Hope Kept Alive by Holiness and Deadened by Corruption

"Men are doubtless to blame for being in a dead, carnal frame; but when they are in such a frame, and have no sensible experience of the exercises of grace, but on the contrary, are much under the prevalence of lusts and an unchristian spirit, they are not to blame for doubting their state. It is as impossible, in the nature of things, that a holy and Christian hope be kept alive, in its clearness and strength, in such circumstances, as it is to keep the light in the room, when the candle is put out; or to maintain the bright sunshine in the air, when the sun is gone down. Distant experiences, when darkened by present prevailing lust and corruption, never keep alive a gracious confidence and assurance; but that sickens and decays upon it, as necessarily as a little child by repeated blows on the head with a hammer."

- Jonathan Edwards - Religious Affections, pt. 2, sect. 11

Acrostic Hope

Again I look unto that Word
Beholding light in Your decrees
Comfort I find, for I have heard
Delightful promises like these:

Entrust your way unto the Lord
Fret nor fear, for He is good
Great things for those who trust His word
He does as mere men never could.

I have no helper, Lord, but You.
Joy lights my soul because You shall
Keep every promise. You are true -
Love those weak ones who trust You well.

My cup of hope does overflow
Not doubting once your promise dear
Oh, can I worry when I know
Pure grace for all my want is here.

Quiet my heart, O Mighty One
Rejoice my soul with mercy new
Sustain my hope when day is done -
That what I cannot, You can do.

Until I see full well that not
Vain, foolish were my hopes in you.
When all is past and tears forgot
Your promise will be proven true.

- Alyssa Colby 2008

John Newton....

"What a comfortable thought is this to be a believer, to know that amid all the various interfering designs of men, the Lord has one constant design, which he cannot, will not miss, namely, His own glory in the complete salvation of His people; and that He is wise and strong and faithful, to make even those things which seem contrary to this design, subservient to it." - John Newton

~ ~ ~

"He used to improve every occurence which he could, with propriety, bring into the pulpit. One night he found a notice put up at St. Mary Woolnoth's upon which he commented a great deal when he came to preach. The notice was to this effect: 'A young man, having come to the possession of a very considerable fortune, desires the prayers of the congregation, that he may be preserved from the snares to which it exposes him.'

'Now if the man,' said Newton, 'had lost a fortune, the world would not have wondered to have seen him put up a notice, but this man has been better taught.'"

~ ~ ~

After the death of his beloved wife:

"I saw what , indeed, I knew before, but never till then so strongly and clearly perceived that , as a sinner, I had no right, and as a believer, I could have no reason to complain."

- from John Newton-Out of the Depths - by Rev. R. Cecil

Reading for history class, I came upon this interesting viewpoint. At the moment I'm not sure what to make of it, but it seemed worth taking note of:

"On the matter of female prayer...Beecher argued that praying in public distorts the sensibilities and therefore the moral character of women - with actresses as the leading example of such corruption:

There is generally, and should be always, in the female character, a softness and delicacy of feeling which shrinks from the notoriety of public performance. It is the guard of female virtue, and invaluable in its soothing, civilizing influence on man; and a greater evil, next to the loss of conscience and chastity, could not befal the female sex, or the community at large, than to disrobe the female mind of these ornaments of sensibility, and clothe it with the rough texture of masculine fibre....and, if we need further testimony, the general character of actresses is a standing memorial of the influence of female elocution before public assemblies."

- from Gospel Hymns and Social Religion by Sandra S. Sizer

In God's Work of Redemption, we have Clear and Endearing Views of His Wisdom and Love

"In [Christ] we behold the wisdom, goodness, love, grace, mercy, and power of God acting themselves in the contrivance, constitution, and efficacious accomplishment of the great work of our redemption. This gives an unutterable luster to the native amiableness of the divine excellencies. The wisdom and love of God are in themselves infinitely glorious, infinitely amiable; nothing can be added to them; there can be no increase of their essential glory.

Howbeit, as they are eternally resident in the divine nature and absolutely the same with it, we cannot so comprehend them as to have an endearing, satiating view of their glory except as they are exerted in the work of the salvation of the Church; as they are expressed, communicating their blessed effects to the souls of them that believe, which is done only in Christ; so the beams of their glory shine unto us with unspeakable refreshment and joy (II Cor. 4:6). "

- from The Glory of Christ by John Owen (emphasis mine)

"The ancient lie is put into men's hearts again and again and again that the only way to attain a state higher than innocence is to have experience of sin in order to see what sin is like....
Do you know how that lie can best be shown to be the lie that it is? Well, my friends, I think it is by the example of Jesus Christ. Do you despise innocence? Do you think that it is weak and childish not to have personal experience of evil? Do you think that if you do not obtain such experience of evil you must forever be a child?

If you have any such feeling, I just bid you contemplate Jesus of Nazareth. Does He make upon you any impression of immaturity or childishness? Was He lacking in some experience that is necessary to the highest manhood?... If that is the way you think of Jesus, even unbelievers, if they are at all thoughtful, will correct you. No, Jesus makes upon all thoughtful persons the impression of complete maturity and tremendous strength. With unblinking eyes He contemplates the evil of the human heart. "He knew what was in man" (John 2:25), says the Gospel according to John. Yet He never had those experiences of sin which fools think to be necessary if innocence is to be transcended and the highest manhood to be attained. From His spotless purity and His all-conquering strength, that ancient lie that experience of evil is necessary if man is to attain the highest good recoils naked and ashamed."

- from "The Fall of Man" by J. Gresham Machen

"Dear Christian, in affliction abide in Christ.
When thou seest it coming, meet it in Christ;
when it is come feel that thou art more in Christ than in it,
for He is nearer thee than affliction ever can be;
when it is passing, still abide in Him.
And let the one thought of the Saviour, as He speaks of the pruning, and the one desire of the Father, as He does the pruning, be thine too:
"Every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth, that it may bring forth more fruit."


So shall thy times of affliction becomes thy times of choicest blessing, - preparation for richest fruitfulness.
Led into closer fellowship with the Son of God, and deeper experience of his love and grace, -
established in the blessed confidence that He and thou entirely belong to each other, -
more completely satisfied with Him and more wholly given up to Him than ever before, -
with thine own will crucified afresh, and the heart brought into deeper harmony with God's will, - thou shalt be a vessel cleansed, meet for the Master's use, prepared for every good work."

- from Abide in Christ by Andrew Murray