“For we don’t have a high priest who can’t be touched with the feeling of our infirmities.” Hebrews 4:15

The child of God, spiritually taught and convinced, is deeply
sensible of his infirmities. Yes, that he is encompassed with
infirmities—that he is nothing else but infirmities. And therefore
the great High Priest to whom he comes as a burdened sinner—to
whom he has recourse in the depth of his extremity—and at
whose feet he falls overwhelmed with a sense of his helplessness,
sin, misery, and guilt—is so suitable to him as one able to
sympathize with his infirmities.
We would, if left to our own conceptions, naturally imagine that
Jesus is too holy to look down in compassion on a filthy, guilty
wretch like ourselves. Surely, surely, He will spurn us from His
feet. Surely, surely, His holy eyes cannot look upon us in our
blood—guilt—filth—wretchedness—misery—and shame. Surely,
surely, He cannot bestow one heart’s thought—one moment’s
sympathy—or feel one spark of love towards those who are so
unlike Him. Nature, sense, and reason would thus argue, “I must
be holy, perfectly holy—for Jesus to love—I must be pure,
perfectly pure—spotless and sinless, for Jesus to think of. But that
I, a sinful, guilty, defiled wretch—that I, encompassed with
infirmities—that I, whose heart is a cage of unclean birds—that I,
stained and polluted with a thousand iniquities—that I can have
any inheritance in Him—or that He can have any love or
compassion towards me—nature, sense, reason, and human
religion in all its shapes and forms, revolts from the idea.”
It is as though Jesus specially address Himself to the poor,
burdened child of God who feels his infirmities, who cannot boast
of his own wisdom, strength, righteousness, and consistency—but
is all weakness and helplessness. It seems as if He would address
Himself to the case of such a helpless wretch—and pour a sweet
cordial into his bleeding conscience. We, the children of God—we,
who each know our own plague and our own sore—we, who carry
about with us day by day a body of sin and death, that makes us
lament, sigh, and groan—we, who know painfully what it is to be
encompassed with infirmities—we, who come to His feet as being
nothing and having nothing but sin and woe—we do not have a
High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our infirmities, but
One who carries in His bosom that sympathizing, merciful, feeling,              tender, and compassionate heart!

– J.C Philpot

‘True spiritual mortification does not consist in sin not being in thee, nor in its being put upon the cross daily, nor yet in its being kept upon it. There must be something more to establish perfect peace in thy conscience; and that is the testimony of God concerning the body of sin. He has provided for thy perfect deliverance from it in Christ. Everything needful for this purpose was finished by Him upon the cross. He was thy Surety. He suffered for thee. Thy sins were crucified with Him, and nailed to His cross. They were put to death when He died: for He was thy covenant-head, and thou wast legally represented by Him, and art indeed dead to sin by His dying to sin once. The law has now no more right to condemn thee, a believer, than it has to condemn Him. Justice is bound to deal with thee, as it has with thy risen and ascended Savior. If thou dost not thus see thy complete mortification in Him, sin will reign in thee. No sin can be crucified either in heart or life, unless it be first pardoned in conscience; because there will be want of faith to receive the strength of Jesus, by whom alone it can be crucified. If it be not mortified in its guilt, it cannot be subdued in its power. If the believer does not see his perfect deadness to sin in Jesus, he will open a wide door to unbelief; and if he be not persuaded of his completeness in Christ, he gives room for the attacks of self-righteous and legal tempers. If Christ be not all in all, self must still be looked upon as something great, and there will be food left for the pride of self-importance and self-sufficiency; so that he cannot grow into the death of Christ in sensible experience, further than he believes himself to be dead to sin in Christ. The more clearly and steadfastly he believes this, as the Apostle did — I am crucified with Christ — in proportion will he cleave to Christ, and receive from Him greater power to crucify sin. This believing view of his absolute mortification in Christ, is the true Gospel method of mortifying sin in our own persons. Read the sixth of the Romans, and pray for the Spirit of revelation to open it to thee. There thou wilt discover the true way to mortify sin. It is by believing that thou art planted together with Christ in His death; from thence only thy pardon flows, from thence thy daily victory.

“Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” Colossians 3:2

Everything upon earth, as viewed by the eyes of the Majesty of heaven—is base and paltry. Earth is after all, nothing but a huge clod of dust, and as such, as insignificant in the eyes of its Maker as the small dust of the balance, or the drop of the bucket. What, then, are its highest objects—its loftiest aims—its grandest pursuits—its noblest employments—in the sight of Him who inhabits eternity, but base and worthless? Vanity is stamped on all earth’s attainments. All earthly pursuits and high accomplishments—wealth, rank, learning, power, or pleasure— end in death! The breath of God’s displeasure soon lays low in the grave all that is rich and mighty, high and proud. But that effectual work of grace on the heart, whereby the chosen vessels of mercy are delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son, calls them out of those low, grovelling pursuits—those earthly toys—those base and sensual lusts—in which other men seek at once their happiness and their ruin.

– J.C Philpot

“Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be
saved.” Jeremiah 17:14

Here is this sin! Save me from it!—Here is this snare! Break it to
pieces!—Here is this lust! Lord, subdue it!—Here is this
temptation! Deliver me out of it!—Here is my proud heart! Lord,
humble it!—Here is my unbelieving heart! Take it away, and give
me faith—give me submission to Your mind and will. Take me as
I am with all my sin and shame and work in me everything well
pleasing in Your sight.

– J.C Philpot

I hear men talk of becoming less and less sinful and progressively holier from day to day.  I hear men talk about their “progressive sanctification” a great deal.  But the more they boast of their progressive holiness, the more harsh, judgmental and mean-spirited they become towards their ‘lesser brethren’.  Their doctrine is this: ‘God’s children,’ they say ‘grow in righteousness and personal holiness until they are ripe for heaven.’  They actually teach that glorification is the end result of their own progressive attainments in ‘personal holiness’.  If their doctrine is true, if it is possible for men gradually to become less sinful and more holy, then it is possible for men, by diligence, self-denial and mortification of the flesh, eventually to attain sinless perfection in this life.

Such doctrine, of course is contrary to Holy Scriptures (1John 1:8, 1John 1:10).  Any man who says that he is without sin, even for a fleeting second, is deceived, the truth is not in him and he makes God a liar.  And honesty compels me to acknowledge that this doctrine of ‘progressive sanctification’ is totally contrary to my own experience.  I have, I believe, over the past nineteen years, grown in grace.  My love for, faith in and commitment to Christ have grown, increased and matured by the grace of God.  But my sin has not diminished.  My outward acts of sin are more restricted and controlled than before, but the inward evil of my flesh has not lessened.  If anything, it is worse now than ever.  With aching heart, I confess my sin.  Though I am redeemed, justified and sanctified in Christ, I am still a man in the flesh, and my flesh is full of sin.  By painful experience, I have learned that ‘I am carnal, sold under sin. . . For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing.’  Christ alone is my redemption.  Christ alone is my righteousness. Christ alone is my acceptance with God.  And Christ alone is my sanctification.

– Don Fortner

1 Corinthians 1: 30

This declaration gives me four glorious things to contemplate.

First:  If it is of the eternal God that I am in Christ Jesus; then there was never a time when I was not in Him.  My birth, life and preservation were all considered according to my union with Him. God did not allow me to go too far or turn me over to myself.  But He watched over me and when it pleased Him brought me to Christ.

Second:  If it is of God that I am in Christ Jesus than it cannot come to naught.  No principality or power can snatch me from the hands of my Savior or the hands of my Father who put me there.  Our Lord said, “My Father which gave them me is greater than all and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” (John 10: 29)

 Third:  If it is of God that I am in Christ Jesus than all that He has accomplished is for me.  There would be nothing significant about being in Christ if he were not my representative and substitute.  All of His glory, greatness, and victory would be meaningless to me if we were not one by divine union.

Lastly:  If it is of God that I am in Christ Jesus then there is nothing left to glory in except the Lord.  “He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.”

– Darvin Pruitt

“I find then, the law that, to me, while I desire to do good, evil is present.” Romans 7:21

Are you not often a mystery to yourself? Warm one moment— cold the next! Abasing yourself one hour—exalting yourself the following! Loving the world, full of it, steeped up to your head in it today—crying, groaning, and sighing for a sweet manifestation of the love of God tomorrow! Brought down to nothingness, covered with shame and confusion, on your knees before you leave your room—filled with pride and self-importance before you have got down stairs! Despising the world, and willing to give it all up for one taste of the love of Jesus when in solitude—trying to grasp it with both hands when in business! What a mystery are you! Touched by love—and stung with hatred! Possessing a little wisdom—and a great deal of folly! Earthly minded—and yet having the affections in heaven! Pressing forward—and lagging behind! Full of sloth—and yet taking the kingdom with violence! And thus the Spirit, by a process which we may feel but cannot adequately describe—leads us into the mystery of the two natures perpetually struggling and striving against each other in the same bosom—so that one man cannot more differ from another, than the same man differs from himself. But the mystery of the kingdom of heaven is this—that our carnal mind undergoes no alteration, but maintains a perpetual war with grace. And thus, the deeper we sink in self-abasement under a sense of our vileness, the higher we rise in a knowledge of Christ, and the blacker we are in our own view—the more lovely does Jesus appear.

