on marriage (memes)

on reading (part dos)

I've finished my thirty-book reading queue for the early modern world, and along with it I've finished a third of the Sharpe and Aubrey-Maturin series (my goal for the year). Cornwell and O'Brian are purely masterful at spinning yarns set in the Napoleonic Era, and I look forward to biting off another great chunk of their works next year. For the time being, I'm turning away from history (and historical fiction) to check off more 2018 reading goals: read the Harry Potter series in its entirety (I gave Chloe my box-set from childhood, but she's too cool to read them), finish Kim S. Robinson's Mars trilogy (along with a spattering of science fiction from Arthur C. Clarke and other writers), and dip my toes into classic American westerns in the spirit of Louis L'Amour and Ron Hansen). If I have time I'll reread some of Peter Benchley's works which I adored when I was Chloe's age. Knowing I won't be able to survive off fiction alone for the next four months, I'm also going to read some much-anticipated scholarly works in the field of the Dinosauria. 

And speaking of dinosaurs, here's a meme I just can't in good conscience keep to myself:

#microscopy

Holiness [III]

~ Chapter Five: The Cost ~

“If we desire to do good, let us never be ashamed of walking in the steps of our Lord Jesus Christ. Work hard if you will, and have the opportunity, for the souls of others. Press them to consider their ways. Compel them with holy violence to come in, to lay down their arms, and to yield themselves to God. Offer them salvation, ready, free, full, immediate salvation. Press Christ and all His benefits on their acceptance. But in all your work tell the truth, and the whole truth. Be ashamed to use the vulgar arts of a recruiting sergeant. Do not speak only of the uniform, the pay, and the glory; speak also of the enemies, the battle, the armor, the watching, the marching, and the drill. Do not present only one side of Christianity. Do not keep back ‘the cross’ of self-denial that must be carried, when you speak of the cross on which Christ died for our redemption. Explain fully what Christianity entails. Entreat men to repent and come to Christ; but bid them at the same time to ‘count the cost.’”

“[Let] every reader [think] seriously, whether his religion costs him anything at present. Very likely it costs you nothing. Very probably it neither costs you trouble, nor time, nor thought, nor care, nor pains, nor reading, nor praying, nor self-denial, nor conflict, nor working, nor labor of any kind. Now mark what I say. Such a religion as this will never save your soul. It will never give you peace while you live, nor hope while you die. It will not support you in the day of affliction, nor cheer you in the hour of death. A religion that costs nothing is worth nothing. Awake before it is too late. Awake and repent. Awake and be converted. Awake and believe. Awake and pray. Rest not till you can give a satisfactory answer to my question, ‘What does it cost?’”

~ Chapter Six: Growth ~

“When I speak of growth in grace, I do not for a moment mean that a believer’s interest in Christ can grow. I do not mean that he can grow in safety, acceptance with God, or security. I do not mean that he can ever be more justified, more pardoned, more forgiven, more at peace with God, than he is the first moment that he believes. I hold firmly that the justification of a believer is a finished, perfect, and complete work; and that the weakest saint, though he may not know and feel it, is as completely justified as the strongest. I hold firmly that our election, calling, and standing in Christ admit of no degrees, increase, or diminution. If anyone dreams that by growth in grace I mean growth in justification, he is utterly wide of the mark, and utterly mistaken about the whole point I am considering. I would go to the stake, God helping me, for the glorious truth, that in the matter of justification before God every believer is ‘complete in Christ’ (Col. 2:10). Nothing can be added to his justification from the moment he believes, and nothing taken away.”

“[By growth in grace] I only mean increase in the degree, size, strength, vigor, and power of the graces, which the Holy Spirit plants in a believer’s heart. I hold that every one of those graces admits of growth, progress, and increase. I hold that repentance, faith, hope, love, humility, zeal, courage, and the like, may be little or great, strong or weak, vigorous or feeble, and may vary greatly in the same man at different periods of his life. When I speak of a man growing in grace, I mean simply this—that his sense of sin is becoming deeper, his faith stronger, his hope brighter, his love more extensive, his spiritual-mindedness more marked. He feels more of the power of godliness in his own heart. He manifests more of it in his life. He is going on from strength to strength, from faith to faith, and from grace to grace.”

A World Set Against Growth in Grace. “It is useless to conceal from ourselves that the age we live in is full of peculiar dangers. It is an age of great activity, and of much hurry, bustle, and excitement in religion. Many are running ‘to and fro,’ no doubt, and ‘knowledge is increased’ (Dan 12:4). Thousands are ready enough for public meetings, sermon hearing, or anything else in which there is ‘sensation.’ Few appear to remember the absolute necessity of making time to ‘commune with our hearts, and be still’ (Ps. 4:4). But without this there is seldom any deep spiritual prosperity.”

Biblical Texts on Growth in Grace. “What says Paul? ‘Your faith groweth exceedingly’ (2 Thess. 1:3). ‘We beseech you brethren, that ye increase more and more’ (1 Thess. 4:10). ‘Increasing in the knowledge of God’ (Col. 1:10). ‘Having hope, when your faith is increased’ (2 Cor. 10:15). ‘The Lord make you to increase in love’ (1 Thess. 3:12). ‘That ye may grow up into him in all things’ (Eph 4:15). ‘I pray that your love may abound more and more’ (Phil. 1:9). ‘We beseech you, as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more’ (1 Thess. 4:1). What says St. Peter? ‘Desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby’ (1 Pet. 2:2). ‘Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’ (2 Pet. 3:18).”

