Jason K. Allen's Blog, page 18

Four Reasons to Pray for Your Pastor Daily

As a pastor, few things warmed my heart more than church members telling me they prayed for me daily. Their simple act of prayer both encouraged and reassured me. It encouraged me to know they were standing in the gap for me spiritually, and it reassured me to know they loved my family, the church, and me enough to do so.

Now that I a member of a local church, God has been impressing upon my heart the importance of praying regularly for my pastors. They are men called by God to serve his flock, and they regularly bless my family and me. The least I can do is pray for them faithfully. There are many Biblical reasons why we should pray for our pastors, but let us consider just these four.

First, pastors face a higher judgment. The ministry of the Word is a rewarding but dangerous calling. In fact, James cautioned that not many should become teachers because they will face a stricter judgment.[1]  In addition to the ministry of the Word, the pastor is also responsible for the souls of his flock. This is a daunting responsibility, for which they will give an account.[2]  If these were not enough, pastors also steward God’s glory in the church and before the community. Their character is to be sterling, and their reputation unblemished. God expects much of his ministers, and we should be much for them in prayer.

Second, pastors face more intense temptation. Peter tells us that Satan roams about as a roaring lion seeking those he may devour; and there is no one he enjoys devouring more than a Christian minister, especially a faithful one.[3] When he does, he not only ruins a pastor and his ministry, he also destroy a family, disrupts a church, and sullies God’s glory in that community. There simply is no sin like the sin of a clergyman, and there is no one Satan desires to bring down more than those whom God is using most fruitfully.

Third, pastors face unique pressures. There are days pastors carry the weight of the world, and for reasons of confidentiality, all they can do is bottle it up. Whether it is a piercing word of criticism, a disruptive sin, a draining counseling session, a rigorous day of sermon preparation, or just the operational challenges of most congregations, all of these burdens—and more—can mount up to make the strains of ministry seem at times nearly unbearable.

Fourth, pastors will bless you more. This final point may seem odd, if not altogether self-serving, but it is true. Over the years I have noticed the more I pray for my pastor, and especially his preaching ministry, the more I get fed from the pulpit. Perhaps it is God answering my prayer for my pastor, or perhaps my heart is better prepared to receive the Word after praying for the preacher, but time and again I have seen a direct correlation between the two. The surest way to be personally blessed is to pray more fervently for the preacher and the preaching of God’s Word.

Any man can take the title pastor, and too many men have. Only those called of God can rightly shepherd his flock. If God has given you such a man, you have been blessed indeed. Make sure and bless him—and yourself—by praying for him daily. Pastor appreciation Sunday comes around one week a year. Why don’t you show your appreciation daily by praying for God’s man?

[1] James 3:1.

[2] Hebrews 13:7.

[3] I Peter 1:8.

*This article was originally posted on 12/27/2015*

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Lord’s Day Meditation: “God, My Maker” by C. H. Spurgeon

Lord’s Day Meditation: “God, My Maker” by C. H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, October 19, Evening)

“God, my maker, who giveth songs in the night.” (Job 35:10)

Any man can sing in the day. When the cup is full, man draws inspiration from it. When wealth rolls in abundance around him, any man can praise the God who gives a plenteous harvest or sends home a loaded argosy. It is easy enough for an Aeolian harp to whisper music when the winds blow–the difficulty is for music to swell forth when no wind is stirring. It is easy to sing when we can read the notes by daylight; but he is skilful who sings when there is not a ray of light to read by–who sings from his heart. No man can make a song in the night of himself; he may attempt it, but he will find that a song in the night must be divinely inspired. Let all things go well, I can weave songs, fashioning them wherever I go out of the flowers that grow upon my path; but put me in a desert, where no green thing grows, and wherewith shall I frame a hymn of praise to God? How shall a mortal man make a crown for the Lord where no jewels are? Let but this voice be clear, and this body full of health, and I can sing God’s praise: silence my tongue, lay me upon the bed of languishing, and how shall I then chant God’s high praises, unless he himself give me the song? No, it is not in man’s power to sing when all is adverse, unless an altar-coal shall touch his lip. It was a divine song, which Habakkuk sang, when in the night he said, “Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” Then, since our Maker gives songs in the night, let us wait upon him for the music. O thou chief musician, let us not remain songless because affliction is upon us, but tune thou our lips to the melody of thanksgiving.

