Puritan Library

"A Serious Call To A Devout And Holy Life"

Written by the 18th century Puritan William Law, the book "A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life" has proved to be a staple manual in helping to guide Christians to a much deeper and more real devotional life towards God.  This book has been used and promoted by great Christian leaders throughout the past three centuries, such as Charles Wesley and George Whitfield (two leaders of the 18th century Great Awakening Revival), William Wilberforce (who was instrumental in ending slavery in 19th century Britain) and C.S. Lewis (the 20th century philosopher and author of "Mere Christianity" and "The Chronicles of Narnia").   A book that could so greatly influence such men of important social impact must be a book that should be read by all Christians.  Having now read the book myself, I can wholeheartedly attest to its deep biblical wisdom and the God-honoring spirit in which Law wrote.

William Law's central thesis in the book is that for a Christian to truly honor God with his life, he must purposefully seek after God's holiness, which entails emulation of that same holiness in the believer's life and to ultimately reflect praise back to God through it.  As Law stated, "If you would be a good Christian, there is but one way you must live wholly unto God; and if you would live wholly unto God, you must live according to the wisdom that comes from God: you must act according to right judgments of the nature and value of things; you must live in the exercise of holy and heavenly affections, and use all the gifts of God to His praise and glory."  Without such a desire for God's holiness, a person then deceives themselves in thinking they actually want God Himself.  For if one does not give themselves over completely to devotion to God's nature, which is holy, then how can one be conformed to that holiness in order to co-exist with God both now and throughout eternity?  Law writes it this way, "Christianity supposes, intends, desires, and aims at nothing else but the raising of fallen man to a Divine life, to such habits of holiness, such degrees of devotion, as may fit him to enter among the holy inhabitants of the kingdom of Heaven."

The specific categories of devotion to God that Law goes into detail are; continual acts of prayer and reliance on God; daily and heart-felt repentance for one's sins against God; living with a spirit of humility before a holy God; as well as living a life that continually interceds for the welfare of others, which Law declares to be one of the greatest acts of conformity to the life and character of Jesus Christ, as Law writes, "As it was the sins of the world that made the Son of God become a compassionate, suffering Advocate for all mankind, so no one is of the Spirit of Christ, but he that has the utmost compassion for sinners."

For those Christians who wish to live out a life that is both pleasing and honorable to the God who so graciously and mercifully forgave them of their sins, and yet still remains a perfectly righteous and holy God Himself, the book "A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life" will both encourage and convict the reader to hunger after a holy life in order to be properly identified with the holy God they serve.

"As sure as Jesus Christ was wisdom and holiness, as sure as He came to make us like Himself, and to be baptized into His Spirit, so sure is it, that none can be said to keep their Christian profession, but they who to the utmost of their power, live a wise and hole and heavenly life.  This, and this alone, is Christianity - a universal holiness in every part of life, a heavenly wisdom in all our actions, not conforming to the spirit and temper of the world, but turning wordly enjoyments into means of piety and devotion to God."
- William Law, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, Chapter 10, pg 106

The Life of God in the Soul of Man

In an earlier post, I wrote a review for the book "The Life of God in the Soul of Man" written by the 17th century Puritan Henry Scougal.  I recently put together a video made up of quotes I've taken from Scougal's book, so I'd like to provide that video here to further promote that wonderfully written and time-enduring treatise about sacrificing one's life entirely to God so He may live fully through you.

Quoting The Puritans

The Church

"If Jesus so loved the church as to give himself for her, much more what he has is settled on her."

- John Flavel, The Fountain of Life Opened Up, pg 530

 "Thou art not saved for being a member of the church of Rome, or Corinth, or Ephesus, or Philippi, or Thessalonica, or of any other such; but for being a member of the universal church or body of Christ, that is, a Christian."

- Richard Baxter, A Christian Directory, pg 52-53

"There is no entering in God's church but by coming into Christ's church; nor are any looked upon as members of the kingdom of God among men but those that are willing to submit to the grace and government of the Redeemer."

- Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, pg 1583

"As Christ was, so His church is to be in this world.  Christ came into this world not to be ministered unto, but to minister, not to be honored, but to save others.  His church, when she understands her work, will perceive that she is not here to gather to herself wealth or honor, or to seek any temporal aggrandizement and position; she is here unselfishly to live, and if need be, unselfishly to die for the deliverance of the lost sheep, the salvation of lost men."

- Charles Spurgeon, from his sermon "The First Cry From The Cross"

The Life and Thought of John Owen

"I owe more, I think, to John Owen than to any other theologian, ancient or modern."

- J.I. Packer, Introduction to John Owen's The Mortification of Sin, pg 5

The 17th century Puritan John Owen is considered to be one of the most brilliant and in-depth Christians in church history.  Even among other fiercely intelligent and strongly devoted Puritans, Owen was referred to as the "Prince of the Puritans."  My own exposure to Owen's writings is by way of his book "The Mortification of Sin" which is a collection of sermons Owen preached in the year 1656 concerning the killing or "mortifying" of personal sins, as well as my current reading of his two monumental works called "Pneumatologia" (which is completely devoted to the person and work of the Holy Spirit), as well as Owen's large theological volume entitled "Biblical Theology - The History of Theology from Adam to Christ."  I have myself only scratched the surface of the wealth of biblical wisdom that Owen was gifted with, and yet I've already been greatly blessed by his mind which was wholly devoted to bringing glory to God.

What I would like to do in this post is to link a video here that I have uploaded to my YouTube channel, which is John Piper giving a biographical sketch of the "Life and Thought of John Owen."  Piper wrote a book entitled "Contending For Our All" in which he wrote three mini-biographies on three men who fought hard to maintain doctrinal integrity both within their lives as well as in the church; one of the those theological warriors is John Owen.  It is my hope that this sermon/biography by Piper on Owen will birth a strong interest in the writings of John Owen which I have no doubt God will use to anoint the hearts and minds of modern-day Christians to seek more hungrily after personal holiness and the glory of God.

"No teaching may truly be called theology which does not rely on, and trust in, a revelation from God by which the theologian may be pleasing to God and at last enjoy Him forever."

- John Owen, Biblical Theology, Book 1, Chapter 3, pg 16

"There is, if I may say, a secret instinct of faith, whereby it knows the voice of Christ when he speaks indeed; as the baby leaped in the womb when the blessed virgin came to Elisabeth, faith leaps in the heart when Christ indeed draws nigh to it."

- John Owen, The Mortification of Sin, Chapter 13, pg 158

Puritan Poetry

The Law and Gospel Distinguished

The Law commands, and makes us know
What duties to our God we owe
But 'tis the Gospel must reveal
Where lies our strength to do His will

The Law discovers guilt and sin
And shows how vile our hearts have been
Only the Gospel can express
Forgiving love and cleansing grace

What curses does the Law denounce
Against the man that fails but once
But in the Gospel Christ appears
Pardoning the guilt of numerous years

My soul, no more attempt to draw
Thy life and comfort from the Law
Fly to the hope the Gospel gives
The man that trusts the promise lives

Isaac Watts
1674-1748

Puritan Library

"Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners"

 In 1666, the Puritan John Bunyan penned his autobiography "Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners" which has been read by Christians throughout the centuries, and has brought spiritual comfort to many a great sinner who have come to know God's overwhelming grace in their lives through the example of Bunyan's honest retelling of his life.  Although Bunyan would go on to write one of the greatest and the most widely read book in the English language ("The Pilgrim's Progress"), he actually started out his life as a sin-filled and God-hating man, which makes his grace-filled conversion all the more meaningful.  Bunyan stated his youthful rebellion this way, "From childhood I had few equals, especially considering my tender years, in the areas of cursing, swearing, lying, and blaspheming the holy name of God."  One of the first instances of John Bunyan's life being turned around by God was when he would talk with an elderly poor man who spoke highly of the Bible, as Bunyan stated, "I fell into company with one poor man that made a profession of religion, who, as I then thought, did talk pleasantly of the Scriptures and of the matter of religion.  Falling into some love and liking with what he said, I took my Bible and began to take pleasure in reading."

