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Morning  “Jehoshaphat made ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold: but they went

not; for the ships were broken at Ezion-geber” / 1 Kings 22:48

Solomon’s ships had returned in safety, but Jehoshaphat’s vessels never

reached the land of gold. Providence prospers one, and frustrates the desires

of another, in the same business and at the same spot, yet the Great Ruler is

as good and wise at one time as another. May we have grace today, in the

remembrance of this text, to bless the Lord for ships broken at Ezion-geber,

as well as for vessels freighted with temporal blessings; let us not envy the

more successful, nor murmur at our losses as though we were singularly and

specially tried. Like Jehoshaphat, we may be precious in the Lord’s sight,

although our schemes end in disappointment.

The secret cause of Jehoshaphat’s loss is well worthy of notice, for it is the

root of very much of the suffering of the Lord’s people; it was his alliance

with a sinful family, his fellowship with sinners. In 2 Ch. 20:37, we are told

that the Lord sent a prophet to declare, “Because thou hast joined thyself

with Ahaziah, the Lord hath broken thy works.” This was a fatherly

chastisement, which appears to have been blest to him; for in the verse which

succeeds our morning’s text we find him refusing to allow his servants to sail

in the same vessels with those of the wicked king. Would to God that

Jehoshaphat’s experience might be a warning to the rest of the Lord’s people,

to avoid being unequally yoked together with unbelievers! A life of misery is

usually the lot of those who are united in marriage, or in any other way of

their own choosing, with the men of the world. O for such love to Jesus that,

like him, we may be holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners; for

if it be not so with us, we may expect to hear it often said, “The Lord hath

broken thy works.”

 

Evening   “The iron did swim.” / 2 Kings 6:6

The axe-head seemed hopelessly lost, and as it was borrowed, the honour of the

prophetic band was likely to be imperilled, and so the name of their God to be

compromised. Contrary to all expectation, the iron was made to mount from the

depth of the stream and to swim; for things impossible with man are possible

with God. I knew a man in Christ but a few years ago who was called to

undertake a work far exceeding his strength. It appeared so difficult as to

involve absurdity in the bare idea of attempting it. Yet he was called

thereto, and his faith rose with the occasion; God honoured his faith,

unlooked-for aid was sent, and the iron did swim. Another of the Lord’s family

was in grievous financial straits, he was able to meet all claims, and much

more if he could have realized a certain portion of his estate, but he was

overtaken with a sudden pressure; he sought for friends in vain, but faith led

him to the unfailing Helper, and lo, the trouble was averted, his footsteps

were enlarged, and the iron did swim. A third had a sorrowful case of

depravity to deal with. He had taught, reproved, warned, invited, and

interceded, but all in vain. Old Adam was too strong for young Melancthon, the

stubborn spirit would not relent. Then came an agony of prayer, and before

long a blessed answer was sent from heaven. The hard heart was broken, the

iron did swim.

Beloved reader, what is thy desperate case? What heavy matter hast thou in

hand this evening? Bring it hither. The God of the prophets lives, and lives

to help his saints. He will not suffer thee to lack any good thing. Believe

thou in the Lord of hosts! Approach him pleading the name of Jesus, and the

iron shall swim; thou too shalt see the finger of God working marvels for his

people. According to thy faith be it unto thee, and yet again the iron shall

swim.

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Morning  “Ye are Christ’s.” / 1 Corinthians 3:23

“Ye are Christ’s.” You are his by donation, for the Father gave you to the

Son; his by his bloody purchase, for he counted down the price for your

redemption; his by dedication, for you have consecrated yourself to him; his

by relation, for you are named by his name, and made one of his brethren and

joint-heirs. Labour practically to show the world that you are the servant,

the friend, the bride of Jesus. When tempted to sin, reply, “I cannot do this

great wickedness, for I am Christ’s.” Immortal principles forbid the friend of

Christ to sin. When wealth is before you to be won by sin, say that you are

Christ’s, and touch it not. Are you exposed to difficulties and dangers? Stand

fast in the evil day, remembering that you are Christ’s. Are you placed where

others are sitting down idly, doing nothing? Rise to the work with all your

powers; and when the sweat stands upon your brow, and you are tempted to

loiter, cry, “No, I cannot stop, for I am Christ’s. If I were not purchased by

blood, I might be like Issachar, crouching between two burdens; but I am

Christ’s, and cannot loiter.” When the siren song of pleasure would tempt you

from the path of right, reply, “Thy music cannot charm me; I am Christ’s.”

When the cause of God invites thee, give thy goods and thyself away, for thou

art Christ’s. Never belie thy profession. Be thou ever one of those whose

manners are Christian, whose speech is like the Nazarene, whose conduct and

conversation are so redolent of heaven, that all who see you may know that you

are the Saviour’s, recognizing in you his features of love and his countenance

of holiness. “I am a Roman!” was of old a reason for integrity; far more,

then, let it be your argument for holiness, “I am Christ’s!”

 

Evening “I have yet to speak on God’s behalf.” / Job 36:2

We ought not to court publicity for our virtue, or notoriety for our zeal;

but, at the same time, it is a sin to be always seeking to hide that which God

has bestowed upon us for the good of others. A Christian is not to be a

village in a valley, but “a city set upon a hill;” he is not to be a candle

under a bushel, but a candle in a candlestick, giving light to all. Retirement

may be lovely in its season, and to hide one’s self is doubtless modest, but

the hiding of Christ in us can never be justified, and the keeping back of

truth which is precious to ourselves is a sin against others and an offence

against God. If you are of a nervous temperament and of retiring disposition,

take care that you do not too much indulge this trembling propensity, lest you

should be useless to the church. Seek in the name of him who was not ashamed

of you to do some little violence to your feelings, and tell to others what

Christ has told to you. If thou canst not speak with trumpet tongue, use the

still small voice. If the pulpit must not be thy tribune, if the press may not

carry on its wings thy words, yet say with Peter and John, “Silver and gold

have I none; but such as I have give I thee.” By Sychar’s well talk to the

Samaritan woman, if thou canst not on the mountain preach a sermon; utter the

praises of Jesus in the house, if not in the temple; in the field, if not upon

the exchange; in the midst of thine own household, if thou canst not in the

midst of the great family of man. From the hidden springs within let sweetly

flowing rivulets of testimony flow forth, giving drink to every passer-by.

Hide not thy talent; trade with it; and thou shalt bring in good interest to

thy Lord and Master. To speak for God will be refreshing to ourselves,

cheering to saints, useful to sinners, and honouring to the Saviour. Dumb

children are an affliction to their parents. Lord, unloose all thy children’s

tongue.

