Saturday 5 November 2011

The Hardness of our Hearts


Beloved, we ought to be greatly ashamed of ourselves, when as our good God and heavenly Father goes about by all means possible to draw us unto him, and yet we in no wise will come nigh to him...  If there were none other testimony against us, but this Psalm which I am here now in hand about to handle, it might suffice.  The sum whereof is this, to show unto us what grace the Lord our God offers unto us, when as we are taught the straight rule and order, by which we may rightly and truly serve him, wherein confesses the whole effect of our salvation, and the same to be the very way and means to come thereunto.

When as God then grants unto us his grace, to be thus instructed by his word, behold he has now given unto us unspeakable treasure, and impossible to be sufficiently valued. 

By this Psalm is declared unto us, that this is the very use of the law of God, and also of all the Holy Scripture; and that we are instructed and exhorted to profit ourselves by that which is there offered unto us.
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Calvin teaches us that the hardness of our hearts which resists God’s gracious drawing of us to Himself is a matter for which we ought to be deeply concerned and ashamed, yet he also encourages us to come to Him in faith, so that we can profit from God’s saving grace in Christ, and truly serve Him. God’s all-sufficient grace is freely offered to us in the Gospel, and we ought to receive that grace gratefully, and live joyfully to His glory.  

Praise Him today that He had His way with us, and we are now His precious children, and let us come to Him joyfully.

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