The wolves did hold a meeting, And some did start to scratch. (And
though wool is quite itchy, They had a plot to hatch.)
"By forcing them to tithe," he said, As drool hung from his jaw, "You bleed them
of their money; Put them back under the law!"
Sheep's clothing did fall off his back When he, the table slammed. "In this life,
we keep them poor, And in the next, they're damned!
Get them to sign "faith-promises" For they will have forgot God said, "Out of
abundance; Not from...what you have not."
You know these sheep are perfect prey Obey us, they would rather; Than stay
free in God's perfect grace In safety with their father.
A little sheep there with them, Did dare to raise his voice. "Excuse me, O Great
Men of God, But do we have a choice?"
All eyes were fixed upon him; Beneath them he did waver. He cannot say what he
believes And still stay in their favour.
"Please," he said, half to himself, "It does not seem quite right." Great
Men of God did snarl at him; He trembled there in fright.
The first one had replaced his fleece, That fell upon the floor, "Bite that church-destroyer! And
fling him out the door!"
Humbled, hurt, disfellowshipped, He limped along the path. Behind him, in the
meeting, He heard their mocking laugh.
In bitter wind, and all alone, He asked God to forgive him. And suddenly
he turned to see The Shepherd standing with him.
"All of those Great Men of God Did cast me out, my Lord!" "My
little lamb," said Jesus, "Did you forget my word? They cast me out before you, For me, they always hated. And
you, my lamb, are one of mine. So, patiently, I waited."
SATAN AND THE GAME
OF LIFE
Just a quiet game of chess I sat me down to play. But
Satan sat down opposite! (He visited one day.)
"This is now your Game of Life," He said, with quiet smile, "And
if you play exceeding well, We'll be here quite a while."
I knew a Covering Cherub Could not lose to a man. And
Lucifer excels in strength, And does what no man can.
"Let me consult the Rule Book Before we make a move. Certain
things I must make clear; And things I should now prove."
"Not so!"
he said, "You know the rules! They still remain the same. And when you lose, as lose you will, You have yourself
to blame. Those who Overcome," he said, "Are very, very few! What makes you think you're special, then? And why
should God choose you?
Look closely at how well you play, For none can play like me And
your life is a Chess-game, And your first move is free!
So, quickly now, and make your move For time is running short. The
battle you will lose, young man; Reflect, when you have fought."
Just then a whisper in my ear, "Why do you now compete? The
enemy you seek to fight Does wallow in defeat."
"Of course!" I said, "Oh foolish man! Why do I try to win A
battle that's already won? How foolish to begin!"
He looked at me with pity, And said, "It is a shame, That such a
Babe in Christ like you Should sit down for this game. Great Christians sometimes conquer. Great Men of God I fear. But
if you were at all like that, Would I sit quite so near?"
"Who is he that Overcometh?" I asked, across the table, "But
he that's born of God, you know, Reply now, if you're able! The victory of Jesus Christ By faith is apprehended. Don't
introduce some strange new rule, Or say the Book's amended!"
The still, small voice behind me said, "The Word
of God stands sure!" And I could see that by my faith I'm righteous, and I'm pure.
A single move was all it took, The
Game of Life to end. And Satan's king did fall full length. (More time, he would not spend.) And he rose from the
table, then, And walked away defeated. And I saw that by faith in Christ The victory's completed.
By faith
in that pure life he lived Which no-one can dispute.
By faith in all his righteousness, Which he, by grace, imputes.
Stand
still! The word admonishes All here and all the nations.
Stand still! And see the grace of God, And how he brings
salvation.
Stand still! For what can mortal man Now add to such a price?
Stand still! Have faith! And you
will see The victory in Christ!
The Devil left me quietly With promise
to return. I saw him leave, but in my mind A sudden thought did burn. Why was I quite so willing To engage him
in that game? He must have known my pride and flesh. He knew me by my name.
But I know that I'm dead in Christ, The
Scripture's plain to see. And Jesus said "When Satan comes, He has no thing in me."
If he has nothing, then,
in Christ, And in Christ I am dead. Why then engage in battle, friend? Is that what Jesus said?
By faith
the battle's over, friend, By faith the battle's won.
By faith resist this devilish game Or battle's just begun!
.................................
Here, then, the message that I give. Here, then, the revelation:
That when the Devil comes to us, He
comes by invitation
THE
VICAR, THE PRIEST AND THE REVEREND The plumber and the gasfitter They do a worthwhile task. They have a goodly knowledge And will tell you if
you ask. Some men, they do the greatest jobs, And some men do the least. But some men's jobs do not exist; The Vicar
and the Priest. For neither title must be used In ways not meant by God. So read on, and you'll see this view Is
not so very odd. The apostle Peter is quite clear: The Christian who's the least Is part of this great nation He describes
as "Kings and Priests." There is no priest above the priest, Between the priest and Christ. The high Priest is our
Jesus, And himself the sacrifice. So every Christian is a priest, And every one a saint. But the false priests
robes and vestments Are the sepulcher’s white paint. Now, Vicar is vicarious (In someone else's place) And whose place do you think they take? But His, the Lord
of Grace. And if they stand not in His stead, In whose stead do they stand? Yet
they will stand 'til judgment day, Then face God's reprimand. "Holy and Reverend is HIS NAME," Of God this
word was spoken. Why, then, use this word for men? And use it as a token? Our fathers we all reverence, The Word
of God does say. But we don't call them "reverend" And cause our God dismay. "I won't give flattering titles" Said Job, the
righteous man. So why, then, do we issue them As widely as we can? Job won't give flattering titles For his Maker would take him away. Let us not accept all these titles, For
God is no different today.