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Morning  “These have no root.” / Luke 8:13

My soul, examine thyself this morning by the light of this text. Thou hast

received the word with joy; thy feelings have been stirred and a lively

impression has been made; but, remember, that to receive the word in the ear

is one thing, and to receive Jesus into thy very soul is quite another;

superficial feeling is often joined to inward hardness of heart, and a lively

impression of the word is not always a lasting one. In the parable, the seed

in one case fell upon ground having a rocky bottom, covered over with a thin

layer of earth; when the seed began to take root, its downward growth was

hindered by the hard stone and therefore it spent its strength in pushing its

green shoot aloft as high as it could, but having no inward moisture derived

from root nourishment, it withered away. Is this my case? Have I been making a

fair show in the flesh without having a corresponding inner life? Good growth

takes place upwards and downwards at the same time. Am I rooted in sincere

fidelity and love to Jesus? If my heart remains unsoftened and unfertilized by

grace, the good seed may germinate for a season, but it must ultimately

wither, for it cannot flourish on a rocky, unbroken, unsanctified heart. Let

me dread a godliness as rapid in growth and as wanting in endurance as Jonah’s

gourd; let me count the cost of being a follower of Jesus, above all let me

feel the energy of his Holy Spirit, and then I shall possess an abiding and

enduring seed in my soul. If my mind remains as obdurate as it was by nature,

the sun of trial will scorch, and my hard heart will help to cast the heat the

more terribly upon the ill-covered seed, and my religion will soon die, and my

despair will be terrible; therefore, O heavenly Sower, plough me first, and

then cast the truth into me, and let me yield thee a bounteous harvest.

 

Evening  “I have prayed for thee.” / Luke 22:32

How encouraging is the thought of the Redeemer’s never- ceasing intercession

for us. When we pray, he pleads for us; and when we are not praying, he is

advocating our cause, and by his supplications shielding us from unseen

dangers. Notice the word of comfort addressed to Peter–“Simon, Simon, Satan

hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat; but”–what? “But go

and pray for yourself.” That would be good advice, but it is not so written.

Neither does he say, “But I will keep you watchful, and so you shall be

preserved.” That were a great blessing. No, it is, “But I have prayed for

thee, that thy faith fail not.” We little know what we owe to our Saviour’s

prayers. When we reach the hill-tops of heaven, and look back upon all the way

whereby the Lord our God hath led us, how we shall praise him who, before the

eternal throne, undid the mischief which Satan was doing upon earth. How shall

we thank him because he never held his peace, but day and night pointed to the

wounds upon his hands, and carried our names upon his breastplate! Even before

Satan had begun to tempt, Jesus had forestalled him and entered a plea in

heaven. Mercy outruns malice. Mark, he does not say, “Satan hath desired to

have you.” He checks Satan even in his very desire, and nips it in the bud. He

does not say, “But I have desired to pray for you.” No, but “I have prayed for

you: I have done it already; I have gone to court and entered a counterplea

even before an accusation is made.” O Jesus, what a comfort it is that thou

hast pleaded our cause against our unseen enemies; countermined their mines,

and unmasked their ambushes. Here is a matter for joy, gratitude, hope, and

confidence.

 

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Morning “There is laid up for me a crown of righteousness.” / 2 Timothy 4:8

Doubting one! thou hast often said, “I fear I shall never enter heaven.” Fear

not! all the people of God shall enter there. I love the quaint saying of a

dying man, who exclaimed, “I have no fear of going home; I have sent all

before me; God’s finger is on the latch of my door, and I am ready for him to

enter.” “But,” said one, “are you not afraid lest you should miss your

inheritance?” “Nay,” said he, “nay; there is one crown in heaven which the

angel Gabriel could not wear, it will fit no head but mine. There is one

throne in heaven which Paul the apostle could not fill; it was made for me,

and I shall have it.” O Christian, what a joyous thought! thy portion is

secure; “there remaineth a rest.” “But cannot I forfeit it?” No, it is

entailed. If I be a child of God I shall not lose it. It is mine as securely

as if I were there. Come with me, believer, and let us sit upon the top of

Nebo, and view the goodly land, even Canaan. Seest thou that little river of

death glistening in the sunlight, and across it dost thou see the pinnacles of

the eternal city? Dost thou mark the pleasant country, and all its joyous

inhabitants? Know, then, that if thou couldst fly across thou wouldst see

written upon one of its many mansions, “This remaineth for such a one;

preserved for him only. He shall be caught up to dwell forever with God.” Poor

doubting one, see the fair inheritance; it is thine. If thou believest in the

Lord Jesus, if thou hast repented of sin, if thou hast been renewed in heart,

thou art one of the Lord’s people, and there is a place reserved for thee, a

crown laid up for thee, a harp specially provided for thee. No one else shall

have thy portion, it is reserved in heaven for thee, and thou shalt have it

ere long, for there shall be no vacant thrones in glory when all the chosen

are gathered in.

 

Evening “In my flesh shall I see God.” / Job 19:26

Mark the subject of Job’s devout anticipation “I shall see God.” He does not

say, “I shall see the saints”–though doubtless that will be untold

felicity–but, “I shall see God.” It is not–“I shall see the pearly gates, I

shall behold the walls of jasper, I shall gaze upon the crowns of gold,” but

“I shall see God.” This is the sum and substance of heaven, this is the joyful

hope of all believers. It is their delight to see him now in the ordinances by

faith. They love to behold him in communion and in prayer; but there in heaven

they shall have an open and unclouded vision, and thus seeing “him as he is,”

shall be made completely like him. Likeness to God–what can we wish for more?

And a sight of God–what can we desire better? Some read the passage, “Yet, I

shall see God in my flesh,” and find here an allusion to Christ, as the “Word

made flesh,” and that glorious beholding of him which shall be the splendour

of the latter days. Whether so or not it is certain that Christ shall be the

object of our eternal vision; nor shall we ever want any joy beyond that of

seeing him. Think not that this will be a narrow sphere for the mind to dwell

in. It is but one source of delight, but that source is infinite. All his

attributes shall be subjects for contemplation, and as he is infinite under

each aspect, there is no fear of exhaustion. His works, his gifts, his love to

us, and his glory in all his purposes, and in all his actions, these shall

make a theme which will be ever new. The patriarch looked forward to this

sight of God as a personal enjoyment. “Whom mine eye shall behold, and not

another.” Take realizing views of heaven’s bliss; think what it will be to

you. “Thine eyes shall see the King in his beauty.” All earthly brightness

fades and darkens as we gaze upon it, but here is a brightness which can never

dim, a glory which can never fade–“I shall see God.”

