PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
Elijah the Tishbite. Miscellaneous Writings of C. H. Mackintosh, vol. V
Mackintosh, Charles Henry, 1820-1896 · 106,040 words · 147 reading sections
Part 1
Elijah the Tishbite _Miscellaneous Writings of_ C. H. MACKINTOSH _Volume V_ LOIZEAUX BROTHERS _New York_…
15 wordsSECTION 2LOIZEAUX BROTHERS, INC., PUBLISHERS
_A Nonprofit Organization, Devoted to the Lord's Work and to the Spread of His Truth_…
15 wordsSECTION 3CONTENTS
Pages…
1 wordsSECTION 4GOD'S FULNESS FOR AN EMPTY VESSEL
(Read 1 Samuel 4 and 7.) The two chapters given above furnish a most impressive illustration of a principle which runs all through the inspired volume, namely, that the moment man takes his right place, God can meet him in perfect grace--free, sovereign, unqualified grace: the fulness of God waits on an empty vessel. …
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What a condition of things! The priests slain; the ark taken; the glory departed. The ark in which they boasted, and on which they confidently built their hope of victory, was actually in the hands of the uncircumcised Philistines. All was gone. That one terrible fact--the ark of God in the house of Dagon--told the mel…
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Here we have a different condition of things altogether from that presented in chap. 4. Here we see the empty vessel getting ready to receive the fulness of God. There is no hollow assumption, no looking to an outward form for salvation. All is reality, all heart-work here. Instead of the boastful shout, there is the o…
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Beloved, let us be content to be nothing and nobody in this scene of self-exaltation. Let it be our aim to walk in the shade, as far as human thoughts are concerned, yet never be out of the sunshine of our Father's countenance. In a word, let us ever bear in mind that "_the fulness of God ever waits on an empty vessel_…
63 wordsSECTION 8DIVINE TITLES.
It is at once interesting, instructive and edifying to mark the various titles under which God appears in the Holy Scriptures. These titles are expressive of certain characters and relationships in which God has been pleased to reveal Himself to man; and we are persuaded that the Christian reader will find solid profit…
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Well may these exquisite touches command our hearts' admiration. Oh, the living depths, the moral glories, of that peerless Revelation which our Father has graciously penned for our comfort and edification! We must confess it gives us unspeakable delight to dwell on these things and point them out to the reader, in thi…
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Hence the need of the beautiful prayer of the apostle, "Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another, according to Christ Jesus; that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also receiv…
371 wordsSECTION 11A HELP OR A HINDRANCE: WHICH?
(_A Question for All in the Assembly._) Of the many favors conferred upon us by our ever-gracious Lord, one of the very highest is the privilege of being present in the assembly of His beloved people, where He has recorded His name. We may assert with all possible confidence that every true lover of Christ will deligh…
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Here we might close this paper, feeling, as we do, that if the glorious truth on which we have been dwelling were held in the living power of faith by all the Lord's beloved people, then, assuredly, _all_ the precious practical results would follow. But in sitting down to write, there was one special branch of the subj…
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And, alas, there are other hindrances and sources of weakness which demand the serious consideration of all. We should, each one of us, as we take our places in the assembly, honestly put the question to our hearts, "Am I a help, or a hindrance--a contributor, or a waster?" If we come in a cold, hard, careless state of…
447 wordsSECTION 14ITS GROUND, NATURE, AND OBJECT.
"Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh Thy house, O Lord, for ever" (Ps. xciii. 5). Here we have, plainly set before us, the real ground of discipline in the assembly. The place of God's presence must be holy: "Be ye holy, for I am holy." It is not upon the miserable principle of "stand by thyself, I am hol…
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How then should the discipline be carried out? Just as 1 Corinthians v. directs. When the case is so patent, so clear, that all discussion and deliberation is at an end, the whole assembly should be solemnly convened for the special purpose--for, most assuredly, it is of sufficient gravity and importance to command a s…
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P. S.--There is a character of discipline presented in 2 Thess. iii. which demands our serious attention: "Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye _withdraw yourselves_ from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.... If any man obey…
310 wordsSECTION 17THE CHRISTIAN'S MISSION: AND HOW TO FULFIL IT.[2]
[2] This little book is sent forth to the Church of God--"to all that, in every place, call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both theirs and ours"--with earnest prayer that it may be used of the Holy Spirit to awaken in the hearts of all who may read it a true sense of the Christian's mission, and a fixed purpose …
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Here, then, we have the true secret of preparation for our high and holy mission. Our blessed Lord first gathers His disciples round Himself, and seeks to fill their hearts with His own feelings and thoughts ere He fills their hands with the loaves and fishes. It is as if He had said, "I have compassion, and I want you…
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Thus it was with the disciples, and thus it is with us. If we want to act as the channels of the grace of Christ, we must have to do with Him in the deep secret of our own souls. We must learn of Him; we must feed upon Him; we must know the meaning of communion with His heart; we must be near enough to Him to know the …
624 wordsSECTION 20THE SERVICE OF PRAYER
Colossians iv. 12. There is a very striking difference between the inspired records of the people of God and all human biographies. The former may truly be said to be "_much in little_;" while many of the latter may as truly be said to be "_little in much_." The history of one of the Old Testament saints--a history st…
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There are immense advantages attending the labors of the closet, advantages quite peculiar, advantages for those who engage in them, and advantages for those who are the subjects of them. They are quiet, unobtrusive labors. They are carried on in retirement, in the hallowed, soul-subduing solitude of the divine presenc…
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May the Lord stir up amongst us a spirit of earnest prayer and intercession. May He raise up many of those who shall be cast in the same spiritual mould as Epaphras. These are the men for the present need.…
40 wordsSECTION 23"READY"
We want the reader to dwell for a few moments on the little word which forms the heading of this paper. If we mistake not, he will find it to be a word of immense depth and suggestive power, as used by the Holy Ghost in Scripture. We shall just now refer to four passages in which our word occurs; and may the One who pe…
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Hence it follows that man is no longer under probation. It is a grand mistake for any one to think so. It falsifies man's entire position and state. If I am under probation; if God is still testing me; if He is even now occupied in testing whether I am good for aught; if I am capable of producing any fruit for Him--if …
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We are thankful for a free gospel and an open Bible. But we cannot shut our eyes to the fact that there is a fearful amount of laxity, unsubduedness and self-indulgence going hand in hand with the evangelical profession of the day. We notice with the deepest anxiety many young professors who have, or seem to have, a ve…
634 wordsSECTION 26"HOLY BRETHREN"
"Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, _consider_ the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Jesus" (Heb. iii. 1). "And let us _consider_ one another, to provoke unto love and good works" (Heb. x. 24). The two passages we have just penned, are very intimately connected. Indeed, they are bou…
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[5] It is a fact of deepest interest, that, to "Mary Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils," was granted the privilege of announcing to the disciples the glad tidings of the new and wondrous relationship into which they were introduced. "Go to _My brethren_," said the risen Saviour, "and say unto them, I ascend unto…
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But further: those who speak of union in incarnation are most manifestly the enemies of the cross of Christ; for what need was there of the cross, the death or the blood of Christ, if sinners could be united to Him in incarnation? Surely none whatever. There was no need of atonement, no need of propitiation, no need of…
