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Just give me that old time Gospel  ...

Gal 1:6  I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

Heb 13:8  Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

We see daily where people are changing theology and the doctrines of churches to "fit" the society of today. It is said by some that the Bible is a "living, breathing, changing" book, that teachings change from it as society changes. The truth is that no matter how much man wants it to change to meet their desires and understandings, the Bible, God's word, does not change. God is the same yesterday, today and forever. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the same. Jesus Christ came to us in the flesh to proclaim things that had been kept secret from the foundation of the world. That foundation cannot be changed nor modified to fit our desires. No man can pay the price to build an equal foundation.

Have You Tasted My Jesus? 

At the University of Chicago Divinity School each year they have what is called Baptist Day. It is a day when all the Baptists in the area are invited to the school because they want the Baptist dollars to keep coming in. On this day each one is to bring a sack lunch to be eaten outdoors in a grassy picnic area. Every Baptist Day the school would invite one of the greatest minds to lecture in the theological education center.

One year they invited Dr. Paul Tillich. Dr. Tillich spoke for two and one-half hours proving that the resurrection of Jesus was false. He quoted scholar after scholar and book after book. He concluded that since there was no such thing as the historical resurrection the religious tradition of the church was groundless, emotional mumbo-jumbo, because it was based on a relationship with a risen Jesus, who, in fact, never rose from the dead in any literal sense. He then asked if there were any questions.

After about thirty seconds, an old, dark skinned preacher with a head of short-cropped, woolly white hair stood up in the back of the auditorium.

"Docta Tillich, I got one question," he said as all eyes turned toward him. He reached into his sack lunch and pulled out an apple and began eating it. "Docta Tillich ..." CRUNCH, MUNCH ... "My question is a simple question, "CRUNCH, CUNCH ..."Now I ain't never read them books you read ... "CRUNCH, MUNCH ... "and I can't recite the Scriptures in the original Greek ... " CRUNCH, MUNCH ... "I don't know nothin' about Niebuhr and Heidegger ..."CRUNCH, MUNCH . He finished the apple.

"All I wanna know is: This apple I just ate-was it bitter or sweet?"

Dr. Tillich paused for a moment and answered in exemplary scholarly fashion: "I cannot possibly answer that question, for I haven't tasted your apple."

The white-haired preacher dropped the core of his apple into his crumpled paper bag, looked up at Dr. Tillich and said calmly, "Neither have you tasted my Jesus."

The 1,000 plus in attendance could not contain themselves. The auditorium erupted with applause and cheers. Dr. Tillich thanked his audience and promptly left the platform.

— Author Unknown


We see all sorts of doctrines and theologies today. Man in his finite wisdom attempts to understand scriptures, dissecting it in his own fashion, putting in his or her own desires into what it all means. These people go so far as to throw out portions of scripture because it doesn't seem to fit what they believe or it "just doesn't seem right" to them.

God gave His inspired text for a reason. That reason is to remove any doubt in those that are truly seeking Him as to how He desires us to be, the things that He wants us to do.

Why the old time gospel, what's wrong with todays gospel? What's the difference anyway? Well, the simple truth is, todays gospel, for the most part, is another gospel altogether. Paul wrote, "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:"   Galatians 1:6

What Paul said, was that the Galatians had removed themselves from the truth, to a strange and altered gospel, unfamiliar with the teachings of Christ. Brass had replaced the gold, "...and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made. And king Rehoboam made in their stead brasen shields..." 1 Kings 14:26-27.

There is alot of brass in the church today, sadly most professing christians don't know the difference, they don't know the God they have come to worship. We have self proclaimed prophets and apostles that live by their own wisdom and are directed by their own greed.

The old time gospel worked, when people got saved, they stayed saved, they stayed holy, they stayed humble, giving all the glory to God. "Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls"   Jeremiah 6:16.

The Old, Old Way

Refrain
Are you walking in the light,
In the blessèd, blessèd light?
Is it shining in your soul today?
With a firm abiding faith
That will triumph over death,
Are you walking in the old, old way?

By:  Fanny Crosby   (1820-1915)

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face;

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of His glory and grace.

Joh 1:14  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Rom 5:1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

2Pe 3:18  But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

The Gracious Invitation

"Come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." —Matthew 11:28.

Gracious "word" of a gracious Savior, on which the soul may confidingly repose, and be at peace forever! It is a present rest—the rest of grace as well as the rest of glory. Not only are there signals of peace hung out from the walls of heaven—the lights of Home glimmering in the distance to cheer our footsteps; but we have the "shadow" of this "great Rock!" in a present "weary land." Before the Throne alone is there "the sea of glass," without one rippling wave; but there is a haven even on earth for the tempest-tossed—"We who have believed DO enter into rest."

Reader, have you found this blessed repose in the blood and work of Immanuel? Long going about "seeking rest and finding none," does this "word" sound like music in your ears—"Come unto Me"? All other peace is counterfeit, shadowy, unreal. The eagle spurns the gilded cage as a poor equivalent for his free-born soarings. The soul's immortal aspirations can be satisfied with nothing short of the possession of God's favor and love in Jesus.

How unqualified is the invitation! If there had been one condition in entering this covenant Ark, we must have been through eternity at the mercy of the storm. But all are alike warranted and welcome, and none more warranted than welcome. For the weak, the weary, the sin-burdened and sorrow-burdened, there is an open door of grace.

Return, then, unto your rest, O my soul! Let the sweet cadence of this "word of Jesus" steal on you amid the disquietudes of earth. Sheltered in Him, you are safe for time, safe for eternity! There may be, and will be, temporary tossings, fears, and misgivings—manifestations of inward corruption; but these will only be like the surface-heavings of the ocean, while underneath there is a deep, settled calm. "You will keep him in perfect peace" (lit. peace, peace) "whose mind is stayed on You." In the world it is care on care, trouble on trouble, sin on sin, but every wave that breaks on the believer's soul seems sweetly to murmur, "Peace, peace!"

And if the foretaste of this rest be precious, what must be the glorious consummation? Awaking in the morning of immortality, with the unquiet dream of earth over—faith lost in sight, and hope in fruition—no more any bias to sin—no more latent principles of evil—nothing to disturb the spirit's deep, everlasting tranquility—the trembling magnet of the heart reposing, where alone it can confidingly and permanently rest, in the enjoyment of the Infinite God. "These things have I spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace."

The Comforting Assurance

"Your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things." —Matthew 6:32

Though spoken originally by Jesus regarding temporal things, this may be taken as a motto for the child of God amid all the changing vicissitudes of his changing history. How it should lull all misgivings; silence all murmurings; lead to lowly, unquestioning submissiveness—"My Heavenly Father knows that I have need of all these things."

Where can a child be safer or better than in a father's hand? Where can the believer be better than in the hands of his God? We are poor judges of what is best. We are under safe guidance with infallible wisdom. If we are tempted in a moment of rash presumption to say, "All these things are against me," let this "word" rebuke the hasty and unworthy surmise. Unerring wisdom and Fatherly love have pronounced all to be "needful."

My soul, is there anything that is disturbing your peace? Are providences dark, or crosses heavy? Are spiritual props removed, creature comforts curtailed, gourds smitten and withered like grass?—write on each, "Your Father knows that you have need of all these things." It was He who increased your burden. Why? "It was needed." It was supplanting Himself—He had to remove it! It was He who crossed your worldly schemes, marred your cherished hopes. Why? "It was needed." There was a lurking thorn in the coveted path. There was some higher spiritual blessing in communion with God. "He prevented you with the blessings of His goodness."

Seek to cherish a spirit of more childlike confidence in your Heavenly Father's will. You are not left unfriended and alone to buffet the storms of the wilderness. Your Marahs as well as your Elims are appointed by Him. A gracious pillar-cloud is before you. Follow it through sunshine and storm. He may "lead you about," but He will not lead you wrong. Unutterable tenderness is the characteristic of all His dealings. "Blessed be His name," says a tried believer, "He makes my feet like hinds' feet" (literally, "equals" them), "he equals them for every precipice, every ascent, every leap."

And who is it that speaks this quieting word? It is He who Himself felt the preciousness of the assurance during His own awful sufferings, that all were needed, and all appointed; that from Bethlehem's cradle to Calvary's Cross there was not the unnecessary thorn in the crown of sorrow which He, the Man of Sorrows, bore. Every drop in His bitter cup was mingled by His Father: "This cup which You give me to drink, shall I not drink it?" Oh, if He could extract comfort in this hour of inconceivable agony, in the thought that a Father's hand lighted the fearful furnace-fires—what strong consolation is there is the same truth to all His suffering people!

What! one superfluous drop! one unessential pang! one unneeded cross! Hush the secret atheism! He gave His Son for you! He calls Himself "your Father!" Whatever be the trial under which you are now smarting, let the word of a gracious Savior be "like oil thrown on the fretful sea;" let it dry every rebellious tear-drop. "He, your unerring Parent, knows that you have need of this as well as all these things."

"Your word is very sure, therefore your servant loves it."

The Power Of Prayer

"Whatever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son." —John 14:13

Blessed Jesus! it is You who has unlocked to Your people the gates of prayer. Without You they must have been shut forever. It was Your atoning merit on earth that first opened them; it is Your intercessory work in heaven that keeps them open still.

How unlimited the promise—"Whatever you shall ask!" It is the pledge of all that the needy sinner requires—all that an Omnipotent Savior can bestow! As the great Steward of the mysteries of grace, He seems to say to His faithful servants, "Take your bill, and under this, my superscription, write what you please." And then, when the blank is filled up, he further endorses each petition with the words, "I WILL do it!"

He farther encourages us to ask "in His name." In the case of an earthly petitioner there are some pleas more influential in obtaining a benefit than others. Jesus speaks of this as forming the key to the heart of God. As David loved the helpless cripple of Saul's house "for Jonathan's sake," so will the Father, by virtue of our covenant relationship to the true Jonathan (lit., "the gift of God"), delight in giving us even "exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think."

Reader, do you know the blessedness of confiding your every need and every care—your every sorrow and every cross—into the ear of the Savior? He is the "Wonderful Counselor." With an exquisitely tender sympathy He can enter into the innermost depths of your need. That need may be great, but the everlasting arms are underneath it all. Think of Him now, at this moment—the great Angel of the Covenant, with the censer full of much incense, in which are placed your feeblest aspirations, your most burdened sighs—the odor-breathing cloud ascending with acceptance before the Father's throne. The answer may tarry—these your supplications may seem to be kept long on the wing, hovering around the mercy-seat. A gracious God sometimes sees it fitting thus to test the faith and patience of His people. He delights to hear the music of their importunate pleadings—to see them undeterred by difficulties—unrepelled by apparent forgetfulness and neglect. But He will come at last—the pent-up fountain of love and mercy will at length burst out—the soothing accents will in His own good time be heard, "Be it unto you according to your word!"

Soldier of Christ! with all your other armor, do not forget the "All-prayer." It is that which keeps bright and shining "the whole armor of God." While yet out in the night of a dark world—while still camping in an enemy's country—kindle your watch-fires at the altar of incense. You must be Moses, pleading on the Mount, if you would be Joshua, victorious in the world's daily battle. Confide your cause to this waiting Redeemer. You cannot weary Him with your importunity. He delights in hearing. His Father is glorified in giving. The memorable Bethany-utterance remains unaltered and unrepealed—"I know that You hear me always." He is still the "Prince that has power with God and prevails"—still promises and pleads—still He lives and loves!

"I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait; and in his word do I hope."

The Unveiled Dealings

"What I do you know not now; but you shall know hereafter." —John 13:7

O blessed day, when the long sealed book of mystery shall be unfolded, when the "fountains of the great deep shall be broken up," "the channels of the waters seen," and all discovered to be one vast revelation of unerring wisdom and ineffable love! Here we are often baffled at the Lord's dispensations; we cannot fathom His ways—like the well of Sychar, they are deep, and we have nothing to draw with. But soon the "mystery of God will be finished;" the enigmatical "seals," with all their inner meanings, opened. When that "morning without clouds" shall break, each soul will be like the angel standing in the sun—there will be no shadow; all will be perfect day!

Believer, be still! The dealings of your Heavenly Father may seem dark to you; there may seem now to be no golden fringe, no "bright light in the clouds;" but a day of disclosures is at hand. "Take it on trust a little while." An earthly child takes on trust what his father tells him: when he reaches maturity, much that was baffling to his infant comprehension is explained. You are in this world in the childhood of your being—Eternity is the soul's immortal manhood. There, every dealing will be vindicated. It will lose all its "darkness" when bathed in the floods "of the excellent glory!"

Ah! instead of thus being as weaned children, how apt are we to exercise ourselves in matters too high for us! not content with knowing that our Father wills it, but presumptuously seeking to know how it is, and why it is. If it is unfair to pronounce on the unfinished and incomplete works of man; if the painter, or sculptor, or artificer, would shrink from having his labors judged of when in a rough, unpolished, immature state; how much more so with the works of God! How we should honor Him by a simple, confiding, unreserved submission to His will—contented patiently to wait the fulfillment of this "hereafter" promise, when all the lights and shadows in the now half-finished picture will be blended and melted into one harmonious whole—when all the now disjointed stones in the temple will be seen to fit into their appointed place, giving unity, and compactness, and symmetry, to all the building.

And who is it that speaks these living "words," "What I do?" It is He who died for us! who now lives for us! Blessed Jesus! You may do much that our blind hearts would like undone—"terrible things in righteousness which we looked not for." The heaviest (what we may be tempted to call the severest) cross You can lay upon us we shall regard as only the apparent severity of unutterable and unalterable love. Eternity will unfold how all, all was needed; that nothing else, nothing less, could have done! If not now, at least then, the deliberate verdict on a calm retrospect of life will be this—"THE WORD of the Lord is right, and all his works are done in truth."

The Father Glorified

"This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." —John 15:8

When surveying the boundless ocean of covenant mercy—every wave chiming, "God is Love!"—does the thought ever present itself, "What can I do for this great Being who has done so much for me?" Recompense I cannot! No more can my purest services add one iota to His underived glory, than the tiny candle can add to the blaze of the sun at noonday, or a drop of water to the boundless ocean. Yet, wondrous thought! from this worthless soul of mine there may roll in a revenue of glory which He who loves the broken and contrite spirit will "not despise." "Herein is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit."

Reader! are you a fruit-bearer in your Lord's vineyard? Are you seeking to make life one grand act of consecration to His glory—one thank-offering for His unmerited love? You may be unable to exhibit much fruit in the eye of the world. Your circumstances and position in life may forbid you to point to any splendid services, or laborious and imposing efforts in the cause of God. It matters not. It is often those fruits that are unseen and unknown to man, ripening in seclusion, that He values most—the quiet, lowly walk—patience and submission—gentleness and humility—putting yourself unreservedly in His hands—willing to be led by Him even in darkness—saying, Not my will, but Your will—the unselfish spirit, the meek bearing of an injury, the unostentatious kindness—these are some of the "fruits" which your Heavenly Father loves, and by which He is glorified.

Perchance it may be with you the season of trial, the chamber of protracted sickness, the time of desolating bereavement, some furnace seven times heated. Herein, too, you may sweetly glorify your God. Never is your Heavenly Father more glorified by His children on earth, than when, in the midst of these furnace-fires, He listens to nothing but the gentle breathings of confiding faith and love—"Let Him do what seems good unto Him." Yes—you can there in the furnace, glorify Him in a way which angels cannot do in a world where no trial is. They can glorify God only with the crown; you can glorify Him with the cross and the prospect of the crown together! Ah, if He is dealing severely with you—if He, as the Great Husbandman, is pruning His vines, lopping their boughs, stripping off their luxuriant branches and "beautiful rods!" remember the end!—"He purges it, that it may bring forth more fruit," and "Herein is my Father glorified!"

Be it yours to lie passive in His hands, saying in unmurmuring resignation, Father, glorify Your name! Glorify Yourself, whether by giving or taking, filling my cup or "emptying me from vessel to vessel!" Let me know no will but Yours. Angels possess no higher honor and privilege than glorifying the God before whom they cast their crowns. How blessed to be able thus to claim brotherhood with the spirits in the upper sanctuary! no, more, to be associated with the Savior Himself in the theme of His own exalted joy, when he said, "I have glorified You on earth!"

"These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full."

The Tender Solicitude

"The very hairs of your head are all numbered." —Matthew 10:30

What a "word" is this! All that befalls you, to the very numbering of your hairs, is known to God! Nothing can happen by accident or chance. Nothing can elude His inspection. The fall of the forest leaf—the fluttering of the insect—the waving of the angel's wing—the annihilation of a world—all are equally noted by Him. Man speaks of great things and small things—God knows no such distinction.

How especially comforting to think of this tender solicitude with reference to His own covenant people—that He metes out their joys and their sorrows! Every sweet, every bitter is ordained by Him. Even "wearisome nights" are "appointed." Not a pang I feel, not a tear I shed but is known to Him. What are called "dark dealings" are the ordinations of undeviating faithfulness. Man may err—his ways are often crooked; "but as for God, His way is perfect!" He puts my tears into His bottle. Every moment the everlasting arms are underneath and around me. He keeps me "as the apple of His eye." He "bears" me as a man bears his own son!"

Do I look to the future? Is there much of uncertainty and mystery hanging over it? It may be, much foreboding of evil. Trust Him. All is marked out for me. Dangers will be averted; bewildering mazes will show themselves to be interlaced and interweaved with mercy. "He keeps the feet of His saints." A hair of their head will not be touched. He leads sometimes darkly, sometimes sorrowfully; most frequently by cross and circuitous ways we ourselves would not have chosen; but always wisely, always tenderly. With all its mazy windings and turnings, its roughness and ruggedness, the believer's is not only a right way, but the right way—the best which covenant love and wisdom could select. "Nothing," says Jeremy Taylor, "does so establish the mind amid the rollings and turbulence of present things, as both a look above them and a look beyond them; above them, to the steady and good hand by which they are ruled; and beyond them, to the sweet and beautiful end to which, by that hand, they will be brought." "The Great Counselor," says Thomas Brooks, "puts clouds and darkness round about Him, bidding us follow at His beck through the cloud, promising an eternal and uninterrupted sunshine on the other side." On that "other side" we shall see how every apparent rough blast has been hastening our boats nearer the desired haven.

Well may I commit the keeping of my soul to Jesus in well-doing, as unto a faithful Creator. He gave Himself for me. This transcendent pledge of love is the guarantee for the bestowment of every other needed blessing. Oh, blessed thought! my sorrows numbered by the Man of Sorrows; my tears counted by Him who shed first His tears and then His blood for me. He will impose no needless burden, and exact no unnecessary sacrifice. There was no unnecessary drop in the cup of His own sufferings; neither will there be in that of His people. "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him."

"Therefore comfort one another with these words."

The Good Shepherd

"I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me" —John 10:14

"The Good Shepherd"—well can the sheep who know His voice attest the truthfulness and faithfulness of this endearing name and word. Where would they have been through eternity, had He not left His throne of light and glory, traveling down to this dark valley of the curse, and giving His life a ransom for many? Think of His love to each separate member of the flock—wandering over pathless wilds with unwearied patience and unquenchable ardor, ceasing not the pursuit until He finds it. Think of His love now—"I AM the Good Shepherd." Still that tender eye of watchfulness following the guilty wanderers—the glories of heaven and the songs of angels unable to dim or alter His affection—the music of the words, at this moment coming as sweetly from His lips as when first He uttered them—"I know my sheep." Every individual believer—the weakest, the weariest, the faintest—claims His attention. His loving eye follows me day by day out to the wilderness—marks out my pasture, studies my needs, and trials, and sorrows, and perplexities—every steep ascent, every brook, every winding path, every thorny thicket.

"He goes before them." It is not rough driving, but gentle guiding. He does not take them over an unknown road; He himself has trodden it before. He has drunk of every "brook by the way;" He himself has "suffered being tempted;" He is "able to support those who are tempted." He seems to say, "Fear not; I cannot lead you wrong; follow Me in the bleak waste, the blackened wilderness, as well as by the green pastures and the still waters. Do you ask why I have left the sunny side of the valley—carpeted with flowers, and bathed in sunshine—leading you to some high mountain apart, some cheerless spot of sorrow? Trust me. I will lead you by paths you have not known, but they are all known to me, and selected by me—Follow Me."

"They know Me!" Reader! can you subscribe to these closing words of this gracious utterance? Do you "know" Him in all the glories of His person, in all the completeness of His finished work, in all the tenderness and unutterable love of His every dealing towards you?

It has been remarked by Palestine travelers, that not only do the sheep there follow the guiding shepherd, but even while cropping the herbage as they go along, they look wistfully up to see that they are near him. Is this your attitude—"looking unto Jesus?" "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will direct your paths." Leave the future to His providing. "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not lack." I shall not lack!—it has been beautifully called "the bleating of Messiah's sheep." Take it as your watchword during your wilderness wanderings, until grace be perfected in glory. Let this be the record of your simple faith and unwavering trust, "These are those who follow, wherever He sees fit to guide them."

"The sheep follow him, for they know his voice."

The Abiding Comforter

"And I will ask the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever." —John 14:16

When one beloved earthly friend is taken away, how the heart is drawn out towards those that remain! Jesus was now about to leave His sorrowing disciples. He directs them to one whose presence would fill up the vast blank His own absence was to make. His name was, The Comforter; His mission was, "to abide with them forever." Accordingly, no sooner had the gates of heaven closed on their ascended Lord, than, in fulfillment of His own gracious promise, the bereaved and orphaned Church was baptized with Pentecostal fire. "When I depart, I will send Him unto you."

Reader, do you realize your privilege—living under the dispensation of the Spirit? Is it your daily prayer that He may come down in all the plenitude of His heavenly graces on your soul, even "as rain upon the mown grass, and showers that water the earth?" You cannot live without Him; there can be not one heavenly aspiration, not one breathing of love, not one upward glance of faith, without His gracious influences. Apart from him, them is no preciousness in the Word, no blessing in ordinances, no permanent sanctifying results in affliction. As the angel directed Hagar to the hidden spring, this blessed Agent, true to His name and office, directs His people to the waters of comfort, giving new glory to the promises, investing the Savior's character and work with new loveliness and beauty.

How precious is the title which this "Word of Jesus" gives Him—the COMFORTER! What a word for a sorrowing world! The Church militant has its tent pitched in a "valley of tears." The name of the divine visitor who comes to her and ministers to her needs, is—Comforter. Wide is the family of the afflicted, but He has a healing balm for all—the weak, the tempted, the sick, the sorrowing, the bereaved, the dying! How different from other "sons of consolation!" Human friends—a look may alienate; adversity may estrange; death must separate! The "Word of Jesus" speaks of One whose attribute and prerogative is to "abide with us forever"—superior to all vicissitudes—surviving death itself!

And surely if anything else can endear His mission of love to His Church, it is that He comes direct from God, as the fruit and gift of Jesus' intercession—"I will ask the Father." This holy dove of peace and comfort is let out by the hand of Jesus from the ark of covenant mercy within the veil! Nor is the gift more glorious than it is free. Does the word, the look, of a suffering child get the eye and the heart of an earthly father? "If you, then being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit unto those who ask Him?" It is He who makes these "words of Jesus" "winged words."

"He shall bring all things to your remembrance, whatever I have said unto you."

The Gracious Verdict

"Neither do I condemn you; go, and sin no more" —John 8:11

How much more tender is Jesus than the tenderest of earthly friends! The Apostles, in a moment of irritation, would have called down fire from heaven on obstinate sinners. Their Master rebuked the unkind suggestion. Peter, the trusted but treacherous disciple, expected nothing but harsh and merited reproof for faithlessness. He who knew well how that heart would be bowed with penitential sorrow, sends first the kindest of messages, and then the gentlest of rebukes—"Do you love Me?" The watchmen in the Canticles smote the bride, tore off her veil, and loaded her with reproaches. When she found her lost Lord, there was not one word of upbraiding! "So slow is He to anger," says an illustrious believer, "so ready to forgive, that when His prophets lost all patience with the people so as to make intercession against them, yet even then could He not be gotten to cast off this people whom He foreknew, for His great name's sake."

The guilty sinner to whom He speaks this comforting "word," was frowned upon by her accusers. But, if others spurned her from their presence—"Neither do I condemn you," Well it is to fall into the hands of this blessed Savior-God, for great are His mercies.

Are we to infer from this, that He winks at sin? Far from it. His blood, His work—Bethlehem, and Calvary, refute the thought! Before the guilt even of one solitary soul could be washed out, He had to descend from His everlasting throne to agonize on the accursed tree. But this "word of Jesus" is a word of tender encouragement to every sincere, broken-hearted penitent, that crimson sins, and scarlet sins, are no barrier to a free, full, everlasting forgiveness. The Israelite of old, gasping in his agony in the sands of the wilderness had but to "look and live;" and still does He say, "Look unto me, and be you saved, all the ends of the earth." Upreared by the side of His own cross there was a monumental column for all time, only second to itself in wonder. Over the head of the dying felon is the superscription written for despairing guilt and trembling penitence, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptance, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners." "He never yet," says Charnock, "put out a dim candle that was lighted at the Sun of Righteousness." "Whatever our guiltiness be," says Rutherford, "yet when it falls into the sea of God's mercy, it is but like a drop of blood fallen into the great ocean.

Reader, you may be the chief of sinners, or it may be the chief of backsliders; your soul may have started aside like a broken bow. As the bankrupt is afraid to look into his books, you may be afraid to look into your own heart. You are hovering on the verge of despair. Conscience, and the memory of unnumbered sins, is uttering the desponding verdict, "I condemn you." Jesus has a kinder word—a more cheering declaration—"I condemn you not: go, and sin no more!"

"And all wondered at the gracious WORDS that proceeded out of his mouth."

The Wondrous Relationship

"Whoever shall do the will of my Father who is in heaven, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother." —Mark 3:35

As if no solitary earthly type were enough to image forth the love of Jesus, He assembles into one verse a group of the tenderest earthly relationships. Human affection has to focus its loveliest hues, but all is too little to afford an exponent of the depth and intensity of His love. "As one whom his mother comforts;" "my sister, my spouse." He is "Son," "Brother," "Friend"—all in one; "cleaving closer than any brother."

And can we wonder at such language? Is it merely figurative, expressive of more than the reality?—He gave Himself for us; after that pledge of His affection we must cease to marvel at any expression of the interest He feels in us. Anything He can say or do is infinitely less than what He has done.

Believer! are you solitary and desolate? Has bereavement severed earthly ties? Has the grave made forced estrangements—sundered the closest links of earthly affection? In Jesus you have filial and fraternal love combined; He is the Friend of friends, whose presence and fellowship compensates for all losses, and supplies all blanks; "He sets the solitary in families." If you are orphaned, friendless, comfortless here, remember there is in the Elder Brother on the Throne a love deep as the unfathomed ocean, boundless as Eternity! And who are those who can claim the blessedness spoken of under this wondrous imagery? On whom does He lavish this unutterable affection? No outward profession will purchase it. No church, no priest, no ordinances, no denominational distinctions. It is on those who are possessed of holy characters. "He who does the will of my Father who is in heaven!" He who reflects the mind of Jesus; imbibes His Spirit; takes His Word as the regulator of his daily walk, and makes His glory the great end of his being; he who lives to God, and with God, and for God; the humble, lowly, Christ-like, Heaven-seeking Christian—he it is who can claim as his own this wondrous heritage of love! If it be a worthy object of ambition to be loved by the good and the great on earth, what must it be to have an eye of love ever beaming upon us from the Throne, in comparison of which the attachment here of brother, sister, kinsman, friend—all combined—pales like the stars before the rising sun! Though we are often ashamed to call Him "Brother," "He is not ashamed to call us brethren." He looks down on poor worms, and says, "The same is my mother, and sister, and brother!" "I will write upon them," He says in another place, "my new name." Just as we write our name on a book to tell that it belongs to us; so Jesus would write His own name on us, the wondrous volumes of His grace, that they may be read and pondered by principalities and powers.

Have we "known and believed this love of God?" Ah, how poor has been the requital! Who cannot subscribe to the words of one, whose name was in all the churches—"Your love has been as a shower; the return but a dew-drop, and that dew-drop stained with sin."

"If a man love me, he will keep My Words; and my father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him."

The Befriended Orphans

"Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said"—
"No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you." —John 14:18

Does the Christian's path lie all the way through Beulah? No, he is forewarned it is to be one of "much tribulation." He has his Marahs as well as his Elims—his valleys of Baca as well as his grapes of Eschol. Often is he left unbefriended to bear the brunt of the storm—his gourds fading when most needed—his sun going down while it is yet day—his happy home and happy heart darkened in a moment with sorrows with which a stranger (with which often a brother) cannot understand. There is One Brother "born for adversity" who can. How often has that voice broken with its silvery accents the muffled stillness of the sick-chamber! "I will not leave you comfortless—the world may, friends may, the desolations of bereavement and death may; but I will not; you will be alone, yet not alone, for I your Savior and your God will be with you!"

Jesus seems to have an especial love and affection for His orphaned and comfortless people. A father loves his sick and sorrowing child most; of all his household, he occupies most of his thoughts. Christ seems to delight to lavish His deepest sympathy on "him that has no helper." It is in the hour of sorrow His people have found Him most precious; it is in "the wilderness" He speaks most "comfortable unto them;" He gives them "their vineyards from thence"—in the places they least expected, wells of heavenly consolation break forth at their feet. As Jonathan of old, when faint and weary, had his strength revived by the honey he found dropping in the tangled thicket—so the faint and woe-worn children of God find "honey in the wood"—everlasting consolation dropping from the tree of life, in the midst of the thorniest thickets of affliction.

Comfortless ones, be comforted! Jesus often makes you portionless here in this world, to drive you to Himself, the everlasting portion. He often dries every rill and fountain of earthly bliss, that He may lead you to say, "All my springs are in You." "He seems intend," says one who could speak from experience, "to fill up every gap love has been forced to make; one of his errands from heaven was to bind up the broken-hearted." How beautifully in one amazing verse does He conjoin the depth and tenderness of his comfort with the certainty of it—"As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you, and you SHALL be comforted!"

Ah, how many would not have their wilderness-state altered, with all its trials, and gloom, and sorrow, just that they might enjoy the unutterable sympathy and love of this Comforter of the comfortless, one ray of whose approving smile can dispel the deepest earthly gloom! As the clustering constellations shine with the most intense luster in the midnight sky, so these "words of Jesus" come out like ministering angels in the deep dark night of earthly sorrow. We may see no beauty in them when the world is sunny and bright; but He has laid them up in store for us for the dark and cloudy day.

"These things have I told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them."

The World Conquered

"In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." —John 16:33

And shall I be afraid of the world, which is already conquered? The Almighty Victor, within view of His crown, turns round to His faint and weary soldiers, and bids them take courage. They are not fighting their way through untried enemies. The God-Man Mediator "knows their sorrows." "He was in all points tempted." "Both He (that is, Christ) who sanctifies, and they (His people) who are sanctified, are all of one (nature)." As the great Predecessor, He heads the pilgrim band, saying, "I will show you the path of life." The way to heaven is consecrated by His footprints. Every thorn that wounds them, has wounded Him before. Every cross they can bear, He has borne before. Every tear they shed, He has shed before. There is one respect, indeed, in which the identity fails—He was "yet without sin;" but this recoil of His holy nature from moral evil gives Him a deeper and more intense sensibility towards those who have still corruption within responding to temptation without.

Reader! are you ready to faint under your tribulations? It is a seducing world?—a wandering, wayward heart? "Consider Him who endured!" Listen to your adorable Redeemer, stooping from His Throne, and saying, "I have overcome the world." He came forth unscathed from its snares. With the same heavenly weapon He bids you wield, three times did He repel the Tempter, saying, "It is written."—Is it some crushing trial, or overwhelming grief? He is "acquainted with grief." He, the mighty Vine, knows the minutest fibers of sorrow in the branches; when the pruning knife touches them, it touches Him. "He has gone," says a tried sufferer, "through every class in our wilderness school." He loves to bring His people into untried and perplexing places, that they may seek out the guiding pillar, and prize its radiance. He puts them on the darkening waves, that they may follow the guiding light hung out astern from the only Ship of pure and unsullied humanity that was ever proof against the storm.

Be assured there is disguised love in all He does. He who knows us infinitely better than we know ourselves, often puts a thorn in our nest to drive us to the wing, that we may not be grovelers forever. "It is," says Evans, "upon the smooth ice we slip; the rough path is safest for the feet." The tearless and undimmed eye is not to be coveted here; that is reserved for heaven!

Who can tell what muffled and disguised "needs be" there may lurk under these worldly tribulations? His true spiritual seed are often planted deep in the soil; they have to make their way through a load of sorrow before they reach the surface; but their roots are thereby the firmer and deeper struck. Had it not been for these lowly and needed "depths," they might have rushed up as feeble saplings, and succumbed to the first blast. He often leads His people still, as He led them of old, to a "high mountain apart;" but it is to a high mountain—above the world; and, better still, He who Himself has overcome the world, leads them there, and speaks comfortable unto them.

"I hope in your Word."

The Little Flock

"Fear not, little flock; it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." —Luke 12:32

The music of the Shepherd's voice again! Another comforting "word," and how tender! His flock, a little flock, a feeble flock, a fearful flock, but a beloved flock, loved of the Father, enjoying His "good pleasure," and soon to be a glorified flock, safe in the fold, secure within the kingdom! How does He quiet their fears and misgivings? As they stand panting on the bleak mountain side, He points His crook upwards to the bright and shining gates of glory, and says, "It is your Father's good pleasure to give you these!" What gentle words! what a blessed consummation! Gracious Savior, Your gentleness has made me great!

