The Vision (9.9.22): A sorrowful parting from Christ

 

Image: Scene from CRBC Labor Day Fellowship (9.5.22)

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on Matthew 19:13-22.

Matthew 19: 21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell all that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

It has long been debated whether or not Christ’s words to the “rich young ruler” in v. 21 was a general teaching of discipleship or a teaching especially tailored to this particular man. I think it is the latter. Christ did not make this sort of demand of every disciple.

He told the Gadarene demoniac to return to his home and show the great things God had done for him (Luke 8:39). So, he was not called to follow after Christ, but to stay home.

When Zachaeus reported “half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold” (Luke 19:8), Christ said, “This day is salvation come to this house” (v. 9). So, he was not told to sell all he had to give to the poor, though he pledged to do so with half.

The commonality of the calls to discipleship is that following Christ must have a precedence over all else in one’s life.

This brings us to Matthew’s description of the rich young ruler’s response. His arrogant bravado had disappeared. He cannot not claim to have done this from his youth up (cf. v. 20). Matthew simply reports, “But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions” (v. 22).

This scene is filled with about as much pathos as any other in the Gospels. There is many a sorrowful parting from Christ. In this man’s case, he had a greater love for his possessions than he did for Christ.

Spurgeon observed: “We must love Jesus and his great cause better than our wealth or else we are not his true followers” (Matthew, 279).

This young man claimed to have kept the moral law, especially the second table, but Christ shows he failed to keep the first table. In not obeying Christ he had not loved God with all his heart.

How will we respond to Christ? Will we obey and follow him with joy above all else, or will we have a sorrowful parting from Christ?

Pastor Jeff Riddle

The Vision (10.15.21): The Call of Matthew the Publican

 

Image: Matthew window, Littlefield Presbyterian Church, Dearborn, Michigan,

courtesy of Google images.

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on Matthew 9:9-13.

And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him (Matthew 9:9).

The account of Matthew’s call begins with a subtle emphasis upon the initiative of Christ. The conversion of every believer, we might say could start with the phrase, “And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man….” In John 1, we read that Christ told Nathanael, “when thou was under the fig tree, I saw thee” (v. 48b). We might well paraphrase 1 John 4:19 as, “We saw him, because he first saw us.”

The man’s name was Matthew. This name was taken from the Hebrew meaning, “Gift of Jehovah.” This would be the equivalent to the English name “Theodore.” Like many Jews of the first century, we know Matthew had more than one name, as he was also called Levi (cf. Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27).

Mark 2:14 adds that he was “the son of Alpheus” (literally “of Alpheus”). This means he was likely the brother of another disciple, “James the son of Alpheus” (Matt 10:3), and we have yet another set of brothers among the twelve (with Simon and Andrew, and James and John).

Next, the evangelist records that Matthew was “sitting at the receipt of custom” when Christ encountered him. Some modern translations (like the NKJV) render it as “sitting at the tax office.” This means that Matthew was a publican or tax collector.

One commentary observes, “Tax collectors were among the most despised persons in this society.” This was true for at least three reasons:

First, it was common for those who collected taxes to practice extortion. They overcharged and enriched themselves (cf. Zacchaeus in Luke 19:2, 8).

Second, they were also despised because in collecting taxes, they were also seen as collaborators with the occupying Romans.

Third, they were looked down upon because their profession was deemed to be one that led them to sin by transgressing the law of God, making them unclean sinners (cf. Matthew (10-11).

The Lord Jesus approached such as man as this and said to him two words, “Follow me.” This is the classic call to discipleship (cf. Matt 4:19; 8:22). Christ not only sees a man, but he summons a man to come after him.

Finally, at the end of v. 9 we see Matthew’s response: “And he arose, and followed him.” Immediate and glad obedience to the command of Christ is a mark of genuine and authentic discipleship (cf. Matt 4:20, 22). Every parent knows that delayed obedience is disobedience. We show that we love Christ by our obedience (cf. John 14:15; 15:14).

