In preparing to preach, I'm often made aware, keenly aware, that I'm talking to folks who soon must leave this world, stand before God Almighty, and spend eternity either in the bliss and glory and happiness of God's presence or in the everlasting torments of the damned. And I try never to preach without being sensible of that fact. I'm talking to folks who are headed for eternity. real quick.

And some of you sitting here, young and old, don't know God. You're yet under the wrath of God, without Christ and without hope. And if you meet God as you are, in your sin, hell will be your everlasting portion. And that's right. That's the way it ought to be. For you have despised the living God and spent your days in rebellion against him. And you despise the gospel of his grace. Now I call on you. I pray God the Holy Spirit will call on you now by effectual power to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, to commit your soul to him. Trust his blood for his blood alone can wash away your sins. Trust his righteousness, his righteousness alone can give you acceptance with God. Trust His grace. His grace alone can sustain you and bring you to glory.

Come now, surrender to the rule of Jesus Christ. Quit fighting against God. Quit fighting against God. You're going to lose the battle. I hope you lose it now rather than there. Quit fighting against God. Give up the rule of your life. to Jesus Christ the Lord, God help you too.

Some of you are tried. You're going through some difficult times. Your faith is tried and your confidence in God is put to the test. And I want, by the grace of God, somehow to encourage you to continue worshiping and serving Him with consecrated love and faith, even in the midst of trial and heartache. I want to inspire you to just continue believing God. I want to inspire you by the Spirit of God, by the Word of His grace, to walk with Christ regardless, regardless what comes down the road.

Because I'm telling you, I know it so, the only way of peace in this world is the obedience of faith. It's on the way. You can't have peace in here when everything out there is in perfect peace. You can't have peace in here except by the obedience of faith. And when everything out there is in utter turmoil, you can have peace in here by the obedience of faith. No, you can't. Not only are some of you going through trials trials nobody else knows about except you and God. Some of you are facing temptations maybe you don't even know about.

The care of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, the lure of all that you see. I want it. I want it. I said helplessly, and I mean helplessly. Over the years, I've watched so many who gradually, little by little, gave more and more and more and more and more of their attention and care and of their heart's to the things of this world, until you look around, the views are empty, and they're gone. They're gone. And in reality, their souls are gone, and they don't even know don't even know it. They think all is well. They think everything's fine. They think that everything's just, just as good as it can be. After all, they've had an experience of religion and they've professed faith in Christ and they've got the right doctrine.

They just don't have time to worship God. Don't have time to meet with God's people. Don't have time to be bothered with such things as singing God's praise and strengthening the arms of God's saints and walking in the sweet fellowship of God's saints in the house of the Lord, worshiping him.

And I want somehow today to do something to strengthen you in the face of temptation. Now, how am I going to do all that? I know this, unless God does something, no matter what I say or do here tonight, Tuesday night, unless God speaks by me, nothing's going to be of any benefit.

Nothing's going to help. So here we are. Lord, unless you help us, there's no help. There's no help. But I do know this, the only thing that I can talk to you about that will in any way inspire and encourage you to give yourselves relentlessly to Jesus Christ the Lord is his grace. That's all.

I'm not going to stand up here and threaten you. I'm not going to stand up here and and try to terrorize you with the law and scare you into obedience. I'm not going to stand up here and entice you with the promise of rewards. If those things will get you to do what grace won't get you to do, you don't know anything about grace. That's reality. That's just reality. If the fear of punishment or the promise of reward will get me to do what the grace of God won't get me to do, I don't know anything about the grace of God.

And so I'm going to try to inspire in our hearts some gratitude, some thanksgiving, some reasons for giving ourselves to Christ. Let's turn to Psalm 65 and verse 4. I want you to see that the cause of salvation, preservation, and the eternal inheritance of glory is God's electing love. Here in Psalm 65 in verse 4, David says, back up to verse 1, if you will, we'll just get down to it.

