The Only Kind of Boasting Allowed - Gadsby #32

There is only one kind of boasting approved by God and that is boasting in Christ. What does it mean to boast in Christ? Is it to exult in the fact that Christ saved you? This is an unthinkable and glorious reality, but I don't think that in boasting in Christ, we become the subject of such boasting. Boasting in Christ rather is proudly exulting in who Jesus is, how He made God just and became the justifier of those who have faith in Him (Rom. 3:26). I think boasting is closer to that. Having said that, this is the only kind of boasting approved by God. Further, the litmus test for evidence of the residence of the Spirit of God is such boasting - exulting in the supreme holiness of God manifested in the Son's life, death, and resurrection with abundant love.

Also, another way to detect the Spirit's activity is to see how much people are heart-gazing at Christ. This is the dominant activity of the Spirit. Do I need to mention that some alleged manifestations of the Spirit may be exactly the opposite of what they claim to be if Christ is not lifted up as the supreme treasure?

    32    C.M.    J. Hart
    “He shall not speak of himself.” John 16:13; 15:26

    1    Whatever prompts the soul to pride,
            Or gives us room to boast,
        Except in Jesus crucified,
            Is not the Holy Ghost.

    2    That blessed Spirit omits to speak
            Of what himself has done,
        And bids the enlightened sinner seek
            Salvation in the Son.

    3    He never moves a man to say,
            “Thank God, I’m made so good,”
        But turns his eye another way,
            To Jesus and his blood.

    4    Great are the graces he confers,
            But all in Jesus’ name;
        He gladly dictates, gladly hears,
            “Salvation to the Lamb.”

Useless Doctrine - Gadsby # 31

Doctrine quickly becomes meaningless if it does not affect your life. Hart repeats this several times in this hymn. What good is election to me if God has not chosen me? What good is justification if Christ' accomplished redemption is not applied to me? You get the picture. But the question still remains: is your doctrine useless?

    31    C.M.    J. Hart
    “The kingdom of God is ... in power.” 1 Cor. 4. 20
  
    1    A form of words, though e’er so sound,
            Can never save a soul;
        The Holy Ghost must give the wound,
            And make the wounded whole.

    2    Though God’s election is a truth,
            Small comfort there I see,
        Till I am told by God’s own mouth,
            That he has chosen me.

    3    [Sinners, I read, are justified,
            By faith in Jesus’ blood;
        But when to me that blood’s applied,
            ’Tis then it does me good.]

    4    [To perseverance I agree;
            The thing to me is clear;
        Because the Lord has promised me
            That I shall persevere.]

    5    [Imputed righteousness I own
            A doctrine most divine;
        For Jesus to my heart makes known
            That all his merit’s mine.]

    6    That Christ is God I can avouch,
            And for his people cares,
        Since I have prayed to him as such,
            And he has heard my prayers.

    7    That sinners black as hell, by Christ
            Are saved, I know full well;
        For I his mercy have not missed,
            And I am black as hell.

    8    Thus, Christians glorify the Lord,
            His Spirit joins with ours
        In bearing witness to his word,
            With all its saving powers.

The Fruit of the Spirit - Gadsby #30

I'm not entirely sure if I am in 100% agreement with this hymn. Here are a few points of pushback I have:

• What about the soul who doesn't have "sincere desires" in seeking after Jesus' love? For example, there are many who pursue God in Spirit-idolatry, where miraculous gifts are sought more than God Himself. But if the Holy Spirit only gave "breathings from above" to those who sincerely sought Jesus, we would all be lacking God's great Gift (Rom. 5:4). I am not denying that God withholds Spiritual blessings from those who earnestly seek Him. Such a thought paints the picture of a fickle and malevolent God. I guess my point is here that the Spirit will breath on those whom He wills (Jn. 3:8), through convicting them of their sin (which means that they are presently entangled in sin to be convicted of it - cf. Jn 16:8).
• "still small voice" - I have rarely seen someone use this phrase properly. When people speak of the "still small voice" they often imply hearing little mental whispers from God. The debate around this phrase/topic is worthy of exegesis from skilled exegetes (i.e. not me). Suffice it to say, when phrases such as this are exported from Scripture and then take on a new meaning divorced from the original text, well, you're doing it wrong.

