Grace Gems

[sincereheart]

These are wonderful! 

[nChrist]

Sister,

I'm glad that you like them - I do too. I'm finding more and more that I really enjoy older Christian poetry, prose, and sermons. You'll find a few words that have been changed in usage, but they are still powerful medicine today.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Psalms 51:10 NASB  Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

[airIam2worship]

Altogether lovely!

("Solitude Sweetened" by James Meikle, 1730-1799)

"Yes, He is altogether lovely! This is my Beloved,
 and this is my Friend!" (Song of Solomon 5:16)

Why does the world reject the Savior of the world?
Why do they abhor Him who is altogether lovely,
and hate Him who is the best Friend of mankind?

O men of the world! what good can you desire which
is not in Christ? The excellencies of earth are but His
footstool; the excellencies of heaven are but His
throne! How excellent, then, must He himself be!

His treasures are infinite--and open for you!

In Jesus are . . .
  riches--if you are poor;
  honor--if you are despised;
  friendship--if you are forsaken;
  help--if you are injured;
  mercy--if you are miserable;
  joy--if you are disconsolate;
  protection--if you are in danger;
  deliverance--if you are a captive;
  life--if you are mortal;
  and all things--if you have nothing at all.

Time and eternity are His! He can give
you all the glorious things of eternity!

Moreover, He can deliver you . . .
  from all your fears;
  from sin--the worst of all evils;
  from self--the most hurtful of all companions;
  from death--the most dreadful of all changes;
  from Satan--the most subtle of all enemies;
  from hell--the most horrible of all prisons; and
  from wrath--the most horrifying doom of all sinners!

Now, where will you find such a one as Jesus?

Why, then, refuse life, and seek after death?

All heaven is enamored with His beauty!

The longer we look on 'created gaieties', the leaner
and less lovely they grow; so that, by the time we
have viewed them forty, fifty, or sixty years--we
see nothing but vanity in the creature! But when
ten thousand ages are employed in beholding the
perfection and beauty of Jesus--He still appears
more and more lovely--even altogether lovely!

Alas! I can say nothing of His true excellencies!
They overwhelm my laboring thought, and are
too vast for my feeble conception to bring forth!
--


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This is so beautiful and uplifting.

[nChrist]

Dancing to destruction!

(James Meikle, "The Traveler" 1730-1799)

How should I hate sin, when I see . . .
  how guilty it makes the soul,
  how it debases even unto hell,
  how the longer the captive lies in its chains--the
    fetters grow stronger, and the captive weaker;
  how it kindles hell,
  how scatters brimstone over the body,
  how makes the language of the pit spew from the tongue,
  how makes its victims restless in its pursuit!

In a word, sin . . .
  despises divine things,
  proclaims rebellion against Heaven,
  and wages war against God!

Sin is that poison that makes a man go laughing
to death--and dancing to destruction! Then,
let my soul weep in secret places for those who
cannot pity themselves, nor show compassion
on their own souls, but . . .
  live in a dream,
  die in darkness, and
  plunge into despair!


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[nChrist]

This little inch of time!

(James Meikle, "The Traveler" 1730-1799)

"Time is short." (1 Corinthians 7:29)

Time is precious--though misspent, though
thought little of. Oh! what great things are
to be done in this little inch of time!

Think much on death--that you may not be
too much charmed with the 'vanities of life'.

Remember the deceitfulness and uncertainty
of riches--so shall you neither be puffed up
with their possession, nor pained at their loss.

Think much on the unseen world, and let the
certainty of that which is to come, dispel the
'delusion of the present'--which so quickly
passes away.

Eye God's glory in everything, and prefer the
approbation of God and your own conscience,
to the applause of men. Better be the object of
man's ridicule, than the subject of God's wrath.

Beware that you live not for yourself, or the world.
But live above the world, for eternity, and to God.

"So, then, be careful how you live. Do not
 be unwise but wise, making the best use
 of time, because the days are evil."
    (Ephesians 5:15-16)


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[nChrist]

What shall the swearer say?

