Grace Gems

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Reader, go near to that cross!

(George Everard, "The Piercing of Jesus' Side!" 1868.)

Reader, go near to that cross! As John and the faithful women stood beneath its shadow--so you likewise go and behold the Lamb of God slain for sinners!

Behold that head, lately anointed with fragrant spikenard--now encircled with a chaplet of sharp thorns!

Behold that face, fairer than the children of men, upon which angels delighted to gaze--covered with mingled blood and spittle!

Behold those eyes, which beheld the city with such compassion, which shed tears over it, as at the tomb of Bethany--now growing dim in death!

Behold those ears, which never in vain heard the cry of sorrow or distress--now greeted with bitter mockings and reproaches!

Behold those lips, which spoke as never man spoke, which said to the widow, "Weep not;" and to the waves, "Peace, be still"--now swollen with blows and parched with thirst!

Behold those hands, which healed the leper by their touch, which lifted up the daughter of Jairus and restored her to life--now torn by rugged nails!

Behold those feet, which ever went about doing good, which trod the waves of Gennesaret--now sore wounded, and painfully transfixed to the cruel wood!

Behold that body, so holy, so chaste, so pure--suffering unknown agonies!

And now behold the heart of Jesus, so tender and true, so kind and loving--pierced with the soldier's spear!

Ah, it was a savage, cruel hand that inflicted this last wound on the body of our Lord! There was no need for it. The spirit of the Redeemer had fled. His enemies had done their worst. He could no longer suffer pain or grief. But that spear-wound was, as it were, a mark of the hatred which still existed against the Crucified.

Let every Christian look at his own sin, and see how it has wounded his Lord. Surely it has been as the scourge, the nail, the spear!

My sin is that which has wounded the One who bore me nothing but good will, and who ever sought my peace. My sin is that which has slain my Friend, my Savior, my Redeemer! May I ever regard it as an accursed thing! May I never more look upon it with favor, but with the utmost abhorrence. May I keep far away, shrinking from its very touch, as the deadliest pollution!

How utterly we should loathe and forsake the sin that wrought the sufferings and death of our best Friend!

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The two trees!

(George Everard, "The Piercing of Jesus' Side!" 1868.)

One tree has been the channel of all the evil that is to be found in the world.

Another tree has been the channel of all the good that is to be found in the world.

From the fruit of the tree of which Eve partook, has arisen . . .
  all the sin,
  all the care,
  all the sorrow,
  all the disease, and
  all the death that are to be seen on every side.

From the fruit of another tree, that on which Jesus bore our sins, has arisen . . .
  all the grace,
  all the holiness,
  all the hope,
  all the consolation,
which the redeemed have received from above.

Oh, that we might gaze upon that cross, and in faith behold Him who hung there!

O blessed Redeemer, grant us the Spirit of grace and supplication . . .
  that we may look upon You whom our sins have pierced, and mourn;
  that we may again look upon You, and rejoice in such a loving Savior, in such a blood-bought salvation!

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O shame upon every one of us!

(George Everard, "Help and Consolation from the Sanctuary" 1868.)

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ--set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things!" Colossians 3:1-2

O shame upon every one of us, that our thoughts are so buried in the perishing things of the world! Why are we so taken up with our little cares, or even our heavier crosses, or our daily duties--that we so seldom lift up our eye heavenward and behold our Friend, who is so ready to aid us by His counsel and strength? Why does the prospect of a little present gratification, so soon draw the heart away from Him who is the source of endless joy?

Reader, watch against this dangerous snare! Give not your heart even to lawful enjoyments, but reserve it for Christ. Thankfully use in their right measure, the blessings that God confers--but strive evermore to rise above them and hold communion with your Lord.

"Whom have I in Heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever!" Psalm 73:25-26

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On every forehead!

(George Everard, "Help and Consolation from the Sanctuary" 1868.)

"There is a time to be born--and a time to die!" Ecclesiastes 3:2

All generations of mankind are traveling along the same road--and at the end of their course, an open grave waits to receive them! On every forehead, whether that of the little child all blithe and mirthful, or that of one wrinkled by age--may be seen as it were inscribed the words, "Dust you are--and unto dust you shall return!" At every turn we are reminded that in the midst of life, we are in death--and that even now the swift arrow may be on its way that shall bid us cease from all earthly toil.

