Grace Gems

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The 'stream of time', with all the trifles that float on it!

("Life's Shortness and Vanity", A funeral sermon by Samuel Davies)

"For this world in its present form is passing away!" 1 Corinthians 7:31

The whole scheme and system of worldly affairs--all this marrying and rejoicing, and weeping, and buying, and enjoying--is passing away! It is passing away this very moment! It not only will pass away--but even now, it is passing away!

The 'stream of time', with all the trifles that float on it, and all the eager pursuers of these bubbles--is in motion, in swift, incessant motion to empty itself and all that sail upon it--into the shoreless ocean of eternity, where all will be absorbed and lost forever!

"You turn men back to dust, saying, 'Return to dust, O sons of men.' For a thousand years in Your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night. You sweep men away in the sleep of death; they are like the new grass of the morning--though in the morning it springs up new, by evening it is dry and withered. The length of our days is seventy years--or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. So teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom!" Psalm 90

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Surely, we cannot know this Christ too well!

(J.C. Ryle, "Holiness, Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties, and Roots" 1879)

It would be well if Christians studied the four Gospels more than they do. No doubt, all Scripture is profitable. It is not wise to exalt one part of the Bible at the expense of another. But I think it would be good for some who are very familiar with the Epistles--if they knew a little more about the writings of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Now, why do I say this? I say it because I want Christians to know more about Christ. It is good to be acquainted with all the doctrines and principles of Christianity. It is better to be acquainted with Christ Himself. It is well to be familiar with faith and grace and justification and sanctification. They are all matters "pertaining to the King." But it is far better to be familiar with Jesus Himself, to see the King's own face, and to behold His beauty! This is one secret of eminent holiness! He who would be conformed to Christ's image, and become a Christ-like man--must be constantly studying Christ Himself!

Now the Gospels were written to make us acquainted with Christ. The Holy Spirit has told us the story of His life and death, His sayings and His doings--four times over. Four different inspired hands have drawn the picture of the Savior.
  His ways,
  His manners,
  His feelings,
  His wisdom,
  His grace,
  His patience,
  His love,
  His power--
are all graciously unfolded to us by four different witnesses.

Ought not the sheep to be familiar with the Shepherd?

Ought not the patient to be familiar with the Physician?

Ought not the bride to be familiar with the Bridegroom?

Ought not the sinner to be familiar with the Savior?

Beyond doubt it ought to be so. The Gospels were written to make men familiar with Christ, and therefore I wish men to study the Gospels.

On whom must we build our souls, if we would be accepted by God? We must build on the Rock, Christ.

From whom must we draw that grace of the Spirit which we daily need in order to be fruitful? We must draw from the Vine, Christ.

To whom must we look for sympathy when earthly friends fail us or die? We must look to our elder Brother, Christ.

By whom must our prayers be presented, if they are to be heard on high? They must be presented by our Advocate, Christ.

With whom do we hope to spend the eternity of glory? With the King of kings, Christ.

Surely, we cannot know this Christ too well! Surely there is not a word, nor a deed, nor a day, nor a step, nor a thought in the record of His life, which ought not to be precious to us. We should labor to be familiar with every line that is written about Jesus!

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The immensity of the Creator's dominions!

(Rufus Wheelwright Clark, "Heaven and its Scriptural Emblems" 1853)

"His dominion is an everlasting dominion!" Daniel 4:34

"The LORD has established His throne in Heaven, and His kingdom rules over all!" Psalm 103:19

God is a sovereign of absolute and unlimited dominion! Reason and revelation both teach us that God's government and authority are coextensive with His rational creation. His government reaches to the remotest bounds of the habitable universe!

Every angel in Heaven,
every inhabitant of earth,
the millions of beings that people the worlds that are above and around us--
are all subjects of His divine authority.

We speak of God's government as coextensive with His moral kingdom; but this language, obviously, fails to convey to our minds adequate conceptions either of the government or of the kingdom over which it is established; for modern science has thrown open to us an extent of empire that is beyond the grasp of the mightiest and loftiest of human intellects.

