# devotions

devotion:
<i> The Son of man came not to he ministered unto. - <a href='B:470 20:28'>Mat 20:28</a>. </i><p>THERE is something in this that fills us, at first, with astonishment. When we consider his grandeur, the place from which he descended (for he came down from heaven), and the honour and glory and homage he enjoyed there, it is natural for us to conclude that when he enters our earth, he will be welcomed in a manner becoming his dignity, that he will have numerous attendants who will be all ready to run and fly at his nod, and to anticipate all his wishes. But what was the fact? &ldquo;He was in the world, and the world knew him not; he came unto his own and his own received him not.&rdquo;<p>When a sovereign visits a part of his dominions, when he enters the mansion of one of his own subjects, what exertion and sacrifices are made! Our Saviour could derive nothing from external appendages. What could any of those distinctions have added to the greatness of a Being who opened the eyes of the blind, raised the dead, calmed the sea in a moment-a Being who by a word could make worlds, and before whose look the heavens and the earth shall flee away. He could therefore dispense with all those things; and, though he knew how much they were valued and idolized in our world, and that persons are very much estimated according to them, yet he would dispense with them. &ldquo;He came not to be ministered unto, but to minister.&rdquo; We read of &ldquo;women who ministered unto him of their substance,&rdquo; and their names are recorded in the book of life; and wheresoever the gospel is preached, that which they did shall be told for a memorial of them.<p>But, alas! this very ministering unto him was a part of his humiliation. How reduced must he be to stand in need of assistance and succour of the very creatures of His power! His reproached followers should remember that he was &ldquo;a worm and no man,&rdquo; and &ldquo;a reproach among the people.&rdquo; And let his poor and afflicted people remember also, that while the &ldquo;foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, he had not where to lay his head.&rdquo; He assumed no state, and required no waiting upon. We only read of his riding once in his life, and then it was &ldquo;upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass;&rdquo; all his other travels were on foot, and many a stray step did he take for us.<p>"He went about doing good,&rdquo; and not only seized opportunities when they offered, but sought after them when they did not present themselves. And for this purpose how often did he refuse himself needful refreshment, and give up the enjoyment of the sweets of retirement! See him in the house of Lazarus, lamenting that he had given so much trouble, and commending Mary who sat at his feet to hear his word, while he kindly reproved Martha for her being &ldquo;cumbered about much serving,&rdquo; to indulge an appetite which he never indulged; for he came to feed, not to be fed, &ldquo;he came not to be ministered unto, but to minister.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> The Son of man came not to he ministered unto but to minister. - <a href='B:470 20:28'>Mat 20:28</a>. </i><p>THERE are persons who will often dispense with the attendance of others on themselves, who are not willing themselves to attend upon others, and especially those who are below them; but what do we see yonder? &ldquo;Jesus rises from supper and lays aside his garments, and takes a towel and girds himself. After that he pours water into a basin and begins to wash the disciples&rsquo; feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded; and he said, Know you, my disciples, what I have done? Ye call me Master and Lord, and ye say well, for so I am. If I, then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye ought also to wash one another&rsquo;s feet.&rdquo; Not as to the action, but the principle of the action; this we are to seek after. Jesus came to minister.<p>He may be considered a servant: &ldquo;Behold my servant,&rdquo; says God, &ldquo;my righteous servant. &ldquo;He took upon him the form of a servant.&rdquo; He was emphatically &ldquo;the servant of all;&rdquo; and there never was a servant yet in the world that was so attentive to the calls of his office. Here a centurion has a servant sick of the palsy; the word is a slave. He addresses him on his behalf; immediately he says, &ldquo;I will come and heal him. Behold the Lord of lords and the King of kings, proceeding at a moment&rsquo;s notice, and passing through the mansion to a hinder apartment and standing by the pallet of a poor diseased slave. The Son of man came &ldquo;to minister.&rdquo;<p>There is a large class of mankind who are trampled upon or overlooked by those around them; they are the poor. He at once enriched their minds and fed their bodies; &ldquo;he had compassion on the multitude because they had nothing to eat,&rdquo; and &ldquo;he taught them many things,&rdquo; and &ldquo;the poor had the gospel preached unto them.&rdquo; Here is a poor woman following a funeral; it was her own and her only son, and she too was a widow. Already she had entombed her husband, whose grave was now to be re-opened, to awaken all her tears and to receive the remains of one who was her last prop struck from under her. Our Saviour saw her, and had compassion on her, and said unto her, &ldquo;Weep not.&rdquo; And he said, &ldquo;Young man, I say unto thee arise; and he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And&rdquo;-O what a present!-&ldquo;he delivered him up to his mother.&rdquo; The Son of man came to minister to the relief of a guilty mind.<p>We talk of anguish; can anything heal the pangs of a distressed and wounded conscience? Here is a woman taken in adultery. By the law of Moses she was condemned to be stoned; she is mercilessly dealt with, and at length turned over to the Saviour by a company of wretches, every one of whom was guilty of the very same crime, though they had as yet escaped detection. And he turned to the woman; instead of condemning her, he said, &ldquo;Go, and sin no more.&rdquo; On another occasion he dined in the house of a Pharisee. While he was there, a woman in the city that was a sinner, knowing that Jesus was there, came, and, ashamed and afraid to look him in the face, got behind him, and stood at his feet weeping, and &ldquo;began to wash his feet with her tears and to wipe them with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet and anointed them with ointment.&rdquo; What said our Saviour to her? &ldquo;Thy sins are forgiven thee.&rdquo; The Pharisee murmured. Never mind, said he: &ldquo;Woman, I say unto thee, thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.&rdquo; &ldquo;The Son of man came not to be ministered unto but to minister.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> Take unto you the whole armour of God. - <a href='B:560 6:13'>Eph 6:13</a>. </i><p>AND with regard to the armour which is provided for the Christian warrior, the Apostle enables us to remark four things. First, He specifies the articles of which it consists. &ldquo;Having your loins girt about with truth, having on the breastplate of righteousness,and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always, with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.&rdquo; Here it will be perceived there is no armour provided for the back. He therefore that flees is wholly defenceless, and is sure to perish.<p>Secondly, He tells us of the nature of this armour. It is the &ldquo;armour of God.&rdquo; It is Divine. It is the armour of God by institution, that is, it is appointed by God. We read of &ldquo;the instruments of a foolish shepherd,&rdquo; and there are the weapons of the foolish soldier. Soldiers are not allowed to choose their own armour in a war. These are determined by the authority under which they move. Nothing is to guide or to be considered binding upon the Christian soldier but &ldquo;Thus it is written,&rdquo; and has the sanction of this blessed book, which contains all the articles of the holy war. But it is also God&rsquo;s armour by constitution. It is not only appointed by him, but provided by him. It is all of his own workmanship; it is therefore of Divine temper, and will abide the severest trial; no part of it can ever be destroyed or injured.