Grace Gems

[nChrist]

A life of faith

(Gleanings from the Inner Life of Ruth Bryan)

"The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the
 Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for
 me." Galatians 2:20

Jesus is very precious; and a life of faith in
Him, by the power of the Holy Spirit, is . . .
  very blessed,
  world-conquering,
  Satan-overcoming,
  sin-subduing.

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[nChrist]

From burning to burning!

(Brooks, "The Golden Key to Open Hidden Treasures")

The Spirit of God, in Scripture, by metaphors of all sorts
of things which are dreadful unto sense--sets forth the
condition of the damned, and the torments which He has
reserved for them in the life to come. Hell's punishments
do infinitely exceed all other punishments, that there is
no pain so extreme--as that of the damned.

Look! As there are no joys which can compare to the joys
of heaven--so there are no pains which can compare to the
pains of hell. All the cruelties in the world cannot possibly
make up any horror comparable to the horrors of hell. The
brick-kilns of Egypt, the fiery furnace of Babylon--are but
as a fleeting spark--compared to this tormenting Tophet
which has been prepared of old to punish the bodies and
souls of sinners with. Hanging, racking, burning, scourging,
stoning, sawing asunder, flaying of the skin, etc., are not
to be compared with the tortures of hell.

If all the pains, sorrows, miseries, and calamities which have
been inflicted upon all men, since Adam fell in Paradise, should
meet together and center in one man--they would not so much
as amount to one of the least of the pains of hell.

Who can sum up the diversity of torments which are in hell!

1. In hell there is darkness; hell is a dark region!

2. In hell there are sorrows!

3. In hell there are bonds and chains!

4. In hell there are pains and pangs!

5. In hell there is the worm which never dies!

6. In hell there is the lake of fire!

7. In hell there is the furnace of fire!

8. In hell there are the devil and his demons!
   And oh, how dreadful must it be to be shut
   up forever with those roaring lions!

9. In hell there is weeping and gnashing of teeth!

10. In hell there is unquenchable fire--everlasting burnings!

"The sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling grips the
 godless--Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire?
 Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?" Is. 33:14

O sirs, the torments of hell will be exceeding great
and dreadful--such as will make the stoutest sinners
to quake and tremble!

Wicked men, who are now such jolly fellows, shall one
day go from burning to burning! They shall go . . .
from burning in sin--to burning in hell;
from burning in flames of lusts--to burning in flames of torment!

O sirs! in this devouring fire, in these everlasting burnings,
there will be no music or merry company to pass time away,
nor any dice or cards to pass care away; nor any bottles of
wine wherein to drown the sinner's grief! As in heaven there
shall be all bodily perfection, so there shall be also in hell
all bodily miseries. Whatever may make a man perfectly
miserable--shall be in hell. Out of this fiery bed there is
no deliverance!

Oh, how terrible will the torments of hell be to the damned!
The torments of hell will be universal torments. All torments
meet together in that place of torment. Hell is the center . . .
  of all punishments,
  of all sorrows,
  of all pains,
  of all wrath,
  of all vengeance, etc.

    ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

All the pains, torments, curse, and wrath which were
due to the elect--fell on Christ, until divine justice was
fully satisfied. "For God did not appoint us to suffer
wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus
Christ." 1 Thes. 5:9. Oh, exalt that Christ! Oh, extol
that Savior, who has saved you from that eternal wrath!

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[nChrist]

The hell of hell

(Brooks, "The Golden Key to Open Hidden Treasures")

And as there are a diversity of torments in hell,
so the torments of hell are everlasting.

"Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal
 fire prepared for the Devil and his angels!" Mt. 25:41

The sentence which shall be passed upon them, is eternal.
God Himself, who damns them, is eternal.

The prison and chains which hold them, are eternal.

The worm which gnaws them, is eternal.

The fire which torments them, is eternal.

Grievous is the torment of the damned--for the bitterness
of the punishments. It is more grievous--for the diversity
of the punishments. But it is most grievous--for the eternity
of the punishments!

If, after so many millions of years as there are drops in
the ocean, there might be a deliverance out of hell--this
would yield a little ease, a little comfort to the damned.
Oh, but this word Eternity! Eternity! Eternity! this word
Everlasting! Everlasting! Everlasting! this word Forever!
Forever! Forever! will even break the hearts of the
damned in ten thousand pieces!