But even though Bunyan began to enjoy the Scriptures, it wasn't until he understood that becoming a Christian meant having a new life that he would sincerely seek out a life under God's grace.  Bunyan recounts his first hearing of the newness of Christian life with the following encounter, "I came where there were two or three poor women sitting at a door in the sun talking about things of God... Their talk was about a new birth, the work of God in their hearts, and also how they were convinced of their miserable state by nature.  They talked about how God had visited their souls with His love in the Lord Jesus, and with what words and promises they had been refreshed, comforted, and supported against temptations of the devil... I was convinced by them that I wanted the true tokens of a truly godly man, and also because I was convinced by them of the happy and blessed condition of him was was such a one."  John Bunyan would be converted to the Christian faith soon after.

However this newness of life that God had given Bunyan did not end the struggles with sin that had so enveloped his life up until that point.  Bunyan would constantly fight with the guilt from his past life which held such a tight grip on him since becoming a Christian.  But he would describe his remedy for those times of intense guilt as follows, "Sometimes I would lie under the great guilt of sin, even crushed to the ground with the weight of it, and then the Lord would show me the death of Christ.  Yes, He so sprinkled my conscience with His blood that I would find, even before I was aware, that in this conscience, where but just now did reign and rage the law, even there would rest and abide the peace and love of God through Christ."  Bunyan would also come across a book written by a man who seemed to have had precisely the same type of guilt-ridden struggles before conversion and yet just as much a glorious and grace-filled conversion, that Bunyan held that book dearly for the rest of his life.  Bunyan describes it this way, "The God in whose hands are all our days and ways, did cast into my hands one day a book of Martin Luther's.  It was his Commentary on the Galatians... When I had perused but a little of it, I found my condition in his experience so largely and profoundly handled, as if his book had been written from my heart... I prefer this book of Martin Luther on the Galatians, with the exception of the Holy Bible, to all the books that I have ever seen, as most fit for a wounded conscience."

Although Bunyan's autobiography focuses solely on his conversion story (with very little telling of details concerning the rest of his Christian life), that is precisely what makes "Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners" so helpful and insightful to readers who struggle with their own sins both before and after their conversion.  Let John Bunyan, as the Chief of Sinners, take you through his spiritual journey of sin and redemption, so that you too may come to find the ultimate deliverance, peace, and joy which he discovered through the mercy, grace and love of Jesus Christ.

"Where guilt is most terrible and fierce, there the mercy of God in Christ, when shown to the soul, appears most high and mighty."
- John Bunyan, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, Chapter 9, pg 122

Why You Should Read The Puritans

Joel Beeke is one of the world's leading authorities on the history, lives and writings of the Puritans.  He has written a very helpful article in which he gives 9 reasons why Christians today should take hold of the devotional and theological books penned by the Puritans during the past 4 centuries.  I would like to quote those 9 reasons here in their entirety for the purpose of shining light on the vast treasury of wisdom and knowledge that the Puritans were endowed with by God, and for that same wisdom, knowledge and devotion to be passed onto our generation.

Why You Should Read The Puritans - by Joel Beeke

1. Puritan Writings Help Shape Life by Scripture

The Puritans loved, lived, and breathed Holy Scripture.  They relished the power of the Spirit that accompanied the Word.  Their books are all Word-centered; more than 90 percent of their writings are repackaged sermons that are rich with scriptural exposition.  The Puritan writers truly believed in the sufficiency of Scripture for life and godliness.  If you read the Puritans regularly, their Bible-centeredness will become contagious.  These writings will show you how to yield wholehearted allegiance to the Bible's message.  Like the Puritans, you will become a believer living by the Book, echoing the truth of John Flavel, who said "The Scriptures teach us the best way of living, the noblest way of suffering, and the most comfortable way of dying."  Do you want to read books that put you into the Scriptures and keep you there, shaping your life by sola Scriptura?  Read the Puritans.

2. Puritan Writings Show How To Integrate Biblical Doctrine Into Daily Life

 The Puritan writings do this in three ways: first, they address your mind.  In keeping with the Reformed tradition, the Puritans refused to set mind and heart against each other, but viewed the mind as the palace of faith.  "In conversion, reason is elevated", John Preston wrote.  The Puritans understood that a mindless Christianity fosters a spineless Christianity.  An anti-intellectual gospel quickly becomes an empty, formless gospel that never gets beyond "felt needs" which is something that is happening in many churches today.  Puritan literature is a great help for understanding the vital connection between what we believe with our minds and how that affects the way we live.  Jonathan Edwards' "Justification By Faith Alone" and William Lyford's "The Instructed Christian" are particularly helpful for this.

