CHARLES
SPURGEON on the nature of God’s saving work: “Every good thing that
is in a Christian, not merely begins, but progresses and is consummated by the
fostering Grace of God through Jesus Christ.
If my finger were on the golden latch of Paradise and my foot were on
its jasper threshold, I should not take the last step so as to enter Heaven
unless the Divine Grace which brought me so far should enable me to fully and
fairly complete my pilgrimage. Salvation
is God’s work, not man’s!”
F. B. MEYER on God’s ability
to finish that which he starts: ““We go into the
artist’s studio and find there unfinished pictures covering large canvas, and
suggesting great designs, but which have been left, either because the genius
was not competent to complete the work, or because paralysis laid the hand low
in death; but as we go into God’s great workshop we find nothing that bears the
mark of haste or insufficiency of power to finish, and we are sure that the
work which His grace has begun, the arm of His strength will complete.”
CHARLES SPURGEON on
the relationship of the doctrine of eternity security to the need for diligence
of the part of the believer in Christ: “If any of you should be well
assured that, in a certain line of business, you would make a vast sum of
money, would that confidence lead you to refuse that business, would it lead
you to lie in bed all day, or to desert your post altogether? No, the assurance that you would be diligent
and would prosper would make you be diligent…Even so the belief that we shall
one day be perfect, never hinders any true believer from diligence, but is the
highest possible incentive to make a man struggle with the corruptions of the
flesh, and seek to persevere according to God’s promise.”
GEORGE WHITEFIELD on the
need to be pliable with respect to what God, the “Master Potter,” is doing in
us: “Will
you not see reason to pray for yourselves also? Yes, doubtless, for yourselves
also. For you, and you only know, how much there is yet lacking in your faith,
and how far you are from being partakers in that degree, which you desire to
be, of the whole mind that was in Christ Jesus. You know what a body of sin and
death you carry about with you, and that you must necessarily expect many turns
of God's providence and grace, before you will be wholly delivered form it. But
thanks be to God, we are in safe hands. He that has been the author, will also
be the finisher of our faith. Yet a little while, and we like him shall say
"It is finished;" we shall bow down our heads and give up the ghost.
Till then, (for to thee, O Lord, will we now direct our prayer) help us, O
Almighty Father, in patience to posses our souls. Behold, we are the clay, and
thou art the Potter. Let not the thing formed say to him that formed it,
whatever the dispensations of thy future will concerning us may be, “Why dost
thou deal with us thus?” Behold, we put ourselves as blanks in Thine hands,
deal with us as seemeth good in thy sight, only let every cross, ever
affliction, every temptation, be overruled to the stamping of thy blessed image
in more lively characters on our hearts; that so passing from glory to glory,
by the powerful operations of Thy blessed Spirit, we may be made thereby more
and more meet for, and at last be translated to a full, perfect, endless, and
uninterrupted enjoyment of glory hereafter, with Thee O Father, Thee O Son, and
Thee O blessed Spirit; to whom, three persons but one God, be ascribed, as is
most due, all honor, power, might, majesty and dominion, now and to all
eternity. Amen and Amen.”
No comments:
Post a Comment