A Smoking Flax He Will not Quench

The smoking flax is a picture of God's grace mingled with our own corruption. With a little bit of God's grace there may be much personal corruption. There are, in the best saints, interweavings of sin and grace: dark side with the light; much pride mixed with humility; much earthliness with heavenliness. No, in many of the regenerate there is more corruption than grace. Nevertheless, He will not snuff out His gracious work in our lives. That little spark in the smoking flax is a ray and beam of God's own glory. And He will fan that spark into a flame until it prevails over the corruption and reveals His glory.

There are two enemies of God's grace: the malice of Satan and the world of corruption in our hearts. The devil, with the wind of temptation, tries to blow out the spark of grace in our hearts. The heart swarms with sin. Grace conflicting with sin and temptation is like a ship tossed and beaten by the waves, yet it weathers the storm and at last gets to the desired haven. How? By the mighty working of the Spirit of God. He is at work in the believer every day! He is the ballast in the hull of the ship and the Captain who navigates the storm. Our ship will surely arrive at His desire destination.

The flame of God will not be quenched, but we must blow it up with the breath of our effort. What I have written is to encourage faith, not to indulge sloth. Do not think God will do our work for us while we sit still. Love God! Seek Him with all the grace that is in you! (Psalm 31:23). How God's people should long for heaven, when it will be their constant work to breath out love and sound out praise.

Reflections from The Godly Man's Picture, chapter 11, "Comfort to the Godly" by Thomas Watson.

The Fear of God

In his work, The Great Gain of Godliness, Thomas Watson defines the fear of God as “the reverencing and adoring of God’s holiness, and the setting of ourselves always under His sacred inspection.” Then he adds, “The infinite distance between God and us causes this fear.”

He answers the question, “How may we know whether we have the fear of God implanted in our hearts?”

1. 1. The fear of God will make a man fear sin (Genesis 39:9; Romans 14:23; 1 Thessalonians 5:22).

2. 2. He who fears God lives by the truth rather than example (Isaiah 8:20). Example is, for the most part, corrupt. A God-fearer directs the rudder of his life according to the compass of the Word.

3. 3. He who fears God keeps His commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13) A gracious soul crosses his own will to fulfill God’s. A holy heart knows that there is nothing lost by obedience.

4. 4. He who fears God is consistent in every area of life. He who reverences God is, simper idem, alike good in all places.

5. 5. He who fears God is good in the position where God has set him (Genesis 42:18). A good man makes his family palaestra pietatis, a training ground of piety (Psalm 102:1).

6. 6. He who fears God dares not neglect family or private prayer (Psalm 109:4).

7. 7. He who fears God will not oppress his neighbor (Leviticus 25:17). How can he be holy who is not just?

8. 8. He who fears God is given to works of mercy (James 1:27). Grace may have a trembling hand, but it does not have a withered hand; it stretches itself out to relieve the needy.

9. 9. He who fears God would rather displease man than God (Exodus 1:17; Daniel 3:18).

10. 10. He who fears God will fear these six things: Satan’s snares (2 Corinthians 2:11); his own heart (Jeremiah 17:9) (this section is full of wise insights about the danger of self-flattery and pride); death; judgment (Psalm 96:13; James 5:9); Hell (Matthew 13:6); Heaven (Hebrews 4:1).

How shall we gain this fear? First, let us always set God before us; study His immensity (Genesis17:1). The reason people do not fear God is because they entertain slight thoughts of Him (Psalm 50:21). Second, let us pray for this fear of God, which is the root of all holiness, and the mother of all wisdom (Psalm 86:11). The Lord has promised to put this fear in our heart (Jeremiah 32:40). Let us pray over this promise: while some pray for riches, and others for children, let us pray for a heart to fear God.

The Good that God makes of Our Sense of Personal Sinfulness

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 is the classic text that assures me of the powerful grace of God. There is no doubt in my mind that God is able to bring about good out of every situation in my life. However, I do not know how he does that with my sin. The day-to-day struggle with pride, fear, anxiety, lust and discontentment (just to mention a few) has brought regrets and shame. But what is the good that God is accomplishing?