Other than those minor quibbles, here is one thing worthy of reflection: you can have your "conscience washed from sin". This is not impossible. But beware of the Accuser who will work against you to make it seem impossible.

30    C.M.    J. Hart
The Fruit of the Spirit. Acts 2:3; Gal. 5:22; Eph. 5:9

    1    The soul that with sincere desires
            Seeks after Jesus’ love,
        That soul the Holy Ghost inspires
            With breathings from above.

    2    [Not every one in like degree
            The Spirit of God receives;
        The Christian often cannot see
            His faith, and yet believes.

    3    So gentle sometimes is the flame,
            That, if we take not heed,
        We may unkindly quench the same,
            We may, my friends, indeed.]

    4    Blest God! that once in fiery tongues
            Cam’st down in open view,
        Come, visit every heart that longs
            To entertain thee too.

    5    [And though not like a mighty wind,
            Nor with a rushing noise,
        May we thy calmer comforts find,
            And hear thy still small voice.]

    6    Not for the gift of tongues we pray,
            Nor power the sick to heal;
        Give wisdom to direct our way,
            And strength to do thy will.

    7    We pray to be renewed within,
            And reconciled to God;
        To have our conscience washed from sin
            In the Redeemer’s blood.

    8    We pray to have our faith increased,
            And O, celestial Dove!
        We pray to be completely blessed
            With that rich blessing, love.

A Hymn About The Spirit's Leading

The first thing that struck me when I was reading this hymn was the phrase "ravished breasts". It is ok to realized that your heart is often beat up and you are worn down from life. We can't hide from pain in this cursed universe. But we need not fall into utter despair because of the struggles we face in life. The Spirit is ready and willing to help us. More than that, we can hope in Him, the Spirit of God, because He is powerful and He can renovate our bruised hearts. The soul the Spirit of God renews will not collapse into ruin.

It is a gospel irony that we find healing in the "bruised wounds of our incarnate God". The world would think it strange that the God believers worship is a God who guides us to a bloody crucifix where the "sinner-train" finds a new song: "We're clean, just God, we're clean."

29    8.8.6.    J. Hart
Led by the Spirit. Ezek. 37:5,9; John 16:14

    1    Descend from heaven, celestial Dove,
        With flames of pure seraphic love
            Our ravished breasts inspire;
        Fountain of joy, blest Paraclete,
        Warm our cold hearts with heavenly heat,
            And set our souls on fire.

    2    Breathe on these bones, so dry and dead;
        Thy sweetest, softest influence shed
            In all our hearts abroad;
        Point out the place where grace abounds;
        Direct us to the bleeding wounds
            Of our incarnate God.

    3    Conduct, blest Guide, thy sinner-train
        To Calvary, where the Lamb was slain,
            And with us there abide;
        Let us our loved Redeemer meet,
        Weep o’er his piercèd hands and feet,
            And view his wounded side.

    4    [From which pure fountain if thou draw
        Water to quench the fiery law,
            And blood to purge our sin;
        We’ll tell the Father in that day,
        (And thou shalt witness what we say),
            “We’re clean, just God, we’re clean.”]

    5    Teach us for what to pray, and how;
        And since, kind God, ’tis only thou
            The throne of grace canst move,
        Pray thou for us, that we, through faith,
        May feel the effects of Jesus’ death,
            Through faith, that works by love.

    6    [Thou, with the Father and the Son,
        Art that mysterious Three-in-One,
            God blest for evermore!
        Whom though we cannot comprehend,
        Feeling thou art the sinner’s Friend,
            We love thee and adore.]

Gadsby #28 - The Spirit Gives Life

If this hymn does not well describe the ministry of the Holy Spirit, I am not sure what else does. Writings such as hymns, catechisms, and confessions are worthy of our meditation just as Scripture is worthy of our meditation for such writings are summaries and testimonies of the truth of Scripture. My thinking has been changed much by good hymns.

