I am going to change my blog address again. I really shouldn’t have chosen the name I did. I see that in retrospect. It’s not really very charitable seeming, and it doesn’t really describe well anything I like to pass along. I’d like to pass along a lot less from myself personally and, instead, pass along the work of venerable Reformers and Puritans of the past.

The new address is http://christianpiety.wordpress.com

Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. – Proverbs 27:6

When our sins are pointed out (rightly) by brethren or unbelievers alike, it seems we are quicker to take offense than to execute repentance. I know that I am wont to do this, and I believe it’s human nature. However, we should take heed of the knowledge of the Proverb above in realizing that rebukes are for our good, but ignoring and continuing in our sins is harmful. Here are some words from the venerable William Gurnall and Matthew Henry that are poignant.

William Gurnall:

Bless God for the efficacy of the word upon thy soul. Did ever its point prick thy heart,–its edge fetch blood of thy lusts? Bless God for it; you would do as much to a surgeon for lancing a sore, and severing a putrified part from thy body, though he put thee to exquisite torture in the doing of it. And I hope thou thinkest God hath done thee a greater kindness. Solomon tells us, –’Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful,’ Prov. xxvii. 6. The wounds that God thus gives are the faithful wounds of a friend; and the kisses which sin gives come from an enemy. God’s wounds cure, –sin’s kisses kill.’ – The Christian in Complete Armour, Ch. 20

Matthew Henry (commenting on Lot and the homosexual men who sought to rape Lot’s visitors in Gen. 19):

Note, [1.] Those that hate to be reformed hate those that reprove them, though with ever so much tenderness. Presumptuous sinners do by their consciences as the Sodomites did by Lot, baffle their checks, stifle their accusations, press hard upon them, till they have seared them and quite stopped their mouths, and so made themselves ripe for ruin. [2.] Abuses offered to God’s messengers and to faithful reprovers soon fill the measure of a people’s wickedness, and bring destruction without remedy. See Prov. xxix. 1, and 2 Chron. xxxvi. 16. If reproofs remedy not, there is no remedy. See 2 Chron. xxv. 16.

Let us therefore, Brethren, not be so quick to take offense when others point out our sins, but let us indeed be quick to repent from our sins, even if the motivation of our accusers is malicious, the motivation of God’s means are gracious for His children. Let us be sensitive to rebukes in that we not sear our consciences of our slights against God’s Law.

That which is to be aimed at in all acts of religion is God’s acceptance: we speed well if we attain this, but in vain do we worship if we miss of it, 2 Cor. v. 9.

Note, That calling or condition of life is best for us, and to be chosen by us, which is best for our souls, that which least exposes us to sin and gives us most opportunity of serving and enjoying God.

Comforts, though alloyed, are more than we deserve; and therefore our complaints must not drown our thanksgivings.

I grimace at the “news” lately, when I actually take the time to read it. Most of said “news” is really no news at all but tantalizing exploitations of others’ faults and failures. There is no question that when public leaders (including Pastors and Presidents, etc.) have gone astray in public matters that affect the public, they should be held to account. That being said, it’s an entirely different matter to take a public person’s personal life (that does not affect the public in a large scale or substantial way), investigate and publicize their every pile of dirty laundry, and believe that everyone has the right, not only to know their transgressions, but to hammer down endlessly on said transgressors (for example the brouhaha of Tiger Woods alleged infidelities).

I am thankful for the framers of the Westminster Confession of Faith when, in the Westminster Larger Catechism, they lay down the tracks of the Ninth Commandment. This is the positive side of what they extrapolated for us from the Ninth (my emphases added):

Question 144: What are the duties required in the ninth commandment?

Answer: The duties required in the ninth commandment are, the preserving and promoting of truth between man and man, and the good name of our neighbor, as well as our own; appearing and standing for the truth; and from the heart, sincerely, freely, clearly, and fully, speaking the truth, and only the truth, in matters of judgment and justice, and in all other things: Whatsoever; a charitable esteem of our neighbors; loving, desiring, and rejoicing in their good name; sorrowing for, and covering of their infirmities; freely acknowledging of their gifts and graces, defending their innocency; a ready receiving of a good report, and unwillingness to admit of an evil report, concerning them; discouraging talebearers, flatterers, and slanderers; love and care of our own good name, and defending it when need requires; keeping of lawful promises; studying and practicing of: Whatsoever things are true, honest, lovely, and of good report.

While we are not to deny the truth when a public person has been found in personal  sin, neither are we to make it everyone else’s business, nor exploit everyone involved. Such foolishness only hampers the needed repentance of the offender and lessens the confidence of the offended toward the needed repentance the offender. The increasing sentiment among “journalists” that it’s some how noble to dig and dig and dig should be quite disconcerting to our sensibilities. Note that one part of keeping the Ninth is sorrowing for, and covering of their infirmities!

Here is what the WCF Framers had to say concerning the negative side of the Ninth (my emphases added):

Question 145: What are the sins forbidden in the ninth commandment?

