129-176
TEHILLIM 129-176
136 Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law.
It is the worldling—not the earnest probationer for eternal life — that can go through the world smiling. Frequent heaviness of heart through the prevailing ungodliness is inevitable where the mind is in harmony and sympathy with God. It was because Christ was so perfect an exponent of the mind of God in loving righteousness and hating iniquity that he "grieved"—"sighed deeply."
...The more we approach Christ in character the more shall we share his sorrowful experience. There are many things which unite in producing sadness in the upright: consciousness of the daily anger of God toward the disobedient, the knowledge of the dreadful doom that awaits them, the manifold temptations and unpleasant duties which beset a walk of undeviating fidelity.
Christ has forewarned us that this tribulation will turn some from the way (Matt. 13:21); let us therefore take heed. Recognising the necessity for the tribulation let us meet it manfully, and rejoice in view of its glorious outcome. Let us also comfort and sustain those of our brethren who are in heaviness, lest those who are weak be turned out of the way.
Bro AT Jannaway
The Christadelphian, Aug 1888
141 I am small and despised: yet do not I forget thy precepts.
WHAT an extraordinary thing the truth is! What other thing on earth is there that would stand such constant handling without wearing out? Here we are, after many years, speaking of it Sunday after Sunday, still talking of it one to another, without any loss of interest. Its power to comfort, to purify, to make strong in the battle of life—abates not in the least from year to year.
It is perennial—inexhaustible. It suits all weather and all circumstances. The bright sunshine that streams in at the window on this midsummer morning does not eclipse or dim it. The dark and cold of winter, which we have often seen, when it seems difficult to live, only increases its glory. It is the moderating and sweetening element in prosperity, such as David was permitted at last to see: it is the soothing and sustaining power in the dark hours of affliction.
Exhort no 257
160 Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.
Conviction
"I know" is indicative of a spiritually sound and healthy condition.
Doubt in relation to the things that God has spoken effectually retards growth. Man is certain to give the "go by" to Bible requirements, if left to be his own arbiter as to what they are. The truth is a power to him who believes it, not to the unbelieving or hesitating.
Its calls oftentimes involve the sacrifice of comfort, social position, reputation, means of livelihood, and even life itself. Ability to obey these calls comes through a persuasion that they have been imposed by God. Nothing more surely produces this confidence, and nothing more quickly undermines it than our convictions in regard to the unerringness or otherwise of God's revelation.
The theory of error in that revelation paves the way for innumerable perplexities; it leads to everyone doing that which is right in his own eyes. Erring man wants an unerring guide, and this is what the Bible claims to be:—"My mouth shall speak truth" (Prov. viii. 7); "Thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth" (Isa. xxv. 1); "Thy Word is true from the beginning" (Ps. cxix. 160); "That which was written was upright, even words of truth" (Ecc. xii. 10); "The Scripture of truth" (Dan. x. 21); etc.
When the Bible itself explains "true" as meaning partly untrue, then, and not until then, may we cease to contend for the absolute sense of the word. ATJ
The Christadelphian, July 1887
THE BIBLE TRUE
If anything was ever proved true, it is the facts of the New Testament history. God has given us such a mass of incontrovertible evidence on this subject, that the difficulty is what to bring in and what to leave out.
No history since the world began has been written by such a number of authors, all trustworthy, and all living when and where the events took place. Sir Isaac Newton, has truly said, "There are more marks of authenticity in the New Testament than in any profane history whatever."
The facts and circumstances recorded are so numerous, and so related to times, places, and public and national events, that if the narratives were not true, it would have been quite an easy matter to confute them.
But they were never confuted, although the honest, unlearned, and simple-minded narrators were surrounded by the most bitter and eagle-eyed enemies, who watched for occasions to seize on the least discrepancy, and turn it to account.
In all my dealings with sceptics, I have uniformly found that those least acquainted with history were the most flippant, or the most untruthful, while such of them as know history were much more cautious and guarded.
The Christadelphian, Oct 1875
The Bible True
The best way of attaining a thorough conviction of the authenticity and genuineness of the Scriptures, and of the divine character of their origin, is to read them constantly. In this process of constant reading (assuming a tolerable acquaintance on the part of the reader with men, books and things), a vast number of evidences will be perceived that are invisible to the casual student, and some of which are scarcely capable of being expressed.
Their united force is simply irresistible to a penetrating and candid mind. Unbelief is most confident where there is most ignorance of the Scriptures, and where there is the least capacity to perceive a logical result, and least inclination to look after or receive earnestly the lessons of wisdom.
There are always plenty of shallow minds with a semi-sharpness, whose propensities lead them to prefer unbelief, a bias of which, perhaps, they are scarcely conscious, but which, nevertheless, strongly impels them to seek objections and find difficulties, and give way to arguments against the Scriptures, and this, perhaps, with much show of candour and profession of desire for "truth."
To shut their mouths is an impossibility; the attempt to convince them as futile as arguing with a horse. It is not to meet their hopeless case that this department is opened in the Christadelphian. The object is to comfort the minds of believers, by strengthening their faith in the foundation on which they stand.
The world is wicked, cold and desolating; the times are trying to the last point of endurance. The word is a constant refuge, and, in a sense nothing else is needed. Nevertheless, whatever helps the hand of faith to hold with a firmer grasp the unseen realities of a present divine superintendence and of the coming glory of God in the earth, is a comfort by the way which will be acceptable to every true heart that is toiling in the hardships of a faithful walk before God in Christ.