With the aid of telescopic power, we discover that immensity is crowded with worlds and systems, of which, before, we had no knowledge; and that this earth, instead of being the central portion of God's dominions, to which all that is visible in the heavens is tributary and secondary--is, in fact, but one amid myriads of worlds, which vastly surpass it in magnificence and splendor! We discover that the universe is of such an extent that this earth, with its islands, continents and oceans, is but a speck--a speck, the loss of which would be no more felt than the removal of a single grain of sand from the sea-shore!

In our attempts to comprehend the extent of this empire, we are not only utterly baffled--but we perceive it stretching away, in every direction, towards a mysterious infinity! And the impression is made upon the mind, that it is absolutely boundless!

The idea has been advanced, that it may be the Creator's design to excite the wonder, and sustain the adoration, of His subjects--by views of the magnitude of a kingdom, the boundaries of which no finite mind will ever reach!

An eloquent writer has said that there may be "an impenetrable barrier, beyond which no power, either of eye or of telescope, shall ever carry us; that, on the other side, there is a height, and depth, and length, and breadth, to which the whole of this concave and visible firmament dwindles into the insignificance of an atom! And though all which the mind of man can take in, or his imagination grasp at, were swept away--there might still remain as ample a field, over which the Divinity might expatiate, and which He might have peopled with innumerable worlds! Though this earth were to be burned up, though the trumpet of its dissolution were sounded, though yon sky were to pass away as a scroll, and every visible glory which the finger of Divinity has inscribed on it were to be put out forever--an event so awful to us, and to every world in our vicinity, by which so many suns would be extinguished, and so many varied scenes of life and of population would rush into forgetfulness--what is it in the high scale of the Almighty's workmanship?--a mere shred, which, though scattered into nothing, would leave the universe of God one entire scene of greatness and of majesty!"

Such is the immensity of the Creator's dominions--an immensity so vast that the solitude created by the destruction of all that is visible would be but a minuscule point, to the infinite mind of God.

If the innumerable galaxies consist of clusters of stars, and those stars swell to the magnitude of brilliant suns, and those suns present themselves to our view as the central orbs of vast planetary systems, that are filled with an innumerable population--then what must be the grandeur of that divine government, which spreads its protecting shield over so vast an empire, and requires the homage and services of the countless myriads of its inhabitants!

What must be the attributes of that monarch, who, while presiding over such a kingdom, and taking within his comprehensive grasp the interests of various ranks of intelligences, as numerous, perhaps, as the worlds around us--and at the same time can notice . . .
  every thought that enters my mind,
  every motive that influences my conduct, and
  every circumstance that contributes to form my character,
  and decide my destiny!
An administration thus universal, and embodying the eternal principles of right, justice and benevolence, must be in the highest degree powerful and glorious!

But who can describe, or even conceive of the glory of this divine government--that throws its luster upon every world, and fills immensity with its splendors!

When its grand purposes shall have been accomplished--the sublime spectacle will be presented of a universe crowded with loyal and adoring subjects. From every world will ascend, to the infinite Sovereign, anthems of praise, and the incense of holy worship. Every planet will glitter with temples, whose lofty architecture, and splendid proportions, and costly decorations, will indicate the prevalence of devotion, and the homage that is rendered to the supreme divine Governor!

"Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns!" Revelation 19:6

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Too wise to err--and too loving to be unkind!

(Arthur Pink)

"I delight to do Your will, O my God!" Psalm 40:8

Faith endures the disappointments, the hardships, and the heart-aches of life--by recognizing that all comes from the hand of Him who is too wise to err--and too loving to be unkind.

There is no higher aspect of faith, than that which brings the heart to patiently submit unto whatever God sends us, to meekly acquiesce unto His sovereign will, to say, "Shall I not drink the cup of suffering which my Father has given me?" Faith when it reaches the pinnacle of attainment declares, "though He slays me, yet will I trust in Him!"

When we receive all that enters our lives as from God's hand, then, no matter what may be our circumstances or surroundings--whether in a hovel, a prison-dungeon, or a martyr's stake--we shall be enabled to say, "The lines have fallen unto me in pleasant place!" But that is the language of faith, not of sight or sense.