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However, we shall not pursue the subject further here. It may be that the great majority of our readers are thoroughly clear and settled on the point, and that they hold it as a great cardinal and essential truth. Still, we feel it of importance just now to bear a very distinct testimony to the whole Church of God on t…
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How precious is all this to our souls! To have God revealed in the person of Christ, so that we can know Him, delight in Him, find all our springs in Him, call Him Abba Father, walk in the light of His blessed countenance, have fellowship with Him and with His Son Jesus Christ, know the love of His heart, the very love…
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What comfort is here for all the "holy brethren!" What strong consolation! What blessed assurance! Our great High Priest bears us upon His heart continually before the throne. All our affairs are in His blessed hands, and can never fall through. He lives for us, and we live in Him. He will carry us right through to the…
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How morally lovely is the connection! The more attentively we consider Him, the more we shall be fitted and disposed to consider all who belong to Him, whoever and wherever they may be. Shew us a man full of Christ, and we will shew you a man full of love, and care, and interest for every member of the body of Christ. …
388 wordsSECTION 33JEHOVAH'S DEMAND AND SATAN'S OBJECTIONS
"Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness" (Exodus v. 1). What a volume of truth is contained in the sentence which we have just penned! It is one of those comprehensive and suggestive passages which lie scattered up and down the divine volume, and which seize, with peculiar power, upon the…
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Reader, is it not--must it not be so? Is not God's word--His mind, infinitely more comprehensive, wide, and full than the mind and ways of man? Is there not infinitely greater breadth in the Holy Scriptures than in all the human writings under the sun? Does it not argue more largeness of heart, and devotion of soul to …
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This must be carefully seen to. We feel persuaded that what multitudes of professing Christians need is to make a clean break with the world--that very comprehensive word. It is utterly impossible to make a proper start, much less to make any progress, while the heart is playing fast and loose with the holy claims of C…
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Reader, what sayest thou to these things? Is not this a good exchange? Can we not find here the most cogent reasons for giving up the world? It sometimes happens that men favor us with their reasons for resigning this, that, and the other branch of worldliness; but it strikes us that all such reasons might be summed up…
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These words contain a very solemn lesson for the hearts of all Christian parents. They reveal a deep and crafty purpose of the arch-enemy. If he cannot keep the parents in Egypt, he will at least seek to keep the children, and in this way mar the testimony to the truth of God, tarnish His glory in His people, and hinde…
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And what does this "bringing up" involve? What does it mean? In what does it consist? These, surely, are weighty questions for the heart and conscience of every Christian parent. It is to be feared, that very few of us indeed really understand what Christian training means, or how it is to be carried on. One thing is c…
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All this is one-sided and utterly false. It will not stand; it cannot bear the light of the judgment-seat of Christ. Parents cannot get rid of the holy responsibility of training their children for God; that responsibility begins with, and is based upon, the relationship; and the right discharge of it demands continual…
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Also an excellent little paper, "The Training of Children," by a Mother. Price of the first is 10 cts; the last is 4 cts. Most gladly would we dwell further on this great practical subject; but we trust sufficient has been said to rouse the hearts and consciences of all Christian parents to a sense of their high and h…
540 wordsSECTION 41"THYSELF AND THE DOCTRINE"
(_A Word for the Workman._) "Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine (or teaching); continue in them: for in doing this thou shall both save thyself, and them that hear thee."--1 Tim. iv. 16. These are solemn and weighty words for all those who labor in the word and doctrine. They were addressed by the inspired…
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2. We shall now dwell for a few moments on the second point in our subject, namely, the doctrine, or teaching--for such is the true force of the original word. And oh, how much is involved in this! "Take heed to the teaching." Solemn admonition! What care is needed! What holy watchfulness! What earnest, prayerful, cons…
671 wordsSECTION 43THE THREE CROSSES.
