Denial

Posted on May 15, 2008
Filed Under Ponderizations | Leave a Comment

It never fails to amaze me how many people who have messed up royally in relationships, are in denial of some sort. Sometimes you would swear if listening to their perspective of it, that they are the innocent parties in it all. And yet when you hear the other side, and often you hear person after person supporting each other in what the miscreant who sees themselves as the victim in it all, you know that the bleeding heart, and victim complex they have put out, is nothing but sinful blindness, or deliberate lies or selective memory.

I saw one real life case such as this yesterday on TV. Obviously factual. A mother who has been estranged from her daughters for twenty years, who had left them when they were babies. Blamed her sister, and everyone else, yet the truth was, she preferred fornicating with any man that came along rather than taking care of her children. She threw one of her babies across the room, when it was tiny, yet claimed she couldn’t remember. She left her also at eighteen months old, sat on a suitcase in a car park, with all the childs clothes in the suitcase and walked off and left her there. Again, she claimed she couldn’t remember, and blamed post natal depression was the reason. At 18 months old that takes a lot of swallowing, and even if it was, she should have gotten the help she needed instead of so badly damaging her children. Her sister, her own mother, who had taken her granchildren in, and cared for them, all testified against her, and all said the same things were true. Yet this woman, who was the biological mother, sat on the stage blaming everyone else. She was real plausible with the things she said. Everything she said appealed to most peoples natural predjudices so would alreayd be against things like that. Yet even so, the evidence and testimony of multiple family members of hers, that all said the same thing, all said liar about her version of events.

But she could go off home, still without any relationship with her daughters because they didn’t want to knwo her, they are adults now. And she could tell any, Tom, Dick or Harry the same story she told on the show, and if those folks had not seen the show, they would have no reason to think she was lying or decieving. They would probably buy it hook line and sinker, and the real victims of her actions, would be the ones who in her circles were thought to be the bad guys.

Justice can seem to be very unfair sometimes. It’s a good job we have the next world, to know that Justice is dealt out in due time, and God does deal with everyone, eithe rthis life or the next, in one way or another. She could spin her version of events to her circles she now has, and they would feel pity and sympathy for her no doubt. Even though there is not one shred of truth to it, as was clearly demonstrated by her own family. She can even decieve herself and choose to think how she sees it is the truth. Yet we all face the Supreme Judge at some time, and all deceptions whether to self or others, will have to be accounted for. But, in this world, in scenarios such as these, life can and does often seem very unfair and unjust. The perpetrator of a “crime” becomes the ‘victim’ while the real ‘victim’ is the one who will often be blamed and thought poorly of.

British Stoicism

Posted on May 12, 2008
Filed Under Ponderizations, Spurgeon, Video | 3 Comments

The Brits are known for being stoics. And that used to be true, and some, a minority still are. However, not in the vein that we were fifty or sixty years ago. The second world war I think brought out much of the “stiff upper lip” and stoicism that the British population are generally known for.

When I think about folks like Charles Spurgeon for instance: Most of his ministerial life, he was severely afflicted. Himself he suffered with gout, rheumatic disease, Brights Disease, (kidney inflammation) and severe melancholia or depression. At aged 33 his beloved wife Susannah also became an invalid and was more or less house-bound from that time on. Something to do with her female reproductive system. Yet, while all the above was going on, Spurgeon on a weekly basis, week in and week out, year in and year out, was carrying a work load that would put ANY Chrisitan to shame these days. He preached three times a week, and prepared his sermons meticulously. He was heavily involved with the orphanage he was once in. He answered five hundred letters a week, from people seeking his advice and counsel. He was also called on almost constantly by other ministers in his area, to help them solve problems. He wrote voluminously, as anyone looking at his works can see; He read six weighty theological books per week on average, and read them so thoroughly that he could quote most parts of what he read and tell you what chapter or page it was from of which book. He also had the Sword and the Trowel and was faced with many a controversy to deal with, plus any pastors normal pastoral duties that would be upon him. Births, marriages, deaths, visiting the sick etc. And all that, while suffering, gout, rheumatic disease, kidney inflammation and severe depression, and an invalid wife to boot, who he cherished no matter her inability. Dont we seem wimps by comparison, when you hear of Christians complaining of their workload today?