"Father, if You are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from Me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine!" Luke 22:42


"It is a genuine evidence of true godliness when, although plunged into the deepest afflictions, we yet humbly submit ourselves to God. It is the height of piety to be submissive to the sovereign will of God." John Calvin


"It is not enough to bear the cross, but we must take it up, we must accommodate ourselves to it, and acquiesce in the will of God in it. Not, "this is an evil, and I must bear it, because I cannot help it;" but "this is an evil, and I will bear it, because it is the will of God." Matthew Henry


"Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God's wise and fatherly disposal in every condition." Jeremy Burroughs

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The Bible is no lazy man's book!

"If you seek it like silver and search for it like hidden treasure--then you will understand the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God!" Proverbs 2:4-5


"The Bible is no lazy man's book! Much of its treasure, like the valuable minerals stored in the bowels of the earth, only yield up themselves to the diligent seeker." (Arthur Pink)


"Do not be satisfied with a superficial survey of Scripture, as many Christians are. These are not the days of contemplation as the old Puritan times were, we are too apt to be superficial; but do remember that while there are nuggets of gold upon the very surface of Scripture, yet the most valuable mines of gold are far down!" (Charles Spurgeon)


"Truth lies deep, and must be dug for." (William Gurnall)


"Strive to penetrate to the bottom of Divine truths, and never be content with a superficial knowledge." (David Brainerd)


"Dig for the truth like a man digging for Australian gold!" (J.C. Ryle)


"Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding!" Proverbs 4:7

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By the hand of His own Father!

(John Flavel, "The Fountain of Life" 1671)

"He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed!" Isaiah 53:5

"Yet it was the LORD's will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer. When You make His soul an offering for sin . . ." Isaiah 53:10

To wrath, to the wrath of an infinite God without mixture--to the very torments of Hell was Christ delivered--and that by the hand of His own Father! Surely then, that love is fathomless, which made the Father of mercies deliver His only Son to such miseries for us sinners!

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Will the gates of pearl be opened to let in dogs and swine?

(Thomas Boston, "Human Nature in its Fourfold State")

There is no Heaven without holiness; for "without holiness no man shall see the Lord," Hebrews 12:14. Will the gates of pearl be opened to let in dogs and swine? No! their place is outside, "Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying." Revelation 22:15. Will God take the children of the devil, and permit them to sit with Him in His throne? Or, will He bring the unclean into the city, whose street is pure gold?

Be not deceived; grace and glory are but two links of one chain which God has joined, which no man shall put asunder. None are transplanted into the paradise of glory above--but out of the nursery of grace below. If you are unholy while in this world, you will be forever miserable in the world to come!

"He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still!" Revelation 22:11

"Cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness! There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!" Matthew 25:30

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If you meet that poor wretch who thrust his spear into My side!

(Benjamin Grosvenor, "The Temper of Jesus Christ towards His Enemies, and His Grace to the Chief of Sinners")

"Repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." Luke 24:47

It is very affecting that the first offers of grace should be made to those who, of all people in the world--had done Him the most harm! One would rather have expected the apostles would have received another kind of charge, and that Christ would have said, "Let repentance and forgiveness of sins be preached--but do NOT carry it to Jerusalem, that wicked city, that has been the slaughter-house of my prophets, whom I have often sent. Last of all, I myself, the Son, came--and with wicked hands, they have crucified and murdered Me! They may do the same to you! Do not let the gospel enter those wicked gates, through which they led Me, its Author, to crucifixion!"

But Christ singles out exactly these murderous people of Jerusalem--to make monuments of His mercy, and commands the first offer of eternal life to be made to them! As if our Lord had said: "Lest the poor house of Israel should think themselves abandoned to eternal despair--as cruel and vile as they have been--go, make the first offer of grace to them! Let those who spilled My blood--be welcome to its healing virtue. Tell them that there is repentance and forgiveness, even for them!"

"Nay, if you meet that poor wretch who thrust his spear into My side, tell him that there is another way, a better way of coming to My heart--even My heart's love! Tell him, that if he will repent, and look upon Me whom he has pierced, and will mourn--then I will cherish him in that very bosom which he has wounded! Tell him that he shall find the blood which he has shed--to be an ample atonement for the sin of shedding it! And tell him from Me, that he will put Me to more pain and displeasure by refusing this offer of My blood--than when he first drew it forth!"

