Sanctify them through Thy Truth

"My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken Thou me according to Thy word." —Psalm 119:25 [KJV]

One would dread that state most of all others, which St. Paul describes, "being past feeling."—Ephesians 4:19. True, there is this alleviation, such are insensible of their deplorable condition. But if the great trumpet of the gospel awakes not the soul in this life to spiritual sense and feeling, verily the loud archangel's trumpet will awaken it to hear its awful sentence and feel its dreadful doom in the last day. O what a miracle of grace to be quickened, to know one's misery, to feel one's wants, to believe the remedy, and cry for relief! This blessed work is not of the will of the flesh. No man can quicken his own soul; it is the sovereign work of almighty power; it is equally ascribed to the loving Father, the redeeming Son, and the sanctifying Spirit—John 5:21 and 6:63—therefore gracious souls give all the glory to the ever-blessed Trinity. Free-will is the child of pride, it dwells in the heads of almost Christians, and is only boasted of by the enemies of truth.

"I am come, that My children might have life," saith Jesus. He quickeneth the dead in trespasses and sins; and then they cry to Him to have life more abundantly. Here is the wisdom of heaven-born souls; they deny themselves of the vain pleasures, carnal delights, and sensual gratifications of this world. They know these things oppose the life, interrupt the peace, and damp the joy of their souls. Their only happiness centers in Jesus—in life and love communicated from Him; therefore they study to avoid such things as are contrary to His mind and will: and as they too often find a cleaving to dust, to the sensible, earthly, vain enjoyments of this world, this alarms them—it is a burden and grief to them: they pour out their complaints to their beloved Jesus, with, 'Master, let it not be thus; quicken my drooping spirit, enliven my declining heart, cheer my languishing soul, according to the word of Thy grace, the truth of Thy promises.' Here is the blessed confidence of faith. His word is our plea; by that we have assurance of being heard and answered. The precepts of His word teach us His will; and we cannot feel a want but God's word promises to supply; therefore that is the warrant of faith, a light to direct our feet; and so also it is our best directory for prayer. So Christ prays for all His, "Sanctify them through Thy truth; Thy word is truth."—John 17:17.

My soul at times cleaves to the dust; 

Lord, give me life divine; 

From vain desires and ev'ry lust 

Turn off these eyes of mine.

O keep them ever fix'd on Thee, 

My Lord, my life, my love: 

Low vanities may I despise, 

And seek those things above.

-William Mason (1724-1797 A.D.)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

JESUS - Rock of Ages

Jesus remains the same in all ages. He is the One who is constant when everything and everyone else fails. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever; the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He is our R ock [I SAMUEL 2:2 ] . In the Old Testament, in Exodus 33, Jesus is pictured as the Cleft Rock. In that chapter, verse 18 and following, Moses desired to see the glory of the Lord, but was told, "You cannot see My face; for there shall no man see My face and live.” And the Lord said, “There is a place by Me, and you shalt stand upon a rock: and it shall come to pass, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by." Notice that as Moses stood upon the rock, the Lord hid him in the cleft. This wonderfully applies to us today! Believers are both standing on and hidden in Christ [COLOSSIANS 3:3 ] . We are both in and on the Rock. As life with its many bitter events presses upon us, ...
Read more

CHRIST OUR ONLY AND PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS

" The flesh lusteth against the Spirit." —Galatians 5:17 [KJV] Christian experience fully proves this apostolic truth. Hence the children of God cannot do the things that they would: nor have we any authority from God's word to conclude this lusting ever ceased in any of the saints till they got to glory; none are delivered from it while in the flesh. For, as the renewed soul or spirit loves to enjoy spiritual and heavenly objects, so the flesh, or unrenewed part, lusts after those objects it is naturally conversant with, and from which it derives its happiness.  Here is thy conflict, O Christian. Hence the necessity of thy Lord's command, "Watch always." This is the use of the doctrine. What woeful effects have fulfilling the lusts or desires of the flesh produced in eminent saints! Thou standest by faith, be not high-minded, but fear. The conceptions of lust are the productions of sin.— see James 1:15 . The commission of sin contracts fresh s...
Read more

GLORY ALONE IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

" Lest Israel vaunt themselves against Me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me." -Judges 7:2 [KJV] Thus the Lord reasoned with Gideon. He knows what is in man. He sees the pride of the human heart: how prone we all are to boast in an arm of flesh. The Lord is jealous of His own glory. Gideon’s army of two and thirty thousand, is brought down to three hundred. By this handful of men, and no more, did Gideon gain the victory of the Midianites. The Lord’s wisdom in this was, “Lest Israel should vaunt themselves, and say, Mine own hand hath saved me.”   But I have not transcribed the text right. There are two little words of great import, which I have omitted. Mind then, O Christian— against Me. Now remember, whenever thou dost boast of thy power, thy free-will, thy human goodness, thy works, ditties, conditions, and performances in order to be saved, thou art then, as it were, two and thirty thousand strong. Thou vauntest thyself against the Lord . Thou art gloryi...
Read more