And is there not a shrinking, and dread, a drawing back from the blow of the destroyer? The most sensitive natures ever feel it the most--yet with all, there is a fear of the last enemy that it is hard to overcome.

And where sin has been indulged, where the world has been set up as an idol within the temple of the heart--doubly fearful must be the thought of that summons which forever robs a man of the world, and calls him to a strict account for his sins!

"The length of our days is seventy years--or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away!" Psalm 90:10

"So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12

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What is repentance?

(George Everard, "Welcome home! Plain teachings from the story of the Prodigal" 1871)

"I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' So he got up and went to his father." Luke 15:18-20

Notice the spirit of deep self-abasement in the resolution which the prodigal made.

True repentance is intensely personal. The prodigal felt it was his own sin. "I have sinned!" He can scarcely see any sin but his own. He sees his own sin in the very worst colors. Study the fifty-first Psalm. See how David again and again speaks. It is my transgression, my iniquity, my sin ever before me.

True repentance beholds the wrong done to God by sin. The prodigal felt that his sin was primarily against God. It was a breach of His holy law. It was opposition to His holiness. It was sin against His goodness, and against redeeming love. So David cries in his bitter sorrow, forgetting for the moment the wrong he had done to Uriah--in the far greater wrong which his sin had done to God: "Against You, You only have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight!"

True repentance makes no excuses. The prodigal seeks for no palliation, no covering, no cloak. He says nothing of the circumstances which led him to do evil, or of companions who had drawn him aside. He does not attempt to shift the burden from his own shoulders to that of others. He makes no self-justifying pleas--he has too much sorrow, too much true brokenness of spirit, to desire or attempt it. One thing, and one thing only, he sees--his own terrible fall, and his own exceeding guilt.

True repentance takes the very lowest place. Once to be a son was not enough for him--but now he will be content even to be a slave or a hired servant! He feels utterly unworthy. As Jacob felt: "I am not worthy of all the mercies You have showed me." As the centurion felt when he sent to Jesus: "I am not worthy that You should come under my roof." So did the young prodigal esteem himself: "I am no longer worthy to be called your son."

Be sure that God delights in the humble and contrite soul.
Lift yourself up in pride and self-satisfaction--and God will assuredly cast you down.
Cast yourself down in humble confession of your sin--and God will assuredly lift you up.
"God resists the proud--but gives grace unto the humble."

But we see here the purpose of the heart accomplished. The young man not only made the resolution, but he kept it, "So he got up and went to his father." He turned his back forever on that far country and his old companions--and turned his face homeward. Doubtless it was with many a tear, with many a bitter feeling of regret for all that had passed--since in so different a spirit he had trodden that path before. Yet onward he trudges with weary heart and weary footstep, in the hope that a place may still be found for him in his father's house.

Do you ask, What is repentance? I can scarcely better describe it than from the path of this wanderer. It is turning the back . . .
  on sin,
  on the ways of the world,
  on the lusts of the flesh,
  on the service of the devil.

And it is turning the face God-ward, Heaven-ward, confessing all that is past, looking upward for grace to live holier, with one single desire--to abide in the fear and love of God.

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Everywhere may we trace the slime of the old serpent!

(George Everard, "Help and Consolation from the Sanctuary" 1868.)

Since the fall, everything has been marred and corrupted by sin. With its deadly touch, sin has pervaded the whole creation. In the beginning, all things were made very good--but now they have become very evil. Everywhere may we trace the slime of the old serpent!

But Christ is the mighty Alchemist--transforming, changing, restoring. Into every "Marah" fountain, into every affliction and trial--He is ever ready to cast a branch of the tree of life, thus making the bitter waters, sweet. In other words, He turns that which in itself is grievous and painful--into a means of increased holiness and heightened joy.

Yes, He changes the heart and spirit of man--turning the vile sinner, into the holy saint. He changes the fallen one, into the holy child of God, according as it is written, "If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature--old things are passed away--behold, all things are become new!"

