It Is Well With My Soul

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

Refrain

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Refrain

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

Refrain

But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!
Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!

Refrain

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Refrain

--Horatio G. Spafford, 1873

Baxter- Poetical Fragments

When in thy Word I read Love's Mysteries;
There I would sweetly feed my greedy eyes.
Each Sacrament should be an Eucharist: (twist.
There Heart with Heart, & Love with Love should
My friends and I would in our daily walk
Of love's Delights and Entertainment talk:
My working Love should others Love excite:
In Love I'd be a Burning Shining Light.
Love through the Lantern of my flesh should shine:
Who heard me speak, should hear that I am Thine:
Remembering that in Love I must be made
Equal to Angels; I would learn their Trade:
Yea I would reach up to a higher shelf;
And as my Copy, look to Christ himself:

Love's word I'd do with my
diligence, (Mar. 3.20.21)
Though men should think I were
beside my sense. (2 Cor. 5.13)

My daily Love should rise before the Sun,
And it in speed and constancy out run:
Love as my life should fill up all my daise;
Desire should be my Pulse; my Breath thy Praise.
And I would winde up all the strings as high,
As Blessed Paul was in his Ecstasy.
Heav'nly Love should all my words indite,
And be the soul and sense of all I write:
My heart of Love's Delights should sweetly think,
I'd write with flaming fire instead of ink:

And yet thy holy Day should be my Best,
In it my thirsty Soul should taste of Rest;
My daily food should increase to a Feast.
O my Dear God! how precious is thy Love?
O could I mount thus to the Flames above?

These are Love's pantings after thee, my God!
Though, with my Soul, imprisoned in a clod!
My Soul and Love shall shortly be set free;
And then my Soul, my Love shall feast on Thee.
If thou wouldft grant the very thing I crave,
And give me leave to chuse what I would have;
Should it be lusts, or Sports, or Fleshly pleasure?
Should it be Lordly Rule, or Earthly Treasure?
No; I could gladly leave this Dirt to Swine,
And let the World be theirs, if Thou be mine!
I would not thirst to taste of their Delight.
If lively Faith might see the blessed Sight!
I would not be ambitious of a Throne!
I could have full content in God alone.
For mens Esteem and Praise I would not care:
All other Wit and Knowledge I could spare:
To Know and Love my God should be my choice:
Give me but This, and how shall I rejoice?
Under my hand, Lord, This is it I choose:
O give me this, whatever else I lose!
If there no spark of Love in this Desire?
When a poor Soul doth unto Thee aspire?
To Know and Love thee is my thirst and strive:
Nothing more makes me weary of my life,

Than that I feel no more the heav'nly Fire,
But look and reach, and yet can reach no higher.
Here lyes my pain! This is my daily sore:
I hate my Heart for loving God no more.
Do I not Love Thee, when I Love to Love Thee?
And when I set up nothing else above Thee?
Next GOD himself, who is my END & REST,
Love which stands next Thee, I esteem my Best,
And Loving God shall be my endless Feast.
O my Dear God! how precious is thy Love?
These are thy Earnests of the Life above.

--19-21

A Garden of Spiritual Flowers

- William Perkins (image #60)

A Prayer to be Said Before the Public Exercise Begins

O Most mighty and eternal God, before whose presence together with the rest of this congregation, I vile and sinful wretch, at this time do present my self to hear Thy holy Word, and to offer up the sacrifice of prayer and thanksgiving unto Thee: bless (I beseech Thee) this our meeting, sanctify and prepare m heart, that it may be apt and fit for this exercise which now we have in hand: inflame my heart with zeal, and teach me how to open mine ears, that I may understand that which shall at this time out of Thy holy Word be taught unto me. Take from me all wandering and by-thoughts; and grant that now and ever, I may bear Thy Word effectually, and pray unto Thee sincerely, through Jesus Christ.

The Puritans on PRIDE

"One of our most heinous and palable sins is PRIDE. This is a sin that hath too much interest in the best of us, but which is more hateful and inexcusable in us than in other men. Yet is it so prevelant in some of us, that it inditeth our discourses, it chooseth our company, it formeth our countenances, it putteth the accent and emphasis upon our words. ...But, alas! how frequently doth it go with us to our study, and there sit with us and do our work! ...God commandeth is to be as plain as we can, that we may inform the ignorant; and as convincing and serious as we are able, that we may melt and change their hardended hearts. p.137 The Reformed Pastor

...In short, the sum of all is this, it maketh men, both in studying and preaching , to seek themelves, and deny God, when they should seek God's glory, and deny themselves. When they should inquire, what shall I say, and how shall I say it, to please God best, and do most good? it makes them ask, What shall I say, and how shall I deliver it, to be thought a learned able preacher, and to be applauded by all that hear me? p.138

..and while we cry down papal infallibility, too many of us would be popes ourselves, and have all stand to our determination, as if we were infallible. p.140

