glorycloud's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- your heart is shut against Christ It is in the ice flow 9:40 AM Monday morning Eastern Standard Time. I am down in the lower level writing on my lap top computer. I feel like I am falling asleep this morning. I did not sleep soundly last night. I had weird dreams all night. I had this dream where I was stuck someplace where there was no way to get out. In the dream I kept trying to discovery a way out but this place was cut off from any communication/roads/telephones/. I was stuck with no way out. So I got up around 6:33 AM. My wife was already up reading newspapers and watching the morning News. I made us a pot of oatmeal for breakfast. I ate my oatmeal messing with our main computer. After messing with our main computer I wrote in my paper diary. I have been reading this morning from a book titled, "Instructions About Heartwork" by the 17th century English Puritan Richard Alleine. I am surprised I am still read Alleine since years ago I got burnt out from reading 17th century Puritan literature. I will keep reading "Instructions About Heartwork" till I can read no more. Last night I made videos for my YouTube channel and watch some professional football. We went to bed around 10 o'clock PM. music Fennesz 'Venice' I have no plans for the day ahead of me. My wife just left to do errands. She goes back to work tonight after being off four nights. She now works four nights. Our lives are flying by! "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" 2 Corinth. 4:17. I want to quote this morning from the book "Instructions About Heartwork" by Richard Alleine. We do not hear much today the kind of preaching that occurred in England in the 17th century. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? As one read Church History one can find very few men or women that preached the Gospel like the old Puritans. Can one hear Puritan gospel preaching in China or some small town in West Virginia? Did the Early Church Fathers sit under Puritan gospel preaching? John Calvin did not preach the gospel like the 17th century English Puritans. Do we need as Christians to recover once again Puritan experimental gospel preaching in these dark days of wide spread apostasy? "This is some degree of the sinner's recovery, such an opening of his eyes-though it is possible that he may be very much recovered in this respect, and yet be a sinner still. The man whose heart is opened is recovered. Thus Lydia's conversion is expressed in Acts 16:14: "Whose heart the Lord opened." Now there is a double opening of the heart. There is an opening of the heart to the Lord so as to receive and embrace Him when offered. The hearts of natural men are shut against the Lord; they are not only void of grace and without Christ, but they are bolted and barred up against Christ and His grace. They are unwilling to be converted and unwilling to be sanctified. Jeremiah 13:27: "O Jerusalem, wilt thou not be made clean?" No, they will not. Oh, sinner, will you not have the Lord to be your God? Will you not have Jesus to be your Lord? Will you not have Him come into that soul of yours and wash you with His blood, govern you by His Spirit, make you a new soul, and of another spirit than you have been? No, you will not; your heart is shut against Christ. For the devil you will open; for the world and its lusts and pleasures you will open your heart; nay, it stands open night and day to these, but it is shut against Christ and His grace. You are not willing that Christ should come in. Sinners, if your hearts would but open, Christ would come in this very hour and bring in His salvation to you. There is not one man among you who shall go home this day without Christ, without sanctifying grace of Christ, who is unfeignedly willing to give entertainment to Him. Are you willing to have Christ, to have grace? Will you so receive Christ as to resign yourself up to His guidance and government? Are you really willing? This is the very opening of your heart to the Lord, and it is wherein your conversion stands. You are the man who heart the Lord has opened." pg. 62,63 Richard Alleine 10:20 a.m. - 2015-11-23 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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