A Few Points on the Reality of Growth in Grace

“Growth in grace is the best evidence of spiritual health and prosperity. In a child, or a flower, or a tree, we are all aware that when there is no growth there is something wrong. Healthy life in an animal or a vegetable will always show itself by progress and increase.”

“[Growth] in grace is one way to be happy in our religion. God has wisely linked together our comfort and our increase in holiness. He has graciously made it our interest to press on and aim high in our Christianity. There is a vast difference between the amount of sensible enjoyment that one believer has in his religion compared to another. But you may be sure that ordinarily the man who feels the most ‘joy and peace in believing,’ and has the clearest witness of the Spirit in his heart, is the man who grows.

“[Growth] in grace is one secret of usefulness to others. Our influence on others for good depends greatly on what they see in us. The children of the world measure Christianity quite as much by their eyes as by their ears. The Christian who is always at a standstill, to all appearances the same man, with the same little faults, and weaknesses, and besetting sins, and petty infirmities, is seldom the Christian who does much good. The man who shakes and stirs minds, and sets the world thinking, is the believer who is continually improving and going forward. Men think there is life and reality when they see growth.”

“[Growth] in grace pleases God… The Scripture speaks of walking so as to ‘please God.’ The Scripture says there are sacrifices with which ‘God is well pleased’ (1 Thess. 4:1; Heb. 13:16). The husbandman loves to see the plants on which he has bestowed labor flourishing and bearing fruit. It cannot but disappoint and grieve him to see them stunted and standing still. Now what does our Lord Himself say? ‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.’ ‘Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples’ (John 15:1,8). The Lord takes pleasure in all His people—but specially those who grow.”

“[Growth] in grace is not only a thing possible, but a thing for which believers are accountable. To tell an unconverted man, dead in sins, to grow in grace would doubtless be absurd. To tell a believer, who is quickened and alive to God, to grow, is only summoning him to a plain scriptural duty. He has a new principle within him, and it is a solemn duty not to quench it. Neglect of growth robs him of privileges, grieves the Spirit, and makes the chariot wheels of his soul move heavily. Whose fault is it, I should like to know, if a believer does not grow in grace? The fault, I am sure, cannot be laid on God. He delights to ‘give more grace.’ He ‘hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servants’ (James 4:6; Ps. 35:27). The fault, no doubt, is our own. We ourselves are to blame, and none else, if we do not grow.”

Marks by which Growth in Grace may be Known.

“One mark of growth in grace is increased humility. The man whose soul is growing feels his own sinfulness and unworthiness more every year.”

“Another mark of growth in grace is increased faith and love toward our Lord Jesus Christ. The man whose soul is growing finds more in Christ to rest upon every year, and rejoices more that he has such a Savior. No doubt he saw much in Him when he first believed. His faith laid hold on the atonement of Christ and gave him hope. But as he grows in grace, he sees a thousand things in Christ of which at first he never dreamed. His love and power—His heart and His intentions—His offices as Substitute, Intercessor, Priest, Advocate, Physician, Shepherd, and Friend, unfold themselves to a growing soul in an unspeakable manner.”

“Another mark of growth in grace is increased holiness of life and conversation. The man whose soul is growing gets more dominion over sin, the world, and the devil every year. He becomes more careful about his temper, his words, and his actions. He is more watchful over his conduct in every relation of life. He strives more to be conformed to the image of Christ in all things, and to follow Him as his example, as well as to trust in Him as his Savior. He is not content with old attainments and former grace. He forgets the things that are behind and reaches forth unto those things that are before… On earth he thirsts and longs to have a will more entirely in unison with God’s will. In heaven the chief thing that he looks for, next to the presence of Christ, is complete separation from all sin.”

“Another mark of growth in grace is increased spirituality in taste and mind. The man whose soul is growing takes more interest in spiritual things every year. He does not neglect his duty in the world. He discharges faithfully, diligently, and conscientiously every relation of life, whether at home or abroad. But the things he loves best are spiritual things. The ways, and fashions, and amusements, and recreations of the world have a continually decreasing place in his heart. He does not condemn them as downright sinful, nor say that those who have anything to do with them are going to hell. He only feels that they have a constantly diminishing hold on his own affections, and gradually seem smaller and more trifling in his eyes. Spiritual companions, spiritual occupations, spiritual conversations, appear of ever-increasing value to him.”

“Another mark of growth in grace is increase of charity. The man whose soul is growing is more full of love every year—of love to all men, but especially of love to the brethren. His love will show itself actively in a growing disposition to do kindness, to take trouble for others, to be good-natured to everybody, to be generous, sympathizing, thoughtful, tenderhearted, and considerate. It will show itself passively in a growing disposition to be meek and patient toward all men, to put up with provocation and not stand upon rights, to bear and forbear much rather than quarrel. A growing soul will try to put the best construction on other people’s conduct, and to believe all things and hope all things, even to the end. There is no surer mark of backsliding and falling off in grace than an increasing disposition to find fault, pick holes, and see the weak points in others.”

“One more mark of growth in grace is increased zeal and diligence in trying to do good to souls. The man who is really growing will take greater interest in the salvation of sinners every year.”

The Means by which We Grow in Grace. “Many admire growth in grace in others, and wish that they themselves were like them. But they seem to suppose that those who grow are what they are by some special gift or grant from God, and that as this gift is not bestowed on themselves they must be content to sit still. This is a grievous delusion, and one against which I desire to testify will all my might. I wish it to be distinctly understood that growth in grace is bound up with the use of means within the reach of all believers, and that, as a general rule, growing souls are what they are because they use these means.”