You'll see the context. David says, praise waiteth for thee, O Lord. Praise waiteth for thee, O God in Zion. And unto thee shall the vow be performed. That is, we're sitting here now, the saints of God, the church of God, the family of God, the people of God, we're sitting here to praise you and we will perform our vow unto you. O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh grow. We're coming to you because you hear prayer. prevail against me.

They do. As for our transgressions, however, thou hast purged them away. Iniquity is always here and it always prevails against me. I cannot, I cannot rid myself of sin, but you, By the blood of your son, you purged away my sin. You purged away my transgressions.

And now David thinks on this and he says, Blessed is the man whom thou choosest and causes to approach unto thee that he may dwell in thy courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy people. Now you hold your Bibles open right here and just follow me briefly through this verse of scripture and this will be the message this morning.

First David says, blessed is the man whom thou choosest. That is speaking of God's eternal electing love. we who believe were chosen by God in eternal love. If you now trust Jesus Christ, If you now repent of your sins, if you now are washed in the blood of Christ and robed in his righteousness, truly seated around the throne of God with his saints in spirit, if right now you're a believer, if right now for the first time you begin to trust Christ, it's because God chose you in everlasting life. Blessed is the man whom thou choosest. Divine election is a constant theme of thanksgiving and praise throughout the scriptures. The blessedness of God's elect fills every believer's heart with praise to God. Blessed is the man whom thou choosest.

Remember how that David leaped and danced before the ark and when his wife Michael saw him, she said, you've made yourself vile before the daughters of Israel. And he said, I will yet make myself more vile because God chose me and not your daddy. God chose me to bring the ark of God up. God chose me to be His king. And I'll rejoice and dance before Him, regardless of what your opinion of things may be.

You see, those who know the blessedness of being among God's elect rejoice and give thanks to Him, knowing that they have been placed there by God's election. You and I, who have been brought to this position, that we are now the sons and daughters of God Almighty, Oh, how we ought to rejoice in God's election. Now other men and women cavil at it. Other men and women get upset with it. Other men and women say that's not fair. But the believer sees the blessedness of election. We will rejoice in God's election for a number of reasons. Those who were chosen by God in eternal election and were given to Jesus Christ as his sheep in the covenant of grace are the people who have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ.

Turn to John chapter 10. John the 10th chapter. Just hold your place there in Psalm 65. But look in John chapter 10. You see, all the blessings of grace, all the blessings of grace come to us as a result of divine election. Were there no election, there would be no redemption.

Here in John 10, our Lord Jesus speaks of his sheep. He says, I am the good shepherd, verse 11. The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. In verse 14, he says, I am the good shepherd and know my sheep and have known of mine. As the father knoweth me, even so know I the father.

And I laid down my life for the sheep. Now you know in the scriptures, all the human race is divided up into two groups, sheep and goats. In the last day, in the day of judgment, the Lord God will gather the goats on his left hand and the sheep on his right hand. And this division of the race was made not in time, but in eternity in God's election. And the Lord Jesus here says, I lay down my life for the sheep. and for nobody else.

So that those who are God's elect, they are redeemed by Christ. More than that, look in Romans chapter 8, Romans the 8th chapter. Divine providence rules everything, sovereignly working all things together for good to God's elect. In Romans 8 in verse 28, Almost everybody in America, I suppose, can quote at least a portion of this verse. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God. But that's not all this verse says. It says considerably more. To them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. And this is his purpose.

For whom he did foreknow, then he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. So that the goodness of God's providence is toward the elect. The goodness of God's providence is on behalf of the elect. The goodness of God's providence is the fact that he has chosen us and ordained good for us and he brings it to pass.

Now, we don't always see it. As it's coming to pass, often we look at things and think, boy, that's evil, that's horrible, that's a terrible tragedy. But the scripture says, no evil shall happen to the just. It's not evil at all. God is doing us good. So that even when things look and feel and appear to be terribly adverse to our good, God is accomplishing good for his people and we ought to trust him for it. The Lord Jesus Christ prays for and makes intercession for God's elect.

He said in John 17 verse 9, these, which you have given me out of the world, I pray for them. I pray not for the world, but for them, which you've given me. And not only for these, but for them also, which shall believe on me through their word. That ought to do our hearts a world of good.