There is comfort which we may delight in and there is comfort in which we may not delight in. It is fitting to find joy in the comfort the Spirit gives us as he reminds us of Christ' eternal priesthood and accomplished redemption. It is not fitting to rest in the "false comforts" of this world (verse 5). Such comforts are akin to drinking antifreeze. Sweet but poisonous.

One question from this hymn we should apply to ourselves is: do we ask the Spirit to renovate our hearts?

28   C.M.   J. Hart
“It is the Spirit that quickeneth.” John 6:63; 14:16
   
1 Blest Spirit of truth, eternal God,
Thou meek and lowly Dove,
Who fill’st the soul through Jesus’ blood,
With faith, and hope, and love;

2 Who comfortest the heavy heart,
By sin and sorrow pressed;
Who to the dead canst life impart,
And to the weary rest;

3 [Thy sweet communion charms the soul,
And gives true peace and joy,
Which Satan’s power cannot control,
Nor all his wiles destroy;]

4 Come from the blissful realms above;
Our longing breasts inspire
With thy soft flames of heavenly love,
And fan the sacred fire.

5 [Let no false comfort lift us up
To confidence that’s vain;
Nor let their faith and courage droop,
For whom the Lamb was slain.]

6 Breathe comfort where distress abounds,
Make the whole conscience clean,
And heal, with balm from Jesus’ wounds,
The festering sores of sin.

7 Vanquish our lust, our pride remove,
Take out the heart of stone;
Show us the Father’s boundless love,
And merits of the Son.

8 The Father sent the Son to die;
The willing Son obeyed;
The witness thou, to ratify
The purchase Christ has made.

Gadsby #27 - To the Holy Ghost

Oh how we need the Spirit! Who else can "dispel the darkness from our minds"?

What are the most sinister "doubts and fears" that can cross our hearts? Doubting that God cannot satisfy us. Fearing that He is impotent. Such doubts and fears are dispelled by a God-kindled love for God.

Let this hymn be our prayer to the Spirit.

27 S.M. J. Hart
To the Holy Ghost. Luke 11:13; John 14:26; John 15:26

1 Come, Holy Spirit, come;
Let thy bright beams arise;
Dispel the darkness from our minds,
And open all our eyes.

2 [Cheer our desponding hearts,
Thou heavenly Paraclete;
Give us to lie, with humble hope,
At our Redeemer’s feet.]

3 Revive our drooping faith;
Our doubts and fears remove;
And kindle in our breasts the flames
Of never-dying love.

4 Convince us of our sin,
Then lead to Jesus’ blood;
And to our wondering view reveal
The secret love of God.

5 [Show us that loving Man
That rules the courts of bliss,
The Lord of Hosts, the Mighty God,
The eternal Prince of Peace.]

6 [’Tis thine to cleanse the heart,
To sanctify the soul,
To pour fresh life on every part,
And new-create the whole.]

7 If thou, celestial Dove,
Thy influence withdraw,
What easy victims soon we fall
To conscience, wrath, and law!

8 [No longer burns our love;
Our faith and patience fail;
Our sin revives, and death and hell
Our feeble souls assail.]

9 Dwell, therefore, in our hearts;
Our minds from bondage free;
Then shall we know, and praise, and love
The Father, Son, and Thee.

Gadsby #26 - The Operations of the Holy Spirit

We don't have enough songs about the Spirit. Good songs. Not the mushy "oh fill me with your presence, you are present here, Spirit in me, blah blah blah" stuff. We needs songs that consider the wonders of [the Spirit's] grace. Ok, I'm down off my daily soapbox.

I am not one to put undue emphasis on the experiential aspect of the Christian life, but let me say that when your "troubled conscience" has heard the voice of the Spirit, this is an amazing thing.

So Spirit, come and work in us as the Scripture says, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts" (Zech. 4:6).