But, to get back to the point, the Brits are no more a nation of stoics it seems to me, these days than any other nation. Apart from the few. We have a thing here, which we women refer to as “man flu” A man will say he has the flu, a woman would pass it off as a slight cold and just get on with things. And though this video clips is a parody and meant to amuse its in some ways very accurate of this “man flu”; yet in Spurgeon’s day the stoicism that the Brits were known for, would not have left room for this phenomena. Yet its everywhere today, from the old, to the young to the in-between. And I am not intending to slate men, in a generalized way; I know the same as anything else, there will always be the exceptions. Yet in actual life, I have never known any man who does not  suffer from this “man flu” while women remain much more stoic in soem respects, and if they have a cold will just get on with things, while the men who seem to have a wife because they need mothering rather than the Biblical husband as the head, as Christ is the head of the Church, and so if ill, they become like small children. This is a big topic and something I may come back to at some point, as its all around us, everywhere it seems, where Biblical ideals, as far as being lived out are the exception rather than the norm. And as far as the Brits being a nation of stoics, Spurgeon was a Stoic with the above workload with the above afflictions in his life. And we as Christians today should feel ashamed at what we complain of, or act as if we are dying over the smallest ill health. From a nation of Stoics we have gone to something like the below!

WPvideo 1.10
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Delighting in coming unto God

Posted on May 11, 2008
Filed Under John Owen, Quotes | 2 Comments


What do men come to hear the Word of God for? What do they pray for? What do they expect to receive from him? Do they come unto God as the eternal fountain of living waters? As the God of all Grace, peace and consolation? Or do they come unto his worship without any design as unto a dry and empty show?…Or do they think they bring something unto God, but recieve nothing from him?…To receive anything from him they expect not, nor do they ever examine themselves whether they have done so or no?…It is not for persons who walk in such ways, ever to attain a due delight in the ordinances of divine worship.  [John Owen]

Samuel Rutherford’s Epitaph

Posted on May 11, 2008
Filed Under Covenanting & Covenanters | Leave a Comment

On his gravestone:

What tongue, what pen, or skill of men
Can famous Rutherford commend!
His learning justly rais’d his fame
True goodness did adorn his name.
He did converse with things above,
Acquainted with Immanuel’s love.
Most orthodox he was and sound,
And many errors did confound.
For Zion’s King, and Zion’s cause,
And Scotland’s covenanted laws,
Most constantly he did contend,
Until his time was at an end.
At last he won to full fruition
Of that which he had seen in vision.

The voice of puritanism

Posted on May 9, 2008
Filed Under Ponderizations | Leave a Comment

Any long term readers of my blog, who know my of my love and admiration fo the principles and Biblical teachings lived and taught by the puritans and scots covenanters,  then please consider joining my “Pure Geneva Discourse” forum, which is a vbulletin forum, and does not have the same forum problems that yahoo and MSN do, apart from wn incompetent modertor I dare say going amiss at times.  The puritans still have much to teach us in our day and age I believe,  in fact I beleiver their teachings are more relevant today than ever in recent history, because of the wordly, lustful tempting days we live in.   The forum isn;t quite officially properly opened yet, yet it is open to posting to get things started. So, please consider joining.

The biblezine for the too busy to read Scripture

Posted on May 4, 2008
Filed Under Ponderizations | 4 Comments

Or as one reviewer of it said, people who want to incomporate God’s Word into their lives (Which denotes Christians) without consistently reading the Bible!

Now delving into the depths of New Testament teachings is as easy as enjoying your favorite magazine! This “Biblezine” is brimming with practical insights to apply your faith to everyday life.Easy-reading NCV text * Relevant articles on health, relationships, money, family, and more * Size: 8″ x 10.75″ x .5″ * 400 pages, softcover from Nelson

Ever wish your Bible was as easy to pick up as your favorite magazine? Now there’s a new BibleZine™ created with today’s modern guy in mind. With an edgy, techno-savvy style and content that makes Biblical truth fresh and relevant, it might just make Bible reading the best part of your day. By putting one of the most readable versions of the Bible, the New Century Version®, together with articles about the topics you face everyday, we’ve created a ’zine that will help you get deeper in the Bible, find out what God has to say for your life, and grow in your faith.