<p>Thirdly, He speaks of the appropriation of it. For armour is nothing unless it be laid hold of and used; and therefore, says the Apostle, &ldquo;Take unto you the whole armour of God.&rdquo; He means that we should apply it to the various purposes for which it has been provided. There are some who are ignorant of it; these cannot &ldquo;take it to themselves,&rdquo; and they are perishing for lack of knowledge. Others know it, but despise it; they never make use of it, their religion is all speculation; they &ldquo;know these things,&rdquo; but &ldquo;they do them not;&rdquo; they believe, and &ldquo;the devils believe and tremble.&rdquo; The grace of God, which bringeth salvation,has come to them in vain; for it does not teach them to &ldquo;deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present world.&rdquo; Such knowledge is like the letter which Uriah carried in his bosom, and which placed him in the very front of the battle. Eor if our knowledge is unimproved, it will enhance our guilt and our condemnation.<p>Observe, fourthly, He remarks the entireness of the appropriation: &ldquo;Take unto you the whole armour of God.&rdquo; God forbids nothing in vain enjoins nothing in vain, provides nothing in vain; and therefore every part of this defensive and offensive armour is necessary. This armour of the Christian warrior may be considered with regard to his principles, his practice, his experience, his comfort, and his profession. And oh how important is it in each of these that neither of them is to be left in him exposed and undefended. He is to stand complete in the armour of righteousness; he is to be &ldquo;perfect and entire, lacking nothing.&rdquo; We are, however, here to distinguish between the aim and the attainment. Imperfection is compatible with sincerity in religion, but partiality is altogether alien to it. We must &ldquo;esteem all his commandments to be right, and we must hate every false way,&rdquo; and be able to say with David, &ldquo;Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> That ye may be able to withstand in the evil day. - <a href='B:560 6:13'>Eph 6:13</a>. </i><p>TWO inquiries have here to be answered. The first regards the posture. What does the Apostle mean by &ldquo;standing&rdquo; and &ldquo;withstanding?&rdquo; It is a military term: the one is opposed to falling; a man is said to &ldquo;fall&rdquo; when he is slain in battle; and he does so literally. It is also opposed to fleeing; we often read of fleeing before the enemy in the Scriptures; this cannot be standing. The other is opposed to yielding or turning back, and so the Apostle says, &ldquo;Neither give place to the devil;&rdquo; every step we yield he gains, and every step he gains we lose; every advantage he gains favours his gaining another. Every encroachment of his is an encouragement for him to go on, whereas, says the Apostle Peter, &ldquo;Resist the devil and he will flee from you.&rdquo;<p>The second regards the period; what does the Apostle mean when he says, &ldquo;Withstand in the evil day?&rdquo; All the time of the Christian&rsquo;s warfare may be so called in a sense, and a very true sense; but the Apostle refers also to some days which are peculiarly &ldquo;evil days.&rdquo; Days of suffering are such. The infirmities and privations of old age; these &ldquo;evil days&rdquo; will come when hearing and sight and strength will fail; when we shall say &ldquo;I have no pleasure therein.&rdquo; Paul says, &ldquo;Redeeming the time because the days are evil.&rdquo; Days of persecution. Days like those in which the martyrs lived and suffered were &ldquo;evil days,&rdquo; They could not confess and follow Christ without imperilling their substance, their liberty, and their lives; but they stood in the &ldquo;evil day.&rdquo;<p>Thus Daniel stood when he knew his adversaries had obtained the decree against him. &ldquo;He kneeled upon his knees three times a day, his windows being opened, and he prayed and gave thanks before his God as aforetime.&rdquo; There are &ldquo;evil days&rdquo; morally considered, perilous periods in which &ldquo;iniquity abounds and the love of many waxes cold,&rdquo; and in which many have &ldquo;turned aside from the faith and given themselves to vain janglings.&rdquo; It was an evil time when many, offended with our Saviour&rsquo;s discourse, &ldquo;went back and walked no more with him,&rdquo; and he said to the twelve, &ldquo;Will ye also go away?&rdquo; And Simon Peter answered him, &ldquo;Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.&rdquo; It was an &ldquo;evil day&rdquo; when Joseph was assailed by his mistress alone in the house, but he stood in the &ldquo;evil day,&rdquo; and said, &ldquo;How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God? &ldquo;It was an &ldquo;evil day&rdquo; with Nehemiah when Sanballat and Tobiah endeavoured to intimidate him, and induce him to leave off the work of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, but, said he, &ldquo;Should such a man as I flee?&rdquo; He stood in the &ldquo;evil day,&rdquo; and maintained his ground. <p>&ldquo;Strong in the Lord of hosts, <p> And in his mighty power, <p> Who in the strength of Jesus trusts <p> Is more than conqueror. <p>&ldquo;Stand then in his great might, <p> With all his strength endued, <p> But take to arm you for the fight <p> The panoply of God.&rdquo; </i>


devotion:
<i> I am with you. - <a href='B:300 42:11'>Jer 42:11</a>. </i><p>WILL God in very deed dwell with man upon the earth? The question is answered, &ldquo;The tabernacle of God is with men,&rdquo; and &ldquo;the Lord God will dwell among them.&rdquo; The foundation of his promise in this view was laid in the incarnation of his Son, and therefore his name was to be called &ldquo;Immanuel, that is, God with us.&rdquo; But he was to be with us, not only in his humanity, but in his Divine nature. As to his essential presence, God is with all his creatures. His immensity fills heaven and earth. Reason shows this as well as revelation. Satan and the fallen angels, as well as ourselves, &ldquo;live and move and have their being in him.&rdquo;<p>But when we read in the Scriptures of the presence of God in the way of promise or privilege, we may be sure it means something distinguishable from the perfection of his nature, that is, from his Omnipresence in which he is with all his creatures. It is therefore said that &ldquo;the Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart,&rdquo; that &ldquo;the Lord is nigh to them that call upon him.&rdquo; And this was assuredly the meaning of the promise given to Moses, &ldquo;My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.&rdquo;<p>Effects prove agency, and God&rsquo;s agency proves his presence. All the works of God around us in nature and in providence show that he cannot be far off from any one of us. Here is the work, and therefore the Agent must be here who produced it. &ldquo;We look this morning into the Church, here are works, wondrous works, which prove that he is near. Here is one who was &ldquo;darkness,&rdquo; but now &ldquo;he is light in the Lord.&rdquo; He saw no form nor comeliness in the Redeemer that he should desire him. Now he is &ldquo;all his salvation and all his desire.&rdquo; Here is another who was careless, but it is said of him, &ldquo;Behold he prayeth.&rdquo; Here is another who was a self righteous Pharisee trusting in himself that he was righteous, and &ldquo;despising others,&rdquo; but now he says, &ldquo;In the Lord Jehovah have I righteousness and strength.&rdquo; Here is a drunkard who has become sober; a swearer who has learned to fear an oath; here is a man who was a burden to himself, and a curse and a plague to all the neighbourhood, but since he has been delivered from the stings of a guilty conscience and the tyranny of his vile passions, he has been softened; and now having obtained mercy, he delights to show mercy, and is a devoted follower of him who went about doing good.<p>God is surely with such persons as these, as he was not once, as he is not now with others. He is with them so as to be in them at the same time, working in them both &ldquo;to will and to do of his own good pleasure,&rdquo; enabling them to walk by faith, to live above the world whilst they are in it, and to have their conversation in heaven. 