In his book, All Things for Good (first published in 1663 as, A Divine Cordial), Thomas Watson has given me deeper insight into “knowing” some of the good that God brings out of a sense of my own sinfulness. He is careful to warn: “This must be understood warily, when I say the sins of the godly work for good – not that there is the least good in sin. . . . Sin is worse than hell, but yet God, by his mighty overruling power, makes sin in the issue turn to the good of his people.” Augustine said, “God will never permit evil, if he could not bring good out of evil.” Watson lists several ways in which our feeling of sinfulness works for good.

First, sin makes us weary of this life. “That sin is in the godly is sad, but that it is a burden is good.” The Apostle Paul exclaimed, “What a wretched man that I am! Who shall rescue me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24). “A believer carries his sin as a prisoner carries his shackles; oh, how does he long for the day of release!”

Second, sin makes the saint treasure Christ more. “He that feels his sin, as a sick man feels his sickness, how welcome is Christ the physicians to him! He that feels himself stung with sin, how precious is the brazen serpent to him? (see Numbers 21:4-9). When Paul had cried out of a body of death, how thankful was he for Christ!” “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:25).

Third, the sense of sin works for good because it gives opportunity for six special duties.
1. This sense of sin demands that we search our souls. “The child of God desires to know the worst of himself; as a man who is diseased in body desires to know the worst of his disease. Though our joy lies in the knowledge of our graces, yet there is some benefit in the knowledge of our corruptions. It is good to know our sins, that we may not flatter ourselves, or take our condition to be better than it is.”

2. This sense of sin demands that we humble ourselves. Sin is left in our lives to keep us from being proud. “Gravel and dirt are good to ballast a ship, and keep it from overturning; the sense of sin helps to ballast the soul, that it be not overturned with vain glory. . . . Better is that sin which humbles me, than that duty which makes me proud.”

3. This sense of sin demands that we judge ourselves. “If we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment.” (1 Corinthians 11:31). “It is time for judgment to begin with the family of God.” (1 Peter 4:17). “It is dangerous to judge others, but it is good to judge ourselves. . . . When a man has judged himself, Satan is put out of office.”

4. This sense of sin demands that we battle our old sin nature. There is a duel fought every day between the two natures: the Spirit-filled self and the carnal self. A child of God will not allow sin to reside peacefully in his life. “If he cannot keep sin out, he will keep sin under; though he cannot quite overcome, yet he is overcoming.”

5. This sense of sin demands that we be vigilant in watching ourselves. “The heart is like a castle that is in danger every hour to be assaulted; this makes a child of God to be always a sentinel, and keep a guard about his heart.” “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” (Proverbs 4:23).

6. This sense of sin demands that we seek the renewal of God. “A child of God not only finds out sin, but drives out sin. One foot he sets upon the neck of his sins, and the other foot he turns to follow God’s Word (Psalm 119:59).”

Watson is careful to warn that these truths be not abused. “I do not say that sin works for good to an impenitent person. No, it works for his damnation, but it works for good to them that love God; and for you that are godly, I know that you will not draw a wrong conclusion from this, either to make light of sin or to make bold with sin. If you should do so, God will make it cost you dear. . . . He may put [you] into such bitter agonies and soul-convulsions, as may fill [you] full of horror, and make [you] draw nigh to despair. Let this be a flaming sword to keep [you] from coming near the forbidden tree.”

The Mystery of Contentment

The spiritual journey that we are called to follow as disciples of Jesus is the path of many apparent contradictions. For example, Paul says that he has discovered that it is only in his sense of weakness that he discovers true strength in Christ (2 Corinthians 12:10). Another is Jesus’ instruction that the greatest people in His kingdom are the ones who are servants of all (Mark 10:43-44). Peter tells us that the road to recognition is the path marked by humility (1 Peter 5:6).

The development of the virtue of Christian contentment is also an apparent paradox. In his book, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, Jeremiah Burroughs describes the growth of contentment as a mystery. He suggests seven ways that we come to maturity in this virtue. Here is my attempt at paraphrasing his insightful counsel:

First, it may be said of one that is contented that he is the most contented man in the world, and yet the most unsatisfied man in the world. A little in the world will content a Christian for his passage in this life, but all the world, and ten thousand times more, will not content a Christian for his portion. A soul that is capable of knowing God can be filled with nothing else but God. The human heart that has been enlarged by the grace of God to be capable of knowing god, and enjoying somewhat of him, can be filled by nothing in the world; it must only be God himself.