One last interesting fact. When Matthew lists the twelve in Matthew 10, he adds in v. 3 this identification to his own name: “Matthew the publican.” He is the only Gospel writer to include that detail when listing the twelve (cf. Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13). Matthew was not ashamed that he had been a publican when called to follow Christ. In fact, he gloried in it, because he knew it exalted the glory of Christ.

As has been said of Paul, we might say of Matthew: He never got over the fact that he was saved. So is every sinner saved by God’s free grace.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

Clement of Alexandria: Who Is the Rich Man That Shall Be Saved? (Part 5 of 8)

 

 

 JTR

The Vision (2.26.21): The Call to Discipleship

 

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on Matthew 4:18-22.

And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men (Matthew 4:19).

We are continuing to track the life of Christ as faithfully recorded in Matthew.

We have learned of Christ’s birth in Bethlehem, his rearing in Nazareth, his baptism by John, his temptation in the wilderness, and his preaching in Capernaum and throughout Galilee. Now we read of how Christ drew men to himself and called them to become his disciples.

A disciple is a student or a follower, something like an apprentice. How did you learn a trade in the first century? You followed an expert around and learned from him by watching his example and listening to his words. Many trades and professions still work that way today (from plumbers to physicians).

Christ is the master teacher, and his disciples or followers are his students. To become a believer is to enter the school of Christ and to learn from him.

Matthew 4:18-22 describes the call extended to two sets of brothers: Peter and Andrew, and James and John. They would be among the original Twelve apostles and would be mightily used of God. There is value in seeing the call of the men Christ sovereignly chose to be the pillars of his church.

There are also general things we learn here about discipleship that apply to any of us, who will never be apostles, about what it means to follow Christ.

First, Christ also sees us and calls us to follow him. “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

The first disciples were ordinary fishermen. Later when the apostles preach Jesus in the temple, the authorities will take note of their boldness marveling that they were “unlearned and ignorant men” that “had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13).

Second, the call to follow is urgent and demands thoughtful yet immediate response: “And they straightway left their nets and followed him” (Matt 4:20); “And they immediately left their ship and their father, and followed him” (Matt 4:22).

Notice that they left their nets behind. Whatever our other vocation, we have a new primary vocation and that is serving Christ. For some it will be, in fact, a call to the vocational ministry, for all God’s people, however, there will be a call to be part of the great work of evangelism, drawing in the gospel net and seeing men and women come to Christ.

Notice that James and John left their father behind. Christ must have first place above all our human relations, precious though they may be.

Christ calls us to count the costs (cf. Luke 14:25-33). Don’t start a tower you can’t finish. Don’t enter a battle that you will later flee from. After counting the costs, however, one should also respond with immediacy and with joy. Let us put our hand to the plow and never look back. In the end, we will find that it will have all been worth it!

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

The Vision (11.8.19): The Call of Elisha

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on 1 Kings 19:19-21. Audio not yet available.

“…and Elijah passed by him and cast his mantle upon him…And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah…Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him” (1 Kings 19:19-21).

The call of Elisha to follow after the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 19:19-21 anticipates the call to follow after Christ. This is Old Testament discipleship, a shadow or type of a greater coming reality. Not only does it point forward to Christ’s ministry as the great Prophet who would call men like Peter, Andrew, James, and John to leave their nets and follow after him, but it also points to a present reality as we are being called to abandon all and follow after the Lord Jesus Christ.

Notice at least six aspects of the call of Elisha:

First: The call came upon Elisha suddenly and unexpectedly (v. 19).

Second: The call demanded that Elisha leave his present circumstances (v. 20a).

Third: The call took precedence over all other relationships, including even that of his own family (v. 20b).

Fourth: The call required sacrifice and abandonment of former things (v. 21a).

Fifth: The answering of the call was accompanied with joyful celebration (feasting) (v. 21 a).

Sixth: The call required lowliness of spirit and willingness to serve in the humblest of ways (v. 21b).

Christ still calls upon men to deny themselves, to take up the cross daily, and follow him (Luke 9:23). May the Lord grant us grace to be his faithful disciples.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

Solomon dedicated the house of the LORD

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on 1 Kings 8.

And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered unto the LORD, two and twenty thousand oxen, and an hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD (1 Kings 8:63).