devotion:
<i> Whosoever will be chief among you let him he your minister, even as the Son of man came not to he ministered unto but to minister. - <a href='B:470 20:27-28'>Mat 20:27-28</a>. </i><p>WHEN a man rises above his fellow-creatures; when he ascends a little in the world, he is generally attended by a number of servants. The fact is this, man must be great, and as he is not so really, and cannot be so really, he must be so in appearance. It is worthy of observation that titles, and a thousand other things that are supposed to indicate greatness, are really and only founded on a want of it; for if men were sufficient without these, they would be unnecessary. But, alas, poor little man cannot get on without them, and thus the shadow of greatness is called in to supply the place of the reality.<p>But the Lord of all came not be ministered unto but to minister. And what is the proper use we ought to make of this fact? It would be an abuse of it if we were to run down in consequence of it the distinctions of life, for the Scripture always countenances these, and enforces the various duties arising from them; and not only the social welfare, but the individual welfare of man requires the maintenance of them. But there are two views to which we should apply these representations. The first is, To admire the Saviour&rsquo;s condescension. Condescension must be viewed by the previous dignity of the being who stoops. What a stoop indeed! &ldquo;Ye know,&rdquo; says the Apostle, &ldquo;the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, though he was rich, for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.&rdquo;<p>The second is, To resemble him therein. God forbid that ever we should consider him as some do-a mere example. He is infinitely more than an example, yet &ldquo;he that saith he abideth in him ought himself to walk even as he walked.&rdquo; And herein is the advantage of our evangelical system-while we proclaim him to be our sacrifice our righteousness, our strength, our God, yet we are at liberty to speak of him as our Exemplar. We should look at him and learn how to bear and forbear, and to walk in love as he also hath loved us. This is what the Apostle enjoined upon the Philippians, &ldquo;Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.&rdquo; And what was this mind? We may learn from what goes immediately before, &ldquo;Let nothing be done through strife or vain-glory, but in lowliness of mind; let each esteem others better than himself. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.&rdquo; But we learn more from what follows: &ldquo;Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant.&rdquo;<p>Alas, that there should be those who bear his name who are seeking great things for themselves and cherishing a fondness of distinction, and who refuse to condescend to men of lowly condition; who are haughty and disdainful in their deportment, refusing to perform an humble office for a fellow-creature or a fellow-Christian when Providence places an opportunity for this in their way. Alas, that there are those who, while they give a little of their substance, seldom, if ever, &ldquo;visit the fatherless and the widow in their affliction,&rdquo; unlike him who came &ldquo;not to be ministered unto but to minister.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> Repent,.....or else I will come unto you quickly, and will remove thy candle-stick out of his place, except thou, repent. - <a href='B:730 2:5'>Rev 2:5</a>. </i><p>AFTER all that philosophers have said, man needs motives to excite him to the performance of duty; and after all divines have said about disinterested love to God, the Scripture holds forth motives to obedience. God addresses them to every principle of our nature, to every passion of our soul, to our hopes and to our fears.<p>Our Lord here comes forward as one having authority, as one able to save or to destroy, as one having the supreme dominion over his church. And justly might he destroy; but before he strikes he announces his intention: he warns before he smites. In this solemn threatening we may observe three things. First, The manner of its accomplishment. It is accomplished when persons fall into such languor and insensibility in divine things as to be incapable of edification. If a man cannot use aliment, or if he cannot digest it, it is the same in effect as if it was taken away. And such is the case with thousands who, from week to week, hear the gospel. It makes no impression on them; they hear it, but they are sermon proof.<p>It is accomplished more literally and expressly when a church is deprived of the ordinary and stated means of grace; and this may be done by the tyranny of governments, or by foreign enemies, by the death of evangelical ministers, and by the introduction of others of opposite views and sentiments. In these cases, the gospel is substantially removed. Take away from the gospel the doctrine of salvation through a crucified Saviour, and the candlestick is removed, and &ldquo;Ichabod&rdquo; may be written in the place: &ldquo;The glory is departed.&rdquo;<p>Observe, secondly, The dreadfulness of this calamity. Some might not view this as so great an evil. Like the Gadarenes, they may even desire that Christ, as revealed in the gospel ministry, might depart out of their coasts. But by all Christians the gospel will be received as our guide, our guard, our asylum in danger, our comfort in trouble, our health, and our food, and we shall do well to reflect on the advantages, the instruction, the comfort, and the holiness which is derived from public ordinances, and to ask ourselves what it would be to be deprived of all these. Those who by sickness or accident or distance have been deprived of sanctuary privileges will bear testimony to this, that though God has not left them alone in their sorrows, yet they know that &ldquo;the Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.&rdquo; But, above all, let us take our estimate of these privileges from the Saviour himself. We have his benediction: &ldquo;Blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.&rdquo;<p>We have his promise: &ldquo;I will give you pastors according to mine own heart, who shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.&rdquo; We have it, above all, in his threatening: &ldquo;The days,&rdquo; says he, &ldquo;shall come that I will send a famine in the land.&rdquo; Not a famine of bread. This is dreadful! Famine has rendered the most unwholesome thing delicious, and has led to the adoption of the most horrible expedients to satisfy the cravings of the appetite. No, it is something far worse than this. Not a famine of bread, not a dearth of water; but of &ldquo;hearing the word of the Lord;&rdquo; and &ldquo;they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.&rdquo; If God were to declare the sun should never shine again upon this country, or that no rain should drop upon the land, it would be an infinitely less judgment than it were to withdraw the gospel and the means of grace. For this judgment does not so much regard the body as the soul, or time so much as eternity. Some judgments are corrective, but this is penal. Some judgments are meant to convert, but this to destroy.<p>Thirdly, Let us glance at the certainty of its fulfilment. He who has pronounced this threatening is faithful, and we shall find him as faithful in executing threatenings as in performing promises. Besides, he is Almighty. We are reminded by the very image which he has employed that it is as easy for him to deprive us of gospel privileges as it is for us to take a candle out of one room into another, enlightening that we enter, and darkening that we leave. Besides, he has already executed this threatening in many instances. Is it likely that God will continue the manna when it is despised?<p>The gospel is immensely too great a blessing to be thrown away. It is not a thing unheard-of for God to unchurch a people, and to withhold the means of grace when they have been neglected or abused. The case of the Jewish church is a striking and an illustrious instance of the means by which it may be accomplished. &ldquo;If he spared not the natural branches, take heed,&rdquo; says the Apostle, &ldquo;lest he also spare not thee.&rdquo;<p>What became of the very church at Ephesus here addressed? Where once the doctrines were as ointment poured forth, nothing is now heard but the blasphemies of the Koran. Though with regard to the church universal &ldquo;the gates of hell shall not prevail against it,&rdquo; it does not follow that he may not remove the candlestick from a particular place. 


