Careful Examination

"Who maketh thee to differ from another?" —I Corinthians 4:7 [KJV]

Perhaps few will reply, in the very words of a haughty Arminian, "I of myself, made myself to differ; since I could resist God and divine predetermination, but have not. Why then may I not glory in myself?" Yet such is the language of all our proud hearts by nature, we are so fond of vain-glory. Awful declaration of our Lord's! "Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give an account of in the day of judgment." Who then can be saved? I humbly conceive these idle words imply proud, self-righteous, self-sufficient words, maliciously spoken in contempt of the sovereign, distinguishing grace of God, free justification by the righteousness of Jesus, and full salvation by His finished work ONLY. 

So Malachi 3:13, "Your words have been stout against Me, saith the LORD." The whole of that in Matthew 12 seems to prove this sense, and the context confirms it—"By thy words thou shalt be justified." i.e. By the confession of thy mouth, arising from the belief of thy heart of salvation by grace, through the Son of God, thou shalt be justified, "and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." i.e. Thy words betray the pride and unbelief of thy heart, in not submitting to the sovereignty of God's grace and free salvation by His beloved Son. For this thou shalt be condemned. 

By line upon line, and precept upon precept the Holy Ghost testifies of, exalts and glorifies the Lord Jesus, as all our salvation, and beateth down all self-confidence, and all self-glorying. Yet we dare not deny what the Holy Spirit hath done IN our hearts. By this we differ from others, and are distinguished from our former selves, when in our natural state of pride. But this is all of the sovereign grace of God. Hence we are made to differ as to our SPEECH. We dare not speak of ourselves but as poor sinners, who never have, nor never could do any thing to make ourselves differ in state or in practice. We are made to differ in JUDGMENT. 

We no longer set our dear Saviour at nought, or so lightly esteem the love of God as to think we can gain an interest in Jesus, and procure a title to God's favor by our own works. But we firmly believe "God HATH made us accepted in the Beloved, to the praise of the glory of His grace."—Ephesians 1:6. Hence our AFFECTIONS are turned to God in Christ by the power of the Spirit; Jesus is the delight of our souls and the glory of our hearts. 

He is to us the chiefest among ten thousand, and altogether lovely. His love, person, offices, and work, so enamor our souls and endear Him to our hearts, that we are continually longing to KNOW HIM more. Also, our PRACTICE is hereby influenced to hate and forsake the trifling conversation, the vain amusements, sinful vanities of a wicked world. "For our fellowship is with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ." —1 John 1:3.

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

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