More from Spurgeon
Continuing from yesterday's post...
On Good Nature and Firmness: A man must have a backbone, or how is he to hold his head up? But that backbone must bend, or he will knock his brow against the beam. There is a time to do as others wish, and a time to refuse. We may make ourselves asses, and then everybody will ride us; but, if we would be respected, we must be our own masters, and not let others saddle us as they think fit. He who lies on the ground must expect to be trodden on. He who makes himself a mouse, the cats will eat him. If you let your neighbors put the calf on your shoulder, they will soon clap on the cow. We are to please our neighbor for his good to edification, but this is quite another matter. Go with your neighbor as far as your conscience will go with you, but part company where the shoe of conscience begins to pinch your foot. Don’t be ashamed to walk down Turnagain Lane. Never mind being called a turncoat when you turn from bad courses: better to turn than to burn. When we are injured, we are bound as Christians to bear it without malice; but we are not to pretend that we do not feel it, for this will but encourage our enemies to kick us again. He who is cheated twice by the same man is half as bad as the rogue. Paul was willing to bear stripes for his Master’s sake, but he did not forget to tell the magistrates that he was a Roman; and when those gentlemen wished to put him out of prison privately, he said, “Nay, verily, let them come themselves and fetch us out.” When a man is right, this sticking to the text is a grand thing; our minister says, “it is the stuff that martyrs are made of;” but when an ignorant, wrongheaded fellow gets this hard grit into him, he makes martyrs of those who have to put up with him. In a towering rage, a father turned his daughter out and I believe he is sorry for it, yet will not yield and inch; but stands to it he will never speak to her so long as he lives; meanwhile the dear girl is dying through his unkindness. Rash vows are much better broken than kept. He who never changes never mends; he who never yields, never conquers. With children you must mix gentleness with firmness; they must not always have their way, but they must not always be thwarted. Give to a pig when it grunts, and to a child when it cries, and you will have a fine pig and a spoiled child. A petted child will be as nuisance to others and a torment to ourselves. “The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.” If we never have headaches through rebuking our little children, we shall have plenty of heartaches when they grow up. Strict truthfulness must rule all our dealings with the young; our yea must be yea, and our nay nay, and that of the letter and the moment. Never promise a child and then fail to perform, whether you promise him a bun or a beating. (I would question this in light of rash threats coming from an unwise parent.) Be obeyed at all costs—disobedient children are unhappy children; for their own sakes make them mind you. If you yield up your authority once, you will hardly ever get it again; we must not provoke our children to anger, lest they be discouraged, but we must rule our household in the fear of the Lord, and in so doing may expect a blessing.
Taken from John Ploughman's Talk
On Good Nature and Firmness: A man must have a backbone, or how is he to hold his head up? But that backbone must bend, or he will knock his brow against the beam. There is a time to do as others wish, and a time to refuse. We may make ourselves asses, and then everybody will ride us; but, if we would be respected, we must be our own masters, and not let others saddle us as they think fit. He who lies on the ground must expect to be trodden on. He who makes himself a mouse, the cats will eat him. If you let your neighbors put the calf on your shoulder, they will soon clap on the cow. We are to please our neighbor for his good to edification, but this is quite another matter. Go with your neighbor as far as your conscience will go with you, but part company where the shoe of conscience begins to pinch your foot. Don’t be ashamed to walk down Turnagain Lane. Never mind being called a turncoat when you turn from bad courses: better to turn than to burn. When we are injured, we are bound as Christians to bear it without malice; but we are not to pretend that we do not feel it, for this will but encourage our enemies to kick us again. He who is cheated twice by the same man is half as bad as the rogue. Paul was willing to bear stripes for his Master’s sake, but he did not forget to tell the magistrates that he was a Roman; and when those gentlemen wished to put him out of prison privately, he said, “Nay, verily, let them come themselves and fetch us out.” When a man is right, this sticking to the text is a grand thing; our minister says, “it is the stuff that martyrs are made of;” but when an ignorant, wrongheaded fellow gets this hard grit into him, he makes martyrs of those who have to put up with him. In a towering rage, a father turned his daughter out and I believe he is sorry for it, yet will not yield and inch; but stands to it he will never speak to her so long as he lives; meanwhile the dear girl is dying through his unkindness. Rash vows are much better broken than kept. He who never changes never mends; he who never yields, never conquers. With children you must mix gentleness with firmness; they must not always have their way, but they must not always be thwarted. Give to a pig when it grunts, and to a child when it cries, and you will have a fine pig and a spoiled child. A petted child will be as nuisance to others and a torment to ourselves. “The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.” If we never have headaches through rebuking our little children, we shall have plenty of heartaches when they grow up. Strict truthfulness must rule all our dealings with the young; our yea must be yea, and our nay nay, and that of the letter and the moment. Never promise a child and then fail to perform, whether you promise him a bun or a beating. (I would question this in light of rash threats coming from an unwise parent.) Be obeyed at all costs—disobedient children are unhappy children; for their own sakes make them mind you. If you yield up your authority once, you will hardly ever get it again; we must not provoke our children to anger, lest they be discouraged, but we must rule our household in the fear of the Lord, and in so doing may expect a blessing.
Taken from John Ploughman's Talk
Labels: Spurgeon
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home