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The Child of Liberty in Legal Bondage: Backwardness (9/11)
Which leads me to the 9th head, namely A backwardness and reluctance to all that is good. The scripture, in many places, speaks against such a soul, who cannot exercise faith on the promises. His heart is shut up, the Bible is a sealed book to him, and therefore it gets out of favour with him. "Repent, and do thy first works," &c. The ordinances are a dry breast. He cannot mix faith with the good tidings, and therefore comes with reluctance, rather driven with terror than drawn by love. "I have somewhat against thee; thou hast left thy first love." The cheerful countenances of lively saints are rather a grief and trouble to him than otherwise. He cannot help envying them even in the…
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The Child of Liberty in Legal Bondage: Legal Strivings (10/11)
10. His legal strivings against sin and corruption while under this spirit of bondage. He finds his soul bitter, and his temper peevish. He murmurs and inwardly frets, at everything that makes against him; and indeed nothing seems to go well with him; his spirit is stiff and stubborn; God, in a way of providence as well as grace, seems "to walk contrary to him, and he walks contrary to God. He is froward; and God shews himself froward." His enmity against God is stirred up; and hard thoughts of God possess him, which at times are unadvisedly spoken with his lips; or, as the prophet says, "his tongue muttereth perverseness." Against these corruptions he strives hard; but they stir not a whit the less…
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The Child of Liberty in Legal Bondage: Miserable Success (11/11)
11th head, Which is the miserable success that attends this legal labour. All his striving against sin in his own strength is like Peter's resolution, only betrays him into sin, and into the sieve of Satan; for without Christ he can do nothing. And every time he sins there is something fresh for the wrath of the law to work on, and fresh matter for conscience to accuse of; both which awaken his fears, and summon all his terrors about him. "If I sin, then thou markest me, and wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity. Thou renewest thy witnesses against me, and increasest thine indignation upon me: changes and war are against me," Job, x. 14, 17. Hardness of heart always attends this labour…
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Chapter 7: The Baptists
"For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body.''—1 Corinthians 12:13 In sketching some of God's witnesses among the Baptists in the nineteenth century, Samuel Eyles Pierce (1746-1829) should be first mentioned, because in his earlier years he sat under the ministry of Toplady, Romaine, and Hawker, with the latter of whom he was on terms of close friendship till the end of the life of the Vicar of Charles. Romaine's ministry was especially useful to him. He writes: "In a subsequent sermon, Mr. Romaine said, 'Believers, you that are believers, God looks upon you as He doth on Christ; and loves you with the love He doth Him.' 'I looked up,' says Mr. Pierce, 'with amazement! Oh, thought I, if I can…
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High-Calvinism: Fleshing It Out
First, at no time is a sinner duty-bound under both covenants simultaneously. Second, so long as the sinner remains unregenerate, he/she is held accountable under the terms and promises of the Covenant of Works (not the Covenant of Grace). Third, once the sinner has been born again, he/she is delivered/released from the Covenant of Works, being brought experientially under the terms and promises of the Covenant of Grace. Fourth, the non-elect have absolutely no part in the Covenant of Grace—it is not their duty to believe savingly on Christ, nor is it the duty of the preacher to offer Christ to them. Christ does not represent them, neither has He made provision for them through His Mediatorial work. Fifth, the regenerated sinner has absolutely no…
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Hyper-Calvinists: A Caricature
Wade Burleson wrote an article entitled, “The Problem of Calling People Hyper-Calvinists”.[1] Having attended the John 3:16 Conference in 2008, he described how Dr. David Allen, Professor of Preaching at Southwestern Theological Seminary, circulated a handout that listed a dozen names identified as “Hyper-Calvinists”. Following Dr. Allen in the pulpit, was Dr. Steve Lempke of New Orleans, who made the observation, “I am not sure that there is such a thing as a living hyper-calvinist. I find that those who call others hyper-calvinists have simply run into people more calvinistic than they are.” Yet, there is a listing for “Hyper-Calvinism” in the New Dictionary of Theology.[2] The definition is framed by Dr. Curt Daniel, who earned a doctorate studying “hyper” Calvinism: “It is that school…
