Chapter 6. The Garment of Praise-excerpts

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness... (Isaiah 61:3d)

"...whereas the first [sacred exchange] adorned the face with beauty, and the second anointed the head with joy, this last and widest covers the whole person with a garment of praise. Man's first garment was of his own making, and it could not cover his shame; but this garment is of God's making, and it makes us comfortable in ourselves and comely in the sight of God and man. Those to whom God gives the garment of praise are better adorned than Solomon in all his glory." (page 113)

The spirit of heaviness..."shall be removed. The blessings that Jesus gives to us are not surface ones, yet they touch the center of our being. At first, we may not perceive their depth, but only know that beauty is given instead of ashes....However, in the words before us, the very spirit of heaviness--the fountain from where the mourning flows, the hearth upon which the ashes are burned--is dealt with and taken away." (page 114)

"Faith, too, that blessed gift of God, works to the clearing away of heaviness, wherever it resides....Faith takes the telescope, looks beyond the narrow range of time into the eternal heavens, and sees a crown laid up for the faithful. ...

"Hope enters, too, with her silver light, borrowed from faithful promises. She expects the future glory....so, again, she drives away the gloom of the heart.

"Love, also, the sweetest of the three, comes in and teaches us to be resigned to the will of God, and then sweetly charms us into acquiescence with all the divine purposes. When we reach that point--and so love God that whatever He may do with us we are resolved to trust Him and praise His name--then the spirit of heaviness must vanish." (page 124)

Faith takes the telescope, looks beyond the narrow range of time into the eternal heavens, and sees a crown laid up for the faithful. 

With appreciation, thanks to Bing images for the traditional Christmas scene.

Final, Chapter 7. Trees of Righteousness-excerpts

TREES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

...that they might be called trees of righteousness, 

the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. 

Isaiah 61:3a

[1]   The main end and object of the whole system of grace is that the Lord might be glorified.
This will be the ultimate result of all that God has planned and wrought for the salvation of men. 
Throughout the whole dispensation of love, His attributes shine forth in their meridian splendor: 
His mercy in forgiving the guilty, His justice in the death of their Substitute, His truth in fulfilling His threatening, and His faithfulness in keeping His promise--all will be made manifest to the admiring eyes of the intelligent universe. (page 133) 

 

[1]   If the Lord had chosen sages and philosophers, if it had been necessary to pass through various grades of scholarship in order to obtain the favor of God, then human learning would have been considered the cause of holiness, and the university would have monopolized the glory. 
This also shall not be. 
Neither can riches sway the choice of heaven, nor personal beauty, nor courage, nor favor among men.
Grace, and grace alone, must reign and lift the mourners from the dunghill, while the haughty sons of pride are passed by.

   

[2]  Moreover, the Lord has not made His selection according to natural character; for if He had in every case chosen those who have been excellent in morals from their youth up, then the honor would have been ascribed to good works, and grace would have been elbowed out of the throne. 
If the good Shepherd had come only to watch over the ninety and nine that did not stray, and not to seek lost sheep, then it would have been said, "After all, these saved ones owe but little to mercy, for their admirable character lies at the root of it all." 
 It is all very well to talk of grace, but what sort of grace is it that comes only to the most deserving? (page 135)

Thanks to Bing's free images for the image of the holly tree cutting gracing the little candle, at top of this blog post.
Mahalia Jackson is unparalleled as a singer of gospel songs. She  rejected offers to sing popular songs. You can hear her sing "Amazing Grace" via YouTube video embedded in right column.