THE NIGHT WATCHES by John MacDuff

[airIam2worship]

THE JEWELS OF GOD

"And they shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels." Malachi 3:17

"MY JEWELS!" (margin, My special treasure!) Of what favored creatures does Jehovah thus speak? Is it of seraphs? Is it of angels? Methinks, at such a title, even they would take the dust of abasement, and veiling their faces, cry, "Unclean! unclean!" But, marvel of marvels! It is redeemed sinners of the earth- the fallen children of men; once rude, unshapely stones, lying in "the horrible pit and the miry clay," amid the rubbish of corruption, who are thus
sought out by grace, purchased by love, destined through eternity to be set as jewels in the crown of the eternal God!

"The Lord's portion is His people." There is a surpassing revelation of love here. Great, unspeakably great, is the privilege of the believer, to be able to look up to the everlasting Jehovah, and say, "You are my portion, O Lord!" But what is this in comparison with the response of Omnipotence to the child of dust, "You are Mine!" Reader, have you learned to lisp your part in this wondrous interchange of covenant-love, "My beloved is Mine, and I am His!"

What an array of wondrous titles belong to the saints of God, and given, too, by God Himself, in His own Word! He calls them– Sons! Brethren! Princes! Friends! Heirs! Jewels! My Portion! Mine!

And when is the time when they become thus dear to Him? Sinner, when you wept at the cross of Jesus, and joined yourself in covenant with God, you became His Jewel. No! "He has loved you with an everlasting love!" True, you are not yet set in His crown. You are yet undergoing the process of polishing. Affliction is preparing you; trial is needed to remove all the roughness and inequalities of nature, and make you fit for your Master's use. But, blessed thought! "Now it is God who has made us, [literally, chiseled or polished us] for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." Yes, God Himself, the possessor, who prized that earthly jewel so much, as to give in exchange for it Heaven's "Pearl of great price!" He has the polishing in His own hand. He will not deal too rashly or roughly.

And where, meanwhile, is the casket in which these Jewels are kept until the coronation-day arrives, when the crown of His Church triumphant (every saint a gem) will be placed on the head of Jesus? It is He, their Purchaser, their Proprietor, who preserves them. They are "kept by the power of God." Our great High Priest, the true Aaron, has them set in his breastplate; He bears them on His heart on His every approach to the throne. They are the precious stones set in gold upon the ephod! And though the sins of His people, and the designs of Satan, combine in doing what they can to erase and destroy them, He declares that none shall ever pluck them out of His hand, or from His heart. A jewel in Immanuel's crown! Not only raised from the ash-heap to be set among princes, but to gem through eternity the Forehead that for me was once wreathed with thorns!

Shall I? can I? murmur at any way my Savior sees fit to polish and prepare me for such an honor as this? Let me sink down on my nightly pillow overpowered with the thought; and as I hear my covenant God whispering in my ear the astounding accents, "You are Mine!" I may well reply, "I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." Psalm 4:8
 

http://www.gracegems.org/
Our literature is public domain—use it in any way you desire.
No monetary donations accepted. "Freely you
have received, freely give." Matthew 10:8

[airIam2worship]

        THE JUDGMENT OF GOD

        "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." 2 Cor. 5:10

        "ALL!" There is no eluding that searching scrutiny- "Every eye shall see Him." Believer, if safe in the covenant, there is to you no terror in that coming reckoning. The judicial dealing between yourself and your God is already past. You are already acquitted. The moment you cast yourself at the cross of your dear Lord, the sentence of "Not Guilty" was pronounced upon you; and if "it is God who justifies; who is he that condemns?" But this sentence will be ratified and openly proclaimed before an assembled world. On that great day of disclosures God will avenge His own elect. All the calumnies and aspersions heaped on their character will be wiped away. In presence of devils, and angels, and men, the approving sentence will go forth from the lips of the Omniscient One, "Enter into the joy of your Lord!"

        And WHO is to be your Judge? Who is to be enthroned on that tribunal of unerring rectitude, before whom every knee is to bow and every heart is to be laid open? "For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by THAT MAN he has appointed." "That Man!" Oh, it is no stranger! It is Him who died for you! who is now interceding for you! who will then stand on that latter day on the earth, to espouse your cause, vindicate your integrity, and utter the challenge to every reclaiming adversary- "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?"

        Reader, seek to know this God-Man Mediator on a throne of grace, before you meet Him on a throne of judgment. Seek to have your name now enrolled in this Book of Life, that you may hear it then confessed before His "Father and the holy angels." What an incentive to increased aspirations after holiness and higher spiritual attainments, to remember that the awards of that day and of eternity, will be determined by the transactions of time! It is a grand Bible principle, that though justified by faith, we shall be judged by works. No more, while from first to last, Jesus, and Jesus alone, is the meritorious cause of salvation, yet the works flowing from faith in Him and love to Him, will regulate the degree of future bliss; whether we shall be among the "greatest" or" the least in the kingdom;" whether we shall occupy the outskirts of glory, or revolve in orbits around the throne in the blaze of God's immediate presence!

