All false religions press first for toleration, then for equality, then for superiority, and finally for the elimination of all contrary beliefs.        

"He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me." Luke 10:16

The Father's love is not for a few only, but for an exceeding great company. "A great multitude, which no man could number," will be found in heaven. A man can reckon up very high figures; set to work your Newtons, your mightiest calculators, and they can count great numbers, but God and God alone can tell the multitude of His redeemed. I believe there will be more in heaven than in hell. If anyone asks me why I think so, I answer, because Christ, in everything, is to "have the pre-eminence", and I cannot conceive how He could have the pre-eminence if there are to be more in the dominions of Satan than in Paradise. Moreover, I have never read that there is to be in hell a great multitude, which no man could number. ...There are already in heaven unnumbered myriads of just men made perfect - the redeemed of all nations, and kindreds and people, and tongues up to now: and there are better times coming, when the religion of Christ shall be universal; when -

"He shall reign from pole to pole.

With illimitable sway;"

when whole kingdoms shall bow down before Him, and nations shall be born in a day, and in the thousand years of the great millennial state there will be enough saved to make up all the deficiencies of the thousands of years that have gone before. Christ shall be Master everywhere, and His praise shall be sounded in every land. Christ shall have the pre-eminence at last; His train shall be far larger than that which shall attend the chariot of the grim monarch of hell.

C. H. Spurgeon Autobiography Vol.1 p.171

"Our Lord may come right soon: certain signs raise our hopes very high. The love of many waxes cold, and the devil is doubly busy; and this last is no doubtful sign. When you see a farmer beginning to burn the gates and break down the hedges, and unroof the barns, and so on, you say, "That fellow's lease is run out." Satan has great wrath when he knows his time is short. In the case of the demoniac child, we read, "As he was yet a-coming the devil threw him down and tare him." He knew that he was about to be expelled, and so did his worst. The double veiling of the heavens only brings on that darkest part of the night which precedes the dawn of the day. When the tale of bricks is doubled Moses appears, and the same is true of our still greater Deliverer. Let us take courage and be of good heart; for while we life Christ on high, and glorify His name, He is on the way to take up the quarrel of His covenant and rout His foes."  C. H. Spurgeon

"Christians "see the day approaching," for they love Christ's Appearing, and to them the day of light is not far off. Jesus said, "I come quickly." The long delay of centuries does not contradict this "Quickly." Christ is looking forward unto His return, and unto nothing else. All events only prepare and further this great consummation. And the Christians of every period recognise that the mystery of ungodliness is already working, and that our only hope is the return of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Let this hope separate us from the evil which is in the world, and strengthen and gladden us all in our sorrows and difficulties; let it bind us together in the fellowship and ministry of love. Let us exhort one another daily by word and example."  Adolph Saphir

Christian believers are finding with increasing frequency that opposition to their faith, often in the name of ‘diversity’, is growing apace. Restrictions are placed upon their employment, particularly in professions such as medicine and teaching. Restrictions are placed upon their freedom to speak and testify of Christ and His saving grace to anyone anywhere. This is not to be understood as a triumphant growth in godlessness, a victory of evil over good. All this is rather a sign of the end, the last violent dying pangs of Satan’s rule. This opposition will spread and deepen as the end draws near and hatred of Christ intensifies. Christian believers will not only be vilified, but imprisoned for their faith and even put to death, so the Scriptures tell us. This has ever been so. As our Saviour’s coming draws near so will the forces of wickedness lash out the more in their death throes. We need to gird ourselves, but rejoice at what lies behind what will be a short time even if at times sharp.

We may feel at times that like Zechariah of old, we are sitting alone among the ruins with little grounds for optimism. The glory of the past has faded and the biblical Gospel seems to make little significant progress in today’s world. False gospels spread like a wild forest fire taking all before them. Despondency can easily set in. We need that same vision of Christ, sitting among the trees, watching with horses, which are the engines of warfare. He is waiting for that moment when He shall descend, crushing His enemies and establishing His kingdom among men. Let evil men shake for what is about to come upon the earth. But let us rejoice at the prospect of our Saviour's return as the increase in wickedness testifies to us that now is our salvation nearer than when we first believed.

“ And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.” (Romans 13:11-12)

One Sunday when I had done reading prayers at Madeley, I went up into the pulpit, intending to preach a sermon, which I had prepared for that purpose. But my mind was so confused that I could not recollect either my text or any part of my sermon. I was afraid I should be obliged to come down without saying anything. But having recollected myself a little, I thought I would say something on the first lesson, which was the third chapter of Daniel, containing the account of the three children cast into the fiery furnace: I found in doing so such a peculiar cause for it. I therefore desired, if any of the congregation found anything particular, they would acquaint me with it in the ensuing week.

[The photograph shows the present Church at Madeley, John Fletcher's black and white tomb right next to it, and the house in which he lived is in the background]

What Christianity was in the hearts of the apostles, it has been in the hearts of Christians of all ages, and in all parts of the world. Of this, every Christian has the evidence in his own experience. Christ is to him both God and man-God manifest in the flesh; God surrounded by the rainbow of humanity, which softens, diversifies, and beautifies his rays. Christ he worships, trusts, loves, and obeys. Christ is his wisdom, his righteousness, his sanctification, his redemption. Christ is ever near him, so that he can be spoken to, appealed to, and communed with; a present help in every time of need Christ is the Christian's portion for time and for eternity. With Christ he has everything, and without him he has nothing.

