Christ Taught !
George Whitefield the great evangelist from the 18th Century said..."I embrace the Calvinist scheme, not because Calvin, but Jesus Christ taught it to me" George Whitfield vol. 1, Banner of Truth Trust,p 406
George said to John Wesley ... I cannot bear the thoughts of opposing you; but how can I avoid it, if you go about ( as you brother Charles once said) to drive John Calvin out of Bristol. Atlas, I never read any thing that Calvin wrote; my doctrines I had from Christ and His apostles; I was taught them of God. (Dallimore P. 574) The doctrines of our election, and free justification in Christ Jesus are daily more and more pressed upon my heart. They fill my soul with a holy fire and afford me great confidence in God my Saviour.
I hope we shall catch fire from each other, and that there will be a holy emulation amongst us, who shall most debase man and exalt the Lord Jesus. Nothing but the doctrines of the Reformation can do this. All others leave freewill in man and make him, in part at least a saviour to himself. My soul, come not thou near the secret of those who teach such things...I know Christ is all in all. Man is nothing: he hath a free will to go to hell, but none to go to heaven, till God worketh in him to will and to do his good pleasure.
Oh , the excellency of the doctrine of election and of the saints' final perseverance! I am persuaded, till a man comes to believe and feel these important truths, he cannot come out of himself, but when convinced of these and assured of their application to his own heart. He then walks by faith indeed! (Dallimore, p.407)
It is no novelty, then ,that I am preaching; no new doctrine. I love to proclaim these strong old doctrines, that are called by nickname Calvinism, but which are surely and verily the revealed truth of God as it is in Christ Jesus. By this truth I make a pilgrimage into the past , and as I go, I see father after father, confessor after confessor, martyr after martyr, standing up to shake hands with me... Taking these things to be the standard of my faith, I see the land of ancients peopled with my brethren; I behold multitudes who confess the same as I do, and acknowledge that this the religion of God's own church. (Charles Haddon Spurgeon, "Election", The Metropolitan Tabernacle)
One great hardy Amen! My personal testimony is similar to George Whitfield. That is I did not read any Calvin or Calvinist literature before I believed in the doctrines of grace. By God's amazing grace I have always believed them. To no credit of my own, but to God alone.
I turned the TV on the other day and "The little House on the prairie " was on, I haven't watch it in years, so I sat, and decided to watch it. I missed the first part of the show , but one of the characters dies, and Charles tries to comfort Edwards, who lost his wife. Edwards gets mad at God, and was asking, why God ? Why did you let my wife die? Then Charles speaks up, and said, somethings just happen, no reason, they just happen. Boy, aint that comforting, and God glorifying? A THOUSAND TIMES ...NO! I was struck by the fact that I grew up on that show, I grew up in a non reformed upbringing. No one in my family is reformed. They don't even know what that means. They don't know, like so many Christians what the doctrines of grace are. They could not tell you much about the reformation. So, I am amazed why God chose me, in spite of the environment I grew up in. Amazing grace
George said to John Wesley ... I cannot bear the thoughts of opposing you; but how can I avoid it, if you go about ( as you brother Charles once said) to drive John Calvin out of Bristol. Atlas, I never read any thing that Calvin wrote; my doctrines I had from Christ and His apostles; I was taught them of God. (Dallimore P. 574) The doctrines of our election, and free justification in Christ Jesus are daily more and more pressed upon my heart. They fill my soul with a holy fire and afford me great confidence in God my Saviour.
I hope we shall catch fire from each other, and that there will be a holy emulation amongst us, who shall most debase man and exalt the Lord Jesus. Nothing but the doctrines of the Reformation can do this. All others leave freewill in man and make him, in part at least a saviour to himself. My soul, come not thou near the secret of those who teach such things...I know Christ is all in all. Man is nothing: he hath a free will to go to hell, but none to go to heaven, till God worketh in him to will and to do his good pleasure.
Oh , the excellency of the doctrine of election and of the saints' final perseverance! I am persuaded, till a man comes to believe and feel these important truths, he cannot come out of himself, but when convinced of these and assured of their application to his own heart. He then walks by faith indeed! (Dallimore, p.407)
It is no novelty, then ,that I am preaching; no new doctrine. I love to proclaim these strong old doctrines, that are called by nickname Calvinism, but which are surely and verily the revealed truth of God as it is in Christ Jesus. By this truth I make a pilgrimage into the past , and as I go, I see father after father, confessor after confessor, martyr after martyr, standing up to shake hands with me... Taking these things to be the standard of my faith, I see the land of ancients peopled with my brethren; I behold multitudes who confess the same as I do, and acknowledge that this the religion of God's own church. (Charles Haddon Spurgeon, "Election", The Metropolitan Tabernacle)
One great hardy Amen! My personal testimony is similar to George Whitfield. That is I did not read any Calvin or Calvinist literature before I believed in the doctrines of grace. By God's amazing grace I have always believed them. To no credit of my own, but to God alone.
I turned the TV on the other day and "The little House on the prairie " was on, I haven't watch it in years, so I sat, and decided to watch it. I missed the first part of the show , but one of the characters dies, and Charles tries to comfort Edwards, who lost his wife. Edwards gets mad at God, and was asking, why God ? Why did you let my wife die? Then Charles speaks up, and said, somethings just happen, no reason, they just happen. Boy, aint that comforting, and God glorifying? A THOUSAND TIMES ...NO! I was struck by the fact that I grew up on that show, I grew up in a non reformed upbringing. No one in my family is reformed. They don't even know what that means. They don't know, like so many Christians what the doctrines of grace are. They could not tell you much about the reformation. So, I am amazed why God chose me, in spite of the environment I grew up in. Amazing grace
posted by Daniel Mann at 2:49 AM
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