Psalms, xiv. i. The fool hath said in his heart There is no God.

THE world we live in is a world of fools. The far greater part of mankind acts a part entirely irrational. So great is their infatuation, that they prefer time to eternity, momentary enjoyments to Those that shall never have an end, and listen to the testimony of Satan in preference to that of God. Of all folly that is the greatest, which relates to eternal objects; because it is the most fatal, and when persisted in through life, entirely remediless. A mistake in the management of temporal concerns may be afterwards rectified. At any rate it is comparatively of little importance. But an error in spiritual and eternal matters, as it is in itself of the greatest moment, if carried through life, can never be remedied; because after death there is no redemption. The greatest folly that any creature is capable of, is that of denying or entertaining unjust apprehensions of the being and perfections of the great Creator. Therefore, in a way of eminence, the appellation of fool is given, by the Spirit of God, to him who is chargeable with this guilt: The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.

JOHN JAMIESON, M.A.

SERMONS ON THE HEART:

IN TWO VOLUMES. Vol 1 page 166

As distraction in duty is a frequent complaint of the people of God, we may suggest to you the following considerations, which, through the divine blessing, will be useful in accomplishing your victory over this operation of deceitfulness.

— Beware of rushing into duty, as the horse into the battle. Endeavour to compose your minds for it by serious meditation, either on the solemnity of the duty, or on some spiritual subject, which may tend to fix your attention. And while you thus muse, the fire of holy affection may burn.

-— Let your minds be constantly impressed with an awful sense of the Divine perfections, and especially when you are about to engage in worship. Seek to have your hearts affected with a deep conviction of God's Omniscience. This is his command; "Be still, and know that I am God." Remember that he looketh to the heart, that he will be worshipped in spirit and in truth, consider his unspeakable majesty. He is the High and Holy One who inhabiteth eternity, whose name is holy. It is an act of infinite condesension in him to receive the adoration either of men, or of angels. He humbleth himself to behold the things which are done in heaven, and in earth. consider that he is a jealous God, and that ye cannot serve him. For his jealousy burns like fire.

— Endeavour to attain a constant sense of your own vileness before him. The consciousness of your inferiority will make you very attentive, and respectful in the presence of an earthly superior.

JOHN JAMIESON

SERMONS ON THE HEART: Vol 1 Page 350

Some people have been filled with rage at the publication of an a paper arguing that the killing of babies after birth can me morally right. But we should not be too shocked, after all it is only a step further than most people seem to think is right at present. Indeed the real problem in the world is that we are all natually rebels against our creator, so we will think bad thoughts. We all need repentence!

The editor of the journal highlights the depths that we have decended to by complaining that there are people who will not listen to reasoned argument in favour of infanticide! By the way people used to think reasoned arguments in favour of killing the unborn child were just as bad. Be patient Mr Editor and the idea advocated may yet be legalised. Here is some of what he said:

“What the response to this article reveals, through the microscope of the web, is the deep disorder of the modern world. Not that people would give arguments in favour of infanticide, but the deep opposition that exists now to liberal values and fanatical opposition to any kind of reasoned engagement.” via BMJ Group blogs: Journal of Medical Ethics blog » Blog Archive » “Liberals Are Disgusting”: In Defence of the Publication of “After-Birth Abortion”.

The idea is of couse not new. Pharoah ordered all the hebrew baby boys to be killed, Herod the children of Bethlehem aged under two years and that is not to forget activities in present day Netherlands. All that is proved is that the heart is desparatly wicked. All of us need to heed the truth "It is appointed unto man once to die but after this the judgment:" We all need to repent of our sin. Our country needs to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the only hope.

“A minister must stand ever upon his watch-tower, prompt and present, ready and speedy to every good work (as the bee, so soon as ever the sun breaks forth, flies abroad to gather honey and wax), accounting employment a preferment, as our Saviour did, John xvii. 4.”

John Trapp Commenting on Matthew 13:1

(from The Sword and The Trowel March 1889)

BY C. H. SPURGEON.
QUIS custodiet ipsos custodes ? So say the Latins. Shepherds may keep the sheep; but who shall pastorize the shepherds ? A question of the weightiest import, both for the flocks and the pastors.
Politically, it is all very well to devise a form of government; but what if the governors themselves are ungovernable ? Look at poor France, whose first political necessity seems to be that her rulers should be ruled by a sense of justice, patriotism, and nobility. Given a Parliament where each man draws his pound a day, and secures his seat by promising to get subsidies for the district which returns him; he then sells his vote to those who will enable him to fulfil his promises, and a nation is dragged into needless expenses, which must end, sooner or later, in national bankruptcy. This happens in a republic, enjoying universal suffrage, which in, to some, the beau-ideal of perfect government. In our own land parliamentary institutions are becoming greatly degraded by the behaviour of certain representatives of the people. We may glory in our constitution; but if God does not send us a race of true men to make up our House of Commons, where shall we be ?

