Romans 8:38-39 Daily Walking With God - Octavius Winslow

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

Romans 8:38, 39

THE love of the Father is seen in giving us Christ, in choosing us in Christ, and in blessing us in Him with all spiritual blessings. Indeed, the love of the Father is the fountain of all covenant and redemption mercy to the Church. It is that river the streams whereof make glad the city of God. How anxious was Jesus to vindicate the love of the Father from all the suspicions and fears of His disciples! “I say not unto you that I will pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you.” “God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son.” To this love we must trace all the blessings which flow to us through the channel of the cross. It is the love of God, exhibited, manifested, and seen in Christ Jesus; Christ being, not the originator, but the gift of His love; not the cause, but the exponent of it. Oh, to see a perfect equality in the Father’s love with the Son’s love! Then shall we be led to trace all His present mercies, and all His providential dealings, however trying, painful, and mysterious, to the heart of God; thus resolving all into that from where all alike flow—everlasting and unchangeable love.

Now it is from this love there is no separation. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” The apostle had challenged accusation from every foe, and condemnation from every quarter; but no accuser rose, and no condemnation was pronounced. Standing on the broad basis of Christ’s finished work and of God’s full justification, his head was now lifted up in triumph above all his enemies round about. But it is possible that, though in the believer’s heart there is no fear of impeachment, there yet may exist the latent one of separation. The aggregate dealings of God with His Church, and His individual dealings with His saints, may at times present the appearance of an alienated affection of a lessened sympathy. The age in which this epistle was penned was fruitful of suffering to the Church of God. And if any period or any circumstances of her history boded a severance of the bond which bound her to Christ, that was the period, and those were the circumstances. But with a confidence based upon the glorious truth on which he had been descanting—the security of the Church of God in Christ—and with a persuasion inspired by the closer realization of the glory about to burst upon her view—with the most dauntless courage he exclaims, “I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

"Daily Walking With God By Octavius Winslow - 1856

The hell of hell - Thomas Brooks

The hell of hell 

And as there are a diversity of torments in hell, 

so the torments of hell are everlasting.

"Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:!" Mt. 25:41

The sentence which shall be passed upon them, is eternal.

God Himself, who damns them, is eternal.

The prison and chains which hold them, are eternal.

The worm which gnaws them, is eternal.

The fire which torments them, is eternal.

Grievous is the torment of the damned—for the bitterness 

of the punishments. It is more grievous—for the diversity 

of the punishments. But it is most grievous—for the eternity 

of the punishments!

If, after so many millions of years as there are drops in 

the ocean, there might be a deliverance out of hell—this 

would yield a little ease, a little comfort to the damned. 

Oh, but this word Eternity! Eternity! Eternity! this word 

Everlasting! Everlasting! Everlasting! this word Forever! 

Forever! Forever! will even break the hearts of the 

damned in ten thousand pieces!

Suppose that the whole world were turned into a mountain of 

sand, and that a little bird should come once every thousand 

years and carry away from that heap, one grain of sand. What 

an infinite number of years would be spent before this great 

mountain of sand would be fetched away! Just so—if a man 

should lie in everlasting burnings so long a time as this, and 

then have an end of his woe—it would give some ease, some 

hope, and some comfort to him. But when that immortal bird 

shall have carried away this great mountain of sand—a thousand 

times over and over—alas, alas, sinful man shall be as far from 

the end of his anguish and torment as ever he was! He shall be 

no nearer coming out of hell, than he was the very first moment 

that he entered into hell!

Suppose, say others, that a man were to endure the 

torments of hell as many years—as there are . . .

sands on the sea-shore,

drops of water in the sea,

stars in the heavens, 

leaves on the trees,

blades of grass on the ground

—yet he would comfort himself with this poor thought, 

"Well, there will come a day when my misery and torment 

shall certainly have an end." 

But woe and alas! this word, "Forever! Forever! Forever!" 

will fill the hearts of the damned with the greatest . . .

horror and terror,

anger and rage,

bewilderment and astonishment!

If the fire of hell were terminable, it might be tolerable. But 

being endless, it must needs be easeless, and remediless.

The eternity of hell—is the hell of hell.

The damned shall live as long in hell—as 

long as God Himself shall live in heaven!

"The reprobate shall have . . .

punishment without pity;

misery without mercy,

misery without mercy,

crying without compassion,

mischief without measure, and

torment without end!"

“And they will go away into eternal punishment,

but the righteous into eternal life.” punishment

All the pains, torments, curse, and wrath which were 

due to the elect—fell on Christ, until divine justice was 

fully satisfied. "For God did not appoint us to suffer 

wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus 

Christ." 1 Thes. 5:9. Oh, exalt that Christ! Oh, extol 

that Savior, who has saved you from that eternal wrath!

Thomas Brooks, "The Golden Key to Open Hidden Treasures"

Thomas Watson, The Ten Commandments

The queen of graces

"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment." Matthew 22:37-38

Love to God is a holy expansion or enlargement of 

soul, by which it is carried with delight after God, as 

the chief good--"a delight in God, as our treasure."

Love is the soul of religion; it is a momentous grace. 

If love is lacking, there can be no true religion in the 

heart. All else is but pageantry--merely a devout 

compliment to God.

Love ameliorates and sweetens all the duties of 

religion; it makes them savory food, which God 

delights in.

As to the excellence of this grace--love is the first and 

great commandment. Love is the queen of graces; it 

outshines all others, as the sun outshines the planets.