That kingdom is the believer's by irreversible and inalienable charter-right—"I appoint unto you" (by covenant), says Jesus in another place, "a kingdom, as my Father has appointed unto me." It is as sure as everlasting love and almighty power can make it. Satan, the great foe of the kingdom, may be injecting foul misgivings, and doubts, and fears as to your security; but he cannot divest you of your purchased immunities. He must first pluck the crown from the 'brow upon the throne', before he can weaken or impair this sure word of promise. If "it pleased the Lord" to bruise the Shepherd, it will surely please Him to make happy the purchased flock. If He "smote" His "Fellow" when the sheep were scattered, surely it will rejoice Him, for the Shepherd's sake, "to turn His hand upon the little ones."

Believers, think of this! "It is your Father's good pleasure." The Good Shepherd, in leading you across the intervening mountains, shows you signals and memorials of paternal grace studding all the way. He may "lead you about" in your way there. He led the children of Israel of old out of Egypt to their promised kingdom—how! By forty years' wilderness-discipline and privations. But trust Him; dishonor Him not with guilty doubts and fears. Look not back on your dark, stumbling paths, nor within on your fitful and vacillating heart; but forwards to the land that is far off. How earnestly God desires your salvation! What a heaping together of similar tender "words" with that which is here addressed to us! The Gospel seems like a palace full of opened windows, from each of which He issues an invitation, declaring that He has no pleasure in our death—but rather that we would turn and live!

Let the melody of the Shepherd's voice fall gently on your ear—"It is your Father's good pleasure." I have given you, He seems to say, the best proof that it is mine. In order to purchase that kingdom, I died for you! But it is also His: "As a shepherd seeks out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered, so," says God, "will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day." Fear not, then, little flock! Though yours for a while should be the bleak mountain and sterile wasteland, seeking your way Zionward, it may be "with torn fleeces and bleeding feet;" for,
"It is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish."

The Unlimited Offer

"If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink." —John 7:37

This is one of the most gracious "words" that ever "proceeded out of the mouth of God!" The time it was uttered was an impressive one; it was on "the last, the great day" of the Feast of Tabernacles, when a denser multitude than on any of the seven preceding ones were assembled together. The golden bowl, according to custom, had probably just been filled with the waters of Siloam, and was being carried up to the Temple amid the acclamations of the crowd, when the Savior of the world seized the opportunity of speaking to them some truths of momentous import. Many, doubtless, were the "words of Jesus" uttered on the previous days, but the most important is reserved for the last. What, then, is the great closing theme on which He rivets the attention of this vast auditory, and which He would have them carry away to their distant homes? It is, The freeness of His own great Salvation—"If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink."

Reader, do you discredit the reality of this gracious offer? Are your legion sins standing as a barrier between you and a Savior's offered mercy? Do you feel as if you cannot come "just as you are;" that some partial cleansing, some preparatory reformation must take place before you can venture to the living fountain? No, "If any man." What is freer than water?—The poorest beggar may drink "without money" the wayside pool. That is your Lord's own picture of His own glorious salvation; you are invited to come, "without one plea," in all your poverty and need, your weakness and unworthiness. Remember the Redeemer's saying to the woman of Samaria. She was the chief of sinners—profligate, hardened, degraded—but He made no condition, no qualification; simple believing was all that was required—"If you knew the gift of God," you would have asked, and He would have given you "living water."

But is there not, after all, one condition mentioned in this "word of Jesus?"—"If any man thirst." You may have the depressing consciousness that you experience no such ardent longings after holiness—no feeling of your affecting need of the Savior. But is not this very conviction of your need an indication of a feeble longing after Christ? If you are saying, "I have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep," He who makes the offer of the salvation-stream will Himself fill your empty vessel—"He satisfies the longing soul with goodness."

"Jesus stood and cried." It is the solitary instance recorded of Him of whom it is said, "He shall not strive nor cry," lifting up "His voice in the streets." But it was truth of surpassing interest and magnitude He had to proclaim. It was a declaration, moreover, especially dear to Him. As it formed the theme of this ever-memorable sermon during His public ministry, so when He was sealing up the inspired record—the last utterances of His voice on earth, until that voice shall be heard again on the throne, contained the same life-giving invitation—"Let him that is athirst come, and whoever will, let him take of the water of life freely." Oh! as the echoes of that gracious saying—this blast of the silver trumpet—are still sounding to the ends of the world, may this be the recorded result,
"As he spoke THESE WORDS, many believed on him."

The Sonful Servitude

"My yoke is easy, and my burden is light." —Matthew 11:30

Can the same be said of Satan, or sin? With regard to them, how faithfully true rather is the converse—"My yoke is heavy, and my burden is grievous!" Christ's service is a happy service, the only happy one; and even when there is a cross to carry, or a yoke to bear, it is His own appointment. "My yoke." It is sent by no untried friend. No, He who puts it on His people, bore this very yoke Himself. "He carried our sorrows." How blessed this feeling of holy servitude to so kind a Master! not like "dumb, driven cattle," goaded on, but led, and led often most tenderly when the yoke and the burden are upon us. The great apostle rarely speaks of himself under any other title but one. That one he seems to make his boast. He had much whereof he might glory—he had been the instrument in saving thousands—he had spoken before kings—he had been in Caesar's palace and Caesar's presence—he had been caught up into the third heavens—but in all his letters this is his joyful prefix and superscription, "The servant (literally, the slave) of Jesus Christ!"

Reader! do you know this blessed servitude? Can you say with a joyful heart, "O Lord, truly I am Your servant?" He is no hard taskmaster. Would Satan try to teach you so? Let this be the refutation, "He loved me, and gave Himself for me." True, the yoke is the appointed discipline He employs in training his children for immortality. But be comforted! "It is His tender hand that puts it on, and keeps it on." He will suit the yoke to the neck, and the neck to the yoke. He will suit His grace to your trials. No, He will bring you even to be in love with these, when they bring along with them such gracious unfoldings of His own faithfulness and mercy. How His people need thus to be in heaviness through manifold temptations, to keep them meek and submissive! "Jeshurun (like a bullock unaccustomed to the harness, fed and pampered in the stall) waxed fat, and kicked." Never is there more gracious love than when God takes own means to curb and subjugate, humble us, and to prove us—bringing us out from ourselves, our likings, our confidences, our prosperity, and putting us under the needed YOKE.

And who has ever repented of that joyful servitude? Among all the regrets that mingle with a dying hour, and often bedew with bitter tears a dying pillow, who ever told of regrets and repentance here?

Tried believer, has He ever failed you? Has His yoke been too grievous? Have your tears been unalleviated—your sorrows unsolaced—your temptations above that which you were able to bear? Ah! rather can you not testify—"The word of the Lord is tried;" I cast my burden upon Him, and He "sustained me"? How have seeming difficulties melted away! How has the yoke lost its heaviness, and the cross its bitterness, in the thought of who you were bearing it for! There is a promised rest in the very carrying of the yoke; and a better rest remains for the weary and toil-worn when the appointed work is finished; for thus says "that same Jesus,"
"Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, and you shall find REST unto your souls."

The Measure Of Love

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you." —John 15:9

This is the most amazing verse in the Bible. Who can sound the unimagined depths of that love which dwelt in the bosom of the Father from all eternity towards His Son?—and yet here is the Savior's own exponent of His love towards His people!

There is no subject more profoundly mysterious than those mystic inter-communings between the first and second persons in the adorable Trinity before the world was. Scripture gives us only some dim and shadowy revelations regarding them—distant gleams of light, and no more. Let one suffice. "Then I was by Him, as one brought up with Him, and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him."

We know that earthly affection is deepened and intensified by increased familiarity with its object. The friendship that began only yesterday is not the sacred, hallowed thing which years of growing communion have matured. If we may with reverence apply this test to the highest type of holy affection, what must have been that interchange of love which the measureless span of Eternity had fostered—a love, moreover, not fitful, transient, vacillating, subject to altered tones and estranged looks—but pure, constant, untainted, without one shadow of turning! And yet, listen to the "words of Jesus," As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you! It would have been infinitely more than we had reason to expect, if He had said, "As my Father has loved angels, so have I loved you." But the love borne to no finite beings is an appropriate symbol. Long before the birth of time or of worlds, that love existed. It was together with Eternity itself. Hear how the two themes of the Savior's eternal rejoicing—the love of His Father, and His love for sinners—are grouped together—"Rejoicing always before Him, and in the habitable part of His earth!"

To complete the picture, we must take in a counterpart description of the Father's love to us—"Therefore does my Father love me," says Jesus in another place, "because I lay down my life!" God had an all-sufficiency in His love—He needed not the wearisome love of creatures to add to His glory or happiness; but He seems to say, that so intense is His love for us, that He loves even His beloved Son more (if infinite love be capable of increase), because He laid down His life for the guilty! It is regarding the Redeemed it is said, "He shall rest in His love—He shall rejoice over them with singing."

In the assertion, "God is love," we are left truly with no mere unproved affirmation regarding the existence of some abstract quality in the divine nature. "Herein," says the apostle, "perceive we THE LOVE,"—(It is added in our authorized version, "of God," but, as it has been remarked, "Our translators need not have added whose love, for there is but one such specimen")—"because He laid down His life for us." No expression of love can be wondered at after this. Ah, how miserable are our best expressions compared with His! "Our love is but the reflection—cold as the moon; His is as the sun." Shall we refuse to love HIM more in return, who has first loved, and so loved us?

"Never a man spoke like this man."

The Brief Gospel

"Only believe." —Mark 5:36

The briefest of the "words of Jesus," but one of the most comforting. They contain the essence and epitome of all saving truth.

Reader, is Satan assailing you with tormenting fears? Is the thought of your sins—the guilty past—coming up in terrible memorial before you, almost tempting you to give way to hopeless despondency? Fear not! A gentle voice whispers in your ear—"Only believe. Your sins are great, but My grace and merits are greater. 'Only believe' that I died for you—that I am living for you and pleading for you, and that 'the faithful saying' is as 'faithful' as ever, and as 'worthy of all acceptance' as ever."—Are you a backslider? Did you once run well? Has your own guilty apostasy alienated and estranged you from that face which was once all love, and that service which was once all delight? Are you breathing in broken-hearted sorrow over the holy memories of a close walk with God—"Oh that it were with me as in months past, when the candle of the Lord did shine?" "Only believe." Take this your mournful soliloquy, and convert it into a prayer. "Only believe" the word of Him whose ways are not as man's ways—"Return O backsliding children, and I will heal your backsliding."

Are you beaten down with some heavy trial? Have your fondest schemes been blown upon—your fairest blossoms been withered in the bud? has wave after wave been rolling upon you? has the Lord forgotten to be gracious? Hear the "word of Jesus" resounding amid the thickest midnight of gloom—penetrating even through the vaults of the dead—"Believe, only believe." There is an infinite reason for the trial—a lurking thorn that required removal, a gracious lesson that required teaching. The dreadful severing blow was dealt in love. God will be glorified in it, and your own soul made the better for it. Patiently wait until the light of immortality be reflected on a receding world. Here you must take His dealings on trust. The word of Jesus to you now is, "Only believe." The word of Jesus in eternity (every inner meaning and undeveloped purpose being unfolded), "Didn't I tell you that you will see God's glory if you believe?"

Are you fearful and agitated in the prospect of death? Through fear of the last enemy, have you been all your lifetime subject to bondage?—"Only believe." "As your day is, so shall your strength be." Dying grace will be given when a dying hour comes. In the dark river a sustaining arm will be underneath you, deeper than the deepest and darkest wave. Before you know it, the darkness will be past, the true Light shining—the whisper of faith in the nether valley. "Believe! Believe!" will be exchanged for angel-voices exclaiming, as you enter the portals of glory, "No longer through a glass darkly, but now face to face!"

Yes! Jesus Himself had no higher remedy for sin, for sorrow, and for suffering, than those two words convey. At the utmost extremity of His own distress, and of His disciples' wretchedness, He could only say "Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in me." Believe, only believe.

"Lord, I believe, help my unbelief."

The Great Calm

"Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." —Mark 6:50

"It is I" (or as our old version has it, more in accordance with the original), "I AM! do not be afraid!" Jesus lives! His people may dispel their misgivings—Omnipotence treads the waves! To sense it may seem at times to be otherwise—wayward accident and chance may appear to regulate human allotments; but not so: "The Lord's voice is upon the waters"—He sits at the helm guiding the tempest-tossed bark, and guiding it well.

How often does He come to us as He did to the disciples in that midnight hour when all seems lost—"in the fourth watch of the night,"—when we least looked for Him; or when, like the shipwrecked apostle, "The terrible storm raged unabated for many days, blotting out the sun and the stars, until at last all hope was gone."—how often just at that moment, is the "word of Jesus" heard floating over the billows!

Believer, are you in trouble? listen to the voice in the storm, "Fear not, I AM." That voice, like Joseph's of old to his brethren, may seem rough, but there are gracious undertones of love. "It is I," he seems to say; It was I, that roused the storm; It is I, who when it has done its work, will calm it, and say, "Peace, be still." Every wave rolls at My bidding—every trial is My appointment—all have some gracious end; they are not sent to dash you against the sunken rocks, but to waft you nearer heaven.

It is sickness? I am He who bore your sicknesses; the weary wasted frame, and the nights of languishing, were sent by Me. Is it bereavement? I am "the Brother" born for adversity—the loved and lost were plucked away by Me. Is it death? I am the "Abolisher of death," seated by your side to calm the waves of ebbing life; it is I, about to fetch My pilgrims home—It is My voice that speaks, "The Master has come, and calls for you."

Reader, you will have reason yet to praise your God for every such storm! This is the history of every heavenly voyager—"SO He brings them to their desired haven." "So!" That word, in all its unknown and diversified meaning, is in His hand. He suits His dealings to every case. "So!" With some it is through quiet seas unfretted by one buffeting wave. "So!" With others it is "mounting up to heaven, and going down again to the deep." But whatever be the leading and the discipline, here is the grand consummation, "SO He brings them unto their desired haven." It might have been with you the moanings of an eternal night-blast—no lull or pause in the storm. But soon the darkness will be past, and the hues of morn tipping the shores of glory!

And what, then, should your attitude be? "Looking unto Jesus"—looking away from self, and sin, and human props and refuges and confidences, and fixing the eye of unwavering and unflinching faith on a reigning Savior. Ah, how a real quickening sight of Christ dispels all guilty fears! The Roman keepers of old were frightened, and became as dead men. The lowly Jewish women feared not; why? "I know that you seek Jesus!" Reader, let your weary spirit fold itself to rest under the composing "word" of a gracious Savior, saying—
"I wait for the lord, my soul does wait, and in HIS WORD do I hope."

The Dying Legacy

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you." —John 14:27

How we treasure the last sayings of a dying parent! How specially cherished and memorable are his last looks and last words! Here are the last words—the parting legacy—of a dying Savior. It is a legacy of peace.

What peace is this? It is His own purchase—a peace arising out of free forgiveness through His precious blood. It is sung in concert with "Glory to God in the highest"—a peace made as sure to us as eternal power and infinite love can make it! It is peace the soul needs, that is nowhere else to be found, but through the blood of His cross! "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God." "HE gives His beloved rest!"

How different from the false and counterfeit peace in which so many are content to live, and content to die! The world's peace is all well, so long as prosperity lasts—so long as the stream runs smooth, and the sky is clear; but when the flood is at hand, or the storm is gathering, where is it? It is gone! There is no calculating on its permanency. Often when the cup is fullest, there is the trembling apprehension that in one brief moment it may be dashed to the ground. The soul may be saying to itself, "Peace, peace;" but, like the writing on the sand, it may by obliterated by the first wave of adversity. But, "not as the world gives" the peace of the believer is deep—calm—lasting—everlasting. The world, with all its blandishments, cannot give it. The world, with all its vicissitudes and fluctuations, cannot take it away! It is brightest in the hour of trial; it lights up the final valley-gloom. "Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace." Yes! how often is the believer's deathbed like the deep calm repose of a summer-evening's sky, when all nature is hushed to rest; the departing soul, like the vanishing sun, peacefully disappearing only to shine in another and brighter universe! "I seem," said Simeon on his deathbed, "to have nothing to do but to wait: there is now nothing but peace, the sweetest peace."

Believer! do you know this peace which passes understanding? Is it "keeping (literally, 'garrisoning as in a citadel') your heart?" Have you learned the blessedness of waking up, morning after morning, and feeling "I am at peace with my God;" of beholding by faith the true Aaron—the great High Priest—coming forth from "the holiest of all" to "bless His people with peace?" Waves of trouble may be murmuring around you, but they cannot touch you; you are in the rock-crevice against which the fiercest tornado sweeps by. Oh! leave not the making up of your peace with God to a dying hour! It will be a hard thing to smooth the death-pillow, if peace be left unsought until then. Make sure of it now. He, the true Melchizedek, is willing now to come forth to meet you with bread and wine—emblems of peaceful gospel blessings. All the "words of Jesus" are so many streams contributing to make your peace flow as a river—"These things have I spoken unto you, that in Me you might have peace."

"I will hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace unto his people and to his saints."

The Supreme Investiture

"All power in heaven and in earth is given unto me." —Matthew 28:18

What an empire is this! Heaven and earth—the Church militant—the Church triumphant—angels and archangels—saints and seraphs. At His mandate the billows were hushed—demons crouched in terror—the grave yielded its prey! "Upon his head are many crowns." He is made "head over all things to His Church." Yes! over all things, from the minutest to the mightiest. He holds the stars in His right hand—he walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, feeding every candlestick with the oil of His grace, and preserving every star in its spiritual orbit. The Prince of Darkness has "a power," but, God be praised, it is not an "all power;" potent, but not omnipotent. Christ holds him on a chain. He has set bounds that he may not pass over. "Satan," we read in the book of Job, "went out (with permission) from the presence of the Lord." He was not allowed even to enter the herd of swine until Christ permitted him. He only "desired" to have Peter that he might "sift him;" there was a mightier countervailing agency at hand: "I have prayed for you, that your faith fail not."

Believer, how often is there nothing but this grace of Jesus between you and everlasting destruction! Satan's key fitting the lock in your wayward heart—but a stonger than the strong man barring him out. The power of the adversary fanning the flame—the Omnipotence of Jesus quenching it. Are you even now feeling the strength of your corruptions, the weakness of your graces, the presence of some outward or inward temptation? Look up to Him who has promised to make His grace sufficient for you; "all-sufficiency in all things" is His promise. It is power, too, in conjunction with tenderness. He who sways the scepter of universal empire "gently leads" His weak, and weary, and burdened ones—He who counts the number of the stars, loves to count the number of their sorrows; nothing too great, nothing too insignificant for Him. He paves His people's pathway with love!

Blessed Jesus! my everlasting interests cannot be in better or in safer keeping than in Yours. I can exultingly rely on the all-power of Your Godhead. I can sweetly rejoice in the all-sympathy of Your Manhood. I can confidently repose in the all-wisdom of Your dealings. "Sometimes," says one, "we expect the blessing in our own way; He chooses to bestow it in His." But His way and His will must be the best. Infinite love, infinite power, infinite wisdom, are surely infallible guarantees. His purposes nothing can alter. His promises never fail. His word never falls to the ground.

"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but MY WORDS shall not pass away."

The Divine Glorifier

"He will bring me glory by revealing to you whatever he receives from me." —John 16:14

The Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus in the unfoldings of His person, and character, and work, to His people! The great ministering agent between the Church on earth and its glorified Head in Heaven—carrying up to the Intercessor on the throne, the ever-recurring needs and trials, the perplexities and sins, of believers; and receiving out of His inexhaustible treasury of love—comfort for their sorrows—strength for their tears—fullness for their emptiness—and this the one sublime end and object of His gracious agency—"He shall glorify Me." "He shall not speak of Himself, but whatever He shall hear, that shall He speak." My words of sympathy—My omnipotent pleadings—the tender messages sent from an unchanged Human Heart—all these shall He speak. "He shall tell you," says Goodwin, commenting on this passage, "He shall tell you nothing but stories of My love." He will have an ineffable delight in magnifying Me in the affections of My Church and people, and endearing Me to their hearts; and He is all worthy of credence, for He is "the Spirit of truth."

How faithful has He been in every age to this His great office as "the glorifier of Jesus!" See the first manifestation of His power in the Christian Church at the day of Pentecost. What was the grand truth which forms the focus point of interest in that unparalleled scene, and which brings three thousand stricken penitents to their knees? It is the Spirit's unfolding of Jesus—glorifying Him in eyes that before this, saw in Him no beauty! Hear the keynote of that wondrous sermon, preached "in demonstration of the Spirit, and with power,"—"HIM has God exalted to be a Prince and a Savior, to give repentance to His people, and forgiveness of sins."

Ah! it is still the same peerless truth which the Spirit delights to unfold to the stricken sinner, and, in unfolding it, to make it mighty to the pulling down of strongholds. All these glorious inner beauties of Christ's work and character are undiscerned and undiscernible by the natural eye. "It is the Spirit who quickens." "No man can call Jesus Lord, but by the Holy Spirit." He is the great Forerunner—a mightier than the Baptist—proclaiming, "Behold the Lamb of God!"

Reader! any bright and realizing view you have had of the Savior's glory and excellency, is of the Spirit's imparting. When in some hour of sorrow you have been led to cleave with preeminent consolation to the thought of the Redeemer's exalted sympathy—His dying, ever-living love; or in the hour of death, when you feel the sustaining power of His exceeding great precious promises—what is this, but the Holy Spirit, in fulfillment of His all-gracious office, taking of the things of Christ, and showing them unto you; thus enabling you to magnify Him in your body, whether it be by life or death? As your motto should ever be, "None but Christ," and your ever-increasing aspiration, "More of Christ," seek to bear in mind who it is that is alone qualified to impart the "excellency of this knowledge."

"The Spirit of truth which proceeds from the Father, HE shall testify of ME."

The Joyful Transformation

"Your sorrow shall be turned into joy." —John 16:20

Christ's people are a sorrowing people! Chastisement is their badge—"great tribulation" is their appointed discipline. When they enter the gates of glory, He is represented as wiping away tears from their eyes. But, weeping ones, be comforted! Your Lord's special mission to earth—the great errand He came from heaven to fulfill, was "to bind up the brokenhearted." Your trials are meted out by a tender hand. He knows you too well—He loves you too well—to make this world tearless and sorrowless! "There must be rain, and hail, and storm," says Rutherford, "in the saint's cloud." Were your earthly course strewed with flowers, and nothing but sunbeams played around your dwelling, it would lead you to forget your nomadic life—that you are but a sojourner here. The tent must at times be struck, pin by pin of the moveable tabernacle taken down, to enable you to say and to feel in the spirit of a pilgrim, "I desire a better country." Meantime, while sorrow is your portion, think of Him who says, "I know your sorrows." Angels cannot say so—they cannot sympathize with you, for trial is a strange word to them. But there is a mightier than they who can. All He sends you and appoints you is in love. There is a provision and condition wrapped up in the bosom of every affliction—"if need be;" coming from His hand, sorrows and riches are to His people equivalent terms. If tempted to murmur at their trials they are often murmuring at disguised mercies. "Why do you ask me," said Simeon, on his deathbed, "what I like? I am the Lord's patient—I cannot but like everything."

And then—"your sorrow shall be turned into joy." "The morning comes"—that bright morning when the dew-drops collected during earth's night of weeping shall sparkle in its beams; when in one blessed moment a lifelong experience of trial will be effaced and forgotten, or remembered only by contrast, to enhance the fullness of the joys of immortality. What a revelation of gladness! The map of time disclosed, and every little streamlet of sorrow, every river will be seen to have been flowing heavenwards—every rough blast to have been sending the ship nearer the haven! In that joy, God Himself will participate. In the last "words of Jesus" to His people when they are standing by the triumphal archway of Glory, ready to enter on their thrones and crowns, He speaks of their joy as if it were all His own. "Enter into the joy of your Lord."

Reader, may this joy be yours! Sit loose to the world's joys. Have a feeling of chastened gratitude and thankfulness when you have them; but beware of resting in them, or investing them with a permanency they cannot have. Jesus had his eye on heaven when He added—"Your joy no man takes from you."

The Omnipotent Prayer

"Father, I will that they also whom you have given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory." —John 17:24

This is not the petition of a suppliant, but the claim of a conqueror. There was only one request He ever made, or ever can make, that was refused; it was the prayer wrung forth by the presence and power of superhuman anguish: "Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me!" Had that prayer been answered, never could one consolatory "word of Jesus" have been ours. "If it be possible"—but for that gracious parenthesis, we must have been lost forever! In unmurmuring submission, the bitter cup was drained; all the dread penalties of the law were borne, the atonement completed, an all-perfect righteousness wrought out; and now, as the stipulated reward of His obedience and sufferings, the Victor claims His trophies. What are they? Those that were given Him of the Father—the countless multitudes redeemed by His blood. These He "wills" to be with Him "where He is"—the spectators of His glory, and partakers of His crown. Wondrous word and will of a dying testator! His last prayer on earth is an importunate pleading for their glorification; His parting wish is to meet them in heaven—as if these earthly jewels were needed to make His crown complete—their happiness and joy the needful complement of His own!

Reader! learn from this the grand element in the bliss of your future condition—it is the presence of Christ; "with ME where I am." It matters comparatively little as to the locality of heaven. "We shall see Him as He is," is "the blessed hope" of the Christian. Heaven would be no heaven without Jesus; the withdrawal of His presence would be like the blotting out of the sun from the firmament; it would uncrown every seraph, and unstring every harp. But, blessed thought! it is His own stipulation in His testamentary prayer, that Eternity is to be spent in union and communion with Himself, gazing on the unfathomed mysteries of His love, becoming more assimilated to His glorious image, and drinking deeper from the ocean of His own joy.

If anything can enhance the magnitude of this promised bliss, it is the concluding words of the verse, in which He grounds His plea for its bestowment: "I will—that they behold My glory;"—why? "For You loved (not them, but) ME before the foundation of the world!" It is equivalent to saying, "If You would give Me a continued proof of Your everlasting love and favor to Me, it is by loving and exalting My redeemed people. In loving them and glorifying them, You are loving and glorifying Me—so endearingly are their interests and My own bound up together!"

Believer, think of that all-prevailing Voice, at this moment pleading for you within the veil!—that omnipotent "Father, I will," securing every needed boon! There is given, so to speak, a blank check by which He and His people may draw unlimited supplies out of the exhaustless treasury of the Father's grace and love. God Himself endorses it with the words, "Son, You are ever with me, and all that I have is Yours." How it would reconcile us to Earth's bitterest sorrows, and hallow Earth's holiest joys, if we saw them thus hanging on the "will" of an all-wise Intercessor, who ever pleads in love, and never pleads in vain!

"Be it unto me according to YOUR WORD."

The Immutable Pledge

"Because I live, you shall live also." —John 14:19

God sometimes selects the most stable and enduring objects in the material world to illustrate His unchanging faithfulness and love to His Church—"As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so does the Lord compass his people." But here, the Redeemer fetches an argument from His own everlasting nature. He stakes, so to speak, His own existence on that of His saints—"Because I live, you shall live also."

Believer! read in this "word of Jesus" your glorious title-deed. Your Savior lives—and His life is the guarantee of your own. Our true Joseph is alive. "He is our Brother. He talks kindly to us! That life of His, is all that is between us and everlasting ruin. But with Christ for our life, how inviolable our security! The great Fountain of being must first be dried up, before the streamlet can. The great Sun must first be quenched, before one glimmering disciple which He lights up with splendor can. Satan must first pluck the crown from that glorified Head, before he can touch one jewel in the crown of His people. They cannot shake one pillar without shaking first the throne. "If we perish," says Luther, "Christ perishes with us."

Reader! is your life now "hidden with Christ in God?" Do you know the blessedness of a vital and living union with a living, life-giving Savior? Can you say with humble and joyous confidence, amid the fitfulness of your own ever-changing frames and feelings, "Nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me"? "Jesus lives!"—They are the happiest words a lost soul and a lost world can hear! Job, four thousand years ago, rejoiced in them. "I know," says he, "that I have a living Kinsman." John, in his Patmos exile, rejoiced in them. "I am He that lives" (or the Living One), was the simple but sublime utterance with which he was addressed by that same "Kinsman," when He appeared arrayed in the lusters of His glorified humanity. "This is the record" (as if there was a whole gospel comprised in the statement), "that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son." Paul, in the 8th chapter to the Romans—that finest portraiture of Christian character and privilege ever drawn, begins with "no condemnation," and ends with "no separation." Why "no separation?" Because the life of the believer is incorporated with that of his adorable Head and Surety. The colossal Heart of redeemed humanity beats upon the throne, sending its mighty pulsations through every member of His body; so that, before the believer's spiritual life can be destroyed, Omnipotence must become feebleness, and Immutability become mutable! But, blessed Jesus, "Your word is very sure, therefore Your servant loves it."

"I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."

The Abiding Presence

"Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." —Matthew 28:20

Such were "the words of Jesus" when He was just about to ascend to Heaven. The mediatorial throne was in view—the harps of glory were sounding in His ears; but all His thoughts are on the pilgrim Church He is to leave behind. His last words and benedictions are for them. "I go," He seems to say, "to Heaven, to my purchased crown—to the fellowship of angels—to the presence of my Father; but, nevertheless, Lo I am with you always, even unto the end of the world."

How faithfully did the Apostles, to whom this promise was first addressed, experience its reality! Hear the testimony of the beloved disciple who had once leaned on his Divine Master's bosom—who "had heard, and seen, and looked upon Him." That glorified bosom was now hidden from his sight; but does he speak of an absent Lord, and of His fellowship only among the holy memories of the past? No! with rejoicing emphasis he can exclaim—"Truly our fellowship is with Jesus Christ."

Amid so much that is fleeting here, how the heart clings to this assurance of the abiding presence of the Savior! Our best earthly friends—a few weeks may estrange them—but centuries have rolled on—Christ is still the same. How blessed to think that if I am indeed a child of God, there is not the lonely instant I am without His guardianship! When the beams of the morning visit my chamber, the brighter beams of a brighter Sun are shining upon me. When the shadows of evening are gathering around, "it is not night, if He, the unsetting 'Sun of my soul,' is near." His is no fitful companionship—present in prosperity, gone in adversity. He never changes. He is always the same—in sickness and solitude, in joy and in sorrow, in life and in death. Not more faithfully did the pillar-cloud and column of fire of old precede Israel, until the last murmuring ripple of Jordan fell on their ears on the shores of Canaan, than does the presence and love of Jesus abide with His people. Has His word of promise ever proved false? Let the great cloud of witnesses now in glory testify. "Not one thing has failed of all that the Lord our God has spoken." This "word of the Lord is tried!"—"having loved His own, which were in the world, He loved them unto the end."

Believer! are you troubled and tempted? Do dark providences and severe afflictions seem to belie the truth and reality of this gracious assurance? Are you ready, with Gideon, to say, "If the Lord be indeed with us, why has all this befallen us?" Be assured He has some faithful end in view. By the removal of prized and cherished earthly props and refuges, He would unfold more of his own tenderness. Amid the wreck and ruin of earthly joys, which, it may be, the grave has hidden from your sight, One nearer, dearer, tenderer still, would have you say of Himself, "The Lord lives; and blessed be my Rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted." "Thanks be to God, who always makes us to triumph in Christ." Yes! and never more so than when, stripped of all competing objects of creature affection, we are left, like the disciples on the mount, with "Jesus only!"

"These things have I spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace."

The Resurrection And Life

"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies." —John 11:25

What a voice is this breaking over a world which for six thousand years has been a dormitory of sin and death! For four thousand of these years, heathendom could observe no light through the bars of the grave; her oracles were speechless on the great doctrine of a future state, and more especially regarding the body's resurrection. Even the Jewish Church, under the Old Testament dispensation, seemed to enjoy little more than fitful and uncertain glimmerings, like men groping in the dark. It required death's great Abolisher to show, to a benighted world, the luminous "path of life." With Him rested the "bringing in of a better hope"—the unfolding of "the mystery which had been hidden from ages and generations." Marvelous disclosure! that this mortal frame, decomposed and resolved into its original dust, shall yet start from its ashes, remodeled and reconstructed—"a glorified body!" Not like "the earthly tabernacle" (a mere shifting and moveable tent, as the word denotes), but incorruptible—immortal! The beauteous transformation of the insect from its embryo state—the buried seed springing up from its tiny grave to the full-eared corn or gorgeous flower—these are nature's mute utterances as to the possibility of this great truth, which required the unfoldings of "a more sure word of prophecy." But the Gospel has fully revealed what Reason, in her loftiest imaginings, could not have dreamt of. Jesus "has brought life and immortality to light." He, the Bright and Morning Star, has "turned the shadow of death into the morning." He gives, in His own resurrection, the pledge of that of His people—He is the first-fruits of the immortal harvest yet to be gathered into the garner of Heaven.

Precious truth! This "word of Jesus" spans like a celestial rainbow the entrance to the dark valley. Death is robbed of its sting. In the case of every child of God, the grave holds in custody precious dust, because it is redeemed. Talk of it not, as being committed to a dishonored tomb!—it is locked up, rather, in the casket of God until the day "when He makes up His jewels," when it will be fashioned in deathless beauty like unto the glorified body of the Redeemer. Angels, meanwhile, are commissioned to keep watch over it, until the trumpet of the archangel shall proclaim the great "Easter of creation." They are the "reapers," waiting for the world's great "Harvest Home," when Jesus Himself shall come again—not as He once did, humiliated and in sorrow, but rejoicing in the thought of bringing back all His sheaves with Him.