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Mr Cother In St. Helena

MR. BERTRAM, lately labouring in St. Helena, has favoured us with the perusal of a letter from one of the leading men in that island, from which we have made the following extracts, having reference to the arrival of our late student and esteemed brother, Mr. Cother. May the good work proceed mightily, and may the Lord Jesus be greatly glorified!
“As to the character you give of our young minister, I am rejoiced from my heart to say that you have given a true picture and have made a wise choice. He has now been with us a month, and a happy month it has been. We have good cause to acknowledge your love and care for ua in having laid your hands upon him, and secured him for St. Helena.

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The following article comes from The Sword And The Trowel December 1882

Shining

OUR business is, not to talk about shining, not to have theories about the way of doing it, but by our good works to shine, and so to bear testimony to the Lord. This simple thought meets a thousand difficulties. “I am very young; my candlestick is a very little one.” “Let your light shine.” “I am very poor; my candlestick is tin, instead of silver; if I were richer, I should be of more use.” “Let your light shine.” “I am feeble in health; half my time is passed within a sick-room; my candlestick is a broken one.” Let your light shine, even if there is no more candlestick than to hold the candle from
falling over. “I am very much out of the way—in a very obscure corner, far off from the general eye and observation; I wish I were in a better position.” Let your light shine; the Lord knows why he has placed you where you are; be sure he has a purpose worthy of being accomplished.
—From “The Greatness of Little Things,” by James Culross, DD

Prayer is vital for Christians but what do we mean and understand by it?
1. Prayer is so important, but what is Prayer? We can look at Philipians 4:6 where we read “with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God”.  Prayer is simply talking to God. It is not complicated. We can all do this.We are to talk to God with out ceasing.
2. Who Does The Christian Pray To?Matthew 6:9 “Our Father which art in heaven” All who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ come to God as “Our Father” and that is how he hears you. But you need to be sure that God is your Father, You have to recieve the Lord Jesus Christ. We read in John 1:12 “But as many as received him [Christ], to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: ”

Pray to Our Father with out ceasing.

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“Be much in thoughtfulness of the excellency of the majesty of God and thine infinite, inconceivable distance from him. Many thoughts of it cannot but fill thee with a sense of thine own vileness, which strikes deep at the root of any indwelling sin. When Job comes to a clear discovery of the greatness and the excellency of God, he is filled with self-abhorrence and is pressed to humiliation, Job 42:5-6. And in what state doth the prophet Habakkuk affirm himself to be cast, upon the apprehension of the majesty of God ? Hab 3:16. ” With God,” says Job, “is terrible majesty.” Hence were the thoughts of them of old, that when they had seen God they should die. The Scripture abounds in this self-abasing consideration, comparing the men of the earth to “grasshoppers,” to “vanity,” the “dust of the balance,” in respect of God. Be much in thoughts of this nature, to abase the pride of thy heart, and to keep thy soul humble within thee. There is nothing will render thee a greater indisposition to be imposed on by the deceits of sin than such a frame of heart. Think greatly of the greatness of God.

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John  Ryland wrote the following letter which touches on the issue of joining at the Lord’s Table with those who we disagree with over Baptism.

My Dear Christian Friends,

“I sincerely feel for your situation, and am affected with your kind invitation, that I would undertake the oversight of you in the Lord. Were I able to accept the call of your Baptist brethren, I should certainly have no objection to do every thing in my power to subserve your spiritual interests also; having always esteemed the difference of sentiment and practice between you and me, concerning one of the positive institutions of the New Testament, no sufficient ground to refuse a joint participation of the other. It appears to me so much the nature of the new creature, (if I may so express myself,) for true believers to have intimate communion with each other, that nothing but clear precept or precedent for debarring a mistaken brother from the Lord’s table, could induce me to refuse those whom Christ had evidently received, and who could be admitted without any injury to my own exercise of the rights of conscience, or without endangering any privilege of my own. I hope our brethren will be directed, if possible, to some pastor, who will in this respect be like-minded; and till you are sure it will he otherwise, will you not act a prudent and proper part, to keep together, and unite with them in fervent prayer? Be assured, my dear friends, I shall always rejoice to hear of your welfare, and it would give me unspeakable pleasure to hear that you were provided with such a pastor as would be much more likely to edify you, than your sincerely affectionate friend and servant,

John Ryland