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Morning “I will be their God.” / Jeremiah 31:33

Christian! here is all thou canst require. To make thee happy thou wantest

something that shall satisfy thee; and is not this enough? If thou canst pour

this promise into thy cup, wilt thou not say, with David, “My cup runneth

over; I have more than heart can wish”? When this is fulfilled, “I am thy

God”, art thou not possessor of all things? Desire is insatiable as death, but

he who filleth all in all can fill it. The capacity of our wishes who can

measure? But the immeasurable wealth of God can more than overflow it. I ask

thee if thou art not complete when God is thine? Dost thou want anything but

God? Is not his all-sufficiency enough to satisfy thee if all else should

fail? But thou wantest more than quiet satisfaction; thou desirest rapturous

delight. Come, soul, here is music fit for heaven in this thy portion, for God

is the Maker of Heaven. Not all the music blown from sweet instruments, or

drawn from living strings, can yield such melody as this sweet promise, “I

will be their God.” Here is a deep sea of bliss, a shoreless ocean of delight;

come, bathe thy spirit in it; swim an age, and thou shalt find no shore; dive

throughout eternity, and thou shalt find no bottom. “I will be their God.” If

this do not make thine eyes sparkle, and thy heart beat high with bliss, then

assuredly thy soul is not in a healthy state. But thou wantest more than

present delights–thou cravest something concerning which thou mayest exercise

hope; and what more canst thou hope for than the fulfilment of this great

promise, “I will be their God”? This is the masterpiece of all the promises;

its enjoyment makes a heaven below, and will make a heaven above. Dwell in the

light of thy Lord, and let thy soul be always ravished with his love. Get out

the marrow and fatness which this portion yields thee. Live up to thy

privileges, and rejoice with unspeakable joy.

 

Evening “Serve the Lord with gladness.” / Psalm 100:2

Delight in divine service is a token of acceptance. Those who serve God with a

sad countenance, because they do what is unpleasant to them, are not serving

him at all; they bring the form of homage, but the life is absent. Our God

requires no slaves to grace his throne; he is the Lord of the empire of love,

and would have his servants dressed in the livery of joy. The angels of God

serve him with songs, not with groans; a murmur or a sigh would be a mutiny in

their ranks. That obedience which is not voluntary is disobedience, for the

Lord looketh at the heart, and if he seeth that we serve him from force, and

not because we love him, he will reject our offering. Service coupled with

cheerfulness is heart-service, and therefore true. Take away joyful

willingness from the Christian, and you have removed the test of his

sincerity. If a man be driven to battle, he is no patriot; but he who marches

into the fray with flashing eye and beaming face, singing, “It is sweet for

one’s country to die,” proves himself to be sincere in his patriotism.

Cheerfulness is the support of our strength; in the joy of the Lord are we

strong. It acts as the remover of difficulties. It is to our service what oil

is to the wheels of a railway carriage. Without oil the axle soon grows hot,

and accidents occur; and if there be not a holy cheerfulness to oil our

wheels, our spirits will be clogged with weariness. The man who is cheerful in

his service of God, proves that obedience is his element; he can sing,

“Make me to walk in thy commands,

‘Tis a delightful road.”

Reader, let us put this question–do you serve the Lord with gladness? Let us

show to the people of the world, who think our religion to be slavery, that it

is to us a delight and a joy! Let our gladness proclaim that we serve a good

Master.

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Morning “The iniquity of the holy things.” / Exodus 28:38

What a veil is lifted up by these words, and what a disclosure is made! It

will be humbling and profitable for us to pause awhile and see this sad sight.

The iniquities of our public worship, its hypocrisy, formality, lukewarmness,

irreverence, wandering of heart and forgetfulness of God, what a full measure

have we there! Our work for the Lord, its emulation, selfishness,

carelessness, slackness, unbelief, what a mass of defilement is there! Our

private devotions, their laxity, coldness, neglect, sleepiness, and vanity,

what a mountain of dead earth is there! If we looked more carefully we should

find this iniquity to be far greater than appears at first sight. Dr. Payson,

writing to his brother, says, “My parish, as well as my heart, very much

resembles the garden of the sluggard; and what is worse, I find that very many

of my desires for the melioration of both, proceed either from pride or vanity

or indolence. I look at the weeds which overspread my garden, and breathe out

an earnest wish that they were eradicated. But why? What prompts the wish? It

may be that I may walk out and say to myself, In what fine order is my garden

kept!’ This is pride. Or, it may be that my neighbours may look over the wall

and say, How finely your garden flourishes!’ This is vanity. Or I may wish for

the destruction of the weeds, because I am weary of pulling them up. This is

indolence.” So that even our desires after holiness may be polluted by ill

motives. Under the greenest sods worms hide themselves; we need not look long

to discover them. How cheering is the thought, that when the High Priest bore

the iniquity of the holy things he wore upon his brow the words, “Holiness to

the Lord:” and even so while Jesus bears our sin, he presents before his

Father’s face not our unholiness, but his own holiness. O for grace to view

our great High Priest by the eye of faith!

 

Evening “Thy love is better than wine.” / Song of Solomon 1:2

Nothing gives the believer so much joy as fellowship with Christ. He has

enjoyment as others have in the common mercies of life, he can be glad both in

God’s gifts and God’s works; but in all these separately, yea, and in all of

them added together, he doth not find such substantial delight as in the

matchless person of his Lord Jesus. He has wine which no vineyard on earth

ever yielded; he has bread which all the corn-fields of Egypt could never

bring forth. Where can such sweetness be found as we have tasted in communion

with our Beloved? In our esteem, the joys of earth are little better than

husks for swine compared with Jesus, the heavenly manna. We would rather have

one mouthful of Christ’s love, and a sip of his fellowship, than a whole world

full of carnal delights. What is the chaff to the wheat? What is the sparkling

paste to the true diamond? What is a dream to the glorious reality? What is

time’s mirth, in its best trim, compared to our Lord Jesus in his most

despised estate? If you know anything of the inner life, you will confess that

our highest, purest, and most enduring joys must be the fruit of the tree of

life which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. No spring yields such sweet

water as that well of God which was digged with the soldier’s spear. All

earthly bliss is of the earth earthy, but the comforts of Christ’s presence

are like himself, heavenly. We can review our communion with Jesus, and find

no regrets of emptiness therein; there are no dregs in this wine, no dead

flies in this ointment. The joy of the Lord is solid and enduring. Vanity hath

not looked upon it, but discretion and prudence testify that it abideth the

test of years, and is in time and in eternity worthy to be called “the only

true delight.” For nourishment, consolation, exhilaration, and refreshment, no

wine can rival the love of Jesus. Let us drink to the full this evening.