“One thing essential to growth in grace is diligence in the use of private means of grace. [These are] means as a man must use by himself alone, and no one can use for him. I include under this head private prayer, private reading of the Scriptures, and private meditation and self-examination. The man who does not take pains about these three things must never expect to grow. Here are the roots of true Christianity. Wrong here, a man is wrong all the way through! Here is the whole reason many professing Christians never seem to get on. They are careless and slovenly about their private prayers. They read their Bibles but little, and with very little heartiness of spirit. They give themselves no time for self-inquiry and quiet thought about the state of their souls.”

“Another thing that is essential to growth in grace is carefulness in the use of public means of grace. By these I understand such means as a man has within his reach as a member of Christ’s visible church. Under this head I include the ordinances of regular Sunday worship, the uniting with God’s people in common prayer and praise, the preaching of the Word, and the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.”

“Another thing essential to growth in grace is watchfulness over our conduct in the little matters of everyday life. Our tempers, our tongues, the discharge of our several relations of life, our employment of time—each and all must be vigilantly attended to if we wish our souls to prosper. Life is made up of days, and days of hours, and the little things of every hour are never so little as to be beneath the care of a Christian. When a tree begins to decay at root or heart, the mischief is first seen at the extreme ends of the little branches. ‘He that despiseth little things,’ says an uninspired writer, ‘shall fall by little and little.’ That witness is true. Let others despise us, if they like, and call us precise and overcareful. Let us patiently hold on our way, remember that ‘we serve a precise God,’ that our Lord’s example is to be copied in the least things as well as the greatest, and that we must ‘take up our cross daily’ and hourly, rather than sin. We must aim to have a Christianity that, like the sap of a tree, runs through every twig and leaf of our character, and sanctifies all.”

“Another thing that is essential to growth in grace is caution about the company we keep and the friendships we form.”

“There is one more thing that is absolutely essential to growth in grace—and that is regular and habitual communion with the Lord Jesus… [This is the] daily habit of intercourse between the believer and his Savior, which can only be carried on by faith, prayer, and meditation. It is a habit, I fear, of which many believers know little. A man may be a believer and have his feet on the rock, and yet live far below his privileges. It is possible to have ‘union’ with Christ, and yet to have little if any ‘communion’ with Him. But, for all that, there is such a thing… We must not be content with a general orthodox knowledge that justification is by faith and not by works, and that we must put our trust in Christ. We must go further than this. We must seek to have personal intimacy with the Lord Jesus, and to deal with Him as a man deals with a loving friend. We must realize what it is to turn to Him first in every need, to talk to Him about every difficulty, to consult Him about every step, to spread before Him all our sorrows, to get Him to share in all our joys, to do all as in His sight, and to go through every day leaning on and looking to Him.

Going too far in religion? “We can never have too much humility, too much faith in Christ, too much holiness, too much charity, too much zeal in doing good to others. Then let us be continually forgetting the things behind, and reaching forth unto the things before (Phil. 3:13). The best of Christians in these matters is infinitely below the perfect pattern of his Lord. Whatever the world may please to say, we may be sure there is no danger of any of us becoming ‘too good.’ Let us cast to the winds as idle talk the common nothing that it is possible to be ‘extreme’ and go ‘too far’ in religion. This is a favorite lie of the devil, and one that he circulates with vast industry. No doubt there are enthusiasts and fanatics to be found who bring evil report upon Christianity by their extravagances and follies. But if anyone means to say that a mortal man can be too humble, too charitable, too holy, or too diligent in doing good, he must either be an atheist or a fool. In serving pleasure and money, it is easy to go too far. But in following the things that make up true religion, and in serving Christ, there can be no extreme. Let us never measure our religion by that of others, and think we are doing enough if we have gone beyond our neighbors. This is another snare of the devil.

Wholly Debtors to Christ’s Grace. “Let us mind our own business… Let us follow on, making Christ’s life and pattern our only pattern and example. Let us follow on, remembering daily that at our best we are miserable sinners. Let us follow on, and never forget that it signifies nothing whether we are better than others or not. At our very best we are far worse than we ought to be. There will always be room for improvement in us. We shall be debtors to Christ’s mercy and grace to the very last. Then let us leave off looking at others and comparing ourselves with others. We shall find enough to do if we look at our own hearts.”

On Suffering and Growth in Grace. “[If] we know anything of growth in grace, and desire to know more, let us not be surprised if we have to go through much trial and affliction in this world. I firmly believe it is the experience of nearly all the most eminent saints. Like their blessed Master, they have been ‘men of sorrows, acquainted with grief’ and ‘perfected through sufferings’ (Isa 53:3; Heb. 2.10). It is a striking saying of our Lord, ‘Every branch in me that beareth fruit, my Father purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit’ (John 15:2). It is a melancholy fact, that constant temporal prosperity, as a general rule, is injurious to a believer’s soul. We cannot stand it. Sickness, and losses, and crosses, and anxieties, and disappointments seem absolutely needful to keep us humble, watchful, and spiritual minded. They are as needful as the pruning knife to the vine, and the refiner’s furnace to the gold. They are not pleasant to flesh and blood. We do not like them, and often do not see their meaning. ‘No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless, afterward, it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness (Heb. 12:11). We shall find that all worked for our good when we reach heaven. Let these thoughts abide in our minds, if we love growth in grace. When days of darkness come upon us, let us not count it a strange thing. Rather let us remember that lessons are learned on such days that would never have been learned in sunshine. Let us say to ourselves, ‘This also is for my profit, that I may be a partaker of God’s holiness. It is sent in love. I am in God’s best school. Correction is instruction. This is meant to make me grow.’”