CHARLES HODGE, THE PRINCETON REVIEW 1876, Page 356

The blind believer who saw

“Toward the close of a day in the year 1874 I was sitting in my room thinking of the nearness of God through Christ as the constant companion of my pilgrim journey, when my heart burst out with the words.” Fanny Crosby (1820-1915)

Thou my everlasting Portion, more than friend or life to me,
All along my pilgrim journey, Saviour, let me walk with Thee.
Close to Thee, close to Thee, close to Thee, close to Thee,
All along my pilgrim journey, Saviour, let me walk with Thee.

Not for ease or worldly pleasure, nor for fame my prayer shall be;
Gladly will I toil and suffer, only let me walk with Thee.
Close to Thee, close to Thee, close to Thee, close to Thee,
Gladly will I toil and suffer, only let me walk with Thee.

Lead me through the vale of shadows, bear me over life’s fitful sea;
Then the gate of life eternal may I enter, Lord, with Thee.
Close to Thee, close to Thee, close to Thee, close to Thee,
Then the gate of life eternal may I enter, Lord, with Thee.

Too many would retain the water while plugging the springs, enjoy the shade of the tree after cutting its roots. Plants that once flourished along the banks of the Gospel stream have been uprooted and transplanted in a dry and thirsty land. No, rather in poisonous fields of unbelief and apostasy so that the plants have degenerated into harmful growths whose brilliant colours and sweet fragrances conceal deadly toxins.

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... would be less painful if it came only from infidels or the enemies of the truth, but much of it comes through those from whom, in view of a common faith and hope, we expect different treatment - at least forbearance if not charity. Acknowledging the respectful and Christian manner in which we are spoken of by a number of our opponents, yet the simple fact is, that if anyone dares to arise and call into question the correctness of popular views and propose another, one too in strict accordance with the early teaching of the Church, his motives are assailed, his piety is doubted, his character is privately and publicly traduced, his learning and ability are lowered, his position is accorded a scornful and degrading pity, by persons who deem themselves set up for the defence of the truth" (Dr George N. H. Peters)

"The Christian must be willing to be esteemed as a fool; to be despised; to have his name cast out as evil; and to be regarded as even under delusion and deception. Whatever may be his rank or his reputation for wisdom and talent and learning, he must be willing to be regarded as a fool by his former associates."

"He whose thoughts rise a little above the trivial must not be surprised if he is thoroughly misunderstood by most men." (Johann Andreas Rothe)

"One of the severest trials ... to a sensitive heart is the loss of personal friends, highly esteemed, through adhesion to what is honestly regarded as the truth, but which such may suppose to be error."

"Misrepresentation is easy: the truth is a little harder"  (anon)

"In one respect a cavalry charge is very like ordinary life. So long as you are all right, firmly in your saddle, your horse in hand, and well armed, lots of enemies will give you a wide berth. But as soon as you have lost a stirrup, have a rein cut, have dropped your weapon, are wounded, or your horse is wounded, then is the moment when from all quarters enemies rush upon you."  (Winston Churchill in My Early Life)

The King no one can overthrow

WHY do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

2  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,

3  Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

4  He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

5  Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

6  Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.  (Psalm 2)

Never have the philosophies of men been so absurd, never has the rule of princes proved so tyrannical, never has the violent opposition been so intense than that exerted against Christ and His Gospel. These utter fools, for that is what they are, have convinced themselves they can overthrow all that is of Christ, but their cause is folly, vain imaginings that bear no relation to the reality of the situation. Those who fight Christ are the rabble, the mob, the heathen, the mass of people of all nations. All seek a kind of liberty yet they refuse the liberty of the Gospel, believing they have freedom in the rattling of their chains. The ordinary people are not alone: the leaders of our nations, godless people, magistrates, judges, rulers, statesmen on a worldwide basis conspire together against Christ. All in passing and upholding the God-hating laws they do, they show their contempt for Him. Many may be enemies of each other, but in their hatred of Christ they are made friends, like Herod and Pilate (Luke 23:12). They conspire together to usurp the place of God, of Christ, in the world. They will acknowledge no rule over them but their own. The only Christ they will countenance is one who will serve their own purposes, make them rich. Such a Christ is there for them not they for Him. They will tolerate no one who would restrain their corrupt desires and passions, or regulate their hearts and live, or bring them to a life pleasing to God. The citizens of this world hate Christ and say: “We will not have this man to reign over us” (Luke 19:14). They set themselves with determined hearts, faces as flint, against all reason and conscience. They persist in their ungodly war come what may. They encourage one another in this great undertaking, calling their conferences and councils. They work with unrelenting ardour to make sure that Christ will have no reign over them.

Not only do they work against Christ, they may make friends of hypocrites to this end, they will join with them too in order to harass and persecute genuine believers. How formidable and frightening they appear, how invincible they think themselves to be! Ultimately, however, and we must never forget this, their quarrel is against the Lord, against Christ, against God’s Anointed. Those who hate Christ hate also God. They “have … hated both me and my Father” (John 15:24). They see the claims of Christ, His ordinances, as we have seen, to be bands, cords that would restrict their own ungodly wisdom and licentious way of life. These cords must be cut.

All men will bow one day before Christ and confess that he is Lord. Those of us who love and serve Him have no problem with this as we have already acknowledged this truth. For those who hate Him, it will be an acknowledgement of that which they always feared and sought to deny.

“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)