10 Feb 17

1.Great Father of glory, how rich is your grace,
what wonderful love is displayed in your face!
In Jesus your visible image we view,
and hope to be made in his likeness anew.

2. In Jesus we’re chosen, we’re washed in his blood;
our sins all forgiven, at peace with our God!
And more, we’re adopted; God’s sons we appear,
and led by the Spirit we boldly draw near.

3. The world knows us not, but in this we rejoice,
to God we’re not strangers, but sons of his choice;
his love from eternity gave us a home,
where now we are longing in safety to come.

4. To seal our adoption God sent from on high
his Spirit, through whom, ‘Abba, Father,’ we cry;
and yet, with creation, we wait eagerly
for final adoption and bodies set free.

5. All praise to our Saviour, who paid the great price,
he calls us his brothers, we’re co-heirs with Christ!
We’re sons of the Father, he calls us his own,
and what we shall be has not yet been made known.
Andrew King (Praise 795) to tune of Montgomery.

It is certain that the use of singing in churches (which I may mention in passing) is not only very ancient, but was also used by the Apostles, as we may gather from the words of Paul, “I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also,” (1 Cor. 14:15). In like manner he says to the Colossians, “Teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord,” (Col. 3:16). In the former passage, he enjoins us to sing with the voice and the heart; in the latter, he commends spiritual Songs, by which the pious mutually edify each other. That it was not an universal practice, however, is attested by Augustine (Confess. Lib. 9 cap. 7), who states that the church of Milan first began to use singing in the time of Ambrose, when the orthodox faith being persecuted by Justina, the mother of Valentinian, the vigils of the people were more frequent than usual; and that the practice was afterwards followed by the other Western churches. He had said a little before that the custom came from the East. He also intimates (Retract. Lib. 2) that it was received in Africa in his own time. His words are, “Hilarius, a man of tribunitial rank, assailed with the bitterest invectives he could use the custom which then began to exist at Carthage, of singing hymns from the book of Psalms at the altar, either before the oblation, or when it was distributed to the people; I answered him, at the request of my brethren.” And certainly if singing is tempered to a gravity befitting the presence of God and angels, it both gives dignity and grace to sacred actions, and has a very powerful tendency to stir up the mind to true zeal and ardor in prayer. We must, however, carefully beware, lest our ears be more intent on the music than our minds on the spiritual meaning of the words. Augustine confesses (Confess. Lib. 10 cap. 33) that the fear of this danger sometimes made him wish for the introduction of a practice observed by Athanasius, who ordered the reader to use only a gentle inflection of the voice, more akin to recitation than singing. But on again considering how many advantages were derived from singing, he inclined to the other side. If this moderation is used, there cannot be a doubt that the practice is most sacred and salutary. On the other hand, songs composed merely to tickle and delight the ear are unbecoming the majesty of the Church, and cannot but be most displeasing to God.- John Calvin, Institutes, Book III, Chapter 20, Section 32

Is there a real Islam? Or just Islams? - John Edward Philips

We live in a world possessed. And we know it, Johan Huizinga, 1935, in Bob Goudzwaard 1967-2007, Idols of Our Time Foreword by Howard Snyder and edited by Mark Vander Vennen, Intervarsity Press, Downer’s Grove, 1984

What is the goal toward which we are heading? The peaceful enjoyment of liberty and equality; the reign of that eternal justice whose laws have been inscribed, not in marble and stone, but in the hearts of all men, even in that of the slave who forgets them and in that of the tyrant who denies them.- MAXIMILIEN ROBESPIERRE, THE POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY OF TERROR, SPEECH TO THE CONVENTION, FEBRUARY 5, 1794, the Reign of Terror, which ended with his arrest and execution in 1794

O Church arise, and put your armour on
Hear the call of Christ our Captain.
For now the weak can say that they are strong
In the strength that God has given
With shield of faith, and belt of truth
We’ll stand against the devil’s lies;
An army bold, whose battle cry is Love
Reaching out to those in darkness

Our call to war, to love the captive soul,
But to rage against the captor;
And with the sword that makes the wounded whole
We will fight with faith and valour.
When faced with trials on every side
We know the outcome is secure,
And Christ will have the prize for which He died
An inheritance of nations.

Come see the cross where love and mercy meet,
As the Son of God is stricken;
Then see His foes lie crushed beneath His feet
For the Conqueror has risen!
And as the stone is rolled away
And Christ emerges from the grave,
This victory march continues till the day
Every eye and heart shall see Him.

So, spirit come, put strength in every stride,
Give grace for every hurdle,
That we may run with faith to win the prize
Of a servant good and faithful.
As saints of old still line the way,
Retelling triumphs of His grace,
We hear their call, and hunger for the day
When with Christ we stand in glory.
Keith Getty and Stuart Townend

Conscience is a most important part of our inward man, and plays a most prominent part in our spiritual history. It cannot save us. It never yet led any one to Christ. It is blind, and liable to be misled. It is lame and powerless, and cannot guide us to heaven. Yet conscience is not to be despised. It is the minister's best friend, when he stands up to rebuke sin from the pulpit. It is the mother's best friend, when she tries to restrain her children from evil and quicken them to good. It is the teacher's best friend, when he presses home on boys and girls their moral duties. Happy is he who never stifles his conscience, but strives to keep it tender! Still happier is he who prays to have it enlightened by the Holy Spirit, and sprinkled with Christ's blood.~ J.C. Ryle Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: John, volume 2, [Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1987], 71, 72.

The Holy Spirit [is] the source of spiritual unity! He is
the Fount of all true joy! ... We as missionaries need the
fullness of this joy. Without it our work will be a burden to
us, and we shall toil on with the hearts of slaves; and the
hearts of slaves are never strong.-Griffith John (1831-1912), "The Holy Spirit in Connection with our Work", in Records of the General Conference of the Protestant Missionaries ofChina, Shanghai: Presbyterian Mission Press, 1878, p. 36,38

I'm glad you've figured out free will or whatever. It's great to be able to figure it out but dangerous to put too much faith in your figuring.=- Flannery O'Connor

The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men. - Plato