26 L.M. Isaac Watts
The Operations of the Holy Spirit. Zech. 4:6 

1 Eternal Spirit, we confess
And sing the wonders of thy grace;
Thy power conveys our blessings down
From God the Father and the Son.

2 Enlightened by thy heavenly ray,
Our shades and darkness turn to day;
Thy inward teachings make us know
Our danger and our refuge too. 

3 Thy power and glory work within,
And break the chains of reigning sin;
Do our imperious lusts subdue,
And guide our roving feet anew. 

4 The troubled conscience knows thy voice;
Thy cheering words awake our joys;
Thy words allay the stormy wind,
And calm the surges of the mind.

Gadsby #25

25 C.M. Isaac Watts
Breathing after the Holy Spirit. Ps. 44:25,26

1 Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove,
With thy all-quickening powers;
Kindle a flame of sacred love
In these cold hearts of ours.

2 Look how we grovel here below,
Fond of these trifling toys;
Our souls can neither fly nor go,
To reach eternal joys.

3 In vain we tune our formal songs,
In vain we strive to rise;
Hosannas languish on our tongues,
And our devotion dies.

4 Dear Lord, and shall we ever live
At this poor dying rate?
Our love so faint, so cold to thee,
And thine to us so great?

5 Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove,
With thy all-quickening powers;
Come shed abroad a Saviour’s love,
And that shall kindle ours.

What is the cure to a "cold heart"? Nothing but Christ' love, mediated by the Spirit, can kindle the fires of our worship. The "trifling toys" of this world are a bucket of water on the fires of worship. If we are loving the world, we are not loving God. The only thing, rather, the only person who can save us from a "love so faint" which decelerates our lives to a "poor dying rate" is the Spirit. Our lives, service, and worship of God are vain and full of toil if the Spirit is not present in them. If the Spirit is not present, even our corporate worship will be filled with languishing Hosannas and dead devotion. We need the Spirit far more than we realize. May he come and "shed abroad the Saviour's love" and truly, "that shall kindle ours".

Gadsby #24

24 C.M. Isaac Watts
The Witnessing and Sealing Spirit. Rom. 8:14, 16

1 Why should the children of a King
Go mourning all their days?
Great Comforter! descend and bring
Some tokens of thy grace.

2 Dost thou not dwell in all the saints,
And seal them heirs of heaven?
When wilt thou banish my complaints,
And show my sins forgiven?

3 Assure my conscience of her part
In the Redeemer’s blood;
And bear thy witness with my heart,
That I am born of God.

4 Thou art the earnest of his love,
The pledge of joys to come;
And thy soft wings, celestial Dove,
Will safe convey me home.

I have sometime heard salvation by Christ described as "fire insurance". I find this description of salvation entirely deficient and quite repugnant. For one, as this hymn makes plain, the "fire insurance" moniker completely ignores the Holy Spirit, God Himself, who proceeded from the Father because of the Son, made His dwelling in the hearts of the Church, touched our conscience with assurance of regeneration, and guaranteed for us a indescribable heavenly hope. Much more than fire insurance.

Gadsby #23

23 C.M. J. Hart
Christ Very God and Man. John 1:29; Isa. 9:6

1 A Man there is, a real Man,
With wounds still gaping wide,
From which rich streams of blood once ran,
In hands, and feet, and side.

2 [’Tis no wild fancy of our brains,
No metaphor we speak;
The same dear Man in heaven now reigns
That suffered for our sake.]

3 This wondrous Man of whom we tell,
Is true Almighty God;
He bought our souls from death and hell;
The price, his own heart’s blood.

4 That human heart he still retains,
Though throned in highest bliss;
And feels each tempted member’s pains;
For our affliction’s his.

5 Come, then, repenting sinner, come;
Approach with humble faith;
Owe what thou wilt, the total sum
Is cancelled by his death.

6 His blood can cleanse the blackest soul,
And wash our guilt away;
He will present us sound and whole,
In that tremendous day.

Verse two: Jesus is real. He is not just an idea. He is not an impersonal force. He is a person and He is God. We can relate with Him and He can relate with us. I miss this often. I have only begun to get to know Jesus.