Suppose that the whole world were turned into a mountain of
sand, and that a little bird should come once every thousand
years and carry away from that heap, one grain of sand. What
an infinite number of years would be spent before this great
mountain of sand would be fetched away! Just so--if a man
should lie in everlasting burnings so long a time as this, and
then have an end of his woe--it would give some ease, some
hope, and some comfort to him. But when that immortal bird
shall have carried away this great mountain of sand--a thousand
times over and over--alas, alas, sinful man shall be as far from
the end of his anguish and torment as ever he was! He shall be
no nearer coming out of hell, than he was the very first moment
that he entered into hell!

Suppose, say others, that a man were to endure the
torments of hell as many years--as there are . . .
  sands on the sea-shore,
  drops of water in the sea,
  stars in the heavens,
  leaves on the trees,
  blades of grass on the ground
--yet he would comfort himself with this poor thought,
"Well, there will come a day when my misery and torment
shall certainly have an end."
But woe and alas! this word, "Forever! Forever! Forever!"
will fill the hearts of the damned with the greatest . . .
  horror and terror,
  anger and rage,
  bewilderment and astonishment!

If the fire of hell were terminable, it might be tolerable. But
being endless, it must needs be easeless, and remediless.

The eternity of hell--is the hell of hell.

The damned shall live as long in hell--as
long as God Himself shall live in heaven!

"The reprobate shall have . . .
  punishment without pity;
  misery without mercy,
  sorrow without support,
  crying without compassion,
  mischief without measure, and
  torment without end!"

“And they will go away into eternal punishment,
 but the righteous into eternal life.” Matthew 25:46

All the pains, torments, curse, and wrath which were
due to the elect--fell on Christ, until divine justice was
fully satisfied. "For God did not appoint us to suffer
wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus
Christ." 1 Thes. 5:9. Oh, exalt that Christ! Oh, extol
that Savior, who has saved you from that eternal wrath!

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[nChrist]

They will not believe it until they feel it!

(Brooks, "The Golden Key to Open Hidden Treasures")

"Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?" Luke 3:7

"Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath." 1 Th. 1:10

1. The coming wrath is the greatest wrath. It is the greatest
evil which can befall a soul. "Who knows the power of Your wrath?"
Psalm 19:11. The coming wrath is such wrath as no unsaved man
can either avoid or abide. And yet such is most men's stupidity,
that they will not believe it until they feel it!

As God is a great God--so His wrath is a great wrath. If the
wrath of an earthly king is so terrible--oh how dreadful must
the wrath of the King of kings then be!

The greater the evil is, the more cause we have to flee from
it. Now the coming wrath is the greatest evil, and therefore
the more it concerns us to flee from it!

2. The coming wrath is treasured-up wrath. Sinners are still
"a-treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath," Romans 2:5.
While wicked men are following their own lusts, they think that
they are still adding to their own happiness. But alas, they do
but add wrath to wrath! They do but heap up judgment upon
judgment, and punishment upon punishment! Look! as men
are daily adding to their treasure more and more, so impenitent
sinners are daily increasing the treasury of wrath against their
own souls.

3. The coming wrath is pure wrath. It is "judgment without
mercy." The cup of wrath which God will put into sinners' hands
at last, will be a cup of pure wrath--all wrath--nothing but wrath.
"They must drink the wine of God's wrath. It is poured out
undiluted into God's cup of wrath. And they will be tormented
with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels
and the Lamb." Revelation 14:10.

Look! as there is nothing but the pure glory of God--which can
make a man perfectly and fully happy; just so, there is nothing
but the pure wrath of God--which can make a man fully and
perfectly miserable. Reprobates shall not only sip of the top of
God's cup--but they shall drink the dregs of His cup! They shall
not have one drop of mercy, nor one crumb of comfort! They
have filled up their lifetime with sin--and God will fill up their
eternity with torments!

4. The coming wrath is everlasting wrath. "And the smoke
of their torment ascends up forever and ever!" Rev. 14:11.
"They shall have . . .
  punishment without pity,
  misery without mercy,
  sorrow without support,
  crying without comfort,
  mischief without measure,
  torment without ease--
where the worm dies not, and the fire is never quenched."

