Walkington's Works

The Sovereignty Of God

God's Sovereignty And Human Responsibility

An attitude of fatalistic inertia ,because I know God has irrevocably decreed whatsoever comes to pass , is to make a sinful and hurtful use of what God has revealed for the comfort of my heart . The same God who has decreed that a certain end shall be accomplished , has also decreed that the end shall be attained through and as the result of His own appointed means . God does not distain the use of means , nor must I ... God has , from the beginning , chosen a people unto salvation ; but that does not mean there is no need for evangelists to preach the gospel , or for sinners to believe it ; it is by such means that his eternal counsels are effectuated ... It is only by taking heed to this vital principle , that we are responsible to use the means of God's appointing , that we shall be enabled to preserve the balance of Truth , and be saved from a paralyzing fatalism .

 

The Sovereignty Of God

The Value Of This Doctrine

In the final analysis , any movement of the will is a work :it is something from me , something which I do . But the doctrine of God's sovereignty lays the axe at the root of this evil tree by declaring ,' It is not of him that willeth , nor of him that runneth , but of God that showeth mercy ' ( Rom. 9:16 ) .Does someone say , "Such a doctrine will drive sinners to despair ". The reply is , Be it so ; it is just such despair the writer longs to see prevail . It is not until the sinner despairs of any help from himself , that he will ever fall into the arms of sovereign mercy ; but if once the Holy Spirit convicts him that there is no help in himself , then he will recognize that he is lost , and will cry , ' God be merciful to me a sinner , ' and such a cry will be heard . If the author may be allowed to bear personal witness , he has found during the course of his ministry that , the sermons he has preached on human depravity , the sinner's helplessness to do anything himself , and the salvation of the soul turning upon the sovereign mercy of God , have been those most owned and blessed in the salvation of the lost . We repeat , then , a sense of utter helplessness is the first prerequisite to any sound conversion . There is no salvation for any soul until it looks away from itself , looks to something , yea , to Someone , outside of itself .

 

The Sovereignty Of God

From the chapter : The Sovereignty Of God In Reprobation .

What I have advanced in this chapter is not 'hyper-Calvinism' but real Calvinism , pure and simple . Our purpose in making this remark is to show that those who , not acquainted with Calvin's writings , in their ignorance condemn as ultra-Calvinism that which is simply a reiteration of what Calvin himself taught -- a reiteration because that prince of theologians as well as his humble debtor have both found this doctrine in the Word of God itself .

 

Studies In The Scripture 6/1922

From the Preface : To Our Spiritual Family .

God has said in His Word , ' He that believeth shall not make haste .' ( Isa. 28:16 ) , and if ever there was a time when His children needed to give special heed to this admonition it is now . The children of God are infected with the spirit of the world . The mad rush which characterizes everything around us , the awful hustle and bustle of the ungodly as they rush headlong to eternal death , has affected the members of the household of faith ; and few , if any of us , are free from it . One of our most urgent needs is to be delivered from this feverish spirit , for it is rapidly sapping the spiritual vitality of many of God's people . The irreverent speed at which the Holy Scriptures are read in the average pulpit ; the rate at which sacred songs are commonly sung ; the unholy manner in which many rush into the presence of the Most High God , and gobble off the first words that come to their lips , are so many examples of this infection ... We earnestly ask our readers to make a prayerful study of the words 'stand', 'sit', 'wait', 'tarry', as they are found in Holy Writ .

 

Letters Of A.W. Pink

Some assorted lines .

It is now my settled conviction that men like Pettinggell , Gray , Gaebelein and others are doing just as much harm as Fosdick and the higher critics .(p.58)


Do you think that if the apostle Paul or John was preaching in Atlanta , to either saved or unsaved , he would have any 'choir' or any 'special' singing or music ? ... Modern hymnology has encouraged thousands of people to sing lies ...[ how would people react if it was said ] 'Only born-again souls can sing this hymn truthfully , so will the unconverted please not join in singing it ?' (p.61,62)

 

