WITHOUT HOLINESS-J.C. PHILPOT

Without holiness no man shall see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14

To possess this holiness is a necessary and indispensable meetness for the inheritance of the saints in light; but this meetness must be wrought in us by the power of God's grace, for I am sure that in ourselves of it we have none. But see its necessity. What happiness could there be in the courts of bliss unless we had a nature to enjoy it? Unless we were made capable of seeing Christ as he is, and enjoying his presence for evermore, heaven would be no heaven to us. Nothing unclean or unholy can enter there. Sanctification therefore must be wrought in us by the power of God, to make us meet for the heavenly inheritance, and he therefore communicates of his Spirit and grace to give us heavenly affections, holy desires, gracious thoughts, tender feelings; and above all that love whereby he is loved as the altogether lovely. By the sanctifying operations of his Spirit, he separates us from everything evil, plants his fear deep in the heart, that it may be a fountain of life to depart from the snares of death; and works in us a conformity to his suffering image here that we may be conformed to his glorified image hereafter. Thus there is a perfect and an imperfect sanctification--perfect by imputation, imperfect in its present operations. But the one is the pledge of the other; so that as surely as Christ now represents his people in heaven as their holy Head, so will he eventually bring them to be forever with him in those abodes of perfect holiness and perfect happiness which are prepared for them as mansions of eternal light and love.

J.C. Philpot - 1802-1869; from Ears From Harvested Sheaves for April 3rd.

WISE WORDS FROM THOMAS BROOKS

"Reader, remember this: if thy knowledge do not now affect thy heart, it will at last, with a witness, afflict thy heart; if it do not now endear Christ to thee, it will at last provoke Christ the more against thee; if it do not make all the things of Christ to be very precious in thy eyes, it will at last make thee the more vile in Christ's eyes." Thomas Brooks

"A man's most glorious actions will at last be found to be but glorious sins, if he hath made himself, and not the glory of God, the end of those actions."

"Truth is mighty and will prevail."

Thomas Brooks was an English Puritan (1608-1680). We will leave him for now with this gem from his classic book Heaven on Earth
The trifles which God gives

The emperor Augustus, in his great feasts, gave
trifles to some—but gold to his favorites.

Just so—honors, riches and worldly pleasures are
the trifles which God gives to the worst of men.

God gives His gold—His special love and grace—only
to His people.

WISE SAYINGS-GOVERNMENT--VARIOUS QUOTES

We need some statesmen today. We need some patriots (like these two people; John and Abigail Adams). I waited a little while to say this, but Obama turned out to be worse than I feared. I thought Jimmy Carter was bad, and he was! I thought Bill Clinton was bad, and in many ways he was! But this guy Barack Obama is the most socialistic, compromising president that I believe we have ever had. I say this after not quite three months. I am afraid we haven't seen anything yet!

My friend Charles Rosson in Arkansas sent me the following. I thank him, and, of course, gcfl.net They are humorous but mostly true.

Wise Sayings: Government

1. In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one
useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or
more is a Congress. -- John Adams

2. If you don't read the newspaper, you are uninformed; if
you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed. -- Mark
Twain

3. Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a
member of Congress. But then I repeat myself. -- Mark Twain

4. I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into
prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to
lift himself up by the handle. -- Winston Churchill

5. A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always
depend on the support of Paul. -- George Bernard Shaw

6. A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his
fellow man,which debt he proposes to pay off with your
money.--G. Gordon Liddy

7. Democracy must be something more than two wolves
and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner.
--James Bovard

8. Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money
from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor
countries. -- Douglas Casey

9. Giving money and power to government is like giving
whiskey and car keys to teenage boys. -- P.J. O'Rourke

10. Government is the great fiction, through which
everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody
else. --Frederic Bastiat

11. Government's view of the economy could be summed
up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps
moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
-- RonaldReagan

12. I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and
report the facts. -- Will Rogers

13. If you think health care is expensive now, wait until
you see what it costs when it's free. -- P.J. O'Rourke

14. In general, the art of government consists of taking as
much money as possible from one party of the citizens to
give to the other. -- Voltaire

15. Just because you do not take an interest in politics
doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you.
-- Pericles (430 B.C.)

