Sovereign Grace Church

…kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time

(1 PETER 1:5)

We do not wonder to see a man of strong constitution, that eats his bread heartily and sleeps soundly, live; but for a crazy body, full of pains and infirmities, to be so patched and shored up by the physician’s art that he stands to old age, this begets some wonder in the beholders. It may be thou art a poor trembling soul, thy faith is weak, and thy assaults from Satan strong; thy corruptions stirring and active, and thy mortifying strength little; so that, in thy opinion, they rather gain ground on thy grace than give ground for it. Ever and anon thou art ready to think thou shalt be cast a wreck on the devil’s shore; and yet to this day thy grace lives, though full of leaks. Now, is it not worth the stepping aside to see this strange sight? A broken ship, with masts and hull rent and torn, thus towed along by Almighty power through an angry sea and armadas [fleet of the warships] of sins and devils, safely into his harbor? To see a poor taper or rush candle in the face of the boisterous wind, and not blown out? In a word, to see a weak stripling of grace held up in God’s arm still he defeats the devil? This God is doing in upholding thee; thou art one of those babes out of whose mouth God is perfecting his praise, by ordaining such strength for thee, that thou, a babe in grace, shalt yet foil a giant in wrath and power.