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Less Than Nothing
8's (LM)
The mortal mind cannot conceive
The vastness of eternity;
Nor here comprehend, to relieve,
Our wonder at Christ's love so free.
It is a myst'ry without doubt,
-Lays aside all controversy;
It makes our hearts here sing and shout,
To think upon Thy great mercy!
The Lord of Heaven, here did come,
As He, Himself ordained should be;
O! yes, He came Himself, alone,
Because of His Own Love so free!
No one could help Him in His task,
From this, all others must refrain;
Nor could His Sovereign Power there ask,
His Merit, Honor, Glory stain.
He must do all the work alone,
With all the sweat and blood and tears;
From Eternal Love for His Own,
Which my soul and spirit now hears:
Oh, the Apostle truly said,
God did not spare His only Son,
And, this, my soul thou hast assayed,
And gloried in this work He's done!
O! the glory unspeakable!
Thou hast trod the wine press alone;
And are the rock, unshakeable,
When there, our sins Thou did atone!
What more could the Dear Savior do,
Than His Grace has already done;
What more, poor sinner, say to you,
In earth and heaven there is none;
Oh, come poor sinner, in your fear,
And venture all on Christ the Son;
For you've ever been in His care,
No other love's like this, not one;
For you were with Him there, of old,
Embraced in the Dear Holy Son;
His Will, there placed you in His fold,
And saw all the ways you must run.
For you, He died upon the tree,
And for you, to earth He did come;
For you, He bled, to set you free,
For you, a Man, God did become!
Oh, come dear Jesus, quickly come,
And bid our doubt and fear depart;
May we not to earthly cares succumb,
But Thy Grace remove our hard heart;
May the Music of Thy Dear Name
Forever tune and raise our heart;
Thy Glory ever be our aim,
Thy presence nevermore depart;
.....Will I forever with Him live?.....
Will I forever with Him rest?
O! Did His Grace etern'lly give,
A Mansion within His Dear Breast!
Oh, could our unbelief depart,
And we in peace, on Thee could rest,
Oh, would Thy Love enlarge our heart,
And choose the good part that is best.
Then we shall bow our head in thanks,
For Thy won'drous Grace and Mercy;
Till Thou waft us to Heaven's Banks,
.....In Love's boundless, unfathomed sea.....
*Copyright Jan 2000
O. Allen Bailey
Isa 40
"...Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him?
With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and showed to him the way of understanding?
Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.
And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.
All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing,
and vanity..."
Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him?
With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and showed to him the way of understanding?
Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing. And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.
All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity..."
Dan 4
"...And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding
returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose
dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:
And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me.
Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase..."
Psa 33
Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.
The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect.
The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own
inheritance.
The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men.
From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.
He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works.
There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.
Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;
To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.."
Man, by nature teaches and therefore evidently feels that the human race, by it's inherent nature possesses such dignity and value in the sight of God, that God Himself is actually committed and obligated to such extent to man, His creature (as man stands in his own dignity) that it would be unjust or unfair on God's part to discriminate among them when dealing with them as a Sovereign, Creator God. But no wonder, as the poet so ably expresses,
"When mortal man presumes to be,
More holy, wise or just than He"
..But in what different light and contrast to the former view does the Holy Scriptures portray man in the sight of his Creator God! Scriptures could be multiplied showing that the Almighty God has been pleased in His Eternal Mind to deal in an absolute and sovereign manner with all of His creation:
"...All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made..." John 1:3.
"...The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil..." Prov 16:4.
"...Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and
for thy pleasure they are and were created..." Rev 4:11.
"...Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things
created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or
dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all
things, and by him all things consist..." Col 1:15-17.
"...As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast
given him..." John 17:2.
"...Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it,
Why hast thou made me thus?
Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another
unto dishonour?..." Rom 9:18-21.
"...O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his
judgments, and his ways past finding out!
For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen..." Rom 11:33-36.
All objection to this truth is the foundation of all major doctrinal error that has ever arisen among the saints, and is founded on human depravity, spiritual blindness and ignorance, and their consequent inherent nature of resistance to the concept of God ruling absolutely over all things. It is assumed in the fallen natural mind of man, that man, since God created him, he is not only due a certain dignity and respect, even from his Creator, but even that His Creator is bound under some law to thus regard His creature, man. But again, how different (to my mind) is the light that the Scriptures casts upon this subject; for the great question in the minds of all the saints and holy men of God of old was to the contrary; even to wonder that God had taken any (special) notice of his creature man. Listen to Job, David, and Paul on this:
"...What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?..."
Job 7:17.
"...When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?..." Psa 8:3-4.
