Edward Taylor, Would God I in that Golden City were.1 (Imposter syndrome)

08 Friday May 2020

Posted by memoirandremains in Edward Taylor, Literature, Uncategorized

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Edward Taylor, Heaven, poem, Poetry, Revelation, Would God I in that Golden City were

A meditation on Canticles 4:8

This poem begins with an unmistakable picture of the heavenly Jerusalem come down to earth. In the first stanza, the poet tells us that his soul would become “inflamed” if he were only to see that city filled with saints and angels.

To understand the function and bite of the poem, you must first know what Taylor alludes as he writes:

Revelation 21:9–27 (AV)

⁹And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. ¹⁰And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, ¹¹Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; ¹²And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which arethe names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: ¹³On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. ¹⁴And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. ¹⁵And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. ¹⁶And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. ¹⁷And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. ¹⁸And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. ¹⁹And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; ²⁰The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. ²¹And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. ²²And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. ²³And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. ²⁴And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. ²⁵And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. ²⁶And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. ²⁷And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

It is a city of remarkable beauty. And unlike the Garden of Eden, the serpent (something which would “defile”) the whole cannot enter:

Would God I in that Golden City were

With jaspers walld, all garnish, and made swash,

With precious stones, whose gates are pearls most clear,

And street pure gold, like to transparent glass.

That my dull soul might inflamed to see

How saints and angels ravish are in glee.

If I could only see that joy, how it would overcome my soul. He then begins to imagine what he could do if he were present in the City. “His story” would be his testimony of Christ’s redemption. The poet is unworthy of entrance – and yet his entrance his story would be the greatness not of himself, but of Christ who would love someone like him (as we shall see as the poem progresses):

Were I but there, and could but tell my story

‘Twould rub those walls of precious stones more bright;

And glaze those gates of pearl with brighter glory,

And pave the golden street with greater light.

‘Twould in fresh raptures saints and angels fling.

But I poor snake crawl here, scare mudwalld in.

The bite is in that last line. The poet is the defiled thing which has no right to entrance.

As an aside to the poem, there is the concept of being an imposter. When placed in a position where one is thought well of, where one is given position or power, the person who stops to self-reflect knows himself to be a fraud.

This poem points at a theological basis for that sensation: It is the heart of the Christian religion that human beings are meant to be with God. To be in the image of God is the highest possible conception of a human being. And simultaneously, we understand ourselves to be ruined creatures.

This remarkable inconsistency in our self-understanding creates a tremendous conflict in our self-understanding. As Lewis writes in Prince Caspian:

“You come of the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve,” said Aslan. “And that is both honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth. Be content.”

If only I were to come to heaven, what praise I could bring. But if I were to come to heaven, I would be the serpent in Paradise.

Of Mice and Men: Singing

14 Saturday Nov 2015

Posted by memoirandremains in Proverbs, Psalms, Revelation

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Babylon, Black Holes, Crickets, judgment, Mice, Mouse, Music, Proverbs 29:6, Psalm 98, Revelation, Revelation 18, Singing, Stars

The sheer amount of music in the world is striking. Not only do black holes and crickets make music, it turns out that mice do as well:

It’s true: Mice actually sing, especially when they’re looking for a mate. That’s not anything new. But unlike birdsong, mouse-song is much too high-pitched for humans to hear. So no, it’s not exactly Cinderella-esque, as you can hear for yourself in the above video. But it is shockingly intricate.

God seems utterly delighted with music. While not exhaustive, here a few things to consider

First, it is the mark of a righteous man:

Proverbs 29:6 (ESV)

⁶ An evil man is ensnared in his transgression,

but a righteous man sings and rejoices.

Continue reading →

The Spiritual Chymist, Meditation XVIII: The Philosopher’s Stone

04 Wednesday Nov 2015

Posted by memoirandremains in Biblical Counseling, Revelation, William Spurstowe

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alchemy, Meditation, New Name, Philosopher's Stone, Revelation, Revelation 2:17, The Spiritual Chymist, White Stone, William Spurstowe

From William Spurstowe, The Spiritual Chymist, 1666. The prior post is this series is here.