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Morning  “For me to live is Christ.” / Philippians 1:21

The believer did not always live to Christ. He began to do so when God the

Holy Spirit convinced him of sin, and when by grace he was brought to see the

dying Saviour making a propitiation for his guilt. From the moment of the new

and celestial birth the man begins to live to Christ. Jesus is to believers

the one pearl of great price, for whom we are willing to part with all that we

have. He has so completely won our love, that it beats alone for him; to his

glory we would live, and in defence of his gospel we would die; he is the

pattern of our life, and the model after which we would sculpture our

character. Paul’s words mean more than most men think; they imply that the aim

and end of his life was Christ–nay, his life itself was Jesus. In the words

of an ancient saint, he did eat, and drink, and sleep eternal life. Jesus was

his very breath, the soul of his soul, the heart of his heart, the life of his

life. Can you say, as a professing Christian, that you live up to this idea?

Can you honestly say that for you to live is Christ? Your business–are you

doing it for Christ? Is it not done for self- aggrandizement and for family

advantage? Do you ask, “Is that a mean reason?” For the Christian it is. He

professes to live for Christ; how can he live for another object without

committing a spiritual adultery? Many there are who carry out this principle

in some measure; but who is there that dare say that he hath lived wholly for

Christ as the apostle did? Yet, this alone is the true life of a

Christian–its source, its sustenance, its fashion, its end, all gathered up

in one word–Christ Jesus. Lord, accept me; I here present myself, praying to

live only in thee and to thee. Let me be as the bullock which stands between

the plough and the altar, to work or to be sacrificed; and let my motto be,

“Ready for either.”

 

Evening  “My sister, my spouse.” / Song of Solomon 4:12

Observe the sweet titles with which the heavenly Solomon with intense

affection addresses his bride the church. “My sister, one near to me by ties

of nature, partaker of the same sympathies. My spouse, nearest and dearest,

united to me by the tenderest bands of love; my sweet companion, part of my

own self. My sister, by my Incarnation, which makes me bone of thy bone and

flesh of thy flesh; my spouse, by heavenly betrothal, in which I have espoused

thee unto myself in righteousness. My sister, whom I knew of old, and over

whom I watched from her earliest infancy; my spouse, taken from among the

daughters, embraced by arms of love, and affianced unto me forever. See how

true it is that our royal Kinsman is not ashamed of us, for he dwells with

manifest delight upon this two-fold relationship. We have the word “my” twice

in our version; as if Christ dwelt with rapture on his possession of his

Church. “His delights were with the sons of men,” because those sons of men

were his own chosen ones. He, the Shepherd, sought the sheep, because they

were his sheep; he has gone about “to seek and to save that which was lost,”

because that which was lost was his long before it was lost to itself or lost

to him. The church is the exclusive portion of her Lord; none else may claim a

partnership, or pretend to share her love. Jesus, thy church delights to have

it so! Let every believing soul drink solace out of these wells. Soul! Christ

is near to thee in ties of relationship; Christ is dear to thee in bonds of

marriage union, and thou art dear to him; behold he grasps both of thy hands

with both his own, saying, “My sister, my spouse.” Mark the two sacred

holdfasts by which thy Lord gets such a double hold of thee that he neither

can nor will ever let thee go. Be not, O beloved, slow to return the hallowed

flame of his love.

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Morning “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” / 1 Peter 5:7

It is a happy way of soothing sorrow when we can feel–“HE careth for me.”

Christian! do not dishonour religion by always wearing a brow of care; come,

cast your burden upon your Lord. You are staggering beneath a weight which

your Father would not feel. What seems to you a crushing burden, would be to

him but as the small dust of the balance. Nothing is so sweet as to

“Lie passive in God’s hands,

And know no will but his.”

O child of suffering, be thou patient; God has not passed thee over in his

providence. He who is the feeder of sparrows, will also furnish you with what

you need. Sit not down in despair; hope on, hope ever. Take up the arms of

faith against a sea of trouble, and your opposition shall yet end your

distresses. There is One who careth for you. His eye is fixed on you, his

heart beats with pity for your woe, and his hand omnipotent shall yet bring

you the needed help. The darkest cloud shall scatter itself in showers of

mercy. The blackest gloom shall give place to the morning. He, if thou art one

of his family, will bind up thy wounds, and heal thy broken heart. Doubt not

his grace because of thy tribulation, but believe that he loveth thee as much

in seasons of trouble as in times of happiness. What a serene and quiet life

might you lead if you would leave providing to the God of providence! With a

little oil in the cruse, and a handful of meal in the barrel, Elijah outlived

the famine, and you will do the same. If God cares for you, why need you care

too? Can you trust him for your soul, and not for your body? He has never

refused to bear your burdens, he has never fainted under their weight. Come,

then, soul! have done with fretful care, and leave all thy concerns in the

hand of a gracious God.

 

Evening  “Now the hand of the Lord was upon me in the evening.” / Ezekiel 33:22

In the way of judgment this may be the case, and, if so, be it mine to

consider the reason of such a visitation, and bear the rod and him that hath

appointed it. I am not the only one who is chastened in the night season; let

me cheerfully submit to the affliction, and carefully endeavour to be profited

thereby. But the hand of the Lord may also be felt in another manner,

strengthening the soul and lifting the spirit upward towards eternal things. O

that I may in this sense feel the Lord dealing with me! A sense of the divine

presence and indwelling bears the soul towards heaven as upon the wings of

eagles. At such times we are full to the brim with spiritual joy, and forget

the cares and sorrows of earth; the invisible is near, and the visible loses

its power over us; servant-body waits at the foot of the hill, and the

master-spirit worships upon the summit in the presence of the Lord. O that a

hallowed season of divine communion may be vouchsafed to me this evening! The

Lord knows that I need it very greatly. My graces languish, my corruptions

rage, my faith is weak, my devotion is cold; all these are reasons why his

healing hand should be laid upon me. His hand can cool the heat of my burning

brow, and stay the tumult of my palpitating heart. That glorious right hand

which moulded the world can new-create my mind; the unwearied hand which bears

the earth’s huge pillars up can sustain my spirit; the loving hand which

incloses all the saints can cherish me; and the mighty hand which breaketh in

pieces the enemy can subdue my sins. Why should I not feel that hand touching

me this evening? Come, my soul, address thy God with the potent plea, that

Jesus’ hands were pierced for thy redemption, and thou shalt surely feel that

same hand upon thee which once touched Daniel and set him upon his knees that

he might see visions of God.

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Morning  “And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the

darkness.” / Genesis 1:4

Light might well be good since it sprang from that fiat of goodness, “Let

there be light.” We who enjoy it should be more grateful for it than we are,

and see more of God in it and by it. Light physical is said by Solomon to be

sweet, but gospel light is infinitely more precious, for it reveals eternal

things, and ministers to our immortal natures. When the Holy Spirit gives us

spiritual light, and opens our eyes to behold the glory of God in the face of

Jesus Christ, we behold sin in its true colours, and ourselves in our real

position; we see the Most Holy God as he reveals himself, the plan of mercy as

he propounds it, and the world to come as the Word describes it. Spiritual

light has many beams and prismatic colours, but whether they be knowledge,

joy, holiness, or life, all are divinely good. If the light received be thus

good, what must the essential light be, and how glorious must be the place

where he reveals himself. O Lord, since light is so good, give us more of it,

and more of thyself, the true light.