Profiting From The Word

The Scripture And God


Whatsoever or whomsoever a man most trusts in is his 'god.' Some trust in health , others in wealth ; some in self , others in their friends . That which characterizes all the unregenerate is that they lean upon an arm of flesh . But the election of grace have their hearts drawn from all creature supports , to rest upon the living God . God's people are the children of faith . The language of their hearts is ,' O my God , I trust in thee : let me not be ashamed ' ( Psa.25:2 ) . and again, ' Though he slay me , yet will I trust in him ' ( Job 13:15 ) . They rely upon God to provide , protect and bless them . They look to an unseen resource , count upon an invisible God , lean upon a hidden Arm .
True , there are times when their faith wavers , but though they fall they are not utterly cast down . Though it be not their uniform experience , yet Psalm 56:11 expresses the general state of their souls : ' In God have I put my trust : I will not be afraid what man can do unto me .' Their earnest prayer is , ' Lord , increase our faith.' 'Faith cometh by hearing , and hearing by the word of God ' ( Rom. 10:17 ) . Thus , as the Scriptures are pondered , their promises received in the mind , faith is strengthened , confidence in God increased , assurance deepened . By this we may discover whether or not we are profiting from our study of the Bible .

 

Profiting From The word

The Scriptures And God

That which a man delights in is his 'god' . The poor worldling seeks satisfaction in his pursuits , pleasures and possessions . Ignoring the Substance , he vainly pursues the shadows . But the Christian delights in the wondrous perfections of God . Really to own God as our God is not only to submit to His sceptre , but is to love Him more than the world , to value Him above everything and everyone else . It is to have with the Psalmist an experiential realization that 'all my springs are in thee ' ( Psa. 87:7 ) . The redeemed have not only received a joy from God such as this poor world cannot impart , but they 'rejoice in God ' ( Rom. 5:11 ) ; and of this the poor worldling knows nothing . The language of such is 'the Lord is my portion ' ( Lam. 3:24 ) .

 

Profiting From The Word

The Scriptures And Christ

Our great need is to be occupied with Christ , to sit at His feet as Mary did , and receive out of his fulness . Our chief delight should be to ' consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession ' ( Heb. 3:1 ) : to contemplate the various relations which He sustains to us , to meditate upon the many promises He has given , to dwell upon His wondrous and changeless love for us . As we do this , we shall so delight ourselves in the Lord that the siren voices of this world will lose all their charm for us . Ah , my reader , do you know anything about this in your own actual experience ? Is Christ the chief among ten thousand to your soul ? Has He won your heart ? Is it your chief joy to get alone and be occupied with Him ? If not , your Bible reading and study has profited you little indeed .

 

Profiting From The Word

The Scriptures And Obedience

A man profts from the word when he discovers how entirely and how sinfully he has failed to meet God's demands . ...no man can see what a sinner he is , how infinitely short he has fallen of measuring up to God's standard , until he has a clear sight of the exalted demands of God upon him ! Just in proportion as preachers lower God's standard of what He requires from every human being , to that extent will their hears obtain an inadequate and faulty conception of their sinfulness , and the less will they perceive their need of an almighty Saviour . but once a soul really perceives what are God's demands upon him , and how completely and constantly he has failed to render Him His due , then does he recognize what a desparate situation he is in . The law must be preached before any are ready for the Gospel .

 

Profiting From The Word

The Scriptures And Obedience

It affords a real test for our hearts to face honestly the questions , Do I really value His 'commandments' as much as I do His promises ? Ought I not to do so ? Assuredly , for the one proceeds as truly from His love as does the other . The heart's compliance with the voice of Christ is the foundation for all practical holiness .
Here again we would earnestly and lovingly beg the reader to attend closely to this detail . Any man who supposes that he is saved and yet has no genuine love for God's commandments is deceiving himself . said the Psalmist , ' O how I love thy law ! ' ( Psa. 119:97 ). And again , ' Therefore I love thy commandments above gold ; yea , above fine gold ' ( Psa. 119:127 ) . Should someone object that that was under the Old Testament , we ask , Do you intimate that the Holy Spirit produces a lesser change in the hearts of those whom he now regenerates than He did of old ? But a New Testament saint also placed on record , ' I delight in the law of God after the inward man ' ( Rom. 7:22 ) . And , my reader , unless your heart delights in the ' law of God ' there is something radically wrong with you ; yea , it is greatly to be feared that you are spiritually dead .