"That day" will be a tremendous day indeed. I love hymns like this, but I love what they point to more.

Gadsby #22

22 L.M. Isaac Watts
Christ Dwells in Heaven, but Visits on Earth. Song. 6:1

1 When mourners stand and hear me tell
What beauties in my Saviour dwell,
Where he is gone they fain would know,
That they may seek and love him too.

2 My best Beloved keeps his throne
On hills of light, in worlds unknown;
But he descends and shows his face
In the young gardens of his grace.

3 [In vineyards, planted by his hand,
Where fruitful trees in order stand,
He feeds among the spicy beds,
Where lilies show their spotless heads.]

4 He has engrossed my warmest love;
No earthly charms my soul can move;
I have a mansion in his heart,
Nor death nor hell shall make us part.

5 [He takes my soul, ere I’m aware,
And shows me where his glories are;
No chariots of Amminadib
The heavenly rapture can describe.]

6 O may my spirit daily rise
On wings of faith above the skies;
Till death shall make my last remove,
To dwell for ever with my Love.

Even though the inspiration for this song likely stems from an allegorical interpretation of the Song of Solomon, I think it still carries much value.

The fourth verse intrigues me. We see the heart believers long after in the first two lines and the immovable heart of Christ for his own in the last two lines. Christ' love for his people is far greater than they realize and are engrossed by the very thing that engrosses them: the love of Christ. Lest we wonder how we taste of such love, we have the answer here in this hymn: by "wings of faith" which take us above the skies. Because we would need to go above the skies to begin to grasp the heights of His love (Ps. 103:11).

Gadsby #21

21 L.M. Isaac Watts
A Description of Christ, the Beloved. Song. 5:9-16

1 The wondering world inquires to know
Why I should love my Jesus so;
“What are his charms,” say they, “above
The objects of a mortal love?”

2 Yes, my Beloved to my sight
Shows a sweet mixture, red and white:
All human beauties, all divine,
In my Beloved meet and shine.

3 White is his soul, from blemish free;
Red with the blood he shed for me;
The fairest of ten thousand fairs;
A sun amongst ten thousand stars.

4 [His head the finest gold excels;
There wisdom in perfection dwells;
And glory, like a crown, adorns
Those temples once beset with thorns.

5 Compassions in his heart are found,
Hard by the signals of his wound;
His sacred side no more shall bear
The cruel scourge, the piercing spear.]

6 [His hands are fairer to behold
Than diamonds, set in rings of gold;
Those heavenly hands that on the tree
Were nailed, and torn, and bled for me.]

7 [Though once he bowed his feeble knees,
Loaded with sins and agonies,
Now on the throne of his command,
His legs like marble pillars stand.]

8 [His eyes are majesty and love,
The eagle tempered with the dove;
No more shall trickling sorrows roll
Through those dear windows of his soul.]

9 [His mouth, that poured out long complaints,
Now smiles, and cheers his fainting saints;
His countenance more graceful is
Than Lebanon, with all its trees.]

10 All over glorious is my Lord;
Must be beloved, and yet adored;
His worth if all the nations knew,
Sure the whole world would love him too!

Though some of this hymn surely may have some uncommon lyrical content compared to our churches' music soaked in Contemporary Christian Music, this is the type of hymn we should be seeking to bring into our hearts, individually and corporately. Why? It helps us see Jesus as more believable and beautiful (as Kevin Twit, founder of Indelible Grace, has so often said).

Gadsby #20

20 L.M. Isaac Watts
Deity and Humanity of Christ. Col. 1:16; 1 Tim. 3:16

1 Ere the blue heavens were stretched abroad,
From everlasting was the Word;
With God he was; the Word was God;
And must divinely be adored.

2 By his own power were all things made;
By him supported all things stand;
He is the whole creation’s Head,
And angels fly at his command.

3 [Ere sin was born, or Satan fell,
He led the host of morning stars;
(Thy generation who can tell,
Or count the number of thy years?)]