        Were that trumpet-blast now to break on your ear, would you be prepared with the welcome response, " Even so, come." Seek to be living in this habitual state of holy preparedness, that even the midnight cry would not take you by surprise; that the summons which will prove so startling to a slumbering world, would be to you the herald of glory- "He comes, He comes to judge the earth!"

        "Never again your loins untie,
        Nor lot your torches waste and die,
        Until, when the shadows thickest fall,
        You hear your Master's midnight call!"

        Oh the blessedness of being able, in sweet confidence in the Savior's second coming, to compose myself to rest night after night, and say, "Even though the trumpet of judgment should break upon my ears, I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."

http://www.gracegems.org/
Our literature is public domain—use it in any way you desire.
No monetary donations accepted. "Freely you
have received, freely give." Matthew 10:8

[airIam2worship]

GOD'S BANQUETING HOUSE

"He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love." Song of Solomon 2:4

"HE brought me!" All of grace! He justifies! He glorifies! The top-stone is brought forth, the banqueting house is entered with shoutings, saying, "Grace, grace unto it!" Believer, contemplate the journey ended, the course finished, the victory won. Seated at the supper-table of the Lamb in glory, guest talking to guest with bounding hearts- recounting their Lord's dealings on earth- the watchword circulating from tongue to tongue, "He has done all things well!"

Angels and archangels, too, will be participants in that banquet of glory; and bright seraphs, who never knew what it was to have a heart of sin or to shed a tear of sorrow. But, for this reason, there will be one element of joy peculiar to the Redeemed, into which the other unfallen guests cannot enter- the "joy of contrast." How will this present world's "great tribulation" augment the bliss of a world at once sinless and sorrowless! How will earth's woe-worn cheek, and sin-stricken spirit, and tear-dimmed eye, enhance the glories of that perfect state, where there is not the type or symbol of sadness, nor the solitary trace of one lingering tear-drop!

Then will be realized that sweet paradox, "They rest" – "They rest not!" "The rest without a rest." "They rest"- the eternal pause and cessation from all the feverish disquietudes of this world's sins and sorrows; all that would disturb the rapture of a holy repose. And yet, the restless activity of holiness- the Divine energy of beings whose grand element of happiness is employment in the service and executing the will of God. In this "they cease not day nor night."

It is sublimely said of the God before whom they hymn their anthems and cast their crowns, "He inhabits the praises of eternity!" My soul, seek often to ponder, in the midst of your days of sadness, the joys of that eternal Banqueting house. "You shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more!" One moment at that table- one crumb of the heavenly manna- one draught from the river of life, and all the bitter experiences of the valley of tears will be obliterated and forgotten!

Look upwards even now, and behold your dear Lord preparing for you this glorious "feast of fat things." "Don't be troubled. You trust God, now trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father's home, and I am going to prepare a place for you. If this were not so, I would tell you plainly. When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am." He has Himself entered the Banqueting house as the pledge and forerunner of the coming Guests. He, the first Sheaf of the mighty harvest, has been waved before God in the temple of the New Jerusalem, as a pledge of the immortal sheaves still to be gathered into the heavenly garner!

The invitation is issued, "Come, for all things are ready." "The feast has been prepared, and choice meats have been cooked. Everything is ready. Hurry to the wedding banquet!" Reader, prepare for the feast suitably attire yourself for such a glorious banquet. Put on your beautiful garments- that righteousness of Jesus, without which you cannot be accepted- that holiness of heart, without which you cannot be an acceptable guest. Soon shall the little hour of life's unquiet dream be over; and then, oh the glorious surprise of being ushered into that banqueting table- to know, forever, the blessedness of those "who are called unto the marriage-supper of the Lamb!"

With the prospect of such joys awaiting me in the morning of immortality, with the dark nights of death before me, and the grave my couch, I shall be able to say, even of its lonely chamber– "I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." Psalm 4:8

http://www.gracegems.org/
Our literature is public domain—use it in any way you desire.
No monetary donations accepted. "Freely you
have received, freely give." Matthew 10:8

[airIam2worship]

THE PRESENCE OF GOD

"In Your presence there is fullness of joy." Psalm 16:12

Even in this world, where God is dimly apprehended, how sweet to the Christian is the sense of His presence, and friendship, and love! What will it be in that world, where He is seen in open vision! The foretaste is blessed, what must be the fruition! The rays of the Divine glory are gladdening- what must be the full blaze of that Sun itself!

Believer, do you often delight to pause in your journey? Does faith love to ascend its Pisgah Mount and get a prospect of this Land of Promise? What is the grand feature and element which swallows up all the circumstantials in your future bliss? Let Patriarchs, Prophets, and Apostles, answer- It is "Your Presence." "In my flesh, I shall see God," says one. "I shall be satisfied," says another, "when I awake, with Your likeness." "They shall see His face," says a third. Amid all the glowing visions of a coming Heaven granted to John in Patmos, there is One all-glorious object that has ever a peerless and distinctive pre-eminence- God Himself!

