Willison's Recommended Sabbath Reading

John Willison (1680-1750), Church of Scotland minister, has the following reading advice for Christians in his "A Treatise Concerning the Sanctification of the Lord's Day" (links provided to works cited and biographical information about the authors where possible for the interested reader):

I am persuaded there is no better way in this world for improving the faculty of sight, and the benefits of light, than by reading the word of God. So far as time can allow you upon the Sabbath, I judge it  very profitable to read other good books also, such as our Confession of Faith, [Thomas] Vincent's Catechism [An Explanation of the Assembly's Shorter Catechism]., Vincent on the last Judgment [Of Christ's Certain and Sudden Appearance to Judgment], [William] Guthrie's Trial of a Saving Interest in Christ [The Christian's Great Interest], [Joseph] Alleine's Alarm [to the Unconverted], [Richard] Baxter's Call to the Unconverted, [Edward] Pearse's Preparation for Death, Fox's Time and the End of Time [by John Foxe], [Thomas] Doolittle's Call to Delaying Sinners, Baxter's Saints' Everlasting Rest, his Poor Man's Family Book, [Andrew] Gray's Sermons, [John] Flavel's Touchstone of Sincerity, his Saint Indeed, [Matthew] Mead's Almost Christian, the Treatises of Doolittle, Campbell and Henry upon the Sacrament [Thomas Doolittle, A Treatise on the Lord's Supper; Daniel Campbell, Sacramental Meditations on the Sufferings and Death of Christ; Matthew Henry, The Communicant's Companion], [Samuel] Rutherfoord's Letters, the Fulfilling of the Scriptures [by Robert Fleming, Sr.], Clark's Martyrology [Samuel Clarke's (1599-1683) General Martyrologie], [Thomas] Beard's Theatre of God's Judgments. These, and such like books, next to the Holy Bible, I recommend to the perusal of all private Christians, as being easy and plan to common capacities, and some of the most generally useful, instructing, awakening, soul-searching, and heart-warming pieces, that I have seen among human writings, and which have been blessed to the edification of many thousands.

Whatever Good We Enjoy, It Is From God

Matthew Mead, Sermon X, in The Sermons of Matthew Mead, pp. 313-314:

...God is all in all to us in the creatures, but then he shall be all in all to us without them; whatever good we enjoy in the creature, it is from God. What is that which is the true comfort of every enjoyment, but only that of God that is enjoyed in it? The good of personal comforts, as life, estate, health, gifts, parts, is all from God; the good of relative comforts, father, mother, brother, sister, yoke-fellows, or friends, all is from God in them. There is no sweetness, nor pleasure, nor true comfort, in any or all of them, but what God puts into them; you call them your blessings, but it is not from the nature of the things themselves, but from that of God which is enjoyed in them; time was when there was nothing but God, and then all good was in him only, and as the creature's essence, and existence is from God alone, so must all its goodness be. As he gave being to the creatures for man's sake, so he puts goodness into them for man's use and comfort, therefore all that is sweet, or any ways refreshing in the creature, is from God; all is nothing, if God be left out. I remember a saying of some of the Rabbies of the names in the Hebrew for husband and wife, ... that the name of God is contained in them, as a symbol of God's gracious presence, if they live according to God's commands, but if they depart from him, and God departs from them, taking away the word signifying God, there remains a word that signifies fire, to intimate that there is nothing but fire and wrath, where God is left out. I wish you did well consider this, and believe it, it would make us more thankful in the enjoyment of mercies, and outward comforts, and content in the want of them. No creature hath any real sweetness in it, further than we enjoy God in it; if God be left out, they are but a line of cyphers, with never a figure. But though God be all in all now in all the creatures, yet in the other world, God shall be all without them. God will in that day, wholly stop and dry up the current of all creature channels, and will of himself immediately supply the want of all second causes whatever. This is plainly proved by that saying of Christ to the captious Pharisees. (Luke xx. 34.) "The children of this world marry and are given in marriage, but they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection of the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage;" intimating that the creatures shall no more hanker after any finite thing, but shall be possessed by God. The soul now is much solaced with earthly enjoyments, but then it shall be filled with God wholly, and wrapt up in God, and satisfied with God everlastingly. The creature is now most in the affection of most Saints, but then it shall be nothing in any, for God shall be all in all.

Matthew Mead's Church Covenant

The following is from the memoir of Matthew Mead that appears in The Sermons of Matthew Mead, pp. xviii-xxi, and I thought it might be worth meditating upon in light of our own times:

...we find from the following entries in the Church Records of Stepney, in the handwriting of Mr. Mead, the apprehensions then entertained of a still darker day, and the spirit in which they sought to avert the impending danger.

1679. Tuesday, March 9th, was kept a day of prayer in the church to prepare them for a solemn renewing of their covenant with God.

1679. Tuesday, March 16th. The church in a day of fasting and prayer, solemnly and unanimously renewed their Covenant, it being a time of very great darkness and danger, by reason of the Popish plots and designs on foot; which Covenant was renewed in these words: --

"Wee who are here present before the Lord as a church of Jesus Christ, whom he hath been graciously pleased by his special power and mercy, to call out of the world unto the saving knowledge of himself in Christ, and therein unto the faith and fellowship of the Gospel, having seriously considered, and deeply laid to heart our many and frequent backslidings from God, and sad decays in grace, and manifold failings in duty, both as to faith, love, and obedience; in all which we have greatly reproached our high and heavenly calling, to the great dishonour of Christ, the grief of the Holy Spirit, the scandal of the blessed Gospel, and the wounding of our own souls; by all which we have highly provoked the anger and displeasure of God, not only against the nation, but against the churches, and against this church in particular; so that he may justly remove his candlestick out of this place, and cause the glory to depart from us. Therefore being deeply affected with the dread of his present dispensations, and considering the loud call of his Word, to remember from whence we are fallen, and to repent and do our first works, we do with shame, and self-abhorrency, desire to lie low before the Lord, and humble ourselves with confusion of face for all our sins and abominations, and do as in the sight of the Lord, renounce them with indignation and abhorrency; and being fully convinced, that, under such grievous backslidings, the duty is to take words and to return to the Lord; and setting before the holy example of the churches of God in former ages, who upon sense of their backslidings and revolts, have renewed their covenant with the Lord, we do look upon it as a special duty incumbent upon us as a church of Jesus Christ, to renew our covenant with the Lord, which we have so often violated and broken.