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Three Motivations Parents Should Avoid

As the father of five young children, I live with an ever-present awareness that my greatest stewardship is my children. Many men can preach a sermon and more than a few can be a seminary president, but only one can father these five children.

Thus, my wife and I approach our family with a profound sense of stewardship and intentionality. As parents, we are practitioners, but also observers, always seeking to learn and improve in order to be most faithful.

Over the past decade, I’ve witnessed in others—and, unfortunately, in myself—three parental motivations to avoid. Like weeds that force their way through the best-cultivated garden or thickest concrete, these motivations seem stubborn, always reappearing; resilient, always resurfacing.

In fact, if I could wish away three parental motives from my heart, and from others, it would be these: ambition, fear, and pride.

Parenting out of Ambition

Parenting out of ambition occurs when we channel our goals through our children. Mothers do this when they vicariously cheer through their daughters and fathers do so when they vicariously play sports through their sons. At a deeper level, this occurs when parents require of their children a level of commitment and accomplishment they never attained.

Parental ambition drove Hans Luther to deter his son, Martin, from entering the ministry. Luther’s father desired him to study law that he might enjoy financial gain and social respect. Had he been successful, Hans Luther would have deprived the church of one of one of its greatest gifts and delayed the much needed reformation and revival he brought.

There is a difference between aspiration and ambition. It is right to have aspirations for our children and to cultivate in them a healthy sense of ambition. But it is wrong to channel our ambitions—whether for their lives or our own—on them, especially when those ambitions are man-centered and not God-centered.

Parenting out of Fear

Another parental attitude to avoid is fear. Like ambition, fear appears in many forms. Sometimes it is hyper-safety, leading parents to avoid contact sports and seek to insulate children from harm. At other times, it shows up in “helicopter parenting,” remaining in proximity to our children, helping them make decisions and avoid life’s dangers.

In bourgeois Christianity it is often fear of our kids failing in life. The thinking goes, “If my son doesn’t make all As he might not score well on the SAT, not get into the best college, or find the best job. He’ll be a failure. He’ll live in my basement and play Xbox for life.”

My wife and I insist our children wear seatbelts, and we hold them to rigorous academic standards. But we aim not to parent out of fear of what they may or may not become. The point is not to be cavalier, recklessly hoping for God’s kind providence. Rather, we should parent out of stewardship and love, not fear and doubt.

Parenting out of Pride

Parenting out of pride is the most insidious—and injurious—attitude of all. If left unchecked, it will lead us to value morality over spirituality and cultivate children that are self-righteous, but know not Christ’s righteousness. Parenting out of pride is more concerned about man’s evaluation of your parenting than God’s, and more concerned about man’s opinion of your children than God’s.

Those serving in ministry are especially susceptible to parenting out of pride. An unhealthy commitment to I Timothy 3, and a well-ordered house, can cause one to incentivize moral structure to the oversight of repentance, regeneration, and true submission to Christ’s Lordship.

Even more disastrously, pride can lead parents to prod children down the aisle before the gospel has ripened in their heart. Jesus beckons children to come to him, but he doesn’t beckon parents to shove them. Lead them to Jesus, yes. Shove them down the aisle, no.

On the Contrary, Redemptive Parenting

Due to our sin natures, even our best efforts will remain indecipherably corrupt. But the more one is conscious of a propensity to err in these directions, the less likely one is to do so. Gospel-centered parenting focuses on cultivating the heart toward submission to the Word of God, repentance, godliness, and cherishing the gospel.

Conclusion

Parenting is the most enjoyable and exhilarating responsibility I know. I feel as though I am getting to create, invest, sculpt, build, and nurture all at once. It satisfies the pastor, entrepreneur, teacher, builder, evangelist, and leader within me.

As I do this, I know my supererogative responsibility is to tend the heart, nurturing my children in the fear and admonition of the Lord, and teaching them to know, love, and live the gospel. To make sure their heart is right, I must first nurture my own, and that includes forsaking ambition, fear, and pride.