Holiness [II]

~ Chapter Three: Holiness ~

What is holiness? “Holiness is the habit of being of one mind with God, according as we find His mind described in Scripture. It is the habit of agreeing in God’s judgment—hating what He hates—loving what He loves—and measuring everything in this world by the standard of His Word. He who most entirely agrees with God, he is the most holy man. A holy man will endeavor to shun every known sin, and to keep every known commandment. He will have a decided bent of mind toward God, a hearty desire to do His will—a greater fear of displeasing Him than of displeasing the world, and a love to all His ways.”

What are the marks of a holy man? “A holy man will follow after meekness, long-suffering, gentleness, patience, kind tempers, government of his tongue. He will bear much, forbear much, overlook much, and be slow to talk of standing on his rights… A holy man will follow after temperance and self-denial. He will labor to mortify the desires of his body—to crucify his flesh with its affections and lusts—to curb his passions—to restrain his carnal inclinations, lest at any time they break loose… A holy man will follow after charity and brotherly kindness. He will endeavor to observe the golden rule of doing as he would have men do to him, and speaking as he would have men speak to him. He will be full of affection toward his brethren—toward their bodies, their property, their characters, their feelings, their souls. ‘He that loveth another,’ says Paul, ‘hath fulfilled the law’ (Rom. 13:8). He will ahbor all lying, slandering, backbiting, cheating, dishonesty, and unfair dealing, even in the least things… A holy man will follow after a spirit of mercy and benevolence toward others. He will not stand all the day idle. He will not be content with doing no harm—he will try to do good. He will strive to be useful in his day and generation, and to lessen the spiritual wants and misery around him, as far as he can… A holy man will follow after purity of heart. He will dread all filthiness and uncleanness of spirit, and seek to avoid all things that might draw him into it. He knows his own heart is like tinder, and will diligently keep clear of the sparks of temptation…  A holy man will follow after the fear of God. I do not mean the fear of a slave, who only works because he is afraid of punishment, and would be idle if he did not dread discovery. I mean rather the fear of a child, who wishes to live and move as if he was always before his father’s face, because he loves him… A holy man will follow after humility. He will desire, in lowliness of mind, to esteem all others better than himself. He will see more evil in his own heart than in any other in the world… A holy man will follow after faithfulness in all the duties and relations in life. He will try, not merely to fill his place as well as others who take no thought for their souls, but even better, because he has higher motives, and more help than they…. They should strive to be good husbands and good wives, good parents and good children, good masters and good servants, good neighbors, good friends, good subjects, good in private and good in public, good in the place of business and good by their firesides. Holiness is worth little indeed if it does not bear this kind of fruit… Last, but not least, a holy man will follow after spiritual mindedness. He will endeavor to set his affections entirely on things above, and to hold things on earth with a very loose hand. He will not neglect the business of the life that now is; but the first place in his mind and thoughts will be given to the life to come. He will aim to live like one whose treasure is in heaven, and to pass through this world like a stranger and pilgrim, traveling to his home. To commune with God in prayer, in the Bible, and in the assembly of His people, these things will be the holy man’s chiefest enjoyments. He will value every thing and place and company, just in proportion as it draws him nearer to God. He will enter into something of David’s feeling, when he says, ‘My soul followeth hard after thee,’ ‘Though art my portion.’ (Ps. 63:8; 119:57).”

“I do not say for a moment that holiness shuts out the presence of indwelling sin. No: far from it. It is the greatest misery of a holy man that he carries about with him a ‘body of death;’ that often when he would do good, ‘evil is present with him;’ that the old man is clogging all his movements, and, as it were, trying to draw him back at every step he takes (Rom. 7:21). But it is the excellence of a holy man that he is not at peace with indwelling sin, as others are. He hates it, mourns over it, and longs to be free from its company. The work of sanctification within him is like the wall of Jerusalem—the building goes forward ‘even in troublous times’ (Dan. 9:25), [because] sanctification is always a progressive work. Some men’s graces are in the blade, some in the ear, and some are like full corn in the ear. All must have a beginning. We must never despise ‘the day of small things.’ And sanctification in the very best is an imperfect work. The history of the brightest saints who ever lived will contain many a ‘but,’ and ‘howbeit,’ and ‘notwithstanding,’ before you reach the end. The gold will never be without some dross—the light will never shine without some clouds, until we reach the heavenly Jerusalem. The sun himself has spots on his face. The holiest man will have many a blemish and defect when weighed in the balance of the sanctuary. Their life is a continual warfare with sin, the world, and the devil; and sometimes you will see them not overcoming, but overcome. The flesh is ever lusting against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, and ‘in many things they offend all’ (Gal. 5:17; James 3:2).”

“[To] talk of men being saved from the guilt of sin, without being at the same time saved from its dominion in their hearts, is to contradict the witness of all Scripture. Are believers said to be elect?—it is ‘through sanctification of the Spirit.’ Are they predestined?—it is ‘to be conformed to the image of God’s Son.’ Are they chosen?—it is ‘that they may be holy.’ Are they called?—it is ‘with a holy calling.’ Are they afflicted?—it is that they may be ‘partakers of holiness.’ Jesus is a complete Savior. He does not merely take away the guilt of a believer’s sin, He does more—He breaks its power (1 Pet. 1:2; Rom. 8:29; Eph. 1:4; 2 Tim. 1:9; Heb. 12:10).”

