What a wonderful person!,.
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("http://gracegems.org/C/Smith.htm" James Smith, "The Person and Work of Christ" 1849)
What a wonderful person is my glorious Lord Jesus! All the divine attributes are found in Him. As there are no limits to His fullness — there can be no limit to my supplies, or the least prospect of need.
Jesus is my divine Savior!
His bounty will supply me,
His omnipotence will deliver me,
His omnipresence will protect me,
His omniscience will guard me,
His love will animate me,
His mercy will heal me,
His grace will support me,
His compassion will comfort me,
His pity will relieve me,
His goodness will provide for me,
His tenderness will soothe me,
His kindness will encourage me,
His patience will bear with me,
His justice will avenge me,
His faithfulness will embolden me,
His holiness will beautify me,
His anger will awe me,
His life will quicken me,
His light will illumine me,
His Word will regulate me,
His joy will delight me,
His blessedness will elevate me,
His long-suffering will lead me to repentance,
His immutability will secure the fulfillment of all the promises to me,
His truth will be my shield and buckler,
His sovereignty will raise my admiration,
His condescension will inspire me with gratitude and love,
and His all-sufficiency will satisfy me both in time and eternity!
In Jesus, God has reconciled me to Himself — imputing my trespasses to Him — and His obedience to me.
God by Jesus, takes away . . .
all my sins,
His own wrath, and
my deserved condemnation!
All good things . . .
are treasured up in Christ,
were procured for me by Christ,
flow to me through Christ, and
are conferred on me for the sake of Christ!
How exactly suited is the Lord Jesus to my case! Inflexible justice demands my blood — but He becomes my substitute, and spills His own!
In Jesus, I see my sin — and God's justice meet!
He removes the one — and satisfies the other!
What is Jesus called in God's holy Word?
A Savior — in reference to my lost condition.
A Reconciler — in reference to the enmity that existed between myself and God.
A Redeemer — in reference to my slavery to sin.
A Mediator — in respect to the disagreement between myself and the Most High God.
A Refiner — with respect to my filthiness.
An Advocate — with regard to my perplexed cause.
A Prophet — in respect to my ignorance.
A Priest — with a view to my guiltiness.
A King — in regard to my weakness and foes.
A Bridegroom — regarding my lowly estate and relationship.
A Physician — with regard to my many soul maladies.
In a word, Jesus is "All In All."
O to know more of Jesus, in . . .
the glory of His person,
the riches of His grace,
the perfection of His work,
the tenderness of His heart,
the strength of His love and
the effectual working of His power!
You have been long a-gathering rust
("The Mute Christian Under the Smarting Rod"
or, "The Silent Soul with Sovereign Antidotes"
by Thomas Brooks, 1659, London.)
Oh! but my afflictions are greater than other
men's afflictions are! Oh! there is no affliction
like my affliction! How can I not murmur?
It may be your sins are greater than other men's
sins. If you have sinned against . . .
more light,
more love,
more mercies,
more promises,
than others — no wonder if your afflictions are
greater than others! If this be your case, you
have more cause to be mute than to murmur!
It may be that the Lord sees that it is very needful
that your afflictions should be greater than others.
It may be your heart is harder than other men's
hearts, and prouder and stouter than other men's
hearts, it may be your heart is more impure than
others, and more carnal than others, or else more
selfish and more worldly than others, or else more
deceitful and more hypocritical than others, or
else more cold and careless than others, or more
formal and lukewarm than others.
Now, if this is your case, certainly God sees
it very necessary, for . . .
the breaking of your hard heart, and
the humbling of your proud heart, and
the cleansing of your foul heart, and
the spiritualizing of your carnal heart, etc.,
that your afflictions should be greater than
others; and therefore do not murmur!
Where the disease is strong, the remedy must
be strong — else the cure will never be wrought!
God is a wise physician, and He would never
give strong medicine — if a weaker one could
effect the cure!
The more rusty the NAIL is, the oftener we put it
into the fire to purify it; and the more crooked it
is, the more blows and the harder blows we give
to straighten it.
You have been long a-gathering rust; and
therefore, if God deal thus with you, you have
no cause to complain.
"For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and
punishes every son whom He receives." Hebrews 12:6
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