"For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance!" Matthew 9:13

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A great change!

(Thomas Watson, "Until My Change Comes")

"All the days of my appointed time will I wait until my change comes." Job 14:14

That is, I will wait until my death comes.

Death, whenever it comes, makes a great change.

Death will make a certain change; there is no avoiding it. "No one can live forever; all will die. No one can escape the power of the grave!" Psalm 89:48. It is neither strength, nor courage, nor any worldly grandeur--which can exempt from death. The godly must die, as well as others. Though death does not destroy the treasure of grace--yet death breaks the vessel that this treasure is in.

We are not so sure to lie down in our beds--as we are to lie down in our graves!

Our days are certain to God--but they are uncertain to us. The Lord alone, knows how long our hour-glass will be running. For all we know, there are but a few sands more to run. Life may expire in an instant. When we breath out--we never know whether we will ever take a breath in again!

Death will make a visible change. One scarcely knows their friends, they are so disfigured by death! The eyes are hollow, the jaws are fallen; death carries away all the goodly spoil of beauty. It changes a living body, into a foul carcass, Psalm 39:11, "You make his beauty to consume like a moth." Take a body of the finest spinning, once death like a moth gets into it, it consumes all the luster and glory of it. Death puts the body into such a frightful state--that nothing can desire it but worms!

Death will make an unalterable change. As the tree falls--so it lies to eternity. Death is a change which puts us into an unchangeable condition!

"It is appointed unto men once to die--and after that to face judgment!" Hebrews 9:27

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We shall wither, fade, and die!

(James Smith, "The Pastor's Evening Visit")

"Like autumn leaves--we wither and fall!" Isaiah 64:6

What a contrast between an unchangeable God--and a sinner withering like a leaf! Yet, this is a true picture of us--and of all temporal things.

We began to look green and bright not long ago--and in a little time we shall wither, fade, and die!

"How short is life--and how full of trouble! Like a flower, we blossom for a moment--and then wither!" Job 14:1-2. Humbling consideration! But it may be rendered very useful. Let us endeavor to profit by it.

We shall soon find that . . .
  health gives place to sickness;
  strength gives place to weakness;
  youth gives place to old age!

The dying bed, the coffin, and the grave--are just before us!

Brethren, the time is short! Eternity with all its glories is just before us!

Shall we soon wither and die? Let us therefore . . .
  make our calling and our election sure,
  not be overly concerned by anything that occurs here below,
  set our affections on things above,
  cultivate close and filial fellowship with God,
  aim principally to please Him in all that we do,
  watch against a worldly spirit,
  pass the time of our sojourning here on earth, in fear,
  and lay up for ourselves treasures in Heaven.

"Like autumn leaves--we wither and fall!" Isaiah 64:6

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Paul's wise theory of life

(J.R. Miller, "Breaking Away from Our Past")

"But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus!" Philippians 3:13-14

We have here Paul's wise theory of life--progress by forgetting, by letting go of the things that are past.

"Forgetting what is behind." Probably most of us have done things we would much like . . .
  to leave behind,
  to blot out from memory,
  to cut altogether loose from,
  to bury in oblivion.
We cannot turn back the hands of the clock, that we may have any day over again. But we may bring to God all the mistakes, the follies, the sins--and He will forgive us, and then use even these poor broken things for good.

A traveler tells of finding a place beside the sea, where many ships were dashed upon the rocks--and a beautiful house built altogether from pieces of wreckage gathered from the shore.

That is about the best many of us can do. We have little else to bring to God but wreckage--disobediences, broken commandments, mistakes, sins. Yet it is a wonderful thought that even with such materials, if we are truly penitent and repentant--our Master will work, helping us to build beauty in our lives. Sins forgiven become lessons for us. Out of a past full of failures, we may make a future full of strength and beauty--through the grace of Christ. We cannot forget our sins, but we may be wiser and better for them.

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Do we think earnestly about being like Him here and now?

(J.R. Miller, "The Religion for the New Year" 1903)

"So that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive." Titus 2:10

Martin Luther's insignia was a rose; in the rose a heart; in the heart a cross.