devotion:
<i> He hath glorified thee. - <a href='B:290 55:5'>Isa 55:5</a>. </i><p>WITH regard to the glory here accorded to the Messiah, observe, first, Its source: &ldquo;The Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, he hath glorified thee.&rdquo; Here is the oneness of the relation. He is the God of the one, because he is the God of the other. Therefore, our Saviour said to his disciples, &ldquo;I ascend to my Father, and your Father to my God and your God.&rdquo;<p>Observe, secondly, The nature of this glory. There were some rays of glory beaming upon him and from him while he was here on earth; his people, therefore, could say: &ldquo;We beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.&rdquo; But it was not a worldly glory, and especially in his transfiguration, when on the mount with his disciples he was transfigured before them; in reference to which Peter speaks of his having received from God the Father honour and glory. &ldquo;When there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, &ldquo;This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.&rdquo; He was glorified, in a degree, even in his death. His cross was a throne, all creatures paid homage to him in death. The earth shook, the rocks rent, the graves were opened, the dead arose, the sun veiled his face in darkness. Prodigies of grace accompanied the miracles of nature. Gethsemane as well as Calvary witnessed the glory of his power. There the Roman guard drew back from him, and fell to the ground at a word. In the Judgment Hall he displayed the glory of his grace, when, with one of his all-loving Almighty looks, he turned his face upon Peter, and broke the disciple&rsquo;s poor heart, and &ldquo;he went out and wept bitterly.&rdquo; The Apostle Peter speaks also of the glory which followed his sufferings. To this the Saviour looked forward when he said: &ldquo;The hour is coming that the Son of man shall be glorified.&rdquo; For this he prayed; he said: &ldquo;Father, glorify thy Son.&rdquo; He was &ldquo;declared to be the Son of God, with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead.&rdquo; The descent of the Holy Spirit, on the day of Pentecost, was in recognition and in honour of him. And &ldquo;he was exalted a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance unto Israel, and the forgiveness of sins,&rdquo; and &ldquo;he ascended far above all heaven, that he might fill all things.&rdquo; Thus was God glorified in him.<p>Observe, thirdly, The season. He hath done it. When the prophet uttered these words, it was of futurity, and a futurity too at no little distance. His language marks the certainty of the accomplishment that he would assuredly be then glorified; it tells us that purpose and accomplishment, promise and fulfilment are the same with God. Were we able to take God at his word, we might say: &ldquo;Now are the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ.&rdquo; We may say even now, &ldquo;He hath quickened us, and raised us up, and made us sit together in heavenly places.&rdquo; We may say in the midst of conflicts: &ldquo;Now in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that bath loved us.&rdquo;<p>Observe, fourthly, The connection this glory has with, and the influence it has over, the conversion of sinners: &ldquo;They shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and the Holy One of Israel, who hath glorified thee.&rdquo; The case is simply this. His glorification is the ground of all our confidence in God. We could have neither believed nor hoped in God without the mediation of Christ, and how could we have known that this mediation in our behalf was available and effective, if he had not been raised from the dead and glorified. And, says Peter, &ldquo;God raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory, that our faith and hope might be in God.&rdquo; And surely this is enough to encourage us. And further, this glorification furnishes him as Mediator with power to save: &ldquo;Wherefore he is able to save unto the uttermost, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for us.&rdquo; It is now that he is &ldquo;mighty to save;&rdquo; he has power given him over all flesh, that he might give eternal life to as many as the Lather hath given him.<p>Yes, and his glorification ensures the salvation of sinners as his grand reward and recompense. It was &ldquo;for the joy that was set before him he endured the cross.&rdquo; It is here that he sees of the travail of his soul, and is satisfied; and it is thus that he shall sprinkle many nations, and become God&rsquo;s salvation unto the ends of the earth. 


devotion:
<i> All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. - <a href='B:520 3:23'>Rom 3:23</a>. </i><p>HERE is a twofold description of the condition of men. Observe, first, &ldquo;All have sinned.&rdquo; The Apostle here immediately refers to Jews and Gentiles. There was a grand distinction between them, and there seemed an immense difference between them, and, as to dispensation, indeed there was. As to dispensation, the one is spoken of as &ldquo;nigh,&rdquo; the other as being &ldquo;far off.&rdquo; The Jews were distinguished by miracles and ordinances, and a thousand peculiar privileges; but these did not prevent them equalling the Gentiles in guilt. Hence says the Apostle: &ldquo;What then? are we better than they? No, in nowise; for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;&rdquo; &ldquo;that every mouth might be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.&rdquo; &ldquo;All we,&rdquo; and this includes all men, wherever they live and whatever their external condition, not that all transgress in the same way-&ldquo;All we like sheep have gone astray,&rdquo; says Isaiah, but we have turned every one to his own way.<p>The very same evil may be diversified by a thousand causes and in a thousand instances. Not that all sins are equal in their heinousness. Our Saviour calls some &ldquo;beams,&rdquo; some &ldquo;motes.&rdquo; Some will be beaten with &ldquo;few stripes,&rdquo; and some with &ldquo;many stripes.&rdquo; Not that all are actually guilty in the same degree before God. But &ldquo;all have sinned&rdquo; in their head and representative, Adam; for &ldquo;as in Adam all die,&rdquo; so in Adam all sinned. Not only are men mortal, but they are also depraved. &ldquo;All have sinned&rdquo; in their own persons, in actions, in words, in thoughts, and in imaginations. Omissions of duties are sins: for he who forbids also commands. Ingratitude is a sin, as also a want of love to God, and of love to our neighbour. If covetousness be idolatry, anger murder, surely all have sinned; all are transgressors, and as such, all are under the curse. &ldquo;As it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things written in the book of the law to do them.&rdquo;<p>Observe, secondly, That &ldquo;all have come short of the glory of god.&rdquo; God designed his own glory by man&rsquo;s creation, but all have come short of this glory. All have come short of the glory of his law in not obeying it; of his image in not resembling it; of his favour in not desiring it; of his presence in not seeking after it. All are in the same state, because all stand in need of the same remedy, and the very same remedy is applied to all. If all need the Physician, all are sick; if all need to be cleansed, all are polluted; if all need to be renewed, all are depraved; if all need to be pardoned, all are guilty; if all need to be redeemed, all are in bondage. Yes, and all Christians, whatever be their present condition, will be ready to acknowledge that they were &ldquo;foolish, disobedient., deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice, and envy, hateful and hating one another.&rdquo; Such is the state of all men.<p>The existence of sin and misery in our world is undeniable. The Deist can no more deny it than the Christian. But while Deism leaves us without explanation and without remedy, Christianity comes to us and says: &ldquo;O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself, but in me is thy help found.&rdquo; &ldquo;Look unto me, and be ye saved: For I am God, and besides me there is no Saviour.&rdquo; It is our wisdom to attend to this.<p>Persons often reason where reason can be of no avail, while submission and prayer would avail everything. Suppose an individual passing along a meadow, and heard the cry of a fellow-creature in a pit. He approaches the spot, and sees the poor creature sinking deeper and deeper in the mire. And he says to him, Here, take my hand, I will endeavour to raise you up. Instead, however, of his laying hold of the aid extended to him, he begins questioning and cavilling how the pit came to be left there, why it was not fenced round to prevent persons from falling in; how shameful was the owner of it. But the individual says to him, My friend, you are perishing; this is not the place nor the time for inquiry or complaint; give me your hand, here is deliverance; let me draw you forth, and after your deliverance you will be able to abide the result of the inquiry; when you have found that the evil can not only be remedied, but that it has been remedied in your case. 