Solomon’s dedication of the temple included lavish peace offerings. Notice the vast numbers: 22,000 oxen! And 120,000 sheep! Can you imagine the noise? Have you ever been to a livestock auction and heard the sounds of even a small number of animals. If so, then imagine the fear and death cries of these sacrifices, and the rivers of blood that flowed at the temple dedication!

What an amazing spectacle this dedication of the temple was! It must have been an overwhelming visual, emotional, and spiritual experience.

But this temple was later destroyed (by the Babylonian in 586 BC), rebuilt, and destroyed again (by the Romans in AD 70).

What is there here then for new covenant believers to grasp?

First, we are reminded that God dwells now among us not in the ark of the covenant, but in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Word who was made flesh (John 1:14).

Second, Christ accomplished what the blood of thousands of oxen and sheep could not. Through his death on the cross, the just for the unjust, a once for all sacrifice was made for sin. Christ died for sinners. And three days later he was gloriously raised from the dead, was seen by his disciples, sent them out to make new disciples and ascended into heaven till he comes again.

Every sinner whose heart is changed by the power of God so that he repents of his sin and turns in faith to Christ will be saved.

Third, we now worship not by offering the sacrifices which Solomon did, but by offering spiritual sacrifices.

Hebrews 13:15 exhorts, “let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name” (v. 15). And it continues: “But to do good and to communicate (NKJV: to share) forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”

And consider Paul’s words in Romans 12:1: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

Paul said we must present our bodies, our whole selves, to God so that we become a living sacrifice to him.

Let us then dedicate our lives to Christ!

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

LivingStone: "Evangelical" Monastery?

While walking through the exhibition hall at the BGAV meeting last Tuesday I was struck by one display in particular. It was for LivingStone Monastery in Newport News, Virginia. The young man attending the table saw the puzzled look on my face as I read their banner proclaiming the mission of this "Protestant monastery." The young man, a recent graduate of Trinity Divinity School in Chicago, gave me a brochure and the low down on the monastery.

Livingstone opened in 2004 in a building once owned by the Sisters of Poor Clare, an order of Franciscan nuns, who had lived there for 50 years. As the brochure says, "Now a monastery in the evangelical tradition, LivingStone is a religious community called to support the local church, to practice hospitality,and to foster an environment for spiritual formation." The Monastery has an "Abbot," and they conduct "daily offices" at morning, noon, and night.

With a little more digging I found the monastery is connected to Hope Community Church, an "emerging" church type congregation. Most interesting thing here is the fact that this church shares facilities with five partnering churches (including what looks like a conservative Anglican and an independent Doctrines of Grace church) in a "multi-church campus" called Mosaic.

Prominently displayed on the exhibit table was a book by Quaker evangelical mystic Richard Foster. The affable young man let me look at their reading list which had more Foster and the Catholic Henry Nouwen, but it also listed several books by John Piper and even J. I. Packer’s Knowing God.

After a little perusal, I asked the young "monk," "Why do you think that the Protestant Reformers closed down the monasteries as the Reformation got under way?" Why did the former monk Luther marry the former nun Katherine Von Bora and establish their Christian home as "the school for character" (as Roland Bainton puts it in his classic bio of Luther)? I also asked why evangelicals would turn to Quakers or Roman Catholics for lessons on spirituality and bypass our own glorious (and doctrinally distinct) heritage on such matters in the Puritans (none of whom made the reading list).

We have to admit that most evangelical churches are lacking the intimate fellowship, community, discipline, and commitment that these young folk are trying to find in their "monastery." But is such a communal living arrangement Biblical? Shouldn’t these folk be encouraged to marry and establish godly homes where godly children are raised and to join themselves in meaningful covenant to an authentic local church body?

JTR

A Shocking Confession from Willow Creek

Baptist Press has an interesting article on the recent confession by seeker-sensitive guru Bill Hybels that the Willow Creek church model has failed to make mature disciples. The article reads in part:

For most of a generation evangelicals have been romanced by the "seeker-sensitive" movement spawned by Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago. The guru of this movement is Bill Hybels. He and others have been telling us for decades to throw out everything we have previously thought and been taught about church growth and replace it with a new paradigm, a new way to do ministry.