The rose suggests fragrance and beauty--a Christian life should be beautiful, winning, attractive. It should be sweet, pouring forth the fragrance of holy love wherever it goes.

The heart in the rose suggests that all true living for Christ is from the heart.

But at the center of all was the cross. Until we have Christ, we can have neither fragrance nor beauty. We must never forget that nothing but the self-sacrificing love of Christ in our hearts can transform our lives.

We sometimes sing, "Take the world, but give me Jesus"--but do we really mean it? It is a very sweet hymn, but do we mean it? Are we ready to have the prayer answered, fully, wholly--whatever it may cost?

We expect to be like Christ in Heaven, but do we think earnestly about being like Him here and now? Would we exchange our poor, meager measure of Christlikeness today--for Christ to have the complete control of our lives? It would make a tremendous change in our lives, at least, in some of our lives.

"If any want to become My followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me." Luke 9:23

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A torch to light people to Hell!

(Thomas Watson)

"You believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe that--and tremble in terror!" James 2:19

Bible knowledge without repentance, will be but a torch to light people to Hell!

You who have knowledge of God's will, but do not obey it--wherein do you excel the demons, who believe and tremble?

"Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish and be lost eternally!" Luke 13:5

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The sacred ointment!

(Thomas Watson, "The Beatitudes" 1660)

"What a wretched man I am!" Romans 7:24

They godly often spot themselves with sin. Though sin is in itself damnatory--but being tempered with repentance and mixed with the sacred ointment of Christ's blood--the venomous damning nature of it is taken away!

"The blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin!" 1 John 1:7

"To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood--to Him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen." Revelation 1:5-6

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Why, they are like Jesus Christ!

(J.R. Miller, "The Face of the Master")

"God has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ!" 2 Corinthians 4:6

"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory!" 2 Corinthians 3:18

The face of Christ has transforming power. Those who look upon it in love, and intently--are changed by it into its own beauty. This teaching is brought out very clearly in the New Testament. John tells us that when we shall see Jesus as He is, we shall become like Him.

The apostle Paul describes in wonderful way, the transforming power of the face of Christ as we look upon it: "But we all beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory!" The glory of the Lord is the glory which shines in the face of Jesus Christ. We cannot see that glory with our eyes, for Christ is in Heaven. But it is reflected for us on the pages of the gospel. As we ponder Him in these pages intently, we look upon His glory.

The effect of this continued beholding, is the transformation of our lives into Christ's image. That is, as we consider Christ, as we . . .
  read the story of His life,
  think of Him,
  meditate on the beauty of His character,
  look into His face with love and adoration--
the brightness of that face prints itself upon our faces, and we are transformed into His image. This transformation is not wrought suddenly, instantaneously, but gradually--"with ever-increasing glory."

Life is a school. The qualities of Christian character are studies set for us. No one learns a musical instrument in one lesson. No one can become an accomplished artist in a day. Just so, no one can get the full beauty of Christ into his life in one brief year. We have it here in Paul's words--"But we all beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory!" that is, line by line, little by little.

Friendship with Christ is the essential thing in cultivating godly character. Not only is He our teacher--it is not enough that He shall set the lessons for us; but He brings down the divine life and imparts it to us. John lay upon the Master's bosom, and in this close friendship he grew into the Master's likeness. It is thus that we all must live, if we would get the beauty of Christ upon our lives. We never shall grow like Him, if we stay habitually far away from Him.

If a Christian lives distant from Christ, he soon grows earthly and loses the spiritual loveliness out of his life. But if he abides near his Master, in adoring love, in close companionship--then the glory of Christ enters his life and transforms him. Looking at Christ, intently, with devout, reverent heart, beholding Him not merely in a brief glance now and then, but continuously--the brightness of that blessed face prints itself upon his life!

Those who look intently at the face of Christ . . .
  entering into the spirit of His life,
  walking in daily fellowship with Him,
  bearing His cross,
  loving Him and doing His will--
take His image upon their own lives, grow like Him, until neighbors and friends begin to see the resemblance and say, "Why, they are like Jesus Christ!"