"...LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of
him!..." Psa 144:3.
"... But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of
man, that thou visitest him?..." Heb 2:6.
Psa 2
"...Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against
his anointed, saying,
Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for
thy possession.
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
Oh, the wonder to a poor sensible dust worm of this earth, that it was in the Eternal Mind of God in Christ to take any notice of this speck of existence that a sensible sinner feels to be!
"...Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is..."
1 John 3:1-2
The first man, the natural man, or the Adam man "is of the earth, earthy". This is the man that "is less than nothing" and that is under consideration here. Man, apart from Christ or the Man Jesus Christ, is absolutely vanity, and "less than nothing" in the sight of God, when we consider God's infinite greatness and goodness when compared to the Adam Man, and Christ the Son of God. It was said " Let us go down and make man in our image, and after our likeness". This image and likeness is all manifested in the Man, Christ Jesus, Who was verily God and verily man in one nature. There was (is) certainly nothing in the man Adam (who is of the earth, earthy) "in the image and likeness of God" apart from Christ, the Son of God, whom is the "..brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person.." Even Jesus, as man made Himself of "no reputation" in the suffering of humility by His incarnation, and fulfilled the last part of the scripture expression:
"What is man...""...But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings..." Heb 2:9-10.
And here is some more humiliation for the proud heart of the natural man, but will constrain the renewed heart to flee to Christ, that there it may lay hold on Him, and His exclusive dignity and righteousness: As it is commonly thought and expressed that (the Adam) man possesses an "immortal soul". But the Scripture declares that Christ only has immortality:
"...Which in his times he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen..." 1 Tim 6:15-16.
"...For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
...So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory..." 1 Cor 15:53-54.
The word 'immortality' means 'not subject to death'; Now, if there is something 'immortal'
about man, other than 'the Life of Christ' in him, how could this Scripture be true?
-Any immortality that any one possesses is embraced in the immortality of Christ alone.
Christ is the Life, and therefore the immortality of His children. He is
All their Life, and ever has been:
"...For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory..." Col 3:3-4.
"...Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: 2 Tim 1:9-10.
"...As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me..." 1 John 6:58.
"...because I live, ye shall live also..." John 14:18.
"...In him was life; and the life was the light of men..." John 1:4.
"...Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?..." John 11:25-26.
"...Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me..." John 14:6.
"...(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) John 1:2
"...I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me..." Gal 2:20.
I think these Scriptures alone are more than sufficient to show in the renewed heart and
mind, that all of the life of man, both naturally and divine, (since He is Lord both of
nature and Grace) is vested in the Lord Jesus Christ, and has eternally been in Him. The
saints were thus chosen in Him in Eternal vital union, as they did actually live in the
Mind of The Eternal Now. (Eph 1:1):
"...Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his
own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:..." 2 Tim 1:9-10.
"...Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
..O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.
..And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them..." John 17:24-26
Before Jehovah's awful throne,
Ye nations, bow with sacred joy;
Know that the Lord is God alone;
He can create, and He destroy.
His sovereign power, without our aid,
Made us of clay, and formed us men;
And when like wandering sheep, we strayed,
He brought us to His fold again.
We are His people, we His care-
Our souls, and all our mortal frame;
What lasting honors shall we rear,
Almighty Maker, To Thy name?
We'll crowd Thy gates, with thankful songs,
High as the heavens, our voices raise;
And earth, with all her thousand tongues,
Shall fill Thy courts with sounding praise.
Wide as the world, is Thy command,
Vast as eternity, Thy Love;
Firm as the rock, thy truth shall stand,
When rolling seas shall cease to move.
When rolling seas shall cease to move,
When sun and stars there be no more,
God will still His faithfulness prove,
There on that bright Eternal Shore,
Isaac Watts
"...For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory..." Col 3:3-4.
"...Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: 2 Tim 1:9-10.
"...As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me..." 1 John 6:58.
"...because I live, ye shall live also..." John 14:18.
"...In him was life; and the life was the light of men..." John 1:4.
"...Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?..." John 11:25-26.
"...Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me..." John 14:6.
"...(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) John 1:2
"...I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me..." Gal 2:20.
I think these Scriptures alone are more than sufficient to show in the renewed heart and mind, that all of the life of man, both naturally and divine, (since He is Lord both of nature and Grace) is vested in the Lord Jesus Christ, and has eternally been in Him. The saints were thus chosen in Him in Eternal vital union, as they did actually live in the Mind of The Eternal Now. (Eph 1:1):
"...Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his
own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:..." 2 Tim 1:9-10.
"...Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
..O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.
..And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them..." John 17:24-26