*This article was originally posted on 04/07/2014*

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Lord’s Day Meditation: “Babes in Christ” by C. H. Spurgeon

Lord’s Day Meditation: “Babes in Christ” by C. H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, October 19, Morning)

“Babes in Christ.” 1 Corinthians 3:1

Are you mourning, believer, because you are so weak in the divine life: because your faith is so little, your love so feeble? Cheer up, for you have cause for gratitude. Remember that in some things you are equal to the greatest and most full-grown Christian. You are as much bought with blood as he is. You are as much an adopted child of God as any other believer. An infant is as truly a child of its parents as is the full-grown man. You are as completely justified, for your justification is not a thing of degrees: your little faith has made you clean every whit. You have as much right to the precious things of the covenant as the most advanced believers, for your right to covenant mercies lies not in your growth, but in the covenant itself; and your faith in Jesus is not the measure, but the token of your inheritance in him. You are as rich as the richest, if not in enjoyment, yet in real possession. The smallest star that gleams is set in heaven; the faintest ray of light has affinity with the great orb of day. In the family register of glory the small and the great are written with the same pen. You are as dear to your Father’s heart as the greatest in the family. Jesus is very tender over you. You are like the smoking flax; a rougher spirit would say, “put out that smoking flax, it fills the room with an offensive odour!” but the smoking flax he will not quench. You are like a bruised reed; and any less tender hand than that of the Chief Musician would tread upon you or throw you away, but he will never break the bruised reed. Instead of being downcast by reason of what you are, you should triumph in Christ. Am I but little in Israel? Yet in Christ I am made to sit in heavenly places. Am I poor in faith? Still in Jesus I am heir of all things. Though “less than nothing I can boast, and vanity confess.” Yet, if the root of the matter be in me I will rejoice in the Lord, and glory in the God of my salvation.

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Three Reasons Why Young People Leave the Church

Why young adults leave the church is one of the most vexing questions facing the church today. A 2007 LifeWay Christian Resources survey indicated that 70 percent of 18–22 year-olds stop attending church for at least one year.[1] Furthermore, Barna surveys have repeatedly shown that a majority of 20 year-olds leave church, often never to return.[2]

Writing at faithit.com, Sam Eaton cites twelve reasons millennials are leaving the church.[3] Causation for young adults exiting the church has been studied for decades, yet little has been accomplished by way of reversing it. As a gospel preacher, seminary president, and father of five young children, this is more than a theoretical concern. At risk of being overly simplistic, I want to suggest three additional factors that are often overlooked in this discussion.

Many Young Adults Leave the Church because They Never Joined it Spiritually

Many young adults leave the church because they were never truly converted to Christ in the first place. John the Apostle warned us “They went out from us because they were never of us; for if they had been of us, they would have no doubt continued with us.”[4] And in his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus soberly warns, “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of my father in heaven.”[5]

In fact, this is a troubling, but recurring, theme throughout the New Testament. Jesus frequently warned of pseudo converts, most memorably in his parables of the four soils, the wheat and the tares, and the sheep and the goats. This grievous occurrence is why Paul exhorted the Corinthian church to “examine yourselves to determine whether you be in the faith.”[6]

This predicament is as old as the church itself, and it is no respecter of age. Young adults have not cornered the market on unregenerate church membership, but with so many other pressures and opportunities associated with their life stage, their exit ramp is more predictable and more pronounced. In other words, young adults are just one bloated demographic slice of an ever-present challenge within the church today: unregenerate church membership.

Many Young Adults Leave the Church because They Never Experienced it Corporately 

To their own detriment, too many churches function like a confederation of para-church ministries meeting under the same roof. For instance, many young adults traveled from children’s church, to children’s ministry, to the youth group, and then to college ministry. Amazingly, many young adults spend 20-plus years in a local church with the congregation as a whole always being an ancillary group, and with their predominant religious attention focused from one of the church’s subgroups to the next.

Age-graded and targeted ministries can be healthy in as much as they undergird the life of the church and facilitate strategic discipleship and family ministry. But when they displace the central and formative place of congregational worship and corporate gatherings as a whole, they prove detrimental to both the individual and the local church. In fact, the beauty of the New Testament church is its homogeneous diversity: Jew and Gentile, young and old, rich and poor, all united by the gospel and gathered around the common ministry of the Word, the Lord’s table, prayer, and fellowship, together as the body of Christ.

There is a sweetness in God’s people, and we rob our children of experiences of God’s grace when we neglect to incorporate them into the corporate body. It is for this reason I want my children to know the saintly widow seated behind them and the contemporary adult couple seated in front of them as well as they know the children in their own classes.