Right now, Merle Hart, the son of God, makes intercession for you. Imagine that. He makes intercession for me. We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He said to Peter, I prayed for you. I prayed for you. And Peter didn't pay much attention at the time, but I'll tell you what, in just a few days, he was sure glad he heard the Lord say, I prayed for you. I've made intercession for you.

Satan has no power over the souls and the eternal destiny of God's elect. We are kept and preserved by the power of God to have been chosen of God. Sin shall not be charged to God's elect because they have been justified freely by his grace through the blood of Jesus Christ. God's elect will be glorified, that is, presented faultless, without spot, without wrinkle, holy and blameless before the presence of God himself in Jesus Christ the Lord. God's elect shall enter into and possess that kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world as heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. Yes, God's elect shall possess everything for they had been predestinated to be possessors of everything with Christ Jesus.

When David thought on these things, his heart broke out with praise to God and said, Blessed is the man whom thou choosest. Now, if you're one of God's elect, all these blessings and many more are yours. If you're not among God's elect, none of these blessings shall be yours. All the blessings of grace flow down to sinners through the fountain of God's electing love.

He blessed us according as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. Again, I repeat, if you believe on Christ, if you bow to Christ as your Lord in faith, if you trust his blood and his righteousness right now, you're one of God's elect.

If you say, no, I won't trust it. No, I'll not believe it. Then there's nothing for me to say, except thus far, it appears you're not one of God's elect. That's what our Lord said. He said, you believe not because you're not of my sheep. You're not of my sheep. But if you do believe, understand that even your faith is the gift of God's electing love.

Divine election then is a fundamental doctrine of Holy Scripture. I know a lot of times people don't receive doctrine simply because they don't understand it or because it's been poorly presented. And I certainly don't want to do that this morning. But every sinner who properly understands the doctrine of God's elect in grace, every believing child of God, every believing sinner who properly sees what the Bible teaches concerning this rejoices in it.

Those who have been chosen of God in eternal election shall be saved. And the cause of their salvation is that eternal election. Let me tell you several things about God's election. I want to show you from the scriptures several things concerning God's electing grace. Number one, the election of grace is absolutely free, sovereign and unconditional. Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated, God said, Romans 9 verse 11, before the children did anything good or anything evil, before they were ever born.

In 2 Timothy 1.9, the apostle tells us that God 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.

Now, it's difficult for us to grasp anything unconditional. It's difficult for us to grasp it. When Bill Raleigh started courting Vicki, and I presume you asked her to be your wife, there was a reason for it. There was something you saw in her you wanted, something that appealed to you. And whenever we start to think about our relationships to other things and other people, there's always a condition. That's my child, that's my son, my daughter, that's my neighbor, this is what I've got for myself. There's some condition, some quality that draws out our love.

But when Christ chose us, there was nothing for Him to foresee in us but sin, nothing but corruption. There was nothing in us and no potential for anything in us except corruption. And not only that, we were corrupt among a mass of corrupt men and women. But he said, I'll be their God. They'll be my people without condition, without qualification, without seeing anything good in us or anything good that might be in us.

Not only that, but God's election is an act of grace from eternity. Turn to Jeremiah chapter one, Jeremiah the first chapter, and listen to what God says to his prophet. What God said to Jeremiah is true of every child of God. He says in verse five, Jeremiah chapter one, verse five, before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee. And before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

When? By before you were ever formed in the belly. When did God do this? Before the world was. I have loved you with an everlasting love, he later says to Jeremiah. Therefore, with loving kindness have I drawn thee. Before the foundation of the world, we were chosen in Jesus Christ. Before all things were, God set his heart on us and chose us.

Now somebody comes along and says, well, I know the Bible teaches election, but this election was not a personal thing. Oh, it was a personal thing. It was a personal thing. Election is a discriminating act of grace by which God separates his people from the rest of mankind.