devotion:
<i> Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the Lord. - <a href='B:290 57:19'>Isa 57:19</a>. </i><p>TWO things are here to be regarded. First, The mercy of the Proclamation. &ldquo;Peace, peace.&rdquo; Now from this word the gospel derives its name and its quality, as it is written, &ldquo;How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace.&rdquo; It is well known that among the Hebrews and the Easterns the word peace was frequently used to express wealth or happiness at large, or what we commonly mean by prosperity. Thus Joseph said to Pharaoh, &ldquo;God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.&rdquo; Thus Artaxerxes superscribed his letter, &ldquo;And at such a time, peace.&rdquo; Thus David says, &ldquo;Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.&rdquo; But the term is here taken in its more appropriate significancy, as intended to convey to us the idea of reconciliation.<p>The case is this: By our sins and transgressions we had provoked the anger of Jehovah, and he could have justly destroyed us. For we deserved his wrath, and had no claims upon his pity; and there was nothing before us but a &ldquo;certain fearful looking for of judgment and of fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries.&rdquo; But &ldquo;God, who was rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us,&rdquo; provided for our deliverance from the wrath to come, by sending his only begotten Son into the world &ldquo;not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.&rdquo; &ldquo;He made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.&rdquo; And &ldquo;that he might reconcile us unto God by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby, and came and preached peace to them which were afar off, and to them which are nigh.&rdquo; This proclamation makes known to us the fact that we are reconciled to God by the death of his Son, and that now he is waiting to be gracious; and that he will be merciful to our unrighteousness; and our sins and iniquities he will remember no more.<p>Observe, secondly, The persons to whom this proclamation is addressed. It is not to a few, but to many; not to one class, but to all persons of every condition. &ldquo;Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near.&rdquo; This regards the Jews and the Gentiles.<p>The Israelites were, as it is said in the Psalms, &ldquo;a people near unto him, &ldquo;because his residence was among them. There were his oracles, his ministers, his temple; on the other hand, the Gentiles were far off, because they were destitute of all this, living &ldquo;without Christ, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world.&rdquo; This distinction between Jews and Gentiles continued till the death of our Saviour, for when he was upon earth he was the minister of the circumcision only, but after his death, when he had &ldquo;made peace by the blood of his cross,&rdquo; and when he was risen from the dead, then his language accorded with the nature of the evangelical dispensation which had now commenced.<p>He therefore gave a command to his disciples to go and make this proclamation unto the world: &ldquo;Preach,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;repentance and remission of sins among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.&rdquo; &ldquo;And they went forth preaching everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word with signs following.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. - <a href='B:560 2:17'>Eph 2:17</a>. </i><p>THOUGH these words regard, as has been already intimated in the previous meditation on a parallel passage, the Jews and Gentiles, by a parity of reasoning that may be extended to all diversities and distinctions of the human race. Those, therefore, that are &ldquo;nigh,&rdquo; and those that are &ldquo;afar off,&rdquo; will represent persons of peculiar advantages, or those who are destitute of these advantages. In this view, those that are born of godly parents, and who have had a religious education; who have kneeled at the family altar; who &ldquo;from their childhood have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make them wise unto salvation,&rdquo; may be considered as &ldquo;nigh;&rdquo; while those who have had no such advantages are &ldquo;afar off.&rdquo;<p>Some are nigh, that is, they are moral in their lives, amiable in their tempers, are teachable, candid and virtuous; they only seem to require decision. Such a one our Saviour addressed when he said, &ldquo;Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.&rdquo; Others are &ldquo;far off;&rdquo; that is, they are grossly vicious, of abandoned habits, despisers of the good and good things; they turn away from the Sabbath and from the sanctuary, they are drunkards, and profane swearers, and seem so &ldquo;far off &rdquo; as to be beyond the reach of mercy.<p>Some are &ldquo;nigh,&rdquo; that is, young; they are now free from the cares and toils which will hereafter engross them; their understandings are not yet perverted; their memories are not filled up with vanity and vice; their consciences are yet tender; their hearts are not yet hardened through the &ldquo;deceitfulness of sin.&rdquo; Others are &ldquo;far off;&rdquo; they are old sinners, who can see when they look forward only gloom, and when they look back ward only guilt; whose vices are deep rooted; whose habits have become second nature; and sooner may the &ldquo;Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots, than they who are accustomed to do evil learn to do good,&rdquo; or cease from doing evil. But with God all things are possible.<p>The number of those who possess advantages which others do not might be greatly enlarged; and men lay much stress upon these adventitious distinctions, which the gospel does not; for instance, some are rich and some are poor, but the poor can be &ldquo;rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which God hath promised to them that love him.&rdquo; There are some learned, and others who are illiterate, but none are incapable of learning Divine things under Divine teaching; and the &ldquo;wayfaring man, though a fool, shall not err therein.&rdquo; Some fill high and honourable stations in society; but a servant can be as great in the sight of God as his master; a subject as great as his sovereign. There are some who are assured of their interest in Christ, and they are certain of their future salvation; but there are others who, though they are equally safe, have many apprehensions and many suspicions concerning it. The blessings which they are pursuing seem to recede as they advance; and if even they see the &ldquo;King in his beauty, and the land&rdquo; which is promised to them, it seems, alas, now to be &ldquo;very far off.&rdquo; But, blessed be God, the gospel is addressed to all men without exception or exclusion.<p>If there were any exclusion or any exceptions with regard to individuals, or any omission or reservation with regard to the promises or invitations of the gospel, the man whose conscience is awakened would draw the unfavourable conclusion that he was the person excepted. The gospel therefore addresses us as sinners, because at first we must come under this character, and we can only receive encouragement to do so as sinners. Let our views respecting ourselves be ever so discouraging, yet we cannot question whether we are sinners; and Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. We cannot question whether we need salvation; and unto sinners is &ldquo;the word of this salvation sent.&rdquo; If we do not think ourselves too good, Christ does not think us too bad to come to him and to be saved by him. We must stand somewhere, either &ldquo;far off &rdquo; or &ldquo;nigh:&rdquo; &ldquo;And Jesus came and preached peace to him that is afar off, and to him that is nigh.