When they are disconnected from the congregation, it should not surprise us that young adults, who have never known the church as a whole, are disinclined to embrace it when their age-graded group has run its course.  Do you want your children to participate in the church when they become adults? Then cultivate their participation as they travel life towards adulthood.

Many Young Adults Leave the Church because They Never Came to Love it Personally 

Though the church is not perfect, it ought to be cherished, warts and all, by every member of the congregation, including our children. As parents, we cultivate this by esteeming the church—and the individuals who comprise it—before our children. As a parent, my wife and I have long since covenanted together to guard our tongues, especially before our children, about the ministers and members of the churches we have joined.

Granted, no church is perfect, and if you ever find the perfect church, do not join it, or you will likely ruin it. At the same time, a spirit of criticism and sarcasm about the pastor and other members of the congregation mark the homes of too many church members. In so doing, children are hearing reason after reason why they should doubt the Word of God, not value fellowship of the saints, and be indifferent toward gathering with God’s people. When this occurs, why should young adults commit their lives, time, and resources to a pastor and group of people they have overheard their parents repeatedly denigrate?

Conclusion

Why do young adults leave the church? This is a pressing concern, but an often-misplaced question. Instead of focusing so much on why young adults leave the church, let’s focus more on how they enter the church and how they engage it along the way. And, when you show me young adults who are truly converted, have ministered and worshiped with the church as a whole, and have grown to love the people of God, I will show you young adults who are a lot less likely to depart the church anytime soon.

_____________________________________________

[1] See Scott McConnell, “LifeWay Research Finds 18- to 22-Year-Olds Drop out of Church.”

[2] See, for example, The Barna Group, Ltd., “Most Twentysomethings Put Christianity on the Shelf Following Spiritually Active Teen Years”

[3] http://faithit.com/12-reasons-millennials-over-church-sam-eaton/

[4] I John 2:19

[5] Matthew 7:21

[6] II Corinthians 13:5

*This article was originally published on 2/22/17*

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Lord’s Day Meditation: “Behold, To Obey Is Better Than Sacrifice” by C. H. Spurgeon

Lord’s Day Meditation: “Behold, To Obey Is Better Than Sacrifice” by C. H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, October 18, Evening)

“Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice.” (1 Samuel 15:22)

Saul had been commanded to slay utterly all the Amalekites and their cattle. Instead of doing so, he preserved the king, and suffered his people to take the best of the oxen and of the sheep. When called to account for this, he declared that he did it with a view of offering sacrifice to God; but Samuel met him at once with the assurance that sacrifices were no excuse for an act of direct rebellion. The sentence before us is worthy to be printed in letters of gold, and to be hung up before the eyes of the present idolatrous generation, who are very fond of the fineries of will-worship, but utterly neglect the laws of God. Be it ever in your remembrance, that to keep strictly in the path of your Saviour’s command is better than any outward form of religion; and to hearken to his precept with an attentive ear is better than to bring the fat of rams, or any other precious thing to lay upon his altar. If you are failing to keep the least of Christ’s commands to his disciples, I pray you be disobedient no longer. All the pretensions you make of attachment to your Master, and all the devout actions which you may perform, are no recompense for disobedience. “To obey,” even in the slightest and smallest thing, “is better than sacrifice,” however pompous. Talk not of Gregorian chants, sumptuous robes, incense, and banners; the first thing which God requires of his child is obedience; and though you should give your body to be burned, and all your goods to feed the poor, yet if you do not hearken to the Lord’s precepts, all your formalities shall profit you nothing. It is a blessed thing to be teachable as a little child, but it is a much more blessed thing when one has been taught the lesson, to carry it out to the letter. How many adorn their temples and decorate their priests, but refuse to obey the word of the Lord! My soul, come not thou into their secret.

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Why I Like to Read Biographies, and Why You Should Too

“The history of the world is but the biography of great men,” argued Thomas Carlyle, the proponent of what has come to be known as the “Great Man Theory of History.” This theory suggests that the broader movements and contours of history all go back to the leadership of great individuals who exerted unique influence on their times. Whether or not Carlyle’s theory proves true is debatable, but that certain individuals cast long shadows is not.