[The “philosopher’s stone” was a supposed stone or process that could something expensive such as lead into something expensive such as gold. A “base” metal would be inferior, less expense metal. The process was called “sublimation” of metals. As noted, one might expend an entire fortune in this fruitless experiments in chemistry.]
This lemma, or title, may happily as much affect such to make gold their God as the sight of the star did the Wise Men, hoping that it will be both a light and a guide to the discovery of that rare and matchless secret of turning the more base and inferior metals into the more noble: iron into silver, and brass into gold, and so enrich them with artificial Indies [The “Indies”, India were a source of riches by means of trading.].

But I can scarce resolve myself whether the Philosopher’s Stone which is thus framed for wonders, be not rather a speculation in absolute reality, or an attempt tried by many, rather than achievement attained by few or any.

How many have melted down ample revenues in their crucibles, and while they have with much labor sought the sublimation of metals, have sunk themselves into the deepest beggary? And how have others consume their time, if not wasted their estates in a fruitless pursuit of it? And yet have seen no other change than what age and care has made in them, turning their golden hair into silver hair; or at best have gleaned up some few experiments only, and have not compensated their cost and travel.

But what if any man, after a long search and study, can Archimedes like cry out joyfully that it is found? Yea, what if every man, who has busied his thoughts, and employed his time in diving into this mystery should be able to effect such a change and to multiply his treasures as the sand?

Yet how worthless and inconsiderable would such productions of his philosophical stone be found, as compared within noble and transcendent effects of the Divine, or Theological Stone, which Christ promised in Revelation [2:17] to him that overcomes: whose worth as it is far greater [than the Philosopher’s Stone], and the way to obtain it is more facile and certain — it being not a work of labor, but a gift of grace.

This stone is of such power and energy, that whosoever is possessed of it, can have nothing befal him, which he changes and turns not to his good.
It turns all temporal losses into spiritual advantages;
all crosses into blessings;
all afflictions into comforts;
it dignifies reproach and ignomy;
it changes the hardship of a prison into the delights of a palace;
it is a heavenly anodyne against all pains, and makes the soul to possess itself in patience in every condition;
it is a panacea, a universal salve for every sore, to all accidents that can befall a man. It is the seal to the wax, putting up on them a new stamp and figure and making them to be what they were not before, and what they could never have been without it.
Such it is that he who has it, has all good.
And he that lacks it (whatever else he seems to possess) has little lees than nothing.

Who then can without mourning as well as wondering, pity the prodigious folly of those men who labor in a continual fire to effect the stone of the transmutation of metals, and yet deem this divine stone scarce worth the begging of God in prayer?

Is this wisdom to toil in the refining of clay, and to be able to make a dull piece of earth to shine, and then to value our happiness by it?

Is this wisdom to set a low rate upon what God has promised to give, and then to highly esteemed but we can do?

Oh Lord, if this be the world’s wisdom,
let me become a fool.
I had rather have this divine stone of thy promise,
than all the treasures that nature and art can yield.
Let the mountains be turned into Gold,
the rocks into diamonds,
the sand into pearls,
yet this Stone, with the new name written in it, is to me more desirable than all,
as being a sure pledge of life and happiness and in heaven

Christians in every age and culture need to discern

19 Tuesday Feb 2013

Posted by memoirandremains in Ministry, Revelation

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David Peterson, Engaging with God, Ministry, Revelation, Worship, worship

A major theme of this book [The Revelation of John] is the distinction between true worship and idolatry. John divides humanity into two categories, the worshippers of the dragon and the beast and the worshippers of God and the Lamb. ….Christians in every age and culture need to discern how this conflict between God and Satan is manifested in their own particular context. Acceptable worship involves acknowledging and accepting God’s claim for exclusive devotion and loyalty by rejecting every alternative. In the market-place, in politics, in the field of education or arts, the Christian is constantly challenged to make the decisive choide for God that Jesus himself made, when he was tested so forcefully in the wilderness. 264-265

The worship of Christians on earth is the exact opposite to the worship of the beast and involves giving proper allegiance to God and the Lamb in every circumstance of life. 270

David Peterson, Engaging with God, A Biblical Theology of Worship

The Church at Ephesus and Canticles 3

31 Wednesday Oct 2012

Posted by memoirandremains in 1 Corinthians, 1 John, James, Revelation, Song of Solomon

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1 Corinthians, 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, 1 John, 1 John 3:16–18, Ephesus, Faith, faith, Good Works, James, James 2:14–17, James Durham, love, Love, Revelation, Revelation 2, Song of Solomon, Song of Solomon 3, Song of Solomon 3:1-4, works

In Revelation 2, Jesus commends and then rebukes the church at Ephesus. He commends their good works and care for correct doctrine, “I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false.” He also commends their “patient endurance”. Yet, there is a fault, “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.”