4 But lo! he leaves those heavenly forms;
The Word descends and dwells in clay,
That he may hold converse with worms,
Dressed in such feeble flesh as they.

5 Mortals with joy behold his face,
The eternal Father’s only Son;
How full of truth! how full of grace!
When through his eyes the Godhead shone.

6 Blest angels leave their high abode,
To learn new mysteries here, and tell
The loves of our descending God,
The glories of Immanuel.

Immanuel - God with us. The early church rightly waged many battles with heretics over the divinity of Christ. This is a paramount doctrine to the Christian faith. And lest we get bogged down in doctrine talk, let me state things a little more colloquially: if Jesus is not God, the world should rightfully mock and disregard Christianity. But if Jesus is God, but if he was "vindicated by the Spirit" (1 Tim. 3:16) and actually checked out of the grave, then Christianity is the dominant, all-encompassing, true worldview. Again, to make things clear, this all depends on who Jesus is.

So, who is Jesus? What say you?

Gadsby #19

19 C.M. Isaac Watts
A New Song to the Lamb that was Slain. Rev. 5:6-12

1 Behold the glories of the Lamb,
Amidst his Father’s throne;
Prepare new honours for his name,
And songs before unknown.

2 Let elders worship at his feet;
The church adore around;
With vials full of odours sweet,
And harps of sweeter sound.

3 Those are the prayers of the saints,
And these the hymns they raise –
Jesus is kind to our complaints,
He loves to hear our praise.

4 [Eternal Father, who shall look
Into thy secret will?
Who but the Son shall take that book,
And open every seal?

5 He shall fulfil thy great decrees;
The Son deserves it well;
Lo! in his hands the sovereign keys
Of heaven, and death, and hell.]

6 Now to the Lamb that once was slain,
Be endless blessings paid;
Salvation, glory, joy remain
For ever on thy head.

7 Thou hast redeemed our souls with blood,
Hast set the prisoners free,
Hast made us kings and priests to God,
And we shall reign with thee.

8 The worlds of nature and of grace
Are put beneath thy power;
Then shorten these delaying days,
And bring the promised hour.

I wish I had my guitar with me so I could piece together a melody to the sixth and seventh stanzas. What a wonderful chorus to sing to Jesus!

If I were to point you to one thing from this hymn, it would be the text it is based on. Go read Revelation 5. There is a certain kind of soul-strengthening that occurs in us when we consider the unthinkably heavy and glorious future in store for us and all creation. We need to be more heavenly-minded. Is there a more heavenly picture of what the future will look like outside of the book of Revelation? I don't think there is. Tolle lege!

Gadsby #18

18 L.M. Isaac Watts
Glory and Grace in the Person of Christ. 2 Cor. 4:6

1 Now to the Lord a noble song!
Awake, my soul; awake, my tongue!
Hosanna to the eternal name,
And all his boundless love proclaim!

2 See where it shines in Jesus’ face,
The brightest image of his grace!
God, in the person of his Son,
Has all his mightiest works outdone.

3 The spacious earth and spreading flood
Proclaim the wise, the powerful God;
And thy rich glories from afar
Sparkle in every rolling star.

4 But in his looks a glory stands,
The noblest labour of thy hands;
The pleasing lustre of his eyes
Outshines the wonders of the skies.

5 [Grace! ’tis a sweet, a charming theme!
My thoughts rejoice at Jesus’ name!
Ye angels, dwell upon the sound!
Ye heavens, reflect it to the ground!]

6 O may I live to reach the place
Where he unveils his lovely face,
Where all his beauties you behold,
And sing his name to harps of gold!

The fourth verse reminds me of a hymn by Anne Steele, "Thou Lovely Source Of True Delight", specifically, this verse:

Thy glory o'er creation shines,
But in thy sacred word,
I read in fairer, brighter lines,
My bleeding, dying Lord. 

We are spiritually dumb and blind if we cast a look on Christ and don't see the most beautiful thing (person) in the universe. True beauty is spiritual.