The fierce demoniac, a terror to all around--He changes into the meek and obedient disciple, "sitting at his feet, clothed and in his right mind."

"The woman who had lived a very sinful life"--He so changes, that she becomes an example to all for the great love which she bestows upon Him.

The dying malefactor--He changes into an heir of paradise.

Saul, the persecuting Pharisee--He changes into Paul, the very chief of Apostles.

The jailer, hardened in his sin--He changes into the rejoicing believer.

The Ephesians, dead in trespasses and sins, having no hope and without God in the world--He changes into "fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God."

The Corinthians, once drunkards, thieves, adulterers, prostitutes, homosexuals and the like--He changes into holy Christians--washed, sanctified, and justified!

And ever since His exaltation to the right hand of the Father, He has ever been carrying out the same gracious design:
  destroying the works of the devil in men,
  lifting them up from the degradation and bondage of sin,
  adorning them with all heavenly graces and virtues,
  making them partakers of the Divine holiness!

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The physician's blood became the sick man's salve!

(Thomas Brooks, "The Golden Key to Open Hidden Treasures")

"He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:5

Our sins were the cause of Christ's sufferings!

It was our sins which smote Him, and bruised Him!
It was our transgressions which gave Christ His deadly wounds!

Every Christian may look upon Christ and say,
"I was that Judas who betrayed You!
 I was that soldier who murdered You!
 It was my sins which brought all those sorrows, and sufferings, and evils upon You!
    I have sinned--and You have suffered!
    I have been wicked--and You have died!
    I have wounded You--and You have healed me!"

Oh, that we might look upon . . .
   a humble Christ--with a humble heart,
   a broken Christ--with a broken heart,
   a bleeding Christ--with a bleeding heart,
   a wounded Christ--with a wounded heart!

"He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree; by His wounds you have been healed." 1 Peter 2:24

Here you see that the physician's blood became the sick man's salve!

Here is the gospel mystery--that the wounding of One, should be the cure of another!

Oh, what an odious thing is sin to God--that He will pardon none without blood--yes, without the precious blood of His dearest Son!

Oh, what a Hell of wickedness must there be in sin--that nothing can expiate it but the best, the purest, the noblest blood of Christ!

Oh, what a transcendent evil must sin be--that nothing can purge it away but death--the accursed death of the cross!

Oh, what a leprosy is sin--that it must have blood, yes, the blood of God, to take it away!

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God's tender mercy!

(Matthew Henry)

"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him!" Luke 15:20

This parable is chiefly designed to set forth the grace and mercy of God to poor sinners who repent and return to Him, and His readiness to forgive them.

How lively are the images of God's tender mercy presented here!
His father saw the son--there were eyes of mercy;
he was filled with compassion for him--there was a heart of mercy;
he ran to meet him--there were feet of mercy;
he threw his arms around him--there were arms of mercy;
he kissed him--there were lips of mercy!

Oh, what a God of mercy He is!

Wonders of mercy--all mercy!

The prodigal came home in rags--and his father not only clothed him, but adorned him! "Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet." Luke 15:22

The prodigal came home hungry--and his father not only fed him, but feasted him! "Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate!" Luke 15:23

Oh, what a precious reception for one of the chief of sinners!

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Was it by chance that they met?

(George Everard, "By the Well of Sychar" 1884)

"He had to go through Samaria. So He came to a town in Samaria called Sychar . . . Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as He was from the journey, sat down by the well. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her: Will you give Me a drink?" John 4:4-7

How was it that Jesus was there at the moment when the woman came?

Was it by chance that they met? Was it simply an opportunity for doing good that the Master seized? I do not so read the story. The Good Shepherd was weary--for He had come many a mile to fetch home a lost and wandering one!

"There were ninety and nine that safely lay
 In the shelter of the fold;
 But one was out on the hills away,
 Far off from the gates of gold,
 Away on the mountains wild and bare,
 Away from the tender Shepherd's care."

Everlasting love brought Him to Sychar! Everlasting love led Him to speak to her, to ask water at her hands--that He might give her the living water that alone could satisfy her thirsty soul!

