Old Testament Gospel

Title and Poem by William Cowper. (Hebrews iv.2)

Israel in ancient days

Not only had a view

Of Sinai in a blaze,

But learn'd the Gospel too;

The types and figures were a glass,

In which they saw a Saviour's face.

The paschal sacrifice

And blood-besprinkled door,

Seen with enlighten'd eyes,

And once applied with power,

Would teach the need of other blood,

To reconcile an angry God.

The Lamb, the Dove, set forth

His perfect innocence,

Whose blood of matchless worth

Would be the soul's defence;

For he who can for sin atone,

Must have no failings of His own.

The scape-goat on his head

The people's trespass bore,

And to the desert led,

Was to be seen no more:

In him our surety seem'd to say,

"Behold, I bear your sins away."

Dipt in his fellow's blood,

The living bird went free;

The type, well understood,

Express'd the sinner's plea;

Described a guilty soul enlarged,

And by a Saviour's death discharged.

Jesus, I love to trace,

Throughout the sacred page,

The footsteps of Thy grace,

The same in every age!

Oh, grant that I may faithful be

To clearer light vouchsafed to me!

Male and Female made HE them

As I look at Arabic it occurs to me that it is a language like French and Spanish. Embedded in it is Male and Female. Gender is in every adjective, every name,  every noun.

Too Many Babies?

We're  "just one generation away from a disastrous people-shortage. We’re not on the brink of a population bomb. In fact, we may be on the brink of a population bust. "

Video and text

Your Fatherly Love, Oh LORD

1. The tender love a father has

For all his children dear,

Such love you, LORD, bestow on them

Who worship you in fear.

2. You, LORD, remember we are dust,

And all our frailty know;

Our days are like the tender grass,

And as the flower we grow.

3. The flower is withered by the wind

That smites with blighting breath;

So man is quickly swept away

Before the blast of death.

4. Unchanging is your love, Oh GOD,

From age to age the same,

Displayed to all who do your will

And reverence your Name.

5. Those who your gracious covenant keep

Oh LORD you'll ever bless;

Their children's children shall rejoice

To see your righteousness.

Adapted into a prayer from the 1912 Psalter paraphrase of Psalm 103:13-18 

Tune: Avalon CM

Many tunes can be found here: 

https://opc.org/hymn.html?list_type=tunes

Joy to the World

One of Isaac Watts Paraphrases on Psalm 98.

It's Optimistic.

It's Expecting.

Joy to the world! the Lord is come;

Let earth receive her King;

Let every heart prepare him room,

And heaven and nature sing,

And heaven and nature sing,

And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the world! the Saviour reigns;

Let men their songs employ;

While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains

Repeat the sounding joy,

Repeat the sounding joy,

Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,

Nor thorns infest the ground;

He comes to make His blessings flow

Far as the curse is found,

Far as the curse is found,

Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,

And makes the nations prove

The glories of His righteousness,

And wonders of His love,

And wonders of His love,

And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Fecund meaning Fruitful

Break Point last week discussing the sadly destructive Supreme Court decision referenced this article. This is about the way forward. Not primarily political action; but get married. Have babies. Here's a snippet of Kevin Deyoung's article:

The future belongs to the fecund. It’s time for happy warriors who seek to “renew the city” and “win the culture war” by investing in their local church, focusing on the family, and bringing the kingdom to bear on the world, one baby at a time.

Click for all the article.

Who was the Slave and who was the Free?

From Chrysostom, an early Greek Pastor:

"And consider both these points. Joseph was a slave but not a slave to men: wherefore even in slavery he was freer than all that are free. For instance, he yielded not to his mistress; yielded not to the purposes which she who possessed him desired. Again she was free; yet none ever so like a slave, courting and beseeching her own servant. But she prevailed not on him, who was free, to do what he would not. This then was not slavery; but it was liberty of the most exalted kind. For what impediment to virtue had he from his slavery? Let men hear, both slaves and free. Which was the slave? He that was entreated or she that did entreat? She that besought or he that despised her supplication?

"In fact, there are limits set to slaves by God Himself; and up to what point one ought to keep them, has also been determined, and to transgress them is wrong. Namely, when your master commands nothing which is unpleasing to God, it is right to follow and to obey; but no farther. For thus the slave becomes free. But if you go further, even though you are free you are become a slave. At least he intimates this, saying, 'Be not ye the servants of men'.”