Finished Reading “Heretics”

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  "G. K. Chesterton, the "Prince of Paradox," is at his witty best in this collection of twenty essays and articles from the turn of the twentieth century. Focusing on  "heretics" - those who pride themselves on their superiority to Christian views - Chesterton appraises prominent figures who fall into that category from the literary and art worlds... those who hold incomplete and inadequate views about "life, the universe, and everything." He is, in short, criticizing all that host of non-Christian views of reality, as he demonstrated in his follow-up book Orthodoxy. The book is both an easy read and a difficult read. But he manages to demonstrate, among other things, that our new 21st century heresies are really not new because he himself deals with most of them." (Goodreads)

The Best of Men

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"And I said--this is my infirmity!" Psalm 77:10
The best of men--are but men at best! We all have many remaining corruptions; we are all encompassed, like the high priests of old, with many infirmities. And what effect should the consideration of this humiliating but undoubted truth, produce? Ought it not, among other results, to excite in us a spirit of constant watchfulness?

We are frail creatures--ever liable to fall! And being exposed, in addition, to the wiles of our spiritual adversaries--our danger is considerably greater. It is on our indwelling corruptions, that Satan works--and often, alas, with sad success!

In addition to our general infirmities, it is probable that there is some one, or more besetting sins--to which we are particularly liable; in which case it befits us to be doubly on our guard!

"If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts--then rid yourselves of the foreign gods--and the Ashtoreths; and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve Him only--and He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines." 1 Samuel 7:3

("Brief Thoughts for the Followers of Jesus," McDuff, 1855)

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