He that believes has the witness in himself. 1John 5:10
It is absolutely essential to the enjoyment of settled peace that
the heart should rest solely on the authority of Holy Scripture.
Nothing else will stand. Inward evidence, spiritual experiences,
comfortable frames, happy feelings, are all very good, very
valuable, and very desirable; indeed we cannot prize them too
highly in the right place. But, most assuredly, their right place
is not at the foundation of the Christian position. If we look to
such things as the ground of our peace, we shall very soon be-
come clouded, uncertain and miserable.
All this is essential to Christianity, but it must, in no wise, be
confounded with the witness of the Holy Ghost, as given to
us in Holy Scripture. The Spirit of God never leads any one
to build upon His work as the ground of peace, but only on
the finished work of Christ, and the unchangeable Word of
God; and we may rest assured that the more simply we rest
on these the more settled our peace will be, and the clearer
our evidences, the richer our experience.
In short, the more we look away from self and all its belong-
ings, and rest in christ, on the clear authority of Scripture, the
more spiritually minded we shall be; and the inspired apostle
tells us that "To be spiritually minded (or, the minding of the
Spirit) is life and peace." The best evidence of a spiritual mind
in childlike repose in Christ and His Word. The clearest proof
of an unspiritual mind is self-occupation. It is a poor affair to
be trafficking in our evidences, or our anything.
It looks like piety, but it leads away from Christ--away from
Scripture--away from God; and this is not piety, or faith, or
Christianity. CH Mackintosh
Reader, in our day, we Christians take our spiritual temperature
several times a day to see if we are doing well. However, ac-
cording to Mackintosh, this leads us away from Christ and into
idolatry. It also undermines the peace and then rest we so greatly
desire. Perhaps between Christmas and New Years there will be
time to "enter into His rest." John 15:1-11 is a wonderful passage
to linger in as a foundation for the New Year.
It is absolutely essential to the enjoyment of settled peace that
the heart should rest solely on the authority of Holy Scripture.
Nothing else will stand. Inward evidence, spiritual experiences,
comfortable frames, happy feelings, are all very good, very
valuable, and very desirable; indeed we cannot prize them too
highly in the right place. But, most assuredly, their right place
is not at the foundation of the Christian position. If we look to
such things as the ground of our peace, we shall very soon be-
come clouded, uncertain and miserable.
All this is essential to Christianity, but it must, in no wise, be
confounded with the witness of the Holy Ghost, as given to
us in Holy Scripture. The Spirit of God never leads any one
to build upon His work as the ground of peace, but only on
the finished work of Christ, and the unchangeable Word of
God; and we may rest assured that the more simply we rest
on these the more settled our peace will be, and the clearer
our evidences, the richer our experience.
In short, the more we look away from self and all its belong-
ings, and rest in christ, on the clear authority of Scripture, the
more spiritually minded we shall be; and the inspired apostle
tells us that "To be spiritually minded (or, the minding of the
Spirit) is life and peace." The best evidence of a spiritual mind
in childlike repose in Christ and His Word. The clearest proof
of an unspiritual mind is self-occupation. It is a poor affair to
be trafficking in our evidences, or our anything.
It looks like piety, but it leads away from Christ--away from
Scripture--away from God; and this is not piety, or faith, or
Christianity. CH Mackintosh
Reader, in our day, we Christians take our spiritual temperature
several times a day to see if we are doing well. However, ac-
cording to Mackintosh, this leads us away from Christ and into
idolatry. It also undermines the peace and then rest we so greatly
desire. Perhaps between Christmas and New Years there will be
time to "enter into His rest." John 15:1-11 is a wonderful passage
to linger in as a foundation for the New Year.
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