show in the modern church, but we must never stop crying out to God for Him to arise! When the prophets spoke to the nation, even in their darkest hours, the people were encouraged by the prospects of coming revival. In the very next Psalm, we are told that we must continue to be seekers and worshipers of our great God, no matter the difficulty of our circumstances: "I will praise Thee with my whole heart; before the gods will I sing praise unto Thee. I will worship toward Thy holy temple, and praise Thy name for Thy lovingkindness and for Thy truth; for Thou hast magnified Thy word above all Thy name" (Psalm 138:1-2). Those are strong, positive declarations, for in the Lord Jesus Christ alone do we have hope!

QUOTE FOR THE DAY
"We must rend our own clothes if we wear the garment of God." Vance Havner

IT IS CHRIST-- CHARLES SPURGEON

Remember, sinner, it is not thy hold of Christ that saves thee—it is Christ; it is not thy joy in Christ that saves thee—it is Christ; it is not even faith in Christ (though that is the instrument)—it is Christ’s blood and merits; therefore, look not to thy hope, but to Christ, the source of thy hope; look not to thy faith, but to Christ, the Author and Finisher of thy faith. And if thou doest that, ten thousand devils cannot throw thee down. . .

There is one thing which all of us too much becloud in our preaching, though I believe we do it unintentionally--namely, the great truth that it is not prayer, it is not faith, it is not our doings, it is not our feelings upon which we must rest, but upon Christ and on Christ alone!

We are apt to think that we are not in a right state, that we do not feel enough instead of remembering that our business is not with self, but Christ. Let me beseech thee, look only to Christ; never expect deliverance from self, from ministers, nor from any means of any kind apart from Christ; keep thine eye simply on Him; let His death, His agonies, His groans, His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession be fresh upon thy mind. When thou wakest in the morning, look to Him; when thou liest down at night, look to Him.

CHRIST OUR ALTAR-MATTHEW HENRY

I have used this one before over a year ago. I like it so well that I thought I would share it again, in case some missed it. Matthew Henry is always worth reading in my humble opinion.(cw)

This brazen altar was a type of Christ dying to make atonement for our sins. The wood had been consumed by the fire from heaven, if it had not been secured by the brass; nor could the human nature of Christ have borne the wrath of God, if it had not been supported by a divine power. Christ sanctified himself for his Church, as their altar, John 17:19; and by his mediation sanctifies the daily services of his people, who also have a right to eat of this altar, Hebrews 13:10; for they serve at it as spiritual priests. To the horns of this altar poor sinners fly for refuge when justice pursues them, and there they are safe in virtue of the sacrifice there offered.

MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOU

JOHN CALVIN ON SECOND CORINTHIANS 12:9,10


GRACE: Chapter 12, verse 9--The term grace, here, does not mean here, as it does elsewhere, the favor of God, but by metonymy, the aid of the Holy Spirit, which comes to us from the unmerited favor of God; and it ought to be sufficient for the pious, inasmuch as it is a sure and invincible support against their ever giving way.

WEAK: Chapter 12, verse 10--For when I am weak, that is — “The more deficiency there is in me, so much the more liberally does the Lord, from his strength, supply me with whatever he sees to be needful for me.” For the fortitude of philosophers is nothing else than contumacy, or rather a mad enthusiasm, such as fanatics are accustomed to have. “If a man is desirous to be truly strong, let him not refuse to be at the same time weak Let him,” I say, “be weak in himself that he may be strong in the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:10.)

CLARITY: Should any one object, that Paul speaks here, not of a failure of strength, but of poverty, and other afflictions, I answer, that all these things are exercises for discovering to us our own weakness; for if God had not exercised Paul with such trials, he would never have perceived so clearly his weakness. Hence, he has in view not merely poverty, and hardships of every kind, but also those effects that arise from them, as, for example, a feeling of our own weakness, self-distrust, and humility. (From John Calvin (1509-1564) ; Commentary on 2nd Corinthians; Translated by Calvin Translation Society) emphasis mine, cw

OF THE KIRK (CHURCH)--BY JOHN KNOX

Roman Catholic Mary Queen of Scots is reputed to have said: “I fear the prayers of John Knox more than all the assembled armies of Europe." Many attribute him, under God, for the Reformation in Scotland that changed that country from popery to protestant.

OF THE KIRK AND OF THE NOTES

WHEREBY IT MAY BE DISCERNED

As we believe in one God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, so do we most constantly believe that from the beginning there has been, and now is, and to the end of the world shall be, one Kirk; that it is to say, one company and multitude of men, chosen of God, who rightly worship and embrace Him by true faith in Christ Jesus, Who is the only Head of the same Kirk, His body and spouse; which is catholic, that is, universal, because it con­tains the Elect of all ages, realms, nations, and tongues, be they of the Jews or be they of the Gentiles, who have communion and society with God the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ through Sanctification of His Holy Spirit. This Kirk is invisible, known only to God ... and comprehends the Elect that be departed, commonly called the Kirk Triumphant, and they that yet live and fight against Satan.

Because Satan from the beginning has labored to deck his pestilent synagogue with the title of the "Kirk of God" ... it is a thing most requisite that the true Kirk be discerned from the unclean synagogues, by clear and perfect Notes. The notes, signs, and assured tokens, we affirm, are neither Antiquity, Title usurped, Lineal descent, Place appointed, nor multitude of men approving an error. The Notes therefore of the true Kirk ... we avow to be: — first, the true Preaching of God's Word, in which God has revealed Himself unto us, as the writings of the Prophets and Apostles do declare. Secondly, the right administration of the Sacraments of Christ Jesus, which must be annexed unto the Word and promise of God, to seal and confirm the same in our hearts. Last, Ecclesiastical Discipline uprightly ministered, as God's Word prescribes, whereby vice is repressed, and virtue nourished. Wheresoever then these Notes are seen, and of any time continue (be the number never so few, about two or three), there, without all doubt, is the true Kirk of Christ; Who, accord­ing to His promise, is in the midst of them.

John Knox and colleagues, 1560

EXCERPTS FROM ARTICLES 16, 18. THE SCOTS CONFESSION

PURITAN QUOTES

Many of these men were in the Westminster Assembly which developed the Westminster Confession of Faith; one of the clearest statements of doctrinal truth ever written. The later Baptist confessions such as the London Confessions, and the Philadelphia Confession was based on the Westminster Confession of Faith..

“None have engaged against the saints but have been ruined by the God of saints”--Thomas Brooks (1608-1680).

“We fear men so much, because we fear God so little. When man’s terror scares you, turn your thoughts to the wrath of God”- William Gurnall (1617-1679).

“By the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil: by the fear of man, they run themselves into evil”--John Flavel (1630-1691).

"There are three kinds of lies: a lie told, a lie taught, a lie acted out”--Joseph Caryl (1602-1673).

The Paradox of faith:

“A man cannot have faith without asking; neither can he ask it without faith”--Edward Marbury (about 1590-1658).

All from “A Puritan Golden Treasury”, edited by I.D.E. Thomas; Moody Press,Chicago, 1975; Banner of Truth edition published 1977.