Perhaps inadvertently, with this "new wave" of ministry came a de-emphasis on taking personal responsibility for Bible study combined with an emphasis on felt-needs based "programs" and slick marketing.

The size of the crowd rather than the depth of the heart determined success. If the crowd was large then surely God was blessing the ministry. Churches were built by demographic studies, professional strategists, marketing research, meeting "felt needs" and sermons consistent with these techniques. We were told that preaching was out, relevance was in. Doctrine didn't matter nearly as much as innovation. If it wasn't "cutting edge" and consumer friendly it was doomed. The mention of sin, salvation and sanctification were taboo and replaced by Starbucks, strategy and sensitivity.

Thousands of pastors hung on every word that emanated from the lips of the church growth experts. Satellite seminars were packed with hungry church leaders learning the latest way to "do church." The promise was clear: Thousands of people and millions of dollars couldn't be wrong. Forget what people need, give them what they want. How can you argue with the numbers? If you dared to challenge the "experts" you were immediately labeled as a "traditionalist," a throwback to the 50s, a stubborn dinosaur unwilling to change with the times.

All that changed recently.

Willow Creek has released the results of a multi-year study on the effectiveness of their programs and philosophy of ministry. The study's findings are in a new book titled "Reveal: Where Are You?," co-authored by Cally Parkinson and Greg Hawkins, executive pastor of Willow Creek Community Church. Hybels himself called the findings "ground breaking," "earth shaking" and "mind blowing." And no wonder: It seems that the "experts" were wrong.

The report reveals that most of what they have been doing for these many years and what they have taught millions of others to do is not producing solid disciples of Jesus Christ. Numbers yes, but not disciples. It gets worse. Hybels laments:

"Some of the stuff that we have put millions of dollars into thinking it would really help our people grow and develop spiritually, when the data actually came back it wasn't helping people that much. Other things that we didn't put that much money into and didn't put much staff against is stuff our people are crying out for." If you simply want a crowd, the "seeker-sensitive" model produces results. If you want solid, sincere, mature followers of Christ, it's a bust. In a shocking confession, Hybels states:"We made a mistake. What we should have done when people crossed the line of faith and become Christians, we should have started telling people and teaching people that they have to take responsibility to become 'self feeders.' We should have gotten people, taught people, how to read their Bible between services, how to do the spiritual practices much more aggressively on their own."

Incredibly, the guru of church growth now tells us that people need to be reading their Bibles and taking responsibility for their spiritual growth.

JTR

Holiness Has to Do with My Temperament

A few weeks ago I started reading J. I. Packer’s book A Passion for Holiness (Crossway, 1992) and was struck by the section titled "Holiness has to do with my temperament" (pp. 24-26).

Packer notes that the pre-Christian Greek philosophers came up with four categories of human temperament:

1. The sanguine (warm, jolly, outgoing, relaxed, optimistic);
2. The phlegmatic (cool, low-key, detached, unemotional, apathetic);
3. The choleric (quick, abusive, bustling, impatient, with a relatively short fuse); and
4. The melancholic (somber, pessimistic, inward-looking, inclined to cynicism and depression).

The Greeks also said that some people were of mixed types (i.e., phlegmatic-choleric, etc.). Packer notes that the ancient idea that these types came from body fluids has been dispelled, "but the classification, itself remains pastorally helpful" (p. 25).

Think for just a second of which category fits your temperament. Though at moments parts of all four might fit, I immediately see parts of myself in the choleric and sanguine types. Those who know me can tell me later if you think I am off base or on target here.

Now, on to Packer’s point for holiness. He says, "I am not to become (or remain) a victim of my temperament" (p. 25). He proceeds to note that "holy humanity, as I see it in Christ, combines in itself the strengths of all four temperaments without any of the weaknesses. Therefore I must try to be like him in this, and not indulge the particular behavioral flaws to which my temperament tempts me" (pp. 25-26).