The torments of the damned shall continue as many eternities
--as there are stars in the skies, as there are grains of sand on
the sea-shore, and as there are drops of water found in the sea!
When the present worlds are ended, the pains and torments of
hell shall not cease--but begin afresh, and thus this wheel shall
turn round and round, without end.

Oh the folly and vanity, the madness and baseness of poor
wretched sinners--who expose themselves to everlasting
torments--for a few fleshly momentary pleasures!

O sirs! "Who can stand before His fierce anger? Who can survive
His burning fury? His rage blazes forth like fire, and the mountains
crumble to dust in His presence!" Nahum 1:6.

How should these things work poor sinners to flee to Christ,
who alone is able to save them from the coming wrath.
     1 Thessalonians 1:10

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[nChrist]

All to save you from wrath to come!

(Brooks, "The Golden Key to Open Hidden Treasures")

Christians, spend your days in admiring the transcendent love
of Christ--in undergoing hellish punishments in your stead! Oh
pray, pray hard that you "may be able to comprehend what is
the breadth, and length, and depth, and height of that love of
Christ, which passes knowledge!" Ephesians 3: 18-19

The love of Christ put Him upon these bodily and spiritual
sufferings--which were so exceeding great, acute, extreme,
and universal--and all to save you from wrath to come!
His miseries, sorrows, and sufferings are unparalleled, and
therefore Christians have the more cause to lose themselves
in the contemplation of His matchless love. Oh, bless Christ!
Oh, kiss Christ! Oh, embrace Christ! Oh, cleave to Christ!
Oh, follow Christ! Oh, walk with Christ! Oh, long for Christ
--who for your sakes has undergone insupportable wrath
and most hellish torments!

Oh, look up to dear Jesus, and say, "O blessed Jesus,
You were accursed--that I might be blessed! You were
condemned--that I might be justified! You underwent
the very torments of hell--that I might forever enjoy
the pleasures of heaven! Therefore I cannot but dearly
love You, and highly esteem You, and greatly honor
You, and earnestly long after You!"

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[nChrist]

The prosperity of the wicked

(Brooks, "The Golden Key to Open Hidden Treasures")

"For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of
 the wicked. From their callous hearts comes iniquity; the
 evil conceits of their minds know no limits. They say, 'How
 can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?' This
 is what the wicked are like--always carefree, they increase in
 wealth. When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive
 to me--until I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood
 their final destiny. Surely You place them on slippery ground;
 You cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed,
 completely swept away by terrors!" Psalm 73

Oh, how little is that man's condition to be envied, who for
these short pleasures of sin--must endure an eternity of
torments!

O sirs! Do wicked men purchase their present pleasures at
so dear a rate--as eternal torments? And do we envy their
enjoyment of them so short a time? Would we envy a man
going to execution, because we saw him go up the ladder
with a gold chain around his neck and a scarlet gown on
his back? Surely not! Oh, no more should we envy the
grandeur of worldly men, for every step they take, is
but a step to an eternal execution!

Oh, how much more worthy of our pity, than envy--is that
man's condition, who has all his happiness confined to the
narrow compass of this present life--but his misery extended
to the uttermost bounds of an everlasting duration!

"The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he
 was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away,
 with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him--Father
 Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the
 tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because
 I am in agony in this fire!" Luke 16:22-24

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[nChrist]

Painted pleasures,
sugared poisons,
envenomed baits

(John Owen)

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ,
 set your hearts on things above, where Christ
 is seated at the right hand of God. Set your
 minds on things above, not on earthly things."
     Colossians 3:1-2

Fix your affections upon the things that are above,
and this will enable you to mortify sin. Heavenly
things are blessed and suitable objects--God Himself,
in His beauty and glory; the Lord Jesus Christ, who is
'altogether lovely,' the 'chief of ten thousand'; grace
and glory; and the blessed promises of the gospel.

Were our affections filled, taken up, and possessed
with these things, as it is our duty that they should be
--and it is our happiness when they are--what access
could sin, with its painted pleasures, with its sugared
poisons, with its envenomed baits, have into our souls?
How should we loathe all sin's proposals, and say unto
them, "Away with you, you abominable thing!" For what
are the vain, transitory pleasures of sin--in comparison
to the heavenly glories which are proposed unto us?

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[nChrist]

From a burning hell--to a blissful heaven!