Afflicted and bereaved Christian!—you who may be mourning in bitterness those who have died—rejoice through your tears in these hopes "full of immortality." The silver cord is only "loosed," not broken. Perchance, as you stand in the chamber of death, or by the brink of the grave—in the depths of that awful solitude and silence which reigns around—this may be your plaintive and mournful soliloquy—"Shall the dust praise You?" Yes, it shall! This very dust that hears now unheeded your footsteps, and unmoved your tears, shall through eternity praise its redeeming God—it shall proclaim His truth!

"Lord, to whom shall we go but unto you; you have the WORDS of ETERNAL LIFE."

The Little While

"In just a little while I will be gone, and you won't see me anymore. Then, just a little while after that, you will see me again." —John. 16:16

Long seem the moments when we are separated from the friend we love. An absent brother—how his return is looked and longed for! The "Elder Brother"—the "Living Kinsman"—sends a message to His waiting Church and people—a word of solace, telling that soon ("a little while"), and He will be back again, never again to leave them.

There are indeed blessed moments of communion which the believer enjoys with His beloved Lord now; but how fitful and transient! Today, life is a brief Emmaus Journey—the soul happy in the presence and love of an unseen Savior. Tomorrow, He is gone; and the bereft spirit is led to interrogate itself in plaintive sorrow—"Where is now your God?" Even when there is no such experience of darkness and depression, how much there is in the world around to fill the believer with sadness! His Lord rejected and disowned—His love set at nothing—His providences slighted—His name blasphemed—His creation groaning and travailing in pain—disunion, too, among His people—His loving heart wounded in the house of His friends!

But, in just a little while, and all this mystery of iniquity will be finished. The absent Brother's footfall will soon be heard—no longer "as a wayfaring man who turns aside to tarry for a night," but to receive His people into the permanent "mansions" His love has been preparing and from which they shall go no more out. Oh, blessed day! when creation will put on her Easter robes—when her Lord, so long dishonored, will be enthroned amid the Hosannahs of a rejoicing universe—angels lauding Him—saints crowning Him—sin, the dark plague-spot on His universe, extinguished forever—death swallowed up in eternal victory!

And it is but "a little while!" "Yet a little while," we elsewhere read, "and He that shall come, will come, and will not tarry." "He will stay not a moment longer", says Goodwin, "than He has despatched all our business in Heaven for us." With what joy will He send His mission-Angel with the announcement, "the little while is at an end;" and to issue the invitation to the great festival of glory, "Come! for all things are ready!"

Child of sorrow! think often of this "little while." "The days of your mourning will soon be ended." There is a limit set to your suffering time—"After you have suffered a while." Every wave is numbered between you and the haven; and then when that haven is reached, oh, what an apocalypse of glory!—the "little while" of time merged into the great and unending "while" of eternity!—to be forever with the Lord—the same unchanged and unchanging Savior!

"A little while, and you shall see Me!" Would that the eye of faith might be kept more intently fixed on "that glorious appearing!" How the world, with its guilty fascinations, tries to dim and obscure this blessed hope! How the heart is prone to throw out its tendrils into the earth, and get them rooted in some perishable object! Reader! seek to dwell more habitually on this the grand consummation of all your dearest wishes. "Stand on the edge of your nest, pluming your wings for flight." Like the mother of Sisera, be looking for the expected chariot.

"He is faithful that promised."

The Beatific Vision

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." —Matthew 5:8

Here is Heaven! This "word of Jesus" represents the future state of the glorified to consist not in locality, but in character; the essence of its bliss is the full vision and fruition of God. Our attention is called from all vague and indefinite theories about the circumstantials of future happiness. The one grand object of contemplation—the "glory which excels," is the sight of God Himself! The one grand practical lesson enforced on His people, is the cultivation of that purity of heart without which none could see, or (even could we suppose it possible to be admitted to see Him) none could enjoy God! "The kingdom of Heaven comes not with observation—the kingdom of God is within you."

Reader, have you attained any of this heart-purity and heart-preparation? It has been beautifully said that "the openings of the streets of heaven are on earth." Even here we may enjoy, in the possession of holiness, some foretaste of coming bliss. Who has not felt that the happiest moments of their lives were those of close walking with God—nearness to the mercy-seat—when self was surrendered, and the eye was directed to the glory of Jesus, with most single, unwavering, undivided aim? What will Heaven be, but the entire surrender of the soul to Him, without any bias to evil, without the fear of corruption within echoing to temptation without; every thought brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ; no contrariety to His mind; all in blessed unison with His will; the whole being impregnated with holiness—the intellect purified and ennobled, consecrating all its powers to His service—memory, a holy repository of pure and hallowed recollections—the affections, without one competing rival, purged from all the dross of earthliness—the love of God, the one supreme animating passion—the glory of God, the motive principle interfused through every thought, and feeling, and action of the life immortal; in one word, the heart a clear fountain; no sediment to dim its purity, "no angel of sorrow" to come and trouble the pool! The long night of life over, and this is the glory of the eternal morrow which succeeds it! "I shall be satisfied when I awake, with Your likeness."

Yes, this is Heaven, subjectively and objectively—purity of heart and "God all in all!" Much, doubtless, there may and will be of a subordinate kind, to intensify the bliss of the redeemed; communion with saints and angels; re-admission into the society of death-divided friends. But all these will fade before the great central glory, "God Himself shall be with them, and be their God; they shall see His face!" Believers have been aptly called 'sunflowers'—turning their faces as the sunflower towards the Sun of Righteousness, and hanging their leaves in sadness and sorrow when that Sun is away. It will be in Heaven the emblem is complete. There, every flower in the heavenly garden will be turned Godwards, bathing its tints of loveliness in the glory that excels! Reader, may it be yours, when canopied by that cloudless sky, to know all the marvels contained in these few glowing words, "We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is."

"And every man that has this hope in him purifies himself even as he is pure."

The Many Mansions

"IN MY FATHER'S HOUSE ARE MANY MANSIONS." —John 14:2

What a 'home aspect' there is in this "word of Jesus!" He comforts His Church by telling those who soon their wilderness wanderings will be finished—the tented tabernacle suited to their present probation-state exchanged for the enduring "mansion!" Nor will it be any strange dwelling—a Father's home—a Father's welcome awaits them. There will be accommodation for all. Thousands have already entered its shining gates—patriarchs, prophets, saints, martyrs, young and old, and still there is room!

The pilgrim's motto on earth is, "Here we have no continuing city." Even "Sabbath tents" must be taken down. Holy seasons of communion must terminate. "Arise, let us go from here!" is a summons which disturbs the sweetest moments of tranquility in the Church below. But in Heaven, every believer becomes a pillar in the temple of God, and "he shall go no more out." Here on earth, it is but the lodging of a wayfarer turning aside to tarry for the brief night. Here we are but temporary tenants— our possessions are but moveables—ours today, gone tomorrow. But these many "mansions" are an incorruptible and unfading inheritance. Nothing can touch the heavenly inheritance. Once within the Father's house, and we are in the house forever!

Think, too, of Jesus, gone to prepare these mansions— "I go to prepare a place for you." What a wondrous thought—Jesus now busied in Heaven in His Church's behalf! He can find no abode in all His wide dominions, befitting as a permanent dwelling for His ransomed ones. He says, "I will make a new heavens and a new earth. I will found a special kingdom—I will rear eternal mansions expressly for those I have redeemed with my blood!"

Reader, let the prospect of a dwelling in this "house of the Lord forever," reconcile you to any of the roughnesses or difficulties in your present path—to your pilgrim provision and pilgrim fare. Let the distant beacon light, that so cheeringly speaks of a Home brighter and better far than the happiest of earthly ones, lead you to forget the intervening billows, or to think of them only as wafting you nearer and nearer to your desired haven! "Would," says a saint, who has now entered on his rest, "that one could read, and write, and pray, and eat and drink, and compose one's self to sleep, as with the thought—soon to be in heaven, and that forever and ever!"

"My Father's house!" How many a departing spirit has been cheered and consoled by the sight of these glorious Mansions looming through the mists of the dark valley—the tears of weeping friends rebuked by the gentle chiding—"If you loved me, you would rejoice, because I said, I go unto my Father!" Death truly is but the entrance to this our Father's house. We speak of the "shadow of death"—it is only the shadow which falls on the portico as we stand for a moment knocking at the longed-for gate. Then next—a Father's voice of welcome is heard—"Son! you are always to be with me, and all that I have is yours."

The Promised Return

"I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also." —John 14:3

Another "word of promise" concerning the Church's "blessed hope." Orphaned pilgrims, dry your tears! Soon the Morning Hour will strike, and the sighs of a groaning and burdened creation will be heard no more. Earth's six thousand years of toil and sorrow are waning; the Millennial Sabbath is at hand. Jesus will soon be heard to repeat concerning all his sleeping saints, what He said of old regarding one of them: "I go to awake them out of sleep!" Your beloved Lord's first coming was in humiliation and woe; His name was, "the Man of Sorrows;" He had to travel on, amid darkness and desertion, His blood-stained path; a crown of thorns was the only crown He bore. But soon He will come "the second time without a sin-offering, unto salvation," never again to leave His Church, but to receive those who followed Him in His cross, to be everlasting partakers with Him in His crown! He may seem to tarry. External nature, in her unvarying and undeviating sequences, gives no indication of His approach. Centuries have elapsed since He uttered the promise, and still He lingers; the everlasting hills wear no streak of approaching dawn; we seem to listen in vain for the noise of His chariot wheels. "But the Lord is not slack concerning His promise;" He gives you "this word" in addition to many others as a keepsake—a pledge and guarantee for the certainty of His return, "I will come again."

Who can conceive all the surpassing blessedness connected with that advent? The Elder Brother arrived to fetch the younger brethren home!—the true Joseph revealing Himself in unutterable tenderness to the brethren who were once estranged from Him—"receiving them unto himself"—not satisfied with apportioning a kingdom for them, but, as if all His own joy and bliss were intermingled with theirs, "Where I am," says He, "there you must be also." "He who overcomes, will I grant to sit with Me on My Throne."

Believer, can you now say with some of the holy transport of the apostle, "Whom having not seen, we love"? What must it be when you come to see Him "face to face," and that forever and ever! If you can tell of precious hours of communion in a sin-stricken, woe-worn world, with a treacherous heart, and an imperfect or divided love, what must it be when you come, in a sinless, sorrowless state, with purified and renewed affections, to see the King in His beauty! The letter of an absent brother cheering and consolatory as it is, is a poor compensation for the joys of personal and visible communion. The absent Elder Brother on the Throne speaks to you now only by His Word and Spirit—soon you shall be admitted to His immediate fellowship, seeing him "as He is"—He Himself unfolding the wondrous chart of His providence and grace—leading you about from fountain to fountain among the living waters, and with His own gentle hand wiping the last lingering tear-drop from your eye. Heaven an everlasting home with Jesus! "Where I am, there you may be also."—He has appended a cheering postscript to this word, on which He has "caused us to hope"—
"He which testifies these things says, surely I come quickly."

The Closing Benediction

"Blessed are those servants whom the Lord when He comes shall find watching." —Luke 12:37

Church of God! is this your attitude, as the expectant of your Lord's appearing? Are your loins girded, and your lights burning? If the cry were to break upon your ears this day, "Behold the Bridegroom comes," could you joyfully respond—"Lo, this is my God, I have waited for him"? WHEN He may come, we cannot tell—ages may elapse before then. It may be centuries before our graves are gilded with the beams of a Millennial sun; but while He may or may not come soon, He must come at some time—yes, and the day of our death is virtually to all of us, the day of His coming.

Reader! do not put off the solemn preparation. Do not be deceived or deluded with the mocker's presumptuous challenge, "Where is the promise of His coming?" See to it that the calls of an engrossing world does not foster this procrastinating spirit. It may be now or never with you. Do not put off your sowing time until harvest time. Leave nothing for a dying hour, but to die, and calmly to resign your spirit into the hands of Jesus. Of all times, that is the least suitable to attempt to get the vessel filled—to attend to the great business of life when life is ebbing—to trim the lamp when the oil is done and it is flickering in its socket—to begin to watch, when the summons is heard to leave the watchtower to meet our God!

Were you never struck how often, amid the many gentle words of Jesus, the summons "to watch," is over and over repeated, like a succession of alarm-bells breaking ever and anon, amid chimes of heavenly music, to rouse a sleeping Church and a slumbering world?

Let this last "Word" of your Lord's send you to your knees with the question—"Am I indeed a servant of Christ?" Have I fled to Him, and am I reposing in Him, as my only Savior?—or am I still lingering like Lot, when I should be escaping?—sleeping, when I should be waking?—neglecting and trifling, when "a long eternity is lying at my door?" He is my last and only refuge; neglect Him—all is lost!

Believer! you who are standing on your watchtower, be more faithful than ever at your post. Remember what is implied in watching. It is no dreamy state of inactive torpor: it is a holy jealousy over the heart—wakeful vigilance regarding sin—every avenue and loophole of the soul carefully guarded. Holy living is the best, the only, preparative for holy dying. "Persuade yourself," says Rutherford, "the King is coming. Read His letter sent before Him, 'Behold I come quickly;' wait with the wearied night-watch for the breaking of the Eastern sky."

Let these "Words of Jesus" we have now been meditating upon in this little volume, be as the Golden Bells of old, hung on the vestments of the officiating High Priest, emitting sweet sounds to His spiritual Israel—telling that the true High Priest is still living and pleading in "the Holiest of all;" and that soon He will come forth to pour His blessing on His waiting Church. We have been pleasingly employed in gathering, up a few "crumbs" falling, from "the Master's table." Soon we shall have, not the "Words" but the presence of Jesus—not the crumbs falling from His table, but everlasting fellowship with the Master Himself!

"Amen, even so, come, Lord Jesus."

Gal 1:8  But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
Gal 1:9  As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

Gal 2:16  Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

Gal 3:23  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
Gal 3:26  For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.


Rom 3:19  Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
Rom 3:20  Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Rom 3:21  But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
Rom 3:22  Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Rom 3:24  Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Rom 3:25  Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
Rom 3:26  To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Rom 3:27  Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
Rom 3:28  Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
Rom 3:29  Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:
Rom 3:30  Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
Rom 3:31  Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

Rom 4:4  Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
Rom 4:5  But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Rom 10:4  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

Rom 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Rom 10:11  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Rom 10:12  For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
Rom 10:13  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

PARDONING GRACE

"Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." —Isaiah 1:18

My soul! your God summons you to His audience chamber! Infinite purity seeks to reason with infinite vileness! Deity stoops to speak to dust! Dread not the meeting. It is the most gracious, as well as most wondrous of all conferences. Jehovah himself breaks silence! He utters the best tidings a lost soul or a lost world can hear—"God is in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing unto men their trespasses." What! Scarlet sins, and crimson sins! and these all to be forgiven and forgotten! The just God "justifying" the unjust!—the mightiest of all beings, the kindest of all!

Oh! what is there in you to merit such love as this? You might have known your God only as the "consuming fire," and had nothing before you except "a fearful looking for of vengeance!" This gracious conference bids you dispel your fears! It tells you it is no longer a "fearful," but a blessed thing to fall into His hands! Have you closed with these His overtures? Until you are at peace with Him, happiness must be a stranger to your bosom. Though you have all else beside, bereft of God you must be "bereft indeed." Lord! I come! As your pardoning grace is freely tendered, so shall I freely accept it. May it be mine, even now, to listen to the gladdening accents, "Son! Daughter! be of good cheer! your sins, which are many are all forgiven you."

NEEDFUL GRACE

"As your days, so shall your strength be." —Deuteronomy 33:25

God does not give grace until the hour of trial comes. But when it does come the amount of grace, and the nature of the special grace required is granted. My soul! do not dwell with painful apprehension on the future. Do not anticipate coming sorrows; perplexing yourself with the grace needed for future emergencies; tomorrow will bring its promised grace along with tomorrow's trials. God, wishing to keep His people humble, and dependent on Himself, gives not a stock of grace; He metes it out for every day's exigencies, that they may be constantly "traveling between their own emptiness and Christ's fullness"—their own weakness and Christ's strength. But when the exigency comes, you may safely trust an Almighty arm to bear you through! Is there now some "thorn in the flesh" sent to lacerate you? You may have been entreating the Lord for its removal. Your prayer has, doubtless, been heard and answered; but not in the way, perhaps, expected or desired by you. The "thorn" may still be left to goad, the trial may still be left to buffet; but "more grace" has been given to endure them. Oh! how often have His people thus been led to glory in their infirmities and triumph in their afflictions, seeing the power of Christ rests more abundantly upon them! The strength which the hour of trial brings, often makes the Christian a wonder to himself!

ALL-SUFFICIENT GRACE

"God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that you, always having all-sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good word and work." —2 Corinthians 9:8

All-sufficiency in all things! Believer! Surely you are "thoroughly furnished!" Grace is no scanty thing, doled out in pittances. It is a glorious treasury, which the key of prayer can always unlock, but never empty. A fountain, "full, flowing, ever flowing, over flowing." Mark these three ALL’S in this precious promise. It is a three-fold link in a golden chain, let down from a throne of grace by a God of grace. "All grace!"—"all-sufficiency!" in "all things!" and these to "abound." Oh! precious thought! My need cannot impoverish that inexhaustible treasury of grace! Myriads are hourly hanging on it, and drawing from it, and yet there is no diminution—"Out of that fullness all we too may receive, and grace for grace!"

My soul, do you not love to dwell on that all-abounding grace? Your own insufficiency in everything, met with an "all-sufficiency in all things!" Grace in all circumstances and situations, in all vicissitudes and changes, in all the varied phases of the Christian's being. Grace in sunshine and storm—in health and in sickness—in life and in death. Grace for the old believer and the young believer, the tried believer, and the weak believer, and the tempted believer. Grace for duty, and grace in duty—grace to carry the joyous cup with a steady hand, grace to drink the bitter cup with an unmurmuring spirit—grace to have prosperity sanctified—grace to say, through tears, "Your will be done!"

COMFORTING GRACE

"I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you." —John 14:18

Blessed Jesus! How Your presence sanctifies trial, takes loneliness from the chamber of sickness, and the sting from the chamber of death! Bright and Morning Star! precious at all times, You are never so precious as in "the dark and cloudy day!" The bitterness of sorrow is well worth enduring to have Your promised consolations. How well qualified, Man of Sorrows, to be my Comforter! How well fitted to dry my tears, You who shed so many Yourself! What are my tears—my sorrows—my crosses—my losses, compared with Yours, who shed first Your tears, and then Your blood for me! Mine are all deserved, and infinitely more than deserved. How different, O Spotless Lamb of God, those pangs which rent Your guiltless bosom! How sweet those comforts You have promised to the comfortless, when I think of them as flowing from an Almighty Fellow-Sufferer—"A brother born for adversity"—the "Friend that sticks closer than any brother!"—one who can say, with all the refined sympathies of a holy exalted human nature, "I know your sorrows!" My soul! calm your griefs! There is not a sorrow you can experience, but Jesus, in the treasury of grace, has an exact corresponding solace: "In the multitude of the sorrows I have in my heart, Your comforts delight my soul!"

RESTRAINING GRACE

"Satan has desired to have you, that he might sift you as wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith fail not." —Luke 22:31, 32

What a scene does this unfold! Satan tempting—Jesus praying! Satan sifting—Jesus pleading! "The strong man assailing"—"the stronger than the strong" beating him back! Believer! here is the past history and present secret of your safety in the midst of temptation. An interceding Savior was at your side, saying to every threatening wave, "Thus far shall you go, and no farther!" God often permits His people to be on the very verge of the precipice, to remind them of their own weakness; but never farther than the brink! The restraining hand and grace of Omnipotence is ready to rescue them—"Although he stumbles, yet he shall not be utterly cast down." And why? "For the Lord upholds him with His right hand!" The wolf may be prowling for his prey; but what can he do when the Shepherd is always there, tending with the watchful eye that "neither slumbers nor sleeps?" Who cannot subscribe to the testimony, "When my foot slipped, Your mercy, O Lord! held me up?" Who can look back on his past pilgrimage, and fail to see it crowded with Ebenezers, with this inscription: "You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling"? My soul, where would you have been this day, had you not been "kept" by the power of God?

RESTORING GRACE

"I will heal your backslidings." —Hosea 14:4

Wandering again! And has He not left me to perish? Stumbling and straying on the dark mountains, away from the Shepherd's eye and the Shepherd's fold, shall He not leave the erring wanderer to the fruit of his own ways, and his truant heart to go hopelessly onward in its career of guilty estrangement? "My thoughts," says God, "are not as your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways." Man would say, "Go, perish! ungrateful apostate!" God says, "Return, O backsliding children!" The Shepherd will not, cannot allow those sheep to perish which He has purchased with His own blood! How wondrous His forbearance towards it!—tracking its guilty steps, and ceasing not the pursuit until He lays the wanderer on His shoulders, and returns with it to His fold rejoicing! My soul! why increase by farther departures your own distance from the fold?—why lengthen the dreary road your gracious Shepherd has to traverse in bringing you back? Do not delay your return! Do not provoke His patience any longer! Do not venture farther on forbidden ground! He waits with outstretched arms to welcome you once more to His bosom. Be humble for the past, trust Him for the future. Think of your former backslidings, and tremble—think of His patience, and be filled with holy gratitude; think of His promised grace, "and take courage."

SANCTIFYING GRACE

"I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again." —Philippians 1:6

Reader! Is the good work begun in you? Are you holy? Is sin being crucified? Are your heart's idols, one by one abolished? Is the world less to you, and eternity more to you? Is more of your Savior's image impressed on your character, and your Savior's love more enthroned in your heart? Is Salvation to you "the one thing needful?" Oh! take heed! there can be no middle ground, no standing still; or if it be so, your position must be a false one. The Savior's blood is not more necessary to give you a title to Heaven, than His Spirit to give you a fitness for it. "If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His!" Onwards! should be your motto. There is no standing still in the life of faith. "The man," says Augustine, "who says 'Enough,' that man's soul is lost!" Let this be the superscription in all your ways and doings, "Holiness to the Lord." Let the admonishing word exercise over you its habitual power, "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord." Moreover, remember, that to be holy, is to be happy. The two are equivalent terms. Holiness! It is the secret and spring of the joy of angels; and the more of holiness attained on earth—the nearer and closer my walk is with God—the more of a sweet earnest shall I have of the bliss that awaits me in a holy Heaven. Oh! my soul, let it be your sacred ambition to "Be holy!"

REVIVING GRACE

"Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint." —Isaiah 40:31

"Will You not revive us, O Lord?" My soul! are you conscious of your declining state? Is your walk less with God, your affections less heavenly? Have you less conscious nearness to the mercy-seat, diminished communion with your Savior? Is prayer less a privilege than it has been?—the pulsations of spiritual life more languid, and fitful, and spasmodic?—the bread of life, less relished?—the seen, and the temporal, and the tangible, displacing the unseen and eternal? Are you sinking down into this state of drowsy self-contentment, this conformity of your life with the world, forfeiting all the happiness of true religion and risking and endangering the better life to come? Arise! Call upon your God! "Will you not revive us, O Lord?" He might have returned nothing but the withering repulse, "How often would I have gathered you; but you would not!" "Ephraim is joined to his idols; let him alone!" But "in wrath He remembers mercy." "They shall revive as the corn." "The mouth of the Lord has spoken it." How and where is reviving grace to be found? He gives you, in this precious promise, the key. It is on your bended knees—by a return to your deserted and unfrequented chamber! "Those who wait upon the Lord!" "Wait on the Lord; be of good cheer, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!"

PERSEVERING GRACE

"The righteous shall hold on his way." —Job 17:9

Reader! How comforting to you amid the ebbings and flowings of your changing history, to know that the change is all with you, and not with your God! Your spiritual vessel may be tossed on waves of temptation, in many a dark midnight. You may think your pilot has left you, and be ready continually to say, "Where is my God?" But fear not! The ship which bears your spiritual destiny is in better hands than yours; a golden chain of covenant love links it to the eternal throne! That chain can never snap asunder. He who holds it in His hand gives you this as the pledge of your safety—"Because I live, you shall live also." "Why are you then cast down, O my soul? and why are you disquieted within me? hope in God!" You will assuredly ride out these stormy surges, and reach the desired haven. But be faithful with yourself: see that there be nothing to hinder or impede your growth in grace. Think how little may retard your progress. One sin indulged—one temptation tampered with—one bosom traitor, may cost you many a bitter hour and bitter tear, by separating between you and your God. Make it your daily prayer, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

DYING GRACE

"I have the keys of hell and of death." —Revelation 1:18

And from whom could dying grace come so welcome, as from You, O blessed Jesus? Not only is Your name, "The Abolisher of Death;" but You Yourself have died! You have sanctified the grave by Your own presence, and divested it of all its terrors. My soul! are you at times afraid of this, your last enemy? If the rest of your pilgrimage-way be peaceful and unclouded, does there rest a dark and portentous shadow over the terminating portals? Fear not! When that dismal entrance is reached, He who has the keys of the grave and of death suspended at His golden belt, will impart grace to bear you through.

Death is but the messenger of peace. Your Savior calls you! The promptings of nature, when, at first, you see the darkening waves, may be that of the frightened disciples, when they said, "It is a ghost, and cried out for fear!" But a gentle voice will be heard high above the storm, "It is I! Do not be afraid!" Death, indeed, as the wages of sin, must, even by the believer, be regarded as an enemy. But, oh! blessed thought, it is your last enemy—the cause of your last tear. In a few brief moments after that tear is shed, your God will be wiping every vestige of it away! "O Death! where is your sting? O Grave! where is your victory? Thanks be unto God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!" Welcome, vanquished foe!—Birthday of heaven!—"To die is gain!"

AFTER GRACE, GLORY

"The Lord will give grace and glory." —Psalm 84:11

Oh! happy day, when this toilsome warfare will all be ended, Jordan crossed—Canaan entered—the multitude of enemies of the wilderness no longer dreaded—sorrow, sighing, death, and, worst of all, sin, no more either to be felt or feared! Here is the terminating link in the golden chain of the everlasting covenant. It began with predestination; it ends with glorification. It began with sovereign grace in eternity past, and no link will be lacking until the ransomed spirit is presented faultless before the throne! Grace and glory! If the pledge is sweet, what must be the reality? If the wilderness table contains such rich provision, what must be the glories of the eternal banqueting house? Oh! my soul, make sure of your saving interest in the one, as the blessed prelude to the other. "Having access by faith into this grace, you can rejoice in hope of the glory of God;" for "whom He justifies, them He also glorifies!"

Has grace begun in you? Can you mark—though it should be but the drops of the incipient streamlet which is to terminate in such an ocean—the tiny grains which are to accumulate and issue in such "an exceeding weight of glory?" Do not delay the momentous question! The day of offered grace is on the wing; its hours are fast numbering; and, "No grace, no glory!"

ANOTHER COMFORTER

"I will ask the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever."—John 14:16

Blessed Spirit of all grace! how often have I grieved You! resisted Your dealings, quenched Your strivings; and yet You are still pleading with me! Oh! let me realize more than I do the need of Your gracious influences. Ordinances, sermons, communions, providential dispensations, are nothing without Your life-giving power.

"It is the Spirit that quickens." "No man can call Jesus, Lord, but by the Holy Spirit." Church of the living God! is not this one cause of your deadness?—My soul! is not this the secret of your languishing frames, repeated declensions, uneven walk, and sudden falls—that the influences of the Holy Spirit are undervalued and unsought? Pray for the outpouring of this blessed Agent for the world's renovation, and your own. "I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh," is the precursor of millennial bliss.

Jesus! draw near, in Your mercy, to this dull heart, as you did of old to Your mourning disciples, and breathe upon it, and say, "Receive the Holy Spirit." It is the mightiest of all blessings; but, like the sun in the heavens, it is the freest of all—"For if you, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit unto those who ask Him!"

PROVIDENTIAL OVERRULING

"All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." —Romans 8:28

My soul! be still! you are in the hands of your Covenant God. Were all the strange circumstances in your history the result of accident, or chance, you might well be overwhelmed. But "all things," and this thing (be what it may) which may be now disquieting you, is one of these "all things" that are so working mysteriously for your good. Trust your God! He will not deceive you—your interests are with Him in safe custody. When sight says, "All these things are against me," let faith rebuke the hasty conclusion, and say, "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" How often does God hedge up your way with thorns, to elicit simple trust! How seldom can we see all things so working for our good! But it is better discipline to believe it. Oh! for faith amid frowning providences, to say, "I know that your judgments are good;" and, relying in the dark, to exclaim, "Though He slays me, yet will I trust Him!"

Blessed Jesus! to You are committed the reins of this universal empire. The same hand that was once nailed to the cross, is now wielding the scepter on the throne—"all power in heaven and in earth is given unto you." How can I doubt the wisdom, and the faithfulness, and love, of the most mysterious earthly dealing, when I know that the Roll of Providence is thus in the hands of Him who has given the mightiest pledge Omnipotence could give of His tender interest in my soul's well-being, by giving Himself for me?

SAFE WALKING

"All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, unto such as keep His covenant and His testimonies." —Psalm 25:10

The paths of the Lord! My soul! never follow your own paths. If you do, you will be in danger often of following sight rather than faith—choosing the evil, and refusing the good. But "commit your way unto the Lord, and He shall bring it to pass." Let this be your prayer, "Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths." Oh! for Caleb's spirit, "wholly to follow the Lord my God"—to follow Him when self must be sacrificed, and hardship must be borne, and trials await me. To "walk with God"—to ask in simple faith, "What would You have me to do?"—to have no will of my own, but this, that God's will is to be my will. Here is safety—here is happiness.

Fearlessly follow the Guiding Pillar. He will lead you by a right way, though it may be by a way of hardship, and crosses, and losses, and privations, to the city of God. Oh! the blessedness of thus lying passive in the hands of God, saying "Undertake for me God!"—dwelling with holy gratitude on past mercies and interpositions—these as pledges of future faithfulness and love—hearing His voice behind us, amid life's many perplexities, exclaiming, "This is the way, walk in it!" "Happy," surely, "are every people who are in such a case!" Happy, Reader! will it be for you, if you can form the resolve in a strength greater than you own: "This God shall be my God forever and ever; He shall be my Guide even unto death!"

LOVE IN CHASTISEMENT

"As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten." —Revelation 3:19

Sorrowing Believer! what could you wish more than this? Your furnace is severe; but look at this assurance of Him who lit it. Love is the fuel that feeds its flames! Its every spark is love! Kindled by a Father's hand, and designed as a special pledge of a Father's love. How many of His dear children has He so rebuked and chastened; and all, all for one reason, "I love them!" The myriads in glory have passed through these furnace-fires—there they were chosen—there they were purified, sanctified, and made "vessels fit for the Master's use;" the dross and the alloy purged, that the pure metal might remain.

And are you to claim exemption from the same discipline? Are you to think it strange concerning these same fiery trials that may be purifying you? Rather exult in them as your adoption-privilege. Envy not those who are strangers to the refining flames—who are "without chastisement." You should surely rather have the severest discipline with a Father's love, than the fullest earthly cup without that Father's smile. Oh! for grace to say, when the furnace is hottest, and the rod sorest, "Even so, Father!" And what, after all, is the severest of your chastisements in comparison with what your sins have deserved? Do you murmur under a Father's correcting love? What would it have been to have stood the wrath of an unpropitiated Judge, and that, too, forever? Surely, in the light of eternity, the heaviest pang of earth is indeed "a light affliction!"

A CONDITION IN CHASTISEMENT

"If need be."—1 Peter 1:6

Three gracious words! Not one of all my tears has been shed for nothing! Not one stroke of the rod has been unneeded, or that might have been spared! Your heavenly Father loves you too much, and too tenderly, to bestow harsher correction than your case requires! Is it loss of health, or loss of wealth, or loss of beloved friends? Be still! there was a needs be. We are no judges of what that "needs be" is; often through aching hearts we are forced to exclaim, "Your judgments are a great deep!" But God here pledges Himself, that there will not be one unnecessary thorn in the believer's crown of suffering. No burden too heavy will be laid on him; and no sacrifice too great exacted from him. He will "temper the wind to the shorn lamb." Whenever the "need be" has accomplished its end, then the rod is removed—the chastisement suspended—the furnace quenched.

"If need be!" Oh! what a pillow on which to rest your aching head—that there is not a drop in all your bitter cup but what a God of love saw to be absolutely necessary! Will you not trust His heart, even though you cannot trace the mystery of His dealings? Not too curiously prying into the "Why it is?" or "How it is?" but satisfied that "So it is," and, therefore, that all must be well! "Although you say you cannot see Him, yet judgment is before Him, therefore trust in Him!"

STRENGTH IN THE WEAK

"A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench." —Matthew 12:20

Will Jesus accept such a heart as mine?—this erring, treacherous, traitor heart? The past!—how many forgotten vows—broken covenants—prayerless days! How often have I made new resolutions, and as often has the reed succumbed to the first blast of temptation, and the burning flax been well-near quenched by guilty omissions and guiltier commissions! Oh! my soul! you are low indeed—the things that remain seem "ready to die." But your Savior-God will not give you "over unto death." The reed is bruised; but He will not pluck it up by the roots. The flax is reduced to a smoking ember, but He will fan the decaying flame. Why wound your loving Savior's heart by these repeated declensions? He will not—cannot give you up. Go, mourn your weakness and unbelief. Cry unto the Strong for strength.

Weary and faint one! You have an Omnipotent arm to lean on. "He faints not, neither is weary!" Listen to His own gracious assurance: "Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; yes, I will help you with the right hand of my righteousness!" Leaving all your false props and refuges, let this be your resolve—"I trust in the Lord for protection!"