“We must be holy, because this is the most likely way to do good to others. We cannot live to ourselves only in this world. Our lives will always be doing either good or harm to those who see them. They are a silent sermon, which all can read. It is sad indeed when they are a sermon for the devil’s cause, and not for God’s. I believe that far more is done for Christ’s kingdom by the holy living of believers than we are at all aware of. There is a reality about such living that makes men feel, and obliges them to think. It carries a weight and influence with it that nothing else can give. It makes religion, and draws men to consider it, like a lighthouse seen far off.”

“[John Owen] used to say, more than two hundred years ago, that there were people whose religion seemed to consist in going about complaining of their own corruptions, and telling everyone that they could do nothing of themselves. I am afraid that after two centuries the same thing might be said with truth of some of Christ’s professing people in this day. I know there are texts in Scripture that warrant such complaints. I do not object to them when they come from men who walk in the steps of the Apostle Paul, and fight a good fight, as he did, against sin, the devil, and the world. But I never like such complaints when I see ground for suspecting, as I often do, that they are only a cloak to cover spiritual laziness, and an excuse for spiritual sloth. If we say with Paul, ‘O wretched man that I am,’ let us also be able to say with him, ‘I press toward the mark.’ Let us not quote his example in one thing, while we do not follow him in another (Rom. 7:24; Phil. 3:14).”

“Would you be holy? Would you become a new creature? Then you must begin with Christ. You will do just nothing at all, and make no progress till you feel your sin and weakness, and flee to Him. He is the root and beginning of all holiness, and the way to be holy is to come to Him by faith and be joined to Him. Christ is not wisdom and righteousness only to His people, but sanctification also.”

~ Chapter Four: The Fight ~

“[Spiritual warfare] is a thing of which many know nothing. Talk to them about it, and they are ready to set you down as a madman, an enthusiast, or a fool. And yet it is as real and true as any war the world has ever seen. It has its hand-to-hand conflicts and its wounds. It has its watchings and fatigues. It has its sieges and assaults. It has its victories and its defeats. Above all, it has consequences, which are awful, tremendous, and most peculiar. In earthly warfare the consequences to nations are often temporary and remedial. In the spiritual warfare it is very different. Of that warfare, the consequences, when the fight is over, are unchangeable and eternal.”

“There is a vast quantity of religion current in the world that is not true, genuine Christianity. It passes muster; it satisfies sleepy consciences; but it is not good money. It is not the real thing that was called Christianity 1,800 years ago. There are thousands of men and women who go to churches and chapels every Sunday, and call themselves Christians. Their names are in the baptismal register. They are reckoned Christians while they live. They are married with a Christian marriage service. They mean to be buried as Christians when they die. But you never see any ‘fight’ about their religion! Of spiritual strife, and exertion, and conflict, and self-denial, and watching, and warring, they know literally nothing at all. Such Christianity may satisfy man, and those who say anything against it may be thought very hard and uncharitable; but it certainly is not the Christianity of the Bible. It is not the religion that the Lord Jesus founded, and His apostles preached. It is not the religion that produces real holiness. True Christianity is a ‘fight.’”

“The true Christian is called to be a soldier, and must behave as such from the day of his conversion to the day of his death. He is not meant to live a life of religious ease, indolence, and security. He must never imagine for a moment that he can sleep and doze along the way to heaven, like one traveling in an easy carriage. If he takes his standard of Christianity from the children of this world, he may be content with such notions; but he will find no countenance for them in the Word of God. If the Bible is the rule of faith and practice, he will find his course laid down very plainly in this matter. He must ‘fight’.”

“The principal fight of the Christian is with the world, the flesh, and the devil. These are his never-dying foes. These are the three chief enemies against whom he must wage war. Unless he gets the victory over these three, all other victories are useless and vain. If he had a nature like an angel, and were not a fallen creature, the warfare would not be so essential. But with a corrupt heart, a busy devil, and an ensnaring world, he must either ‘fight’ or be lost.”

On the Flesh. “Even after conversion [the Christian] carries within him a nature prone to evil, and a heart weak and unstable as water. That heart will never be free from imperfection in this world, and it is a miserable delusion to expect it. To keep that heart from going astray, the Lord Jesus bids us ‘watch and pray.’ The spirit may be ready, but the flesh is weak. There is need of a daily struggle and a daily wrestling in prayer. ‘I keep under my body,’ cries St. Paul, ‘and bring it into subjection.’” [Mark 14.38; 1 Corinthians 9.27; Romans 7.23-24; Galatians 5.24; Colossians 3.5]

On the World. “The subtle influence of [the world] must be daily resisted, and without a daily battle can never be overcome. The love of the world’s good things—the fear of the world’s laughter or blame—the secret desire to keep in with the world—the secret wish to do as others in the world do, and not to run into extremes—all these are spiritual foes, which beset the Christian continually on his way to heaven, and must be conquered.” [James 4.4; 1 John 2.15; Galatians 6.14; 1 John 5.4; Romans 12.2]

On the Devil. “That old enemy of mankind is not dead. Ever since the fall of Adam and Eve, he has been ‘going to and fro in the earth, and walking up and down in it,’ and striving to compass one great end—the ruin of man’s soul. Never slumbering and never sleeping, he is always ‘going about as a lion seeking whom he may devour.’ An unseen enemy, he is always near us, about our path and about our bed, and spying out all our ways. ‘A murderer’ and ‘a liar’ from the beginning, he labors night and day to cast us down to hell. Sometimes by leading into superstition, sometimes by suggesting doubt, he is always carrying a campaign against our souls… This might adversary must be daily resisted if we wish to be saved.” [Job 1.7; 1 Peter 5.8; John 8.44; Luke 22.31; Matthew 17.21; Ephesians 6.11].