No sooner is there a good thing in the world, than a division is necessary.

Light and darkness have no communion; God has divided them, let us not

confound them. Sons of light must not have fellowship with deeds, doctrines,

or deceits of darkness. The children of the day must be sober, honest, and

bold in their Lord’s work, leaving the works of darkness to those who shall

dwell in it forever. Our Churches should by discipline divide the light from

the darkness, and we should by our distinct separation from the world do the

same. In judgment, in action, in hearing, in teaching, in association, we must

discern between the precious and the vile, and maintain the great distinction

which the Lord made upon the world’s first day. O Lord Jesus, be thou our

light throughout the whole of this day, for thy light is the light of men.

 

Evening  “And God saw the light.” / Genesis 1:4

This morning we noticed the goodness of the light, and the Lord’s dividing it

from the darkness, we now note the special eye which the Lord had for the

light. “God saw the light”–he looked at it with complacency, gazed upon it

with pleasure, saw that it “was good.” If the Lord has given you light, dear

reader, he looks on that light with peculiar interest; for not only is it dear

to him as his own handiwork, but because it is like himself, for “He is

light.” Pleasant it is to the believer to know that God’s eye is thus tenderly

observant of that work of grace which he has begun. He never loses sight of

the treasure which he has placed in our earthen vessels. Sometimes we cannot

see the light, but God always sees the light, and that is much better than our

seeing it. Better for the judge to see my innocence than for me to think I see

it. It is very comfortable for me to know that I am one of God’s people–but

whether I know it or not, if the Lord knows it, I am still safe. This is the

foundation, “The Lord knoweth them that are his.” You may be sighing and

groaning because of inbred sin, and mourning over your darkness, yet the Lord

sees “light” in your heart, for he has put it there, and all the cloudiness

and gloom of your soul cannot conceal your light from his gracious eye. You

may have sunk low in despondency, and even despair; but if your soul has any

longing towards Christ, and if you are seeking to rest in his finished work,

God sees the “light.” He not only sees it, but he also preserves it in you.

“I, the Lord, do keep it.” This is a precious thought to those who, after

anxious watching and guarding of themselves, feel their own powerlessness to

do so. The light thus preserved by his grace, he will one day develop into the

splendour of noonday, and the fulness of glory. The light within is the dawn

of the eternal day.

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Morning  “Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” /

2 Peter 3:18

“Grow in grace”–not in one grace only, but in all grace. Grow in that

root-grace, faith. Believe the promises more firmly than you have done. Let

faith increase in fulness, constancy, simplicity. Grow also in love. Ask that

your love may become extended, more intense, more practical, influencing every

thought, word, and deed. Grow likewise in humility. Seek to lie very low, and

know more of your own nothingness. As you grow downward in humility, seek also

to grow upward–having nearer approaches to God in prayer and more intimate

fellowship with Jesus. May God the Holy Spirit enable you to “grow in the

knowledge of our Lord and Saviour.” He who grows not in the knowledge of

Jesus, refuses to be blessed. To know him is “life eternal,” and to advance in

the knowledge of him is to increase in happiness. He who does not long to know

more of Christ, knows nothing of him yet. Whoever hath sipped this wine will

thirst for more, for although Christ doth satisfy, yet it is such a

satisfaction, that the appetite is not cloyed, but whetted. If you know the

love of Jesus–as the hart panteth for the water-brooks, so will you pant

after deeper draughts of his love. If you do not desire to know him better,

then you love him not, for love always cries, “Nearer, nearer.” Absence from

Christ is hell; but the presence of Jesus is heaven. Rest not then content

without an increasing acquaintance with Jesus. Seek to know more of him in his

divine nature, in his human relationship, in his finished work, in his death,

in his resurrection, in his present glorious intercession, and in his future

royal advent. Abide hard by the Cross, and search the mystery of his wounds.

An increase of love to Jesus, and a more perfect apprehension of his love to

us is one of the best tests of growth in grace.

 

Evening  “And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.” / Genesis 42:8

This morning our desires went forth for growth in our acquaintance with the

Lord Jesus; it may be well tonight to consider a kindred topic, namely, our

heavenly Joseph’s knowledge of us. This was most blessedly perfect long before

we had the slightest knowledge of him. “His eyes beheld our substance, yet

being imperfect, and in his book all our members were written, when as yet

there was none of them.” Before we had a being in the world we had a being in

his heart. When we were enemies to him, he knew us, our misery, our madness,

and our wickedness. When we wept bitterly in despairing repentance, and viewed

him only as a judge and a ruler, he viewed us as his brethren well beloved,

and his bowels yearned towards us. He never mistook his chosen, but always

beheld them as objects of his infinite affection. “The Lord knoweth them that

are his,” is as true of the prodigals who are feeding swine as of the children

who sit at the table.

But, alas! we knew not our royal Brother, and out of this ignorance grew a

host of sins. We withheld our hearts from him, and allowed him no entrance to

our love. We mistrusted him, and gave no credit to his words. We rebelled

against him, and paid him no loving homage. The Sun of Righteousness shone

forth, and we could not see him. Heaven came down to earth, and earth

perceived it not. Let God be praised, those days are over with us; yet even

now it is but little that we know of Jesus compared with what he knows of us.

We have but begun to study him, but he knoweth us altogether. It is a blessed

circumstance that the ignorance is not on his side, for then it would be a

hopeless case for us. He will not say to us, “I never knew you,” but he will

confess our names in the day of his appearing, and meanwhile will manifest

himself to us as he doth not unto the world.

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Morning  “I will give thee for a covenant of the people.” / Isaiah 49:8

Jesus Christ is himself the sum and substance of the covenant, and as one of

its gifts. He is the property of every believer. Believer, canst thou estimate

what thou hast gotten in Christ? “In him dwelleth all the fulness of the

Godhead bodily.” Consider that word “God” and its infinity, and then meditate

upon “perfect man” and all his beauty; for all that Christ, as God and man,

ever had, or can have, is thine–out of pure free favour, passed over to thee

to be thine entailed property forever. Our blessed Jesus, as God, is

omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent. Will it not console you to know that all

these great and glorious attributes are altogether yours? Has he power? That

power is yours to support and strengthen you, to overcome your enemies, and to

preserve you even to the end. Has he love? Well, there is not a drop of love

in his heart which is not yours; you may dive into the immense ocean of his

love, and you may say of it all, “It is mine.” Hath he justice? It may seem a

stern attribute, but even that is yours, for he will by his justice see to it

that all which is promised to you in the covenant of grace shall be most

certainly secured to you. And all that he has as perfect man is yours. As a

perfect man the Father’s delight was upon him. He stood accepted by the Most

High. O believer, God’s acceptance of Christ is thine acceptance; for knowest

thou not that the love which the Father set on a perfect Christ, he sets on

thee now? For all that Christ did is thine. That perfect righteousness which

Jesus wrought out, when through his stainless life he kept the law and made it

honourable, is thine, and is imputed to thee. Christ is in the covenant.

