Friday, November 18, 2005

Trusting God

My Mother sent me some great quotes and verses that blessed me this morning and I wanted to share them with you all.

Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.
Job 13:15


Behold , I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.
Isaiah


Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee; He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
Psalm 4:22

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To Thee I bring my care,
The care I cannot flee;
Thou wilt not only share,
But bear it all for me.
O loving Saviour, now to Thee,
I bring the load that wearies me.
Francis R. Havergal


He that lays his affairs and himself on God hath no pressing care; no care but the care of love, how to please, how to honor his Lord. And in this, too, depends on Him, both for skill and strength; and, touching the sucess of things, he leaves that as none of his to be burdened with, casts it on God, and since God careth for it, they need not both care. His care is sufficient. Hence springs peace, inconceivable peace.
Robert Leighton


Your afflictions are not eternal, time will end them, and so shall ye at length see the Lord's salvation; His love for you sleepeth not, it is still working for you; His salvation will not tarry nor linger; and suffering for Him is the nobelest cross out of Heaven. Your Lord hath the choice of ten thousand other crosses, besides this, to excersize you withal; but His wisdom and His love hath chosen this out for you, beside them all; and take it as the choice one, and make use of it. Let the Lord absolutely have the ordering of your evils and troubles, and put them off you, by recommending your crosss and your furnace to Him, who hath the skill to melt His own metal, and knoweth well what to do with His furnace.
Samuel Rutherford


Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world; and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith!
1John 5:4


What is victory over the world? It is to trust and then obey what God has said. It is to cut off as far as we may, every hold which everything out of God has over us; to study wherein we are weak, and there seek in His strength to be made strong. Be your temptation the love of pleasure, it is to forgo it, if of food to restrain it, if of praise of men, to put forward others rather than yourself, if of being right in the sight of men, be content to be misjudged, and keep silence; if of self-indulgence, use hardness; if display, cut off the occasion, and give to the poor; if of having thy own will, practice submission of it to the wills of others.


Brother Rutherford knew of what he spoke; see a short bio below.
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A Brief Life and Times of Samuel Rutherford
by William Carson
Before and During his Exile
Rutherford was born about the year 1600 near Nisbet, Scotland. Little is known of his early life. In 1627 he earned a M.A. from Edinburgh College, where he was appointed Professor of Humanity. He became pastor of the church in Anwoth in 1627.
Anwoth was a rural parish, and the people were scattered in farms over the hills. He had a true pastor's heart, and he was ceaseless in his labours for his flock. We are told that men said of Rutherford, "He was always praying, always preaching, always visiting the sick, always catechising, always writing and studying." Of course it helps when you get up at 3:00 every morning!
His first years in Anwoth, though, were touched with sadness. His wife was ill for a year and a month, before she died in their new home. Two children also died during this period. Nevertheless God used this time of suffering to prepare Rutherford to be God's comforter of suffering people.
Rutherford's preaching was unparalleled. While he was not a good speaker, his preaching drew great attention. An English merchant said of him, "I came to Irvine, and heard a well-favoured, proper old man (Dickson) with a long beard, and that man showed me all my heart. Then I went to St. Andrews, where I heard a sweet, majestic-looking man (Blair), and he showed me the majesty of God. After him I heard a little, fair man (Rutherford), and he showed me the loveliness of Christ."
In 1636 Rutherford published a book defending the doctrines of grace (Calvinism) against Armininism. This put him in conflict with the Church authorities, which were dominated by the English Episcopacy. He was called before the High Court, deprived of his ministerial office, and exiled to Aberdeen.
* This exile was a sore trial for the beloved pastor. He felt that being separated from his congregation was unbearable. However, because of his exile, we now have many of the letters he wrote to his flock, and so the evil of his banishment has been turned into a great blessing for the church worldwide.


After His Exile
In 1638 the struggles between Parliament and King in England, and Presbyterianism vs. Episcopacy in Scotland culminated in momentous events for Rutherford. In the confusion of the times, he simply slipped out of Aberdeen and returned to his beloved Anwoth. But it was not for long. The Kirk (Church of Scotland) held a General Assembly that year, restoring full Presbyterianism to the land. In addition, they appointed Rutherford a Professor of Theology of St. Andrews, although he negotiated to be allowed to preach at least once a week.
The Westminster Assembly began their famous meetings in 1643, and Rutherford was one of the five Scottish commissioners invited to attend the proceedings. Although the Scots were not allowed to vote, they had an influence far exceeding their number. Rutherford is thought to have been a major influence on the Shorter Catechism.
During this period in England, Rutherford wrote his best-known work, "Lex Rex," or "The Law, the King." This book argued for limited government, and limitations on the current idea of the Divine Right of Kings.
When the monarchy was restored in 1660, it was clear that the author of "Lex Rex" would could expect trouble. When the summons came in 1661, charging him with treason, and demanding his appearance on a certain day, Rutherford refused to go. From his deathbed, he answered, "I must answer my first summons; and before your day arrives, I will be where few kings and great folks come." He died on 30th March 1661.

4 comments:

nate & jenni said...

R.L. Quote-
“and since God careth for it, they need not both care.” That’s a pretty awesome statement, because we know that God is concerned with, and “careth” for, every minute aspect of our lives… and “hence springs peace...”

I really like the last quote in the biography of Rutherford: “I must answer my first summons” – that’s classic.

And who wrote the bit right after 1John 5:4? Was that Rutherford as well? It’s some pretty sage advice, and if we could only practice it we might each be the Christians that we have the potential to be.

strunny said...

i agree w/nate, i was thinking the exact same thing about that last part. i'm copying it in to my blog.
Samuel Rutherford sounds amazing. i'd love to read his letters, are they in the book talked about towards the bottom?
have a great Thanksgiving!! :)

amy said...

something about reading in that old english type writing is really awesome....i am all for all the new language designed to make things modern and relevant but sometimes it is really neat just to hear the word and its commentary in language with a history.....

M J said...

I was here. :-)