“The saddest symptom about many so-called Christians is the utter absence of anything like conflict and fight in their Christianity. They eat, they drink, they dress, they work, they amuse themselves, they get money, they spend money, they go through a scanty round of formal religious services once or twice a week. But the great spiritual warfare—its watchings and struggling, its agonies and anxieties, its battles and contests—of all this they appear to know nothing at all. Let us take care that this case is not our own… [But] we may take comfort about our souls if we know anything of an inward fight and conflict. It is the invariable companion of genuine Christian holiness…. Do we find in our heart of hearts a spiritual struggle? Do we feel anything of the flesh lusting against the spirit and the spirit lusting against the flesh[?]… Are we conscious of two principles within us, contending for the mastery? Do we feel anything of war in our inward man? Well, let us thank God for it! It is a good sign. It is strongly probable evidence of the great work of sanctification. All true saints are soldiers. Anything is better than apathy, stagnation, deadness, and indifference. We are in a better state than many. The most part of so-called Christians have no feeling at all. We are evidently no friends of Satan. Like the kings of this world, he wars not against his own subjects.”

“[The Christian] sees by faith an unseen Savior, who loved him, gave Himself for him, paid his debts for him, bore his sins, carried his transgressions, rose again for him, and appears in heaven for him as his advocate at the right hand of God. He sees Jesus and clings to Him. Seeing this Savior and trusting in Him, he feels peace and hope, and willingly does battle against the foes of his soul. He sees his own many sins—his weak heart, a tempting world, a busy devil; and if he looked only at them he might well despair. But he sees also a mighty Savior—His blood, His righteousness, His everlasting priesthood—and he believes that all this is his own. He sees Jesus and casts his whole weight on Him. Seeing Him, he cheerfully fights on, with a full confidence that he will prove ‘more than conqueror through him that loved him’ (Rom. 8:37).”

“It must never be forgotten that faith admits of degrees. All men do not believe alike, and even the same person has his ebbs and flows of faith, and believes more heartily at one time than another. According to the degree of his faith, the Christian fights well or ill, wins victories, or suffers occasional repulses, comes off triumphant, or loses a battle.”

Holiness [I]

select quotes from J.C. Ryle's

Holiness:

it's nature, hindrances, difficulties and roots

~ Chapter One: Sin ~

“[If] men really mean to tell us that here in this world a believer can attain to entire freedom from sin, live for years in unbroken and uninterrupted communion with God, and feel for the months together not so much as one evil thought, I must honestly say that such an opinion appears to me very unscriptural. I go even further. I say that the opinion is very dangerous to him who holds it, and very likely to depress, discourage, and keep back inquirers after salvation. I cannot find the slightest warrant in God’s Word for expecting such perfection as this while we are in the body. I believe the words of our Fifteenth Article are strictly true—that ‘Christ alone is without sin; and that all we, the rest, though baptized and born again in Christ, offend in many things; and if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.’ To use the language of our first homily: ‘There be imperfections in our best works: we do not love God so much as we are bound to do, with all our hearts, mind, and power; we do not fear God so much as we ought to do; we do not pray to God but with many and great imperfections. We give, forgive, believe, live, and hope imperfectly; we speak, think, and do imperfectly; we fight against the devil, the world, and the flesh imperfectly. Let us, therefore, not be ashamed to confess plainly our state of imperfection.’”

“It has long been my sorrowful conviction that the standard of daily life among professing Christians [has] been gradually falling. I am afraid that Christlike love, kindness, good-temper, unselfishness, meekness, gentleness, goodnature, self-denial, zeal to do good, and separation from the world are far less appreciated than they ought to be, and than they used to be in the days of our fathers. Into the causes of this state of things, I cannot pretend to enter fully, and can only suggest conjectures for consideration. It may be that a certain profession of religion has become so fashionable and comparatively easy in the present age, that the streams that were once narrow and deep have become wide and shallow, and what we have gained in outward show we have lost in quality. It may be that the vast increase of wealth in the last twenty-five years has insensibly introduced a plague of worldliness, and self-indulgence, and love of ease into social life. What were once called luxuries are now comforts and necessaries, and self-denial and ‘enduring hardness’ are consequently little known. It may be that the enormous amount of controversy that marks this age has insensibly dried up our spiritual life. We have too often been content with zeal for orthodoxy, and have neglected the sober realities of daily practical godliness.”

“We must simply repent and do our first works. We must return to first principles. We must go back to ‘the old paths.’ We must sit humbly in the presence of God, look the whole subject [of holiness] in the face, examine clearly what the Lord Jesus calls sin, and what the Lord Jesus calls ‘doing His will.’ We must then try to realize that it is terribly possible to live a careless, easy-going, half-worldly life, and yet at the same time to maintain evangelical principles and call ourselves evangelical people! Once let us see that sin is far viler, and far nearer to us, and sticks more closely to us than we supposed, and we shall be led, I trust and believe, to get nearer to Christ. Once drawn nearer to Christ, we shall drink more deeply out of His fullness, and learn more thoroughly to ‘live the life of faith’ in Him, as St. Paul did. Once taught to live the life of faith in Jesus, and abiding in Him, we shall bear more fruit, shall find ourselves more strong for duty, more patient in trial, more watchful over our poor weak hearts, and more like our Master in all our little daily ways. Just in proportion as we realize how much Christ has done for us, shall we labor to do much for Christ. Much forgiven, we shall love much. In short, as the apostle says, ‘with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, we are changed into the same image even as by the Spirit of the Lord’ (2 Cor. 3:1    8).”