Answer: The sins forbidden in the ninth commandment are, all prejudicing the truth, and the good name of our neighbors, as well as our own, especially in public judicature; giving false evidence, suborning false witnesses, wittingly appearing and pleading for an evil cause, outfacing and overbearing the truth; passing unjust sentence, calling evil good, and good evil; rewarding the wicked according to the work of the righteous, and the righteous according to the work of the wicked; forgery, concealing the truth, undue silence in a just cause, and holding our peace when iniquity calls for either a reproof from ourselves, or complaint to others; speaking the truth unseasonably, or maliciously to a wrong end, or perverting it to a wrong meaning, or in doubtful and equivocal expressions, to the prejudice of truth or justice;speaking untruth, lying, slandering, backbiting, detracting, tale bearing, whispering, scoffing, reviling, rash, harsh, and partial censuring; misconstructing intentions, words, and actions; flattering, vainglorious boasting, thinking or speaking too highly or too meanly of ourselves or others; denying the gifts and graces of God; aggravating smaller faults;hiding, excusing, or extenuating of sins, when called to a free confession;unnecessary discovering of infirmities; raising false rumors, receiving and countenancing evil reports, and stopping our ears against just defense; evil suspicion; envying or grieving at the deserved credit of any, endeavoring or desiring to impair it, rejoicing in their disgrace and infamy; scornful contempt, fond admiration; breach of lawful promises; neglecting such things as are of good report, and practicing, or not avoiding ourselves, or not hindering: What we can in others, such things as procure an ill name.

This requires special alertness on our parts, no doubt. But these are our duties. It is disgusting to witness the display of “journalists” and “new” organizations’ so-called “stories” without any care at all for people’s families, friends, etc. For example, I have not read through the countless articles detailing all of Tiger Woods’ alleged affairs (nor do I intend to, neither should you), but the heartlessness of the media is found in that they couldn’t care any less as to the effect this incurs on his wife and child(ren?). Far be it from Christians to help perpetuate the mess by lusting after yet more gossipy info (whether it’s true or not). There is such a thing as speaking the truth unseasonably and I believe this whole mess with Woods is a shining example of that. Should Tiger Woods be held to account? Sure. Has he sinned against all the people that are taking in every bit of juicy-gossipy-goodness they read? No.

May we, in our endeavors to keep the Ninth Commandment, do so in full view of what the Scriptures teach concerning lying, telling the truth, and upholding the good name of our neighbors. When our neighbors are caught “red-handed” in their sins may their transgressions not be exploited maliciously and with mal-intent. Rather, would that we’d echo echo the Psalmist (119:136) when he says:

Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law.

The command of that covenant being broken, the curse of it is in full force; it leaves no room for repentance, but we are all undone if we be judged by that covenant. God revealed this to Adam, not to drive him to despair, but to oblige and quicken him to look for life and happiness in the promised seed, by whom the flaming sword is removed. God and his angels are reconciled to us, and a new and living way into the holiest is consecrated and laid open for us.

Adam and Eve made for themselves aprons of fig-leaves, a covering too narrow for them to wrap themselves in. Such are all the rags of our own righteousness. But God made them coats of skins; large, and strong, and durable, and fit for them; such is the righteousness of Christ. Therefore put on the Lord Jesus Christ.

From the venerable Matthew Henry:

It is God that multiplies our sorrows…. God, as a righteous Judge, does it, which ought to silence us under all our sorrows; as many as they are, we have deserved them all, and more: nay, God, as a tender Father, does it for our necessary correction, that we may be humbled for sin, and weaned from the world by all our sorrows; and the good we get by them, with the comfort we have under them, will abundantly balance our sorrows, how greatly soever they are multiplied.

Well, I know I haven’t blogged much, and this is much to your advantage. I’d rather not darken your counsels with idle words. So, I suppose when I *may* have something useful to say, I’ll post, as opposed to when I “have” to merely say something. On to the subject at hand, though.

Albeit the whipping boy of many modern ‘Reformed’ folk (erroneously so), Matthew Henry is such a joy and treasure to read. The Lord was good to give us such a man who could pen theological-devotionally like few others. With that bit of praise in mind, and since I seldom contribute anything regularly here anymore, I may just begin to share some of Matthew Henry’s quotes that I love so much on a regular basis. I have no doubt that some I will post will be familiar from posts I’ve written in the past, but there can never really be too much Matthew Henry Puritanism to peruse.

If anything, I hope the quotes will stir your affections to such a degree that you will be compelled to pick up Henry’s Commentary and read through it often.

For a beginning quote, I leave you this jewel:

Thus still the devil draws people into his interest by suggesting to them hard thoughts of God, and false hopes of benefit and advantage by sin. Let us therefore, in opposition to him, always think well of God as the best good, and think ill of sin as the worst of evils: thus let us resist the devil, and he will flee from us.