Second, Puritan writings confront your conscience.  The Puritans are masters at convicting us about the heinous nature of our sin against an infinite God.  They excel at exposing sins, then asking questions to press home conviction of those sins.  As one Puritan wrote, "We must go with the stick of divine truth and beat every bush behind which a sinner hides, unlike Adam who hid, he stands before God in his nakedness."

Devotional reading should be confrontational as well as comforting.  We grow little if our consciences are not pricked daily and directed to Christ.  Since we are prone to run for the bushes when we feel threatened, we need daily help to be brought before the living God "naked and opened unto the eyes of with whom we have to do" (Hebrews 4:12).  In this, the Puritans excel.  If you truly want to learn what sin is and experience how sin is worse than suffering, read Jeremiah's Burroughs' "The Evil of Evils" and Thomas Shepard's "The Sincere Convert and the Sound Believer."

Third, the Puritan writers engage your heart.  They excel in feeding the mind with solid biblical substance and they move the heart with affectionate warmth.  They write out of love for God's Word, love for the glory of God, and love for the soul of readers.  For books that beautifully balance objective truth and subjective experience in Christianity; books that combine, as J.I. Packer puts it, "clear-headed passion and warm-hearted compassion" (Ryken, Worldly Saints, x); books that inform your mind, confront your conscience, and engage your heart, read the Puritans.  Read Vincent Alsop's "Practical Godliness."

3. Puritan Writings Show How To Exalt Christ And See His Beauty

The Puritan Thomas Adams wrote, "Christ is the sum of the whole Bible, prophesied, typified, prefigured, exhibited, demonstrated, to be found in every leaf, almost in every line, the Scriptures being but as it were the swaddling bands of the child Jesus."  Likewise, the Puritan Issac Ambrose wrote, "Think of Christ as the very substance, marrow, soul, and scope of the whole Scriptures."  The Puritans loved Christ and exalted in His beauty.  Samuel Rutherford wrote, "Put the beauty of ten thousand worlds of paradise, like the Garden of Eden in one; put all trees, all flowers, all smells, all colors, all tastes, all joys, all loveliness, all sweetness in one.  O what a fair and excellent thing would that be?  And yet it would be less to that fair and dearest well-beloved Christ than one drop of rain to the whole seas, rivers, lakes, and foundation of ten thousand earths."  If you would know Christ better and love Him more fully, immerse yourself in Puritan literature.  Read Robert Asty's "Rejoicing in the Lord Jesus."

4. Puritan Writings Reveal The Trinitarian Character of Theology

The Puritans were driven by a deep sense of the infinite glory of a triune God.  When they answered the first question of the Shorter Catechism that man's chief end was to glorify God, they meant the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They took John Calvin's glorious understanding of the unity of the Trinity in the Godhead, and showed how that worked itself out in electing, redeeming, and sanctifying love and grace in the lives of the believers.  John Owen wrote an entire book on the Christian believer's communion with God as Father, Jesus as Savior, and the Holy Spirit as Comforter.  The Puritans teach us how to remain God-centered while being vitally concerned about Christian experience, so that we don't fall into the trap of glorifying experience for its own sake.

If you want to appreciate each Person of the Trinity, so that you can say with Samuel Rutherford, "I don't know which Person of the Trinity I love the most, but this I know, I love each of them, and I need them all", read John Owen's "Communion with God" and Jonathan Edwards on the Trinity.

5. Puritan Writings Show You How To Handle Trials

Puritanism grew out of great struggle between the truth of God's Word and its enemies.  Reformed Christianity was under attack in Great Britain, much like Reformed Christianity is under attack today.  The Puritans were good soldiers in the conflict, enduring great hardships and suffering much.  Their lives and their writings stand ready to arm us for our battles, and to encourage us in our suffering.  The Puritans teach us how we need affliction to humble us (Deuteronomy 8:2), to teach us what sin is (Zephaniah 1:12), and how that brings us to God (Hosea 5:15).  As Robert Leighton wrote, "Affliction is the diamond dust that heaven polishes its jewels with."  The Puritans show us how God's rod of affliction is His means to write Christ's image more fully upon us, so that we may be partakers of His righteousness and holiness (Hebrews 12:10-11).