But what is there to say about the beauties of creation? Specifically, the heavens? I mean, have you seen images like this or this? I'm a self-confessed astronomy nerd, so perhaps I find such images of deep space more awe-inspiring than others. Anyways, my point is this: the entire universe, in all its beauty and complexity, is a sign. And what do signs do? They point to something greater.

An interesting thing to ponder is, "Are we humans really the only life in this universe? If so, why then is the universe so big?" (For the record, I believe that earth is the only place where life exists in this universe.) What is the point of the universe having no measurable limit, and being full of wonderful things, big and small? I proffer that all that exists, the universe in its mind-boggling scale, has been created to show how great God is (Ps. 19:1). If the universe is so magnificent, then what does that mean its Creator is like? I think it means that He is higher than our thoughts can reach.

All this is to say that Jesus "outshines the wonders of the skies".

Gadsby #17

17 L.M. W. Tucker
Harmony of the Perfections of God. Rom. 3. 26

1 O Love, beyond conception great,
That formed the vast stupendous plan,
Where all divine perfections meet,
To reconcile rebellious man.

2 There wisdom shines in fullest blaze
And justice all her rights maintains;
Astonished angels stoop to gaze,
While mercy o’er the guilty reigns.

3 Yes, mercy reigns, and justice too;
In Christ they both harmonious meet;
He paid to justice all its due,
And now he fills the mercy-seat.

4 Such are the wonders of our God,
And the amazing depths of grace,
To save from wrath’s vindictive rod,
The chosen sons of Adam’s race.

Not much to comment on in this hymn. I think it stands quite well on its own. The center of God's wisdom and revelation, and the universe itself, is Jesus.

"Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!" (Rom. 11:33)

Gadsby #16

16    C.M.    R. Burnham
Holiness. Lev. 19:2; 1 Sam. 2:2; Heb. 12:14

1 The Father is a holy God;
His holy Son he gave;
Who freely shed atoning blood,
A guilty world to save.

2 The Spirit brings the chosen race,
A holy Christ to view;
And while by faith they see his face,
Their souls grow holy too.

3 In holiness the saints delight,
While here on earth they dwell;
By faith they wrestle day and night,
More holiness to feel.

4 The Holy Spirit leads them on,

His holy truth to know;
Inscribes his laws in every son,
And works obedience too.

5 He makes them feel the cleansing grace,
That flows through Jesus’ blood;
Unites in love the holy race –
The new-born sons of God.

God, and everyone united to Him, is wrapped up in holiness. "Holy" is His very name (Luke 1:49).

What is the secret of sanctification? How is one made holy - set apart for God's possession and purpose? The secret for men to progress in holiness is seeing Jesus - "while by faith they see his face, their souls grow holy too" (2 Cor. 3:18).

I confess that my life is seldom characterized as a battle where I fight by faith in God against the world so that I may have "more holiness to feel". Nevertheless, here are our marching orders: "You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy" (Lev. 19:2, cf. 1 Pt. 1:16).

Gadsby #15

15 C.M. Isaac Watts & J. Needham
The Holiness of God. Ps. 111:9; 145:17

1 How shall I praise the eternal God,
That infinite Unknown?
Who can ascend his high abode,
Or venture near his throne?

2 Heaven’s brightest lamps, with him compared,
How mean they look, and dim!
The holy angels have no spots,
Yet can’t compare with him.

3 Holy is he in all his works,
And truth is his delight;
But sinners, and their wicked ways,
Shall perish from his sight.

4 None but his favourites may draw near,
Who stand in Christ complete;
Those holy ones shall all appear
And worship at his feet.

5 In Jesus’ image shining bright
With rapture they adore
The holy, holy, holy Lord,
In glory evermore.

If any human would desire to get to know God and who He is, they will quickly run into a rather big problem. You see, God dwells in "unapproachable light" (1 Tim. 6:16), a kind of light that doesn't have "opaque" in its dictionary. This light penetrates the dark hearts of men and luminates their murky contents. So if we would try to approach God - and there is no way to sneak up on Him - we will have all our sin exposed for God to see. Our problem is God's response to our sin. It is not a favorable response. God always recoils against sin with wrath. He can do nothing else. "But sinners, and their wicked ways, shall perish from his sight."

