The Better Hour

I just finished reading William Wilberforce's book A Practical View of Christianity. It is a remarkable book. I am hoping to excerpt some quotes here in the future. A documentary on Wilberforce is scheduled to be on PBS beginning this weekend. You may have to set your record button for the below KCPT times.

Sunday, March 2, 6:00pm
Monday, March 3, 3:00am
Friday, March 7, 10:00pm

I came to Wilberforce looking for an example of a "Good Confession" in the public realm. What I received in the main from this book was a deep challenge to the nominalism of my own faith. The book is a pounding call to live out your faith in all of life. One can only imagine how moving it must have been to hear Wilberforce speak in Parliament. In the book, his rhetorical skill is constantly on display.

This book is amazingly relevant. His call to the church of his day is also a call to ours.

Here are a couple of quotes from his concluding thoughts.

"Let true Christians then, with becoming earnestness, strive in all things to recommend their profession, and to put to silence the vain scoffs of ignorant objectors. Let them boldly assert the cause of Christ in an age when so many, who bear the name of Christians are ashamed of Him: and let them consider as devolved on them the important duty of suspending for a while the fall of their country, and, perhaps, of performing a still more extensive service to society at large; not by busy interference in politics, in which it cannot but be confessed there is much uncertainty, but rather by that sure and radical benefit of restoring the influence of Religion, and of raising the standard of morality." A Practical View of Christianity, Wilberforce, Page 273

"to the decline of Religion and morality our national difficulties must both directly and indirectly be chiefly ascribed; and that the only solid hopes for the well-being of my country depend not so much on her fleets and armies, not so much on the wisdom of her rulers or the spirit of her people, as on the persuasion that she still contains many, who, in a degenerate age, love and obey the Gospel of Christ, on the humble trust that the intercession of these may still be prevalent, that for the sake of these, Heaven may still look upon us with an eye of favor." Page 274

"And all my work be praise."

That line really struck me from the hymn we sang on Wednesday night. Being good Protestants, we know that we cannot earn God's favor by our works. But our works can be offered as praise that "others may see our good works and give glory to our Father who is in heaven".

Below is the rest of Isaac Watts' Psalm 23 hymn.

1 My Shepherd will supply my need:
Jehovah is His Name;
In pastures fresh He makes me feed,
Beside the living stream.

2 He brings my wandering spirit back
When I forsake His ways,
And leads me, for His mercy's sake,
In paths of truth and grace.

3 When I walk through the shades of death
His presence is my stay;
One word of His supporting grace
Drives all my fears away.

4 His hand, in sight of all my foes,
Doth still my table spread;
My cup with blessings overflows,
His oil anoints my head.

5 The sure provisions of my God
Attend me all my days;
O may Thy house be my abode,
And all my work be praise.

6 There would I find a settled rest,
While others go and come;
No more a stranger, nor a guest,
But like a child at home.

Final

I was more happy than this picture indicates :) There were two other cases and we were the third to go. Once we were in the room with the judge, it only took about 5 minutes. Name, address and other easy type questions were asked of each of us. The main difficulty was that we had to listen fast because our lawyer talks so quickly.

What an amazing blessing. Thank you Miss S for your wonderful gift to us. It is a gift that can never be repaid and we will be forever grateful. Thank you to all who prayed and cared for us during this time. Your love did not go unnoticed. Thank you Lord Jesus for Your condescending care and love. That You intervene in the lives of sinners like us, is simply too much to fathom.