(James Meikle, "The Traveler" June 15, 1758)

"You shall not take the name of the LORD your God
 in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who
 takes His name in vain." (Exodus 20:7)

How justly will God, the righteous Judge, repay the
imprecations into the bosoms of these blasphemers!

They sin in sport--but God hears in earnest, and will
punish in zeal. They call on God profanely in their
words; and God hears, and will answer them in wrath!

They swear, and forget--but God has sworn that He
will remember. That which they think adds vigor to
their words--shall indeed add anguish to their grief,
and fierceness to their torments!

What shall the swearer say, when tossing on the
fiery billows, shrieking under consummate despair!
"O miserable state of intolerable torments, which I
 must endure! How shall I spend this eternity of pain!
 It was nothing to me in time to hear others curse and
 blaspheme--and to join in the infernal dialect myself!
 And now I am encircled with unceasing blasphemies,
 from all the legions of demons, from all the millions of
 miserable sinners, suffering under infinite vengeance!
 And I mingle in the uproar, and join in the terrible
 tumult against the throne of God, although dreadfully
 tortured in my rebellion. Then, curses accented every
 sentence; now, every sentence is one continued curse!
 I thought God was altogether such a one as myself--and
 that He would never remember my swearings, which I
 never minded, nor call me to account for committing
 what I made no account of. Damn me! damn me! was
 always on my tongue--and now I am damned forever!
 The oaths and curses which I sowed in time, have now
 sprung up into bitter bewailings, and eternal blasphemings!
 As I took pleasure in cursing, so it is come unto me--but
 with inexpressible pain! O eternity, eternity, how long!"

"They cursed the God of heaven for their pains and
 sores. But they did not turn from their evil ways."
   Revelation 16:11

This is, indeed, the lamentable end of profane swearers,
who shall confess the equity of God in their torments!

But, as the wicked shall be repaid according to their ways,
so shall the righteous be in theirs. All their imperfect . . .
  attainments,
  longings,
  wrestlings,
  hopes,
  desires,
  prayers,
  meditations,
  tears,
  godly sorrows,
  spiritual joys,
and the seeds of every other grace--shall come to
a wondrous conclusion at last. Now they serve God
with weakness--but then they shall enjoy Him with
a vigorous immortality! They sow in tears, and go
weeping heavenward--but shall possess Him in a
triumphant state, where sorrow and signing shall
forever flee away!


Grace Gems!

A treasury of ageless sovereign grace devotional writings

[nChrist]

Just because He disposes all things

(James Meikle, "Converse with the Unseen World")

"Our God is in heaven and does whatever He
 pleases." Psalm 115:3 (HCSB)

"But He is unchangeable; who can oppose Him?
 He does what He desires." Job 23:13 (HCSB)

While I might wish to change some things in my
situation in life, I reflect that the wisdom of that
gracious God who rules for me is so perfect, that
any other situation in life would not be good for
me. Now, though I cannot now understand how
such and such circumstances are for my good, yet
I know that His wisdom is a thousand times better
than mine. So I should be silent in whatever He
sees fit to send me. Moreover, I should adore His
sovereignty, and submit to His disposal in all
things--just because He disposes all things.

"For I know that the Lord is great; our Lord is greater
 than all gods. The Lord does whatever He pleases in
 heaven and on earth, in the seas and all the depths."
    Psalm 135:5-6 (HCSB)

"Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom
 and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable
 His judgments and untraceable His ways!"
    Romans 11:33 (HCSB)


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[nChrist]

In the profound depth of affliction

(James Meikle, "Solitude Sweetened" 1730-1799)

Christians, when shut up in the depths of affliction,
have their eyes on God alone, who can bring them
out of the horrible pit, out of the miry clay. Then their
thoughts ascend to heaven, and heaven shines down
into their souls; while the world, in all its glittering
vanities which strike the carnal eye--is cut off.

In the dark night of adversity, there are spiritual
beauties seen, which were never seen in the broad
day of prosperity. O desirable distress! which discloses
and magnifies heavenly excellences--and diminishes
earthly vanities!

