Why will ye perish? Why will ye not have compassion on your own souls? Can your hearts endure, or can your hands be strong, In the day of wrath that is approaching? ... ‘Look unto Me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God and there is none else.’ (Isaiah 45:22) ‘Come unto Me, and I will ease you of all sins, sorrows, fears, burdens, and give rest unto your souls. Come, I entreat you; lay aside all procrastinations, all delays; put me off no more; eternity lies at the door, do not so hate Me as that you will rather perish than accept of deliverance by Me.’
"These and the like things doth the Lord Christ continually declare, proclaim, plead and urge upon the souls of sinners.... He doth it in the preaching of the Word, as if He were present with you, stood amongst you, and spake personally to every one of you.... He hath appointed the ministers of the Gospel to appear before you, and to deal with you in His stead, avowing as His own the invitations which are given you in His name ’Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.’" (II Corinthians 5:20)
--John Owen
Text: "L0, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is His reward."
--Psalm 127:3
In the sweet Providence of God, my wife gave birth to a little daughter on Tuesday, December 7. After some toying with names, Catherine and I in honor of the devoted wife of Adoniram Judson, a Baptist missionary to Burma, and of the "prophetess" of whom Luke the Evangelist writes (2:36-38). In his commentary on the New Testament, Adam Clarke gives very plausible reasonings that her age may have easily been 103 years: yet she "departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day." Services were held in the temple on a daily basis at the hours of 9:00 A.M. and 3:00 P.M. What a commentary on today’s faithlessness!
Anna Judson joins her two brothers, Timothy Dwight—age 5 years, in honor of the noted Congregationalist minister; and John Wesley --age 3 years not because we are in sympathy with his Arminianism, but in honor of the man of whom Charles Spurgeon said, "Peace to his ashes, death to his errors, life to all the truth he preached, and may the blessing of God make any one of us, but a tenth as earnest as he was, and a tenth as useful!"
"As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate." –Psalm 127:4,
NOTE: Adam Clarke points out the Hebrew word for "son", being "ben", and that of "daughter", "bath", as well as "house", "beith" – all come from the same root word "bana" meaning "to build" because not a house alone, but also a son and daughter we must build.
*15, ----: This is the 1st day of the 10th month, called "Tevet", and Noah and his family aboard the ark see the tops of the mountains. –Genesis 8:5
1790 --Mary Catlett, the wife of John Newton, dies.
16, 1714 --George Whitefield is born in Gloucester, England
1758 --John Newton is appointed minister of the Church of England.
1770 --In Bonn, Germany, Ludwig van Beethoven is born. He will become known as the "Shakespeare of Music". His oratorio "The Mount of Olives" will make him known to Christians.
17, 1673 --Matthew Henry is gripped by a sermon preached by his father. It dealt with the signs of true salvation. He comes to Christ with a repentant heart.
1807 --At East Haverhill, Massachusetts, John Greenleaf Whittier is born. He will be known to Christians for his many poems that will be set to music, such as "Dear Lord and Father of Mankind, Forgive our Foolish Ways," and "Immortal Love Forever Full, Forever Flowing Free, Forever Shared, Forever Whole, A Never-ebbing Sea."
18, 1707 --Charles Wesley, who will be known as the "Sweet Singer of Methodism" is born to Samuel and Susannah Wesley. He will pen over 6500 hymns. He is the younger brother of John.
21, 1644 --The Westminster Assembly has completed its "Directory for Public Worship", and Thomas Goodwin is one of those appointed to present it to Parliament today. His notes on this Assembly will fill 14 books.
1795 --Robert Moffat is born at Ormiston, in East Lothian, Scotland. As a pioneer missionary to Africa, he will translate the Bible into the Tswana language. He will be the father-in-law of David Livingstone and will influence him to go northward where no missionary has ever been.
1807 --John Newton dies at the age of 82 years. His epitaph, which he himself penned reads, "John Newton, Clerk, once an infidel and libertine was by the rich mercy of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, Preserved, Restored, Pardoned, and Appointed to preach the faith he had long labored to destroy, near sixteen years at Olney in Buchs, and 28 years in this church."
22, 1899 --Dwight Lyman Moody dies exclaiming, "This is my triumph! This is my coronation day! I have been looking forward to it for years!"
*24,----: Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem. II Kings 25:1; Jeremiah 52:4
1818 --Joseph Mohr pens "Silent Night", which will be sung at midnight for the first time.
25, 1766 --"Christmas" Evans is born to be an instrument in the Welch revival of the 1790’s. He will be known as the "Bunyan of Wales" because of his vivid imagination.
27, 1571 --Johannes Kepler is born. The "Father of Modern Optics" will be converted at an early age to Lutheranism. Toward the end of his life he will pray, "If I have said aught unworthy of Thee, or aught in which I may have sought my own glory, graciously forgive it."
1691 --William Jay dies. This Presbyterian preacher has declared, "Our business as ministers is to glorify Christ!" Again he noted in references to sermons, "If good, they need not be long; if bad, they ought not be long."
28, 1800 --William Carey baptizes his first convert in India, Krishna Pal. His firstfruits is the result of years of labor.
29, 1170 --Thomas a Becket is struck down by a sword and murdered as he ministers before the altar in his church.
31, 1384 --John Wycliffe dies. He will become known as "The Morning Star of the Reformation."