We Must have easy faith and easy believism today! Yet was Christ’s cross anything but easy? And when that is all we desire of our lives as Christiansl, isn’t it spitting on the blood of Calvary, and crucifying our Lord anew?

Read a sample from Matthe here, from the publication; any God fearing Christian will soon see what is wrong with it!

The agony of redemption

Posted on May 3, 2008
Filed Under Quotes | Leave a Comment

Oh, to have watched Thee through the vineyards wander,
Pluck the ripe ears and into evening roam,
Followed and known that in the twilight yonder
Legions of angels shone about Thy home.

Ah, with what bitter triumph had I seen them,
Drops of Redemption bleeding from Thy brow,
Thieves and a culprit crucified between them,
All men forsaking Him, and that was Thou. [Oswald Chambers: The Shadow of an Agony.]

Being immovable in our beliefs

Posted on May 2, 2008
Filed Under Puritanism | 1 Comment

He was…[a man foursquare],
immoveable in all times, so they
who in the midst of many opinions
have lost the view of true religion,
may return to him and there find it. [John Geree]

The Character of
and Old English Puritane,
or Nonconformist

The pride of modern Calvinism, the humililty of Puritanism

Posted on May 2, 2008
Filed Under Puritanism, Your so vain-you probably think this post is about you | 2 Comments

Who were Puritans?

Many Christians today still love and read the vast volumes written by the Puritans. Many people today will use the term Puritan about themselves; yet often, when looking at their beliefs, their lives, their values, and last, but by no means least, the way they do or don’t apply Scripture to their lives day-to-day, or where it is on their richter scale of priorities, they have no claim to the name Puritan, and by the examples they give in the ways above, seen very ignorant or unlearned of exactly who or what the Puritans were for them to even take the name to themselves, it is one of my pet peeves, or treading on my blue Suede shoes, when this lack of knowledge about exactly who the Puritans were while claiming the name to themselves, often does more to harm and damage to the reputation of the Puritans, which cost many of them their lives and their cost doesn’t deserve such callous carless handling by such misreprensentaions, and in general it also does much harm to reformation principals in general. John Knox is said to have described Puritanism as: Reformation without tarrying for any .” they needed no man to tell them how to live their lives as Christians, they needed purely and only the word of God to guide them.

The Puritans strangely were not all Calvinistic. The name itself has nothing to do with a doctrinal system or denomination. Many people would call Richard Baxter a confused Arminian, yet his labours and work lives on in his writings, and no one I know who speaks of him thinks of him as anything less than a great man of God despite his erroneous views on Justification-yet Calvinism today seems to be often used and held up very proudly as a badge of honour, as if just proclaiming oneself Calvinistic is all one needs to do to suggest oneself, as a superior stripe of Christian, yet even among professing Calvinists, much ignorant prevails, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the Calvinist denominations encourages more tares amongst the wheat than other denominations because of the pride associated with being one in very many cases. It seems likely that this will breed one sort of people who opt to profess outwardly with little to no inward or heart change that other less controversial and without the history attached to them that Calvinists have, other denominations wouldn’t have the same pulling power as they wouldn’t seem to have the same badge of honour to wear proudly as some so obviously do.. Those Puritans such as Richard Baxter who did have some unorthodox doctrinal beliefs, is still head and shoulders taller, then many who may have all their Calvinistic theological ducks all lined up in a row. Knowledge is one thing in our head, but only heart knowledge and heart change turns it into real knowledge of wisdom and understanding. Calvinism at it’s core should give no room for pride as by its very essence and nature it’s a doctrinal system of humiliation, that makes for humble and meek, men and women, and that is what the Puritans were, whether Calvinistic or not.

So, exactly who were these men and women we today call the Puritans?

T were purifying and reforming the whole of their lives; they were zealous for God and his glory at every turn; and in doing this they saw the planks in their own eyes, before seeing the failings and planks in others eyes.. The Scripture was the whole rule in life and practice. Where matters of worship were concerned, anything not commanded directly in Scripture was in their eyes forbidden, and practising anything outside of Scripture was nothing less than idolatry when it came to the act of worshipping God.

