Morning “The earnest of our inheritance.” / Ephesians 1:14

 Oh! what enlightenment, what joys, what consolation, what delight of heart is

experienced by that man who has learned to feed on Jesus, and on Jesus alone.

Yet the realization which we have of Christ’s preciousness is, in this life,

imperfect at the best. As an old writer says, “‘Tis but a taste!” We have

tasted “that the Lord is gracious,” but we do not yet know how good and

gracious he is, although what we know of his sweetness makes us long for more.

We have enjoyed the firstfruits of the Spirit, and they have set us hungering

and thirsting for the fulness of the heavenly vintage. We groan within

ourselves, waiting for the adoption. Here we are like Israel in the

wilderness, who had but one cluster from Eshcol, there we shall be in the

vineyard. Here we see the manna falling small, like coriander seed, but there

shall we eat the bread of heaven and the old corn of the kingdom. We are but

beginners now in spiritual education; for although we have learned the first

letters of the alphabet, we cannot read words yet, much less can we put

sentences together; but as one says, “He that has been in heaven but five

minutes, knows more than the general assembly of divines on earth.” We have

many ungratified desires at present, but soon every wish shall be satisfied;

and all our powers shall find the sweetest employment in that eternal world of

joy. O Christian, antedate heaven for a few years. Within a very little time

thou shalt be rid of all thy trials and thy troubles. Thine eyes now suffused

with tears shall weep no longer. Thou shalt gaze in ineffable rapture upon the

splendour of him who sits upon the throne. Nay, more, upon his throne shalt

thou sit. The triumph of his glory shall be shared by thee; his crown, his

joy, his paradise, these shall be thine, and thou shalt be co-heir with him

who is the heir of all things.

 

Evening “And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of

Sihor?” / Jeremiah 2:18

 By sundry miracles, by divers mercies, by strange deliverances Jehovah had

proved himself to be worthy of Israel’s trust. Yet they broke down the hedges

with which God had enclosed them as a sacred garden; they forsook their own

true and living God, and followed after false gods. Constantly did the Lord

reprove them for this infatuation, and our text contains one instance of God’s

expostulating with them, “What hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink

the waters of the muddy river?”–for so it may be translated. “Why dost thou

wander afar and leave thine own cool stream from Lebanon? Why dost thou

forsake Jerusalem to turn aside to Noph and to Tahapanes? Why art thou so

strangely set on mischief, that thou canst not be content with the good and

healthful, but wouldst follow after that which is evil and deceitful?” Is

there not here a word of expostulation and warning to the Christian? O true

believer, called by grace and washed in the precious blood of Jesus, thou hast

tasted of better drink than the muddy river of this world’s pleasure can give

thee; thou hast had fellowship with Christ; thou hast obtained the joy of

seeing Jesus, and leaning thine head upon his bosom. Do the trifles, the

songs, the honours, the merriment of this earth content thee after that? Hast

thou eaten the bread of angels, and canst thou live on husks? Good Rutherford

once said, “I have tasted of Christ’s own manna, and it hath put my mouth out

of taste for the brown bread of this world’s joys.” Methinks it should be so

with thee. If thou art wandering after the waters of Egypt, O return quickly

to the one living fountain: the waters of Sihor may be sweet to the Egyptians,

but they will prove only bitterness to thee. What hast thou to do with them?

Jesus asks thee this question this evening–what wilt thou answer him?