Second, a Christian comes to contentment, not so much by way of addition, as by way of subtraction. This comes not by adding more to a person’s condition or circumstances, but rather by subtracting from his desires, so as to make his desires and circumstances equal. The world is infinitely deceived in thinking that contentment lies in having more than we already have; but the Christian has an unhindered way to contentment, that is, he can bring his desires down to his possessions. Here lies the foundation of all contentment, when there is an evenness and proportion between our hearts and our circumstances. The way to be rich is not by increasing wealth, but by diminishing our desires.

Third, a Christian comes to contentment, not so much by getting rid of the burden that is on him, as by adding another burden to himself. The way of contentment is to load and burden your heart with your sin; the heavier the burden of your sin is to your heart, the lighter will the burden of your affliction be to your heart. If a man’s circumstances are heavy with trouble; how shall this man have contentment? By the breaking of his heart. God has broken your circumstances; Oh, seek him for the breaking of your heart as well! Indeed, broken circumstances and a whole, hardened heart, will not join together. But broken circumstances and a broken heart will so suit one another, as there will be more contentment than there was before.

Fourth, it is not so much the removing of the affliction that is upon us as the transformation of the affliction, so that it is quite changed into something else. I mean in regard of the use of it. There is the power of God’s grace to turn this affliction into good. Ambrose said, “Even poverty itself is riches to holy men.” You do not find one godly man who came out of an affliction worse than he went into it; though for a while he was shaken, yet at last he was better for an affliction. But a great many godly men, you find, have been worse for their prosperity. It is the nature of God’s grace to turn water into wine, that is, to turn the water of your affliction, into the wine of heavenly comfort.

Fifth, a Christian comes to this contentment not by making up the wants of his circumstances, but by the performance of the work of his circumstances. A worldly heart says, “I must have my wants fulfilled or else it is impossible that I should be content.” But a godly heart asks, “What is the duty of the circumstances that God has put me into?” Others spend their thoughts on things that disturb and disgruntle them, and so they grow more and more discontented. But the godly person sets his mind on thinking about what God requires him to learn and do.

Sixth, a gracious heart is contented by the melting of his will and desires; by this means he gets contentment. In the making of our will to be at one with God’s will, we shall be satisfied. We can be constantly frustrated in attempts to fulfill our own purposes; but we will be satisfied by allowing our will to be swallowed up into the gracious will of our heavenly Father. As the psalmist is glad to sing, “[The LORD] chose our inheritance for us, . . . whom he loved.” (Psalm 47:4).

Seventh, the mystery of contentment consists not in bringing anything from outside to make my condition more comfortable, but in purging out something that is within. The way to contentment is to purge out our lustful desires and bitter attitudes. “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?” (James 4:1). The worldly person longs for something outside himself to be content; however, the godly person seeks to get the evil desire out of himself to be content.

Without the understanding of these things, and the practice of them, you will never come to a true contentment in your life; Oh, you will be bunglers in this journey of following Jesus. But the right perspective of these things will help you to be guided in it.

The Plague of Discontent

Although dead, he still speaks. Thomas Watson rebukes to my restless sinful nature that yearns for more of anything but God; discontent and questioning the wisdom of my heavenly Father's providential care.


Here is a just reproof to such as are discontented with their condition. This disease is almost epidemical. Some not content with the calling which God hath set them in, must be a step higher, from the plough to the throne; who like the spider in the Proverbs, will “take hold with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces.” Others from the shop to the pulpit; (Nu. 12. 2) they would be in the temple of honour, before they are in the temple of virtue; who step into Moses’ chair, without Aaron’s bells and pomegranates; like apes, which do most show their deformity when they are climbing. It is not enough that God hath bestowed gifts upon men, in private to edify; that he hath enriched them with many mercies? but, “seek ye the priesthood also?” (Nu. 16. 10) What is this but discontent arising from high flown pride? These do secretly tax the wisdom of God, that he hath not screwed them up in their condition a peg higher. Every man is complaining that his estate is no better, though he seldom complains that his heart is no better. One man commends this kind of life, another commends that; one man thinks a country-life best, another a city-life; the soldier thinks it best to be a merchant, and the merchant to be a soldier. Men can be content to be anything but what God would have them. How is it that no man is contented? Very few Christians have learned St Paul’s lesson: neither poor nor rich know how to be content, they can learn anything but this. [from A Puritan at Heart]


For more writings by Thomas Watson check out:
Christian Classics Ethereal Library
The Thomas Watson Reading Room
Forgetten Heros: Thomas Watson