For this reason, we propose to keep this department supplied by matter tending to establish the truthfulness of the word of God. This matter will sometimes be original, but more frequently culled from a variety of sources. We shall be thankful to any reader coming across anything good in this line, who will send us the same, for the benefit of the brethren generally.
We make a commencement with the following excellent remarks by Dr. Thomas, which occur in an article in the Herald, in reply to a reader who expressed dissatisfaction with the Dr's constant assumption that the Bible was true. It is headed—
"Our Assumption"
We admit that we have reasoned and expounded upon the assumption that the writings of the apostles were authentic, or had everything necessary or requisite to give them authority; and were genuine, or not spurious; but just what they claimed to be, as expressed in themselves.
From personal examination, we were satisfied of the authenticity and genuineness of the books usually denominated 'the Scriptures;' and in our course of life, having been thrown among those who professed to believe that the Bible contained the only revelation of the mind, will, purpose, and promises of God, extant among men; and that it is, consequently, not only authentic, but the only authority to be deferred to in all religious questions and controversies.
Having stood related to such as these, we have not hitherto laboured to convince them of what they professed to believe already; but confined ourselves to the confirmation of their professed belief, in trying to impart to them an understanding of what it taught.
We have succeeded in the work to some limited degree; but not to the extent the testimony and the labour bestowed authorised one to expect. The reason probably is, or at least it may be one reason, that our unconvinced readers do not really believe the Bible-teaching to be the voice of God—that they merely acquiesce in the current opinion that the Bible is His word in some sense or other; but really believe nothing at all about the matter."
The Christadelphian, Jan 1875
165 Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.
There is more joy in the exercise of the understanding and of the higher faculties than can ever be found in the pursuit of merely secular aims of life. The service of God, the love of God, the opening out of the mind in the daily contemplation of God in prayer and reading, open out sources of peace and joy unknown to the man who knows not God and obeys not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Sunday Morning 259
To be easily, often, or finally offended is of the flesh: "Nothing shall offend them, who truly love the law of God."
They who are too self-conceited to be approached except by flattery, or too self-confident to be corrected, or too lofty to accept of merited rebuke, or too insubordinate to submit one to another, miss much that would be useful both from God and man.
Bro Shuttleworth
The Christadelphian, July 1873
Nothing shall offend them
Where this discerning appreciation exists, then as the Scriptures declare, offence is impossible. We can see the reason when we consider the cause of the offences in connection with the state of mind generated by the Word.
People become offended from a great variety of causes. Perhaps they are not taken notice of. Perhaps they are slighted: perhaps they are spoken against: perhaps they are slandered: perhaps they are injured: perhaps trouble arises: perhaps hatred, strife, division, ruin.
The root of the offence in all cases lies in the fact that persons offended are great in their own eyes, and indifferent to the well-being of others. Self-important people are easily slighted, and are mortally hurt by injury or insult, and are effectually driven out of the way of duty by trouble. The reason is that self-gratification is the inspiration of their life, and whatever interferes with this interferes with their peace and purpose.
With those who love the Law of the Lord, it is otherwise, because the state of mind is altogether otherwise. Those who love the Law of the Lord, love the Lord Himself, and cannot in consequence think highly of themselves. God is so inconceivably great: they are so very small, they think humbly of themselves.
"Humble and contrite in heart"
is God's own portrait of them. It is not a forced humility like the mock solemnity of hypocrites. It is not the long faced moroseness of sunless fanaticism. It is the reasonable, and even cheerful recognition of the fact - the fact that they are but flesh: dust and ashes: a wind: a vapour, as the grass that grows and withers. And of another fact that they are sinners - forgiven sinners and reformed sinners, but still sinners, permitted by favour to live: "contrite in heart," sorry they are not better than they are: thankful they are what they are.
And such also are men of faith: men who believe what God has promised - that He will at last fill the earth with His glory and banish death. And such are also men of obedience, who therefore act habitually on the command to consider their neighbours; to do to them as they would be done by; to look out for opportunities of helping, rather than chances of being helped; prone to love and honour others rather than hungering and thirsting for love and honour.
It is not in the nature of things that such men should be offended. You cannot offend them. You may inflict pain: you may cause grief: you cannot embitter them so that they shall stand apart and become vindictive. You cannot turn them out of the way. They love the Lord and His Law, and are waiting for His salvation; and they will outride all trouble and all injury as the cork in the storm.
Where men become offended and vindictive, and slink into a corner or disappear from the field of duty, it is a certain proof that they are "lovers of their own selves," and not lovers of the Lord and His law.
"Great peace have they that love Thy Law: nothing shall offend them."
If the righteous smite them, it is an excellent oil that will not break their head.
Seasons 2. 56
167 My soul hath kept thy testimonies; and I love them exceedingly.
Because the Truth is for everyday use, God has given it to us in a diversified form, admitting of a constant familiarity without mental weariness. The wisdom that has varied natural food in so wonderful a manner has done the same in the supply of the spiritual man. The Scriptures exhibit a constant variety.
It is not all history; it is not all prophecy; it is not all precept. It is not all joy; it is not all sorrow; it is not all reproof. It is sometimes one thing and sometimes another, but all spiritual, and all fitted to furnish the man of God thoroughly for the life and state that God requires in him.
It matters not what comes before us in our daily readings; we find something fresh, and always profitable when thoroughly seen into.
Bro Roberts - Children of Promise.