They aimed at piety in every aspect of their lives, not just in public, or in the pulpit, or when out and about, but in every aspect of their private lives. They believed the home should be made by the husband-and-wife into a family church. Yet, they were not austere or unloving quite the opposite is true. The husband as the head of the house, loved and nurtured and cared for his wife as Christ cares for his church. They were full of the love of God. They lived disciplined lives, everything was in moderation and with temperance, and only by being so, could it be to the glory of God. Whether eating, drinking, sleeping, recreation, everything was subordinate to the Scripture in carrying out these activities, so that they didn’t overindulge and their consciences remained clean. Keeping a clear conscience was of utmost import to the Puritans.

Their children were reared with great respect for their parents and taught the scriptures and the catachisms from very early ages. One one of the Puritans is said to have never spoken a word, never taken part in any activity, with his children, without talking a word of Christ to them also. Whether talking or wrestling with them, he still spoke of Christ to them.

The things that mattered to the Puritans, while often pass us by today, as we deem them insignificant and irrelevant, yet those issues are no less relevant to us in our day and age, may be in fact more relevant, because we live in a very different world to that of the Puritans and pilgrims, yet the word of the Lord is immutable and if something was right then, it cannot now be untrue for us without saying by implication that if it’s not true for us, then the Lord and his word is both changeable and not eternal and infinite-May it never be!

If you look through such books as Richard Baxter’s the Christian directory, you will see some of the questions that were on the minds and hearts of the Puritans

These are just a few of the subjects Baxter covered in his practical writings: Is anyone of these subjects NOT relevant to us today?

Chapter I: Directions to Unconverted, Graceless Sinners, For the Attainment of Saving Grace

Chapter II: Directions to Weak Christians for Their Establishment and Growth

Chapter III: The General Grand Directions for Walking with God, in a Life of Faith and Holiness: containing the Essentials of Godliness and Christianity

Chapter IV: Subordinate Directions Against the Great Sins Most Directly Contrary to Godliness

Chapter V: Further Subordinate Directions for the Next Great Duties of Religion; Necessary to the Right Peformance of the Grand Duties

Chapter VI: Directions for the Government of the Thoughts

Chapter VII: Directions for the Government of the Passions

Chapter VIII: Directions for the Government of the Senses

Chapter IX: Directions for the Government of the Tongue

Chapter X: Directions for the Government of the Body

Part II: Christian Economics

Chapter I: Directions about marriage; for choice and contract

Chapter II: Directions for the choice of 1. Servants, 2. Masters

Chapter III: Disputation, Whether the Solemn Worhsip of God in and by Families as such, Be of Divine Appointment

Chapter IV: General Directions for the Holy Government of Families

Chapter V: Special Motives to Persuade Men to the Holy Government of their Families

Chapter VI: Motives for a Holy and Careful Education of Children

Chapter VII: The Mutual Duties of Husbands and Wives Towards Each Other

Chapter VIII: Special Duties of Husbands to their Wives

Chapter IX: The Special Duties of Wives to Their Husbands

Chapter X: The Duties of Parents for Their Children

Chapter XI: The Duties of Children Towards Their Parents

Chapter XII: The Special Duties of Children and Youth Towards God

Chapter XIII: The Duties of Servants to Their Masters

Chapter XIV: The Duty of Masters Towards Their Servants

Chapter XV: The Duties of Children and Fellow-servants to One Another

Chapter XVI: Directions for Holy Conference of Fellow-servants and Others

Chapter XVII: Directions for every member of the Family

Chapter XVIII: Directions for the Holy Spending of the Lord’s Day in Families

Chapter XIX: Directions for Profitable Hearing God’s Word Preached

Chapter XX: Directions for Profitble Reading the Holy Scriptures

Chapter XXI: Directions for Reading Other Books

Chapter XXII: Directions for Right Teaching Children and Servants

Chapter XXIII: Directions for Prayers in General

Chapter XXIV: Directions for Families About the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper

Chapter XXV: Directions for Fearful, Troubled Christians

Chapter XXVI: Directions for Declining, Backsliding Christians

Chapter XXVII: Directions for the Poor

Chapter XXVIII: Directions for the Rich

Chapter XXIX: Directions for the Aged and Weak

Chapter XXX: Directions for the Sick

Chapter XXXI: Directions to the Friends of the Sick

Part III: Christian Ecclesiastics

Chapter I: Of the Worship of God in General

Chapter II: Directions About the Manner of Worship

Chapter III: Directions About the Christian Covenant with God

Chapter IV: Directions About the Profession of our Religion

Chapter V: Directions About Vows and particular Covenants with God

Chapter VI: Directions to the People concerning Their Internal and Private Duty to Their Pastors