ENCOURAGEMENT TO THE DESPONDING

"Him that comes unto me, I will in no wise cast out." —John 6:37

Cast out! My soul! how often might this have been your history! You have cast off your God—might He not often have cast out you? Yes! cast you out as fuel for the fire of His wrath—a sapless, fruitless cumberer. And yet, notwithstanding all your ungrateful requital for His unmerited forbearance, He is still declaring, "As I live, says the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of him that dies." Your sins may be legion—the sand of the sea may be their befitting type—the thought of their vileness and aggravation may be ready to overwhelm you; but be still! your patient God waits to be gracious! Oh! be deeply humbled and softened because of your guilt, and resolve to dedicate yourself anew to His service, and so coming, "He will by no means cast you out!" Despond not by reason of former shortcomings—your sins are great, but your Savior's merits are greater. He is willing to forget all the past, and sink it in oblivion, if there be present love, and the promise of future obedience. "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?" Ah! how different is God's verdict from man's! After such sins as yours, man's sentence would have been, "I will in nowise receive!" But "it is better to fall into the hands of God, than into the hands of man;" for He says, "I will in nowise cast out!"

EACE IN BELIEVING

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you; not as the world gives." —John 14:27

"You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You." "Perfect peace!"—what a blessed attainment! My soul! is it yours? I am sure it is not, if you are seeking it in a perishable world, or in the perishable creature, or in your perishable self. Although you have all that the world would call enviable and happy, unless you have peace in God, and with God, all else is unworthy of the name—a spurious thing, which the first breath of adversity will shatter, and the hour of death utterly annihilate! Perfect peace! What is it? It is the peace of forgiveness. It is the peace arising out of a sense of God reconciled through the blood of the everlasting covenant—resting sweetly on the bosom, and the work of Jesus—to Him committing your eternal all.

My soul! stay yourself on God, so that this blessed peace may be yours. You have tried the world. It has deceived you. Prop after prop of earthly scaffolding has yielded, and tottered, and fallen. Has your God ever done so? Ah! this false and counterfeit world-peace may do well for the world's work, and the world's day of prosperity. But test it in the hour of sorrow; and what can it do for you when it is most needed? On the other hand, what though you have no other blessing on earth to call your own? You are rich indeed, if you can look upwards to Heaven, and say with an unpresumptuous smile, "I am at peace with God."

BLISS IN DYING

"Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord." —Revelation 14:13

My Soul! is this blessedness yours in prospect? Are you ready, if called this night to lie down on your death-pillow, sweetly to fall asleep in Jesus? What is the sting of death?—It is sin. Is death, then, to you, robbed of its sting, by having listened to the gracious accents of pardoning love, "Be of good cheer, your sins, which are many, are all forgiven?" If you have made your peace with God, resting on the work and atoning blood of His dear Son, then is the Last Enemy divested of all his terror, and you can say, in sweet composure, of your dying couch and dying hour—"I will both lay down in peace and sleep, because You, Lord, make me to dwell in safety!" Reader! ponder that solemn question, "Am I ready to die? Am I living as I should wish I had done when that last hour arrives?"

And when shall it arrive? Tomorrow is not yours. "Truly, there may be but a step between you and death." Oh! solve the question speedily—risk no doubts and no peradventure. Every day is proclaiming anew the lesson, "The race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong." Seek to live, so that that hour cannot come upon you too soon, or too unexpectedly. Live a dying life! How blessed to live—how blessed to die, with the consciousness, that there may be but a step between you and glory!

A DUE REAPING

"In due season you shall reap, if you faint not." —Galatians 6:9

Believer! all the glory of your salvation belongs to Jesus—none to yourself; every jewel in your eternal crown is His— purchased by His blood, and polished by His Spirit. The confession of time will be the ascription of all eternity: "By the grace of God I am what I am!" But though "all be of grace," your God calls you to personal strenuousness in the work of your high calling—to "labor," to "fight," to "wrestle," to "agonize;" and the heavenly reaping will be in proportion to the earthly sowing: "He that sows sparingly, shall reap also sparingly; and He that sows bountifully, shall reap also bountifully!" What an incentive to holy living, and increased spiritual attainments!

My soul! would you be a star shining high and bright in the firmament of glory?—would you receive the ten-talent recompense? Then be not weary. Put on your armor for fresh conquests. Be gaining daily some new victory over sin. Deny yourself. Be a willing cross-bearer for your Lord's sake. Do good to all men as you have opportunity; be patient under provocation, "slow to wrath," resigned in trial. Let the world take knowledge of you that you are wearing Christ's uniform, and bearing Christ's spirit, and sharing Christ's cross. And when the reaping time comes, He who has promised that the cup of cold water cannot go unrecompensed, will not allow you to lose your reward!

AN END OF WEEPING

"The days of your mourning shall be ended." —Isaiah 60:20

Christ's people are a weeping band, though there be much in this lovely world to make them joyous and happy. Yet when they think of sin—their own sin, and the unblushing sins of a world in which their God is dishonored—need we wonder at their tears?—that they should be called "Mourners," and their pilgrimage home a "Valley of Tears?" Bereavement, and sickness, and poverty and death following the track of sin, add to their mourning experience; and with many of God's best beloved, one tear is scarce dried when another is ready to flow!

Mourners! rejoice! When the reaping time comes, the weeping time ends! When the white robe and the golden harp are bestowed, every remnant of the sackcloth attire is removed. The moment the pilgrim, whose forehead is here furrowed with woe, bathes it in the crystal river of life—that moment the pangs of a lifetime of sorrow are eternally forgotten! Reader! if you are one of these careworn ones, the days of your mourning are numbered! A few more throbbings of this aching heart, and then the angel who proclaims "time," shall proclaim also, sorrow, and sighing, and mourning, to "be no longer!" Seek now to mourn your sins more than your sorrows; reserve your bitterest tears for forgetfulness of your dear Lord. The saddest and sorest of all bereavements, is when the sins which have separated you from Him, evoke the anguish-cry, "Where is my God?"

A SPEEDY COMING

"Behold, I come quickly." —Revelation 3:11

"Even so! come, Lord Jesus!" "Why do the wheels of Your chariot tarry?" Six thousand years this world has rolled on, getting timeworn with age, and wrinkled with sins and sorrows. A waiting Church sees the long-drawn shadows of twilight announcing, "The Lord is at hand." Prepare, my soul, to meet Him. Oh! happy days, when your adorable Redeemer, so long dishonored and despised, shall be publicly enthroned in the presence of an assembled universe, crowned Lord of All, glorified in His saints, satisfied in the fruits of His soul's travail, destroying His enemies with the brightness of His coming—the lightning-glance of wrath—causing the hearts of His exulting people to "rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." Prepare, my soul, to meet Him!

Let it be a joyous thought to you—your "blessed hope"—the meeting of your Elder Brother. Stand oftentimes on the watchtower to catch the first streak of that coming brightness, the first murmur of these chariot wheels. The world is now in preparation! It is rocking on its worn-out axle. There are voices on every side proclaiming "He comes! He comes to judge the earth!" Reader! are you among the number of those who "love His appearing?" Remember the attitude of His expectant saints: "Blessed are those servants whom the Lord, when He comes, will find WATCHING!"

EVENING LIGHT

"At evening time it shall be light." —Zechariah 14:7

How inspiring the thought of coming glory! How would we rise above our sins, and sorrows, and sufferings, if we could live under the power of "a world to come!" Were faith to take at all times its giant leap beyond a soul-trammeling earth, and remember its brighter destiny. If it could stand on its Pisgah Mount, and look above and beyond the mists and vapors of this land of shadows, and rest on the "better country." But, alas! in spite of ourselves, the wings often refuse to soar—the spirit droops—guilty fears depress—sin dims and darkens—God's providences seem to frown—God's ways are misinterpreted—the Christian belies his name and his destiny.

But, "At evening time it shall be light"—The material sun, which wades through clouds and a troubled sky, sets often in a couch of lustrous gold! So, when the sun of life is setting, many a ray of light will shoot across memory's darkened sky, and many mysterious dealings of the wilderness will then elicit an "All is well!" How frequently is the presence and upholding grace of Jesus especially felt and acknowledged at that hour, and griefs and misgivings hushed with His own gentle accents, "Fear not! it is I; do not be afraid." A triumphant death-bed! It is no unmeaning word; the eye is lit with holy luster, the tongue with holy rapture, as if the harps of heaven were stealing on it. My soul! may such a life's evening time be yours!

EAVENLY ILLUMINATION

"What I do you know not now; but you shall know hereafter." —John 13:7

As the natural sun sometimes sinks in clouds, so, occasionally, the Christian who has a bright rising, and a brighter meridian, sets in gloom. It is not always "light" at his evening time; but this we know, that when the day of immortality breaks, the last vestige of earth's shadows will forever flee away. To the closing hour of time, Providence may be to him a baffling enigma; but before the first hour has struck on heaven's chronometer, all will be clear. My soul! "in God's light you shall see light;" the Book of His decrees is a sealed book now—"A great deep" is all the explanation you can often give to His judgments; the why and the wherefore He seems keep from us, to test our faith, to discipline us in trustful submission, and lead us to say, "Your will be done!"

But rejoice in that hereafter—light which awaits you! Now we see through a glass darkly; but then, face to face. In the great mirror of eternity all the events of this chequered scene will be reflected; the darkest of them will be seen to be bright with mercy—the severest dispensations, "only the severer aspects of His love!" Pry not, then, too curiously; pronounce not too censoriously on God's dealings with you. Wait with patience until the grand day of disclosures; one confession shall then burst from every tongue, "Righteous are You, O Lord!"

A GLORIOUS REUNION

"I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also." —John 14:3

If the meeting of a long absent friend, or brother, on earth, be a joyous event, what, my soul, must be the joy of your union with this Brother of brothers, this Friend of friends! "I will come again!" Oh! what an errand of love, what a promised honor and dignity is this!—His saints to share, not His Heaven only, but His immediate presence. "Where I am, there you shall be also!" Father, I will (It was His dying wish—a wondrous addition in that testamentary prayer) that those whom You have given me be with me where I am." Happy reunion! Blessed Savior, if Your presence be so sweet on a sin-stricken earth, and when known only by the invisible eye of faith, what must be that presence in a sinless Heaven, unfolded in all its unutterable loveliness and glory!

Happy reunion! it will be a meeting of the whole ransomed family—the Head with all its members—the Vine with all its branches—the Shepherd with all His flock—the Elder Brother with all His kinsmen. Oh, the joy, too, of mutual recognition among the death-divided—ties snapped asunder on earth, indissolubly renewed—severed friendships reunited—the triumph of love complete—love binding brother with brother, and friend with friend, and all to the Elder Brother! My soul! what do you think of this Heaven? Remember who it is that Jesus says shall sit with Him upon His throne—"He who overcomes."

EVERLASTING ESPOUSALS

"And I will betroth you unto Me forever." —Hosea 2:19

How wondrous and varied are the figures which Jesus employs to express the tenderness of His covenant love! My soul! your Savior-God has "married you!" Would you know the time of your betrothal? Go back into the depths of a bypast eternity, before the world was; then and there, your espousals were contracted: "I have loved you with an everlasting love." Soon shall the bridal-hour arrive, when your absent Lord shall come to welcome His betrothed bride into His royal palace. "The Bridegroom tarries;" but see that you do not slumber and sleep! Surely there is much all around demanding the girded loins and the burning lamps. At "midnight!" (the hour when He is least expected) the cry may be—shall be heard—"Behold, the Bridegroom comes!" My soul! has this mystic union been formed between you and your Lord? Can you say, in humble assurance of your faith in Him, "My beloved is mine, and I am His!" If so, great, unspeakably great, are the glories which await you! Your dowry, as the bride of Christ, is all that Omnipotence can bestow, and all that a feeble creature can receive. In the prospect of those glorious nuptials, you need dread no pang of widowhood. What God has joined together, no created power can take asunder; He betroths you, and it is—"forever!"

 JOYFUL RESURRECTION

"This corruptible must put on incorruption." —1 Corinthians 15:53

Marvel of marvels! The sleeping ashes of the sepulcher springing up at the tones of the archangel's trumpet!—the dishonored dust rising into a glorified body, like its risen Lord's! At death, the soul's bliss is perfect in kind; but this bliss is not complete in degree, until reunited to the tabernacle it has left behind to mingle with the sods of the valley. But tread lightly on that grave, it contains precious, because ransomed dust! My body, as well as my spirit, was included in the redemption price of Calvary; and "those also who sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him." Oh! blessed Jubilee-day of creation, when Christ's "dead men shall arise"—when, together with His dead body, they shall come; and the summons shall sound forth, "Awake, and sing, you who dwell in the dust!"

All the joys of that resurrection morn we cannot tell; but its chief glory we do know—"When He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is." Like Him!—My soul, are you waiting for this manifestation of the sons of God? Like Him!—Have you caught up any faint resemblance to that all-glorious image? Having this hope in you, are you purifying yourself, even as He is pure? Be much with Jesus now, that you may exult in meeting Him hereafter. Thus taking Him as your Guide and Portion in life, you may lay down in your dark and loathsome grave, and look forward with triumphant hope to the dawn of a resurrection morn, saying, "What time I awake, I am still with You!"

 NIGHTLESS HEAVEN

"There shall be no night there." —Revelation 21:25

My soul! is it night with you here? Are you wearied with these midnight tossings on life's tumultuous sea? Be still! the day is breaking! soon shall your Lord appear. "His going forth is prepared as the morning." That glorious appearing shall disperse every cloud, and usher in an eternal noontide which knows no twilight. "The sun will never set; the moon will not go down. For the Lord will be your everlasting light. Your days of mourning will come to an end." Everlasting light! Wondrous secret of a nightless world!—the glories of a present God!—the everlasting light of the Three in One, quenching the radiance of all created orbs—superseding all material luminaries. "My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning!" The haven is nearing—star after star is quenched in more glorious effulgence—every bound over these dark waves is bringing you nearer the eternal shore. Will you not, then, humbly and patiently endure "weeping for the night," in the prospect of the "joy that comes in the morning?" Strange realities! a world without night—a heaven without a sun; and, greater wonder still, yourself in this world—a joyful citizen of this nightless, sinless, sorrowless, tearless Heaven!—basking underneath the Fountain of uncreated light! No exhaustion of glorified body and spirit to require repose; no lassitude or weariness to suspend the ever-deepening song—"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty—the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come."

A CROWN OF LIFE

"And when the Chief Shepherd comes, your reward will be a never-ending share in His glory and honor." 1 Peter 5:4

What! is the beggar to be "raised from the ash-heap, set among Princes, and made to inherit a throne of glory?" Is dust and ashes, a puny rebel, a guilty traitor—to be pitied, pardoned, loved, exalted from the depths of despair, raised to the heights of Heaven—gifted with kingly honor—royally fed—royally clothed—royally attended—and, at last, royally crowned? O my soul, look forward with joyous emotion to that day of wonders, when He whose head shall be crowned with many crowns, shall be the dispenser of royal diadems to His people; and when they shall begin the joyful ascription of all eternity, "Unto Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us Kings—to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."

Will you not be among the number? Shall the princes and monarchs of the earth wade through seas of blood for a corruptible crown; and will you permit yourself to lose the incorruptible diadem, or barter it for some perishable nothings of earth? Oh! that you would awake to your high destiny, and live up to your transcendent privileges as the citizen of a Kingly Commonwealth, a member of the blood-royal family of Heaven. What would you not sacrifice—what effort would you grudge, if you were included at last in the gracious benediction, "Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world?"

THE VISION AND FRUITION OF GOD

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, "Look, the home of God is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will remove all of their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its evils are gone forever." And the one sitting on the throne said, "Look, I am making all things new!" And then he said to me, "Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true." Revelation 21:3-5

Glorious consummation! All the other glories of Heaven are but emanations from this glory that excels. Here is the focus and center to which every ray of light converges. God is "all in all." Heaven without God!—it would send a thrill of dismay through the burning ranks of angels and archangels; it would dim every eye, and hush every harp, and change the whitest robe into sackcloth. And shall I then, indeed, "see God?" What! shall I gaze on these inscrutable glories, and live? Yes, God Himself shall be with them, and be their God; they shall "see His face!" And not only the vision, but the fruition. Oh! how does sin in my holiest moments damp the enjoyment of Him! It is the "pure in heart" alone who can "see," far more—who can "enjoy" God. Even if He did reveal Himself now, these eyes could never endure His intolerable brightness.

But then, with a heart purified from corruption—a world where the taint of sin and the power of temptation never enters—the soul again a bright mirror, reflecting the lost image of the Godhead—all the affections devoted to their original high destiny—the love of God the motive principle, the ruling passion—the glory of God the undivided object and aim—the will no opposing or antagonist bias—man will, for the first time, know all the blessedness of his chief end—"to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever!"

TELL ME THE OLD, OLD STORY

Tell me the old, old story of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love.
Tell me the story simply, as to a little child,
For I am weak and weary, and helpless and defiled.

Tell me the old, old story, tell me the old, old story,
Tell me the old, old story, of Jesus and His love.

Tell me the story slowly, that I may take it in,
That wonderful redemption, God’s remedy for sin.
Tell me the story often, for I forget so soon;
The early dew of morning has passed away at noon.

Tell me the story softly, with earnest tones and grave;
Remember I’m the sinner whom Jesus came to save.
Tell me the story always, if you would really be,
In any time of trouble, a comforter to me.

Tell me the same old story when you have cause to fear
That this world’s empty glory is costing me too dear.
Yes, and when that world’s glory is dawning on my soul,
Tell me the old, old story: “Christ Jesus makes thee whole.”

A Loving Purpose

"The Lord has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant." Psalm 35:27

What is "prosperity?" Is it threads of life weaved into a bright outcome? a full cup? ample riches? worldly applause? an unbroken circle? No, these are often a snare; received without gratitude; dimming the soul to its nobler destinies. Often spiritually it rather means God taking us by the hand into the lowly Valleys of Humiliation; leading us as He did his servant Job of old; out of his sheep, oxen, camels, health, wealth, children; in order that we may be brought before Him in the dust, and say, "Blessed be His holy name!"

 Yes! The very reverse of what is known in the world as Prosperity (generally) forms the background on which the Rainbow of Promise is seen. God smiles on us through these rainbows and teardrops of sorrows! He loves us too well. He has too great an interest in our spiritual welfare to permit us to live on in what is misnamed "Prosperity." When He sees duties languidly performed, or coldly neglected; the heart deadened, and love to Himself congealed by the absorbing power of the present world, He puts a thorn in our nest to drive us to the wing, and prevent our being grovelers forever!

 I may not be able now to understand the mystery of these dealings. I may be asking through the tears, "Why this unkind arrest on my earthly happiness? Why so premature a lopping of my boughs of promise? Such a speedy withering of my most cherished gourd?" The answer is plain. It is your soul’s prosperity He has in view. Believe it, your true Ebenezers will yet be raised close by your Zarephaths (the place of furnace).

 His afflictions are no arbitrary appointments. There is righteous necessity in all He does. As He lays His chastening hand upon you, and leads you by ways you know not, and which you never would have chosen. He whispers the gentle accents in your ear, "Beloved I wish above all things that you would prosper, and be in health."

 Rest in the quiet consciousness that all is well. Murmur at nothing which brings you nearer His own loving Presence. Be thankful for your very cares, because you can confidently cast them all upon Him. He has your temporal and eternal "prosperity" too much at heart to appoint one superfluous pang, one needless stroke. Commit therefore, all that concerns you to His keeping, and leave it there.

The Safe Refuge

"A man shall be a shelter from the wind; and a refuge from the storm; like streams of water in the desert; and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land." Isaiah 32:2

"A man!" This first word forms the key to the precious verse, It is "The man Christ Jesus!" And when and where is He thus revealed to His people as their hiding place and shelter? It is, as with Elijah of old, in the whirlwind and the storm! Amid the world's bright sunshine, in the tranquil skies, uninterrupted prosperity, they seek Him not! But when the clouds begin to gather, and the sun is swept from the firmament; when they have learned the insecurity of all earthly refuges, then the prayer ascends, "My heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I." The Earthquake, the Tempest, the Fire, and then "the still small voice!" Sorrowing believer, you have indeed a Sure Refuge; a Strong Tower which cannot be shaken! The world has its refuges too. But they cannot stand the day of trial. The wind passes over them and they are gone! But the louder the hurricane, the more will it endear to you the abiding Shelter; the deeper in the clefts of this ROCK, the safer you are.

 A Man! Delight often to dwell on the humanity of Jesus; you have a brother on the throne! a "living Kinsman," one who "knows your frame," and who, by the exquisite sympathies of His exalted human nature, can gauge, as none other can, the depths of your sorrow.

 An earthly friend comes to you in trial, he has never known bereavement, and therefore can not enter into your woe. Another comes; he has been again and again in the furnace; his heart has been touched tenderly as your own; he can feelingly sympathize with you. It is so with Jesus. As man, He has passed through every experience of suffering. He has Himself known the storm from which He offers you shelter. He is the ROCK, yet "a Man!" "Mighty to save;" yet mighty to compassionate! "Emmanuel, God with us!" He is like the rainbow in the material heavens, which, while its summit is in the clouds, each base of its arc rests on earth; or like the oak which, while it can wrestle with the tempest, yet invites the most feeble bird to fold its wing on its branches!

 Mourner! Go sit under your "Beloved's shadow with great delight." Hide in His wounded side! The hand which pierced you is ordering your trials; He who roused the storm is the hiding place from it; and as you journey on, gloomy clouds mustering around you, let this bright rainbow of comfort ever arrest your drooping eye; "For this reason He had to be made like His brothers in every way... since He Himself has gone through suffering and temptation, He is able to help us when we are being tempted."

The Reason for Chastisement

"Whom the Lord loves He chastens." Hebrews 12:6

What! God loves me when He is discharging His quiver upon me! emptying me from vessel to vessel! causing the sun of my earthly joys to set in clouds? Yes! O afflicted, tossed with tempest; He chastens you because He loves you! This trial comes from His own tender, loving hand; His own tender, unchanging heart!

 Are you laid on a sickbed; are sorrowful months and wearisome nights appointed unto you? Let this be the pillow on which your aching head reclines. It is because He loves me!

Is it bereavement that has swept your heart and desolated your dwelling? He appointed that chamber of death, because He loves you! As it is the suffering child of the family which claims a mother's deepest affections and most tender solicitude, so have you at this moment embarked on your side the most tender love and solicitude of a heavenly Father. He loved you into this sorrow, and will love you through it. There is nothing capricious in His dealings. LOVE is the reason of all He does. There is no drop of wrath in that cup you are called to drink. "I do believe," says one, "He has purchased these afflictions for us, as well as everything else. Blessed be His name, it is part of His covenant to visit us with the rod." What says our adorable Lord himself? The words were spoken, not when He was on earth, a sojourner in a sorrowing world, but when enthroned amid the glories of heaven. "As many as I love I rebuke and chasten." (Revelation 3:19)

 Believer! rejoice in the thought that the rod, the chastening rod, is in the hands of the living, loving Savior, who died for you! Tribulation is the King's Highway and yet that highway is paved with love. As some flowers before shedding their fragrance require to be crushed, so does your God think it suitable to bruise you. As some birds are said to sing their sweetest notes when the thorn pierces their bosom, so does He appoint affliction to lacerate, that you may be driven to the wing, singing, in your upward soaring, "My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed!"

Be it ours to say, "Lord, I will love You not only despite Your rod, but because of your rod." I will rush into the very arms that are chastening me!

mmutability

"I the Lord change not; therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed." Malachi 3:6

The Unchangeableness of God. What an anchor for a storm tossed sea! "Change is our portion here!" Scenes are altering. Joys are fading. Friends! some of them are removed at a distance; others have gone to their 'long home'. Who, amid these checkered experiences, does not sigh for something permanent, stable, enduring? The vessel has again and again slipped its earthly moorings. We long for some secure and sheltered harbor.

 "I change not!" Heart and flesh may faint; yes, do faint and fail but there is an unfainting, unfailing, unvarying God. All the changes in the world around cannot affect Him. Our own fitfulness cannot alter Him. When we are depressed, downcast, fluctuating, our treacherous hearts turning aside "like a broken bow," He is without one "shadow of turning." "God who cannot lie," is the superscription on His eternal throne; and inscribed on all His dealings.

 "I change not!" Precious name! It forms a blessed guarantee that nothing can befall me but what is for my good. I cannot doubt His faithfulness. I dare not arraign the rectitude of His dispensations. It is covenant love which is now darkening my earthly horizon. This hour He is the same as when He "spared not His own Son!" Oh, instead of wondering at my trials, let me rather wonder that He has borne with me so long. It is of the Lord's unchanging mercies that I am not consumed. Had He been man, changeful, vacillating, as myself, long before now would He have spurned me away, and consigned me to the doom of the cumberer. But, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord." He is without any variableness.
 

Divine Sympathy

"I know their sorrows." Exodus 3:7

Man cannot say so. There are many sensitive fibers in the soul the best and most tender human sympathy cannot touch. But the Prince of Sufferers, He who led the way in the path of sorrow, "knows our frame." When crushing bereavement lies like ice on the heart, when the dearest earthly friend cannot enter into the peculiarities of our grief, Jesus can, Jesus does! He who once bore my sins also carried my sorrows.

 That eye, now on the throne, was once dim with weeping! I can think in all my afflictions, "He was afflicted," in all my tears, "Jesus wept."

"I know their sorrows!" He may seem at times thus to forget and forsake us; leaving us to utter the plaintive cry, "Has God forgotten to be gracious," when all the while He is bending over us in the most tender love. He often allows our needs to attain their extremity, that He may stretch forth His succoring hand, and reveal the plenitude of His Grace! "The Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy."

 And "knowing" our sorrows, is a guarantee that none will be sent but what He sees to be needful. "I will not," says He, "make a full end of you, but I will correct you in measure." (Jer. 30:11) All He sends is precisely meted out; wisely apportioned. There is nothing accidental or fortuitous; no unneeded thorn; no superfluous pang. He "puts our tears in a bottle." (Psalm 61:8) Each one is counted, drop by drop, tear by tear, they are sacred things among the treasures of God! Suffering believer, the iron may have entered deeply into your soul; yet rejoice! Great is your honor; you are partaker with Christ in His sufferings. Jesus a sorrowing, sympathizing Jesus, "knows" your aching pangs and burning tears, and He will "come down to deliver you!"
 

A Gracious Condition

"If need be." 1 Peter 1:6

What a blessed motto and superscription over the dark lintels of sorrow! "If need be!" Every sharp arrow from the quiver of God is feathered with it! Write it, child of affliction, over every trial your God sees fit to send! If He calls you down from the sunny mountain heights to the dark glades, hear Him saying, "There is a need be." If He has dashed the cup of prosperity from your lips, curtailed your creature comforts, diminished your "basket and your store," hear Him saying, "There is a need be." If He has ploughed and furrowed your soul with severe bereavement; extinguished light after light in your dwelling; hear Him therefore stilling the tumult of your grief "there is a need be." Yes! believe it, there is some profound reason for your trial, which at present may be indiscernible. No furnace will be hotter than He sees to be needed.

Sometimes indeed, His teachings are mysterious. We can with difficulty spell out the letters, "God is love!" We can see no "bright light," in "our cloud." It is all mystery; not one break is there in the sky! No! "Hear what God the Lord speaks." "If need be."

 He does not long leave His people alone, if He sees the chariot wheels dragging heavily. He will take His own means to sever them from an absorbing love of the world; to pursue them out of self; and dislodge usurping clay idols that may have vaulted on the throne which He alone may occupy. Before your present trial He may have seen your love waxing cold, or your influence for good lessening. As the sun puts out the fire, the sun of earthly prosperity may have been extinguishing the fires of your soul. You may have been shining less brightly for Christ, effecting some guilty compromise with an insinuating and seductive world. He has appointed the very discipline and dealing needful; nothing less could have done!

 Be still, and know that He is God! That "need be," remember, is in the hands of Infinite Love, Infinite Wisdom, Infinite Power. Trust Him in little things as well as great things, in trifles as well as emergencies.

 Seek to have unquestioning faith. Though other paths, doubtless, would have been selected by you had the choice been in your hands, be it yours to listen to His voice at every turn in the road, saying, "This is the way, walk in it." We may not be able to understand it now, but one day we shall come to find, that AFFLICTION is one of God's blessed angels; a ministering spirit, "sent forth to minister to those who are heirs of salvation." Lovelier, indeed, to the eye, is the azure blue; the fleecy summer vapors, or gold and vermilion of western sunsets. But what would become of the earth if no dark clouds from time to time hung over it; distilling their treasures, reviving and refreshing its drooping vegetable tribes?

 Is it otherwise with the soul? No. The cloud of sorrow is needed. Its every raindrop has an inner meaning of LOVE! If, even now, afflicted one, these clouds are gathering, and the tempest sighing, lift up your eye to the divine scroll gleaming in the darkened heavens, and remember that He who has put the Rainbow of promise there, saw also a "need be" for the cloud on which it rests!

Presence and Rest

"My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest." Exodus 33:14

Moses asked to be shown "the way." Here is the answer: The way is not shown; but better than this, God says, "Trust Me, I will go with you!" Afflicted one! hear the voice addressing you from the cloudy pillar. It is a wilderness promise which "the God of Jeshurun" speaks to His spiritual Israel still. He who led His people of old "like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron," will manifest towards you the same Shepherd love. The way may be very different from what we could have wished; what we would have chosen. But the choice is in better hands. He had His own wise and righteous ends in every devious turning in it.

 Who can look back on the past leadings of God without gratitude and thankfulness? When His sheep have been conducted to the rougher parts of the wilderness, He, their Shepherd, has "gone before them. When their fleece was torn, and footsore and weary, He has borne them in His arms. His presence has lightened every cross and sweetened every care. Let us trust Him for an unknown and checkered future. Other companionships we cherished may have failed us, but One who is better than the best, goes before us in His gracious pillar cloud. With Him for our portion, take what He will away, we must be happy; we can rise above the loss of the earthly gift, in the consciousness of the nobler possession and heritage we enjoy in the Great Bestower. He may have seen fit to level clay idols, that He, the All Satisfying might reign paramount and supreme. He may have seen to take earthly "presences" away, to give us to breathe more earnestly the prayer "If YOUR presence go not with us, carry us not hence." He will not allow us to rear havens on earth, and to write upon them, "This is my rest." No- 'tenting time' here; resting time yonder! But "Fear not," He seems to say "You are not left without a friend or without solace on the way Pilgrim in a pilgrim land! 'My presence shall go with you.' In all your dark and cloudy days; in your hours of faintness and depression; in sadness; in life and in death! And when the journey is ended, the Pillar needed no more, 'I will give you rest'."

 The pledge of Grace will be followed with the fruition of Glory!

The Giver and the Taker

"The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." Job1:21

Noble posture this; to kneel and to adore! To see no hand but ONE! Sabeans; Fire; Whirlwind; Sword; are all overlooked. The Patriarch recognizes alone "The Lord" who gave and "The Lord" who has taken. What is the cause of so much depression, needless sorrow, ungospel murmuring in our hours of trial? It was what Rutherford calls "our looking to the confused rollings of the wheels of second causes;" a refusal to rise to "the height of the great argument," and confidently to say, "The will of the Lord be done!" a refusal to hear His voice; His own loving voice, mingling with the accents of the rudest storm; "It is I!" "Is there evil in the city, and the Lord has not done it?" Is there a bitter drop in the cup, and the Lord has not mingled it? He loves His people too well to intrust their interest to any other. We are but clay in the hand of the Potter; vessels in the hand of the Refiner of silver. He metes out our portion. He appoints the bounds of our habitation. "The Lord God prepared the gourd." "The Lord God prepared the worm." He is the Author alike of mercies and sorrows, of comforts and crosses. He breathes into our nostrils the breath of life; and it is at His summons the spirit returns "to the God who gave it!"

 Oh, that we would seek to regard our own lives and the lives of those dear to us as a loan. God, as the Great Proprietor, Who, when He sees fit, can revoke the grant or curtail the lease He gave! All mercies by Him bestowed; by Him continued; by Him withheld.

 And how often does He take away, that He may Himself enter the vacuum of the heart and fill it with His own ineffable presence and love! No loss can compensate for the lack of Him, but He can compensate for all losses. Let us trust His love and faithfulness as a taking as well as a giving God. Often are Sense and Sight tempted to say, "Not so, Lord!" But Faith, resting on the promise, can exult in this Rainbow spanning the darkest cloud, "Even so, Father, for it seems good in your sight!"
 

Deliverance in Trouble

"Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will glorify Me." Psalm 50:15

How varied are our days of trouble! Sickness, with its hours of restlessness and languor. Bereavement, with its rifled treasures and aching hearts. Loss of substance; the curtailment or forfeiture of worldly possessions; riches taking to themselves wings and fleeing away; or, severer than all, the wounds from friends; abused confidence; withered affections; hopes scattered like the leaves of autumn!

 But "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Tried one! He leaves not your defenseless head unsheltered in the storm. "Call upon Me!" He invites you into the pavilion of His presence! Better the bitter Marah waters with His healing, than the purest fountain of the world, and no God! Better the hottest furnace flames with one there "like the Son of God," than that the dross should be allowed to accumulate, and the soul left to cleave to the dust! He, "the purifier of silver," is seated by these flames, tempering their fury! Yes, He gives the special promise, "I will deliver you." It may not be the deliverance we expect; the deliverance we have prayed for; the deliverance we could have wished. But shall not the most severe trial be well worth enduring, if this be the result of His chastening love; "You will glorify Me." "Glorify Him!" How? By a simple unreasoning faith; by meek, lowly, unmurmuring acquiescence in His dealing; these dealings endearing the Savior and His grace more than ever to our hearts.