~ Chapter Two: Sanctification ~

“Sanctification is that inward spiritual work that the Lord Jesus Christ works in a man by the Holy Ghost, when He calls him to be a true believer. He not only washes him from his sins in His own blood, but He also separates him from his natural love of sin and the world, puts a new principle in his heart, and makes him practically godly in life. The instrument by which the Spirit effects this work is generally the Word of God, though he sometimes uses afflictions and providential visitations ‘without the word’ (1 Pet. 3:1).”

“The Lord Jesus has undertaken everything that His people’s souls require; not only to deliver them from the guilt of their sins by His atoning death, but from the dominion of their sins, by placing in their hearts the Holy Spirit; not only to justify them, but also to sanctify them. He is, thus, not only their ‘righteousness,’ but their ‘sanctification’ (1 Cor. 1:30). Let us hear what the Bible says: ‘For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified.’ ‘Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it.’ “Christ gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.’ ‘Christ bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness.’ ‘Christ hath reconciled [you] in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight’ (John 17:19; Eph. 5:25-26; Titus 2:14; 1 Pet. 2:24; Col. 1:21-22). Let the meaning of these five texts be carefully considered. If words mean anything, they teach us that Christ undertakes the sanctification, no less than the justification, of His believing people. Both are alike provided for in that ‘everlasting covenant ordered in all things and sure,’ of which the Mediator is Christ. In fact, Christ in one place is called ‘he that sanctifieth,’ and His people, ‘they who are sanctified’ (Heb. 2:11).”

“Sanctification [is] the invariable result of that vital union with Christ that true faith gives to a Christian. ‘He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit’ (John 15:5). The branch that bears no fruit is no living branch of the vine. The union with Christ that produces no effect on heart and life is a mere formal union, which is worthless before God. The faith that has not a sanctifying influence on the character is no better than the faith of devils. It is a ‘dead faith, because it is alone.’”

“Sanctification, again, is the outcome and inseparable consequence of regeneration. He who is born again and made a new creature, receives a new nature and a new principle, and always lives a new life. A regeneration that a man can have, and yet live carelessly in sin or worldliness, is a regeneration invented by uninspired theologians, but never mentioned in Scripture. On the contrary, St. John expressly says that ‘he that is born of God doth not commit sin—doeth righteousness—loveth the brethren—keepth himself—and overcometh the world’ (1 John 2:29; 3:9-14; 5:4-18). In a word, where there is no sanctification there is no regeneration, and where there is no holy life there is no new birth.”

“Sanctification [is] a thing that does not prevent a man having a great deal of inward spiritual conflict. By conflict I mean a struggle within the heart between the old nature and the new, the flesh and the spirit, which are to be found together in every believer (Gal. 5:17). A deep sense of that struggle, and a vast amount of mental discomfort from it, are no proof that a man is not sanctified. Nay, rather, I believe they are healthy symptoms of our condition, and prove that we are not dead, but alive. A true Christian is one who has not only peace of conscience, but war within. He may be known by his warfare as well as by his peace… The heart of the best Christian, even at his best, is a field occupied by two rival camps, and the ‘company of two armies’ (Song of Sol. 6:14). Let the words of the Thirteenth and Fifteenth Articles be well considered by all churchmen: ‘The infection of nature doth remain in them that are regenerated.’ ‘Although baptized and born again in Christ, we offend in many things; and if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.’”

“True sanctification does not consist in talk about religion. This is a point that ought never to be forgotten. The vast increase of education and preaching in these latter days makes it absolutely necessary to raise a warning voice. People hear so much talk of gospel truth that they contract an unholy familiarity with its words and phrases, and sometimes talk so fluently about its doctrines that you might think them true Christians. In fact it is sickening and disgusting to hear the cool and flippant language that many pour out about ‘conversion—the Savior—the gospel—finding peace—free grace,’ and the like, while they are notoriously serving sin or living for the world. Can we doubt that such talk is abominable in God’s sight, and is little better than cursing, swearing, and taking God’s name in vain? The tongue is not the only member that Christ bids us give to His service. God does not want His people to be mere empty tubs, sounding brass, and tinkling cymbals. We must be sanctified, not only ‘in word and in tongue, but in deed and truth’ (1 John 3:18).”

“Sanctification does not consist in retirement from our place of life, and the renunciation of our social duties. In every age it has been a snare with many to take up this line in the pursuit of holiness. Hundreds of hermits have buried themselves in some wilderness, and thousands of men and women have shut themselves up within the walls of monasteries and convents, under the vain idea that by so doing they would escape sin and become eminently holy. They have forgotten that no bolts and bars can keep out the devil, and that, wherever we go, we carry that root of all evil, our own hearts. To become a monk, or a nun, or to join a House of Mercy, is not the high road to sanctification. True holiness does not make a Christian evade difficulties, but face and overcome them. Christ would have His people show that His grace is not a mere hothouse plant, which can only thrive under shelter, but a strong, hardy thing, which can flourish in every relation of life. It is doing our duty in that state to which God has called us—like salt in the midst of corruption, and light in the midst of darkness—which is a primary element in sanctification. It is not the man who hides himself in a cave, but the man who glorifies God as master or servant, parent or child, in the family and in the street, in business and in trade, who is the scriptural type of a sanctified man. Our Master Himself said in His last prayer, ‘I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that though sholdest keep them from the evil’ (John 17:15).”