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Some years ago I heard an allegory which I have never forgotten

(George Everard, "The Home of Bethany" 1873)

"He led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation." Psalm 107:7

Some years ago I heard an allegory which I have never forgotten. It often comes back to me when I think of the way in which the Lord leads His people.

The fable runs that a few ears of wheat were growing in the corner of a field, and it was promised to this wheat that it would one day be brought before the Queen. But by-and-by the mower came with his sharp scythe and cut the wheat, and feeling the sharpness of the scythe, it said, "I shall never stand before the Queen!" Presently it was laid in the wagon, and pressed and borne down by the other sheaves, and again arose the cry of distress and despair. But, more than this, it was laid on the threshing-floor, and the heavy flail came down upon it. It was taken to the mill, and cut and cut and cut; then it was kneaded into bread; and at last it was placed in the hot burning oven. Again and again was heard the cry of utter, hopeless despair. But at length the promise was fulfilled, and the bread was placed on the Queen's table!

There is a great spiritual truth beneath the fable. Christians are God's wheat, sprung from the incorruptible seed of His Word, and from the precious seed of the crucified, buried body of our Lord--and He purposes that one day they shall stand before Him! But there needs much preparation.

There comes the sharp scythe of bereavement--the loss of child or parent or spouse.

There comes the oppressive burden of care.

There comes the severe tribulation (the very word signifies threshing), seasons of adversity and disappointment.

There comes the mill, the trial that utterly breaks us down, and fills the whole spirit with distress.

There comes the hot furnace of agonizing pain or fear.

All these are doing their appointed work, stirring up faith and prayer, humbling to the very dust--and yet lifting up the Christian, by leading him nearer to God, and enabling him at length to say, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted!"

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Not one tear is lost!

(George Everard, "The Tears of Jesus!" 1884)

On opening ancient tombs in Palestine, many a tear-bottle has been found, which was a repository for the tears of the mourners, and was then placed in the tomb beside the one who was laid there.

Just so does our heavenly Father gather all the tears of His redeemed children.
"You keep track of all my sorrows.
 You have collected all my tears in Your bottle.
 You have recorded each one in Your book!" Psalm 56:8

Not one tear is lost! Not one sorrow is unheeded. Not one grief is left unbefriended. All these tears are noted by our merciful Father above!

We have a Savior who has known our sorrows, and by His tears can heal every wound that sin has made. "In all their affliction, He was afflicted." When He was on earth, He wept with those that wept--and He is still the same. We can think of the tears He shed more than eighteen centuries ago--and know that at this hour He is the same loving and sympathizing Friend!

There is no sympathy like that of Jesus! It flows in full flood toward His believing children. Just as the rising tide rushes in and pours through every cranny and nook on the shore where admittance can be gained--so does Christ's tender loving-kindness enter the hearts of His people.

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Go to the mercy-seat as a little child to a mother's knee!

(George Everard, "Jesus on the Holy Mount" 1884)

"As He was praying, the appearance of His face changed, and His clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning!" Luke 9:29

There is a transforming efficacy of true prayer! While Christ was praying, Divine light and glory came upon Him from above.

And so in another way, it is with the believer. Imagine a child of God who has had a difficult day of toil and anxiety. He has been all day long in contact with the world, its turmoil, its business--and perchance he has been ruffled with the evil tempers or angry words of those he has met.

But the evening comes. He has a quiet half hour for communion with his Best Friend. Then, as he dwells upon some sweet promise of the Word, as he rolls the burden of the day upon a Father in Heaven--there comes back a quiet joy, a calm peace into his soul. A new strength is imparted, and a new view is taken of life's duties and temptations. The discipline of heavenly wisdom is recognized, and instead of the jaded look and wearied spirit--there is power and life and gladness and hope found upspringing within the heart!

Never, never let the Christian be robbed of the comfort of prayer by the thought of being unfitted for its exercise. You are tempted, it may be, to think that because the mind has been overstrained, and you are tired and weary--that therefore it is impossible to make the effort for prayer.