There is no candle- Why? "For the Lord God gives them light." There is no temple- Why? "For the Lord God and the Lamb are the temple thereof." The saints dwell in holy brotherhood; but what is the mighty bond of their union; their chief joy? "He that sits on the Throne shall dwell among them." They have no longer the intervention of ordinances and means- Why? Because "the Lamb that is in the midst of the Throne shall feed them, and lead them to living fountains of waters." They no longer draw on the storehouse of the Promises- Why? Because "God himself shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." "No napkin," says a holy man, "but His own immediate hand, shall wipe my sinful face!"

Reader, here is the true "Peniel," where you will "see God face to face." Here is the true "Mahanaim," where the Angels of God meet you.

In heaven is the true communion of saints- the glorious fellowship of the Prophets- the goodly fellowship of the Apostles- the noble army of Martyrs. Yet all these will be subservient and subordinate to the first- the vision and fruition of God! Even the recognition of the death-divided (that sweet element in the believer's prospect of bliss) will pale, in comparison, into a candle-light, before this, "Glory that excels!"

Are you among these "pure in heart," who are to "see God"? Remember the Bible's solemn warning- "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord." Remember its solemn admonition- "And every man that has this hope in Him, purifies himself even as He is pure." To "see God!" Oh, what preparation needed for so magnificent a contemplation! Infinite unworthiness and nothingness, to stand in the presence of Infinite Majesty, Purity, and Glory!

Can I wonder at the much discipline required, before I can be thus "presented faultless before the presence of His glory?" How will these needed furnace-fires be dimmed into nothing when viewed from the Sapphire throne! Heart and flesh may be fainting and failing; but, remembering that that same God is now "the strength of my heart," who is to be my "portion forever," I may joyfully say– "I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." Psalm 4:8

http://www.gracegems.org/
Our literature is public domain—use it in any way you desire.
No monetary donations accepted. "Freely you
have received, freely give." Matthew 10:8

[airIam2worship]

GOD'S CLOSING CALL

"Now is the time of God's favor; behold! now is the day of salvation." 2 Cor. 6:2

Reader! How does it stand with you? Is the question of your soul's salvation finally and forever settled? Are you at peace with God? Can you say with Paul, in the prospect of death, "I am now ready?" Have you been led to feel the infinite peril of postponement and procrastination, and responded to the appeal- "Behold, Now!" Ah, how many have found, when the imagined hour of deathbed preparation had come, that the tear of penitence was too late to be shed, and the prayer of mercy too late to be uttered! Let there be plain dealing between your conscience and your God. Seek not to escape from the pressing urgency of the question. You may dismiss it now, but there is a day coming when you dare not! Let it not merge in vague generalities- let it be realized as matter of personal concern; of infinite importance to yourself- "Am I saved, or am I not saved? Am I prepared, or am I unprepared, to meet my God?"

You may have, perhaps, an honest purpose of giving it some future deliberation at another and "more convenient season." Do we ever read of Felix's "more convenient season?" It were better not to risk the experiment of a dying hour for the solution of the problem- "Is it safe today?" Take it on trust, that it is a difficult matter- a conference about the soul on the brink of eternity! Remember, God's Spirit "will not always strive." All His other attributes are infinite, but His patience and forbearance have their "bounds and limits."

The invitation which is yours today, may be withdrawn tomorrow. The axe may be even now laid at the root of the tree, and the sentence on the wing– "Cut it down!" How awful, if it really be, that you are yet living in this state of estrangement and guilt! What a surrender of present peace! What a forfeiture of eternal joy! Hurry! flee for your life, lest you be consumed! Your immortality is no trifle.

"The night is far spent." Who can tell how far? It may be now or never with you! You are about once more to lie down on your nightly pillow. What if your awaking tomorrow were to be "in outer darkness?" But, take courage, that night is not too far spent. Close this last of the "Night Watches," by fleeing, without delay, to Jesus- the Sinner's Savior and the Sinner's Friend. It was on the last watch of the night, He came of old to His tempest-tossed disciples. Like them, receive Him now into your soul; and have all your guilty fears calmed by His omnipotent "Peace, be still!"

Are there not ominous signs all around, as if the world's last and closing "night-watch" had set in? The billows are heaving high. We hear the footsteps on the waters. Amid the fitful moanings of the blast, the watchword is heard- of joy to some, of terror to others- "Maranatha" – "The Lord is coming!"

Reader! are you ready? Is the joyous response on your tongue- "Come, Lord Jesus; Come quickly"? If this night were indeed your very last, and the thunders of judgment were to break upon you before daybreak; would you be able, in the assurance of an eternal dawn, to say– "I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." Psalm 4:8

http://www.gracegems.org/
Our literature is public domain—use it in any way you desire.
No monetary donations accepted. "Freely you
have received, freely give." Matthew 10:8