– J.C Philpot

“So Jesus said, Do you also still not understand?” Matthew 15:16.  What lessons we need day by day to teach us anything aright, and how it is for the most part, “line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.” O, what slow learners!—what dull, forgetful scholars!—what ignoramuses!—what stupid blockheads!—what stubborn pupils! Surely no scholar at a school, old or young, could learn so little of natural things as we seem to have learned of spiritual things after so many years instruction—so many chapters read—so many sermons heard—so many prayers put up—so much talking about religion. How small, how weak is the amount of growth, compared with all we have read and heard and talked about! But it is a mercy that the Lord saves whom He will save.

– J.C Philpot

God is the highest good of the reasonable creature. The enjoyment of Him is our proper; and is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. Better than fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, or children, or the company of any, or all earthly friends. These are but shadows; but the enjoyment of God is the substance. These are but scattered beams; but God is the sun. These are but streams; but God is the fountain. These are but drops, but God is the ocean.”

– Jonathan Edwards

Wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together. Matthew 24:28.

My soul! These are the words of Jesus, none of which should be suffered to fall to the ground. No doubt much instruction is contained in this passage. An eagle is a bird of prey: and Job saith, that the eagle hasteneth to the prey as the swift ships. Job_9:26.  In all birds of prey there is great discernment, a vast quickness of scent to smell their proper food afar off; and thus natural instinct, added to a ferocious appetite, compel those creatures to fly swift to their prey, and to devour the carcase. Is there nothing in all this that suits thee, my soul? Oh yes: If Jesus hath given thee a real principle of life in himself, which becomes a spiritual quickening from day to day, and from one hour to another, thy hungering and thirsting for Jesus will be as earnest and as importunate as the instinct of nature in those birds for daily food. Pause, my soul, and say—is it so? Dost thou seek after Jesus in his ordinances, in his word, in retirement, in meditation, in prayer, in providences; and, in short, in all the various ways by which thou mayest enjoy him, as a famished bird would hasten to his prey? If Jesus be indeed the one blessed object of thy desire, will not this be manifested by the earnestness of thy desires? Did David long for the waters of Bethlehem when thirsty? Did he declare,” that as the hart panteth for the waterbrooks,” so he longed for the enjoyment of God? Here then, my soul, mayest thou learn how to estimate the real standard of thy affections to thy Jesus. Oh for grace to have the soul exercised day and night, and never, never to give over those longings, like pregnant women, until the full desires of the soul in Jesus, and upon Jesus, be fully gratified. Methinks as the eagles gather together unto the carcase, so should believers be found feasting upon Jesus. In Jesus, and his glorious Excellencies, every thing is suited to the wants of the believer: his name, his person, his work, his blood, his righteousness; every perfection, every promise, every experience we have had in him in times past, becomes food to the soul. So that the spiritual cravings of the soul, when the soul is in health and strength, like the natural cravings of the bird of prey, act like the same instinct to lead to and to feed upon Jesus. See then, my soul, whether this morning thou art risen with a keen appetite for Jesus. Surely thou hast tasted that the Lord is gracious in times past. And if thou art in health of soul, wilt thou not as much hunger again for this heavenly food, as the body of an healthy man craves for his morning meal? Oh blessed Lord, give me this appetite. Excite an hungering in me for thee. Let it be for thyself; not for thy gifts only, not for thy graces only, sweet as these are; but, blessed Jesus, let it be for thyself. And let this desire be continual: every day, and all the day. And let it be wholly to thee, in all that belongs to thee. I mean, after every thing in Jesus; thy cross, if needful, as well as thy crown; a love to thy precepts, as well as thy promises. And, O let this desire be so insatiable, so earnest, so unceasing, that nothing I have of thee may so satisfy me that I should long no more after thee; but rather provoke my soul’s appetite, and tend but to inflame my heart and longings more and more, till, from tasting of thee here below, thou bringest me to the fountain-head of enjoyment above, where my longing eyes and longing soul shall feast upon Jesus and his love for ever and for ever.  Amen.

– Robert Hawker