Now James explains that a faith which has no work is no true faith:

14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food,
16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. (James 2:14-17)

John in his first epistle explains that one who claims love and yet does not actually conduct acts of love has no true love from God:

16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:16-18

Thus, “faith” and “love” which exist only as words, are not faith or love; yet work — even good work of charity, and endurance and right doctrine — without love means nothing:

1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

What does all this mean? At times Christians of this time and place speak of a personal relationship with Jesus. Unfortunately, it seems that such words usually mean a self-centered self-defined vague Jesus as the guy who paid for my get out of hell card. Yet there
is a sense in which the phrase is quite correct: Jesus is a persons : he is a man and the Son of God incarnate and is a person. He is a person with whom a relationship may and must be cultivated.

But the relationship may not be a matter of mere words like “faith” or “love”. Were I to tell my wife “I love you” and yet keep a mistress, my wife would rightly question (to say the very least!) the word “love”. I perhaps may feel an emotion of some sort — but I would not demonstrate love. That would be a “dead” love or faith. My wife seeks the words, but she really seeks my life. When words and conduct, when the entire life renders a true love, then the marriage exists.

Conversely, if I were to do things because I thought she wanted me to, but I did not care for her out of love, there would still be no true love.

Conduct without love and words without conduct are both nothing more than manipulation. Work without love and faith is rank paganism: I have sacrificed X and so the deity owes me Y. Words without corresponding conduct are fraud. A confidence man promises an interest in an oil well in North Dakota — he may even deliver a piece of paper claiming the same — but he only delivers words without meaning, because he words correspond to nothing in reality.

How then must the church at Ephesus respond? Canticles (Song of Solomon) 3 pictures the bride who seeks her love:

1 On my bed by night I sought him whom my soul loves; I sought him, but found him not.
2 I will rise now and go about the city, in the streets and in the squares; I will seek him whom my soul loves. I sought him, but found him not.
3 The watchmen found me as they went about in the city. “Have you seen him whom my soul loves?”
4 Scarcely had I passed them when I found him whom my soul loves. I held him, and would not let him go until I had brought him into my mother’s house, and into the chamber of her who conceived me.

This passage pictures the desire of the bride for the bridegroom — and thus the desire of the Church for Christ. In Revelation 2, Jesus has told the Ephesians, You must come seek me — and seek until you find: just as the bride in Canticles must seek her love. James Durham’s comment on verse 4 helps us to understand the application to the soul:

The second thing here, is her success, which is according to her desire, ‘I found him’ (saith she); when I had pressed but a little further, he sensibly and surprisingly made himself known to me. Observe. 1. Christ is not far off from his people when they are seeking him, whatever they may think when he hides himself. 2. They who love Christ, and conscionably follow all means for obtaining him are not far from finding, nor he far from manifesting himself to them. 3. They who sincerely press forward to the life of ordinances beyond the form, and by faith take themselves to Christ himself for the blessing, not resting on their performances will not long miss Christ, yea, it may be, he will give them a sensible manifestation of himself sooner than they are aware; for, ‘the Spirit is obtained, not by the works of the law, but by the hearing of faith,’ Gal. 3:2. 4. A soul that sincerely loves Christ, should not, and when in a right frame will not give over seeking Christ till it find him, whatever disappointment it meets with; and sure such will find him at last. 5. Christ found after much search, will be very welcome, and his presence then will be most discernible. 6. Believers should no less observe, and acknowledge their good success in the means, than their disappointments; there are many who often make regrets of their bonds, that are deficient in acknowledging God’s goodness when they get liberty.

Edward Taylor: Meditation on Canticles 2.1b

24 Friday Aug 2012

Posted by memoirandremains in Edward Taylor, Hebrews, Puritan, Revelation, Song of Solomon

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1 John 2:15-17, Book of Sports, Edward Taylor, Hebrews, Hebrews 11, Pilgrim, Pilgrimage, Poetry, Puritan, Revelation, Song of Solomon, Thomas Brooks

In this poem, Taylor begins with the image of love being locked within a silver chest looking for an object fit for its attention. First, this “spark of love” must pass through the temptation presented by the world

The gawdy World me Courts t’unlock the Box,

A motion makes, where Love may pick and choose.
Her Downy Bosom opes, that pedlars Stall,

Of Wealth, Sports, Honours, Beauty, slickt up all.