If you would learn how to handle you trials in a truly Christ-exalting way, read Thomas Boston's "The Crook in the Lot: The Sovereignty and Wisdom of God Displayed in the Afflictions of Men."

6. Puritan Writings Explain True Spirituality

 The Puritans stress the spirituality of the law, spiritual warfare against indwelling sin, the childlike fear of God, the wonder of grace, the art of meditation, the dreadfulness of hell, and the glories of heaven.  If you want to live deep as a Christian, read Oliver Heywood's "Heart Treasure."  Read the Puritans devotionally, and then pray to be like them.  Ask questions such as: Am I, like the Puritans, thirsting to glorify the Triune God?  Am I motivated by biblical truth and biblical fire?  Do I share their view of the vital necessity of conversion and of being clothed with the righteousness of Christ?  Do I follow them as far as they followed Christ?

7. Puritan Writings Show How To Live By Wholistic Faith

 The Puritans apply every subject they write about to practical "uses" - as they term it.  These "uses" will propel you into passionate effective action for Christ's kingdom.  Their own daily lives integrated Christian truth with covenant vision; they knew no dichotomy between the sacred and the secular.  Their writings can assist you immeasurably in living a life that centers on God in every area, appreciating His gifts, and declaring everything "holiness to the Lord."  The Puritans were excellent covenant theologians.  They lived covenant theology, covenanting themselves, their families, their churches, and their nations to God.  Yet they did not fall into the error of hyper-covenantalism, in which the covenant of grace becomes a substitute for personal conversion.  They promoted a comprehensive worldview, a total Christian philosophy, a holistic approach to bringing the whole gospel to bear on all of life, striving to bring every action in conformity with Christ, so that believers would mature and grow in faith.  The Puritans wrote on subjects such as how to pray, how to develop genuine piety, how to conduct family worship, and how to raise children for Christ.  In short, they taught how to develop a "rational, resolute, passionate piety [that is] conscientious without becoming obsessive, law oriented without lapsing into legalism, and expressive of Christian liberty without any shameful lurches into license" (ibid., xii).

If you would grow in practical Christianity and vital piety, read the compilation of "The Puritans on Prayer", Richard Steele's "The Character of an Upright Man", George Hamond's "Case for Family Worship", Cotton Mather's "Help for Distressed Parents", and Arthur Hildersham's "Dealing with Sin in our Children."

8. Puritan Writings Teach The Importance And Primacy of Preaching

To the Puritans, preaching was the high point of public worship.  Preaching must be expository and didactic, they said; evangelistic and convicting, experiential and applicatory, powerful and "plain" in its presentation, ever respecting the sovereignty of the Holy Spirit.  If you would help evangelicals recover the pulpit and a high view of the ministry in our day, read Puritan sermons.  Read William Perkins' "The Art of Prophesying" and Richard Baxter's "The Reformed Pastor."

9. Puritan Writings Show How To Live In Two Worlds

The Puritans said we should have heaven "in our eye" through our earthly pilgrimage.  They took seriously the New Testament passages that say we must keep the "hope of glory" before our minds to guide and shape our lives here on earth.  They viewed this life as "the gymnasium and dressing room where we are prepared for heaven", teaching us that preparation for death is the first step in learning to truly live (Packer, A Quest For Holiness, 13).  If you would live in this world in light of the better world to come, read the Puritans.  Read Richard Baxter's "The Saint's Everlasting Rest" and Richard Alleine's "Heaven Opened."

I sometimes wonder what would happen if Christians spent only fifteen minutes a day reading Puritan writings.  Over a year that would add up to reading about twenty average-size books a year and, over a lifetime, 1500 books.  Who knows how the Holy Spirit might use such a spiritual diet of reading!  Would it usher in a worldwide revival?  Would it fill the earth again with the knowledge of the Lord from sea to sea?  That is my prayer, my vision, my dream.  Tolle Lege - take up and read!  You will be glad you did.