 The day of trouble led His saints in all ages to glorify Him. David never could have written his touching Psalms, nor Paul his precious epistles, had not God cast them both into the crucible. To be teachers of the Church of the future, they had to graduate in the school of affliction. If He is appointing similar discipline, let it be our endeavor to glorify Him by active obedience, as well as passive resignation; not abandoning ourselves to selfish, moody, sentimental grief; but rather going forth on our great mission; our work and warfare; with a vaster estimate of the value of time, and the grandeur of existence. "Give glory to the Lord your God before He cause darkness; and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains; and, while you look for light, He turned it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness!"

Pitying Love

"Like as a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him." Psalm 103:13

"Abba, Father!" is a Gospel word. A father bending over the sick bed of his weak or dying child; a mother pressing, in tender solitude, an infant sufferer to her bosom. These are the earthly pictures of God. "As a father pities." "As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you!"

 When tempted in our season of overwhelming sorrow to say, "Never has there been so dark a cloud, never a heart so stripped and desolate as mine," let this thought hush every murmur, "It is your Father's good pleasure!" The love and pity of the most tender parent is but a dim shadow compared to the pitying love of God. If your heavenly Father's smile has for a moment been exchanged for the chastening rod; be assured there is some deep necessity for the altered discipline. If there be unutterable yearnings in the soul of the earthly parent as the lancet is applied to the body of his child; infinitely more is it so with your covenant God as He subjects you to those deep wounds of heart! Finite wisdom has no place in His ordinations. An earthly father may err; is ever erring; but "as for God His way is perfect." This is the explanation of His every dealing: "Your heavenly Father knows you have need of all these things!"

 Trust His heart when you cannot trace His ways. Do not try to penetrate the cloud which "He brings over the earth," and to look through it. Keep your eye steadily fixed on the rainbow. The mystery is God's, the promise is yours. Seek that the end of all His dispensations may be to make you more confiding. Without one misgiving commit your way to Him. He says regarding each child of His covenant family, what He said of Ephraim of old (and never more so than in a season of suffering) "I do earnestly remember him still." While now bending your head like a bulrush; your heart breaking with sorrow; remember His pitying eye is upon you. Be it yours, even through blinding tears, to say, "Even so Father!"
 

The Blessed Hope

"That blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and Savior Jesus Christ."  Titus 2:1

What a bright rainbow for a stormed-wreathed sky! Hope is a joyous emotion! Poetry sings of it; music warbles its lofty aspirations; but alas! how often does it weave fantastic visions then vanish! "In the morning" the flowers of life are flourishing and growing up; "in the evening" a mysterious blight comes; they lie withered garlands at our feet! The longing apparitions of the whole life seem realized; one wave of calamity overtakes us, and washes all away!

 But, there is one "blessed hope" beyond the possibility of blight or decay; "The hope of the glory of God," the "Hope which makes not ashamed;" "the glorious appearing of the great God and Savior!"

 If we long on earth for the return of an absent friend or brother, separated from us for a season, by intervening oceans or continent; if we count the weeks or months until we welcome him back again to the parental home, how should the Christian long for the return of the "Brother of brothers," the Friend of friends: "I will come again," is His own gracious promise, "To receive you unto Myself!" Oh happy day! when He shall be "glorified in His saints;" when His people will suffer no more, and sin no more. No more couches of sickness, or aching hearts; or fevered brows; no more opened graves, or bitter tears; and, better than all, no more guilty estrangements and traitorous unholy hearts! It will be the bridal day of the soul. The body slumbering in the dust will be reunited a glorified body to a redeemed spirit. The grave shall be forever spoiled; death swallowed up in eternal victory. "So shall we be forever with the Lord."

 Reader, do you "love His appearing?" Are you looking with eager expectant attitude of those who are "looking for, and hastening unto the coming of God." "Yet a little while, and He that shall come, will come!" If you are a child of the covenant, having conscious filial nearness to the Throne of grace, you need not dread the Throne of glory! True, He is the "great God," but He is "our Savior." It is a "Kinsman Redeemer" who is ordained to "judge the world in righteousness." Yes! turn your eye oftener towards this bright Rainbow spanning a glorious future; for remember, it is "to them who look for Him," that He shall "appear the second time without sin unto salvation!"

A Gracious Removal

"The righteous is taken away from the evil to come. He shall enter into peace! They shall rest in their beds." Isaiah 57:1-3

How this thought reconciles to earth's saddest separations! The early (what we are apt to think the too early) graves of our "loved and lost," have saved them from much sorrow, much suffering, much sin! Who can tell what may have been brooding in a dark horizon? The fairest vessel; the life freighted with the greatest promise; might have been made shipwreck on this world"s treacherous sea. My God knows what is best. If He plucked His lily soon, it was to save it some rough blast. If He early folded His lamb, it was to save it having its fleece soiled with earthly corruption. If the port of glory was soon entered, it was because He foresaw the threatening tempests that screened from our limited vision; "So He brought them to the haven where they would be!"

 Yes! the quiet haven! The storms of life are over! That shore is undisturbed by one murmuring wave. "He shall enter into peace!" the rest which "remains!" Did the ransomed dead, at the hour of their departure, sink into blank oblivion; inherit everlasting silence, sad indeed would be the pangs of separation. But, "weep not, she is not dead, but sleeps." Yes! weep not! She is not dead but lives! At the very moment earth's tears are falling, the spirit is sunning in the realms of everlasting day, safely housed, safely home! The body "rests in its bed." The grave is its couch of repose! We bid it the long "good night" in the joyful expectancy of a glorious reunion at the waking time of immortality; the "morning without clouds," whose "sun shall no more go down."

 Child of sorrow! mourning over the withdrawal of some beloved object of earthly affection. Dry your tears. An early death has been an early crown! The tie sundered here links you to the throne of God. You have a brother, sister, a child in heaven! You are the relatives of a ransomed saint! We are proud when we hear of our friends being "advanced" in this world. What are the world's noblest promotions in comparison with that of the believer at death, when he graduates from grace to glory? When he exchanges the pilgrim warfare for eternal rest?

 Often, in your hours of sadness, contrast the certainty of present bliss, with the possibilities of a suffering, sorrowing, sinning future; the joys in possession, with the evils which might have been in life. You may now, like the Shunnamite of old, be gazing with tearful eye on some withered blossom, but when the question is put, "Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?" in the elevating confidence that they have "entered into peace," and are "resting in their beds," be it yours joyfully to answer, "It is well."

Unveiled Mysteries

"You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." John 13:7

Much is baffling and perplexing to us in God's present dealings. "What!" we are often ready to exclaim, "could not the cup have been less bitter; the trial less severe; the road less dreary?" "Hush your misgivings," says a gracious God; "arraign not the rectitude of My dispensations. You shall yet see all revealed and made bright in the mirror of eternity!"

 "What I am doing" -it is all my doing, my appointment. You have partial view of these dealings; they are seen by the eye of sense through a dim and distorted medium. You can see nothing but plans crossed, and gourds laid low, and "beautiful rods" broken. But I see the end from the beginning. "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?"

 "Later you will understand!" Wait for the "later" revelation! An earthly father puzzles not the ear of infancy with hard sayings and involved problems. He waits for the manhood of being and then unfolds all. So it is with God! We are now in our infancy; children lisping in earthly infancy a knowledge of His ways. We shall learn the "deep things of God." in the manhood of eternity! Christ now often shows himself only "behind the lattice," a glimpse and He is gone! But the day is coming when we shall "see Him as He is!" when every dark hieroglyphic in the Roll of Providence will be interpreted and expounded! It is unfair to criticize the half finished picture; to censure or condemn the half developed plan. God's plans are here in embryo. "We see," says Rutherford, "the broken links in the chain of His providence. Let the Molder work his own clay in whatever frame He pleases." But a flood of light will break upon us from the sapphire throne; "In your light, O God! we shall see light." The "need be," muffled as a secret now, will be confided to us then, and become luminous with love.

 Perhaps we may not have to wait until eternity for the realization of this promise. We may experience its fulfillment here. We not infrequently find, even in this present world, mysterious dispensations issuing in unlooked for blessings. Jacob would never have seen Joseph had he not parted with Benjamin. Often would the believer never would have seen the true Joseph had he not been called on to part with his best beloved! His language at the time is that of the patriarch "I am indeed bereaved!" "All these things are against me!" But the things he imagined to be so adverse, have proved the means of leading him to see the heavenly king "in His beauty" before he dies. Much is sent to "humble us and to prove us." It may not do us good now, but it is promised to do so "at our latter end."

 I shall not dictate to my God what His way should be. The patient does not dictate to the physician. He does not reject and refuse the prescription because it is nauseous; he knows it is for his good, and takes it on trust. It is for faith to repose in whatever God appoints. Let me not wrong His love or dishonor His faithfulness by supposing that there is one needless or redundant drop in the cup which His loving wisdom has mingled. "Now we know in part, but THEN shall we know even as also we are known!"
 

The Choosing Place

"I have chosen you in the furnace of affliction." Isaiah 48:10

The Furnace of Affliction! It is God's meeting place with His people. "I have chosen you," says He, "in the furnace of affliction. I will keep you there, until the purifying process is complete; and if need be, in a 'chariot of fire' I will carry you to heaven!" Some fires are for destruction, but this is for purification. He, the Refiner, is sitting by the furnace regulating the flames, tempering the heat; not the least filing of the gold but what is precious to Him! The bush is burning with fire, but He is in the middle of it; a living God in a bush; a living Savior in the furnace! And has this not been the method of His dealing with His faithful people in every age. First, trial; then blessing. First, difficulties; then, deliverances. Egyptian plagues– darkness, brick kilns, the Red Sea, forty years of desert privations; then Canaan! First, the burning fiery furnace; then the vision of "one like the Son of God!" Or, as with Elijah on Carmel, the answer is first by fire, and then by rain. First, the fiery trial, then the gentle descent of the Spirit's influences, coming down like "rain upon the mown grass, and as showers that water the earth."

 Believer! be it yours to ask, "are my trials sanctified?" Are they making me holier, purer, better, more meek, more gentle, more heavenly minded, more Savior like? Seek to "glorify God in the fires." Patience is a grace which the angels cannot manifest. It is a flower of earth; it blooms not in Paradise; it requires tribulation for its exercise; it is nurtured only amid wind, and hail, and storm. By patient, unmurmuring submission, remember, you, a poor sinner, can thus magnify God in a way the loftiest angelic natures cannot do! He is taking you to the inner chambers of His covenant faithfulness. His design is to purge away your dross, to bring you forth from the furnace reflecting His own image, and fitted for glory! Those intended for great usefulness are much in the refining pot. "His children," says Romaine, "have found suffering times happy times. They never have such nearness to their Father, such holy freedom with Him, and such heavenly refreshment with Him, as under the cross!" Beloved! "think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you . . . but rejoice!"

Mourning Ended

"The days of your mourning shall be ended." Isaiah 9:20

The believer has "mourning days." The place of his sojourn is a valley of tears. Adam went weeping from his paradise, we go weeping on the way to ours. But, pilgrim of grief! your tears are numbered. A few more aching sighs; a few more gloomy clouds; and the eternal sun shall burst on you, whose radiance shall never more be obscured! Life may be to you one long "Valley of Baca" a protracted scene of "weeping!" but soon shall you hear the sweet chimes wafted from the towers of the new Jerusalem, "Enter in to the joy of your Lord!" "The Lord God shall wipe away all tears from off all faces!"

 "The days of your mourning!" It is a consoling thought that all these days are appointed; meted out; numbered. "Unto you it is given," says the apostle, "to suffer!" Yes! and if you are a child of the covenant, your mourning days are days of special privilege, intended to be fraught with blessing. To the unbeliever, they are pledges of everlasting woe; to the believer, they are preludes and precursors of eternal glory! Affliction to the one is the cloud without the Rainbow, to the other, it is the cloud radiant and lustrous with gospel promise and gospel hope!

 Reader! are you now one of the many members of the family of sorrow? Be comforted! Soon the long night-watch will be over; pain, sickness, weakness, weariness. Soon the windows of the soul will be no more darkened. Soon you shall have nothing to be delivered from, your present losses and crosses will turn into eternal gains, the dews of the night weeping, (nature's tear-drops) will come to sparkle like beautiful gems in the morning of immortality! Soon the Master's footsteps will be heard, saying, "The days of your mourning are ended," and you shall take off your sackcloth, and be girded with gladness.

 Up to that moment, your life may have been one long DAY of mourning! but once past the golden portals, and the eye can be dim no more; the very fountain of weeping will be dried! The period of your mourning is counted by DAYS of your eternal rejoicing by eras and cycles! "Why are you then cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? hope in God!" I will gaze through my tears on this celestial rainbow, and sing this "song in the night," which the God, Who is to wipe my tears away, has put into my lips: "And there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying; neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away!"

The Abiding Friend

"I will never leave you, nor forsake you." Hebrews 13:5

No human friend can say so. The closest and dearest of earthly links may be broken, yes! have been broken. Distance may part, time estrange, and the grave separate. Loving earthly looks may only greet you now in mute smiles from the portrait on the wall. But here is an unfainting, unvarying, unfailing Friend. Sorrowing one! amid the wreck of earthly joys which you may be even bewailing, here is a message sent from your God, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you!" Your gourd has withered, but He who gave it you remains! Surrender yourself to His disposal. He wishes to show you His present sufficiency for your happiness. As often your heart in silence and sadness weaves its plaintive lament, "Joseph is not, and Simeon is not!" think of Him who has promised to set "the solitary in families" (Psalm 68:6) and to "give unto them a name and a place better than of sons or of daughters!" Alone! you are not alone! Turn in self-oblivion to Jesus. It is not, it cannot be "night," if He, "the Sun of your soul," be ever near! In the morning, He comes with the earliest beam that visits your chamber. When the curtains of night close around you, He, to whom "the darkness and the light are both alike," is at your side! In the stillness of night, when in your wakeful moments, the visions of the departed flit before you like shadows on the wall, He, the sleepless Shepherd of Israel, is tending your couch, and whispering in your ear, "Fear not, for I am with you!"

 Your experience may be that of Paul, "All forsook me!" But, like him, also, you will doubtless, be able to add in the extremity of your sorrow, "Nevertheless, The Lord stood with me, and strengthened me!" He can compensate by His own loving presence, for every earthly loss. Without the consciousness of His friendship and love, the smallest trial will crush you. With Him in your trial, supporting and sustaining you under it, (yes, coming in the place of those you mourn), you will have an infinite and inexhaustible portion, in the place of a finite and mutable one. Many a cloud is there without a Rainbow in Nature; but never in Grace. Every sorrow has its corresponding and counterpart Comfort. "In the multitude of the sorrows that I had in my heart, your comforts have refreshed my soul" (Psalm 94:19). If in the midnight of your grief your earthly sun appears to have set forever, an inner, but not less real sunshine, lights up your stricken heart. The stream of life may have been poisoned at its source, but blessed be His name if it has driven you to say, "All my springs are in YOU!" "The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore will I hope in Him!"

Unwilling Discipline

"He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men." Lamentations 3:33

In our seasons of trial, when under some inscrutable dispensation, how apt is the murmuring thought to rise in our hearts; "All these things are against me!" Might not this overwhelming blow have been spared? Might not this dark cloud which has shadowed my heart and my home with sadness, have been averted? Might not the accompaniments of my trial have been less severe, "Surely the Lord has forgotten to be gracious." No, these afflictions are errands of mercy in disguise! "He afflicts not willingly." There is nothing capricious or arbitrary about your God's dealings. Unutterable tenderness is the character of all His allotments! The world may wound by unkindness; trusted friends may become treacherous; a brother may speak with unnecessary harshness and severity; but the Lord is "abundant in goodness and in truth." He appoints no needless pang. When he appears like Joseph to "speak roughly," there are gentle undertones of love. The stern accents are assumed, because He has precious lessons that could not otherwise have been taught!

 Ah! be assured there is some deep necessity in all He does. In our calendars of sorrow, we may put this luminous mark against every trying hour, "It was needed!" Some unfruitful branch in the tree required pruning. Some wheat required to be cast overboard to lighten the ship and avert further disaster. Mourning one! He might have dealt far otherwise with you! He might have cut you down as a fruitless, worthless cumberer! He might have abandoned you to drift, disowned and unpiloted on the rocks of destruction. Joined to your idols, He might have left you "alone" to settle on your lees, and forfeit your eternal bliss! But He loved you better. It was kindness, which blighted your fairest blossoms, and hedged up your way with thorns. "Without this hedge of thorns," says Baxter, "on the right hand and on the left, we would hardly be able to keep the way to heaven."

 We, in our blind unbelief, may speak of trials we imagine might have been spared, chastisements that are unnecessarily severe. But the day is coming when every step of the Lord's procedure will be vindicated; when we shall own and recognize each separate experience of sorrow to have been an unspeakably precious and important period in the history of the soul. Yes! child of God. The messenger of affliction has an olive-branch in one hand, a love-token plucked from the bowers of paradise; and in the other, a chalice mingled by One too loving and gracious to insert one needless ingredient of sorrow! Remember, every drop of wrath in that cup was exhausted by a surety-Savior. In taking it into your hand, be it yours to extract support and consolation from what so mightily sustained a greater Sufferer in a more awful hour, "This cup which YOU give me to drink, shall I not drink it?"

Death Vanquished

"I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." Rev. 1:18

An enthroned Savior speaks! "I am the Living One". Others have passed away, but I ever live, and ever love! I am now living! A personal Savior; "Christ your life!" Are you stooping over some treasured house of clay which the whirlwind has made a mass of ruins? I roused the whirlwind from its chamber. I appointed the startling dispensation. I ordered the shroud, and prepared the grave! Let not "accident," "chance," or "fate," enter into the vocabulary of your sorrow. I am the Lord of death as well as of life. I have the keys of "Hell and of the grave" suspended at my belt. The tomb is never unlocked but by Me. Let others talk of the might of the King of Terrors. He has no might but by my permission.

 More than this, mourning one! I was "DEAD." I myself once entered that gloomy portico! I sanctified and consecrated it by my presence! I was a tenant of the tomb. This now glorified body was once laid by human hands in a borrowed grave! Can you dread to walk the Valley trodden by your Lord?; to encounter the "last enemy," which He fought and conquered. Death! It has been converted by Him into a "parenthesis in endless life."

 "I am He that was DEAD"; "I Am He who lives." What more could the Christian desire than this twofold assurance? On the Day of Atonement of old, the blood was sprinkled alike on the mercy seat; the voice of blood arose from the floor below, and the mercy seat above. So it is with the voice of our Elder Brother's blood. It cried first from earth beneath and now from Heaven. His dying love, is now ever living, imperishable and immutable as His own being!

 As the Rainbow in the material firmament can never cease to appear, so long as the present laws of nature continue, and there is a sun in the heavens; so the Rainbow of the Everlasting Covenant, and all its blessings, can only fail when Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, ceases to shine, and ceases to be! With such a Rainbow over-arching the future, one limb resting amid the cloud-lands of life, the other melting its hues into the deeper shadows of the Valley of Death, "I will fear no evil, for You, O SAVIOR GOD, are with me, your rod and your staff they comfort me."

The Greatest Gift

"Since God did not spare even His own Son but gave Him up for us all, won't God, who gave us Christ, also give us all things?" Romans 8:32

These are amazing words! God; the Infinite, God; identifying Himself (so to speak) with the experiences of human sorrow; silencing every murmur with the unanswerable argument "I spared not my own Son. I gave my greatest gift for you; will you not cheerfully surrender your best to Me? Can you refuse after this unspeakable gift of My love, to trust Me in lesser things? The greater gift may surely well be a pledge for the bestowment of all needed subordinate good!"

 He promised to give "all things"; these "all things" are in His hand. They will be selected and allotted by His loving wisdom; crosses as well as comforts; sorrows and tears, as well as smiles and joys. Mourning one, this very trial which now dims your eye, is one of these "all things." Trust His faithfulness. He would as soon wound the Son of His love as wound you!

 "Won't God, who gave us Christ, also give us all things?" There is a "blessed impossibility," after the bestowment of the Gift of Gifts, that He will inflict one unnecessary trial, or withhold one needed benefit. Think of His love when He offered His Isaac on the altar. It is the same at this hour infinite and immutable. Yes! We may well be reconciled, even to the denial of earthly blessedness, because ordered by Him who gave Jesus! Lying meekly in the arms of His mercy, be it ours to say in filial confidence, "Lord, anything with Your love; anything but Your frown!"

 "All things." The whole range of human needs and necessities is known to Him. The care He invites me to cast upon Him is "all my care"; the need "all my need!" This is His own special promise. "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work." (2 Corinthians 9:8) He will give me nothing and deny me nothing, but what is for my good. Let me not question the appointments of infinite wisdom. Let me not wound Him by one dishonoring doubt. Let me lean upon Him in little things as well as in great things. After the pledge of His love in Jesus, nothing can come wrong that comes from His hands! If tempted at times to harbor some unkind misgivings, let the sight of the cross dispel it. Looking to the Rainbow in the cloud gleaming with the words, "He loved me, and gave Himself for me!" be it mine to say:

Lord, though You bend my spirit low,
Love only will I see;
The very hand that strikes the blow,
Was wounded once for me.
 

Sleeping and Waking

"Those also who sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him." 1 Thessalonians 4:14

Or, as these words have been rendered: "Those who are laid asleep in Jesus." We bid an earthly friend "Good night" in the pleasing expectation of meeting next morning. The saints are "laid asleep" in the grave of Jesus, in the sure and certain hope of meeting Him in the morning of immortality!

 Child of God! weep not for those who have "departed to be with Christ." It is with them "far better." Do not think of them "gone." That is a word taken from the vocabulary of death, and which, it is to be feared, is often employed with many in the heathen sense of annihilation. Seek not "the living among the dead." Think rather that the last sigh was scarce over on earth, when the song was begun in Heaven! The Spirit winged its arrow-like flight among ministering seraphim. Hear that voice stealing down in the soft whisper of Heaven's music, and saying, "if you loved me you would rejoice, because I said, I go unto my Father!"

 The body, the casket of this immortal jewel– the soul, is left for a season to the dishonors of the tomb. But it is only for a brief "night-watch." That dust is precious, because redeemed. Body as well as soul was purchased by the life-blood of Emmanuel. Angels guard these slumbering ashes; and the day is coming when God shall "send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of Heaven to the other." Oh, if there be "joy among the angels of God over one sinner who repents," what shall be the joy of those blessed beings over the myriads of rising dead, hastening at their summons to their crowns and thrones!

 Christian mourner! "Your brother shall rise again." Wish him not back amid the storms of the wilderness. Be thankful rather that the wheat is no longer out in the tempest and rain; but safely garnered, eternally housed. Would you, if you could, weep that blessed one back from glory? Would you ask him to unlearn Heaven's language and be once more involved in the dust of battle? No, rather "rejoice in hope of the glory of God." Death is not an eternal sleep. "Yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry." Jesus is now whispering in your ear the glorious secret hidden from ages and generations, and which was left to Him, as "the Abolisher of Death," to disclose: "Your dead shall live; together with My dead body shall they arise." He is pointing you onward to that hour of jubilee, when the summons shall be addressed to all His sleeping saints: "Awake and sing, you that dwell in dust!"

 Oh happy day! when I shall see my Savior God in all the glories of His exalted Humanity; and with Him, the once "loved and lost," now the loved and glorified, never to be lost again! "The Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with you." Not one shall be wanting. In concert with those whose tongues are now silent on earth, we shall then unite in the lofty anthem, sung by the ingathered Church triumphant, "O death, where is your sting! O grave, where is your victory! Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through the Lord Jesus Christ."

Invisible Harmonies

"We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to them who are  called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

We are apt to, "limit the Holy One of Israel", and to say, "Some things have worked together for our good." God says, "All things!" Joys, sorrows, crosses, prosperity, health, sickness; the gourd bestowed, and the gourd withered; the cup full, and the cup emptied; the lingering sick-bed, the early grave! Often, indeed, would sight and sense lead us to doubt the reality of the promise. We can see, in many things, scarce a dim reflection of His love. Useful lives taken; blossoms permanently plucked; spiritual props removed; benevolent schemes blown up. But the apostle does not say, "We see," but "We know." It is the province of faith to trust God in the dark. The uninitiated and undiscerning can not understand or explain the revolutions and dependencies of the varied wheels in a complicated machine; but they have confidence in the wisdom of the Engineer, that all is designed to "work out" some great useful end. Be it ours to write over the mysterious dealing, "This also comes from the Lord of Hosts, who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in working." Let us "be still and know that He is God." "We have a wonderful advertisement of a Physician from the Spirit of Truth," says one, "who heals all your diseases. He requires but one thing, to take all He has prescribed, bitter as well as sweet!" He will yet vindicate His own rectitude and faithfulness in our trials; our own souls will be made better for them; He himself will be glorified in them. "Doubt not my love," He seems to say, "the day is coming when you shall have all mysteries explained, all secrets unraveled, and this very trial demonstrated to be one of the 'all things' working together for your good. Men see not the bright light in the clouds, "but it shall come to pass that at EVENING TIME it shall be light!"
 

The Unchanging Name

"Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever." Hebrews 13:8

All is changing here. Life is a kaleidoscope, made of shifting forms; new scenes, new tastes, new feelings, new associations; and alternation of cloud and sunshine, tempest and calm. Its joys are like the airy bubbles on the stream, tinted with sunlight; we touch them; they are gone! We have to tell of vacant seats in our sanctuaries; vacant seats at our home-hearths; the music of well known voices hushed. Often just when we imagine we have at last obtained a stable footing, the scaffolding gives way, the props on which for a life time we had been leaning fails, and we feel ourselves out amid the pitiless storm.

 But is there nothing stable amid all this mutability? Nothing secure and abiding amid these fleeting shadows? Yes! Jesus is without any variableness. Nineteen hundred years have rolled by since He left our world. The world has changed, but He is to this hour the same. We can follow Him through all His wondrous pilgrimage of love on earth. We can behold Penitence crouching at His feet, and sent away forgiven. Sorrow tracking His footsteps with tears, and sent away with her tears dried and her wounded spirit healed. Pain and sickness pleading with pallid lip and wasted feature; and Disease, at His omnipotent mandate, taking wings to itself and fleeing away! And He who is now on the heavenly throne is "that same Jesus." His ascension glories have not altered His changeless heart, or alienated His affections. In Him we have a Rock which the billows of adversity cannot shake. The spent fury of the chafing waves may reach us; no more; and this only endearing the security and value of the abiding Refuge!

 How often does God rouse the storm to drive us from all creature confidences, to the stable One! How often does He poison and pollute the stream to lead us to seek the everlasting Fountainhead! "We may have lost much; but if we have found You, O blessed Jesus, we possess infinitely more than we have forfeited. We can glory in the persuasion that nothing can ever separate us from Your love."

A look may alienate us from our best earthly friends; an unintentional word may estrange, the grave must sunder. But "the Lord lives, and blessed be my Rock, and let the God of my salvation be exalted." What You have been "yesterday"; yes, from everlasting ages; You are to this day, and You shall be forever and ever! We can look to the rainbow of your promises and behold all of them in You "yes and amen!" You are addressing us from your throne in glory; that throne spoken of in Revelation as encircled with "the rainbow of emerald" (the emblem of perpetuity), and saying, "Fear not, I am He that lives and was dead, and behold I am alive forever more!" "Because I live, you shall live also!"

Strength for the Day

"As your days so shall your strength be." Deuteronomy 23:25

Believer! have you not felt it so? Have you not found plants distilling balm, growing beside sorrow's path? supports vouchsafed, which were undreamed of until the dreaded cloud had burst, and the day of trial had come? Trouble not yourself regarding an unknown and veiled future; but cast all your cares on God. "Our sandals," says a saint now in glory, "are a proof against the roughest path." He whose name is "the God of all grace" is better than His word. He will be found equal to all the emergencies of His people; enough for each moment and each hour as they come. He never takes us to the bitter Marah streams, but He reveals also the hidden branch. Paul was hurled down from the third heavens to endure the smarting of the "thorn", but he rises like a giant from his fall, exulting in the sustaining grace of an "all-sufficient God."

 The beautiful peculiarity in this promise is, that God proportions His grace to the nature and season of the trial. He does not give an 'advance  supply of grace', but when the needed season and exigency comes, then the appropriate strength and support are imparted. He does not send the rainbow before the cloud, but when the cloud appears, the rainbow is seen in it! He gives sustaining grace for a trying day, and dying grace for a dying day.

 Reader! do not morbidly brood on the future. Live on the promise! When tomorrow comes with its trials, Jesus will come with tomorrow and with its trials too. Present grace is enough for present necessity. Trust God for the future. We honor Him, not by anticipating trial, but by confiding in His faithfulness, and crediting His assurances, that no temptation will He send greater than we are able to bear. Even if you should see fresh storm-clouds returning after the rain, be ready to say, "I will fear no evil, for You are with me!" Insufficient you are of yourself for any trial, but "your sufficiency is of God." The promise is not "Your grace," but "My grace is sufficient." Oh, trust His all-sufficiency in all things. Jehovah Jireh, "the Lord will provide." See written over every trying hour of the future, "So shall your strength be!"

The Grave Spoiled

"I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. O death, I will be your plagues. O grave, I will be your destruction." Hosea 13:14

Christian! the grave is lit with Emmanuel's love. The darkest of all clouds, that which rests over the land of Hades, has the brightest rainbow in it. These gloomy portals are not to hold your loved and lost ones forever. The land of forgetfulness, where your buried treasures lie, is not a winter of unbroken darkness and desolation. A glorious spring time of revival is promised, when the mortal shall put on immortality, and the corruptible shall be clothed with incorruption.

 The resurrection of the body! It is the climax of the work of Jesus; its culminating glory. Paul represents a longing Church as "waiting for the adoption, the redemption of the body." It was the pre-eminent theme of his preaching; "He preached unto them Jesus and the resurrection." It was the loved article in his creed, which engrossed his holiest aspirations, "If by any means I might attain to the resurrection of the dead." It was the grand solace he addressed to other mourners. It is not when speaking of the immediate bliss of the departed spirit at the hour of death, but it is when dwelling on the "last trump"; the dead "rising incorruptible," and "caught up," in their resurrection bodies, "to meet the Lord," that he says, "Therefore comfort one another with these words." Blessed day; the Easter of creation! the dawn of the Sabbatic morn! the Jubilee of a triumphant Church! Christian mourner! go not to the grave to weep there. Every particle of that moldering dust is redeemed by the oblation of Calvary; and the great Abolisher of death is only awaiting the ingathering of the elect to give the commission to His archangels regarding all His saints, which He gave of old regarding one, "Loose him and let him go!" And who can paint the glory of these resurrection bodies, reunited to their companion spirits, fashioned like their Lord's? Every sense, every faculty, purified, sublimated, overflowing with holiness; emulous with ardor in His service; eager to execute His will; retaining it may be, the personal identities of earth, the old features worn in the "nether valley." The Lamb, in the midst of the throne, "leading" them and "feeding" them; climbing along with them, steep by steep, in the path of life, and saying at each ascending step in the endless progression, "I will show you greater things than these!" Meanwhile He has Himself risen as the pledge of this resurrection of all His people. The Great Sheaf has been waved before the throne as the Pledge of the mighty harvest. "Christ the First Fruits, afterwards those who are Christ's at His coming." "Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection!"
 

Everlasting Love

"I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving kindness have I drawn  you!" Jeremiah 31:3

Believer! are you tempted now to doubt His love? Are His footsteps lost amid the night shadows through which He is now conducting you? Remember He had His eye upon you before the birth of time; yes, from all eternity! What appears to you now some sudden capricious exercise of His power or sovereignty, is determination and decree of "everlasting love." "I have loved you," He seems to say, "suffering one, into this affliction; I will love you through it; and when My designs regarding you are complete, I will show you that the love which is 'from everlasting is, to everlasting!'"
 Child of God if there is a ripple now agitating the surface of the stream, trace it up to this fountain-head of love. God is faithful. He cannot deny Himself. If some dark clouds are now intercepting those gracious beams, He must have some wise end to subserve.

"For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with great compassion I will bring you back. In a moment of anger I turned my face away for a little while. But with everlasting love I will have compassion on you," says the Lord, your Redeemer. "Just as I swore in the time of Noah that I would never again let a flood cover the earth and destroy its life, so now I swear that I will never again pour out my anger on you. For the mountains may depart and the hills disappear, but even then I will remain loyal to you. My covenant of blessing will never be broken," says the Lord, who has mercy on you. Isaiah 54:7-10

 God sets His rainbow in the dark sky; and as if it were not enough that His people should look upon it and take comfort in its many and varied promises; He himself graciously becomes a party in gazing on the covenant pledge, "And the rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I shall look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant!" (Genesis 9:16) He puts himself (so to speak) in mind of His own everlasting love! In His saint's dark and cloudy day, when they imagine that their eyes are alone resting on the tokens of covenant faithfulness, the eye of a covenant keeping God is resting upon them too. "I will look upon my own promises," He seems to say. "They shall be memorials to Myself of my purposes of unchanging mercy." Nor is this love merely a general indiscriminate affection. The verse speaks of each individual member of the Covenant family, "I have loved you!" "O my Father", says Madam Guyon, "it seems to me sometimes as if You did forget every other being in order to think only of my faithless and ungrateful heart."

 Let us seek to view our trials as so many cords of loving-kindness, by which our God is seeking to draw us, yes, and will draw us nearer Himself. Who knows what mercy may be bound up in what may seem to us dark and mysterious dispensations? We are apt to misname and misinterpret His ways. We call His dealings severe trials. He calls them "loving-kindness." Drooping saint! let your eyes rest on the rainbow over-arching the throne of God, spanning from eternity to eternity; and read for your comfort the gracious declaration, "The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon those who fear Him."
 