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> Whence come wars and fightings among you? Come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? - <a href='B:660 4:1'>Jas 4:1</a>. </i><p>THESE words breathe battle; and who is a stranger to the fact that war is a great evil? Alas, that we should, become familiar with the language and imagery of war. But ever since man became an apostate from his God, he became an enemy to his brother; and from the death of Abel to this hour our earth has been one field of blood. Isaiah says, &ldquo;Every battle of the warrior is with confused noise;&rdquo; the thrillings of the trumpets, the orders of the officers, the prancings of the cavalry, the clashings of the weapons, the shouts of the victors, the groans of the vanquished and dying, &ldquo;and with garments rolled in blood,&rdquo; some enclosing bodies already dead, others enclosing bodies dismembered or wounded, rolling in rueful anguish from side to side in gore, and with the destruction of animals, especially of the generous horse, and with the demolition of buildings which had housed happy families before, and with the tears, and sighs, and lamentations, and sufferings of widows and orphans, and with the temporary suspension of all the laws of morality.<p>No wonder, therefore, that Jeremiah exclaimed, &ldquo;My bowels, my bowels. I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet and the alarm of war.&rdquo; And no wonder the Church should have said, &ldquo;Scatter thou the nations that delight in war.&rdquo; In the words of the Apostle James, we are reminded of the source from whence these dreadful scenes originated: &ldquo;Only by pride cometh contention,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?&rdquo; For sin, in all its forms, <p>&ldquo;Brought death into our world and all its woe.&rdquo; </i><p>Dire as is the evil, we may rejoice even in hope. A philosopher has said that if the ages of the world be compared with the ages of human life, the world has not yet passed its childhood, for, like children, we have not left off to quarrel and fight about trifles. But a better era is dawning. Nations will recover their senses, and learn their true interests, and to see that all wars are expensive and injurious, and that none of them, however skilfully conducted or successfully terminated, are ever gainful; and they will have recourse to negotiation and arbitration, rather than appeal to warfare. And do not the Scriptures of the God of peace tell us that a period shall arrive when they shall &ldquo;beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks?&rdquo; when &ldquo;nation shall no more lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more?&rdquo; &ldquo;And what he has promised he is able also to perform.&rdquo; Is anything too hard for the Lord?<p>Then these contentions among nations should lead us to think of something better; to rise from things seen and temporal to things unseen and eternal. And here we shall find the sacred writers going before us. They describe genuine religion as a warfare-a warfare, but a good warfare; and they represent Christians as soldiers-soldiers, but good soldiers of Jesus Christ, fighting the good fight of faith, and laying hold on eternal life. 


devotion:
<i> Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. - <a href='B:520 3:24'>Rom 3:24</a>. </i><p>THIS is the condition in which all Christians are. &ldquo;Being justified.&rdquo; Let us first contemplate the nature of this blessing. Justification is a legal and not a moral term; it refers not to disposition, but to a condition; it does not make a man righteous, but declares him to be so. Sanctification and justification, while they always go together, are distinct blessings; they are combined in the purpose of God in the purchase of the cross, and in the experience of every Christian. But these blessings are at the same time as distinguishable as they are inseparable; the one is without, the other is within; the one is relative, the other personal; the one a change of state, the other is a change of nature; the one gives a title to heaven, the other a meetness for it; the one is gradual, the other is complete at once. The justification which all believers have in Christ has two properties: it is full, extending to all transgressions, they are &ldquo;justified from all things;&rdquo; and it is perpetual and irreversible: &ldquo;As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.&rdquo;<p>Observe, secondly, The source of this blessing: &ldquo;Being justified freely by his grace.&rdquo; This seems to be a tautology, for if it be &ldquo;free,&rdquo; it must be of &ldquo;grace,&rdquo; and if of &ldquo;grace,&rdquo; it must be &ldquo;free.&rdquo; Paul was a man who loved to speak with energy and emphasis; he also understood human nature, and he knew there were many cases in which there must be &ldquo;line upon line and precept upon precept,&rdquo; and he knew this was one of these cases, and a very peculiar one; he knew that men are naturally as proud as they are poor, and that though they are daily compelled to beg their bread of God, yet, when they come to deal with him concerning Spiritual things, they come rather as merchants than as suppliants, and that nothing will satisfy these poor but proud creatures unless they merit the very things they need. Hence the language of the Scripture so frequently and fully upon this subject. Therefore the Apostle says we are &ldquo;justified freely by his grace.&rdquo;<p>It is obvious that God was not compelled to do it. There is no power beyond or above God to constrain him. It is equally certain that he was under no obligation to do it. We had no claim upon him; as sinners we were entirely at his mercy, and that it was for him to determine whether we should be punished or pardoned. It was impossible that this justification could have been accomplished by our good works, for these are all performed by the grace of God, and they are all defective, and therefore if they deserve anything it is condemnation; and even if our good works were perfect they could not atone for our former guilt. &ldquo;Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.&rdquo; Where is despair then, if we are justified by faith and grace? It is excluded. By what law? the law of Works? Nay: &ldquo;To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.&rdquo;<p>Observe, thirdly, The medium of this blessing: &ldquo;Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.&rdquo; The price of our redemption was his obedience unto death, even the death of the cross. The death of Christ is to be considered, first, as the effect of God&rsquo;s love, &ldquo;Herein is love; not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and gave his Son a propitiation for our sins;&rdquo; and, secondly, as the medium through which his goodness extends to the guilty children of men. A way strictly harmonising with all the perfections of his Divine nature; for if &ldquo;Jacob is to be redeemed,&rdquo; God is to be &ldquo;glorified in his redemption;&rdquo; if the transgressor escapes, the law must be &ldquo;magnified and made honourable;&rdquo; if sin be pardoned, it must also be condemned in the flesh. &ldquo;For it became him from whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Captain of our salvation perfect through sufferings; and being thus made perfect through suffering he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; &ldquo;thus he &ldquo;once suffered for sin, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God,&rdquo; and that now in Christ Jesus &ldquo;we who sometime were afar off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. - <a href='B:540 6:2'>2Co 6:2</a>. </i><p>THERE are three ways of understanding this. The &ldquo;time&rdquo; in which the Messiah was accepted as Mediator between God and man, &ldquo;loving us and giving himself for us as an offering and sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour,&rdquo; evinced by his resurrection from the dead, and his being crowned with glory and honour; the &ldquo;time&rdquo; when God accepts the supplications of sinners in his name; and the &ldquo;time&rdquo; when sinners &ldquo;accept&rdquo; the Divine mercy, are made &ldquo;willing in the day of his power,&rdquo; and are induced to submit themselves to the righteousness which is of God. &ldquo;Behold, now is the day of salvation.