In no place better than in the profound depth of
affliction, does the heir of future glory see . . .
  the love, the goodness, the mercy, the wisdom of God,
  the excellency of true religion,
  the beauty of divine things,
  the danger of prosperity,
  the deceitfulness of riches,
  the vanity of created things,
  the happiness of the world to come.



Grace Gems!

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[nChrist]

A grey head, and a carnal worldly heart

(James Meikle, "The Traveler" Dec. 26, 1761)

Hitherto I have looked upon myself as young, and
coming to the prime of my life. But henceforth I
shall consider myself as in my declining years. I
am certain how long I have lived in the world--but
quite uncertain how soon I must leave the world.
And therefore I should be preparing for my final
departure, and daily be ripening for the regions
of bliss!

A young man, and a holy life; one in his prime,
and all his graces flourishing--is lovely to behold.

But a grey head, and a carnal worldly heart, is
a wounding sight! Henceforth, be gone bewitching
vanities, and all the enchantments of the world! The
last years of my life are not to be trifled away with you!

Death attends me!

The grave awaits me!

Eternity is at hand!




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[nChrist]

        Let me leave you, and fly into His arms!

        (James Meikle, "Converse with the Unseen World")

        Where, dear angels--where do you carry my soul--which just left its dying body? "Commissioned from your Father's throne, we come to carry you safely into His immediate presence."

        What dismal howling is that I hear behind us? "It is the last yells of hell's old lion, at your safe escape."

        Ah! where am I now? What wonders rise around me! What fragrance meets me from the mountains of myrrh, from the hills of frankincense! I hear the voice of my Beloved! Sacred guardians--let me leave you, and fly into His arms!

        Am I the one who lately lay tumbling and tossing on a deathbed--who now walks in beds of roses, and on banks of bliss? Am I the one who a little while ago, had weeping friends around his bed--who now am surrounded with angelic song, entranced with heavenly harmony, and ravished with delights? Am I the one who lately lay struggling with the pangs, and trembling at the approach of death--who now am above the reach of fear, and stroke of death?

        But, O Majesty of heaven! I blush at my very entrance into Your courts--that I have been such a stranger here. What precious time have I wasted on toys and trifles, and despised the joy of angels and the work of heaven! Where are all the things of time now, which could once challenge God, for the possession of my heart? Why did not Your glorious being feast my meditations? Why did not Your love attract, constrain mine? Why did not the joys of heaven drown the fleeting joys, and dissipate the imaginary sorrows of the world? Why did I prostitute the temple of my soul to the idols of time? Why did I permit the world and self a place in that temple which the Godhead is to inhabit forever?

        There are none before the throne but supreme lovers of God--a name I dare not claim; then, let me retire to the outmost confines of the land of bliss, as unworthy to be nearer. Ah! no! At your throne I will dwell forever, and glow in ardors, and dissolve in love! And the sacred spark, which sin and Satan, the world and self, smothered while below--shall burn a flame intense and strong through everlasting day!


Grace Gems!

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[nChrist]

A noble indifference

(James Meikle, "Converse with the Unseen World")

The brevity of time, and the near approach of
eternity--give to the rightly-exercised soul a
noble indifference about everything here
on earth.

What does it matter whether I dwell in a palace
or a prison--since it is but for a day, an hour, a
moment! What disappointment should grieve
me in time--if I shall possess God for eternity?

I look around me, and see multitudes eager on
the chase, keen in the pursuit of created vanities,
forgetful that this world is passing away. I look
forward to the invisible world, and see multitudes
in their eternal state, astonished at the stupidity
men--that the 'trifles of time' should preponderate
so much with them. I also find myself in the
deluded throng of triflers, and condemn my
own vain conduct.

An hundred years ago, the earth was filled with
inhabitants, who are now in eternity. They then
straggled along the road of human life with care
and concern, with burdens and bitterness--but
now are forever at their journey's end.