The scripture says Jacob was chosen and Esau was hated. The scripture says Abel was chosen and Cain was passed by. The scripture says Abraham was chosen and all the rest of the house of Abraham was passed by. God's election is personal. He hath chosen us. God hath from the beginning chosen you. Make your calling and election sure, knowing, brethren, beloved, your election of God. Those are personal terms used in the scriptures to describe election. God chose some and passed by others.

I don't know why that's difficult for folks to say. God sends the gospel to some and doesn't send it to others. God causes some to hear and doesn't cause others to hear. God causes a preacher to go and carry the word to some nations and he won't allow him to carry it to another nation.

In Acts chapter 16, the Apostle Paul wanted to go to Achaia and the Spirit of God said, no, you can't go. He said, well, I'll go to Bithynia then. The Spirit of God said, no, you can't go. He said, well, I'll go to Troas then. The Spirit of God said, all right, go that way. He opens the way to one and closes it to another. And in election he chose some but passed by others. And that's his sovereign choice.

God's elective choice of his people is in Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. The Lord Jesus Christ was set up as God's servant, as God's first elect, and we were chosen in Christ our Lord, and God Almighty always has, always does, and always will look on His elect only as in Christ. And looking on us in Christ, He said we're accepted, we're justified, we're forgiven, we're beloved for Christ's sake. Everything for Christ's sake.

He always sees us in Christ. You try to get a hold of this now. Whenever God Almighty, from forever, has looked at Bobby Estes, he'd never seen anything but his son. Nothing but his son. His righteousness, his obedience, his perfection. And that's the reason he forever smiles on Bobby Estes. And he'll never see anything else.

That's God's election. Divine election is the original source and fountain from which all grace flows to sinners. It is this which is the reservoir out of which every blessing of grace comes. And God's election of his people in Christ is an immutable act of grace. The gifts and callings of God are without repentance.

If God chose me when he saw that there was nothing in me to attract his grace and no potential in me for anything but sin, then it just stands to reason that he will not withdraw his choice of me because of any evil he sees in me now. He'll not do it. God's elections forever. I love those words. He spoke to Jacob. I am the Lord. I change not. Therefore, you sons of Jacob are not consumed.

And this election of our souls once more unto everlasting salvation and glory arises from God's eternal love and sovereign grace. Let's read together Romans chapter nine. Romans chapter nine, verse 11. Now you can search and study until you die, but you will never find any reason for God's eternal electing grace except this.

He says, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. Romans nine, verse 11, the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth, it was said unto her, the elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then?

Is there unrighteousness with God? That's the response of man to that, isn't it? Well, that's not right. That's not right. Who are you and who am I to suggest that something God does is not right? By God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.

I rejoice and give thanks to God for his electing love. Blessed is the man whom thou choosest. Secondly, look back here in Psalm 65, 4 again. Not only have we been chosen in love, but we've been called by irresistible grace. Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and look at this next word, and causest to approach unto thee. It does not say, blessed is the man whom thou choosest and givest opportunity to approach unto thee. It does not say, blessed is the man whom thou choosest and invitest to approach unto thee. It does not say, blessed is the man whom thou choosest and askest to approach unto thee. It says, blessed is the man whom thou choosest and causest to approach unto thee.

Now that's the effectual call of God's irresistible grace. This too is reason for joy and thanksgiving. The Lord our God graciously, sovereignly, effectually causes every sinner whom he has chosen to come to Christ and be saved by him. For every chosen sinner God has appointed a time and a place when he will cause the one he loves to come to him. He'll do it.

It's called the time of love. He said, I passed by you, and I saw you polluted from your mother's womb, cast out in your own blood. And behold, thy time was the time of love. And I spread my skirt over thee, and I said unto thee, It is called the day of his power. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power.

He comes to his own in the place of mercy and arranges everything to see to it that the chosen sinner comes to the place of mercy at the time of love so that he may be gracious to him. That's the arrangement of God's providence. God causes his people to come to him because if he didn't cause us to come, None of us would ever come.

We would not come to Him because we have no need of Him. We have a need, but we don't feel any need of Him by nature until He causes us to know our need of Him. We don't have any natural desire or inclination or disposition to come to Christ. More than that, we don't have any ability to come. Because man by nature is dead in trespasses and sins, he will not and he cannot come to Christ.