“My God, I am thine–what a comfort divine!

What a blessing to know that the Saviour is mine!

In the heavenly Lamb thrice happy I am,

And my heart it doth dance at the sound of his name.”

 

Evening   “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord,

make his paths straight.” / Luke 3:4

The voice crying in the wilderness demanded a way for the Lord, a way

prepared, and a way prepared in the wilderness. I would be attentive to the

Master’s proclamation, and give him a road into my heart, cast up by gracious

operations, through the desert of my nature. The four directions in the text

must have my serious attention.

Every valley must be exalted. Low and grovelling thoughts of God must be given

up; doubting and despairing must be removed; and self-seeking and carnal

delights must be forsaken. Across these deep valleys a glorious causeway of

grace must be raised.

Every mountain and hill shall be laid low. Proud creature-sufficiency, and

boastful self-righteousness, must be levelled, to make a highway for the King

of kings. Divine fellowship is never vouchsafed to haughty, highminded

sinners. The Lord hath respect unto the lowly, and visits the contrite in

heart, but the lofty are an abomination unto him. My soul, beseech the Holy

Spirit to set thee right in this respect.

The crooked shall be made straight. The wavering heart must have a straight

path of decision for God and holiness marked out for it. Double-minded men are

strangers to the God of truth. My soul, take heed that thou be in all things

honest and true, as in the sight of the heart-searching God.

The rough places shall be made smooth. Stumbling-blocks of sin must be

removed, and thorns and briers of rebellion must be uprooted. So great a

visitor must not find miry ways and stony places when he comes to honour his

favoured ones with his company. Oh that this evening the Lord may find in my

heart a highway made ready by his grace, that he may make a triumphal progress

through the utmost bounds of my soul, from the beginning of this year even to

the end of it.

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Morning  “Continue in prayer.” / Colossians 4:2

It is interesting to remark how large a portion of Sacred Writ is occupied

with the subject of prayer, either in furnishing examples, enforcing precepts,

or pronouncing promises. We scarcely open the Bible before we read, “Then

began men to call upon the name of the Lord;” and just as we are about to

close the volume, the “Amen” of an earnest supplication meets our ear.

Instances are plentiful. Here we find a wrestling Jacob–there a Daniel who

prayed three times a day–and a David who with all his heart called upon his

God. On the mountain we see Elias; in the dungeon Paul and Silas. We have

multitudes of commands, and myriads of promises. What does this teach us, but

the sacred importance and necessity of prayer? We may be certain that whatever

God has made prominent in his Word, he intended to be conspicuous in our

lives. If he has said much about prayer, it is because he knows we have much

need of it. So deep are our necessities, that until we are in heaven we must

not cease to pray. Dost thou want nothing? Then, I fear thou dost not know thy

poverty. Hast thou no mercy to ask of God? Then, may the Lord’s mercy show

thee thy misery! A prayerless soul is a Christless soul. Prayer is the lisping

of the believing infant, the shout of the fighting believer, the requiem of

the dying saint falling asleep in Jesus. It is the breath, the watchword, the

comfort, the strength, the honour of a Christian. If thou be a child of God,

thou wilt seek thy Father’s face, and live in thy Father’s love. Pray that

this year thou mayst be holy, humble, zealous, and patient; have closer

communion with Christ, and enter oftener into the banqueting-house of his

love. Pray that thou mayst be an example and a blessing unto others, and that

thou mayst live more to the glory of thy Master. The motto for this year must

be, “Continue in prayer.”

 

Evening  “Let the people renew their strength.” / Isaiah 41:1

All things on earth need to be renewed. No created thing continueth by itself.

“Thou renewest the face of the year,” was the Psalmist’s utterance. Even the

trees, which wear not themselves with care, nor shorten their lives with

labour, must drink of the rain of heaven and suck from the hidden treasures of

the soil. The cedars of Lebanon, which God has planted, only live because day

by day they are full of sap fresh drawn from the earth. Neither can man’s life

be sustained without renewal from God. As it is necessary to repair the waste

of the body by the frequent meal, so we must repair the waste of the soul by

feeding upon the Book of God, or by listening to the preached Word, or by the

soul-fattening table of the ordinances. How depressed are our graces when

means are neglected! What poor starvelings some saints are who live without

the diligent use of the Word of God and secret prayer! If our piety can live

without God it is not of divine creating; it is but a dream; for if God had

begotten it, it would wait upon him as the flowers wait upon the dew. Without

constant restoration we are not ready for the perpetual assaults of hell, or

the stern afflictions of heaven, or even for the strifes within. When the

whirlwind shall be loosed, woe to the tree that hath not sucked up fresh sap,

and grasped the rock with many intertwisted roots. When tempests arise, woe to

the mariners that have not strengthened their mast, nor cast their anchor, nor

sought the haven. If we suffer the good to grow weaker, the evil will surely

gather strength and struggle desperately for the mastery over us; and so,

perhaps, a painful desolation, and a lamentable disgrace may follow. Let us

draw near to the footstool of divine mercy in humble entreaty, and we shall

realize the fulfilment of the promise, “They that wait on the Lord shall renew

their strength.”

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Morning   “They did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.” / Joshua 5:12

Israel’s weary wanderings were all over, and the promised rest was attained.

No more moving tents, fiery serpents, fierce Amalekites, and howling

wildernesses: they came to the land which flowed with milk and honey, and they

ate the old corn of the land. Perhaps this year, beloved Christian reader,

this may be thy case or mine. Joyful is the prospect, and if faith be in

active exercise, it will yield unalloyed delight. To be with Jesus in the rest

which remaineth for the people of God, is a cheering hope indeed, and to

expect this glory so soon is a double bliss. Unbelief shudders at the Jordan

which still rolls between us and the goodly land, but let us rest assured that

we have already experienced more ills than death at its worst can cause us.

Let us banish every fearful thought, and rejoice with exceeding great joy, in

the prospect that this year we shall begin to be “forever with the Lord.”