&rdquo; When it is considered that a season is named by anything which peculiarly and supremely abounds in it, we need not wonder that the Apostle should call the gospel dispensation the &ldquo;day of salvation;&rdquo; because salvation is its design, its grand aim, all its business, and its supreme distinction and glory.<p>Observe, first, The blessing, &ldquo;salvation.&rdquo; It is the salvation of the soul; a &ldquo;great salvation,&rdquo; &ldquo;so great salvation,&rdquo; including deliverance from all possible evils, and the bestowment of and introduction to all conceivable good. It is &ldquo;an everlasting salvation.&rdquo; It is &ldquo;salvation with eternal glory.&rdquo; It is therefore a &ldquo;full salvation,&rdquo; leaving no evil unremoved, no want unsupplied, no hope uncompleted. It is a finished salvation so far as regards its purchase and procurement; and its actual accomplishment will be fully and perfectly performed in the day of Jesus Christ.<p>Secondly, &ldquo;The day of salvation&rdquo; intends first the season in which it is plainly revealed. It was early announced in the garden of Eden, and revealed unto the patriarchs, and shadowed forth in types and ceremonies. To them the Saviour was far off, but now he has approached; they saw him through a veil, we behold him with open face. And the day of salvation is &ldquo;now;&rdquo; because it is fully proclaimed and freely offered. The invitation is, &ldquo;Whosoever will, let him come.&rdquo; It is the &ldquo;day of salvation&rdquo; when Gentiles are made partakers of the same body, and Jesus Christ is God&rsquo;s &ldquo;salvation to the ends of the earth&rdquo;- when he sends forth his servants into all the world to proclaim it. It is &ldquo;now&rdquo; the day of salvation, because &ldquo;now&rdquo; it is actually enjoyed. It is not a future blessing merely, but it is a present benefit; and therefore &ldquo;now is the day of salvation.&rdquo; Many have experienced it, and are enjoying it; and what numbers more shall experience and enjoy it? The present day is a day of discovery, a day of the spread of liberal opinions, of education, of new openings in trade and commerce; but the time in which we live is pre-eminently the day of a full, free, finished, and eternal salvation.<p>Observe, thirdly, The attention it deserves and demands. Let us &ldquo;behold,&rdquo; in order that we may remember and admire the goodness of God. Let us behold and consider that this day terminates with our lives; and what is our life but a vapour? &ldquo;Behold,&rdquo; how much of this day is already gone, and how uncertain the remainder of this brief and diminished period is; and that if the season be lost, it is irrecoverably gone; and if the season closes before the blessing be possessed, this will be the bitterest aggravation of the sinner&rsquo;s doom. &ldquo;Behold, now is the day of salvation;&rdquo; therefore let us endeavour to bring others into the enjoyment of its distinguished blessings; and though we cannot save them meritoriously or efficiently, we may instrumentally. And let us remember, too, that it is their day of salvation as well as ours, and their only season as well as ours. &ldquo;If any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him, let him know that he which converteth a sinner from the error of his way, shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> We wrestle not against flesh and blood, out against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of this world, against Spiritual wickedness in high places. - <a href='B:560 6:12'>Eph 6:12</a>. </i><p>LET us consider the foes with which every Christian soldier has to fight. &ldquo;We wrestle not against flesh and blood,&rdquo; says the Apostle. Yes, they did; all ranks and conditions of men were opposed to them. &ldquo;Marvel not,&rdquo; said our Lord, &ldquo;if the world hate you; ye know that it hated me before it hated you.&rdquo; But he means that these were not the only or the principal foes, that they had more tremendous adversaries. The Apostle refers here to Spiritual adversaries in distinction from those that are merely human; he speaks of &ldquo;standing against the wiles of the devil,&rdquo; and of &ldquo;Spiritual wickedness,&rdquo; or &ldquo;wicked Spirits,&rdquo; as it is in the margin. It is not necessary to lay any stress on the distinction between Satan and these wicked Spirits; they may be considered as all one: he the leader, and they employed in his service.<p>We should neither metaphysically or curiously inquire after the mode of diabolical existence or influence, but our aim should be to get our minds impressed with a sense of our danger from these awful and adverse beings. And our danger arises first, From the advantage they find in the world. This world is in many respects their own. We therefore read of the &ldquo;world lying in wickedness;&rdquo; of the &ldquo;god of this world;&rdquo; and of &ldquo;the prince of this world.&rdquo; And in these depraved regions of ours he finds all the machineries, all the auxiliaries, all the aids that can enable him to deceive, or excite, or alarm, or allure.<p>And, secondly, It arises from their having in league and correspondence, a party, and an active party, IN OURSELVES; in all the powers, principles, passions, and the necessities of our nature, so that here it is peculiarly true, &ldquo;A man&rsquo;s foes are they of his own household.&rdquo;<p>Thirdly, From their number. &ldquo;Their name is legion, for they are many.&rdquo;<p>Fourthly, From their mightiness. Who knows the energy or the force of any one of these wretched creatures? We see what they have done by the permission of God; how they have cast down many mighty; yea, &ldquo;many strong men have been slain by them;&rdquo; and princes, and heroes, and philosophers, and moralists; and how they overcame Adam and Eve in Paradise, when there was no fallen nature to operate upon.<p>Fifthly, From their invisibility. If they were &ldquo;flesh and blood,&rdquo; why, we could escape them, we could secure ourselves from them by walls, or gates, or doors, or bars, or bolts; but what are we to do with Spirits? How can we hinder these, who move like the pestilence that walketh in darkness?<p>Sixthly, It arises from their artfulness. We read of the &ldquo;wiles of the devil,&rdquo; of the &ldquo;depths of Satan,&rdquo; of the &ldquo;beguiling of Satan,&rdquo; and we read of his &ldquo;devices.&rdquo; And, finally, The danger arises from their malignity; Satan is called &ldquo;a destroyer and a murderer from the beginning.&rdquo; He bears hatred to us as we are men, as we are the creatures of God, more indulged and favoured than himself, but especially as we are redeemed, as we are renewed, and as we have forsaken his wretched service and abandoned his ways. He thus pursues us as Pharaoh pursued the Israelites when they left Egypt, determined rather to exterminate his own vassals than that they should be employed in the service of the living God. 