16. No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the
legislature is in session. -- Mark Twain

17. Talk is cheap... except when Congress does it. --
Anonymous

18. The government is like a baby's alimentary canal,
with a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility
at the other. -- Ronald Reagan

19. The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing
of the blessings. The inherent blessing of socialism is the
equal sharing of misery. -- Winston Churchill

20. The only difference between a tax man and a
taxidermist is that the taxidermist leaves the skin.
-- Mark Twain

21. The ultimate result of shielding men from the
effects of folly is to fill the world with fools.
-- Herbert Spencer

22. There is no distinctly native American criminal class...
save Congress. -- Mark Twain

23. A government big enough to give you everything you
want, is strong enough to take everything you have.
-- Gerald Ford

-GCFL

Brought to you by GCFL.net: The Good, Clean Funnies List
A cheerful heart is good medicine... (Prov 17:22a)
Mail address: GCFL, Box 100, Harvest, AL 35749, USA

J.I. PACKER

82 year old James I. Packer was born in England, and has lived in Vancouver, Canada since 1979. He is a theologian and a historian, and one of the most prolific Christian writers of the 20th (and now 21st), century. His best known, and, IMHO, best work is Knowing God, written in 1971. He also wrote Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, Quest for Godliness and many others. He has been a college professor, and is Editor in Chief of the English Standard Version of the Bible, and is an Associate Editor of the Reformation Study Bible of which R. C. Sproul was General Editor.

Some are going to say "Charles, I thought you were a fundamentalist?" I have been classified as that, and also a Calvinist, a hyper-Calvinist, a Puritan, and even an Arminian! Whatever you want to call me is okay, but I prefer to be called a Christian, though I am not worthy to be. Packer is an Anglican Calvinist, and at times he has made some questionable decisions. I am by conviction a Baptist, so there are areas of disagreement. But as Rolfe Barnard has said "I believe that God is going to evangelize the world through Baptists, but He doesn't have to."

Everything I have read by J.I. Packer has been helpful to me. All of has seemed scripturally sound, so the benefits outweigh the problems, at least for me.
Here are some J. I. Packer examples:

CALVARY

"Puritan preaching revolved around CHRIST and HIM crucified, for this is the hub of the Bible. The preacher's commission is to declare the whole counsel of GOD; but the cross is the center of that counsel, and the Puritans knew that the traveler through the Bible Landscape misses his way as soon as he loses sight of the hill called CALVARY." ( from A Quest for Godliness, page 286, Crossway Books Wheaton, IL 60187)

AMERICAN CHRISTIANITY
" North American Christianity is 3000 miles wide and 1/2 inch deep." (also in A Quest for Godliness)

JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH
"Martin Luther described the doctrine of justification by faith as the article of faith that decides whether the church is standing or falling. By this he meant that when this doctrine is understood, believed, and preached, as it was in NewTestament times, the church stands in the grace of God and is alive; but where it is neglected, overlaid, or denied, ... the church falls from grace and its life drains away, leaving it in a state of darkness and death." (World of Quotes) i.e, worldofquotes.com)

PRESENTING THE FAITH

"Our business is to present the Christian faith clothed in modern terms, not to propagate modern thought clothed in Christian terms. Confusion here is fatal." (cma-ministries.org)

GOD ONLY WISE
"What does the Bible mean when it calls God wise? In scripture wisdom is a moral as well as intellectual quality, more that mere intelligence or knowledge, just as it is more than mere cleverness or cunning.To be truly wise, in the Bible sense, one's intelligence and cleverness must be harnessed to a right end. Wisdom is the power to see and the inclination to choose, the best and highest goal, together with the surest means of attaining it.

Wisdom is, in fact, the practical side of moral goodness. As such, it is found in its fullness only in God. He alone is naturally and entirely and invariably wise. 'His wisdom ever waketh', says the hymn, and it is true. God is never other than wise in anything that He does. Wisdom, as the old theologians used to say, is His essence, just as power, and truth, and goodness are His essence --integral elements, that is, in His character." (Knowing God, chapter nine, page 80; 1974 edition; InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL 60515, USA

You can run a google search and find many more small quotes by this man, and even some online books. Hope it is some benefit to all. cw

IN EVIL LONG I TOOK DELIGHT-JOHN NEWTON

My favorite hymn writer (among many good ones), may be John Newton. The old converted slave trader was, of course, the writer of Amazing Grace. He wrote many others, which were published in several hymnals, including his own Olney Hymnal which was published while he pastored at Olney, England.This town is where John Newton was buried. Newton was not only a great hymn writer, but an excellent preacher whose works are available today, published by Banner of Truth. You can find the set at Reformation Heritage Books, Monergism or Amazon, and other online stores. If you feel the set is more than you will read, at least read Newton's autobiography Out of the Depths (currently published by Kregel). You likely will not find either of them at your local bookstore, unless it is an exceptional one. Most of the stores today are more interested in selling trinkets , novels and religious tripe, and even heresy! A far cry from the days when I worked at now defunct Christian Discount Book Center which, while not perfect, was pretty selective, and would not carry religious garbage that makes a mockery of the gospel.