I am now traveling the thorny path, and shall
also shortly arrive at my eternal home. The
interim is so short, that nothing that can befall
me should either give much pain or pleasure.
I am on the wing to the celestial paradise, and
no blasts in my face shall hinder my flight to
the city of God!

The brevity of time may be bitter to the sinner,
because torment and eternity seize him in the
same moment! But it must afford me joy, for
the shorter my time, the nearer to my endless
felicity! All the complicated afflictions of time
must disappear when time is no more. Why,
then, take deep concern, or heavy sorrow; or
much joy, or lasting delight--at the ill or good
of the few flying moments on our journey to
eternity? My soul is immortal, and God is eternal.
Therefore in God below, and in God above, in
God in time, and in God in eternity--shall my
soul find boundless pleasures and unfading bliss!



Grace Gems!

A treasury of ageless sovereign grace devotional writings

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[nChrist]

An unfavorable soil for the growth of piety

(Archibald Alexander, "The spiritual warfare")

Worldly prosperity has ever been found to be an
unfavorable soil for the growth of piety. It . . .
  blinds the mind to spiritual and eternal things,
  dries up the spirit of prayer,
  fosters pride and ambition,
  furnishes the appropriate food to covetousness,
  leads to a sinful conformity to the spirit, maxims,
     and fashions of the world.

Very few have been enabled to pass this 'ordeal' without
serious injury, and have come forth like the three children
from Nebuchadnezzar's furnace--without the smell of fire
on their garments; but this could not have been unless
the Son of Man had been with them! Such people use
all their health, influence, and wealth in promoting the
kingdom of Christ.

But generally, God in mercy refuses to give worldly
prosperity to His children. He has "chosen the poor
of this world, to be rich in faith"--that is, He has
commonly chosen poverty as the safest condition
for His children. His are "an afflicted and poor people
--who trust in the name of the Lord." Zephaniah 3:12

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and
 by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith
 and pierced themselves with many pains. Now you,
 man of God, run from these things; but pursue
 righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and
 gentleness." 1 Timothy 6:10-11

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[nChrist]

Enchanting trifles

(James Meikle, "Converse with the Unseen World")

Never shall I attain to happiness, while I seek it in
the creature, or expect it outside of heaven! O how
little concern should I have with the things of time,
who am so far on my journey towards eternity!

When the world gets into the affections, there
is nothing but tumult and disorder there; this I have
long found. But when heaven dwells within, the
heart becomes a little heaven, and all is peace and
serenity, composure and joy. O! then, to keep the
heart barred against enchanting trifles, and to
live above everything below. At the hour of death,
I shall make my triumphant entry into the New
Jerusalem, and from the walls of the holy city
I shall bid defiance to all . . .
  the cares of life,
  the pleasures of sense,
  my indwelling corruptions,
  and the legions of hell.

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[nChrist]

I am growing worse every day!

(Archibald Alexander, "Growth in Grace" 1844)

One of the best evidences of growth in grace, is a
clearer and deeper insight into the evils of your own
heart. But your first conclusion is apt to be--"I am
growing worse every day! I see innumerable
evils springing up within me which I never saw
before!"

This person may be compared to one shut up in
a dark room where he is surrounded by many
loathsome objects. If a single ray of light is let
into the room, he sees the more prominent objects.
And if the light gradually increases, he sees more
and more of the filth by which he has been
surrounded. It was there before--but he
did not perceive it. His increased knowledge
of the fact is a sure evidence of increasing light.

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[nChrist]

Glued to the world

(James Meikle, "A Periodic Interview
 with the King of Terrors" May 1, 1771)

"God disciplines us for our good, that we may
 share in his holiness." Hebrews 12:10 (NIV)

It is common to complain of the troubles of life; yet
they are kindly designed to loosen our affections from
the world. If our life were all clear sunshine, without
care or confusion, jar or contention, disappointment
or pain--how would we be glued to the world, and
cemented to the things of time--since amidst all the
disasters which occur, we are still so attached to the
transitory things!

____________________

From Grace Gems:
Very Old - But Beautiful and Timeless Treasures.
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