More than a cultural observation or historical phenomenon, this is biblical reality. Repeatedly in Scripture we see God providentially calling forth individuals for consequential, kingdom tasks. Names like Moses, Joshua, David, and Peter dot the biblical landscape. In fact, Hebrews 11 in many ways is a biographical summation of the great lives of the Old Testament—mini-biographies, if you will.

As one who is entrusted with a leadership position, I find it profitable to read of others who have led. Wherever you find me, you’ll likely find a good biography nearby. Why is this the case?

First, I find good biographies fascinating. I’ll occasionally read a novel, but I’ve never been overly drawn to fiction. Yes, I have enjoyed strolling through Wendell Berry’s Port Royal, John Grisham’s court rooms, and of course C.S. Lewis’ Narnia. But for me, well-told biography is more intriguing—and often stranger—than fiction.

I have found myself unable to sleep while in the throes of the Battle of Britain in William Manchester’s The Last Lion. Martin Luther at the Diet of Worms is riveting in Roland Bainton’s Here I Stand. David McCullough’s recounting of Eisenhower wrestling with the D-Day invasion is gripping. For me, not to read biographies—like foregoing family-time, a round of golf, or other enjoyable opportunities that add gratification and spice to life—would leave a void of pleasure in my life.

Second, I find good biographies informative. A good biographer tells not only the story of a person, but also of their times. Reading a good biography is like strolling through an intellectual shopping mall. The anchor store is what drew you there, but you will be pleasantly surprised along the way at what other items grab your attention.

You’ll find no better recounting of the British Empire at its zenith than the opening chapters of Manchester’s Visions of Glory, volume one of his The Last Lion. Robert Caro’s The Life and Times of Lyndon Baines Johnson will teach you about LBJ, but you will also be confronted with the calamitous effects of the Great Depression, the underbelly of twentieth-century American politics, the machinations of the United States Senate, the death of a president, and the national quagmire known as the Vietnam War. Ian Murray’s Jonathan Edwards will give you an informative look into colonial America, while Francois Wendell’s John Calvin will help you not only know the reformer, but also Reformation Europe. Strictly speaking, a biography is but a slice of history; but when well done, it opens for the reader a panoramic view into the providential unfolding of God’s cosmic plan.

Third, I find good biographies relaxing. Winston Churchill once noted a man who works with his hands should have a hobby that engages his mind, and a man who works with his mind should have a hobby that engages his hands. Another way to apply Churchill’s maxim is to supplement technical, pen-in-hand vocational reading with leisurely, feet-on-the-ottoman biographical reading. Indeed, few things are more relaxing to me than winding down the evening and entering into another world—a world of martial glory, national crisis, intrepid missionary efforts, or world-shaking preaching.

Fourth, I find good biographies inspirational. Though not prone to self-pity, like anyone I can occasionally use a good dose of perspective. Not only can a good biography bring words of consolation, it can also magnetically pull the reader to new heights of personal aspiration and self-sacrifice. I read of D.L. Moody purposing to evangelize daily; William Carey’s attempting great things for God and expecting great things from God; John Knox’s willingness to stand against Mary, Queen of Scots; or Jim Elliot’s death at the end of a native’s spear, and I cannot help but redouble my pursuit of God’s call on my life.

Beyond the Christian, ministerial realm, I have marveled at Pete Maravich, who excelled at college basketball like none other. Margaret Thatcher bucking up her own cabinet ministers in the Falkland Islands crisis. Or Churchill “mobilizing the English language and sending it into battle.” I never shot basketball with Maravich, visited prime minister’s questions with Thatcher, or plotted war strategy with Churchill, but I have enjoyed the next best thing by reading their biographies—and have been motivated in so doing.

Fifth, I find good biographies sanctifying. How can I not grow in my love for evangelism and missions while reading of Adoniram Judson in To the Golden Shore or Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret? How can I not grow in my devotion to prayer while reading of A.W. Tozer putting on his praying pants in In Pursuit of God? How can I not recommit myself to meditating on Scripture and to a life of faith while reading Man of Faith, the biography of George Mueller? How can I not give more effort to sermon preparation after reading Ian Murray tell of Jonathan Edwards’ 13-hour days in the study? How can I not renew my efforts in preaching after having Arnold Dallimore describe George Whitefield preaching himself into his grave? How can I not stand for truth after reading of Spurgeon’s Downgrade Controversy; sacrifice for missionaries after reading of Lottie Moon; or resolve to live with abandon for Christ after reading of Stephen Olford’s maxim that “only one life, twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last”?