We reason with men and plead with them. I reason with you and plead with you. I pray for you and call on God for you and call on you in God's name to come to Jesus Christ. But I'm fully aware that it is utterly impossible for me to persuade you to trust the Son of God. I can't do it. It is utterly impossible for me to communicate in you some ambition, some desire, or some ability to come to Jesus Christ. I can't do it. And I'm fully aware that you will not and you cannot come to Him of your own accord. Won't happen. Won't happen. But preacher, how do you know that?

Because you're dead. Dead. Spiritually dead. You have... A dead man has no feeling. A dead man's unaware of his condition. A dead man has no ability. And so the only hope is God, come now in divine power and awake the dead. And if he will, then you'll live. If he passes you by, you'll be passed by forever. But when we were dead, it's helpless and hopeless. When all the rest of the world had said, well, he'd go. Forget Don Fortner. You'll find him, you'll find him somewhere down the road, listed among the rogues of this world. And when judgment comes, he'll wind up in hell. Just forget him. Forget him.

But God Almighty wouldn't forget. When we were dead and helpless and hopeless. He calls us to come to Him. Calls us. How does He do that? How does God call sinners to come to Christ who don't want Christ? Who have no need of Christ as far as they're concerned? Who are dead in trespasses and sins? How does He call them to come? Well, there are a number of ways. In his adorable providence and grace, he causes the chosen sinner to need Christ.

You remember in Hosea chapter two, when Gomer forsook Hosea and he said, I'll get her, I'll get her. He said, I'll go and take away her bread and her corn and her wine. I want to fix it so she's got to have me. I want to fix it so she can't live without me. And I'll cause her to long for me.

Well, in divine conviction. God sends his spirit to sinners. And he strips away our facade of self-righteousness. And exposes our sin and shows us our need of Christ. So we got to have him. I recognize that the judgments of providence will never in themselves create faith in a man. I know that.

But sometimes God in his providence uses providential judgment to bring sinners down that he may truly bring them down in their hearts and lift them up by his grace. By one means or another, God causes the sinner whom he has chosen to come to the place of mercy and hear the gospel of his grace.

There was a woman in John chapter 8 taken in adultery. John says taken in the very act. And the Pharisees humiliated her even more. She had She had abased herself in the act of adultery, but the Pharisees brought her out now and publicly exposed her.

And here she stands in this crowd of religious folks, and she's standing alone before the Son of God. Did you ever stop to think what a gracious thing it was she was put there? When she left there, she left there not as an adulteress, but a virgin before God Almighty.

God brought her to the place of mercy. Onesimus stole his master's goods and ran away down to Rome. Oh, but what mercy! God brought him to the place of mercy. And God, in His providence, arranges the affairs of the lives of chosen sinners to bring them to mercy. He'll do it at His appointed time. God sends His Spirit then to regenerate the dead, causing His chosen ones to live.

He brought Ezekiel up into a high mountain and showed him a valley full of dry bones. And he said, now, son of man, can these bones live? And Ezekiel looked at him. And he'd learned anything's possible with God. He said, Lord, you know. He said, son of man, prophesy to these bones. What? Preach to a graveyard? Preach to them. And he began to prophesy. And he said, now prophesy to the wind. And he called on the spirit of God to come upon the bones. And they stood up before him an army of men. That's divine regeneration. Here we come. Preaching to dry bones. Spiritually, a graveyard bleached and dry. Can anybody live? Lord, you know. Come Spirit of God, breathe upon these dead and they shall live. And God graciously reveals Jesus Christ in the fullness of his glorious saving power and efficacy in the heart. So that when you see him, you got to have him.

And I'll tell you why you don't come to Christ. Because you've never seen his beauty. You've never seen his glory. You've never seen the efficacy of his blood and the efficacy of his righteousness. You've never seen the value of his atonement and the value of his obedience unto God.

