J. Church

“ The powers of the soul, all the noble talents that were only lent; these are awfully depraved, yea, so evil, that I am bold to assert, no man can believe he is as vile as the Bible declares him, till he is put in the possession of the faith of God’s elect. There requires as much divine power, to credit the state of man, as to believe in the salvation of the soul. ”

“ Glory be to his dear name for stooping so low to raise us so high; nor will he ever give over the wonders of his grace till we are raised out of the mire of corruption, indwelling sin, and out of the waters of all affliction; for the Lord will perfect his begun good work, for his mercy endureth for ever. ”

“ Not that the dear people of God, in one sense, ever fell out of the flavour of God, or were ever liable to be damned; but the nature of sin in God’s people is the same as in the reprobate, and requires an infinite satisfaction—this being given a free proclamation is issued out to all who feel their need of this Jesus; they are welcome to him, and he has graciously assured such he will in no wise cast them out—and this is a promise worth a thousand worlds, and gladly accepted by them that believe, That Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.—Praise ye the Lord. ”

“ Why are they so deeply exercised with the discipline of the Law, but that they might describe the cases of them who are under its workings, and so often liable to a spirit of bondage. Why have they uncommon temptations from the adversary, but that they, like their divine Lord, might sympathize with the tempted, and being well acquainted with Satan’s devices, that they might expose them. Why cast down because of the troubles of the way, but that they might seek only to Jesus; that they might learn, experimentally, how to make use of a precious Saviour, as exactly adapted for such cases. ”

“ There is one thought more worthy our attention as the people of God. When the Apostle enumerates the vast privileges of God’s dear children, as one with Christ, the property of Christ, as Christ is God’s—he infers that the ministry of the Gospel is none of the smallest in the inventory: all are yours, whether Paul or Cephas—implying that the calling and qualification of ministers is for the Church: and the Apostle adds, in another place, that even the very afflictions of the ministers are for the Church. ”

“ The Gospel is so highly esteemed by such persons, and none know the value of the Gospel, but those who feel their sins, and see them in the light of the Law, as deserving the wrath of a holy God; and finding the utter impossibility of keeping the Law, in thought, word, or deed—that the law condemns most justly for a sinful thought, as well as a sinful action. ”

“ I conclude by observing once more on this subject, that all the Lord’s children are the subjects of many sinkings of soul, arising from inbred sin, felt guilt, lamented depravity, heavy trials, sore besetments, family troubles, and grievous backslidings. The holy Spirit is always carrying on his own work, by leading us daily to see and feel what we are, as sinners, in the first Adam’s head; and what we are, as saints, in Christ Jesus, the second Adam, the Lord from heaven. This is blessed teaching, it leads from all self-righteousness, self-wisdom, self-dependance, and self-adulation ”

“ And hence God threatens the Prophets, that steal his words from others, and declares they shall not profit this people at all; nor can unconverted, graceless preachers profit the experimental children of God. A preacher must be taught the plague of his own heart, the spirituality of God’s Law, the value of a precious Jesus, in his Person and Work, by God the Spirit, before he can be useful to the Church. We must first know, then speak what we know, as the Apostle says, We can but speak of the things which we have seen, and we are his witnesses. ”

“ All scripture is written for our instruction in the knowledge of the Person and Work of God our dear Saviour, as the only foundation of our hope, the object of our faith and love, the only refuge of guilty man, the brightness of the Father’s glory, and the express image of his love, his wisdom, and his infinite condescension. ”

“ The main study of ministers should be usefulness; great riches seldom promote much spirituality in ministers or people: those who are running an heavenly race, should not load themselves with thick clay. The gospel ministry is called a warfare, and an aged father in the church, observes to his son Timothy, No man that warreth should entangle himself in the affairs of this life—that is, if he can avoid it. ”

“ As a Candle which burneth, consumeth away itself to give light to others, so it is true of ministers; they p. 19are quickened by the Spirit, united to Jesus, love his person, name, and work, his truths, his people, and his ways. And being called into public life, by the great head of the church, they are cut off from the world and its maxims, its religion, and its bare form the power. They are cast into many waters of affliction; they are plunged deep, even into the mire, to bring up some poor soul by their instrumentality. ”

“ But glory be to Jesus, our sufferings are of God, and our trials are not merely for ourselves, as believers, but for the sake of God’s dear children. p. 21We are often cast into these deep waters, to dive after some who have sunk very low in soul, either in the waters of affliction, or in the deep mire of known, felt, lamented, and painful corruptions. This teaching made Paul understand all things, and all men: if he met with a soul in deep terrors, he could describe their state, and point out their feelings, having known the terrors of the Lord. ”