In the spirit of Hebrews 11, reading good biographies summons forth a veritable chorus of cheers, encouraging us to lay aside every encumbrance and sin that so easily entangles us and to run with endurance the race set before us.

This, and so much more, is why I love reading good biographies, and why I pity the person who neglects them. Don’t be counted among their number.

*This post previously appeared on 24 June 2013.

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Lord’s Day Meditation: “Thy Paths Drop Fatness” by C. H. Spurgeon

Lord’s Day Meditation: “Thy Paths Drop Fatness” by C. H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, October 18, Morning)

“Thy paths drop fatness.” (Psalm 65:11)

Many are “the paths of the Lord” which “drop fatness,” but an especial one is the path of prayer. No believer, who is much in the closet, will have need to cry, “My leanness, my leanness; woe unto me.” Starving souls live at a distance from the mercy- seat, and become like the parched fields in times of drought. Prevalence with God in wrestling prayer is sure to make the believer strong–if not happy. The nearest place to the gate of heaven is the throne of the heavenly grace. Much alone, and you will have much assurance; little alone with Jesus, your religion will be shallow, polluted with many doubts and fears, and not sparkling with the joy of the Lord. Since the soul-enriching path of prayer is open to the very weakest saint; since no high attainments are required; since you are not bidden to come because you are an advanced saint, but freely invited if you be a saint at all; see to it, dear reader, that you are often in the way of private devotion. Be much on your knees, for so Elijah drew the rain upon famished Israel’s fields.

There is another especial path dropping with fatness to those who walk therein, it is the secret walk of communion. Oh! the delights of fellowship with Jesus! Earth hath no words which can set forth the holy calm of a soul leaning on Jesus’ bosom. Few Christians understand it, they live in the lowlands and seldom climb to the top of Nebo: they live in the outer court, they enter not the holy place, they take not up the privilege of priesthood. At a distance they see the sacrifice, but they sit not down with the priest to eat thereof, and to enjoy the fat of the burnt offering. But, reader, sit thou ever under the shadow of Jesus; come up to that palm tree, and take hold of the branches thereof; let thy beloved be unto thee as the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, and thou shalt be satisfied as with marrow and fatness. O Jesus, visit us with thy salvation!

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9Marks Biblical Theology Conference at MBTS: “Biblical Theology and Preaching”

This sermon was recorded on 2/13/19 at the 9Marks Biblical Theology Conference at Midwestern Seminary. Dr. Jason Allen’s message is titled “Biblical Theology and Preaching.”

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Lord’s Day Meditation: “He Shall Gather The Lambs With His Arm” by C. H. Spurgeon

Lord’s Day Meditation: “He Shall Gather The Lambs With His Arm” by C. H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, October 17, Evening)

“He shall gather the lambs with his arm.” Isaiah 40:11

Our good Shepherd has in his flock a variety of experiences, some are strong in the Lord, and others are weak in faith, but he is impartial in his care for all his sheep, and the weakest lamb is as dear to him as the most advanced of the flock. Lambs are wont to lag behind, prone to wander, and apt to grow weary, but from all the danger of these infirmities the Shepherd protects them with his arm of power. He finds new-born souls, like young lambs, ready to perish–he nourishes them till life becomes vigorous; he finds weak minds ready to faint and die–he consoles them and renews their strength. All the little ones he gathers, for it is not the will of our heavenly Father that one of them should perish. What a quick eye he must have to see them all! What a tender heart to care for them all! What a far-reaching and potent arm, to gather them all! In his lifetime on earth he was a great gatherer of the weaker sort, and now that he dwells in heaven, his loving heart yearns towards the meek and contrite, the timid and feeble, the fearful and fainting here below. How gently did he gather me to himself, to his truth, to his blood, to his love, to his church! With what effectual grace did he compel me to come to himself! Since my first conversion, how frequently has he restored me from my wanderings, and once again folded me within the circle of his everlasting arm! The best of all is, that he does it all himself personally, not delegating the task of love, but condescending himself to rescue and preserve his most unworthy servant. How shall I love him enough or serve him worthily? I would fain make his name great unto the ends of the earth, but what can my feebleness do for him? Great Shepherd, add to thy mercies this one other, a heart to love thee more truly as I ought.

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