A part of the host will this year tarry on earth, to do service for their

Lord. If this should fall to our lot, there is no reason why the New Year’s

text should not still be true. “We who have believed do enter into rest.” The

Holy Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance; he gives us “glory begun

below.” In heaven they are secure, and so are we preserved in Christ Jesus;

there they triumph over their enemies, and we have victories too. Celestial

spirits enjoy communion with their Lord, and this is not denied to us; they

rest in his love, and we have perfect peace in him: they hymn his praise, and

it is our privilege to bless him too. We will this year gather celestial

fruits on earthly ground, where faith and hope have made the desert like the

garden of the Lord. Man did eat angels’ food of old, and why not now? O for

grace to feed on Jesus, and so to eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan this

year!

 

Evening   “We will be glad and rejoice in thee.” / Song of Solomon 1:4

We will be glad and rejoice in thee. We will not open the gates of the year to

the dolorous notes of the sackbut, but to the sweet strains of the harp of

joy, and the high sounding cymbals of gladness. “O come, let us sing unto the

Lord: let us make a joyful noise unto the rock of our salvation.” We, the

called and faithful and chosen, we will drive away our griefs, and set up our

banners of confidence in the name of God. Let others lament over their

troubles, we who have the sweetening tree to cast into Marah’s bitter pool,

with joy will magnify the Lord. Eternal Spirit, our effectual Comforter, we

who are the temples in which thou dwellest, will never cease from adoring and

blessing the name of Jesus. We will, we are resolved about it, Jesus must have

the crown of our heart’s delight; we will not dishonour our Bridegroom by

mourning in his presence. We are ordained to be the minstrels of the skies,

let us rehearse our everlasting anthem before we sing it in the halls of the

New Jerusalem. We will be glad and rejoice: two words with one sense, double

joy, blessedness upon blessedness. Need there be any limit to our rejoicing in

the Lord even now? Do not men of grace find their Lord to be camphire and

spikenard, calamus and cinnamon even now, and what better fragrance have they

in heaven itself? We will be glad and rejoice in Thee. That last word is the

meat in the dish, the kernel of the nut, the soul of the text. What heavens

are laid up in Jesus! What rivers of infinite bliss have their source, aye,

and every drop of their fulness in him! Since, O sweet Lord Jesus, thou art

the present portion of thy people, favour us this year with such a sense of

thy preciousness, that from its first to its last day we may be glad and

rejoice in thee. Let January open with joy in the Lord, and December close

with gladness in Jesus.

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Morning   “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying,

if any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.” / John 7:37

Patience had her perfect work in the Lord Jesus, and until the last day of the

feast he pleaded with the Jews, even as on this last day of the year he pleads

with us, and waits to be gracious to us. Admirable indeed is the longsuffering

of the Saviour in bearing with some of us year after year, notwithstanding our

provocations, rebellions, and resistance of his Holy Spirit. Wonder of wonders

that we are still in the land of mercy!

Pity expressed herself most plainly, for Jesus cried, which implies not only

the loudness of his voice, but the tenderness of his tones. He entreats us to

be reconciled. “We pray you,” says the Apostle, “as though God did beseech you

by us.” What earnest, pathetic terms are these! How deep must be the love

which makes the Lord weep over sinners, and like a mother woo his children to

his bosom! Surely at the call of such a cry our willing hearts will come.

Provision is made most plenteously; all is provided that man can need to

quench his soul’s thirst. To his conscience the atonement brings peace; to his

understanding the gospel brings the richest instruction; to his heart the

person of Jesus is the noblest object of affection; to the whole man the truth

as it is in Jesus supplies the purest nutriment. Thirst is terrible, but Jesus

can remove it. Though the soul were utterly famished, Jesus could restore it.

Proclamation is made most freely, that every thirsty one is welcome. No other

distinction is made but that of thirst. Whether it be the thirst of avarice,

ambition, pleasure, knowledge, or rest, he who suffers from it is invited. The

thirst may be bad in itself, and be no sign of grace, but rather a mark of

inordinate sin longing to be gratified with deeper draughts of lust; but it is

not goodness in the creature which brings him the invitation, the Lord Jesus

sends it freely, and without respect of persons.

Personality is declared most fully. The sinner must come to Jesus, not to

works, ordinances, or doctrines, but to a personal Redeemer, who his own self

bare our sins in his own body on the tree. The bleeding, dying, rising

Saviour, is the only star of hope to a sinner. Oh for grace to come now and

drink, ere the sun sets upon the year’s last day!

No waiting or preparation is so much as hinted at. Drinking represents a

reception for which no fitness is required. A fool, a thief, a harlot can

drink; and so sinfulness of character is no bar to the invitation to believe

in Jesus. We want no golden cup, no bejewelled chalice, in which to convey the

water to the thirsty; the mouth of poverty is welcome to stoop down and quaff

the flowing flood. Blistered, leprous, filthy lips may touch the stream of

divine love; they cannot pollute it, but shall themselves be purified. Jesus

is the fount of hope. Dear reader, hear the dear Redeemer’s loving voice as he

cries to each of us,

 

“IF ANY MAN THIRST, LET HIM COME UNTO ME AND DRINK.”

 

Evening “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” / Jeremiah

8:20

Not saved! Dear reader, is this your mournful plight? Warned of the judgment

to come, bidden to escape for your life, and yet at this moment not saved! You

know the way of salvation, you read it in the Bible, you hear it from the

pulpit, it is explained to you by friends, and yet you neglect it, and

therefore you are not saved. You will be without excuse when the Lord shall

judge the quick and dead. The Holy Spirit has given more or less of blessing

upon the word which has been preached in your hearing, and times of refreshing

have come from the divine presence, and yet you are without Christ. All these

hopeful seasons have come and gone–your summer and your harvest have

past–and yet you are not saved. Years have followed one another into

eternity, and your last year will soon be here: youth has gone, manhood is

going, and yet you are not saved. Let me ask you–will you ever be saved? Is

there any likelihood of it? Already the most propitious seasons have left you

unsaved; will other occasions alter your condition? Means have failed with

you–the best of means, used perseveringly and with the utmost affection–what

more can be done for you? Affliction and prosperity have alike failed to

impress you; tears and prayers and sermons have been wasted on your barren

heart. Are not the probabilities dead against your ever being saved? Is it not

more than likely that you will abide as you are till death forever bars the

door of hope? Do you recoil from the supposition? Yet it is a most reasonable

one: he who is not washed in so many waters will in all probability go filthy

to his end. The convenient time never has come, why should it ever come? It is

logical to fear that it never will arrive, and that Felix like, you will find

no convenient season till you are in hell. O bethink you of what that hell is,

and of the dread probability that you will soon be cast into it!

Reader, suppose you should die unsaved, your doom no words can picture. Write

out your dread estate in tears and blood, talk of it with groans and gnashing

of teeth: you will be punished with everlasting destruction from the glory of

the Lord, and from the glory of his power. A brother’s voice would fain

startle you into earnestness. O be wise, be wise in time, and ere another year

begins, believe in Jesus, who is able to save to the uttermost. Consecrate

these last hours to lonely thought, and if deep repentance be bred in you, it

will be well; and if it lead to a humble faith in Jesus, it will be best of

all. O see to it that this year pass not away, and you an unforgiven spirit.