 

Profiting From The Word

The Scriptures And The World

How is it with you actually ? Do the things which are so highly valued by the unregenerate charm and enthral you ? Take away from the worldling those things in which he delights , and he is wretched : is this so with you ? Or , are your present joy and satisfaction found in objects which can never be taken from you ? Treat not these questions lightly , we beseech you , but ponder them seriously in the presence of God . The honest answer to them will be an index to the real state of your soul , and will indicate whether or not you are deceived in supposing yourself to be ' a new creature in Christ Jesus .'

 

Profiting From The Word

The Scriptures And The World

The world appeals to every instinct of fallen man . It contains a thousand objects to charm him : they attract his attention , the attention creates a desire for and love of them , and insensibly yet surely they make deeper and deeper impressions on his heart . It has the same fatal influence on all classes . But attractive and appealing as its varied objects may be , all the pursuits and pleasures of the world are designed and adapted to promote the happiness of this life only -- therefore , ' What shall it profit a man if he should gain the whole world , and lose his own soul ? ' The Christian is taught by the spirit , and through His presenting of Christ to the soul his thoughts are diverted from the world . Just as a little child will readily drop a dirty object when something more pleasing is offered to it , so the heart which is in communion with God will say , ' I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord ... and do count them but dung , that I may win Christ ' ( Phil.3:8 ) .

 

Profiting From The Word

The Scriptures And The World

What are the objects before your mind in times of recreation ? What do your thoughts most run upon ? What are the objects of your choice ? When you have to decide how to spend an evening or the Sabbath afternoon , what do you select ? Which occasions you the most sorrow , the loss of earthly things , or lack of communion with God ? Which causes greater grief ( or chagrin ) , the spoiling of your plans , or the coldness of your heart to Christ ? What is your favourite topic of conversation ? Do you hanker after the news of the day , or to meet with those who talk of the 'altogether lovely' One ? ... Are you spending more or less time than formerly on your knees ? Is the Word sweeter to your taste , or has your soul lost its relish for it ?

 

Profiting From The Word

The Scriptures And The Promises

The Divine promises make known the good pleasure of God's will to his people , to bestow upon them the riches of His grace . They are the outward testimonies of His heart , who from all eternity loves them and foreappointed all things for them and concerning them . In the person and work of His Son , God has made an all-sufficient provision for their complete salvation , both for time and eternity . To the intent that they might have a true , clear and spiritual knowledge of the same , it has pleased the Lord to set it before them in the exceeding great and precious promises which are scattered up and down in the Scriptures as so many stars in the glorious firmament of grace ; by which they may be assured of the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning them , and take sanctuary in Him accordingly , and through this medium have real communion with Him in His grace and mercy at all times no matter what their case or circumstances may be .

 

Profiting From The Word

The Scriptures And Joy

'Rejoice evermore' ( 1 Thess.5:16 ) . It surely cannot be unsafe to do what God has commanded us . The Lord has placed no embargo on rejoicing .... There is no precept in Scripture bidding us ' Grieve in the Lord alway : and again I say , Grieve ' ; but there is an exhortation which bids us , ' Rejoice in the Lord , O ye righteous : for praise is comely for the upright ' ( Psa. 33:1 ) . Reader , if you are a real Christian ( and it is high time you tested yourself by Scripture and made sure of this point ) , then Christ is yours , all that is in Him is yours . He bids you ' Eat , O friends ; drink , yea , drink abundantly , O beloved ' ( Song of Sol. 5:1 ) : the only sin you may commit against His banquet of love is to stint yourself . " Let your soul delight itself in fatness ' ( Isa. 55:2 ) is spoken not to those already in heaven but to saints still on earth .

 

Profiting from The Word

The Scriptures And Joy

When Christ is supreme in the heart , joy fills it . When He is Lord of every desire , the Source of every motive , the Subjugator of every lust , then joy will fill the heart and praise ascend from the lips . The possession of this involves taking up the cross every hour of the day ; God has so ordered it that we cannot have the one without the other . Self-sacrifice , the cutting off of a right hand , the plucking out of a right eye , are the avenues through which the Spirit enters the soul , bringing with Him the joys of God's approving smile and the assurance of His love and abiding presence . Much also depends upon the spirit in which we enter the world each day . If we expect people to pet and pamper us , disappointment will make us fretful . If we desire our pride to be ministered to , we are dejected when it is not . The secret of happiness is forgetting self and seeking to minister to the happiness of others . ' It is more blessed to give than to receive ,' so it is a happier thing to minister to others than to be ministered to .