The Westminster Confession of Faith

Of Justification - Chapter 11 Section 3

"Christ, by his obedience and death, did fully discharge the debt of all those that are thus justified, and did make a proper, real, and full satisfaction to his Father's justice in their behalf.  Yet, in as much as he was given by the Father for them, and his obedience and satisfaction accepted in their stead, and both freely, not for anything in them, their justification is only of free grace; that both the exact justice and rich grace of God might be glorified in the justification of sinners."

Spurgeon's Pulpit

- The Believing Thief -

This sermon was preached by Charles Spurgeon on April 7th, 1889.  The text Charles preached on was taken from Luke 23:42-43, which reads "And he said unto Jesus, 'Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.'  And Jesus said unto him, 'Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise.'" This story, of one of the two thieves crucified with Jesus coming to faith in Him during his dying moments, is one of the most heart-touching accounts in all of Scripture.  It has brought tremendous assurance to many fearful hearts through the centuries who initially felt Jesus would never even hold fellowship with them, let alone save them, because of their lives of sin and life-long rebellion against God.  This event demonstrates categorically that Jesus will respond tenderly yet firmly to a sinner pleading for mercy with the answer of eternal salvation.  In his sermon, Spurgeon spoke of its significance this way, "The story of the salvation of the dying thief is a standing instance of the power of Christ to save and of His abundant willingness to receive all that come to Him, in whatever plight they may be.  May the Holy Spirit speak through it to the encouragement of those who are ready to despair."

Spurgeon made many wonderful and insightful points concerning the brief yet timeless interchange between Jesus and the repentant thief.  I would like to focus on two of those truths for this particular post; that Jesus is a friend of sinners, and that salvation is not by works but is by faith alone, in Christ alone.

The Befriender of Thieves and Sinners

Jesus' ministry was filled with touching examples of reaching out to those whom society and the world had cast aside as worthless and hell-deserving sinners.  But surely the grandest and most awe-inspiring example was when He reached out to this pleading thief, even while Jesus Himself was in the midst of His own suffering and excruciating pain on His own cross.  All other instances of Jesus showing mercy to the needy were when Jesus Himself was healthy and in no physical pain or discomfort.  But on the cross, Jesus is bearing the intense physical pain of crucifixion, and simultaneously bearing the wrath of God for the sins of mankind; and yet He summons the love within His own nature to hear the pleas and cries of an unholy man who was dying a deserved death.  Instead of Jesus being self-absorbed in His own final moments of His earthly life, He uses what strength He has left to impart life-giving words directly into the heart of one who was on the edge of death and the brink of hell, and gives him the ultimate assurance of passage into Heaven itself.  What more hope could we as sinners ourselves ask for then the hope received by the thief at Jesus' side?  In fact, we who cry out to Jesus today should exhibit more of a hope in Jesus, because the thief sought deliverance from Jesus while Jesus was dying, but we today have a risen and resurrected Jesus to save us from our sins.  Charles Spurgeon stated it as such, "If a dying Savior saved the thief, my argument is, that He can do even more now that He liveth and reigneth.  All power is given unto Him in heaven and earth; can anything at this present time surpass the power of His grace?"

No matter what heinous sins you may have committed in your life, nor any form of evil you may have taken part in or caused, if you trust in Jesus' love for you, then you are one with whom Jesus would show compassion, embrace, and hold unashamed fellowship with.  Charles points out this truth by focusing on the fact that of all people whom Jesus could have allowed to not only die at His side, but to enter into heaven with, He chose the most unworthy of all possibilities; a guilty thief who did not spend even one moment of his life for God.  Charles worded this profound truth this way, "Who is this that entereth the pearl-gate at the same moment as the King of glory?  Who is this favored companion of the Redeemer?  Is it some honored martyr?  Is it a faithful apostle?  Is it a patriarch, like Abraham; or a prince, like David?  It is none of these.  Behold, and be amazed at sovereign grace.  He that goeth in at the gate of paradise, with the King of glory, is a thief, who was saved in the article of death.  He is saved in no inferior way, and received into bliss in no secondary style.  Verily, there are last which shall be first!"