Luke xxiii. 39-43. We want the reader to turn aside with us for a few moments and meditate upon those three crosses. If we mistake not, he will find a very wide field of truth opened before him in the brief but comprehensive record given at the head of this article. 1. First of all, we must gaze at the centre cross, …
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This may seem severe and sweeping; but is it true? Is the Name of Jesus one whit more agreeable to the world to-day, than it was when its great religious leaders cried out, "Not this man, but Barabbas!" Only try it. Go and breathe that peerless and precious Name amid the brilliant circles that throng the drawing-rooms …
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Reader, do you really desire to know what the heart of God is toward man? If so, go and gaze on that centre cross to which Jesus Christ was nailed, by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. True it is, as we have already seen, man did, with wicked hands, crucify and slay the blessed One. This is the dark sid…
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How wonderful is all this! What profound depths there are in the mystery of the cross! What lines of truth converge in it! What rays of light emanate from it! What unfoldings of heart there! The heart of man to Godward--the heart of God to manward--the heart of Christ to God! All this we have in the cross. We can gaze …
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But, blessed be God, there is another side to this great question. "The same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him." The riches of the grace of God are such as to reach down to the very deepest depths of human ruin, guilt and misery. If the light of divine glory reveals--as nothing else could reveal--man's …
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These are the proper utterances of a divinely convicted soul; and it is only when we can thus truly and heartily express ourselves that we are really prepared to appreciate the riches of the grace of God as unfolded in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Grace takes up real sinners. "The Son of man is come to seek and to save …
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This is repentance; let the reader ponder it deeply. It is a grand reality; an essential element, in every case. "God commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent" (Acts xvii. 30). There is no getting over this--no setting it aside. Some may seek to do away with man's responsibility on the plea of his inability to do anyt…
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We have already referred to the preaching of the blessed apostle of the Gentiles, and the great teacher of the Church of God. He himself, referring to his ministry at Ephesus, declares in the audience of the elders, "I kept back nothing that was profitable, but have shewed you, and have taught you publicly, and from ho…
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Is there, then, anything meritorious in repentance? Is there anything to build upon or to boast in? Has it aught to do with the ground of our salvation, our righteousness, or our acceptance with God? As well might we inquire if the consciousness of bankruptcy could form the basis of a man's credit or future fortune. No…
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And was not this a good work? Yes, truly, the very best work that any one could do. To bear a full, clear, bold testimony to Christ, is the most acceptable and fragrant service that any mortal can render to God. Millions bestowed in charity, continents traversed in the interests of philanthropy, a lifetime spent in the…
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No doubt the thief could never forget what a sinner he had been--never forget his guilt and wickedness--he never could, he never shall; yea, throughout the countless ages of eternity, he and all the redeemed shall remember the past. How could it be otherwise? Shall we lose the power of memory in the future? Surely not.…
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P. S.--The two thieves furnish a powerful answer to the ritualist and the rationalist. In one, we see a man going straight to paradise who had never been baptized, and never received what ritualists call "the holy communion." In the other, we see a man who perishes, within arm's length of a Saviour, through a skeptical…
68 wordsSECTION 55OUR STANDARD AND OUR HOPE
There are two very important principles presented in Revelation iii. 3, 11, which are profoundly interesting, but clear, simple, easily grasped, and full of power, when understood--two distinct things which characterize the overcomer. The first is the truth that has been communicated; and the second, the hope that is s…
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All this bears upon us in a very distinct way, in the midst of Protestantism. It makes the word of God of unspeakable value to us. It is not a question of setting up our own opinion or authority, but we are called on to maintain the truth of God, and nothing else; and if you do not get hold of that, you do not know whe…
608 wordsSECTION 57LIFE-WORKS
"As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all, especially unto them who are of the household of faith" (Gal. vi. 10). If aught could enhance the value of these lovely words, it would be the fact of their being found at the close of the Epistle to the Galatians. In the progress of this very remarkable writ…
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Here we have the whole subject fully and clearly before us. God has created us to walk in a path of good works, and He has prepared the path of good works for us to walk in. It is all of God, from first to last; all through grace, and all by faith. Thanks and praise be to God that it is so! But, let us remember that it…
644 wordsSECTION 59"THERE IS ONE BODY"[10]
Psalm xciii.; 1 Cor. iii. 16, and vi. 19. [10] Notes of an Address delivered in London. These scriptures set forth a truth which I believe to be of cardinal importance to every one of us, individually as well as corporately: the Church as a whole is the temple of God; and every believer is made such as really, as lit…
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Elijah on mount Carmel, when the kingdom was divided, called for twelve stones with which to build the altar. But Israel is no longer twelve tribes, it might be said; Israel's unity is broken and gone. No; it is an indissoluble unity, a unity which is never to be surrendered. Israel is twelve while God's eye rests on t…
798 wordsSource & rights
Public domain in the USA; original historical text digitized by Project Gutenberg.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.