This image of passing through the world which presents itself as seduction is an image present in the Bible. Thus, in 1 John 2:15-17 we read:

¹⁵ Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. ¹⁷ And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. 1 John 2:15–17 (AV)

John’s warning to not love the world provides the basic concept of the love of world as a dangerous temptation. However, the citation alone does not tie the imagery to both the multifaceted details of Taylor and the concept of pilgrimage. The concept of pilgrimage was perhaps developed by Hebrews 11, a chapter which details the faith of those saints who had gone on before:

13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. 15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. 16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. Hebrews 11:13–16 (AV)

In Hebrews 11:24-26 Moses chooses the reproach of Christ over the pleasure of this world:

²⁴ By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; ²⁵ Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; ²⁶ Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. Hebrews 11:24–26 (AV)

The multiplication of items of delight and commerce perhaps suggested itself the description of John in Revelation 18:11-17:

¹¹ And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: ¹² The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, ¹³ And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. ¹⁴ And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all. ¹⁵ The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, ¹⁶ And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! ¹⁷ For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, Revelation 18:11–17 (AV)

Thus, the general content of this section could have suggested itself to Taylor from the Bible (and from the common tradition extant at the time, as will be seen later). However, the particular list of temptations is not directly found in the Bible:

Wealth, Sports, Honours, Beauty

Three of the items could easily be understand as basic mainstays of human desire: money, power, beauty which people both desire and can be parlayed into money and power. The strange item on the list is “sports”. While one cannot be dogmatic at this distance, perhaps this was a swipe at the Books of Sports:

Book of Sports, formally Declaration of Sports, order issued by King James I of England for use in Lancashire to resolve a conflict, on the subject of Sunday recreations, between the Puritans and the gentry, many of whom were Roman Catholics. Permission was given for dancing, archery, leaping and vaulting, and for “having of May games, Whitsun ales and morris dances, and the setting up of May-poles and other sports therewith used, so as the same may be had in due and convenient time without impediment or neglect of divine service, and that women shall have leave to carry rushes to church for the decorating of it.” On the other hand, “bear and bull-baiting, interludes, and (at all times in the meane sort of people by law prohibited) bowling” were not to be permitted on Sunday. In 1618 James ordered all English clergy to read the declaration from the pulpit, but so strong was the Puritan opposition to Sunday amusements that he prudently withdrew his command. In 1633 Charles I not only directed the republication of his father’s declaration but insisted upon the reading of it by the clergy. Many of the clergy were punished for refusing to obey the injunction. When Charles was overthrown during the English Civil Wars, Puritan prohibitions against sports and games on the Sabbath again prevailed until Charles II was restored in 1660.

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/561039/Book-of-Sports

Taylor develops the seduction of the world using plainly sexual imagery:

Her Downy Bosom opes

Due to the bizarre caricatures of the Puritans, one may confuse their absolute adherence to fidelity within marriage and exclusion of sexuality outside of marriage as repression – rather than as the opening for a profound love and passion. Rather than being repressed to the extent denying the existence of sexuality, they would use language which likely startle some more “modern” attenders at church (although the progressively crass language which masquerades as “authenticity” in modern pulpits would aim at the sort of thing which they would have avoided – vulgarity is not authenticity, is is just vulgar). Consider Thomas Brooks’ image of profit and pleasure:

There is an opening of the eyes of the mind to contemplation and joy, and there is an opening of the eyes of the body to shame and confusion. He promiseth them the former, but intends the latter, and so cheats them—giving them an apple in exchange for a paradise, as he deals by thousands now-a-days. Satan with ease puts fallacies upon us by his golden baits, and then he leads us and leaves us in a fool’s paradise. He promises the soul honour, pleasure, profit, &c., but pays the soul with the greatest contempt, shame, and loss that can be. By a golden bait he laboured to catch Christ, Mat. 4:8, 9. He shews him the beauty and the bravery of a bewitching world, which doubtless would have taken many a carnal heart; but here the devil’s fire fell upon wet tinder, and therefore took not. These tempting objects did not at all win upon his affections, nor dazzle his eyes, though many have eternally died of the wound of the eye, and fallen for ever by this vile strumpet the world, who, by laying forth her two fair breasts of profit and pleasure, hath wounded their souls, and cast them down into utter perdition. She hath, by the glistering of her pomp and preferment, slain millions; as the serpent Scytale, which, when she cannot overtake the fleeing passengers, doth, with her beautiful colours, astonish and amaze them, so that they have no power to pass away till she have stung them to death. Adversity hath slain her thousand, but prosperity her ten thousand.