Many of our modern gospel songs do not hold to a Christ exalting standard. Some do -- thank God! Newton's hymns certainly had that standard. They were Christ exalting and touched the soul. Oh how I long to see the churches sing again the God honoring hymns of this man, and of Isaac Watts, William Cowper, Charles Wesley, Augustus Toplady, Frances Havergal and Fanny Crosby. Here is one of Newton's that touches me.

IN EVIL LONG I TOOK DELIGHT

In evil long I took delight
Unawed by shame or fear;
'Til a new object met my sight,
And stopped my wild career.

I saw One hanging on a tree,
In agonies and blood;
Who fixed His languid eyes on me
As near His cross I stood.

Sure, never 'til my latest breath,
Can I forget that look
It seemed to charge me with His death
Though not a word He spoke.

My conscience owned and felt the guilt,
And plunged me in despair;
I saw my sins His blood had shed,
And helped to nail Him there.

Alas, I knew not what I did,
But all my tears were vain;
Where could my trembling soul be hid,
For I the Lord had slain!

SPIRITUAL CONVERSATION-J.C. RYLE

“Conference on spiritual subjects is a most important means of grace. As iron sharpens iron, so does exchange of thoughts with brethren sharpen a believer's soul. It brings down a special blessing on all who make a practice of it. The striking words of Malachi were meant for the Church in every age --‘Then those who feared the Lord spoke often one to another--and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for those who feared the Lord, and that thought upon His name. And they shall be mine says the Lord, in that day when I make up my jewels.’ (Mal. 3:16, 17.)

What do we know ourselves of spiritual conversation with other Christians? Perhaps we read our Bibles, and pray in private, and use public means of grace. It is all well, very well. But if we stop short here we neglect a great privilege and have yet much to learn. We ought to ‘consider one another to provoke to love and good works.’ We ought to ‘exhort’ and ‘edify one another.’ (Heb. 10:24; 1 Thess. 5:11.) Have we no time for spiritual conversation? Let us think again. The quantity of time wasted on frivolous, trifling, and unprofitable talk, is fearfully great. Do we find nothing to say on spiritual subjects? Do we feel tongue-tied and speechless on the things of Christ? Surely if this is the case, there must be something wrong within. A heart right in the sight of God will generally find words. ‘Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.’" (Matt. 12:34). From Expository Thoughts on the Gospels on Luke 24 13-20.

We close with another morsel from J.C. Ryle.“Let it be a settled principle in our minds, in reading the Bible, that Christ is the central sun of the whole book. So long as we keep Him in view, we shall never greatly err in our search for spiritual knowledge. Once losing sight of Christ, we shall find the whole Bible dark and full of difficulty. The key of Bible knowledge is Jesus Christ.”(This is a second worthy comment from Expository Thoughts on the Gospels on Luke 24 13-20).

THE LIFE OF ARTHUR PINK

ARTHUR AND VERA PINK- JULY 20, 1928

Some history and a personal testimony by W.F. Bell.

Arthur W. Pink was born in Nottingham, England in 1886, and died on the remote Isle of Lewis, Scotland in 1952. His life and ministry were unique in many different ways. Though known more today than when he lived, Pink was a careful and serious student of Scripture, and a gifted writer who is loved by many all over the world. I have before me the first book I obtained by him, Gleanings in Genesis, bearing the date 1970, which was a gift from a friend. In 1972 or 1973, after my teaching at a certain church, someone approached me, saying, "You must be a Pink Calvinist." So I guess I was, and still am! I owe much, under God's blessing, to the written works of Mr. Pink, and truly rejoice in his life's testimony to the truths of God's grace, the trustworthiness of Scripture, and the glory of Christ. He was eccentric in some things, but some of God's best servants have been, so we do not fault him in this, remembering James 3:2.