Let it be just the other way: "I need the quiet of my Father's presence to soothe this throbbing brow, to rest this fainting heart--and I must have it." Then go to the mercy-seat as a little child to a mother's knee. Your words need not be many, but let them be from your heart--to the heart of your Father in Heaven!

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Oh, what a mystery of humility--what a mystery of condescension and love!

(George Everard, "Help and Consolation from the Sanctuary" 1868.)

"Behold! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel, which means God with us." Matthew 1:23

Who shall fathom this deep well? What a depth of marvels in the Word made flesh and dwelling among us! What depths in that name, Emmanuel!

"God with us! The mighty God!"--and yet needing a mother's tender care!

His goings forth from everlasting--and yet an infant of days!

The Heaven of heavens cannot contain Him--and yet He is wrapped in swaddling clothes!

The everlasting Jehovah His Father--yet a poor Galilean maiden His mother!

Many mansions in the Father's house are at His disposal--and yet He is denied a lodging in a village inn.

Worshiped by angels--and yet under the same roof with the beasts of the field.

Oh, what a mystery of humility--what a mystery of condescension and love!

Yes, innumerable are the benefits which Christ comes to bestow. He comes . . .
  to bind up the broken-hearted,
  to proclaim liberty to the captives,
  to give recovery of sight to the blind,
  to comfort all who mourn,
  to seek and to save those who are lost,
  to give His life a ransom for many,
  to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons,
  to save sinners, even the chief,
  to save to the uttermost, all who come to God by Him--from guilt, wrath, and everlasting woe,
  to set them at His own right hand in glory, where they shall shine forever in the likeness of God!

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Reading Christians!

(George Everard, "The Yoke of Christ!" 1882)

"Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am gentle and humble of heart" Matthew 11:29

"Leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps." 1 Peter 2:21

I must not only learn the secrets of divine truth from Christ's Word--but I must learn the secret of a holy life, by walking as He walked. Among all lessons, none is better than this.

I must copy Christ's humility.

I must imitate His gentleness, His forbearance, His willingness to stoop even to the cross.

I must cast to the winds all haughtiness and self-conceit--and be content to be nothing, if only He may be glorified.

And where there is true humility, self-sacrifice and loving charity--purity of heart and life will not lag far behind. For Christ Himself dwells with the humble; and where Christ and His Spirit abide, every Christian virtue will spring forth and grow.

Let the Christian ever remember the strong encouragement which the Master gives to all who take His yoke. It is a yoke lined with love. He who lays it on you is no hard man, no cruel tyrant--but the meek and lowly One, the Savior, the Friend, the Brother, the Bridegroom of His redeemed people.
In love, He bids you take His yoke.
In love, He fits it to the neck of each who bears it.
In love, He stands by you and helps you to carry it, and gives daily grace for daily need.

One who was an utter unbeliever, was asked why he held infidel views. "Through reading Christians instead of reading the Scriptures," was his reply.

Oh that Christ might be seen in every one who bears His name! Oh that we might all so learn of Him, that the outside world would see the mighty reality of His grace through us!

"Whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk and conduct himself in the same way in which He walked and conducted Himself." 1 John 2:6

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To know Christ experimentally!

(George Everard, "Up High!" 1884)

"Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!" 2 Peter 3:18

Hence the importance of searching more in the Word, for the knowledge of Christ.

Learn to know Him more in the beauty of His holy, spotless life of obedience and self-sacrifice.

Learn to know Him in the greatness of His humiliation and sufferings.

Learn to know Him in the unspeakable benefits of His Cross.

Learn to know Him as a justifying Redeemer, clothing His people with His spotless robe of merit and righteousness.

Learn to know Him as a living Redeemer, the living One who can never die.

Learn to know Him as the ascended, exalted, glorified Redeemer, and the great Advocate and High Priest of all who draw near to the Father through Him.

Learn to know Him as a conquering Redeemer, who overcame sin, and the world, and death, and all the powers of darkness--and who will no less overcome them in each of His own little flock.

Learn to know him as the Coming One, as He who shall come to reign over earth and Heaven!

To know Christ experimentally in all His offices and work and character, is to gain a mighty leverage for holy living--and to grow in faith and love and every grace.

"May grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord." 2 Peter 1:2