Let not the new year’s midnight peals sound upon a joyless spirit! Now, now,

NOW believe, and live.

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Morning   “Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof.” / Ecclesiastes 7:8

Look at David’s Lord and Master; see his beginning. He was despised and

rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Would you see the

end? He sits at his Father’s right hand, expecting until his enemies be made

his footstool. “As he is, so are we also in this world.” You must bear the

cross, or you shall never wear the crown; you must wade through the mire, or

you shall never walk the golden pavement. Cheer up, then, poor Christian.

“Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof.” See that creeping

worm, how contemptible its appearance! It is the beginning of a thing. Mark

that insect with gorgeous wings, playing in the sunbeams, sipping at the

flower bells, full of happiness and life; that is the end thereof. That

caterpillar is yourself, until you are wrapped up in the chrysalis of death;

but when Christ shall appear you shall be like him, for you shall see him as

he is. Be content to be like him, a worm and no man, that like him you may be

satisfied when you wake up in his likeness. That rough-looking diamond is put

upon the wheel of the lapidary. He cuts it on all sides. It loses much–much

that seemed costly to itself. The king is crowned; the diadem is put upon the

monarch’s head with trumpet’s joyful sound. A glittering ray flashes from that

coronet, and it beams from that very diamond which was just now so sorely

vexed by the lapidary. You may venture to compare yourself to such a diamond,

for you are one of God’s people; and this is the time of the cutting process.

Let faith and patience have their perfect work, for in the day when the crown

shall be set upon the head of the King, Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, one ray

of glory shall stream from you. “They shall be mine,” saith the Lord, “in the

day when I make up my jewels.” “Better is the end of a thing than the

beginning thereof.”

 

Evening  “Knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end?” / 2 Samuel

2:26

If, O my reader! thou art merely a professor, and not a possessor of the faith

that is in Christ Jesus, the following lines are a true ketch of thine end.

You are a respectable attendant at a place of worship; you go because others

go, not because your heart is right with God. This is your beginning. I will

suppose that for the next twenty or thirty years you will be spared to go on

as you do now, professing religion by an outward attendance upon the means of

grace, but having no heart in the matter. Tread softly, for I must show you

the deathbed of such a one as yourself. Let us gaze upon him gently. A clammy

sweat is on his brow, and he wakes up crying, “O God, it is hard to die. Did

you send for my minister?” “Yes, he is coming.” The minister comes. “Sir, I

fear that I am dying!” “Have you any hope?” “I cannot say that I have. I fear

to stand before my God; oh! pray for me.” The prayer is offered for him with

sincere earnestness, and the way of salvation is for the ten-thousandth time

put before him, but before he has grasped the rope, I see him sink. I may put

my finger upon those cold eyelids, for they will never see anything here

again. But where is the man, and where are the man’s true eyes? It is written,

“In hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torment.” Ah! why did he not lift up

his eyes before? Because he was so accustomed to hear the gospel that his soul

slept under it. Alas! if you should lift up your eyes there, how bitter will

be your wailings. Let the Saviour’s own words reveal the woe: “Father Abraham,

send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my

tongue, for I am tormented in this flame.” There is a frightful meaning in

those words. May you never have to spell it out by the red light of Jehovah’s

wrath!

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Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening

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Morning “Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.” / 1 Samuel 7:12

The word “hitherto” seems like a hand pointing in the direction of the past.

Twenty years or seventy, and yet, “hitherto the Lord hath helped!” Through

poverty, through wealth, through sickness, through health, at home, abroad, on

the land, on the sea, in honour, in dishonour, in perplexity, in joy, in

trial, in triumph, in prayer, in temptation, “hitherto hath the Lord helped

us!” We delight to look down a long avenue of trees. It is delightful to gaze

from end to end of the long vista, a sort of verdant temple, with its

branching pillars and its arches of leaves; even so look down the long aisles

of your years, at the green boughs of mercy overhead, and the strong pillars

of lovingkindness and faithfulness which bear up your joys. Are there no birds

in yonder branches singing? Surely there must be many, and they all sing of

mercy received “hitherto.”

But the word also points forward. For when a man gets up to a certain mark and

writes “hitherto,” he is not yet at the end, there is still a distance to be

traversed. More trials, more joys; more temptations, more triumphs; more

prayers, more answers; more toils, more strength; more fights, more victories;

and then come sickness, old age, disease, death. Is it over now? No! there is

more yet-awakening in Jesus’ likeness, thrones, harps, songs, psalms, white

raiment, the face of Jesus, the society of saints, the glory of God, the

fulness of eternity, the infinity of bliss. O be of good courage, believer,

and with grateful confidence raise thy “Ebenezer,” for–

He who hath helped thee hitherto

Will help thee all thy journey through.

When read in heaven’s light how glorious and marvellous a prospect will thy

“hitherto” unfold to thy grateful eye!

 

Evening  “What think ye of Christ?” / Matthew 22:42

The great test of your soul’s health is, What think you of Christ? Is he to

you “fairer than the children of men”–“the chief among ten thousand”–the

“altogether lovely”? Wherever Christ is thus esteemed, all the faculties of

the spiritual man exercise themselves with energy. I will judge of your piety

by this barometer: does Christ stand high or low with you? If you have thought

little of Christ, if you have been content to live without his presence, if

you have cared little for his honour, if you have been neglectful of his laws,

then I know that your soul is sick–God grant that it may not be sick unto

death! But if the first thought of your spirit has been, how can I honour

Jesus? If the daily desire of your soul has been, “O that I knew where I might

find him!” I tell you that you may have a thousand infirmities, and even

scarcely know whether you are a child of God at all, and yet I am persuaded,

beyond a doubt, that you are safe, since Jesus is great in your esteem. I care

not for thy rags, what thinkest thou of his royal apparel? I care not for thy

wounds, though they bleed in torrents, what thinkest thou of his wounds? are

they like glittering rubies in thine esteem? I think none the less of thee,

though thou liest like Lazarus on the dunghill, and the dogs do lick thee–I

judge thee not by thy poverty: what thinkest thou of the King in his beauty?

Has he a glorious high throne in thy heart? Wouldest thou set him higher if

thou couldest? Wouldest thou be willing to die if thou couldest but add

another trumpet to the strain which proclaims his praise? Ah! then it is well

with thee. Whatever thou mayest think of thyself, if Christ be great to thee,

thou shalt be with him ere long.

“Though all the world my choice deride,

Yet Jesus shall my portion be;

For I am pleased with none beside,

The fairest of the fair is he”