Love is the most durable grace. Faith and hope will shortly 

cease--but love will remain. Thus love carries away the 

garland from all other graces, as it is the most long-lived 

grace. Love is a bud of eternity!

Love to God must be *pure* and *genuine*. *He must be loved 

chiefly for Himself*. We must love God, not only for His benefits

but for those intrinsic excellencies with which He is crowned. 

We must love God--not only for the good which flows from Him

—but for the good which is in Him. True love is not mercenary; 

he who is deeply in love with God, needs not be hired with 

rewards, he cannot but love God for the beauty of His holiness.

Though it is not unlawful to look for benefits, we must not love 

God for His benefits alone--for then it is not love of God, but 

self-love.

Love to God must be *with all the heart*. We must 

not love God a little--give Him a drop or two of our 

love; but the main stream must flow to Him.

The mind must think of God, 

the will must choose Him, 

the affections must pant after Him.

God will not have the heart divided. We must *love Him 

with our whole heart*. Though we may love the creature

yet it must be a subordinate love. Love to God must 

be highest, as oil swims above the water.

Love to God must be *flaming*. To love coldly, is the 

same as not to love. The spouse is said to be, "love-sick." 

Songs 2:5. The seraphim are so called, because of their 

burning love. Love turns saints into seraphim; it makes 

them burn in holy love to God. Many waters cannot 

quench this love.

Thomas Watson, The queen of graces from Ten Commandments

How to be Saved! - Bishop J. C. Ryle

"Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to" (Luke 13:24).

How to be Saved! - J. C. Ryle

Seek Christ without delay, 

and enter through the door of life while you can! Make a beginning this very day. Go to that merciful and mighty Savior in prayer, and pour out your heart before Him. Confess to Him your guilt and wickedness and sin. Open your heart freely to Him: keep nothing back. Tell Him that you put yourself and all your soul's affairs wholly in His hands, and ask Him to save you according to His promise, and put His Holy Spirit within you.

There is everything "to encourage you to do this." Thousands as bad as you have applied to Christ in this way, and not one of them has been sent away and refused. They have found a peace of conscience they never knew before, and have gone on their way rejoicing. They have found strength for all the trials of life, and none of them have been allowed to perish in the wilderness. Why shouldn't you also seek Christ?

There is everything to encourage you to do what I tell you "at once." I know no reason why your repentance and conversion should not be as immediate as that of others before you. The Samaritan woman came to the well an ignorant sinner, and returned to her home a new creature. The Philippian jailer turned from darkness to light, and became a professed disciple of Christ in a single day. And why shouldn't others do the same? Why shouldn't you give up your sins, and trust in Christ this very day?

I know that the advice I have given you is good. The great question is, Will you take it?

(3) The last thing I have to say will be a request to all who have really entered through the narrow door. That request is, that you will tell others of the blessings which you have found.

I want all converted people to be missionaries. I do not want them all to go out to foreign lands, and preach to the heathen; but I do want all to be of a missionary spirit, and to make every effort to do good at home. I want them to testify to everyone around them that the narrow door is the way to happiness, and to persuade them to enter through it.

When Andrew was converted he found his brother Peter, and said to him, "'We have found the Messiah' (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus" (John 1:41-42). When Philip was converted he found Nathaniel, and said to him, "'We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.' 'Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?' Nathaniel asked. 'Come and see,' said Philip" (John 1:45-46). When the Samaritan woman was converted, "Leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 'Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?'" (John 4:28-29). When Saul the Pharisee was converted, "At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God" (Acts 9:20).

I long to see this kind of spirit among Christians in the present day. I long to see more zeal to commend the narrow door to all who are yet outside, and more desire to persuade them to enter through and be saved. Happy indeed is that Church whose members not only desire to reach heaven themselves, but desire also to take others with them!

The great door of salvation is still ready to open, but the hour draws near when it will be closed forever. Let us work while it is called today, for the "night is coming, when no one can work" (John 9:4). Let us tell our relatives and friends, that we have accepted the way of life and found it pleasant, that we have tasted the bread of life and found it good.

I have heard it calculated that if every believer in the world were to bring one soul to Christ each year, the whole human race would be converted in less than twenty years. I make no comment on such a calculation. Whether such a thing might be or not, one thing is sure: that thing is, that many more "souls might probably be converted to God, if Christians were more zealous to do good."

This, at least, we may remember, that God does "not want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). He that endeavors to show his neighbor the narrow door is doing a work which God approves. He is doing a work which angels regard with interest, and with which the building of a pyramid will not compare in importance. What does the Scripture say? "Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins" (James 5:20).

Let us all awaken to a deeper sense of our responsibility in this matter. Let us look around the circle of those among whom we live, and consider their state before God. Are there not many of them yet outside the door, unforgiven, unsanctified, and not prepared to die? Let us watch for opportunities of speaking to them. Let us tell them of the narrow door, and entreat them to "make every effort to enter in."

Who can tell what "a word spoken at the right time" may do? Who can tell what it may do when spoken in faith and prayer? It may be the turning point in someone's history. It may be the beginning of thought, prayer, and eternal life. Oh, for more love and boldness among believers! Think what a blessing to be allowed to speak one converting word!

I do not know what your feelings may be on this subject. My heart's desire and prayer is that you may daily remember Christ's solemn words,

"Many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to." Keep these words in mind.