(J. C. Philpot, "Daily Portions")

What is to be compared with the salvation of the
soul? What are riches, honors, health, long life? What
are all the pleasures which the world can offer, sin
promise, or the flesh enjoy? What is all that men call
good or great? What is everything which the eye has
seen, or the ear heard, or has entered into the carnal
heart of man--put side by side with being saved in
the Lord Jesus Christ with an everlasting salvation?

For consider what we are saved from,
as well as what we are saved unto.

From a burning hell--to a blissful heaven!

From endless wrath--to eternal glory!

>From the dreadful company of devils and damned
spirits, mutually tormenting and tormented--to the
blessed companionship of the glorified saints, all
perfectly conformed in body and soul to the image
of Christ, with thousands and tens of thousands of
holy angels; and, above all, to seeing the glorious
Son of God as He is, in all the perfection of His beauty,
and all the ravishments of His presence and love!

To be done forever with . . .
  all the sorrows, troubles, and afflictions of this life;
  all the pains and aches of the present clay tabernacle;
  all the darkness, bondage, and misery of the body of
    sin and death.

To be perfectly holy in body and soul, being in both
without spot, or blemish, or any such thing--and ever
to enjoy uninterrupted communion with God!

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind
 has imagined what God has prepared for those
 who love Him!" 1 Corinthians 2:9

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[nChrist]

It was the golden link of love!

(Brooks, "The Golden Key to Open Hidden Treasures")

"May you have power to grasp how wide and long and
 high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this
 love that surpasses knowledge." Ephesians 3:18-19

Oh, such was Christ's transcendent love--that man's extreme
misery could not abate it. The deploredness of man's condition
did but heighten the holy flame of Christ's love. It is as high
as heaven, who can reach it? It is as low as hell, who can
understand it?

Heaven, with all its glory, could not contain Him. Neither
could all hell's torments make Him refrain! Such was His
perfect matchless love to fallen and miserable man. That
Christ's love should extend to the ungodly, to sinners, to
enemies who were in rebellion against Him; yes, not only
so--but that He should hug them in His arms, lodge them
in His bosom--is the highest degree of love!

It is astonishing . . .
  that Christ should come from the eternal bosom
     of His Father--to a region of sorrow and death;
  that God--should be manifested in the flesh;
  that the Creator--should made a creature;
  that He who was clothed with glory--should be
     wrapped with rags of flesh;
  that He who filled heaven--should be cradled
     in a feeding trough;
  that the God of strength--should be weary;
  that the judge of all men--should be condemned;
  that the God of life--should be put to death.

That He would do all this for man, for fallen man,
for miserable man, for worthless man--is beyond
all conception!

The sharp sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ, from
the cradle to the cross, does above all other things,
speak out the transcendent love of Jesus Christ to
poor sinners.

That wrath, that great wrath, that fierce wrath, that
pure wrath, that infinite wrath, that matchless wrath
of an angry God--which was so terribly impressed
upon the soul of Christ--all this wrath He patiently
underwent, that sinners might be saved, and that
"He might bring many sons unto glory."

Oh wonder at the greatness of His love--which made
our dear Lord Jesus lay down His life--to save us from
hell, and to bring us to heaven! Oh unspeakable love!

It was the golden link of love, which alone fastened
Christ to the cross, and made Him die freely for us!

Christ's love is beyond all measure, for . . .
  time did not begin it, and time shall never end it;
  place does not bound it;
  sin does not exceed it;
  tongues cannot express it;
  minds cannot conceive it.

Well may we spend all our days in admiring and adoring
of Christ's wonderful love--and be always ravished with
the thoughts of it.

"May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so
 great you will never fully understand it." Ephes. 3:19

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[nChrist]

I was that soldier who murdered You!

(Brooks, "The Golden Key to Open Hidden Treasures")

"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

Our sins were the cause of Christ's sufferings!

It was our transgressions which gave Christ His deadly
wounds! It was our sins which smote Him, and bruised
Him! Every Christian may look upon Christ and say, "I
was that Judas who betrayed You! I was that soldier
who murdered You! It was my sins which brought all
those sorrows, and sufferings, and evils upon You!
  I have sinned--and You have suffered!
  I have sinned--and You have died!
  I have wounded You--and You have healed me!"