By Faith Alone In Christ Alone

In my personal opinion there is no more burden-relieving or soul-comforting doctrine in the entirety of Scripture than the doctrine of salvation being by faith alone in Christ alone.  This teaching is declared all throughout the New Testament, for example Romans 3:28, Galatians 2:16, Ephesians 2:8-9.  It is one thing to be taught such teachings as a student learns a lesson from a teacher, but in the interaction between Jesus and the repentant thief we actually have this truth displayed before us in a very real and encompassing manner.  The thief was a criminal before He met Jesus, and therefore nothing in his life would even be considered godly, let alone salvation-worthy.  As well as after the thief spoke with Jesus, he did not and could not do any good works of his own, for he was dead within hours (perhaps even just minutes) after Jesus gave him the promise of entrance into His kingdom, which was fulfilled that very day.  The thief was literally bereft of any good works, and all he had to put his hope in was simply turning to Jesus for mercy, and that was enough.  Jesus and the thief did not barter for salvation, Jesus did not require time and effort from the thief before giving him passage into heaven, but rather having the thief call out to Jesus in complete desperation and complete trust was all that was required to fully unite the thief with his compassionate and loving Savior.  Spurgeon worded the thief's merciful deliverance as follows, "If anything beyond faith is needed to make us fit to enter paradise, the thief would have been kept a little longer here; but no, he is, in the morning, in the state of nature, at noon he enters the state of grace, and by sunset he is in the state of glory."

The thief had his life taken away because of what he stole with his hands, but with his faith he was given eternal life because of what Jesus freely gave him; grace.  We today are in the exact situation as the thief on the cross; devoid of worthiness, completely helpless, and entirely hopeless, until we turn to Jesus in faith and plead for His mercy.  As Spurgeon concludes, "He [God] that reads the heart will read your faith written on its fleshly tablets, and He will accept you through Jesus Christ, even though no act of grace has been visible to the eyes of man."

Let us learn to take great comfort, confidence, and joy in reading the brief but life-altering relationship the thief had with Jesus, as he was promised fellowship with Jesus as he was dying, as well as the promise of eternal fellowship with Him in His glorious kingdom.  We too may take hold of those same two promises of fellowship with Jesus in this life and the life to come, and it is all granted to us by faith when we meet Jesus as the thief did, on the Cross.  I would like to conclude with a poem I wrote about the repentant thief, as well as a few more quotes of Charles Spurgeon from his sermon "The Believing Thief."

A Dying Thief And His Dying Savior

Today is the day I die - A just punishment for my crime

I stole what I did not possess - Forfeiting my remaining time

My offense calls for crucifixion - To prolong my agony

But I will not be dying alone - To be executed today is three

One is a criminal as myself - He too must pay for his deeds

But with Jesus I do not understand - What his charges could possibly be

It's been said he healed the sick - And gave sight to the blind

His life should be celebrated - Not nailed to a cross crucified

Yet he speaks no word in protest - Does not declare his innocence

As the crowd cruelly mocks and jeers - He silently endures injustice

I wonder if his ministry - Of healings and miracles

Could produce one more act of grace - And overcome my sin's obstacles

Is it possible that I could find life - In one who is about to die

Pierced, bruised, and bloodied too - As seemingly helpless as I

I now have just a few moments - Before my life will pass away

I desperately need this day of judgment - Turned into my salvation day

For help I do not peer out - Into the incensed crowd

Nor to my criminal associate - Who is cursing Jesus aloud

With my last few ounces of strength - I well up words within my dry throat

Turning to Jesus for an ounce of mercy - I call to him as my only hope

"Jesus, remember me - When you are crowned King"

This my final plea I hoped - Would not on deaf ears ring

He lifted his head and softly spoke - His words melting my heart of ice

"Truly I say to you today - You will be with me in paradise"

