Morning “Called to be saints.” Romans 1:7

 We are very apt to regard the apostolic saints as if they were “saints” in a

more especial manner than the other children of God. All are “saints” whom God

has called by His grace, and sanctified by His Spirit; but we are apt to look

upon the apostles as extraordinary beings, scarcely subject to the same

weaknesses and temptations as ourselves. Yet in so doing we are forgetful of

this truth, that the nearer a man lives to God the more intensely has he to

mourn over his own evil heart; and the more his Master honours him in his

service, the more also doth the evil of the flesh vex and tease him day by day.

The fact is, if we had seen the apostle Paul, we should have thought him

remarkably  like the rest of the chosen family: and if we had talked with him, we should

have said, “We find that his experience and ours are much the same. He is more

faithful, more holy, and more deeply taught than we are, but he has the selfsame

trials to endure. Nay, in some respects he is more sorely tried than ourselves.”

Do not, then, look upon the ancient saints as being exempt either from

infirmities or sins; and do not regard them with that mystic reverence which

will almost make us idolaters. Their holiness is attainable even by us. We are

“called to be saints” by that same voice which constrained them to their high

vocation. It is a Christian’s duty to force his way into the inner circle

 of saintship; and if these saints were superior to us in their attainments, as

they certainly were, let us follow them; let us emulate their ardour and

holiness. We have the same light that they had, the same grace is accessible to

us, and why should we rest satisfied until we have equalled them in heavenly

character? They lived with Jesus, they lived for Jesus, therefore they grew like

Jesus. Let us live by the same Spirit as they did, “looking unto Jesus,” and our

saintship will soon be apparent.

 

Evening “Trust ye in the Lord forever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.” Isaiah 26:4

Seeing that we have such a God to trust to, let us rest upon him with all our

weight; let us resolutely drive out all unbelief, and endeavour to get rid of

doubts and fears, which so much mar our comfort; since there is no excuse for

fear where God is the foundation of our trust. A loving parent would be sorely

grieved if his child could not trust him; and how ungenerous, how unkind is our

conduct when we put so little confidence in our heavenly Father who has never

failed us, and who never will. It were well if doubting were banished from the

household of God; but it is to be feared that old Unbelief is as nimble nowadays

as when the psalmist asked, “Is his mercy clean gone forever? Will

 he be favourable no more?” David had not made any very lengthy trial of the

mighty sword of the giant Goliath, and yet he said, “There is none like it.” He

had tried it once in the hour of his youthful victory, and it had proved itself

to be of the right metal, and therefore he praised it ever afterwards; even so

should we speak well of our God, there is none like unto him in the heaven above

or the earth beneath; “To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith

the Holy One.” There is no rock like unto the rock of Jacob, our enemies

themselves being judges. So far from suffering doubts to live in our hearts, we

will take the whole detestable crew, as Elijah did the prophets of

 Baal, and slay them over the brook; and for a stream to kill them at, we will

select the sacred torrent which wells forth from our Saviour’s wounded side. We

have been in many trials, but we have never yet been cast where we could not

find in our God all that we needed. Let us then be encouraged to trust in the

Lord forever, assured that his ever lasting strength will be, as it has been,

our succour and stay.