In 1976 I visited Morton's Gap, Kentucky, where Arthur Pink and his wife Vera lived briefly in 1929-1930. I actually met a couple who had known the Pinks personally, Mr. and Mrs. Will Talliaferro (aged, but with good memories of Pink). Brother Talliaferro gave me a copy of a letter Pink had sent him in 1924 (from Philadelphia), plus loaned me his copy of Pink's book, Why Four Gospels? The letter wound up being published as the very first letter in Banner of Truth's book, Letters of A. W. Pink (1978). The book was republished here in Canton, Georgia in January 1977, but with an Appendix stating that Pink had later changed his views on "Dispensationalism," from that revealed in the original book, which was first published in 1921. This book was subsequently reprinted by Scripture Truth Book Company, Fincastle, Virginia, but lacking the Appendix and any reference to Pink's change of views from the original publication. Despite this, Pink's book on Why Four Gospels? is still a worthy treatment of the subject, and it still amazes us that in this book and his other early works, Pink reveals a great familiarity with Scripture, the writings of others, and a gifted writing ability. Anyone who has read him even scantily knows that he breathes Scripture throughout his writings.

The last years of Pink's life were spent in isolation in the Outer Hebrides in the far northwest of Scotland. This he desired, and we must praise God for the "Providence" that led him there. He was particularly devoting most of his time to editing his magazine, Studies in the Scriptures (published from 1922-1953), and corresponding with the many hundreds who wrote him seeking counsel. We are certainly not losers in Pink's "separating" himself from mainstream churches and ministry, though we must not seek to emulate him in this. Even he would say we should not. So, let us briefly give here some of his own words on a few subjects, hoping this will "whet your appetite" for more and more of Mr. Pink:

GLORYING IN THE LORD

"He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord" (I Cor. 1:31). This shows that ministers of the gospel need to be especially careful not to glory in their performances, but instead to give thanks to God for their success: all must be credited to His enabling and blessing. They must not glory in their abilities, attainments or achievements, but only in the Author and Giver of the same....We desire neither to be unsociable nor to live the life of a hermit, but we are "not our own," and are resolved by grace to devote the whole of our energy in an endeavour to feed Christ's lambs and sheep. We highly value such a privilege and honour, and are jealous of anything which tends to encroach upon the same. We are deeply thankful that the Lord has brought us apart from "the strife of tongues," and has so graciously provided us with a "peaceable habitation" (Isa. 32:18). Not that we urge anyone else to follow our example. Others must take their place on the firing line, and each soul should seek to perform his or her duty in whatever position Providence has assigned them. (Annual Letter, 1951, Studies in the Scriptures)

NARROWNESS AND BROADMINDEDNESS

There should be a happy medium between sectarian narrowness and the world's "broadmindedness," between deliberately compromising the truth and turning away from some of the Lord's people because they differ from us on non-essentials. Shall I refuse to partake of a meal because some of the dishes are not cooked as I like them? Then why decline fellowship with a brother in the Lord because he is unable to pronounce correctly my favourite shibboleth?....As good old Matthew Henry said, "The consideration of being agreed in greater things should extinguish all feuds over lesser ones." (1935, Studies in the Scriptures)

GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY AND CHRISTIAN SERVICE

If God has determined before the foundation of the world the precise number of those who shall be saved, then why should we concern ourselves about the eternal destiny of those with whom we come into contact? What place is left for zeal in Christian service? Will not the doctrine of God's sovereignty, and its corollary of predestination, discourage the Lord's servants from faithfulness in evangelism? No; instead of discouraging His servants, a recognition of God's sovereignty is most encouraging to them....What is God's remedy for dejection at apparent failure in our labors? This -- the assurance that God's purpose cannot fail, that God's plans cannot miscarry, that God's will must be done. Our labors are not intended to bring about that which God has not decreed. (The Sovereignty of God, first published 1918, reprint 1969)

Editor's note:
I thought it would be good to present some biographical information about Arthur W. Pink. He was a remarkable servant of Christ whose greatest influence came after his death in 1952. Almost all of his books were written from material in his magazine Studies in the Scriptures. My late friends, Lawrence and Amy Nelson of Venice, Florida, founders of the Chapel Library, had some personal correspondence from Pink, as well as some full sets of Studies in the Scriptures in their original format. They reflected on fond memories on my visits to them in the 70's. Pink's works have been influential among theologians, ministers and people in the pew. You can find almost all of them online, since none were copyrighted. He was a gifted preacher, but for the final 12 years of his life, he lived in isolation in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland, studying, praying and writing. We have the fruit today of that labor Yet, if you search the internet, you will not find over 2-3 photos of this man. cw