Oh, that we might look upon . . .
  a humble Christ--with a humble heart,
  a broken Christ--with a broken heart,
  a bleeding Christ--with a bleeding heart,
  a wounded Christ--with a wounded heart!

"He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree;
 by His wounds you have been healed." 1 Pet. 2:24

Here you see that the physician's blood became the
sick man's salve! Here is the gospel mystery--that
the wounding of one, should be the cure of another!

Oh, what an odious thing is sin to God--that He will
pardon none without blood, yes, without the precious
blood of His dearest Son! Oh, what a hell of wickedness
must there be in sin--that nothing can expiate it but the
best, the purest, the noblest blood of Christ! Oh, what a
transcendent evil must sin be--that nothing can purge it
away but death--the accursed death of the cross! Oh,
what a leprosy is sin--that it must have blood, yes, the
blood of God, to take it away!

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[nChrist]

He leaps into a sea of wrath!

(Brooks, "The Golden Key to Open Hidden Treasures")

Christ went through heaven and hell, life and death,
sorrow and suffering, misery and cruelty--and all to
bring us to glory! And shall we not prize Him?

When in a storm, the nobles of Xerxes had to lighten
the ship to preserve their king's life--they leaped
into the sea! But our Lord Jesus Christ, to preserve
our lives, our souls--He leaps into a sea of wrath!
Oh, whenever we cast an eye upon Christ's sufferings,
let us stand and wonder; yes, let us be swallowed up
in a deep admiration of Christ's love, and of His
Father's impartial justice!

A daily eyeing of the cross of Christ, would . . .
  scatter a Christian's fears,
  arm him against temptations,
  support him under afflictions,
  weaken his sins,
  strengthen his graces,
  cheer his soul, and
  mend his life!

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[nChrist]

Would he not stab it with a thousand wounds?

(Brooks, "The Golden Key to Open Hidden Treasures")

Sin never appears so odious, as when we behold it in the
red glass of Christ's sufferings. Can we look upon sin as
the occasion of all Christ's sufferings; can we look upon
sin as that which made Christ a curse, and which made
Him forsaken of His Father, and which made Him live
such a miserable life, and which brought Him to die such
a shameful, painful, and cruel death--and our hearts not
rise against it?

Shall our sins be grievous unto Christ--and shall they
not be odious unto us? Shall He die for our sins--and
shall not we die to our sins? Did not He suffer for sin
--that we might cease from sin?

If one would kill our father--would we hug and embrace
him? Surely not! We would be revenged on him. Sin has
killed our Savior--and shall we not be revenged on it?

Can a man look upon that snake which has stung his
dearly-loved wife to death--and preserve it alive, warm
it at the fire, and hug it in his bosom? Would he not
stab it with a thousand wounds? It is sin which has
stung our dear Jesus to death, which has crucified our
Lord, clouded His glory, and shed His precious blood!
Oh, how should this stir up our indignation against sin!

Ah, how can a Christian make much of those sins, which
have killed his dearest Lord! how can he cherish those sins
which betrayed Christ, and bound Christ, and condemned
Christ, and scourged Christ, and which violently nailed
Him to the cross, and there murdered Him!

It was neither Judas, nor Pilate, nor the Jews, nor the
soldiers--which could have done our Lord Jesus the
least hurt--had not our sins, like so many butchers
and hangmen, come in to their assistance!

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[nChrist]

Keep a fixed eye upon a bleeding Christ

(Brooks, "The Golden Key to Open Hidden Treasures")

Has Jesus Christ suffered such great and grievous things
for you? Oh then, in all your fears, doubts, and conflicts
with enemies--within or without--fly to the sufferings of
Christ as your city of refuge!

In every temptation let us look up to a crucified Christ,
who is fitted and qualified to support tempted souls. Oh
my soul, whenever you are assaulted, let the wounds of
Christ be your city of refuge where you may fly and live!
Let us learn, in every trouble which presses us--whether
it be sin, temptation, or any other evil--to translate it
from ourselves to Christ! And all the good in Christ--let
us learn to translate it from Christ to ourselves!

