Man cannot finally hinder his conversion; for whom God will save, no power of man can destroy. Man in his first conversion is wholly passive, we cannot work it in ourselves, nor hinder God’s working of it, because we are dead in sins. “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins. {Eph.2:1} “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses.” {Col.2:13} “Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.” {Eph.5:14} We are spiritually blind. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” {Luke 4:19,20} Our hearts stony and destitute of goodness. “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh; and I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” {Ez.36:26-27} God’s work in converting us is a raising from the dead. “Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ.” {Eph.2:5} A restoring the sight to the blind. {Luke.4:18} A new birth. {John 3:3} Another creation of him. {II Cor.5:17} The giving of a new heart. {Ezek.11:19} So that man cannot prepare himself to conversion. God regenerates man that he may believe. The tree must first be good, before it can bring forth good fruit. How can they that are evil speak good things? {Mat.12:34} It's an error therefore to think that man’s conversion to God begins in some act man performs, and not in a work first wrought in us by God.
--- Samuel Richardson {Saint’s Desire, 1647}
Doctrine of Christ
You know this Doctrine I contend for is the Doctrine of Grace. In the knowledge whereof you find sweetness, because the work of your salvation is finished by Christ, whose works are all perfect. This delights your hearts and keeps your souls from fainting. This removes all objections that otherwise would discourage us. This is the fountain that cannot be drawn dry that ever flows with sweet and strong consolation and is full of Spirit and life where our souls may drink freely at all times and be refreshed with this marrow and fatness that all is finished.
--- Samuel Richardson {Justification by Christ Alone, 1647}
Christ - the Wisdom of God
The Lord Jesus Christ, the wisdom of the Father, him in whom the Father manifests his wisdom, was ordained before the world began. “To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” {Eph.3:10,11} Well may it be called manifold, for it is infinite, and there is no numbering of it. “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.” {Ps.145:3} How should this take off from the Saints all cares and fears concerning the things of this world? He who is infinite in wisdom; wisdom himself hath taken care for thy soul, for thine eternity. Doubt not, but rest upon him, his wisdom shall be for thee, he will so order, and dispose of all thy actions, as shall be most advantageous for his own honor, and thy good. And know this, that nothing comes to pass but by his wise disposing hand of grace; nay, he is made unto thee, that believest, wisdom. {I Cor.1:30} O admirable mercy, that the God of wisdom, should not only, wisely contrive a way for the reconciling of sinners to himself, but should become their wisdom, he is made to us wisdom, admire at this, all the sons and daughters of God; what, God himself become your wisdom; then truly, thy folly shall not harm thee. O thou art ready to say I am so foolish, so ignorant, &c. O poor soul, it matters not, it is mercy thou seest thy folly; for the truth is, thou must be a fool that thou mayst be wise. {I Cor.3:18 & 4:10} That is, thou must renounce all thine own wisdom as folly; for it is self-wisdom that is the greatest enemy to Christ. Therefore let no man deceive himself, “if any man amongst you seem to be wise in this world, let him be a fool that he may be wise.”
--- Thomas Collier {Exaltation of Christ, 1647}
KEEP TO THE SCRIPTURES
Down through the years, many a gospel-preaching church has been corrupted, ceasing to be a place where the truth is proclaimed. Churches that once set forth the message of sovereign grace have turned into sounding-boards of free-will, works religion. How did such a thing happen? How does a church go from truth to error, from light to darkness, from life to death, from proclaimers of God’s sovereign will to proclaimers of man’s free will? All spiritual error makes it way into a church when the Word of God is neglected, added to or taken away from. We must, therefore, make certain that our message, our ministry, our music, our methodology, and our mission be according to no standard except the Word of God. Every facet of our worship must be guided and guarded by this - is it according to the Scriptures?
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