Your weekly dose of Spurgeon
posted by Phil Johnson
The PyroManiacs devote space at the beginning of each week to highlights from The Spurgeon Archive. The following excerpt is from "A Sermon for Men of Taste," delivered on Sunday morning, July 6th, 1862, at the Metropolitan Tabernacle.
ertain critics have a faith which is very good for discerning, but never for enjoying. They have a fine nose for heresy; the moment it comes anywhere near them they discover it; and if there be half a word in a sermon they do not like how sure they will be to take it home.
One bad fish in our basket, and it will be cried all round the town before tomorrow; but let us offer never so much that is good we can scarce win a notice.Dear friends, I would have God's people discern, but the discerning propensity ought not to destroy the enjoying faculty. I bless God I love the doctrines of grace, but I never considered the doctrines of grace to be like drawn swords with which to fight every man living.
I know it is a good thing to be like the armed men about the bed of Solomon, each with his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night; but for my part, to recline upon that royal bed, and sleep with Jesu's bosom for a pillow, is better still. I pray you, dear friends, delight yourselves in Christ! Let your faith so taste Jesus as to make you glad. Let your joy be as the joy of harvest, and sing ye with Zechariah, "How great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! Corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids."
Better is Christ to you than all earth's harvests. He is the cluster of Eshcol, so heavy that one man can never carry all of Christ! He is not one grape; but a cluster of sweetness is our beloved unto us! Feed to the full; eat, yea drink abundantly, O beloved! Be ye satiated with delight, and let your soul rejoice as with marrow and fatness; so shall ye understand in the fullest degree what this taste is which so delighteth the soul of man.
10 comments:
welcome back. and a very welcome post.
Our God is a God of judgment and war in Judges, a God of purpose and rebuilding in Nehemiah, a God of creativity in Genesis, a God of Kings in I & II Samuel, a God of Love in I Corinthians, and a God of Sacrifice on the Cross. He has risen up the most common and meek of men like Gideon and Jephthah to be Mighty Warriors delivering His people from bondage. He has decimated nations that have sought to destroy His chosen people. He delivered David from Goliath and blessed Solomon as the wisest King to ever live. He drove the money changers out of the temple, and called the Pharisees a “brood of vipers”. And for that my soul does delight
Welcome back.
I think this is one of problems with Fundamentalism. We have been very forward to hate and call out heresy but have often neglected the delights of Christ. The answer is not however to throw away all the heritage of fighting for Truth but to temper that spirit with a joy in the person of Christ and the work of the Spirit in men's lives.
I bless God I love the doctrines of grace, but I never considered the doctrines of grace to be like drawn swords with which to fight every man living.
Hear, hear.
Addendum: there is, or should be, a chasm fixed between being willing to fight sometimes if necessary, and finding it necessary to fight all the time because one is so willing.
Personally, I delight in calling out heresy. Kinda bothand.
Phil Perkins.
Now that is it!!!
"Kinda bothand."
Phil I agree that there could be an excluded middle here but it is easy to say you are both and but we all know people that are so busy looking behind every bush and trash can for hidden adversaries that practically you see almost no delight. I am proud to be a fundamentalist but I do not want to have a 35 point litmus test that someone must pass before I can get down to, "So, what is God doing in your life?"
Wonderful words from the preacher.
Delight yourself in Christ. Learn of Him. Understand His love for us, His elect, how it's beyond understanding.
Nice to have Team Pyro back together.
Good stuff!
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