Do your sins terrify you? Oh then, look up to a crucified
Savior, who bore your sins in His own body on the tree!
When sin stares you in the face, oh then turn your face
to a dying Jesus, and behold Him . . .
  with a spear in His side,
  with thorns in His head,
  with nails in His feet,
  and a pardon in His hands!
Oh, remember that there is nothing in heaven or earth
more efficacious to cure the wounds of conscience, than a
frequent and serious meditation on the wounds of Christ!

Ah, Christians, under all your temptations, afflictions,
fears, doubts, conflicts, and trials--be persuaded to
keep a fixed eye upon a crucified Jesus! And remember
that all He did--He did for you; and that all He suffered
--He suffered for you! This will be a strong cordial to
keep you from fainting under all your distresses. Oh,
that Christians would labor, under all their soul-troubles,
to keep a fixed eye upon a bleeding Christ; for there
is nothing which will ease them, quiet them, settle them,
and satisfy them, like this!

Many, may I not say most, Christians are more apt to
eye their sins, their sorrows, their prayers, their tears,
their resolves, their complaints--than they are to eye
a suffering Christ. And from hence springs their great
woes, wounds, miseries, and dejection of spirit. Oh,
that a crucified Christ might be forever in your eye
--and always upon your hearts!

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[nChrist]

How so?

(Thomas Brooks, "Paradise Opened" 1675)

All mankind would have been eternally lost, had
God not, of His own free grace and mercy, made
a covenant of grace with poor sinners.

"They will be My people, and I will be their God."
     Jeremiah 32:38

This is a comprehensive promise, for God to be
our God--it includes all.

The covenant of grace is an agreement, which God has
made with sinful man, out of His mere mercy and grace,
wherein He undertakes for fallen man, to make him
everlastingly happy. God engages that He will be our
God; that is, as if He said, "You shall have an interest
in all My attributes for your good:
  My grace shall be yours to pardon you,
  My power shall be yours to protect you,
  My wisdom shall be yours to direct you,
  My goodness shall be yours to relieve you,
  My mercy shall be yours to supply you,
  My glory shall be yours to crown you."

"I will make an everlasting covenant with them;
 that I will not turn away from them, to do them
 good; and I will put My fear into their hearts--
 that they shall not depart from Me." Jer. 32:40

The covenant of grace is everlasting on God's part,
and also on our part. On God's part, "I will never
turn away from them to do them good." And on our
part, "they shall never depart from Me." How so?
"I will put My fear into their hearts--that they shall
not depart from Me." That they shall persevere, and
hold out to the end--I will so deeply rivet a reverent
dread of Myself in their souls--as shall cause them
to believe, love, repent, obey, cling and cleave, and
keep close to Me forever.

O sirs! this is the glory of the covenant of grace--
that whatever God requires on man's part, that He
undertakes to perform for man!

"I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will
 be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities
 and all your idols. I will give you a new heart and
 put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart
 of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will place My
 Spirit within you and cause you to follow My statutes
 and carefully observe My ordinances." Ezek. 36:25-27

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[nChrist]

When Adam fell

(Thomas Brooks, "Paradise Opened" 1675)

Adam's first estate was a state of perfect knowledge,
wisdom and understanding. It was a perfect state of
holiness, righteousness and happiness. There was
nothing within him, but what was desirable and delectable;
there was nothing without him, but what was amiable and
commendable; nor was there anything around him, but
what was serviceable and comfortable. Adam, in his
innocent estate, was . . .
  the epitome of wisdom and knowledge,
  the image of God,
  the delight of heaven,
  the glory of the creation,
  the world's great master,
  the Lord's great darling.

But when Adam fell--we fell.
When he lost all--we lost all.
There are five things we lost in our fall:
1. Our holy image--and so became vile;
2. Our divine sonship--and so became children of Satan;
3. Our friendship with God--and so became His enemies;
4. Our communion with God--and so became strangers;
5. Our happiness--and so became miserable.

Sin and death came into the world by Adam's fall.

"For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned
 through that one man, how much more will those who
 receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the
 gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man,
 Jesus Christ." Romans 5:17

O sirs! what a wonder is this--that the great God,
who was so transcendently dishonored, despised,
provoked, incensed, and injured by poor base sinners;
should so freely, so readily, so graciously, condescend
to vile forlorn sinners--as to own them, as to love them,
and as to enter into a covenant of grace and mercy
with them! This may well be the wonder of angels,
and the astonishment of men!

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