Knowing God

[Arial]

Opening remarks of Charles Spurgeon on Jan7, 1855 at the New Park Street Chapel, Southwark, England.



"It has been said by someone that the "proper study of mankind is man." I will not oppose the idea, but I believe that it is equally true that the proper study of God's elect is God; the proper study of the Christian is the Godhead. The highest science, the mightiest philosophy, which can ever engage the attention of a child of God, is the name, the nature, the person, the work, the doings, and the existence of the great God whom he calls Father."

"It is a subject so vast, that all our thoughts are lost in its immensity; so deep that our pride is drowned in its infinity. Other subjects we can compass and grapple with; in them we feel a kind of self-content, and go our way with the thought, "Behold, I am wise." But when we come to the master science, finding that our plumbline cannot sound its depths, and that our eagle eye cannot see its height, we turn away with the thought, that vain man would be wise, but he is like a wild ass's colt; and with solemn exclamation, "I am but of yesterday and I know nothing." No subject of contemplation will tend more to humble the mind than thoughts of God---"

 

[makesends]

Opening remarks of Charles Spurgeon on Jan7, 1855 at the New Park Street Chapel, Southwark, England.

"It has been said by someone that the "proper study of mankind is man." I will not oppose the idea, but I believe that it is equally true that the proper study of God's elect is God; the proper study of the Christian is the Godhead. The highest science, the mightiest philosophy, which can ever engage the attention of a child of God, is the name, the nature, the person, the work, the doings, and the existence of the great God whom he calls Father."

"It is a subject so vast, that all our thoughts are lost in its immensity; so deep that our pride is drowned in its infinity. Other subjects we can compass and grapple with; in them we feel a kind of self-content, and go our way with the thought, "Behold, I am wise." But when we come to the master science, finding that our plumbline cannot sound its depths, and that our eagle eye cannot see its height, we turn away with the thought, that vain man would be wise, but he is like a wild ass's colt; and with solemn exclamation, "I am but of yesterday and I know nothing." No subject of contemplation will tend more to humble the mind than thoughts of God---"

Amen THAT! And there are logical moral implications, which are instinctive to contemplation of God's 'immensity' —I say, as if that word is sufficient— implications from which fallen man by nature must turn away, to avoid looking God's purity directly in the eye, and even the redeemed are not yet allowed to see, and in our careful nurture of and keeping of the 'old man' in stand-by mode, we too recoil from what is in our best moments still too much to abide.

Thank God that our faith does not depend on US!