"Wherefore in humble confidence of the Lord's gracious acceptance of us in Jesus Christ, who hath promised upon our hearty return to take away all iniquity, accept us graciously, and love us freely, we do return unto him this day with our whole hearts, and do humbly and solemnly resign up ourselves to him as our God in Christ, and we call heaven and earth to record this day, that we do faithfully engage our souls, that for the time to come, we will constantly adhere to him as our God, and that we will endeavour by the strength of his grace, and assistance of his Holy Spirit to walk more closely with him, and more humbly and fruitfully before him, and that wee will with all diligence observe and do the things which our Lord Jesus hath commanded us, as to all the dutys, ordinances, and institutions of his holy worship, and that we will walk in mutual love among ourselves unto the glory of Christ, and the edification and comfort of each other. And we do each one in particular, male, and female, lift up our hands to the Most High God, as a witness to this our explicite consent hereunto, and to testify unto the Lord, the sincerity of our hearts herein; and the great God, for Christ's sake, accept it, and grant that this holy covenant, which we do now solemnly renew on earth, may for ever be ratified in Heaven." -- Matthew Meade, Pastor, and thirty-four Members.

Thus was this holy man preparing himself and his little flock, for the coming storm, and seeking as a true Patriot, to avert an anticipated National judgment by personal humiliation, repentance, and prayer.

We Have Better Than We Deserve

The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. Ps. 145.9

It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. Lamentations 3.22-23

Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? Rom. 2.4

For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it? 1 Cor. 4.7

Richard Allestree, The Art of Contentment:

The very breath with which we complain is a blessing.

Matthew Mead (quoted by Edmund Calamy):

Everything on this side of hell is mercy, and the mercies I receive are greater than my burdens.

Thomas Watson, All Things for Good

We can never love God as He deserves. As God's punishing us is less than we deserve (Ezra 9:13), so our loving Him is less than He deserves.

John Bradford, while sitting in prison, upon observing another prisoner on his way to be executed:

There but for the grace of God go I.

John Newton, Sermon upon the death of his wife Mary:

...as a sinner, I had no right, and as a believer, I could have no reason, to complain.

Michael Wigglesworth's diary, January 29, 1662, writing of his famous epic poem, The Day of Doom:

I desire with all my heart and might to serve my Lord Christ (who is my best and only friend and supporter) in finishing this work which I am preparing for the press, acknowledging that the Lord hath dealt abundantly better with me than I deserve, if he shall please to accept such a poor piece of service at my hands, and give me leisure to finish it.

William Secker, The Non-Such Professor, p. 6:

'To whom much is given, of them much shall be required.' The blessings we enjoy are not the fruit of our merit, but the fruit of God's mercy. By how much the more grace we have received, by so much the more glory we are obliged to return to the giver.

Farewell Sermons of Some of the Most Eminent of the Nonconformist Ministers Delivered at the Period of Their Ejectment by the Act of Uniformity in the Year 1662, Preface, p. xii (concerning Richard Baxter):

During his last illness, his usual reply to any question respecting his health was, "almost well" -- and sometimes "better than I deserve to be, but not so well as I hope to be."

Alexander Whyte, Samuel Rutherford and Some of His Correspondents, p. 157 (re George Gillespie):

God does not deal with us as we deserve; He does not deal with us as we, in our guilty apprehensions, fear He will. He deals with the apprehensive, penitent, believing sinner according to the grace and the truth of His word. His promises are canonical to Him, not our apprehensions.

Simeon Ashe, Primitive Divinity; a Treatise on Divine Contentment:

Contentment sweetens every condition. Christ turned the water into wine: so content turns the water of Marah into spiritual wine. "Have I but little? Yet it is more than I can deserve or challenge. This little I have is in mercy: it is the fruit of Christ's blood; it is the legacy of free grace. A small present, sent from a King, is highly valued. (p. 102)

Let us compare our condition and our desert together; if we have not what we desire, we have more than what we deserve. For our mercies, we have deserved less; for our afflictions, we have deserved more.

First, In regard of our mercies, we have deserved less. What can we deserve? -- Can man be profitable to the Almighty? We live upon free-grace. Alexander gave a great gift to one of his subjects. The man, being much taken with it -- "This," saith he, "is more than I am worthy of!" -- "I do not give thee this," saith the King, "because thou art worthy of it, but I give a gift like Alexander." Whatever we have is not merit, but bounty; the least bit of bread is more than God owes us; we can bring faggots to our own burning, but not one flower to the garland of our salvation: he that hath the least mercy will die in God's debt.

Secondly, In regard of our afflictions, we have deserved more. Thou hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, Ezra, ix. 13. Is our condition sad? We have deserved it should be worse. Hath God taken away our estate from us? He might have taken away Christ from us. Hath he thrown us into prison? He might have thrown us into hell. He can destroy us as easy as to save us. This should make us contented. (pp. 181-182)