The matter is come to pass, through our pride, that if an error or fallacious argument do fall under the patronage of a reverend name, (which is nothing rare,) we must either allow it the victory, and give away the truth, or else become injurious to that name that doth patronize it; for though you meddle not with their persons, yet do they put themselves under all the strokes which you give their arguments; and feel them as sensibly as if you had spoken of themselves, because they think it will follow in the eyes of others, that weak arguing is a sign of a weak man. If, therefore, you consider it your duty to shame their errors and false reasonings, by discovering their nakedness, they take it as if you shamed their persons; and so their names must be a garrison or fortress to their mistakes, and their reverence must defend all their sayings from attack. p.141

Wisdom from the Puritans

"We must avoid the common confusion of speaking of those who make no difference between verbal and real errors, and hate that 'madness formerly among theologians,' who tear their brethren as heretics, before they understand them. An dwe must learn to see the true state of controversies, and reduce them to the very point where the difference lieth, and not make them seem greater than they are. Instead of quarreling with our brethren, we must combine against the common adversaries; and all ministers must associate and hold communion, and correspondence, and constant meetings to these ends; and smaller differences of judgment are not to interrupt them. They must do as much as the work of God, in unity and concord, as they can, which is the use of synods; not to rule over one another, and make laws, but to avoid misunderstandings, and consult for mutual edification, and maintain love and communion, and go on unanimously in the work that God hath already commanded us. Had the ministers of the gospel been men of peace, and of catholic, rather than factious spirits, the Church of Christ had not been in the case it now is. The nations of Lutherans and Calvinists abroad, and the differing parties here at home, would not have been plotting the subversion of one another, nor remain at that distance, and in that uncharitable bitterness, nor strengthen the common enemy, and hinder the building and prosperity of the Church as they have done. "
-The Reformed Paster p.124

The Reformed Pastor

"Your study of physics and other sciences is not worth a rush, if it be not God that you seek after in them. To see and admire, to reverence and adore, to love and delight in God, as exhibited in his works- this is the true and only philosophy; the contrary is mere foolery, and is so called again and again by God himself. This is the sanctification of your studies, when they are devoted to God, and when he is the end, the object, and the life of them all."
-The Reformed Pastor p.58 by Richard Baxter

" 'Some desire to know merely for the sake of knowing, and that is shameful curiosity. Some desire to know that they may sell their knowledge, and that too is shameful. Some desire to know for reputations sake, and that is shameful vanity. But there are some who desire to know that they may edify others, and that is praiseworthy; and there are some who desire to know that they themselves may be edified, and that is wise.' "
-p.112

"The strength of Christians is the honor of the Church. When they are inflamed with the love of God, and live by a lively working faith, and set light by the profits and honors of the world, and love one another with a pure heart fervently, and can bear and heartily forgive wrong, and suffer joyfully for the cause of Christ, and study to do good, and walk inoffensively and harmlessly in the world, are ready to be servants to all men for their good, becoming all things to all men in order to win them to Christ, and yet abstaining from the apprearence of evil, and seasoning all their actions with a sweet mixture of prudence, humility, zeal, and heavenly mindedness- oh, what an honor are such to their profession! What an ornament to the Church; and how serviceable to God and man! Men would sooner believe that the gospel is from heaven, if they saw more such efforts of it upon the hearts and lives of those who profess it. The world is better able to read the nature of religion in a man's life than in the Bible. 'They that obey not the word, may be won by the conversation' of such as are thus eminent for godliness. It is, therefore, a most important part of our work, to labour more in the polishing and perfecting of the saints, that they may be strong in the Lord, and fitting for their Master's service."
-p.98

Politically Correct Bedtime Stories

These stories crack me up :)

"Hello, Cinderella, I am your fairy godperson, or individual deity proxy, if you prefer. So, you want to go to the ball, eh? And bind yourself into the male concept of beauty? Squeeze into some tight -fitting dress that will cut off your circulation? Jam your feet into high-heeled shoes that will ruin your bone structure? Paint your face with chemicals and makeup that have been tested on nonhuman nanimals? ...

The prince has made it clear to his friends that he was intent on 'possessing' the young wommon. But the prince's resolutness angered his pals, for they too lusted after her and wanted to own her. The men began to shout and push each other. ...

The womyn were appalled by this vicious display of testosterone, but try as they might, they were unable to separate the combatants. To the other womyn, it seemed that Cinderella was the cause of all the trouble, so they encircled her and began to display very unsisterly hostility. She tried to escape, but her impractical glass slippers made it nearly impossible. Fortunately for her, none of the other womyn were shod any better.

...When the bell rang the twelfth time, Cinderella's beautiful gown and slippers disappeared, and she was dressed once again in her peasant's rags. ...

Freed from the confinements of her gown and slippers, Cinderella sighed and scratched her ribs. She smiled, closed her eyes and said, 'Kill me now if you want, sisters, but at least I'll die in comfort.' ...

The womyn clucked their tongues but felt no remorse. The palace and realm were theirs now. Their first official act was to dress the men in their discarded dresses and tell the media that the fight arose when someone threatened to expose the crossdressing tendencies of the prince and his cronies. Their second was to set up a clothing co-op that produced only comfortable, practical clothes for womyn. Then they hung a sign on the castle advertising CinderWear (for that was what the new clothing was called), and through self-determination and clever marheting, they all-- even the mother- and sisters-of-step --lived happily ever after."

--"Politically Correct Bedtime Stories" by James Finn Garner