Invoilable Attachment

"There is a friend that sticks closer than a brother." Proverbs 18:24

Close is the tie which binds brother to brother; the companions of infancy, sharers of one another's joys and sorrows; cast in the same human mold; having engraved on their heart of hearts, the same hallowed associations of life's early morning.

 But the time for separation at last comes. The birds must leave the parent's nest, and try their pinions beyond their native valley. The world's call to work and warfare is imperious. The old homestead, like a dismembered vessel, is broken to pieces; and the inmates, like the vessel's planks, are strewn far apart on life's ocean. The world's duties sever some; unhappy estrangements at times, may sever others; death, at some time, must sever all.

 But there is One whose friendship and love, circumstances cannot estrange, distance cannot affect, and death cannot destroy. The kindest of earth's relatives may say to us regarding this true Elder Brother, as Boaz said to Ruth, "It is true that I am your near kinsman, however there is a kinsman nearer than I." He is brother, yes more than a brother; Friend, Counselor, Portion Physician, Shepherd, all combined! Happy for us, when the old avenues of comfort are closed up, to hear Him, whose faithfulness is unimpeachable, saying, "I will not fail you or forsake you!" Happy for us when the old moorings give way, to have one safe Anchorage, that cannot be removed or shaken. "I shall now go to sleep," said a remarkable saint, who, driven about with storm and tempest, at last found the safe Shelter, "I shall now go to sleep on the Rock of Ages!"

 Tried believer! He has never failed you and never will. With Him are no altered tones, no fitful affections. The reed may be shaken, but the Rock remains immutable. He is Himself the true "rainbow in the cloud." The promises of scripture, like the varied hues in the natural rainbow, are manifold. But all these promises are "In Him" (2 Corinthians 1:20). Yes, and it is in the "cloudy day" that this Divine encircling rainbow most gloriously appears. Never would we have known Christ as the "Brother, born for adversity," unless by adversity. It is trial that unfolds and develops His infinite worth and preciousness. When the love of earthly friends is buried in the grave, the love of the Heavenly Friend shines forth more tenderly than ever. As Jonathan of old, wandering faint and weary in the woods, found honey distilling from a tree and was revived by eating it; so, faint and weary one; wandering among the tangled thickets, the deep glades of affliction, seat yourself under your "Beloved's Shadow with great delight," and let His "fruit be pleasant to your taste!" This "Tree of Life" distills a balm for every broken, wounded, bleeding heart; every faint and downcast spirit. Yes, Jesus will make, in this the hour of your loneliness and sorrow, His own life giving, life sustaining words and promises, "sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb." Though now exalted on the throne, "inhabiting the praises of eternity," He still manifests the Brother's heart and the Brother's tenderness. "He is not ashamed to call them brethren."
 

The Supporting Presence

"When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you." Isaiah 43:2

What a diversity of afflictions in this trial world! "Waters," "rivers," "floods," "flames," "fires!" The Christian is here forewarned that he will encounter these in some one of their innumerable phases; whether it be loss of health, loss of wealth, loss of friends, baffled schemes, or blighted hopes.

 But, blessed thought; these trials have their limits. The floods will not "overflow," the fires will not "burn," the flames will not "consume." God will "stay His rough wind in the day of His East wind." He will say, "Thus far shall you go, and no farther."

 And, better still, Jesus will be in all these trials, and prove sufficient for them all. We shall hear in the midst "of the great fight of afflictions" the sound of our Master's footsteps. He Himself has passed through these flames, braved these floods, and bowed His guiltless head to these storms. He comes to us as He did to His disciples in the very midst of the tempest, and says, "Fear not, it is I, do not be afraid."

 Believer! what is your experience? Is it not that of the triumphant Israelites? "They went through the flood on foot; there did we rejoice in Him" (Ps 66:6) "The Flood!" the very scene of your trial, you were able to march boldly through it, unappalled by the threatening waves; yes, with your lips vocal with praise! How this moral heroism, this strange "rejoicing?" It was because the God of the Pillar-cloud was at your side. Your rejoicing was "in Him." He made you "more than conqueror." You may have many adversaries ranged against you: "Tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword." But there is ONE in the midst of fires and flames and floods mightier than all; and with Him at your side, you can boldly utter the challenge to the heights above and the depths beneath, "Who shall separate me from the love of Christ?" "Oh, Sirs!" says Thomas Brooks, "there is in a crucified Jesus something proportionable to all the difficulties, needs, necessities, and trials of His poor people."
 

Fellow-Feeling

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are– yet was without sin." Hebrews 4:15

"Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around Him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord." Ezekiel 1:28

 What an elevating truth. The Sympathy of the God-man-Mediator (the true Rainbow in the cloud), JESUS in our sorrows! What a source of exalted joy to the stripped and desolate heart! What a green pasture to lie down upon, amid the windy storm and tempest, or in the dark and cloudy day!
 The sympathy of man is cheering and comforting; but "thus far shall you go, and no farther." It is finite, limited, often selfish. There are nameless and numberless sorrows on earth, beyond the reach of all human alleviation.

 The sympathy of Jesus is alone exalted, pure, infinite, removed from all taint of selfishness. He has Himself passed through every experience of woe. There are no depths of sorrow or anguish into which I can be plunged, but His everlasting arms are lower still. He has been called, "The great sympathetic nerve of His Church, over which the afflictions, and oppressions, and sufferings of His people continually pass." Child of Sorrow! a human heart beats on the Throne! and He has your name written on that heart. He cares for you as if none other claimed His regard. As the Great High Priest, He walks in the midst of his Temple lamps (His golden candlesticks,) replenishing them, at times, with oil; trimming them, if need be; but all in order that they may burn with a steadier and purer luster.

 He was "tempted in every way." Blessed assurance! I never can know the Sorrow into which the "Man of Sorrow" can not enter. Ah rather, in the midst of earth's most lacerating trials, let me listen to the unanswerable challenge from the lips of a suffering Savior, "Was there ever any sorrow like unto my sorrow?" Yet He refused not to drink the cup of wrath! He shrunk not back from the appointed cross! "He set His face steadfastly to go to Jerusalem;" and even when He hung upon the bitter tree, He refused the vinegar that would have assuaged the rage of thirst and mitigated physical suffering. Are we tempted at times to murmur under God's afflicting hand? "Think about all He endured when sinful people did such terrible things to Him, so that you don't become weary and give up." Hebrews 12:3. Shall we hesitate to bear any trial our Lord and Master sees meet to lay upon us, when we think of the infinitely weightier Cross He so meekly and uncomplainingly carried for us?

 Afflicted one! Have your eye on this radiant Rainbow in your cloud of Sorrow! You may, like the disciples on the Transfiguration mount, "fear to enter the cloud," but hear the voice issuing from it, "This is my Beloved Son, hear Him."

 Jesus speaks through these clouds! He tells us our cares are His cares; our sorrows His sorrows. He has some wise and gracious end in every mysterious chastisement. His language is, "Hear the rod and He who has appointed it" (Micah 6:9). He has too kind and loving a heart to cause us one needless or superfluous pang.

 Oh that we may indeed hear the voice out of the cloud, and seek that the trials He sends in love may be greatly sanctified. Let us not dream that affliction of itself is a pathway to Heaven. Clouds do not form the material rainbow. These glorious hues come from the sunbeams alone. Without the latter, we could discern nothing but blackened heavens and dismal rain torrents.

 It is not because those clad in "white robes" had "come out of great tribulation" that they were enjoying the beatific Presence; but because they had "washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Revelation. 7:14). We have only reason to glory in affliction when it has been the means of bringing us nearer the Savior, and leading us to the opened Fountain.

Jesus! my only hope you art,
Strength of my failing flesh and heart;
Oh! could I catch a smile from Thee,
And drop into Eternity!
 

A Speedy Coming

"Yet a little while, and He shall come and will not tarry." Hebrews 10:37

"A little while," and the unquiet dream of life will be over, and the "morning without clouds" shall dawn. A few more tossings on life's tempestuous sea, and the peaceful haven shall be entered. A few more night-watches, and the Lord of love will be seen standing on the heavenly shore, as once He did on the shores of an earthly lake, with an eternal banquet of love prepared for His "children." Yes! "He comes!" that is the Church's "blessed hope." It is the voice and presence of her "Beloved" which will turn "the shadow of death into morning." The dead; the ransomed dead; shall "hear His voice and come forth;" those "asleep in Jesus" God is to "bring with Him." His final invitation is not, "Go, you blessed, to some bright paradise of angels prepared elsewhere for you;" but "Come share my bliss; be partakers in My crown," "Enter into the joy of your Lord!" Paul's heaven was described in two words: "With Christ." John's heaven was made up of two elements: of likeness to Jesus, and fellowship with Jesus. "We shall be like Him," "we shall see Him as He is." In his sublime apocalyptic visions, when "the door was opened in heaven," the first object which attracts his arrested gaze is, "One who sat upon the throne" around whom was "a rainbow like unto an emerald." (Revelation 4:2,3)

 Our happiness will not be complete until we are ushered into the full vision and fruition of Jesus. We are nourished in this far off land from "the King's country," but we shall not be satisfied until we see the King Himself. Jacob received full wagon loads from Joseph, but he could not rest until he had seen Joseph with his own eyes; when he did so, the aged man's spirit "revived." We receive manifold pledges of covenant mercy from the true Joseph, in this "house of our pilgrimage" but we long to "behold His face in righteousness." We shall only be "satisfied" when we "awake in His likeness!"

 "Come! Lord Jesus, come quickly!" "He will not tarry!" Each sun, as it sets, is bringing us nearer the joyful consummation. Time is hastening with gigantic footstep, to the advent throne. The sackcloth attire of a now burdened creation will soon be exchanged for the full robe of light and beauty which is to deck a "Sabbath world."

 Happy day! when "the Rainbow," in a nobler sense, "shall be seen in the cloud;" not the Rainbow of Promise, but He in whom all the promises blend and center; "Behold, He comes with clouds!" Seek ever to be in an attitude of watchfulness. Like the mother of Sisera, let faith be straining its ear for the whir of the chariot wheels; that when the cry shall be heard; "Behold, it is He!" we may be able joyfully to respond, "Yes! this is our God, we have waited for Him!" "It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, He will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them." Luke 12:37.
 

Eternal Joy

"Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return to Jerusalem, singing songs of everlasting joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be overcome with joy and gladness." Isaiah 35:10

Believer! leave your "Rainbow in the cloud" behind you; and with your eye on the "Rainbow round about the throne" (Revelation 4:3), think of the glad return of God's ransomed ones to Zion; every tear drop dried, every pang forgotten!

 Once wanderers "in the wilderness, in a solitary way," prisoners "bound with affliction and iron," mariners struggling in a tempest (Psalms 112:4, 10, 23); mark the termination of their checkered history. God is not only represented as succoring their fainting souls, shivering in pieces their chains, and enabling them to buffet the angry surges; but He leads the pilgrims to "a city of habitation." He rescues the captives from "darkness and shadow of death." He brings the storm-tossed seamen to their "desired haven," and puts the "everlasting song" into the lips of all, "Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!" (Psalms 112:7, 14, 30)

 Sorrowing one! tossed on life's stormy sea, soon will that peaceful haven be yours. From the sunlit shores of glory, each and all of your trials will be seen to be special proofs of your Heavenly Father's faithfulness, circled with a halo of love! You may now be going forth "weeping," bearing your precious seed, but you shall "doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing your sheaves with you."

 As some seeds require to be soaked in water before they germinate, so is immortal seed often here soaked in tears. But, "those who sow in tears shall reap in joy." Though "weeping may endure for the night, joy comes in the morning!" "You are," says Rutherford, "upon the entry of Heaven's harvest; the losses that I write of are but summer showers, and The Sun of the new Jerusalem shall quickly dry them up." The "song of the night" shall then blend with the song of the skies, and inner, glorious meanings will be disclosed to sight, which are now hidden from the eye of faith! "Sorrow and sighing shall forever flee away!" "No sickness, no sorrow, no pain," said an aged saint now entered on these glorious realities; "but this is only your negative. What, O God! must be your positive?" "Songs," "everlasting joy," "joy and gladness." It will be song upon song, joy upon joy, gladness upon gladness! These songs of Heaven will be "songs of degrees." The ransomed will be ever graduating in bliss, mounting "from glory to glory," each song suggesting the keynote of a louder and loftier one.

 Reader! are you mourning the loss of those who "are not," the music of whose voices is hushed for the forever of time, and who have left you to travel companionless and alone the wilderness journey? A few more fears, a few more tears, and you shall meet them in the day-break of glory! No, more; they have but anticipated you in an earlier crown. If they have left you behind for a little season to continue your night-song; think with bounding heart of that eternal day, when, looking back on the clouds floating in the far distance in the nether valley, you shall be able to join in the anthem said to be sung by the twenty-four elders as they gaze on the throne encircled by the "RAINBOW OF EMERALD," for "they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty!" (Revelation 4:3, 8)

The Believer the Object of Divine Love

In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. I John 4:9.

Pause, my soul, adore and wonder,
Ask, Oh, why such love to me?
Grace hath put me in the number
Of the Saviour's family:
Hallelujah!
Thanks, eternal thanks to thee.

Redeemed by the Blood of Christ

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, -- But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.I Peter 1:18, 19

Our sins and griefs on him were laid;
He meekly bore the mighty load:
Our ransom price he fully paid,
By offering up himself to God.

Renewed by the Holy Ghost

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost. Titus 3:5

Vain is every outward rite,
Unless thy grace be given:
Nothing but thy life and light,
Can form a soul for heaven.

Partaker of the Divine Nature

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 2 Peter 1:4

Blessed are the sons of God;
They are bought with Christ's own blood;
They produce the fruits of grace
In the works of righteousness:
Born of God, they hate all sin;
God's pure word remains within.

Justified Before God Through Christ

By him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. Acts 13:39

Jesus, thy blood and righteousness
My beauty are, and glorious dress;
'Midst flaming worlds, in these array'd,
With joy shall I lift up my head.

United to Christ

I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, he same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. John 15:5

Lord of the vineyard, we adore
That power and grace divine,
Which plants our wild, our barren souls,
In Christ the living Vine.

For ever there may I abide,
And from that vital root,
Be influence spread through every branch,
To form and feed the fruit.

Joint-Heir with Christ

If children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ. Romans 8:17

Pronounce me, gracious God, thy son;
Own me an heir divine;
I'll pity princes on the throne,
When I can call thee mine:
Sceptres and crowns unenvied rise,
And lose their lustre in mine eyes.

Complete in Christ

For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him. Col. 2:9, 10

Thy saints on earth, and those above,
Here join in sweet accord:
One body all in mutual love,
And thou their common Lord.
Yes, thou that body wilt present
Before thy Father's face,
Nor shall a wrinkle or a spot
Its beauteous form disgrace.

Christ the Believer's Advocate

If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 1 John 2:1

Look up, my soul, with cheerful eye,
See where the great Redeemer stands--
Thy glorious Advocate on high,
With precious incense in his hands.

He sweetens every humble groan,
He recommends each broken prayer;
Recline thy hope on him alone,
Whose power and love forbid despair.

Christ the Hope of the Believer

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope. 1 Tim. 1:1

Jesus, my Lord, I look to thee;
Where else can helpless sinners go?
Thy boundless love shall set me free
From all my wretchedness and woe.

Christ the Life of the Believer

When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Col. 3:4

If my immortal Saviour lives,
Then my eternal life is sure;
His word a firm foundation gives,
Here let me build, and rest secure.

Here, O my soul, thy trust repose;
If Jesus is for ever mine,
Not death itself, that last of foes,
Shall break a union so divine.

Christ the Peace of the Believer

Now in Christ Jesus ye who sometime were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace.Eph. 2:13, 14

"He is our peace" -- for by his blood
Sinners are reconcil'd to God;
Sweet harmony is now restor'd,
And man beloved, and God ador'd.

Christ the Righteousness of the Believer

This is his name whereby he shall be called, The Lord our righteousness. Jer. 23:6

Saviour divine, we know thy name,
And in that name we trust;
Thou art the Lord our righteousness,
Thou art thine Israel's boast.

That spotless robe which thou has wrought,
Shall clothe us all around,
Nor by the piercing eye of God
One blemish shall be found.

The Temple of the Spirit

Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God. 1 Cor. 6:19

Creator Spirit! by whose aid
The world's foundations first were laid,
Come, visit every humble mind;
Come, pour thy joys on human kind:
From sin and sorrow set us free,
And make us temples worthy thee.

Sanctified by the Spirit

God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. 2 Thess. 2:13

Come, Holy Spirit, love divine,
Thy cleansing power impart;
Each erring thought and wish refine
That wanders near my heart.

Upheld by the Spirit

That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man. Eph. 3:16

Assisted by his grace,
We still pursue our way;
And hope at last to reach the prize,
Secure in endless day.

The Spirit of Adoption Received

Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba Father. Rom. 8:15

Assure my conscience of her part
In the Redeemer's blood,
And bear thy witness in my heart
That I am born of God.

Comforted by the Spirit

When the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me. John 25:26

In the hour of my distress,
When temptations me oppress,
And when I my sins confess --
Sweet Spirit, comfort me.

Sealed by the Spirit

Grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Eph. 4:30

Forbid it, Lord, that we
Who from thy hands receive
The Spirit's power to make us free,
Should e'er that Spirit grieve.

O keep our faith alive,
Help us to watch and pray;
Lest, by our carelessness, we drive
The sacred Guest away.

Taught by the Spirit

When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. John 16:13

Thine inward teachings make me know
The mysteries of redeeming love,
The emptiness of things below,
And excellence of things above.

Fellow-Citizen with the Saints

Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and the household of God. Eph. 2:19

The kindred links of life are bright,
Yet not so bright as those
In which Christ's favoured friends unite,
And each on each repose:
Where all the hearts in union cling,
With Him, the centre and the spring.

Lives a Life of Consecration to God

I beseech you therefore, brethren, but the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Rom. 12:1

Thine, wholly thine, I want to be;
The sacrifice receive:
Made, and preserved, and saved by thee,
To thee myself I give.

Lives a Life of Hope

Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Jude 21

Rejoice in glorious hope;
Jesus, the Judge, shall come,
And take his servants up
To their eternal home:
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, he bids his saints rejoice.

Delivered from Condemnation

There is now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Rom. 8:1

O Love, thou bottomless abyss!
My sins are swallow'd up in thee;
Cover'd is my unrighteousness,
While Jesus' blood through earth and skies,
"Mercy, free boundless mercy!" cries.

Delivered from the Power of Satan

Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil. Heb. 2:14

Dry up your rears, ye saints, and tell
How high your great Deliverer reigns;
Sing, how he spoiled the host of hell,
And led the tyrant Death in chains.

Delivered from All Iniquity

Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities. Psalm 130:7, 8

Fix'd on this ground will I remain,
Though my heart fail, and flesh decay;
This anchor shall my soul sustain,
When earth's foundations melt away:
Mercy's full power I then shall prove,
Lov'd with an everlasting love.

Delivered from All Enemies

He delivereth me from mine enemies; yea, thou liftest me above those that rise up against me. Psalm 18:48

Foes are round us, but we stand
On the borders of our land:
Jesus, God's exalted Son,
Bids us undismay'd go on:
Onward then we gladly press
Through this earthly wilderness.

Enjoys a Present Salvation

Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. 1 Pet. 2:10

Fill'd with holy emulation
Let us vie with those above:
Sweet the theme -- a free salvation,
Fruit of everlasting love.

Preserved unto Eternal Salvation

Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Pet. 1:5

Saints by the power of God are kept
Till full salvation come;
We walk by faith as strangers here
Till Christ shall call us home.

A Pilgrim to a Heavenly Country

Now they desire a better country, that is an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hat prepared for them a city. Heb. 11:16

'Tis true, we are but strangers
And sojourners below;
And countless snares and dangers
Surround the path we go:
Though painful and distressing,
Yet there's a rest above,
And onward we are pressing
To reach that land of love.

Supreme Love to God

"Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? --- And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind." Luke 10:25, 27

Yes, I would love thee, blessed God!
Paternal goodness marks thy name;
Thy praises, through thy high abode,
The heavenly hosts with joy proclaim.

Gratitude to God

And one of them, [the ten lepers,] when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God. Luke 17:15

What thanks I owe thee, and what love,
A boundless, endless store,
Shall echo through the realms above,
When time shall be no more.

Obedience to God

Ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. Rom. 6:17, 18

Love is the fountain whence
All true obedience flows;
The Christian serves the God he loves,
And loves the God he knows.

Submission to God

We have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? Heb. 12:9

Oh let my trembling soul be still,
While darkness veils this mortal eye,
And wait thy wise, thy holy will
Wrapp'd yet in tears and mystery:
I cannot, Lord, thy purpose see,
Yet all is well -- since ruled by thee.

Faith in Christ

Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. 1 John 5:1

Lord, I believe thy heavenly word;
Fain would I have my soul renew'd;
I mourn for sin, and trust the Lord
To have it pardon'd and subdued.

O may thy grace its power display,
Let guilt and death no longer reign;
Save me in thine appointed way,
Nor let my humble faith be vain.

Love to Christ

He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt. 10:37

Whom have I on earth below?
Thee, and only thee, I know:
Whom have I in heaven but thee?
Thou art all in all to me.

Self-Denial for Christ

If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. Luke 9:23

Take up thy cross, let not its weight
Fill thy weak spirit with alarm,
My strength shall bear thy spirit up,
And brace thy heart, and nerve thy arm.

Take up thy cross, and follow me,
Nor think till death to lay it down;
For only he who bears the cross
May hope to wear the glorious crown.

Confession of Christ

Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. 1 John 4:15

I'll tell to all poor sinners round,
How great a Saviour I have found;
I'll point to his redeeming blood,
And say, "Behold the way to God."

Devotedness to Christ

For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. Rom. 14:8

My soul, and all its powers,
Thine, wholly thine, shall be;
All, all my happy hours
I consecrate to thee:
Whate'er I have, whate'er I am,
Shall magnify my Saviour's name.

Imitation of Christ

For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. John 13:15

Thy fair example may I trace,
To teach me what I ought to be:
Make me, by thy transforming grace,
My Saviour, daily more like thee.

Christ is Precious

Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious. 1 Pet. 2:6, 7

Jesus, in thy transporting name
What glories meet our eyes!
Thou art the angels' sweetest theme,
The wonder of the skies.

Oh may our willing hearts confess
Thy sweet, thy gently sway;
Glad captives of thy matchless grace,
Thy righteous rule obey.

Possession of the Spirit of Christ

Ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. Rom. 8:9

Author of our new creation,
Let us all thine influence prove;
Make our souls thy habitation;
Shed abroad the Saviour's love.

Led by the Spirit

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Rom. 8:14

Lead us to holiness -- the road
That we must take to dwell with God:
Lead us to Christ -- the living way,
Nor let us from his pastures stray:
Lead us to God -- our final rest,
In his enjoyment to be blest:
Lead us to heaven -- the seat of bliss,
Where pleasure in perfection is.

Conviction of Sin

There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin. For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me. Psalm 38:3, 4

O Thou that hear'st the prayer of faith,
Wilt thou not save my soul from death,
My soul that rests on thee?
I have no refuge of my own,
But fly to what my Lord hath done
And suffer'd once for me.

Repentance for Sin

Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. 2 Cor. 7:10

My lips with shame my sins confess
Against thy law, against thy grace:
Lo, should thy judgments grow severe,
I am condemn'd, but thou art clear.

Hatred to Sin

Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 1 John 3:9

Oh! give, Lord, the tender heart
That trembles at the approach of sin,
A godly fear of sin impart,
Implant and root it deep within.

Mortification of Sin

They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. Gal. 5:24

Great God, assist me through the fight;
Make me triumphant in thy might:
Thou the desponding heart canst raise;
The victory mine, and thine the praise.

Self-Righteousness Renounced

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ. Phil. 3:8

On thee alone my hope relies;
Beneath the cross I fall,
My Lord, my life, my sacrifice,
My Saviour, and my all.

The World Overcome by Faith

Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 1 John 5:4

'Tis faith that conquers earth and hell
By a celestial power;
This is the grace that shall prevail
In the decisive hour.

Non-Conformity to the World

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1 John 2:15

Why should our poor enjoyments here
Be thought so pleasant and so dear,
And tempt our hearts astray?
Our brightest joys are fading fast,
The longest life will soon be past;
And if we go to heaven at last,
We need not wish to stay.

Spiritual-Mindedness

They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. Rom. 8:5

Let worldly minds the world pursue,
It has no charms for me;
Once I admired its trifles too,
But grace has set me free.

Heavenly-Mindedness

Our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Phil. 3:20

Beyond the bounds of time and space
Look forward to that heavenly place,
The saints' secure abode;
On faith's strong eagle pinion rise,
And force your passage to the skies,
Strong in the strength of God.

Constrained by Love

The love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: and that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. 2 Cor. 5:14, 15

Be all my heart, be all my days,
Devoted to thy single praise;
And let my glad obedience prove
How much I owe, how much I love.

Love of the Truth

We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. 1 John 4:6

Order my footsteps by thy word,
And make my heart sincere;
Let sin have no dominion, Lord,
But keep my conscience clear.

Perseverance in the Truth

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. 1 John 2:19

When any turn from Zion's way,
(Alas, what numbers do!)
Methinks I hear my Saviour say,
Wilt thou forsake me too?

Love to the Scriptures

I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold. Thy testimonies are wonderful: therefore doth my soul keep them. Ps. 119:127, 129

Here mines of knowledge, love, and joy,
Are open'd to our sight,
The purest gold without alloy,
And gems divinely bright.

Love to Enemies

Love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Luke 6:3

Lord, shall thy bright example shine
In vain before my eyes?
Give me a soul akin to thine,
To love my enemies.

Love to the Brethren

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 1 John 4:7

Bless'd be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.

The Witness of Conscience

Hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. 1 John 3:19, 21

How happy are the new-born race,
Partakers of adopting grace!
How pure the bliss they share!
Hid from the world and all its eyes,
Within their hearts the blessing lies,
And conscience feels it there.

God the Believer's Sun and Shield

The Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. Ps. 84:11

If thou art my shield and my sun,
The night is no darkness to me;
And fast as my moments roll on,
They bring me but nearer to thee.

God the Portion of the Believer

God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. Ps. 73:26

His boundless grace shall all my need supply,
When streams of creature-comfort cease to flow:
And should he some inferior good deny,
'Tis but a greater blessing to bestow.

God the Refuge of the Believer

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea. Psa. 46:1,2

God is our refuge in distress,
A present help when dangers press;
In him undaunted I'll confide,
Though earth were from her centre toss'd,
And mountains in the ocean lost,
Torn piece-meal by the roaring tide.

God the Guide of the Believer

This God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death. Ps. 48:14

Haste thee on from grace to glory,
Arm'd by faith, and wing'd by prayer;
Heaven's eternal day's before thee,
God's own hand shall guide thee there.

God the Glory of the Believer

Thou, Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. Ps. 3:3

Lord, let thy grace surround me still,
And like a bulwark prove,
To guard my soul from every ill,
Secured by soverign love.

All Blessings Through Christ

All things are yours' whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; and ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's. 1 Cor. 3:21-23

Let Christ assure me he is mine,
I nothing want beside;
My soul shall at the fountain live,
When all the streams are dried.

All Blessings in Christ

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Eph. 1:3

Oh the rich depths of love divine!
Of bliss a boundless store!
Dear Savior, let me call thee mine,
I cannot wish for more.

Pardon Through Christ

In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sin. Col. 1:14

O Lamb of God, thy precious blood
Shall never lose its power,
Till all the ransom'd church of God
Is saved, to sin no more.

E'er since, by faith, I saw the stream
Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be till I die.

Justification Through Christ

Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Rom. 3:24

No righteousness but his we own,
No ransom but his blood alone:
While on the Father's name we call,
Our faith pleads Christ as all in all.

Reconciliation Through Christ

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. Rom. 5:10

Let us love, and sing, and wonder;
Let us praise the Savior's name:
He has hush'd the law's loud thunder,
He has quench'd Mount Sinai's flame:
He has wash'd us with his blood,
He has brought us nigh to God.

Adoption Through Christ

As many as received him, to them gave he the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. John 1:12

Let others boast their ancient line,
In long succession great;
In the proud list, let heroes shine
And monarchs swell their state:
Descended from the King of kings,
Each saint a nobler title sings.

Rest in Christ

Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matt. 11:28

Jesus, with thy word complying,
Firm our faith and hope shall be;
On thy faithfulness relying,
We will seek our rest in thee.

Safety in Christ

I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. John 10:28

"Unnumber'd years of bliss
I to my sheep will give;
And while my throne unshaken stands
Shall all my chosen live."

Enough, my gracious Lord,
Let faith triumphant cry;
My heart can on this promise live,
Can with this promise die.

Strength Through Christ

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Phil. 4:13

I can do all things, and can bear
All sufferings, if my Lord be near;
Sweet pleasures mingle with the pains,
While his left hand my head sustains.

Spiritual Freedom Through Christ

If the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. John 8:36

Sweet is the freedom Christ bestows,
With which he makes his people free,
A liberty no mortal knows
Till they his great salvation see.

Consolation Through Christ

Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace. 2 Thess. 2:16

In every trouble, sharp and strong,
My soul to Jesus flies;
My anchor-hold is firm on him,
When swelling billows rise.

Peace with God Through Christ

Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Rom. 5:1

No fiery vengeance now,
Nor buring wrath comes down;
If justice call for sinners' blood,
The Saviour shows his own.

Access to God Through Christ

In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. Eph. 3:12

Come boldy to the throne of grace,
Where Jesus kindly pleads;
Ours cannot be a desperate case
While Jesus intercedes.

Victory Through Christ

Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Cor. 15:57

Thus strong in the Redeemer's strength,
Sin, death, and hell we tranple down,
Fight the good fight, and win at length,
Through mercy, an eternal crown.

Indwelling of the Spirit

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 1 Cor. 3:16

Think what Spirit dwells within thee;
Think what Father's smiles are thine;
Think that Jesus died to win thee:
Child of heaven, canst thour repine?

Intercession of the Spirit

The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Rom. 8:26

Let pure devotion's fervours rise,
Let every holy feeling glow;
Oh, let the rapture of the skies
Kindle in our cold hearts below.
Come, vivifying Spirit, come,
And make our hearts thy constant home.

Sanctification by the Spirit

Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus. 1 Pet. 1:2

Can aught beneath a power divine
The stubborn will subdue?
'Tis thine, eternal Spirit, thine,
To form our hearts anew,
'Tis thine the passions to recall,
And upwards bid them rise;
And make the scales of error fall
From reason's darkened eyes.

The Fruits of the Spirit

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Gal. 5:22, 23

'Tis God himself the ground prepares,
His Spirit sows the land;
And every pleasant fruit it bears,
Is nurtur'd by his hand.

Inheritance Among the Sanctified

Brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. Acts 20:32

From earth we shall quickly remove,
And mount to our native abode;
The house of our Father above,
The palace of angels and God.

Increase of Grace

The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing. Ps. 92:12,14

Lord, one thing we want,
More holiness grant;
For more of thy mind and thy image we pant:
While onward we move
To Canaan above,
Come, fill us with holiness, fill us with love.

Persevering Grace

The righteous shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger. Job 17:9

The righteous, bless'd with light divine,
Shall prosper on their way;
Brighter and brighter still shall shine,
To glory's perfect day.

Confidence in Prayer

This is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us. 1 John 5:14

He who for man their Surety stood,
And poured on earth his precious blood,
Pursues in heaven his mighty plan,
The Saviour and the friend of man.


With boldness, therefore, at the throne,
Let us make all our sorrows known;
And ask the aid of heavenly power,
To help us in the evil hour.

Preservation in Trouble

In the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me upon a rock. Ps. 27:5

When I can trust my all with God,
In trial's fearful hour--
Bow, all resign'd, beneath his rod,
And bless his sparing power;
A joy springs up amid distress,
A fountain in the wilderness.

All Things Work Together for Good

We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Rom. 8:28

God will keep his own anointed;
Nought shall harm them, none condemn;
All their trials are appointed;
All must work for good to them:
All shall help them
To their heavenly diadem.

Peace of Mind

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Isa. 26:3

Saviour, on earth I covet not
That every woe should cease;
Only, if trouble be my lot,
In thee let me have peace.

Peace in Death

Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace. Ps. 37:37

How bless'd the righteous when he dies,
When sinks a weary soul to rest!
How mildly beam the closing eyes!
How gently heaves the expiring breast!

Life's labour done, as sinks the clay,
Light from its load the spirit flies;
While heaven and earth combine to say,
"How bless'd the righteous when he dies!"

Good Works to Be Done

These things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. Titus 3:8

Whate'er is noble, pure, refined,
Just, generous, amiable, and kind,
That may my constant thoughts pursue,
That may I love and practise too.

Good Works to Be Done to the Glory of God

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Cor. 10:31

Through Jesus Christ the Just,
My faint desires receive;
And let me in thy goodness trust,
And to thy glory live.

Good Works to Be Done After the Example of Christ

He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. 1 John 2:6

To do his heavenly Father's will
Was his employment and delight;
Humility and holy zeal
Shone through his life divinely bright.

Good Works to Be Done Through the Grace of Christ

Now the God of peace make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Heb. 13:20, 21

Then shall we do, with pure delight,
Whate'er is pleasing in thy sight,
As vessels of thy richest grace;
And, having thy whole counsel done,
To thee and thy co-equal Son
Ascribe the everlasting praise.

Good Works to Be Done in the Name of Christ

Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Col. 3:17

Whate'er I say or do,
Thy glory be my aim;
My offerings all be offered through
His ever blessed name.

