with Introduction and End Notes by Shaun Willcock, Bible Based Ministries
[Introduction by Shaun Willcock, Bible Based Ministries:
This article was written by J.C. Philpot in 1857 in response to the request of a reader of the magazine he edited – decades before the ‘Revised Version’, the first major new Bible version in English, based upon a very corrupt Greek New Testament text, was produced in 1881. Prior to that date, virtually all English-speaking Christians the world over used only one version of the Scriptures: that known as the Authorised, or King James Version. But from 1881 until today, the English-speaking world has been flooded with modern versions, each one worse than the one before, so that the very situation which Philpot dreaded has indeed come to pass. The reasons, then, that Philpot gave for rejecting a revision of the Authorised version are even more applicable today than they were then. The King James Version is an utterly faithful and accurate version of the Holy Scriptures in English and there is no need to desire another. No version produced since 1611 has ever equalled it, and we firmly believe that none ever will, in the time left before the Lord’s second coming.]
THE SINNER DIRECTED TO THE SAVIOUR An Extract from John Flavel
“Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
John 1:29
These are the words of John the Baptist; and they were spoken in consequence of the question which was asked of him by the Jews, “Who art thou?” The humble prophet confessed, “I am not the Christ;” and on the next day, seeing Jesus coming to him, he exclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
If I can but get the ear of the King, I am fully assured “all is well”. No matter what the difficulty, trial, care or perplexity, the true breathing God-ward of prayer in the heart is sure evidence of success in the court of heaven. We can set our seal that the testimony given by the Apostle John is true: “If weknow that He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petition that we desire ofHim”.
Tell me where you lost the company of Christ, and I will tell you the most likely place to find Him. Have you lost Christ in the closet by restraining prayer? Then it is there you must seek and find Him. Did you lose Christ by sin? You will find Christ in no other way but by the giving up of the sin, and seeking by the Holy Spirit to mortify the member in which the lust doth dwell. Did you lose Christ by neglecting the Scriptures? You must find Christ in the Scriptures. It is a true proverb, “Look for a thing where you dropped it, it is there.” So look for Christ where you lost Him, for He has not gone away. But it is hard work to go back for Christ. Bunyan tells us, the pilgrim found the piece of the road back to the Arbour of Ease, where he lost his roll, the hardest he had ever travelled. Twenty miles onward is easier than to go one mile back for the lost evidence.
The blessed Spirit is pleased sometimes to give some testimony concerning Jesus; to open up some passage of Scripture which speaks of Jesus; to cast a divine light before the astonished eyes; and to throw some of the blessed beams of gospel truth into our souls; whereby we see Jesus. We are brought sometimes in soul feeling to the desires of those Greeks who came up to worship at the feast, and went to Philip, saying, “Sir, we would see Jesus,” and from some apprehension of His beauty and loveliness, we pour out our soul before God, and say, “We would see Jesus.” We want to feel his love; to have our eyes anointed to behold His glory; to look upon Him as crucified for us and bearing our sins in His own body on the tree; that we may have a sweet and blessed fellowship with Him as our suffering Surety, and thus, by faith, enter into the length and breadth and depth and height of that love of His “that passeth knowledge.” Wherever there is a work of grace upon the soul, there will be this pining after Christ.
“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth” (Romans 10:4).
The obedience required by the Law, He has given; the satisfaction for sin, which it demanded, He has presented on behalf of His Church and people. Each one is brought by the Holy Ghost to confess: “In the Lord have I righteousness and strength,”Isaiah 45:24.
The Word declares, for the comfort of all who hunger and thirst after righteousness, “In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory,” Isaiah 45:25.
The Annual General Meeting of Christian Watch was held this year on Friday, 3rd October, 2014 at Tamworth Road Baptist Church, Croydon at 7.30 p.m. This was the first time that the meeting had been held in the Croydon area and it was good to share fellowship with both old friends and new and to meet with the Lord’s people who attend the Church week by week.
The meeting opened with prayer and an introduction to Christian Watch by the Vice-Chairman, Ian Henderson, who outlined the reason for the existence of Christian Watch and the need to stand four-square for the truths of the Gospel. With the continuing decline in so many Churches, he emphasised the need to ‘stand in the breach’ and keep faithful to the old-fashioned Gospel message of repentance and salvation.
Outlining some of the major developments in our society today, Mr. Henderson referred to the promotion of same-sex ‘marriage’; the continuing desecration of the Lord’s Day; ecumenism – with all its links with a range of false religions; the growth and general acceptance of gay rights and the depravity that can be witnessed in all our major cities as a result of the Gay Pride parades; the introduction of women clergy and women Bishops and the constant threat to introduce Constitutional changes in our land. But, in spite of all these things, the Christian’s rest and trust is in a Sovereign God – and His Word has not changed one iota. God is still on the throne – and He maintains the same attributes today as He ever has – attributes of holiness, righteousness, justice and sin-hating.
This is a great thing to say, my soul: on what foundation dost thou rest this knowledge? If the Lord Jesus hath opened thine eyes, then indeed thou canst not but discover thy former blindness; for during that state of nature thou literally couldst discern nothing. And if thy former blindness be discovered, then thy present sight hath brought thee acquainted with new objects. Pause over the review of both this morning. The blindness of nature to spiritual things is marked in Scripture in strong characters. A poor blind sinner sees nothing of the light of life. The Sun of Righteousness is not risen upon him. He discerns nothing of the love of God in Christ. If he reads the Scripture, the vail is upon his heart. If he hears of Jesus, he sees no beauty in Him. Nothing is nearer to him than the Lord, and nothing further from his thoughts.
“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10
It is strange what unusual places Christ finds some of his people in! I knew one of Christ’s sheep who was found out by his Master while committing robbery. I knew another who was found out by Christ, while he was spiting his old mother by reading the Sunday newspaper and making fun of her. Many have been found by Jesus Christ, even in the midst of sin and vanity. I knew a preacher of the gospel who was converted in a theatre. He was listening to a play, an old-fashioned piece which ended with a sailor drinking a glass of gin before he was hung, and he said, “Here’s to the prosperity of the British nation and the salvation of my immortal soul;” and down went the curtain; and down went my friend too, for he ran home with all his might.
It is greatly to be feared that there are multitudes in Christendom who verily imagine and sincerely believe that they are among the saved, yet who are total strangers to a work of Divine grace in their hearts.
It is one thing to have clear intellectual conceptions of God’s truth; it is quite another matter to have a personal, real heart acquaintance with it.