At once my heart was set free - And embraced through divine love

No longer to reside here below - But taken to heaven above

Though his hands and feet are nailed - To the cross in a steadfast way

His love and grace freely roam - Capturing me as I drift away

I can now die in peace - A redeemed and forgiven thief

My soul stolen from hell's grasp - When I heard Jesus speak

Amidst my dying moments - When no one else would comfort me

My dying Savior by my side - Gave words of hope for eternity

"Today you will be with me in paradise" - Luke 23:43

"This poor thief breathed the humble but fitting prayer, "Lord, remember me."  This does not seem to ask much; but as he understood it, it meant all that an anxious heart could desire.  As he thought of the kingdom, he had such clear ideas of the glory of the Savior, that he felt that if the Lord would think of him, his eternal state would be safe... Can you not pray this morning, and thus secure a place in the memory of the Lord Jesus."
- Charles Spurgeon, The Believing Thief

"Our Savior took this dying thief into the paradise of infinite delight, and this is where He will take all of us sinners who believe in Him."
- Charles Spurgeon, The Believing Thief

"Jesus was last seen on Earth before His death in company with a convicted felon, to whom He spoke most lovingly.  Come, O ye guilty, and He will receive you graciously!"

- Charles Spurgeon, The Believing Thief

From the Pulpit of Charles Spurgeon

I would like to begin a new segment in this blog which highlights the sermon ministry of the 19th century London preacher Charles Spurgeon, of whom history has given the distinct titles of "The Prince of Preachers" as well as the "Last of the Puritans."  Spurgeon was considered the Prince of Preachers because of many facets; first, because his sermons were very Christ-centered, meaning they dwelt heavily on the person and work of Jesus Christ on the Cross and His resurrection; secondly, because of the sheer number of people that Charles had preached to during his lifetime (estimates are approximately 10,000,000 between 1850-1891).  Spurgeon was considered the "Last of the Puritans" because his ministry and life passed right before the dawning of the 20th century, as well as the fact of the large amount of Puritan books he possessed in his massive 5,000 book library.  Spurgeon read many devotional books written by the Puritans as well as used commentaries written by them during his own studies of the Scriptures.  In fact, the first Christian book Charles read as a child in his grandfather's attic was the book "The Pilgrim's Progress" by the 17th century Puritan John Bunyan.

After having read 28 sermons (and counting) by Charles Spurgeon myself, I would also declare him to be one of the best, if not the best, preacher of God's holy Word and the most prolific proclaimer of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in church history.  Because of these facts, I would like to create periodic posts on this blog to focus on sermons from Spurgeon that I personally read through, and perhaps give some of my own thoughts and observations that I take away from wading through his often moving expositions.  I will also provide quotes directly from the sermons themselves.  My relationship with God has been greatly blessed by the godly wisdom and biblical expositions of Charles Spurgeon, and it is my prayer yours will be blessed as well.

"Far better for a man that he had never been born than that he should degrade a pulpit into a show box to exhibit himself in.  Aim at the right sort of effect; the inspiring of saints to nobler things, the leading of Christians closer to their Master, the comforting of doubters till they rise out of their terrors, the repentance of sinners, and their exercise of immediate faith in Christ.  Without these signs following, what is the use of our sermons?"

- Charles Spurgeon, Lectures To My Students, Volume 2, Lecture #1, pg 207

Praying With The Puritans

Christian Love

O Lover of the loveless,
It is thy will that I should love thee
with heart, soul, mind, strength,
and my neighbour as myself.
But I am not sufficient for these things.
There is by nature no pure love in my soul;
Every affection in me is turned from thee;
I am bound, as slave to lust,
I cannot love thee, lovely as thou art,
until thou dost set me free.

By grace I am thy freeman and would serve thee,
for I believe thou art my God in Jesus,
and that through him I am redeemed,
and my sins are forgiven.
With this freedom I would always obey thee,
but I cannot walk in liberty,
any more than I could first attain it, of myself.
May thy Spirit draw me nearer to thee and thy ways.

Thou art the end of all means,
for if they lead me not to thee,
I go away empty.
Order all my ways by thy holy Word,
and make thy commandments the joy of my heart,
that by them I may have happy converse with thee.
May I grow in thy love and manifest it to mankind.

Spirit of love, make me like the loving Jesus;
give me his benevolent temper,
his beneficent actions,
that I may shine before men to thy glory.
The more thou doest in love in me and by me,
humble me the more;
keep me meek, lowly,
and always ready to give thee honour.

- Taken from "The Valley of Vision" A Collection of Puritan Prayers