Improvement of Time

Knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. Rom. 13:11

The time is short, but who can tell
How short his time below may be?
To-day on earth his soul may dwell,
To-morrow in eternity.

Improvement of Privileges

That on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. Luke 8:15

Father of mercies, we have need
Of thy preparing grace;
Let the same hand that gives the seed
Provide a fruitful place.

Improvement of Opportunities

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. Eccles. 9:10

Whate'er our hands shall find to do,
To-day may we with zeal pursue;
Seize fleeting moments as they fly,
And live as we would wish to die.

Spiritual Diligence

This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Phil. 3:13, 14

A scrip on my back, and a staff in my hand,
I march on in haste through an enemy's land:
The road may be rough, but it cannot be long,
So I'll smooth it with hope, and I'll cheer it with song.

Entire Consecration

Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. Rom. 6:13

Yield to the Lord, with simple heart,
All that thou hast, and all thou art:
Renounce all strength, but strength divine,
And peace shall be for ever thine.

Open Profession of Christ

Whosoever shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. Matt. 10:32

Should I to gain the world's applause,
Or to escape its harmless frown,
Refuse to countenance thy cause,
And make thy people's lot my own,
What shame would fill me in that day,
When thou thy glory shalt display!

Evil Appearances to Be Avoided

Abstain from all appearance of evil. 1 Thess. 5:22

Our Saviour by a heavenly birth
Calls us to holiness on earth,
Bids us our former follies hate,
And from the wicked separate.

We must have holy hearts and hands,
And feet that go where he commands;
A holy will to keep his ways,
And holy lips to speak his praise.

Diligence in Keeping the Heart

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Prov. 4:23

Thy business be to keep thy heart,
Each passion to control;
Nobly ambitious well to rule
The empire of thy soul.

Search the Scriptures

Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. John 5:39

Lord, thy teaching grace impart,
That we may not read in vain;
Write thy precepts on our heart,
Make thy truths and doctrine plain;
Let the message of thy love
Guide us to thy rest above.

Secret Prayer

Thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father wich is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. Matt. 6:6

Far from the paths of men, to Thee
I solemnly retire;
See Thou, who dost in secret see,
And grant my heart's desire.

Thanksgiving

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thess. 5:18

Praise to God, immortal praise,
For the love that crowns our days;
Bounteous Source of every joy,
Let thy praise our tongues employ.

Meditation

His delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. Psalm 1:2

I love in solitude to shed
The penitential tear;
And all his promises to plead,
When none but God is near.

I love to think on mercies past,
And future good implore;
And all my cares and sorrows cast
On him whom I adore.

Self-Examination

Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. 2 Cor. 13:5

At evening to myself I say,
My soul, where hast thou glean'd to-day,
Thy labours how bestow'd?
What hast thou rightly said or done?
What grace attain'd or knowledge won,
In following after God?

In Prosperity to Be Humble

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think. Rom. 12:3

Lord, if thou thy grace impart,
Poor in spirit, meek in heart,
I shall, as my Saviour, be
Rooted in humility:
Pleas'd with all the Lord provides,
Wean'd from all the world besides.

In Adversity to Trust God

Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God. Isa. 1:10

If Providence our comforts shroud,
And dark distresses lower,
Hope paints its rainbow on the cloud,
And grace shines through the shower.

Self-Government

He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city. Prov. 16:32

Happy the man, whose cautious steps
Still keep the golden mean;
Whose life, by Scriputre rules well form'd,
Declares a conscience clean.

Self-Denial

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. 1 Cor. 10:23

Lord, ever let me freely yield
What most I prize to thee,
Who never hast a good withheld,
Or wilt withhold from me.

Thy favour all my journey through,
Thou art engaged to grant;
What else I want, or think I do,
'Tis better still to want.

Contentment

Be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Heb. 13:5

Since he has said "I'll ne'er depart,"
I'll bind his promise to my heart,
Rejoicing in his care:
This shall support while here I live,
And, when in glory I arrive,
Will praise him for it there.

Patience

Ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. Heb. 10:36

I would submit to all thy will,
For thou art good and wise;
Let every anxious thought be still,
Nor one faint murmur rise.

Thy love can cheer the darksome gloom,
And bid me wait serene,
Till hopes and joys immortal bloom
And brighten all the scene.

Meekness

Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long suffering, forbearing one another in love. Eph. 4:2

Meekness, humility, and love,
Did through thy conduct shine;
Oh may my whole deportment prove
A copy, Lord, of thine.

Temperance

Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. Luke 21:34

The world employs its various snares,
Of hopes and pleasures, pains and cares,
And chain'd to earth I lie:
When shall my fetter'd powers be free,
And leave these seats of vanity,
And upward learn to fly?

Gravity and Sincerity

In all things showing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity. Titus 2:7

Pure may I be, averse to sin,
Just, holy, merciful, and true;
And let thine image form'd within,
Shine out in all I speak or do.

Watchfulness

Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. Luke 12:37

Arm me with jealous care,
As in thy sight to live:
And oh, thy servant, Lord, prepare,
A strict account to give.

Help me to watch and pray,
And on thyself rely;
Assured if I my trust betray,
I shall for ever die.

Diligence in Worldly Calling

Study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you. 1 Thess. 4:11

Midst hourly cares, may love present
Its incense to thy throne;
And while the world our hands employs,
Our hearts be thine alone.

Eminent Holiness the Desire of the Believer

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Jesus Christ. Phil. 3:12

Oh for a closer walk with God,
A calm and heavenly frame,
A light to shine upon the road
That leads me to the Lamb!

To Show Forth the Praises of God

Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. 1 Pet. 2:9

Not by your words alone,
But by your actions show,
How much from him you have received,
How much to him you owe.

To Depart from All Iniquity

Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. 2 Tim. 2:19

Faith must obey her Father's will,
As well as trust his grace;
A pardoning God is jealous still
For his own holiness.

Stedfastness in the Faith

Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Gal. 5:1

From Egypt lately freed
By the Redeemer's grace,
A rough and thorny path we tread
In hopes to see his face.

The flesh dislikes the way,
But faith approves it well;
This only leads to endless day,
All others lead to hell.

Zeal in Defence of the Gospel

I exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
Jude 3

In conquests of thy might,
May I loyally delight;
In thy ever-spreading reign,
Triumph as my greatest gain:
Make me conscious by this sign,
Gracious Saviour, I am thine.

Zeal for Good Works

Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works. Heb. 10:24

Awake, my soul, awake, my love,
And serve my Saviour here below,
In works which all the saints above
And holy angels cannot do.

Zeal for Divine Worship

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. Heb. 10:25

Oh let me always find a place,
Within the temples of thy grace;
Till God command my last remove,
To dwell in temples made above!

Concern for the Peace of the Church

Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. 2 Cor. 13:11

Make us of one heart and mind,
Courteous, pitiful, and kind;
Lowly, meek in thought and word,
Altogether like our Lord.

Mutual Love

>Walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour. Eph. 5:2

Among the saints on earth
Let mutual love be found;
Heirs of the same inheritance,
With mutual blessings crown'd.

Mutual Subjection

All of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 1 Pet. 5:5

Lord, for ever at thy side
May my place and portion be;
Strip me of the robe of pride;
Clothe me with humility.

Mutual Honour

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Phil. 2:3

Oh let each esteem his brother
Better than himself to be;
And let each prefer another,
Full of love, from envy free:
Happy are we,
When in this we all agree.

Mutual Forbearance

Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. Col. 3:13

May we each with each agree,
Through thy uniting grace:
Our gift shall thine accepted be,
Our life be love and praise.

Mutual Candour

Judge not, that ye be not judged. Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Matt. 7:1, 3

Make us by thy transforming grace,
Great Saviour, daily more like thee:
Thy fair example may we trace,
To teach us what we ought to be.

Mutual Forgiveness

Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Eph. 4:32

"Is Christ divided?" What can part
The members from the Head?
Oh how should those be one in heart
For whom our Saviour bled?

Mutual Admonition

I myself am persuaded of you, mu brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. Rom. 15:14

Bonds of everlasting love
Draw our souls in union,
To our Father's house above,
To the saints' communion.
Thither may our hopes ascend,
There may all our labours end.

Mutual Consolation and Edification

Comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. 1 Thess. 5:11

While we journey, let us
Help each other on the road;
Foes on every side beset us,
Snares through all the way are strew'd:
It behoves us,
Each to bear a brother's load.

Mutual Intercession

Pray one for another. -- The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16

Before our Father's throne
We pour our ardent prayers;
Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one--
Our comforts and our cares.

Unity of Sentiment

Whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. Phil. 3:16

Bound to one Lord, by common vow
In one great enterprize;
One faith, one hope, one centre now,
Our common home, the skies.

Unity of Judgment

I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 1 Cor. 1:10

Lord, subdue our selfish will,
Each to each our tempers suit,
By thy modulating skill,
Heart to heart, as lute to lute.

United Prayer

Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Matt. 18:20

Where two or three with sweet accord,
Obedient to their sovreign Lord,
Meet to recount his acts of grace,
And offer solemn prayer and praise;
There, saith the Savior, will I be
Amid the little company.

United Praise

Teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and humns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Col. 3:16

Teach us, though in a world of sin,
Heaven's bless'd employment to begin,
To sing our great Redeemer's praise;
And love his name, and learn his ways.

Pious Conversation

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. Eph. 4:29

Wheresoever two or three
Meet, a Christian company,
Grant us, Lord, to meet with thee:
Gracious Saviour, hear!
When with friends beloved we stray,
Talking down the closing day,
Saviour, meet us in the way:
Gracious Saviour, hear!

Compassion for the Weak

We that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Rom. 15:1

When weaker Christians we despise,
We do the great Redeemer wrong;
For God, the gracious and the wise,
Receives the feeble with the strong.

Compassion for the Afflicted

Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body. Heb. 13:3

With pity let my breast o'erflow,
When I behold another's woe; And hear a sympathizing part,
Whene'er I meet a wounded heart.

Compassion for the Poor

As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. Gal. 6:10

Awake, my charity, and feed
The hungry soul, and clothe the poor;
In heaven are found no sons of need,
There all these duties are no more.

Compassion to Those Who Have Erred

Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a foult, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Gal. 6:1

Lord, we would strive, and hope, and wait,
The offending still to reinstate;
And when a broken heart we view,
Our Christian friendship quick renew.

Freedom from Slander

Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. James 4:11

Love is a pure and heavenly flame,
And much regards a brother's name;
It hopeth all things, and believes,
Nor easily a charge receives.

Esteem for the Ministry

We beseech you to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. 1 Thess. 5:12, 13

How beauteous are their feet,
Who stand on Zion's hill;
Who bring salvation on their tongues,
And words of peace reveal!

Prayer for the Ministry

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit; -- and for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel. Eph. 6:18, 19

With heavenly power, O Lord, defend
Those whom we now to thee commend;
Thy faithful messengers secure,
And make them to the end endure.

Unbelief Should Be Guarded Against

Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. Heb. 3:12

How oft, deceived by self and pride,
Has my weak heart been turn'd aside;
And, Jonah-like, has fled from thee,
Till thou hast look'd again on me!

Caution Against Apostasy

Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled. Heb. 12:15

What bright exchange, what treasure shall be given,
For the lost birthright of a hope in heaven?
If lost the gem which empires could not buy,
What yet remains? -- a dark eternity.

Believers Are the Salt of the Earth

Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Matt. 5:13

Strive thou with studious care to find
Some good thy hands may do;
Some way to serve and bless mankind,
Console the heart, relieve the mind,
And open comforts new.

Believers Are the Light of the World

Ye are the light of the world. Matt. 5:14

Walk in the light -- and thine shall be
A path, though stormy, bright;
For God in love hsall dwell with thee--
And God himself is light!

The Universal Rule of Equity

All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. Matt. 7:12

Blessed Redeemer, how divine,
How righteous is this rule of thine,
To do to all men just the same
As we expect or wish from them.

How bless'd would every nation prove
Thus ruled by equity and love!
All would be friends without a foe,
And form a paradise below.

To Glorify God by Holy Conduct

I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; having your conversation honest among the Gentiles. 1 Pet. 2:11

Help thy servant to maintain
A profession free from stain;
That my sole reproach may be,
Following Christ, and fearing thee.

Abounding in the Work of the Lord

My beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Cor. 15:58

Sow in the morn thy seed,
At eve hold not thy hand,
To doubt and fear give thou no heed,
Broad-cast it round thy land.

Decision of Character

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Matt. 6:24

Not a broken, brief obedience
Does the Lord of heaven demand;
He requires our whole allegiance,
Words and deeds, and heart and hand:
God will hold divided sway
With no diety of clay.

Holy Example

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matt. 5:16

So let our lips and lives express
The holy gospel we profess;
So let our works and virtues shine
To prove the doctrine all divine.

Love to Our Neighbor

If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well. James 2:8

Love lays its own advantage by
To seek its neighbour's good;
So God's own Son came down to die,
And bought our lives with blood.

Love is the grace that keeps its power
In all the realms above;
There faith and hope are known no more
But saints for ever love.

Seek the Edification of Our Neighbour

Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. Rom. 15:2

May I from every act abstain,
That hurts or gives another pain:
Still may I feel my heart inclin'd
To be the friend of all mankind.

Love to All Men

The Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you. 1 Thess. 3:12

May love, that shining grace,
O'er all my powers preside;
Direct my thoughts, suggest my words,
And every action guide.

To Seek the Salvation of Others

He which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. James 5:20

My God, I feel the mournful scene;
My bowels yearn o'er dying men;
And fain my pity would reclaim,
And snatch the firebrands from the flame.

Give Due Honour to All

Render to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. Rom. 13:7

Our sovereign with thy favour bless;
Stablish the throne in righteousness,
Let wisdom hold the helm;
The counsels of our senate guide,
Let justice in our courts preside,
Rule thou, and bless the realm.

Consistency

That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world. Phil. 2:15

That wisdom, Lord, on us bestow
From every evil to depart,
To stop the mouth of every foe,
While upright both in life and heart,
The proof of godly fear we give,
And show them how the Christians live.

Circumspection

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise. Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Eph. 5:15, 16

Let every flying hour confess
I gain the gospel fresh renown;
And when my life and labours cease,
May I possess the promised crown.

Discretion

A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion. Psalm 112:5

Believers love what God commands,
And in his ways delight;
Their gracious words, and holy hands
Show that their faith is right.

Their converse is with God above,
Their labours bless mankind;
Their works of mercy, peace, and love,
Through Christ acceptance find.

Moderation

Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Phil. 4:5

We'll look on all the toys below
With such disdain as angels do;
And wait the call that bids us rise
To mansions promised in the skies.

Forbearance

Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Rom. 12:19

May I feel beneath my wrongs
Vengeance to the Lord belongs;
Nor a worse requital dare,
Than meek revenge of prayer:
Much forgiven, may I learn,
Love for hatred to return.

Industry

Let a man labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that ye may have to give to him that needeth. Eph. 4:28

To thee my very life I owe;
From thee do all my comforts flow;
And every blessing which I need
Must from thy bounteous hand proceed.

Integrity

That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing. 1 Thess. 4:12

Come, let us search our ways, and try
Have they been just and right;
Is the great rule of equity
Our practice and delight?

In all we sell, in all we buy,
Is justice our design?
Do we remember God is nigh,
And fear the wrath Divine?

Fidelity

He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. Luke 16:10

Thy gifts are only then enjoy'd
When used as talents lent;
Those talents only well employ'd
When in his service spent.

Truth and Sincerity

Wherefore, putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Eph. 4:25

Let those who bear the Christian name
Their holy vows fulfil;
The saints, the followers of the Lamb,
Are men of honour still.

Gentleness and Meekness

Speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, showing all meekness to all men. Tit. 3:2

Bless'd are the men of peaceful life,
Who quench the coals of growing strife,
They shall be called the heirs of bliss,
The sons of God, the sons of peace.

Benevolence

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from teh world. James 1:27

The poor are always with us here:
'Tis our great Father's plan,
That mutual wants and mutual care
Should bind us man to man.

Overcome Evil with Good

If thine enemy hunger feed him: if he thirst, give him drink: fo in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. Rom. 12:20, 21

Thus artists melt the sullen ore of lead,
With heaping coals of fire upon its head;
In the kind warmth the metal learns to glow,
And loose from dross the silver runs below.

Perseverance in Doing Good

Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. Gal. 6:9

Meek pilgrim Zionward, if thou
Hast put thy hand unto the plough,
Oh look not back, nor droop dismay'd,
At thought of victory delay'd:

Doubt not that thou, in season due,
Shall own his gracious promise true;
And thou shalt share their glorious lot,
Whom doing well hath wearied not.

Submission to Authority

Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work. Titus 3:1

Lord, thou has bid thy people pray
For all that bear the sovereign sway,
Who as thy servants reign;

Rulers, and governors, and powers--
Behold, in faith we pray for ours;
Nor let us plead in vain.

Universal Holiness the Believer's Aim

Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Phil. 4:8

Father of eternal grace,
Glorify thyself in me;
Meekly beaming in my face,
May the world thine image see.

Believer's Humble Confession

So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. Luke 17:10

My present triumphs, and my past,
Are thine, and must be to the last;
And if the crown of life I wear,
Thy hand alone must place it there.

The Great Motive to All Duty

Ye are not your own; for ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. 1 Cor. 6:19, 20

Oh! grant us, Lord, to feel and own
The power of love divine;
The blood which doth for sin atone,
The grace which makes us thine.

Joy in God

Let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. Psalm 5:11

When with his smiles my soul he deigns to bless,
Nor cares nor crosses can my peace destroy,
Possessing all things if I him possess,
Enjoying all things if I him enjoy.

Joy in Christ

We are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Phil. 3:3

The opening heavens around me shine
With beams of sacred bliss,
While Jesus shows his heart is mine,
And whispers, I am his.

Joy in the Holy Ghost

The kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Rom. 14:17

Holy Ghost, dispel our sadness,
Pierce the cloud of sinful night;
Come, thou source of joy and gladness,
Breathe thy life, and shed thy light.

The Gospel a Source of Joy

Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance. Psalm 89:15

Bless'd are the souls that hear and know
The gospel's joyful sound;
Peace shall attend the path they go,
And light their steps surround.

The Atonement a Source of Joy

We joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. Rom. 5:11

There is a fountain fill'd with blood,
Drawn from Immanuel's veins,
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty strains.

They dying thief rejoic'd to see
That fountain in his day;
And here may I, though vile as he,
Wash all my sins away.

The Scriptures a Source of Joy

Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts. Jer. 15:16

Oh may these heavenly pages be
My ever dear delight;
And still new beauties may I see,
And still increasing light.

The Sabbath a Source of Joy

This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

Oft as this peaceful day shall come,
Lord, raise my thoughts from earthly things,
And bear them to my heavenly home,
On faith and hope's celestial wings
Till the last gleam of life decay,
In one eternal sabbath day.

Pardon a Source of Joy

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. Psalm 32:1, 2

The Saviour smiles! o'er my bless'd soul
New tides of hope tumultuous roll;
Earth has a joy unknown in heaven,
The new-born peace of sin forgiven;
Tears of such pure and deep delight,
Ye angels! never dimm'd your sight.

Hope of Glory a Source of Joy

By whom [Jesus Christ] we have access by faith into this grace whereinwe stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Rom. 5:2

By faith to Pisgah's top I fly,
And there delighted stand,
To view beneath a cloudless sky,
The spacious promised land.

The Lord of all the vast domain
Has promised it to me;
The length and breadth of all the plain,
As far as faith can see.

Godly Fear a Source of Joy

Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. Psalm 128:1, 2

Happy, beyond description, he
Who fears the Lord his God;
Who hears his threats with holy awe,
And trembles at his rod.

Obedience a Source of Joy

I will delight myself in thy commandments which I have loved. Psalm 119:47

Then shall my heart have inward joy,
And keep my face from shame,
When all thy statutes I obey,
And honour all thy name.

Communion with God a Source of Joy

There be many that say, Who will show us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. Thou has put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased. Psalm 4:6, 7

Lord, what is life? if spent with thee,
In humble praise and prayer,
How long or short my life may be
I feel no anxious care:
Though life depart, my joys shall last,
When life and all its joys are past.

Communion of Saints a Source of Joy

My goodness extendeth not to thee; but to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight. Psalm 16:2, 3

If 'tis sweet to mingle where
Christians meet for fervent prayer;
If 'tis sweet with them to raise
Songs of holy joy and praise;
Passing sweet that state must be,
Where they meet eternally.

Prayer a Source of Joy

Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer. Isaiah 56:7

Prayer makes the darken'd cloud withdraw,
Prayer climbs the ladder Jacob saw;
Gives exercise to faith and love,
Brings every blessing from above.

Salvation a Source of Joy

We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners. Psalm 20:5

Salvation! oh the joyful sound!
'Tis pleasure to our ears;
A sovereign balm for every wound,
A cordial for our fears.

Early Piety a Source of Joy

O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Psalm 90:14

Grace is a plant, where'er it grows,
Of pure and heavenly root;
But fairest in the young it shows,
And yields the sweetest fruit.

A Good Conscience a Source of Joy

Our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world. 2 Cor. 1:12

O happy soul, that lives on high,
While men lie grovelling here;
Whose hopes are fix'd above the sky,
And faith forbids his fear.

His conscience cleans'd from all his sins,
Love, peace, and joy combine
To form a life whose holy springs
Are hidden and divine.

Benevolence a Source of Joy

Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts 20:35

Bless'd is the man whose heart expands
At melting pity's call,
And the rich blessings of whose hands
Like heavenly manna fall.

Tribulation a Source of Joy

We glory in tribulation: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope. Rom. 5:3, 4

Then let us wait the' appointed day,
Nor call this world our home;
To pilgrims in a foreign land,
Afflictions needs must come.

Who rule the world, o'errules their end,
They destined are for good;
And bear the saints to realms of rest,
Though mighty as a flood.

Temporal Blessings Sources of Joy

Ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. Joel 2:26

Thy bounty gilds the path of life
With every cheering ray,
And oft restrains the rising tear,
Or wipes that tear away.

The Divine Blessing a Source of Joy

The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. Prov. 10:22

Better than life itself thy love,
Dearer than all beside to me;
For whom have I in heaven above,
Or what on earth, compared to thee?

The Divine Protection a Source of Joy

Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. Psalm 63:7

Since thou hast been my help,
To thee my spirit flies;
And on thy watchful providence
My cheerful hope relies.

Divine Acceptance a Source of Joy

Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy work. Eccles. 9:7

Whilst I see thy love to me,
Every object teems with joy;
Here, oh may I walk with thee,
Then into thy presence die!

Let me but thyself possess,
Total sum, of happiness;
Real bliss I then shall prove--
Heaven below, and heaven above.

Joy Following Sorrow

Weeping may endure for a night; but joy cometh in the morning. Psalm 30:5

When comforts are declining,
He grants the soul again,
A season of clear shining,
To cheer it after rain.

Joy the Duty of the Believer

Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. Psalm 32:11

Let those refuse to sing
Who never knew our God;
But children of the heavenly King
Should speak their joys abroad.

Joy to be Sought Through Christ

Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. John 16:24

Dark and cheerless is the morn,
Unaccompanied by thee;
Joyless is the day's return,
Till thy mercy's beams we see:
Day-spring from on high, be near;
Day-star, in our hearts appear.

Believer's Joy Is Satisfying

Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple. Psalm 65:4

These are the joys which satisfy,
And sanctify the mind;
Which make the spirit mount on high,
And leave the world behind.

Believer's Joy Is Abiding

These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. John 15:11

Art thou not mine, my living Lord?
And can my hope, my comfort die,
Fix'd on thine everlasting word--
The word that built the earth and sky.

Believer Has Joy in Death

Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: for mine eyes have seen thy salvation. Luke 2:29, 30

When we have number'd all our years,
And stand, at length, on Jordan's brink;
Though the flesh fail with mortal fears,
Oh! let not then the spirit sink:
But strong in faith, and hope, and love,
Plunge through the stream to rise above.

Heaven the Consummation of Joy

Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Matt. 25:21

Soldier of Christ, well done!
Praise be thy new employ;
And while eternal ages run,
Rest in thy Saviour's joy.

Believer Forewarned of Sorrow

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. John 16:33

The path of sorrow, and that path alone,
Leads to the land where sorrow is unknown.
No traveller e'er reached that bless'd abode,
Who found not thorns and briars in his road.

Sources of Sorrow -- Loss of Divine Favour

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free Spirit. Psalm 51:12

Ah! why, by passing clouds oppress'd,
Should vexing thoughts distract thy breast?
Turn, turn to Him, in every pain,
Whom never suppliant sought in vain.

Sources of Sorrow -- Indwelling Sin

I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. Rom. 7:23

Nature may raise her fleshly strife,
Reluctant to the heavenly life:
But grace omnipotent at length
Shall arm the saint with saving strength,
Through the sharp war with aids attend,
And his last conflict sweetly end.

Sources of Sorrow -- A Deceitful Heart

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jer. 17:9

With flowing tears, Lord, I confess,
My folly and unstedfastness;
When shall this heart more stable be,
Fix'd by thy grace alone on thee?

2Co 11:3  But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
2Co 11:4  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.


Yes, Lord give me that old time Gospel. The Gospel of the Bible is just as relevant today as it was in the time of Paul. There are those coming out today that claim new revelations, a change in the Gospel. We have been forewarned of these and told not to take heed of them. These individuals bend toward "itchy ears", telling them what is pleasing to them and their desires.

We must be born again, not according to mans word but by the word of God. This is the word that last forever, unchanged (incorruptible). It is this word that the Gospel comes to us and not by new revelations of men.


1Pe 1:23  Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
1Pe 1:24  For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
1Pe 1:25  But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.


Rom 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Rom 10:13  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Sources of Sorrow -- Ingratitude of the Ungodly

They that render evil for good are mine adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is. Forsake me not, O Lord: O my God, be not far from me. Psalm 38:20, 21

If wounded love my bosom swell,
Deceived by those I prized too well;
He shall his pitying aid bestow,
Who felt on earth severer woe:
At once betray'd, denied, or fled,
By those who shared his daily bread.

Sources of Sorrow -- Reproach of the World

Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. Heb. 13:13

If on my face, for thy dear name,
Shame and reproach shall be,
I'll hail reproach, and welcome shame,
If thou remember me.

Sources of Sorrow -- Persecution

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me. Ps. 138:7

Man may trouble and distress me,
'Twill but drive me to thy breast;
Life with trials hard may press me,
Heaven will bring me sweeter rest.

Sources of Sorrow -- Earthly Losses and Bereavements

Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. Job 1:21

Oh! blessed be the hand that gave;
Still blessed when it takes:
Blessed be he who smites to save,
Who heals the heart he breaks
Perfect and true are all his ways
Whom heaven adores, and earth obeys.

Sources of Sorrow -- The Sins of Others

Rivers of water run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law. Psalm 119:136

I sorrow for the mental night
In which mankind around me lie:
Almighty Father, by thy might,
Arouse them from their lethargy.

Sources of Sorrow -- The Number of the Wicked

Broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Matt. 7:13, 14

Strait is the way, the door is strait,
Which leads to joys on high:
'Tis but a few that find the gate,
While crowds mistake, and die.

Sorrow Chosen Rather than Sin

Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. Heb. 11:24, 25

It is not for me to be seeking my bliss,
And building my hopes in a region like this
I look for a city which hands have not piled;
I pant for a country by sin undefiled.

Believer's Confidence in Trouble

Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Hab. 3:17, 18

Although my wealth and comfort's lost,
My blooming hopes cut off I see,
Yet will I in my Saviour trust,
Whose matchless grace can reach to me.

Believer's Comfort in Trouble

This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me. Psalm 119:50

Thus trusting in thy word, I tread
The narrow path of duty on;
What though some cherish'd joys are fled?
What though some flattering dreams are gone?
Yet purer brighter joys remain:
Why should my spirit then complain?

Christ an Example to the Afflicted

Even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps. 1 Pet. 2:21

Our glorious Leader claims our praise
For his own pattern given,
While the long cloud of witnesses
Show the same path to heaven.

The Patriarchs Examples to the Afflicted

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of withnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Heb. 12:1

Once they were mourning here below,
And wet their couch with tears;
They wrestled hard, as we do now,
With sins, and doubts, and fears.

The Prophets Examples to the Afflicted

Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. James 5:10

And shall not we aspire,
Like them our course to run?
The crown if we would wear,
The cross must first be borne.
Divinely taught, they show'd the way,
First to believe, and then obey.

Benefits of Affliction -- Self-Abasement

Surely after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth. Jer. 31:19

Dumb at thy feet I lie,
For thou hast brought me low;
Remove thy judgements, lest I die;
I faint beneath thy blow.

Benefits of Affliction -- Contrition for Sin

I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early. Hos. 5:15

What though afflictions pierced my heart!
I bless the hand that caused the smart;
It taught my tears awhile to flow,
But saved me from eternal woe.

Benefits of Affliction -- Patience

The trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. James 1:3, 4

Through waves, and clouds, and storms,
He gently clears thy way:
Wait thou his time -- the darkest night
Shall end in brightest day.

Benefits of Affliction -- Humility

If I be wicked, woe unto me; and if I be righteous, yet will I not lift up mine head. I am full of confusion; therefore see thou mine affliction. Job 10:15

To the heart truly humbled by woe,
The annointing of joy shall be given;
To the tears that from penitence flow,
The peace that's the forerunner of heaven.

Benefits of Affliction -- Submission

I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it. Psalm 39:9

Take all, great God, I will not grieve,
But still will wish that I had still to give:
I hear thy voice, thou bidd'st me quit
My paradise; I bless, and do submit;
I will not murmur at thy word,
Nor beg thy angel to sheath up his sword.

Benefits of Affliction -- Hope

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance. Psalm 42:5

The gloomiest day hath gleams of light,
The darkest wave hath bright foam near it;
And twinkles through the cloudiest night
Some solitary star to cheer it.

Benefits of Affliction -- Holiness

Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Heb. 12:11

Our hearts are fasten'd to this world
By strong and endless ties;
But every sorrow cuts a string,
And urges us to rise.

Benefits of Affliction -- Tries Our Sincerity

He knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. Job 23:10

Though sorrows rise, and dangers roll
In waves of darkness o'er my soul;
Though friends are false, and love decays,
And few and evil are my days--
Yet even in nature's utmost ill,
I love thee, Lord! I love thee still.

Benefits of Affliction -- Brings Sin to Remembrance

If they be bound in fetters, and be holden in cords of affliction; then he showeth them their work, and their transgressions that they have exceeded. Job 36:8, 9

My former hopes are fled,
My terror now begins;
I feel, alas! that I am dead
In trespasses and sins.

Benefits of Affliction -- Leads to Prayer

O remember not against us former iniquities: let they tender mercies speedily prevent us: for we are brought very low. Psalm 79:8

Ah! whither could we flee for aid
When tempted, desolate, dismay'd;
Or how the hosts of hell defeat,
Had suffering saints no mercy-seat?

Benefits of Affliction -- Brings Us Back to God

I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths. -- Then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now. Hos. 2:6, 7

Long unafflicted, undismay'd,
In pleasure's path secure I stray'd:
Thou madest me feel thy chastening rod,
And straight I turned unto my God.

Benefits of Affliction -- Exercises Our Faith

Ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. 1 Pet. 1:6, 7

Dark are the ways of Providence,
While those who love thee groan;
Thy reasons lie conceal'd from sense,
Mysterious and unknown.

Benefits of Affliction -- Teaches Our Frailty

Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd's tent: I have cut off like a weaver my life: he will cut me off with pining sickness. Isa. 38:12

Lord, let me know mine end,
My days, how brief their date,
That I may timely comprehend
How frail my best estate.

Benefits of Affliction -- Remind us of Former Mercies

We had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us. 2 Cor. 1:9, 10

His love in times past forbids me to think
He'll leave me at last in trouble to sink:
Each sweet Ebenezer I have in review
Confirms his good pleasure to help me quite through.

Affliction Succeeded by Glory

Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. 2 Cor. 4:17

All trials and sorrows the Christian prepare
For the rest that remaineth above;
On earth tribulation awaits him, but there
The smile of unchangeable love.

God Does Not Tempt to Sin

Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. James 1:13, 14

My crimes, though great, do not surpass
The power and glory of thy grace;
Oh! wash my soul from every sin,
And make my guilty conscience clean.

Temptations -- From Satan

Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. 2 Cor. 2:11

Fear not Satan's strong temptations
Though they tease thee day by day,
And thy evil inclinations
Overwhelm thee with dismay!
Thou shalt conquer,
Through the Lamb's redeeming blood.

Temptations -- From a Depraved Nature

I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. Rom. 7:21

Oh! who can free my troubled mind
From sin's oppressive load?
O wretched man! how shall I find
Acceptance with my God.

My soul with transport turns to thee,
To thee my Saviour turns;
Cleansed by thy blood, and saved by grace,
My soul no longer mourns.

Temptations -- From the Love of Riches

They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 1 Tim. 6:9

Oh lay not up upon this earth
Your hopes, your joys, your treasure,
Here sorrow clouds the pilgrim's path,
And blights each opening pleasure.
All, all below must fade and die,
The dearest hopes we cherish,
Scenes touch'd with brightest radiancy,
Are all decreed to perish.

Temptations -- From the Fear of Man

The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe. Prov. 29:25

The taunts and frowns of men of earth,
What are they all to me!
Oh they are things of little worth,
Weigh'd with one smile from Thee,
Who bore a sorrow deeper far,
Than all these stingless trifles are.

Temptation to Neglect Good Works

Ye did run well; who did hinder you, that ye should not obey the truth? Gal. 5:7

Better that we had never known
The way to heaven through saving grace,
Than basely in our lives disown,
And slight and mock thee to thy face.