Thomas Brooks, The Complete Works of Thomas Brooks, Volume 1, ed. Alexander Balloch Grosart (Edinburgh; London; Dublin: James Nichol; James Nisbet and Co.; G. Herbert, 1866), 12-13.

God in the Shadows.3

19 Thursday Jul 2012

Posted by memoirandremains in 2 Corinthians, Apologetics, Matthew, Revelation

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2 Corinthians, Apologetics, Brian Morley, Evil, God in the Shadows, Matthew, pain, Revelation

In chapter 3, Dr. Morley explains that physical pain is necessary in this world to develop character and to restrain sin. As physical creatures, we need physical pain to restrain us from actions which would cause worse injury. For example, imagine a man who could not feel pain: were he to break his arm, he would continue to use his arm and would soon utterly destroy his arm. Leprosy famously destroys the ability to feel pain, and thus the human being self-destructs, rubbing off and breaking off body parts until one is left horrifically deformed.[1] Pain tells us to stop.

Moreover, pain results from the regularity of physical processes of the world: we fall because gravity always works the same way. Were God to constantly intervene to prevent pain, we would never be certain what would happen next. “Pain is part of the learning process for us, teaching us how to live in our surroundings. And pain being so unpleasant, we make sure that we don’t repeat the damaging behavior” (63).

Pain also exists in this world, because evil exists in the world. The fact of evil, the fact of the Fall and the Curse are consistently missed by those who contend against the lack of order, good and design in the world.

The world as it currently stands is a mixture of extraordinary good, order and blessedness; coupled to frightful error, ruin and pain. Consider the human body: it is an extraordinary piece of engineering. Consider this video in which two Darwinists keep trying to stop using the word “design” when referring to the human body. http://www.evolutionnews.org/2012/07/video_to_dawkin062031.html

Even when they try to come up with an example of “bad design” (the bone structure of our forearm), the doctor ends up saying that it is a good design and better than our “better” designed robots!

Now, mixed with the remarkable design of living things, one finds the mess of damage and destruction. There are terrifying genetic errors which lead to sad malformations. There are infections and diseases which utilize these same mechanisms, albeit for a bitter end. One must ask, does the world look more like a palace which has been ruined, or like a ruin in which accident and error have routinely thrown up elements of beauty? And if beauty is the result of error, how do we recognize it as beauty? Moreover, do the observed processes show themselves to be building better or worse? An honest look at the evidence leads one to conclude that the genome suffers from entropy: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110613012758.htm

The effects of the rate of genetic decay are such that any hypothetical “good” mutations will be rapidly lost to the swarm of defects and “neutral” mutations (a neutral mutation is merely does not cause immediate harm: sort of like a door scratch on the car or a nick in a widow which does not lead to a full scale break: in the end, the “neutral” mutations will lead to observable damage). Here is a bit by a Cornell geneticist on the issue: http://www.amazon.com/Genetic-Entropy-Mystery-Genome-Sanford/dp/0981631606/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320287817&sr=1-1

There is a related question: Why has God permitted evil at all? Setting that issue aside for this moment (not because it is not important, but because every rabbit cannot be chased at all times), the fact of evil and the curse explains the decay, the entropy and thus the damage of pain.

Moreover, by permitting pain, God permits evil to be understood for the wickedness it is. Often times, the horrors which provoke us merely demonstrate how dull we are to matters of wickedness. We are rightly horrified at the murder of this person – while we blithely ignore the damage to ten thousand others. We need pain to understand the fell nature of our rebellion, the utter heinousness of turning from God:

The pain of this world in part (if ultimately not all pain) derives from evil. Morley explains,
Another problem with a world in which God ensures that no one gets hurt is that we would never see evil for what it is. That is because every time someone would try to harm another person, the natural process would change to make the harm impossible (67).