Oh, but if the Lord God, the Holy Spirit, will reveal to you now the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. You'll come to him. You'll come to him. That's how he calls the sinners to come. And God graciously draws every chosen sinner to Christ by the effectual, irresistible power of the Holy Spirit's call. There is a general call that goes out when the gospel is preached. I'm talking to you and I'm calling on everybody here who hears my voice, come to Christ, come to Christ. But if that's all you hear, you'll never come to it.

Oh, but if, as I speak this hour, God, the Holy Spirit will take my words, his word, Drive it home to your heart, you'll come to him. You'll come to him. He calleth his own sheep by name, and when he does, he leads them out. The Lord said, my sheep, hear my voice, and they followed me. He comes to the tomb of Lazarus and says, Lazarus, come forth. And the dead man comes forth.

That's the effectual call of the spirit. We call it irresistible grace because it is grace that no sinner can successfully resist. It is grace that reaches into the heart and changes the heart and gives a new will, a new heart and a new nature so that you gladly come to Christ. And then sinners willingly come to him. He says, look and they look. He says, come and they come. He says, follow and they follow him. This is the grace of God. It's always effectual. It causes men and women to be saved.

If ever you experience it, you'll rejoice in it and you'll cry out with David, blessed is the man whom thou choosest and causest to approach unto thee. Oh, how I thank God for that grace that calls his centers to approach him. I thank God he would not leave me to myself. But in his sovereign intervention, he stepped in and calls me to come to Christ. Don't you? Thank him for his grace. And here's a third reason for us to give thanks to God for his electing love David said back here in Psalm 65 verse 4, blessed is the man whom thou choosest and causes to approach unto thee that he may dwell in thy courts.

We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple. We shall be satisfied. Being chosen of God and called in Christ, we are now and forever accepted in the beloved. Being chosen of God and called, we believe and come to him through Christ and now believing, we are satisfied with the good things of God's house. It has been now, let me see, 28 years since the Lord called me and calls me to approach Him. And I have for these 28 years found in His house that which gives satisfaction to my soul. And the longer I walk in his house as his son, the greater the satisfaction is.

It is satisfaction with our position, yes, we're the sons of God. Sons of God. Such things as we are, the sons of God. Satisfied with his provision. Yes, we are provided with all spiritual blessings in Christ and provided with daily needs and his goodness so that every need we have is constantly supplied by him. Satisfied with God's good providence.

I'm learning to be. My God rules this world. and He rules it well. If I can learn that, I'll be content with the way He rules it. He rules it well. I honestly want nothing but what God has purposed, what God has promised, and what God performs. I want nothing but what He does. I really do. I want nothing but what He does.

And that gives contentment. We're satisfied with the promises God has made to his house. He said, I'll never leave thee nor forsake thee. Rejoice in the Lord always, Paul said, for the Lord is at hand. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord's at hand. Be constantly content and at peace. The Lord's with you. He won't leave you. He'll not forsake you.

But ultimately, all who are chosen of God and called by his grace shall be satisfied forever in his holy temple. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house here, even of your holy temple hereafter. We'll be satisfied with our return apportioned in his holy temple. Back here in Psalm 17, I believe it is. Yeah. Verse 15. As for me. As for me. Can't speak for other folks, but as for me.

I will behold thy face in righteousness. And I shall be satisfied. when I awake with thy likeness. And one of these days I shall awaken his likeness. And that will be glory for me. awaken his likeness, Bob. When we see him, we'll be like him. We'll see him as he is.

And then in the last day, when judgment comes, we will be satisfied with God's final disposition of all things for the glory of his name. As he cast The wicked into hell and the smokes of their torments ascend up before him. We'll sing hallelujah. The Lord God omnipotent made us. He's done right. He's done right. Salvation has come. Our God's glorified and we're by his side. Thank God then for his election, for his calling. for his promise. We were chosen in eternal love. We've been called by irresistible grace and we shall be satisfied with the goodness of his house. Now proper view of those things ought to fill our hearts with praise.

Who maketh thee to differ from another? Only God, only God. You see your calling brethren, how there are not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called, but God has chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. And God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. and base things of the world, and things which are despised hath God chosen. Yea, and things which are not, to bring to naught the things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence, that according as it is written, he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.