Heavenly Springs

Holding Fast The Doctrines of Grace

Our Future Glory and Present Temptations

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“That the future glory shall be heightened by the temptations of this present time, which have been bravely met and successfully resisted. It is not merely that the coming blessedness shall be an ample compensation for all that tempted souls can now endure, that the flood of joy shall swallow up all thought of present pains, and the light affliction, which is for a moment, shall be followed by a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. But this glory shall, in various ways, be directly enhanced by those temptations, in so far as they have not been criminally yielded to, but in the name of the Master stoutly repelled. And thus what Satan intended for your hurt shall be converted into a source of everlasting profit. The experience of rest shall be heightened by the contrast of the antecedent toil and strife; and the felicity granted to the ransomed soul shall be likewise enhanced in its absolute amount. If the reward, though wholly the gift of grace, is in proportion to the service done or the fidelity shown, duty resolutely performed in the face of temptations of the evil one will surely receive a marked and signal acknowledgment. The training given to the spiritual faculties in the exercises of the Christian warfare, the development and expansion thence resulting to the powers of the soul, bear directly on our capacity for bliss and holiness. They who have attained the highest measure of fitness thus for the enjoyments of heaven shall have the largest experience of its blessedness. And, further, those who have been driven by the assaults of the adversary into the closest union with their covenant God, and the most entire dependence upon Him, shall for this reason again partake most freely of those joys which flow from endless communion with the infinite source of all blessedness.”

Green, William H (2011-11-27). The Argument of the Book of Job Unfolded (pp. 60-61). Counted Faithful. Kindle Edition.

 

Samuel Davies and the School of Affliction

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One of the greatest contributors to the Great Awakening was a pastor and evangelist by the name of Samuel Davies. His life on earth was brief, spanning a mere 37 years, but his influence on American Evangelicalism is immeasurable.  Known, among other things, for his powerful preaching skills, one of his contemporaries noted, “he spoke with a glowing zeal … and an eloquence more impressive and effective than had ever graced the American pulpit.”  Though deeply committed to higher education, Davies’ most important training was obtained in Christ’s school of affliction.   Below is brief excerpt from Iain H. Murray’s, “Revival & Revivalism:  The Making and Marring of American Evangelicalism 1750-1858″: 

Oppressed by a sense of his ‘rawness and inexperience’, Davies’ health broke down under the load of preaching and there were fever-ridden nights when people would sit with him until the morning.  By August 1747 his first visit to Hanover was over and he was fit enough to ride the 100 miles back to Delaware, in time to witness the sudden death of his wife and the infant she was carrying on 15 September.  Grief and depression were added to his own bodily weakness:  ‘After I returned from Virginia I spent near a year under melancholy and consumptive languishments, expecting death.’ All this was undoubtedly part of God’s preparation for his future usefulness.  As Archibald Alexander wrote in another context, ‘Too much applause is a dangerous thing to a young minister.’  Davies was soon to see much success, but before it came he had been deeply chastened by a sense of his own infirmity and the consciousness of the brevity of all earthly things.

One of the biggest cancers in the modern day church is the prosperity gospel. It has opened wide the door to the vicious wolves Paul warned of in Acts 20:29 and who, in their total depravity, teach that godliness is a way to financial gain (1 Timothy 6:5).  The truth is, the people most used by God are often the most afflicted by Him.  As George Whitfield, the most notable preacher of the Great Awakening observed, “Christian experience is only learned in the school of affliction.”

Iain H. Murray, Revival & Revivalism: The Making of and Marring of American Evangelicalism 1750-1858 (Pennsylvania: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1994) 8.

The Mute Christian under the Smarting Rod

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Hello everyone!  I am back from my little blogging hiatus!  As you can see, Heavenly Springs received a much-needed face lift during my time away and I, for one, couldn’t be happier with the results.  A very special thank you to my dear brother and compadre in the Reformation, David Lopez, who despite his busy schedule found time to make Heavenly Springs a beautiful blog! 

I wasn’t planning on returning quite yet as we’re still ironing out a few technical, and design issues but after reading the words of this great saint on the matter of patience in the face of affliction, I made the decision to post.  I also wanted to return with a special book giveaway.  That is still in the pipeline so please stay tuned!

In his book, The Mute Christian under the Smarting Rod, the lowly but great English Puritan and preacher, Thomas Brooks, reflects upon his own experience of grace in the midst of great trial and distress. He calls suffering saints to accept God’s seemingly harsh dealings with them quietly and with calmness of soul. “The Lord is in his Holy Temple: Let all the Earth keep silence before him,” (Habakkuk 2.20)

The thoughts conveyed in the excerpt below express an understanding of God’s grace that can only be known when we see our suffering in light of our own depravity. While it is true that many of us suffer in this fallen world as innocent parties, it is also true that none of us, before the Lord, stand as innocent men and women.

When we are tempted to push back on the sad and darker providences of life — when we suffer injustice as a consequence of someone else’s sin — when our hearts cry out, “Lord, I don’t deserve this!”, let us be quick to repent and praise God for his tender mercies that are all found in Jesus Christ. For it was he who stood in our place and drank the full cup of God’s wrath so that we might stand forgiven and fully accepted in the sight of God.

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”(2 Corinthians 5:21)

Now that’s mercy!

“To move you to silence under your sorest and your sharpest trials, consider, that you have deserved greater and heavier afflictions than those you are under, Lam. 3:39 and Mic. 7:7-9.3

Has God taken away one mercy? You have deserved to be stripped of all.

Has he taken away the delight of your eyes? He might have taken away the delight of your soul.

Are you under outward wants? You have deserved to be under outward and inward together.

Are you cast upon a sick-bed? You have deserved a bed in hell.

Are you under that ache and that pain? You have deserved to be under all aches and pains at once.

Has God chastised you with whips? You have deserved to be chastised with scorpions.

Are you fallen from the highest pinnacle of honor to be the scorn and contempt of men? You have deserved to be scorned and contemned by God and angels.

Are you under a severe whipping? You have deserved an utter damning.

Ah Christian, let but your eyes be fixed upon your demerits and your hands will be quickly upon your mouths; whatever is less than a final separation from God, whatever is less than hell, is mercy; and therefore you have cause to be silent under the sharpest dealings of God with you.”

You can read the entire work here.

A Quote on Suffering by Richard Sibbes

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At this very moment I am praying for someone that I love. Her trial has been a long one. She is tiered, weak, and worn. I do not believe that it is by accident that I came upon this quote by Richard Sibbes, an old English Puritan Preacher. Maybe you are weary too. Take heart. God has a purpose for your suffering and He will bring you out.

“Suffering brings discouragements, because of our impatience. ‘Alas!’ We lament, ‘I shall never get through such a trial.’ But if God brings us into the trial he will be with us in the trial and at length bring us out, more refined. We shall lose nothing but dross (Zechariah 13:9). From our own strength we cannot bear the least trouble, but by the Spirit’s assistance we can bear the greatest.”

Richard Sibbes, “The Bruised Reed”

The Bruised Reed