Moreover, as noted by Morley, pain actually prevents many bad decisions: A great element of temptation is the lie that some sin will procure good. The pain which follows along with the temptation acts to limit and protect against bad decisions. Granted, such limitation is not perfectly effective, but punishment and pain are deterrents when the actor believes that such will result:

Naivety about the moral dimensions of our environment is dangerous. According to Proverbs, wise is the person who realizes the physical and moral realms are linked, and that a deeper knowledge of how troubles come about can help us avoid many of them. (71)

What then may we do about pain? Pain can also be provocation to love in others. Our stupidity will at times crack when we see the pain of another, leading us to compassion. Indeed, God give comfort that we may comfort others:

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer.

7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 2 Corinthians 1:3–10 (ESV)

As Paul also notes, the trouble of this world causes us to exercise a more profound faith upon the God will ultimately delivers from death. Thus, pain in the life of the Christian becomes a motor for greater sanctification in that it drives us to love of God and love of neighbor. Indeed, our response to the pain of others will become a basis for the judgment of humanity:

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Matthew 25:31–46 (ESV)

And as for those who have experienced pain in this life:

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Revelation 21:1–5 (ESV)

[1] Q: What causes leprosy?

A: A germ, or bacteria, called Mycobacterium leprae. It causes an infection that affects the skin, destroys nerves and can also cause problems in the eyes and nose.

Q: Why is leprosy also called Hansen’s disease?

A: The medical name for leprosy is Hansen’s disease. Norwegian doctor Armauer Hansen was the first to view the bacillus under a microscope in 1873.

Q: Do fingers and toes fall off when someone gets leprosy?

A: No. The bacteria attack nerve endings and destroy the body’s ability to feel pain and injury. Without feeling pain, people injure themselves and the injuries can become infected, resulting in tissue loss. Fingers and toes become shortened and deformed as the cartilage is absorbed into the body. Repeated injury and infection of numb areas in the fingers or toes can cause the bones to shorten. The tissues around them shrink, making them short.

http://www.leprosy.org/leprosyfaqs.php

Politics

27 Sunday May 2012

Posted by memoirandremains in Psalms

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Isaiah, Jeremiah, Justice, Oppression, politics, Praise, Psalm 146, Psalms, Revelation, Sin

Psalm 146 offers sage political advise:
3 Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.

Over and again we are told to set our hope in men and women who will lift the Curse, end the Fall and bring peace upon the earth. All such plans are doomed,

Why Is their evil and oppression? Why do the rich abuse the poor? Why do the poor envy the rich? Why does one steal, another hate, another kill? From whence comes racism, sexism, this ism and that ism? List them all out: the roots grow out of sin.

Sin is too deep a well for any one to ever plumb. Only God has the power to undo sin: no creature do this work- even an archangel cannot reach so high nor see so deep.

To trust a prince to change the world is to doubt God and trust an arm of flesh:

5 Thus says the LORD: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD.
6 He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.

Jeremiah 17:5-6. A true sight of God shines a light upon upon every vain claim of men:

Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?

Isaiah 2:22.

Now this does not mean that we must live without hope. No matter the trouble, there is a secure hope:

31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe?
32 Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me.
33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

John 16:31-33.

And so, the Psalmist who told us not to trust in princes, raises our sight and places our hope upon the one who has overcome the world- the one who died and who raised again, the true ruler of the kings of the earth (Rev. 1:5).

5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,
6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free;
8 the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.
9 The LORD watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10 The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD!

That is a political program we can trust.

Presuppositionalism in Richard Baxter

24 Tuesday Apr 2012

Posted by memoirandremains in 2 Corinthians, Apologetics, Puritan, Revelation, Richard Baxter

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2 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians 5:16–2, A Christian Direcgtory, Apologetics, Evidentialism, Presuppositionalism, Puritan, Revelation, Richard Baxter, St. Anselm, Thomas Aquinas, William Lane Craig

Baxter’s directions to the unconverted require presupposition that we all know God to exist:

I suppose thee to be one that knowest that thou didst not make thyself; …I suppose, therefore, that thou does confess that there is a God; for there to be the eternal, infinite Being, and the most powerful, wise, and good, and the first cause of all created being, and power, and wisdom, and goodness, and (with the subsequent relations to the creature) to be God.

(Christian Directory, I.I.4). Baxter makes a series of arguments in this presupposition. First, he argues to the presupposition of the other: I suppose you know and confess that God exists. However, this statement is actually more complex than may first appear.