“Of one thing I feel very sure—it is nonsense to pretend to sanctification unless we follow after the meekness, gentleness, longsuffering, and forgiveness of which the Bible makes so much. People who are habitually giving way to peevish and cross tempers in daily life, and are constantly sharp with their tongues, and disagreeable to all around them—spiteful people, vindictive people, revengeful people, malicious people—of whom, alas, the world is only too full!—all such know little, as they should know, about sanctification.”

On the Differences Between Justification and Sanctification. “Justification is the reckoning and counting a man to be righteous for the sake of another, even Jesus Christ the Lord. Sanctification is the actual making a man inwardly righteous, though it may be in a very feeble degree. The righteousness we have by our justification is not our own, but the everlasting righteousness of our great Mediator Christ, imputed to us, and made our own by faith. The righteousness we have by sanctification is our own righteousness, imparted, inherent, and wrought in us by the Holy Spirit, but mingled with much infirmity and imperfection. In justification our own works have no place at all, and simple faith in Christ is the one thing needful. In sanctification our own works are of vast importance and God bids us fight, and watch, and pray, and strive, and take pains, and labor. Justification is a finished and complete work, and a man is perfectly justified the moment he believes. Sanctification is an imperfect work, comparatively, and will never be perfected until we reach heaven. Justification admits of no growth or increase: a man is as much justified the hour he first comes to Christ by faith as he will be to all eternity. Sanctification is eminently a progressive work, and admits of continual growth and enlargement so long as a man lives. Justification has special reference to our persons, our standing in God’s sight, and our deliverance from guilt. Sanctification has special reference to our natures, and the moral renewal of our hearts. Justification gives us our title to heaven, and boldness to enter in. Sanctification gives us our meetness for heaven, and prepares us to enjoy it when we dwell there. Justification is the act of God about us, and is not easily discerned by others. Sanctification is the work of God within us, and cannot be hid in its outward manifestation from the eyes of men.”

“[Let] us never be ashamed of making much of sanctification, and contending for a high standard of holiness. While some are satisfied with a miserably low degree of attainment, and others are not ashamed to live on without any holiness at all—content with a mere round of churchgoing and chapel-going, but never getting on, like a horse in a mill—let us stand fast in the old paths, follow after eminent holiness ourselves, and recommend it boldly to others. This is the only way to be really happy. Let us feel convinced, whatever others may say, that holiness is happiness, and that the man who gets through life most comfortably is the sanctified man. No doubt there are some true Christians who from ill-health, or family trials, or other secret causes, enjoy little sensible comfort, and go mourning all their days on the way to heaven. But these are exceptional cases. As a general rule, in the long run of life, it will be found that ‘sanctified’ people are the happiest people on earth. They have solid comforts that the world can neither give nor take away. ‘The ways of wisdom are ways of pleasantness.’ ‘Great peace have they that love thy law.’ It was said by One who cannot lie, ‘My joke is easy, and my burden is light.’ But it is also written, ‘There is no peace unto the wicked’ (Prov. 3:17; Ps. 119:165; Matt. 11:30; Isa. 48:22).”

#colorado

on reading

I read eleven books this past July, a spattering of fiction and nonfiction. In the first category I include Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe’s Gold, Sharpe’s Escape, and Sharpe’s Fury; Agatha Christie’s first novel in her Poirot series; and an excellent science-fiction novel about the future colonization of Mars. In the latter category of nonfiction I include four  books on French early modern history (with focuses on the French Religious Wars, the Thirty Years’ War, and the French Revolutionary Wars). Rounding off the list was the rather heady The All or Nothing Marriage and a book postulating that UFO sightings and abductions are demonic in origin. The Best Book of the Month goes to Kim Stanley Robinson’s Red Mars, and in its honor I post a handful of web-grabbed artwork of our (hypothetical) future colonization of Mars:

the reformation: a come-to-Jesus moment

I feel like this is an article I should read

I’m not as lithe as I used to be—that, if anything, is what the first month of my so-called ‘reformation’ has taught me. My recovery times are longer, I have more pain in my back and joints (a back brace during weight lifting has become a necessity), and the weight doesn’t seem to budge. Though losing weight isn’t my goal, it’d still be nice to see. All the same, I’ve increased my weight lifting significantly; this is the most I’ve lifted since 2010, and though I’m often hindered by lots of sore muscles, I’m getting back into rhythm. I’ve reworked my workout regimen (and it will likely be reworked again):

DAY ONE – Chest and Shoulders

DAY TWO – Semi-Daily Routine

DAY THREE – Arms

DAY FOUR – Semi-Daily Routine

DAY FIVE – Chest, Shoulders, and Arms

DAY SIX – Rest Day

Repeat!

The ‘Semi-Daily Routine’ is a series of less strenuous activities. It was born out of a “Four P’s” workout I did for a few weeks (Push-Ups, Pull-Ups, Pilates, and Planks), and it’s grown to include squats, lunges, wall-sits, and jumping jacks. I’ve continued trying to eat well, but in all honesty I’ve messed up a lot over the last couple weeks. Ash and I have had much to celebrate, and celebration is best when done around a table with good food and beloved family.