Consider also Packer’s conclusions:

"Holiness for a person of sanguine temperament, then, will involve learning to look before one leaps, to think things through responsibly, and to speak wisely rather than wildly."

"Holiness for a person of phlegmatic temperament will involve a willingness to be open to people, to feel with them and for them, to be forthcoming in relationships, and to be vulnerable, in the sense of risking being hurt."

"Holiness for a choleric person will involve practicing patience and self-control. It will mean re-directing one’s anger and hostility toward Satan and sin, rather than toward fellow human beings who are obstructing what one regards as the way forward."

"Finally, holiness for a melancholic person will involve learning to rejoice in God, to give up self-pity and proud pessimism, and to believe, with the medieval mystic Julian of Norwich, that through sovereign divine grace, ‘All shall be well and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well" (p. 26).

How is God sanctifying your temperament to His glory?

JTR

Mohler on Mother Theresa and the Gospel

Today is the 10th anniversary of the death of Mother Theresa. Last Sunday, in my sermon titled "Stand Fast," I referenced Al Mohler's comments on recent revelations of Mother Theresa's dark night of the soul (see last week's Time cover). Here's what Mohler wrote:

The recent revelations of Mother Teresa's spiritual struggle should remind all believing Christians that our faith is in Christ -- not in our feelings.

The disclosure of previous secret letters from Mother Teresa indicates that she was deeply troubled by doubts and a sense of Christ's absence. The fact is that many Christians struggle with doubt. Indeed, the most thoughtful believers are most likely of all to understand what is at stake, and thus to suffer pangs and seasons of doubt.

Doubt can be healthy. It can drive believers to a deeper knowledge of what we believe and a deeper embrace of the truth of the Gospel. It can deepen our trust in God and mature our faith. At the same time, doubt can be a form of sin . . . a refusal to trust God and his promises.

This can also be the root of depression, especially spiritual depression. I would not presume to read Mother Teresa'a heart or soul, but I can reflect on the questions raised by her experience.

The Christian Gospel is the good news that God saves sinners through the atonement accomplished by Jesus Christ -- his cross and resurrection. Salvation comes to those who believe in Christ -- it is by grace we are saved through faith.

But the faith that saves is not faith in faith, nor faith in our ability to maintain faith, but faith in Christ. Our confidence is in Christ, not in ourselves.

There is a sweet and genuine emotional aspect to the Christian faith, and God made us emotional and feeling creatures. But we cannot trust our feelings. Our faith is not anchored in our feelings, but in the facts of the Gospel.

As an evangelical Christian, I have to be concerned that part of Mother Teresa's struggle was that she did not consider herself worthy of salvation. She was certainly not worthy of salvation. Nor am I. Nor is any sinner. The essence of the Gospel is that none is worthy of salvation. That is what makes salvation all about grace. As the Apostle Paul taught us, the wonder of God's grace is that while we were sinners, Christ died for us.

Our confidence is in Christ, not in ourselves. We are weak; He is strong. We fluctuate; He is constant. We cannot trust our feelings nor our emotional state. We trust in Christ. Those who come to Christ by faith are not kept unto him by our faith, but by his faithfulness.

I possess no ability to read Mother Teresa's heart, but I do sincerely hope that her faith was in Christ, and not in her own faithfulness.

JTR

Colquhoun: Holiness and happiness

OK. Just one more Colquhoun quote for meditation today:

This one jumped out at me:

"Holiness is the happiness of the rational creature. To conceive of happiness without it would be a contradiction, seeing it is the main ingredient in all true happiness" (p. 139).

You cannot be happy without holiness. It is the apex of genuine felicity. It is the apex of rationality. The most rational and reasonable man will pursue holiness with greatest zeal. Holiness is bliss. Holiness is sanity.

JTR

Colquhoun on "legal" and "evangelical" repentance

Are you really grieved by your sin?

A football star indicted for a crime stands before the cameras and expresses regret for his actions in hopes of saving future playing contracts and endorsement deals. A high profile politician is caught in a morally questionable situation and appears before the cameras to explain his behavior in hopes of saving his political career. A celebrity crashes her car while intoxicated and enters rehab.

Might these be examples of how we, as believers, deal with our sin? Do we express sorrow for our actions and desire to work on resisting our sin only after we get caught red-handed in it? Do we behave well on the outside, but sinful desires eat us up on the inside? Do we follow the rules merely because we want to avoid the scandal and pain of getting caught? Can you be sober for all the wrong reasons?

Colquhoun contrasts the falsehood of "legal" repentance with the genuine article of "evangelical" repentance:

In the exercise of legal repentance, the sinner mourns for sin only as it has wounded his own soul; which shows that his remorse flows merely from a natural spring, and rises only to a natural height. But in the exercise of evangelical repentance, the believer mourns for sin as it has wounded his dear Redeemer, as it has pierced that heart which loves him, and spilled blood which redeems him (p. 90).

A man may abhor sin more for the shame which attends it than for the malignity and odiousness which are in it; and he may hate one sin because it is contrary to another which he loves dearly. The sincere penitent, on the contrary, hates all sin as sin, and abhors it chiefly for the evil that is in it. A man may even forsake most of his transgressions without exercising true repentance. If he forsake open, and yet retain secret sins, or if he leave sin and yet continue to love it, or if he let one sin go in order to hold another faster, or if he forsake sin, but not as sin, he is not a true penitent. He who forsakes any sin as sin, or because it is sin, relinquishes all sin. The sincere penitent forsakes all iniquity from right principles, by right motives, in a right manner, and to a right end. Let every man take heed, then, that he do not impose upon himself by mistaking a false for a true repentance. And if he begin to suspect that his repentance is legal and counterfeit, let him without delay trust cordially in Jesus Christ for grace to exercise evangelical repentance (pp. 91-92).

JTR

Should Christians Watch Movies?

I noticed in the newsletters of a large, local evangelical church that they have been screening R-rated, secular movies. They have done this in the name of understanding the culture. Of course, many "cutting edge" churches are using video clips in worship services and sermons. A local evangelical campus ministry at UVA often screens secular movies followed by theological discussion. Is this wise?

What about the individual Christian who goes to the movie theater or rents videos? Some Christians watch hundreds of movies a year. For a sober challenge to this practice, listen to Scottish preacher David Murray's prophetic message "Should Christians Watch Movies?" I was personally convicted by this sermon.

JTR

Paul Washer's Counsel for Young Men

This scene was typical last weekend at the end of each session with Paul Washer. A group of young men would gather around to ask questions about ministry, doctrine, and life.

Among some of the things Paul told these young men:

1. When you are young, do not worry so much about doing as about being. Work on developing your character. Spend time in disciplined reading of the Bible and good Christian books. The season of young manhood is one of preparation. Learn to be a man.

2. Submit yourself to membership in a local church. Find a church with a godly Pastor/Elders and sit under their shepherding.

3. Adolescence is a myth. Don’t try to prolong your childhood. Men don’t have time to play video games; they have to worry about paying the car insurance. Don’t engage in recreational dating. Don’t approach a girl about dating unless you intend marriage and are ready to be a man.

JTR

The diligent use of scriptural means

Another quote from Bishop J. C. Ryle's Holiness (read the whole book here):

Sanctification, again, is a thing which depends greatly on a diligent use of scriptural means. When we speak of ‘means,’ I have in view Bible reading, private prayer, regular attendance on public worship, regular hearing of God’s Word and regular reception of the Lord’s Supper. I lay it down as a simple matter of fact, that no one who is careless about such things must ever expect to make much progress in sanctification. I can find no record of any eminent saint who ever neglected them. They are the appointed channels through which the Holy Spirit conveys fresh supplies of grace to the soul, and strengthens the work which He has begun in the inner man. Let men call this legal doctrine if they please, but I will never shrink from declaring my belief that there are no ‘spiritual gains without pains.’ I should soon expect a farmer to prosper in business who contented himself with sowing his fields and never looking at them till harvest, as expect a believer to attain much holiness, who was not diligent about his Bible reading, his prayers, and his use of his Sundays. Our God is a God who works by means, and He will never bless the soul of that man who pretends to be so high and spiritual that he can get on without them.

JTR