I will presume that you know that you did not make yourself: Let us consider what this entails:

If something exists, then it was created/made by a creator.

You exist.

Therefore, you were created.

This argument is a modus ponenes: If A, then B. A. Therefore, B. However, Baxter structures the argument in such a way as move toward his primary point: The nature and function of the Creator. In making his argument in such a manner, Baxter is not being a bare bully. Rather, he begins with a good biblical assertion: God exists, and his existence is demonstrated by creation (Rom. 1:18-25). Note that the argument is not necessarily structured around some particular detail of creation as proof for God: rather the argument seems to be based more generally in the fact of existence, being itself. That something exists is evidence of God.

This argument is known as the cosmological argument. In its current form, it would be stated thus:

1. Everything that exists has an explanation of its existence, either in the necessity of its own nature or in an external cause.
2. If the universe has an explanation of its existence, that explanation is God.
3. The universe exists.
4. Therefore, the explanation of the universe’s existence is God.

This can be found in William Lane Craig’s piece in Christianity Today,”God is not Dead”, http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/july/13.22.html

Craig also discusses the Kalam argument which more closely matches the version of the argument made by Baxter, above.

The next sentence in Baxter’s argument concerning the “first cause” is a reference to Thomas Aquinas’ version of the cosmological argument. The reference to “eternal, infinite Being” may be an oblique reference to St. Anselm’s ontological argument for the existence of God.

Thus, it is interesting Baxter takes a presuppositionalist position, We both know God exists — and yet states it in a way evidences arguments for the existence of God. Baxter’s position is thus not only biblically sound (the Bible starts with the presupposition that God exists) and yet he demonstrates that his position is capable of reasonable demonstration: Such arguments do not create faith, but they do demonstrate that Christian faith is not illogical or absurd (however, difficult or mysterious a doctrine such as the Incarnation or the Trinity).

What about the man who insists that God does not exist? What of a rabid atheism? Baxter continues:

If thou wilt deny that there is a God, thou must deny that that thou art a man, and that there is any man or any being.

The denial of God is a denial of the image of God upon humanity. The intrinsic value of human beings lies in the image of God upon humanity. Should we deny that basis, then human beings become utilitarian objects: You exist for the good which you can do for me. Arguing to consistent moral demands becomes impossible — or at least arbitrary — very quickly. It becomes impossible to ground good in anything other than my personal desire. Ethical argument become emotional appeal. You may like or dislike something, but you cannot say that it is evil or good.

The denial of “any being” seems to mean that a denial of God is as absurd as denying one’s own existence.

Finally, it must be noted that the atheist claim that God cannot be found is in a manner true: God is personal and cannot and will not be found like a rock or bird. Sand can be found at the beach, but God will not found in the same manner. For the atheist to say that he cannot see God, is to say nothing more than a man who suppresses the knowledge of the wrath of God cannot and will not know God — even in the blinding light of Creation (Rom. 1:18-25). Wallowing in sin debases the mind and corrupts the heart.

However, the atheist is wrong to think that God cannot be found. God will be found only in the expression of the Father, in the revelation of Jesus Christ (Heb. 1:1-4):

¹⁶ From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. ¹⁸ All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹ that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. ²¹ For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.2 Corinthians 5:16–21 (ESV)

Refusing to Hear

12 Thursday Apr 2012

Posted by memoirandremains in Jeremiah, Romans

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Gentiles, Jeremiah, Paul, Revelation, Romans, Romans 1:18, suppression, wrath

Some argue that Romans 1:18, et seq. concerns Gentiles alone:

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.

Yet it would hard to find a more plain example of such suppression than that contained in Jeremiah 36:

5 And Jeremiah ordered Baruch, saying, “I am banned from going to the house of the LORD,
6 so you are to go, and on a day of fasting in the hearing of all the people in the LORD’s house you shall read the words of the LORD from the scroll that you have written at my dictation. You shall read them also in the hearing of all the men of Judah who come out of their cities.
7 It may be that their plea for mercy will come before the LORD, and that every one will turn from his evil way, for great is the anger and wrath that the LORD has pronounced against this people.”

Jeremiah is forbidden to speak at the Temple: God’s prophet is banned from God’s special place of exhibition in the creation. He is forbidden to warn unrighteousness men and women about the wrath of God which is being revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness.