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Christ Only
Manchester, August 14, 1834 Dear Brother in Jesus, the Lord of Zion,—I wish to have nothing to do with party spirit; but I cannot, I dare not, sacrifice truth and a good conscience; and I hope no one will wish me to do so. Through the matchless riches of God's grace, I have been taught a little of the glorious importance of divine truth in all its bearings; and as far as I know my own heart, I had rather die than shrink back from the truth of God. The Lord keep me! When I visit you I wish to know nothing among you but Christ and his cross, as couching in it all the glorious gospel of God from the springhead of electing love,…
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Our Schoolmaster
“The law is our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ.” So it reads; but if you will refer to your Bibles you will see the words “to bring us” are in italics, showing that they are not in the original. “The law worketh wrath,” therefore cannot bring us to Christ. It rushes up to a man, if I may so speak, takes him by the throat, and says, “Pay me what thou owest!” And the poor quickened sinner thinks he will; but the more he strives the deeper in debt he feels himself to be. The Holy Spirit teaches him that “every evil thought is a sin,” to say nothing of his evil doings, and that “he that offends in one point is guilty of…
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Gadsby’s Catechism
Q. 1. Who is the only self-existent Being? A. God is the only self-existent Being. (Ex 3:14; Ps 90:2; Is 45:5, 22; Jn 8:58) Q. 2. Ought everyone to believe that there is a God? A. Everyone ought to believe that there is a God, and it is their great sin and folly who do not. (Ps 9:17; Ecc 12:13; Mk 16:16; Jn 8:24 & 16:8-9; 2 Thess 2:11-12) Q. 3. How may we know that there is a God? A. The works of creation and providence plainly declare that there is a God, but His Word and Spirit only do it effectually to the salvation of His people. (Job 38 & 39; Ps 19; Jn 16:8-14 & 17:8; 1 Cor 2:10) Q. 4. What…
Further Study
Gadsby’s Catechism: Preface
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1 The Covenant Borders of the Gospel Law
Jesus described a man preaching the gospel to sinners, as a farmer ploughing a field—Luke 9:62: “And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for [preaching] the kingdom of God.” The idea is, a Christian who takes up the Bible, for the purpose of preaching it to others, must be like the farmer who takes up the plough for the purpose of preparing the soil for planting seed—just as no farmer is fit to be a farmer if he looks back with carelessness after beginning his work, so no Christian is fit to be a preacher of the gospel if he looks back with carelessness after beginning his work. The analogy, therefore, comes down…
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2 The Significance of the Covenant Borders
In his farewell speech to the bishops at Ephesus, the Apostle Paul divided his counsel under two headings: First, a review of his labours and ministry (Acts 20:17-27); Second, a charge to the bishops at Ephesus (Acts 20:28-35). Looking only at the review of his labours and ministry (Acts 20:17-27), Paul reminded the bishops of his past labours at Ephesus—“Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews.” (Acts 20:17-19) He also informs them of his future labours at Jerusalem—“And now, behold, I go bound in the…
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3 The Principle Explained by the Apostle Paul
A minister of the gospel should accommodate himself to the customs and conventions of those to whom he is sent. Even as an ambassador must be diplomatic in his relations with a foreign country, so the ambassador for Christ must with tactfulness and sensitivity preach the Word of God to sinners. As described by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, this was how he conducted his preaching ministry: 1 Corinthians 9:19,22,23: “For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more…To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I…