“ It is a solemn and a glorious truth, that as in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive. Or, as the learned say it is literally in the Greek, All in Adam die; all in Christ shall be made alive. Here are the two heads, and no more—the one represents all mankind—the second Adam, all his children given to him, loved, redeemed, and saved by him. Much has been said and written on the subject of the Fall of Man: great indeed was that Fall, and dreadful has been the consequences of it. All the miseries in earth and hell are the consequences of it. ”

“ The Prophet seeing the situation of his pupil, cut down a stick from a tree, and cast it into the water, when behold a most astonishing miracle appears—the stick, contrary to its native tendency, sunk, and brought up the iron head of the axe, which swam, contrary to its natural gravitation.—The man no doubt joyfully received it, and went on with his work. What cannot, what will not the God of Israel do for his people, to shew he is the Lord their God, that they are his servants, and that they are acting agreeable to his will. ”

“ Thus Jews died for these grand purposes—death is our life; he hath raised us up in himself, raised up our poor fallen natures indeed; and by virtue of his work we are restored to the image of God in regeneration, to communion with God in conversion, and to the likeness of Christ in our resurrection. ”

“ This act, thus recorded by the divine Spirit, of the conduct of the Prophets, in cutting down the thickets of trees, and building an House, might perhaps have brought to their minds, the work to which they were called, and for which they were preparing.—Sinners are called Trees; the Gospel is compared to an Axe; Ministers are called Labourers; and if they find but little success in their work, they are directed to Jesus for strength, and to the blessed Spirit for wisdom to aim right. ”

“ If in bondage, if filled with fears, if depressed in soul, if exercised with fiery darts, if fearful of falling away, if fallen into sin, if distressed with a load of trials, if persecuted, reproached, apparently forsaken, and dejected, he knows how to prescribe the remedy, as well as to describe the state, both is a mercy—and to be led by the divine Spirit, to be deeply acquainted with sin and its miseries, with Jesus and his salvation, experimentally ”

“ But our most blessed Lord will do all his will, perform all his gracious purposes, and as the great Head of the Church, and Saviour of the body, he must bring all his redeemed to the knowledge of himself, and at last home to glory, by all the means his own infinite wisdom has planned, whether they are educated at a Collage, or not. Human learning is a blessing to the Church, when sanctified ”

“ The fears of not being called to the work aright; the little success they meet with; their dead seasons in the pulpit; and the very little progress in the Church among God’s children, in their knowledge of divine things. ”

“ Alas! how deeply fallen is man into the mire of corruption, sin, and folly; and into the waters of deep affliction—sunk, as iron cast or dropped into the waters of Jordan, which naturally p. 12gravitates to its own centre. Our nature was sunk so deep, that it was apparently lost, and so incapacitated, that it has no more power to come up out of it, than iron has to swim of itself, independent of a miracle—covered over, sunk in earth, yea, the Apostle asserts, it is earthly, sensual, and devilish; having fallen from wisdom, and become foolish ”

“ These clearly stated to God’s chosen, without the mixture of free-will, human performances, or any of the effects of old Adam’s nature, will be owned and blessed to God’s own children, their glorious remedy for every malady; while the faithful minister will be led to see the gracious design of his God, in permitting him to feel, and leading him into deep waters. ”

“ Oh! if many pious young men, who are anxious for the ministry, even from the best of motives, if they could foresee what they would pass through before they finish their course, they would venture forward with more trembling steps than they do. ”

“ He was also typified by the rod of Aaron, which budded, blossomed, and yielded almonds—to all human appearance, a very unpromising object, a dry stick. This is he, of whom the prophet Isaiah spake, perhaps in allusion to Aaron’s rod, He shall come up before him like a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground; to all human appearance, a very unlikely person to be the Messiah, the Saviour of men. ”

“ Our text relates, that as one was felling a Beam, the head of his Axe fell into the water; (most probably into Jordan) . This was a grief to him, for the reason he assigned, so that he cried to Elisha, and said, Alas, master, for it is borrowed! Possessing a spirit of honesty, and being too poor to make it good to the lender, he applied to Elisha, p. 9not to work a miracle, that we can tell, but because the man’s Axe was sunk, and the Prophet’s work stopped. Thus, ministers have constantly something to try them in their work ”

“ Not only the piety and humility of these good men are evident, but their industry; not to be burdensome to any, they went to work themselves, in the thicket, near the river Jordan, the resort of wild p. ”