Now I am not ignorant of God's grace, but consider this - has there been or will there ever be a situation where God will not respond to sin by unleashing His righteous wrath? Our conundrum boils down to this: either we will face God's wrath for our sin, head on, or someone else will for us. Or perhaps I should say it as the hymnwriters say, we need God to shine His light on someone else's image. An Image who is "shining bright" by Himself. You could call it the ultimate mirror-image. But it, He, is more than a mirror, He is also a prism. 

Gadsby #14

14 C.M. Isaac Watts
Faithfulness of God. Numb. 23. 19; Ps. 89. 1-8

1 Begin, my tongue, some heavenly theme,
And speak some boundless thing;
The mighty works, or mightier name,
Of our eternal King.

2 Tell of his wondrous faithfulness,
And sound his power abroad;
Sing the sweet promise of his grace,
And the performing God.

3 Proclaim, “Salvation from the Lord,
For wretched dying men”;
His hand has writ the sacred word
With an immortal pen.

4 [Engraved as in eternal brass,
The mighty promise shines;
Nor can the powers of darkness rase
Those everlasting lines.]

5 He that can dash whole worlds to death,
And make them when he please,
He speaks, and that almighty breath
Fulfils his great decrees.

6 His every word of grace is strong
As that which built the skies;
The voice that rolls the stars along
Speaks all the promises.

There are few things in this world that are "boundless". So few, that I can't even think of one right now. Perhaps that goes to serve the point of Watts here: God is boundless in faithfulness (Ps. 89:1-8).

How often do we consider the fact that God has already made the decision to save sinners and he has caused such salvation to come to pass? God is not vacillating over whether or not to save dying men - "His hand has writ the sacred word with an immortal pen."

Is there a greater power imaginable than the power of one to speak, and all that is spoken comes to pass? I think so many imaginations of magic and speaking magical spells stems somewhat from the reality that God speaks. That God possesses this ultimate power of speech should instigate great fear in men, for we are wholly at the whim of the words of God. That God should speak promises of grace to men...this is unstoppable love, full of glory. It's like Switchfoot said: "Oh, your love is a song, your love is strong."

Gadsby #13

13 C.M. J. Hart
The Everlasting Mercy of God. Ps. 136; 100. 5

1 God’s mercy is for ever sure;
Eternal is his name;
As long as life and speech endure,
My tongue this truth proclaim.

2 I basely sinned against his love,
And yet my God was good;
His favour nothing could remove,
For I was bought with blood.

3 [That precious blood atones all sin,
And fully clears from guilt;
It makes the foulest sinner clean,
For ’twas for sinners spilt.]

4 He raised me from the lowest state,
When hell was my desert;
I broke his law, and, worse than that,
Alas! I broke his heart!

5 My soul, thou hast, let what will ail,
A never-changing Friend;
When brethren, friends, and helpers fail,
On him alone depend.

"His favour nothing could remove, For I was bought with blood." God has no interest in spurning acceptable blood sacrifices made to Him, namely, the sacrifice of the Son.

Sin is never merely a legal violation, it is personal. God is grieved by our sin (Eph. 4:30).

If you ever doubt God's mercy to you, consider reading Psalm 136. You will probably notice the excessive repetition (was that redundant?) in the psalm. The psalmist is not an insane poet, but he is an intentional broken record. But the record really isn't broken. The record rings with repetition, it echos the chorus that "His steadfast love endures forever" with seemingly endless repetition.

Stanza five - your friends will fail you. As a young adult who has grown up in a culture somewhat obsessed with the idea and often idol of "best friends", it would behoove all of us to know that our friends will fail us. But there is a Friend who will never fail us. Ever. So, as the hymn says, "On him alone depend." And as the psalm says, "Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever" (Ps. 136:26). More than that, give thanks forever (1 Thess. 5:18).