Chapter VII: Directions for the Discovery of Truth Among Contenders

Chapter VIII: Directions for the Union of Communion of Saints

Chapter IX: Twenty Directions how to Worship God

Chapter X: Directions about our Communion with Holy Souls Departed

Chapter XI: Directions about our Communion with the Holy Angels

Ecclesiastical Cases of Conscience

Part III: Christian Politics

Chapter I: General Directions for an Upright Life

Chapter II: General Directions for an Upright Life

Directions to subjects concerning their duty to rulers

Chapter IV: Directions to Lawyers about their Duty to God

Chapter V: The Duty of Physicians

Chapter VI: Directions to Schoolmasters

Chapter VII: Directions for Soldiers

VIII: Directions Against Murder

Chapter IX: Directions for the Forgiving of Injuries and Enemies

Chapter X: Cases Resolved about Forgiving Wrongs, Debts, and About Self Defence

Chapter XI: Special Directions to Escape the Guilt of Persecution

Chapter XII: Directions Against Scandal Given

Chapter XIII: Directions against Scandal Taken

Chapter XIV: Directions Against Soul-Murder

Chapter XV: General Directions for Furthering Salvation

Chapter XVI: Special Directions for Holy Conference, Exhortation, and Reproof

Chapter XVII: Directions for Keeping Peace with All Men

Chapter XVIII: Direcections Against all Theft, Fraud, or Injuries

Chapter XIX: General Directions and Particular cases of Conscience

Chaper XX: Motives and Directions against Opression

Chapter XXI: Cases and Directions about Prodigality and Sinful Waste

Chapter XXII: Cases and Directions against Injurious Lawsuits, Witnessing, and Judgment

Chapter XXIII: Cases of Conscience and Directions against Backbiting, Slandering, and Evil Speaking

Chapter XXIV: Cases of and Directions Against Censoriousness, and Sinful Judging

Chapter XXV: Cases and Directions About Trusts and Secrets

Chapter XXVI: Directions Against Selfishness

Chapter XXVII: Cases and Directions for Loving Our Neighbors as Our Selves

Chapter XXVIII: Cases of, and Directions for, the Love of Godly Persons

Chapter XXIX: Cases and Directions for Loving Enemies and Doing Them Good

Chapter XXX: Cases and Directions about Works of Charity

Chapter XXXI: Cases and Directions about Confesing Sins and Injuries to Others

Chapter XXXII: Cases and Directions about Satisfaction and Restitution

Chapter XXXIII: Cases and Directions about Our Obtaining Pardon from God

Chapter XXXIV: Cases and Directions About Self-Judging

And many more were covered in his mammoth work a Christian directory. You see, Baxter at heart, was a confused Arminian, in many ways, yet he was a Puritan and a force to be reckoned with, and his name has stood the test of time. Calvinism is a system of doctrine that I believe is true, and that I believe Baxter had some of it wrong. Yet the Christian life is about far more than doctrine, or theology, its about being living Bibles in the way we lives our lives, and the Word of the Lord coming first in every single thing we do every second that we are alive. Good doctrine is important of course, yet the Christian life is far more than that, and these men and women, the puritans, embodied what it should be.

Sometimes one hears the Puritans being referred to as Phariseecal, and considering they were all fallen men that has to be true in some cases just like its true of you and I , I daresay on some issues. Yet those who do say that should properly practise what the Puritans taught and practiced themselves first getting the plank out of their own eye, to let go of their pride, and to learn as those men and women did in much more dangerous times to do so than the most now, to put the word of the Lord above anything else, and that we are mostly just spiritual midgets compared with the puritans, and its often only another side of the same coin, of the pride that Calvinism today has attached to it, that makes us think we know better, when our lives and practices prove over and over again, that we don’t.

Purveyor of deep theological thought

Posted on April 30, 2008
Filed Under Fun | 1 Comment

Poppy of course!

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