Temptation to Legal Dependance

Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect in the flesh. Gal. 3:3

Go, you that rest upon the law,
And toil and seek salvation there;
Look to the flame that Moses saw,
And shrink, and tremble, and despair.

But I'll retire beneath thy cross--
Saviour, at thy dear feet I'll lie;
And the keen sword that justice draws,
Flaming and red, shall pass me by.

Temptation to Formality in Religion

Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Rev. 3:2

God is a Spirit just and wise;
He sees our inmost mind:
In vain to heaven we raise our cries,
And leave our souls behind.

Temptation to Slothfulness in Religion

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou has left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works. Rev. 2:4, 5

I need the influence of thy grace
To speed me in the way,
Lest I should loiter in my pace,
Or turn my feet astray.

Temptation to Self-Indulgence

I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. 1 Cor. 9:27

When thy statutes I forsake,
When my graces dimly shine,
When my covenant I break,
Jesus, then remember thine:
Check my wanderings
By a look of love divine.

Temptation to Trifle with Sin

Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Rom. 6:1

Shall we go on to sin,
Because thy grace abounds?
Or crucify the Lord again,
And open all his wounds?
We will be slaves no more,
Since Christ has made us free;
Has nail'd our tyrants to his cross,
And bought our liberty.

Temptation to Spiritual Pride

For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it? 1 Cor. 4:7

Oft have I turn'd my eyes within,
And brought to mind some latent sin
But pride, the vice I most detest,
Still lurks securely in my breast.

Temptation to Envy the Wicked

As for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. Psalm 78:2,3

Their feet are in a slippery place;
Their riches swift as shadows fly;
Their honours end in deep disgrace;
In mirth they live, in anguish die.

Temptation to Mistrust Providence

If God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Matt. 6:30

I know not what may soon betide,
Or how my wants shall be supplied;
But Jesus knows, and will provide.

When creature comforts fade and die,
Worldlings may weep--but why should I?
Jesus still lives, and still is nigh.

Temptation to Despair

I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God. Psalm 69:2, 3

Prostrate before thy mercy-seat,
I cannot if I would despair;
None ever perish'd at thy feet,
And I would lie for ever there.

Temptation Humbles the Believer

Lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 2 Cor. 12:7

What though a thorn my bosom bears,
And varied are the wants and cares,
That mark my chequer'd way!
My God hath said, in whom I live,
"My grace is thine, and strength I give
According to thy day."

Amen to that.

Kerry

Temptation to Be Resisted

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Eph. 6:12

From strength to strength go on,
Wrestle, and fight, and pray;
Tread all the powers of darkness down,
And win the well-fought day.

Temptation to Be Avoided

Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. Prov. 4:14, 15

A wicked world and wicked heart
With Satan are combined:
Each acts a too successful part,
In harassing my mind.

But fighting in my Saviour's strength,
Though mighty are my foes,
I shall a conqueror be at length
O'er all that can oppose.

Temptation Avoided by Watchfulness and Prayer

Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation. Matt. 26:41

Go to dark Gethsemane,
Ye that feel the tempter's power,
Your Redeemer's conflict see,
Watch with him one bitter hour;
Turn not from his griefs away,
Learn of Jesus Christ to pray.

Temptation Overcome by Faith

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. Eph. 6:16

Let faith exert its conquering power,
Say in thy tempted, trembling hour,
"My God, my Father, save thy son!"
'Tis heard--and all thy fears are done.

Believer Armed Against Temptation

Take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Eph 6:13

The Christian warrior--see him stand
In the whole armour of his God;
The Spirit's sword is in his hand,
His feet are with the gospel shod.

Preservation from Temptation

Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation. Rev. 3:10

Thus preserved from Satan's wiles,
Safe from dangers, free from fears,
May I live upon thy smiles,
Till the promised hour appears:
When the sons of God shall prove
All their Father's boundless love.

Pastor Roger,

You certainly have said much concerning the Gospel. It is good to hear the many facets of our faith and the encouraging words of our Lord Jesus.

I was thinking this morning, the whole sum of the Gospel may be found in that one statement of Scritpure, "Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved."

That demands of everyone and excludes no one. We are only excluded when we resist the Gospel and will not believe in the Lord Jesus.

Kerry.

Amen! For God would have all to be saved.

Preservation in Temptation

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. James 1:12

When aught shall tempt my soul to stray
From heavenly wisdom's narrow way,
To shun the precept's holy light,
Or quit my hold on Jesus' might,
May He who felt temptation's power
Still guard me in that dangerous hour.

Deliverance from Temptation

The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations. 2 Pet. 2:9

What though fierce and strong temptations
Press around thee on the way,
And thy sinful inclinations
Often cause thee great dismay!
Look to Jesus,
Thou through him shalt gain the day.

Christ the Strength of the Tempted

My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. 2 Cor. 12:9

Why should I fear the darkest hour,
Or tremble at the tempter's power!
Jesus vouchsafes to be my tower.

Though hot the fight, why quit the field?
Why must I either fear or yield,
Since Jesus is my mighty shield?

Abraham Lincoln's Favorite Devotionals
September 27
Christ's Sympathy with the Tempted

In that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted. Heb. 2:18

Touch'd with a sympathy within,
He knows our feeble frame;
He knows what sore temptations mean,
For he has felt the same.

Christ's Intercession for the Tempted

The Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desire to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not. Luke 22:31, 32

Though faint my prayers, and cold my love
My stedfast hope shall not remove,
While Jesus intercedes above.

Against me earth and hell combine;
But on my side is power Divine;
Jesus is all, and he is mine.

The Lord's Prayer for the Tempted

Lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Matt. 6:13

Protect us in the dangerous hour,
And from the wily tempter's power,
Lord, set our spirits free;
And if temptation should assail,
May mighty grace o'er all prevail,
And lead our hearts to thee.

Freedom from Temptation in Heaven

To him that overcometh, will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. Rev. 3:21

Though temptations now attend thee,
And thou tread'st the thorny road,
His right hand shall still defend thee,
Soon he'll bring thee home to God:
Full deliverance
Thou shalt have in heaven above.

Duty of Retrospection

Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldst keep his commandments. Deut. 8:2

Thus far the Lord has led me on,
And made his truth and mercy known;
And while I tread this desert land,
New mercies shall new songs demand.

Of the Divine Help

Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us. 1 Sam. 7:12

Here I raise my Ebenezer,
Hither, by thy help, I'm come:
And I hope, by thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.

Of the Divine Guidance

Who am I, O Lord God? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? and this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord God. 2 Sam. 7:18, 19

Render'd safe by his protection,
I shall pass the watery waste;
Trusting to his wise direction,
I shall gain the port at last;
And with wonder,
Think on toils and dangers past.

Of the Divine Faithfulness

Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O Lord, according unto thy word. Psalm 119:65

Since first the maze of life I trod,
Hast thou not hedged about my way,
My worldly vain designs withstood,
And robb'd my passions of their prey?
Thrice happy loss, which makes me see
My happiness alone in thee!

Of the Divine Forbearance

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not, They are new every mornning: great is thy faithfulness. Lam. 3:22, 23

Lift up to God the voice of praise,
Whose goodness, passing thought,
Loads every minute as it flies
With benefits unsought.

Of the Divine Mercy

He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. Psalm 103:10

He hath with a piteous eye
Look'd upon our misery:
Let us, then, with gladsome mind,
Praise the Lord, for he is kind:
For his mercies shall endure,
Ever faithful, ever sure.

Of the Divine Counsel and Instruction

I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons. Psalm 16:7

Sure the Lord thus far has brought me,
By his watchful tender care;
Sure, 'tis he himself has taught me
How to seek his face by prayer:
After so much mercy past,
Will he give me up at last?

Of Divine Promises Fulfilled

Ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed therof. Josh. 23:14

In all my ways thy hand I own,
Thy ruling providence I see;
Assist me still my course to run,
And still direct my paths to thee.

Of Unnumbered Blessings

Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. Psalm 40:5

For mercies countless as the sand,
Which daily I receive
From Jesus, my Redeemer's hand,
My soul, what canst thou give?

Of Early Pious Instruction

Continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and has been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them. 2 Tim. 3:14

Lord, hast thou made me know thy ways?
Conduct me in thy fear;
And grant me such supplies of grace
That I may persevere.

Of His Natural State

You that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled. Col. 1:21

Plunged in a gulf of dark despair,
We wretched sinners lay,
Without one cheerful beam of hope,
Or spark of glimmering day.

Of the Sins of His Life

How many are mine iniquities and sins? make me to know my transgression and my sin. Job 13:23

My past transgressions pain me;
Lord, cleanse my heart within;
And evermore restrain me
From all presumptuous sin.

So let my whole behaviour,
Thoughts, words, and actions be,
O God, my strength and Saviour,
Acceptable to thee.

Of Past Unprofitableness

For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? Rom. 6:20, 21

Lord, I confess my numerous faults,
How great my guilt has been;
Foolish and vain were all my thoughts,
And all my life was sin.

Of the Season of Conversion

Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son. Col. 1:12, 13

Since the dear hour that brought me to thy foot,
And cut up all my follies by the root,
I never trusted in an arm but thine,
Nor hoped but in thy righteousness Divine:--
Cast at thy glorious feet, mine only plea
Is what it was, dependance upon Thee.

Of Spiritual Deliverance

Great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell. Psalm 86:13

He pardon'ed my transgressions,
Bade all my sorrows cease;
And, in his rich compassions,
Restored my soul to peace.

Of Spiritual Enjoyments

I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. Sol. Song 2:3, 4

Kindly he brought me to the place
Where stands the banquet of his grace;
He saw me faint, and o'er my head
The banner of his love he spread.

Of Support in Affliction

Unless thy law had been my delight, I should then have perished in mine affliction. Psalm 119:92

God of my life, how good, how wise
Thy judgements to my soul have been!
They were but blessings in disguise,
The painful remedies of sin.
How different now thy ways appear,
Most merciful, when most severe!

Of Answers to Prayer

I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. Psalm 116:1, 2

Did ever trouble yet befall,
And he refuse to hear thy call?
And has he not his promise pass'd,
That thou shalt overcome at last?

Of Deliverance from Adversity

I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities. Psalm 31:7

Oh, magnify the Lord with me;
Come, join his name to bless:
To him did I in trouble flee;
He saved me from distress:
Oh, let him then your refuge be,
Nor shall you fail success.

Of Deliverance from Danger

Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not. O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life. Lam. 3:57, 58

Be all my added life employ'd
Thy image in my soul to see:
Fill with thyself the mighty void;
Enlarge my heart to compass thee.

Of Deliverance from Death

O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. Psalm 30:3

Thy mercy chased the shades of death,
And snatch'd me from the grave;
Oh may thy praise employ that breath
Which mercy deigns to save!

Of the Vanity of Human Life

And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been. Gen. 47:9

This life's a dream, an empty show,
But the bright world to which we go
Hath joys substantial and sincere:
When shall I wake, and find me there?

Of Departed Friends

I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 1 Thess. 4:13, 14

Though loved and lost, not ours the pang of those
Whose earth-born grief no heavenly balsam knows:
We would not call their spirits from their home
Where sin assails them not, and sorrow cannot come.

Aged Believer's Retrospect

O God, thou has taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. Now also when I am old and greyheaded, O God, forsake me not. Psalm 71:17, 18

Still hath my life new wonders seen
Repeated every year:
Behold, my days which yet remain
I trust them to thy care.

Retrospection Should Lead to Gratitude

What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. Psalm 116:12, 13

When all thy mercies, O my God,
My rising soul surveys,
Transported with the view I'm lost
In wonder, love and praise.

Retrospection Should Lead to Self-Examination

I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search. Psalm 77:5, 6

Help me, O Lord, to try my heart,
To search with strictest care,
And all my thoughts, and words, and ways,
With Scripture to compare.

Retrospection Should Lead to Self-Abasement

And Jacob said, I am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant. Gen. 32:10

Unworthy, Lord, of all
Thy mercies though we be,
Yet for the greatest we may call,
The greatest are most free.

Retrospection Should Lead to Repentance

Surely it is meet to be said unto God, I have borne chastisement, I will not offend any more: that which I see not teach thou me: if I have done iniquity, I will do no more. Job 34:31, 32

In thought, in will, in word and deed,
What evils have I done,
Against the God of grace and love,
His Spirit and his Son?

Retrospection Should Lead to Amendment of Life

I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies. I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments. Psalm 119:59, 60

Thou art my portion, O my God;
Soon as I know thy way,
My heart makes haste to obey thy word,
And suffers no delay.

Retrospection Should Lead to Confidence in God

Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. Psalm 116:7, 8

For this, when future sorrows rise,
To him will I direct my cries;
For this, through all my future days,
Adore his name, and sing his praise.

Retrospection Should Lead to Devotedness to God

Only fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you. 1 Sam. 12:24

My God, my King, thy various praise
Shall fill the remnant of my days;
Thy grace employ my humble tongue
Till death and glory raise the song.

May every hour successive bear
Some thankful tribute to thine ear;
And by thy grace accepted be,
As works of love perform'd for Thee.

Believer's Confidence in God

My times are in thy hand: make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies' sake. Psalm 31:15, 16

"My times are in thy hand,"
My God, I wish them there;
My life, my friends, my soul, I leave
Entirely to thy care.

Of Future Support

Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Psalm 37:3, 4

The birds without barn or storehouse are fed;
From them let us learn to trust for our bread:
His saints what is fitting shall ne'er be denied,
So long as 'tis written, The Lord will provide.

Of Deliverance from Trouble

Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth. Psalm 71:20

From every piercing sorrow
That heaves our breast to-day,
Or threatens us to-morrow,
Hope turns our eyes away;
On wings of faith ascending,
We see the land of light,
And feel our sorrows ending
In infinite delight.

Of Being Kept by Christ

I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. 2 Tim. 1:12

Beneath his smiles my heart has liv'd,
And part of heaven possess'd;
I thank him for the grace receiv'd,
And trust him for the rest.

Of the Completion of the Work of Grace

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Phil. 1:6

He will complete the work begun,
He will his own defend;
Will give me strength my course to run,
And love me to the end.

Of the Triumphs of the Gospel

His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed. Psalm 72:17

Lord, let the thought of that bright day
Kindle our hopes, and warm our love;
Cheer us while here on earth we pray,
And crown our songs in heaven above.

Of the End of His Warfare

The time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. 2 Tim. 4:6, 7

Oh most delightful hour by man
Experienced here below,
The hour that terminates his span
Of conflict and of woe!

Of Victory Over Satan

The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. Rom. 16:20

Now let my soul arise,
And tread the tempter down;
My Captain leads me forth
To conquest and a crown:
A feeble saint shall win the day,
Though death and hell obstruct the way.

Of Victory Over Sin

O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom. 7:24, 25

Now to the God of victory
Immortal thanks be paid,
Who makes us conquerors while we die,
Through Christ our living Head.

Of Victory Over the Grave

God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Psalm 49:15

There, till the archangel's trumpet sound
Ages of silence I shall lie;
Then from my earthly cell rebound,

Of the Certainty of Death

When a few years are come, then I shall go the way whence I shall not return. Job 16:22

Welcome, sweet hour of full discharge,
That sets my longing soul at large;
Unbinds my chains, breaks up my cell,
And gives me with my God to dwell.

Of Support in the Hour of Death

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Psalm 23:4

When the vale of death appears,
(Faint and cold this mortal clay,)
Kind Forerunner, soothe my fears,
Light me through the darksome way:
Break the shadows,
Usher in eternal day.

Of the End of the World

The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 2 Pet. 3:10

Lo! it comes--that day of wonder!
Louder chorals shake the skies:
Hades' gates are burst asunder;
See the new-clothed myriads rise!

Of a Joyful Resurrection

I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God. Job 19:25, 26

Though worms may waste this with'ring clay,
When flesh and spirit sever;
My soul shall see eternal day,
And dwell with God for ever.

Of the Coming of Christ to Judgment

Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Rev. 1:7

Great God! what do I see and hear!
The end of things created:
The Judge of mankind doth appear
In clouds of glory seated;
The trumpet sounds, the graves restore
The dead which they contain'd before:
Prepare, my soul, to meet him.

Of Meeting the Judge

We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 2 Cor. 5:10

Oh! on that day, that wrathful day,
When man to judgment wakes from clay,
Lord, be the trembling sinner's stay,
Though heaven and earth shall pass away.

Of Entire Acquittal

Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died; yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Rom. 8:33, 34

Fear not the drum's earth-rending sound,
Dread not the day of doom;
For He that is to be thy Judge,
Thy Saviour is become.

Of Participation in the Judgement

Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? 1 Cor. 6:2

See the Judge, our nature wearing,
Cloth'd in majesty divine;
Ye who long for his appearing
Then shall say, "This God is mine:"
Gracious Saviour,
Own us in that day of thine!

Of Being Presented Faultless

Unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. Jude 24

What transport then shall fill my heart,
When thou my worthless name wilt own;
When I shall see thee as thou art,
And know as I myself am known!

Of an Incorruptible Body

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 1 Cor. 15:54

Where then thy triumph, Grave? and where thy sting,
O sullen Death? what terror dost thou bring?
We burst thine iron band, and soar on high--
Glory to Christ the Lord, who brings us victory!

Of a Glorious Body

Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. Phil. 3:21

My flesh shall slumber, in the ground
Till the last trumpet's joyful sound;
Then burst the chains, with sweet surprise,
And in my Saviour's image rise.

Of Being with Christ

To me to live is Christ, and to die is gain, For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better. Phil. 1:21, 23

'Tis best, 'tis infinitely best,
To go where tempests never come;
Where saints and angels, ever blest,
Dwell, and enjoy their heavenly home.

Of Being Ever with Christ

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 1 Thess. 4:17

Oh, who can tell what joy shall beam
On all the ransom'd race,
When they shall join the hallow'd strains
And see the Saviour's face!

Of Reigning with Christ

It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: if we suffer, we shall also reign with him. 2 Tim. 2:11, 12

Ever upward may we move,
Wafted on the wings of love:
Looking when our Lord shall come,
Longing, gasping after home!
There may we with thee remain,
Partners of thine endless reign.

Of Being Like Christ

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:2

Him eye to eye we there shall see,
Our face like his shall shine:
Oh, what a glorious company,
When saints and angels join!

Of an Heavenly Habitation

We know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 Cor. 5:1

There is a home for weary souls,
By sin and sorrow driven;
When toss'd on life's tempestuous shoals,
Where storms arise, and ocean rolls,
'Tis found above--in heaven.

Of Perfection of Knowledge in Heaven

Now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 1 Cor 13:12

As through a glass I dimly see
The wonders of thy love;
How little do I know of thee,
Or of the joys above!

'Tis but in part I know thy will--
I bless thee for the sight--
When will thy love the rest reveal
In glory's clearer light?

Of a Crown of Righteousness

Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day. 2 Tim. 4:8

God has laid up in heaven for me
A crown which cannot fade;
The righteous Judge, in that great day,
Shall place it on my head.

Of Reunion with Glorified Spirits

What is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? 1 Thess. 2:19

We soon shall join the throng,
Their pleasures we shall share,
And sing the everlasting song
With all the ransom'd there:
Hallelujah!
We are on our way to God.

Believer's Anticipations a Call to Holiness

Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. 2 Pet. 3:14

Yet with these prospects full in sight
I'll wait thy signal for my flight;
For while thy service I pursue,
I find a heaven in all I do.

Eternal Life the Gift of God

Now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom. 6:22, 23

From thee, my God, my joys shall rise,
And run eternal rounds,
Beyond the limits of the skies,
And all created bounds.

Eternal Life the Purchase of Christ

Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. Heb. 9:12

Pardon and peace to dying men,
And endless life are given:
By the rich blood that Jesus shed
Our souls are brought to heaven.

Eternal Life Secured by the Spirit

The Holy Spirit of promise is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. Eph. 1:13, 14

Dost thou not dwell in all the saints,
And seal the heirs of heaven?
When wilt thou banish my complaints,
And show my sins forgiven.

Heaven the Desire of the Saints

Whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord, we are confident, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. 2 Cor. 5:6, 8

In that bright city I would dwell,
With that bless'd church the Saviour praise,
And, safe, redeem'd from death and hell,
Sit at his feet through endless days.

Heaven a Rest

There remaineth a rest to the people of God. Heb. 4:9

Oh where shall rest be found,
Rest for the weary soul?
'Twere vain the ocean-depths to sound,
Or pierce to either pole.

Beyond this vale of tears,
There is a life above,
Unmeasured by the flight of years--
And all that life is love.

Heaven Compared to a Marriage Supper

Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. Rev. 19:9

"Worthy the Lamb!" aloud they cry,
"That brought us here to God:"
In ceaseless hymns of praise they shout
The merits of his blood.

Heaven an Inheritance

He is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of etermal inheritance. Heb. 9:15

There is my house and portion fair,
My treasure and my heart are there,
And my abiding hom;
For me my elder brethren stay,
And angels beckon me away,
And Jesus bids me come.

Heaven a Kingdom

I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom. Luke 22:29, 30

O God! O Good beyond compare!
If all thy meaner works are fair,
How glorious must that kingdom be,
Where thy redeem'd shall dwell with thee!

Heaven Is Prepared Mansions

In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. John 14:2

High in yonder realms of light,
Far above these lower skies,
Fair and exquisitely bright,
Heaven's unfading mansions rise.

Glad within these bless'd abodes,
Dwell the' enraptur'd saints above,
Where no anxious care corrodes,
Happy in Immanuel's love.

Heaven Compared to Paradise

Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise. Luke 23:43

There is a land of pure delight,
Where saints immortal reign;
Infinite day excludes the night,
And pleasures banish pain.

There everlasting spring abides,
And never-withering flowers:
Death, like a narrow sea, divides
This heavenly land from ours.

Heaven a State of Holiness

There shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. Rev. 21:27

The soul, from sin for ever free,
Shall mourn its power no more,
But clothed in spotless purity,
Redeeming love adore.

Heaven a State of Happiness

Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Psalm 16:11

Love, in an ever-deepening tide,
O'er all the plains above
Spreads, like a sea immensely wide--
For God himself is Love.

Heaven a State of Service

They serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. Rev. 7:15

And swift to do his high behest
Each spirit wings its flight;
And virtue glows on every breast,
A gem of purest light.

Amen..

No Sorrow in Heaven

God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Rev. 21:4

Joy and gladness banish sighs,
Perfect love dispels their fears,
And for ever from their eyes,
God shall wipe away all tears.

No Curse in Heaven

There shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and the Lamb shall be in it. Rev. 22:3

When we shall Christ in glory meet,
Our utmost joys shall be complete:
When landed on that heavenly shore,
Death and the curse shall be no more.

No Night in Heaven

There shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. Rev. 22:5

Nor needed is the shining moon,
Nor e'en the sun's bright ray;
For glory, from the sacred throne,
Spreads everlasting day.

BEULAH LAND..
I'M LONGING FOR YOU..
AND SOMEDAY..ON THEE I WILL STAND
WHERE MY HOME
SHALL BE ETERNAL...
BEUALAH LAND...SWEET BEULAH LAND...

It does not matter the times...He's the same today as yesterday...His mercy is renewed to us each day He gives...He keeps us in the shelter of His wings...and puts His angels charge over us...This earth will pass away and all in it...but on this earth...He has prepared us...he has prepared us to STAND through His word.....and by His power we can GO...In the Name of Jesus and tell the gospel even though there is persecution..and by His love...we can REST...safely in His presence everytime we come to Him in prayer....knowing our hope in SECURE in Jesus...and this is what this world and all that can come against us can never take away from those who are in Christ Jesus..

Amen sister, that is the beautiful and wonderful hope that we have in Jesus.

No Death in Heaven

They which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage: neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels. Luke 20:35, 36

There pain and sickness never come,
And grief no more complains;
Health triumphs in immortal bloom,
And endless pleasure reigns.

Praises of Heaven

They sung a new song, saying, Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. Rev. 5:9

Hark! hark! the voice of ceaseless praise
Around Jehovah's throne,
Songs of celestial joy they raise,
To mortal lips unknown.

I thought about the old time gospel and how brothers and sisters would not be brothers and sisters in the church only but out of the church...to invite those they do not know in the body to their home for dinner...to know one another as we are one..to meet the needs within the body...I thought about discipleship...There are so many people who go from church to church looking to be accepted and I have heard of those who have been hurt through a church and it should not be...Church is a place to go and Thank God...to hear His word...to bring the lost and the hurting...and to minister to them...Church has come so far from what is is meant to be...I know that there is alot of emphasis on programing and so much competition in numbers that the numbers are not discipled and fall away as babes left on their own...the program needed to day is to strengthen the body by the Word...I know the Word is mentioned so much in this forum..and I thank God for all of you who know how importrant it isand how it is life to those who apply it in their daily lives...It amazes me and encourages me...Everytime I post I think of the song...
I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God...and to bring those who do not know the Lord into this light and disciple those that they can get stronger and not be thrown around by winds of doctrine that lead them astray...There is so much God will use us for if we will be available to His call and to do that which He commanded us to do..and that being the Gospel...there is no greater calling and no greater ministry...

Amen Sister, Amen
"Bring me that old-time religion"..............!

Amen, sister! I can also remember a time when most of an entire city would get together for fellowship in the Lord. Several churches in the town would pass out fliers inviting the entire town and those from nearby towns out to a gathering for food and worship. Not only would these people be invited to church members homes for dinner later but many from the churches would continue going to their homes for visits, talking to them at the market or anywhere else they would see them.

In recent years people have become so secluded, changing the word of God to avoid offending them or not giving it to them at all. God's true word is still just as beautiful today as it was 2,000 years ago and if we truly love as God says we should we should all want to continue sharing that beautiful old time religion with any and all that we meet and to continue bringing the babes in Christ to a fuller maturity in Him.

Society of Heaven

These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb: therefore are they before the throne of God. Rev. 7:14, 15

Clad in raiment pure and white,
Victor-palms in every hand,
Through their great Redeemer's might,
More than conquerors they stand.

Saints Shall Be with God

He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. Rev. 21:3

Oh glorious hour! oh bless'd abode!
I shall be near and like my God;
And flesh and sin no more control
The sacred pleasures of the soul.

Saints Shall Be with Christ

Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory. John 17:24

Oh then shall the veil be remov'd,
And round me thy brightness be pour'd:
I shall meet Him whom absent I lov'd,
I shall see Him whom unseen I ador'd!

Saints Shall Inherit All Things

He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. Rev. 21:7

The saints in his presence receive
Their great and eternal reward;
With Jesus in heaven they live;
They reign in the smile of their Lord.

Saints Shall Be Perfect

Ye are come unto the general assembly and church of the first-born, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect. Heb. 12:22, 23

A life in heaven! oh what is this?
The sum of all that faith believed;
Fullness of joy, and perfect bliss,
Unseen--unfathom'd--unconceiv'd.

Saints Shall Be Glorious in Appearance

Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Matt. 13:43

The Lamb is their light and their sun,
And, lo, by reflection they shine;
With Jesus ineffably on,
And bright in effulgence divine.

Saints Shall Be Honored as Victors

I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands. Rev. 7:9

Now the conquerors bring their palms
To the Lamb amidst the throne,
And proclaim in joyful psalms,
Victory through his cross alone.

Saints Shall Be Kings and Priests Unto God

Thou hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. Rev. 5:10

Thou hast redeem'd our souls with blood,
Hast set the prisoners free,
Hast made us kings and priests to God,
And we shall reign with thee.

Joys of Heaven Are Sure

Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! Psalm 31:19

This is the hope that shall sustain me
Till life's pilgrimage be past;
Fears may vex, and troubles pain me,
I shall reach my home at last.

Joys of Heaven Are Abundant

The Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of water. Rev. 7:17

The Lamb that fills the middle throne
Shall shed around his milder beams,
There shall they feast on his rich love,
And drink full joys from heavenly streams.

Joys of Heaven Are Satisfying

I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness. Psalm 17:15

Oh! when awaken'd by thy care,
Thy face I view, thy image bear,
How shall my breast with transport glow!
What full delight my heart o'erflow!

Joys of Heaven Are Eternal

Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out. Rev. 3:12

The everlasting doors
Shall soon the saints receive,
Above, with angel powers,
In glorious joy to live:
Far from a world of grief and sin,
With God eternally shut in.

Believers to Wait for Heaven

Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days. Dan. 12:12, 13

Jerusalem, my happy home,
My soul still pants for thee;
When shall my labours have an end
In joy, and peace, and thee.

“Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”

 St. Francis of Assisi quotes

Such profound words. The Gospel is not just words that we are to teach to all but it is a way of life that should shine forth from ourselves daily.


3Jn 1:4  I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don't like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself.
Saint Augustine



Rom 3:10  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Rom 3:11  There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
Rom 3:12  They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Rom 5:12  Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Rom 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

Rom 3:20  Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Rom 3:27  Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

Rom 5:8  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Rom 5:9  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

Rom 2:4  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

Rom 3:22  Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

Rom 3:28  Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Rom 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Rom 4:21  And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

Rom 4:24  But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;

Rom 5:1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Rom 10:10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Rom 10:13  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

The Roman Road...I have given the tract to so many people...
I recently obtained a study...Letters from Prison...all the wrings of Paul while he was in prison...Have any of you been through this study?

Not by that name but I am sure that I have done a similar study.

"We have an unchanging gospel, which is not today green grass and tomorrow dry hay; but always the abiding truth of the immutable Jehovah." (C.H. Spurgeon)

Gal 1:6  I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
Gal 1:7  Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
Gal 1:8  But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
Gal 1:9  As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
Gal 1:10  For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
Gal 1:11  But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
Gal 1:12  For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Gal 1:13  For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:
Gal 1:14  And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.
Gal 1:15  But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,
Gal 1:16  To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:
Gal 1:17  Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.
Gal 1:18  Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.
Gal 1:19  But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother.
Gal 1:20  Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not.
Gal 1:21  Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia;
Gal 1:22  And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ:
Gal 1:23  But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed.
Gal 1:24  And they glorified God in me.

"Avoid a sugared gospel as you would shun sugar of lead. Seek the gospel which rips up and tears and cuts and wounds and hacks and even kills, for that is the gospel that makes alive again. And when you have found it, give good heed to it. Let it enter into your inmost being. As the rain soaks into the ground, so pray the Lord to let his gospel soak into your soul."
C.H. Spurgeon

"Never lose heart in the power of the gospel. Do not believe that there exists any man, much less any race of men, for whom the gospel is not fitted."

C.H. Spurgeon

Amen...

"When we preach Christ crucified, we have no reason to stammer, or stutter, or hesitate, or apologize; there is nothing in the gospel of which we have any cause to be ashamed." (C.H. Spurgeon)

When you think of the cross, what thoughts come to your mind? Steeples, necklaces, churches?

Or do your thoughts go deeper? Do words like these come to mind? Jesus, nails, blood, pain, death, tomb, empty tomb, joy, promise, life, eternal life, saviour.

Oh, the words of the cross, so full of pain. So full of passion. So full of promise, God's promise. His promise to you. His promise to give you life everlasting.

You, that's where his thoughts are. He is thinking about you. As you ponder the cross, He wants you to know  ... He did it for you. He did it just for you.

Gal 3:22  But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

Act 2:39  For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

Joh 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

To stretch our faith, to take the risk,
God says we will suceed
If we but ask Him for strength
And grace that we will need.      D. De Haan

The True Shepherd

“Ah, brethren, this is the mark of every true shepherd whom Christ sends - he comes in by the door, that is, the blood of Christ. He speaks of sin, because he has seen its greatness; he speaks of pardon, because he has been forgiven; of blood, because he has felt its power. ‘He that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.’ No other qualification will do. All the learning at colleges will never make a minister. All the eloquence in the world will never make a minister.”

- Robert Murray M’cheyne

Do good to all and kindness show-
That's what God's word commands;
For when we're serving in Christ's name,
We are His feet and hands.                     Fitzhugh
                   

“There is nothing attractive about the gospel to the natural man; the only man who finds the gospel attractive is the man who is convicted of sin.” (Oswald Chambers)

“A gospel that elevates man and dethrones God is not the gospel.” (Will Metzger)

We who love Jesus are walking by faith,
Not seeing one step that's ahead;
Not doubting one moment what our lot may be,
But looking to Jesus instead.                                 Fields

“You may spoil the gospel by substitution. You have only to withdraw from the eyes of the sinner the grand object which the Bible proposes to faith--Jesus Christ--and to substitute another object in His place… and the mischief is done.    J.C. Ryle

Savior, let me walk beside Thee,
Let me feel my hand in Thine;
Let me know the joy of walking
In Thy strength and not in mine.        Sidebotham

Just exactly what is the Gospel?

We hear the Gospel spoken of quite frequently by many. But exactly what is the Gospel? The book of Mark puts it quite simply in the very first verse. It is the good news of the coming of Jesus Christ. John the Baptist tells us in Mat 3:1 it is the good news of " the kingdom of heaven". We are told in numerous places that Jesus went around "preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God".

We find in Luke 4 where it is so clearly stated that:

Luk 4:18  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Luk 4:19  To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Luk 4:20  And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
Luk 4:21  And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.


This wondrous good news of the coming of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God is "salvation to everyone that believeth"


Rom 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Rom 1:17  For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Salvation, salvation from death under the law by God's perfect grace.

Rom 3:10  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Rom 3:11  There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
Rom 3:12  They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Rom 5:12  Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Rom 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

Rom 3:20  Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Rom 3:27  Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

Rom 5:8  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Rom 5:9  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

Rom 2:4  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

Rom 3:22  Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

Rom 3:28  Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Rom 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Rom 4:21  And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

Rom 4:24  But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;

Rom 5:1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Rom 10:10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Rom 10:13  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.