devotion:
<i> My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. - <a href='B:290 46:10'>Isa 46:10</a>. </i><p>THE word counsel now signifies advice, direction, deliberation, but when the Bible was translated it more commonly signified scheme, purpose, design. Hence it is said, &ldquo;He worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.&rdquo; Hence we read in the liturgy of the Church that from God &ldquo;all holy desires, all good counsels, and all good works do proceed.&rdquo; Good &ldquo;counsels&rdquo; there, means just aims and designs; they are distinguished from &ldquo;holy desires&rdquo; going before, and &ldquo;good works&rdquo; following after. Here the word intends the scheme, the purpose, and the design of God with regard to the salvation of his people; and it is so called not because God deliberates or consults, but to show us &ldquo;wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence.&rdquo;<p>To bring sin into the world was an easy thing; to take it away was a work to which God, and only God, was equal. We have imperfect views of the evil of sin, and also of the holiness and justice of God, and therefore we are not sufficiently struck with the difficulties that stood in the way of our salvation; but God knows them perfectly, and his scheme for removing them all and restoring us to himself is contained in the gospel. And that is what Paul means by &ldquo;the counsel of God,&rdquo; which he made the principal subject of his preaching. It was not human science, though he was a man of genius and education, nor the politics of the world, though he knew that the Christian did not abolish the man and the citizen, not the petty interests of mortality; he &ldquo;looked not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen,&rdquo; knowing that &ldquo;the things which are seen are temporal, but that the things which are not seen are eternal.&rdquo;<p>He considered himself as &ldquo;the servant of the most High God, to show unto men the way of salvation,&rdquo; even Jesus, who is &ldquo;the way, the truth, and the life;&rdquo; to show how a rebellious subject can be reconciled to his displeased and injured sovereign, how a wretched slave can be redeemed from the curse of the law, and the bondage of corruption, and enter into the glorious liberty of the sons of God; how the guilty can be justified freely from all things; how the unholy can be sanctified; how the weak can &ldquo;hold on their way, and wax stronger and stronger;&rdquo; how the opposed can be &ldquo;more than conquerors through him that hath loved them;&rdquo; how the most abject, miserable, and the mortal, and the dying can enter into life eternal; how the poor and the needy can obtain the unsearchable riches of Christ, and be blessed with all Spiritual blessings in heavenly places in him; how (in a word) man, the sinner, can be raised above the angels who never sinned, and not only have life, but have it more abundantly; how sin can be pardoned and yet condemned; how the law can suffer the sinner to escape and yet be fulfilled, and magnified, and made honourable; how mercy and truth have met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other; how, while he redeems Jacob, he &ldquo;glorifies himself in Israel;&rdquo; and how &ldquo;Glory to God in the highest&rdquo; can be blended with &ldquo;Peace on earth and good will toward men.&rdquo;<p>This is the counsel of God, the good pleasure of his will, which is to be published to the ends of the earth; and for its universal diffusion the dispensations of Providence are all at work, until &ldquo;the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. - <a href='B:510 20:27'>Act 20:27</a>. </i><p>IT has already been shown that &ldquo;the counsel of God&rdquo; here refers to the gospel; and here with that reference we observe, first, That there is in this subject itself, and the manner of its announcement, a fulness of affluence and harmony. Though it be a whole yet it has a thousand parts; and the whole is a mighty whole too. The Apostle therefore calls it the &ldquo;unsearchable riches of Christ&rdquo; which he was to preach among the Gentiles, and he prays for the Ephesians that they might &ldquo;be filled with all the fulness of God.&rdquo;<p>Secondly, It is intimated that it must he preached without partiality, both with regard to the persons addressed, and to the subject of the address. To all hearers he says he had declared the &ldquo;counsel of God,&rdquo; without abridgment, reserve, or concealment, so that by &ldquo;the manifestation of the truth he had commended himself to every man&rsquo;s conscience in the sight of God.<p>Thirdly, It is intimated that in doing this he had to withstand and resist many temptations; and these temptations still exist. If a minister brings forward the doctrines of grace in all their fulness and harmony, he will be subjected to the charge of Antinomianism; and if he enforce the precepts in all their Spirituality and extensiveness, embracing all personal and religious duties which they enjoin, he will subject himself to the charge of legality; and if he unfold the work of the Spirit as experienced in and by all real Christians, so that they may say with Newton, I have &ldquo;learned by experience,&rdquo; or that &ldquo;true religion,&rdquo; as Hart says, &ldquo;is more than notion, something must be known and felt,&rdquo; he will be charged with enthusiasm, as if either love or sorrow could be unfelt.<p>Religion must be within in the principle before it can be seen without in the conduct. Now when all these things, this doctrine, this experience, and this practice are combined, when regardless of the charge of Antinomianism, these doctrines are preached clearly and fully; and when, regardless of the charge of enthusiasm, Christian experience and the agency and influence of the Holy Ghost in the souls of men is brought forward and insisted upon; and when, regardless of the charge of legality, pious tempers and a holy walk and conversation becoming the gospel is enjoined, the minister can also say with Paul, &ldquo;I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.&rdquo;<p>Considering the mixture there was in the congregations which heard Paul preach, and that there is always in every congregation, it is probable, if not certain, that the preacher who does not &ldquo;shun to declare unto all the counsel of God&rdquo; will give some offence. But says the Apostle, &ldquo;If I seek to please men, I should not be the servant of Christ.&rdquo; Daniel reproved Belshazzar as if he had been a common man; and John&rsquo;s doctrine was as rough as the garments he wore; and he dared to tell majesty to its face, that it was not above law any more than one of his subjects: &ldquo;It is not lawful for thee to have her.&rdquo; Paul knew the character and conduct of Felix and Drusilla, but &ldquo;he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come.&rdquo;<p>It is a poor sermon, says George Whitfield, that gives no offence, that neither makes the hearer displeased with himself, nor with the preacher. It was a noble eulogium that Louis XIV. passed on one of his preachers, Massilon: &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know how it is; when I hear my other chaplains I admire them, but when I hear Massilon I always go away displeased with myself.&rdquo; There could not be a finer encomium. And, says the Apostle, &ldquo;Our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and in godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.&rdquo; And he knew that this satisfaction of his would bear attestation. &ldquo;I call God,&rdquo; says he, &ldquo;to witness that I am pure from the blood of all men,&rdquo; and the blood of souls is the most defiling, and cries out the most for vengeance; for &ldquo;I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> They shall take hold of the shirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you. - <a href='B:450 8:23'>Zec 8:23</a>. </i><p>KNOWLEDGE is necessary to all influence, but all knowledge is not influential. &ldquo;If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them;&rdquo; but we here see that the knowledge of these people was effective; it constrained them to &ldquo;lay hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you.&rdquo; This is a simple and striking expression. We have seen a dear little infant, when he wished to engage the attention of his mother, pulling her by the clothes. When a child has been walking along with his father, and has been afraid that he would leave him, he not only cries, but lays hold of his coat. When the cripple had been healed at the beautiful gate of the temple, he held Peter and John, and was afraid to let them go (probably dreading a return of his former misery), as much as to say: You shall not go, and if you do I will go with you, and you shall draw me after you. Just so it is here. It shows conviction, attachment, eager attention, a wishing to be among them and to be of them. Ah, says one of them, I see they are rich, they are happy; oh that I was with them in glory everlasting. I see that they are travelling, and they are bound for that very country which I now long to enter. I must join them. Will they receive me into their number?<p>God is with them, and it is God I now want. I have been living without him in the world, but I can live without him no longer. It is God I now want-his favour-his presence- the comforts of his Holy and Blessed Spirit. What can I do without God? If I find prosperity in the world, my prosperity will destroy me, and what can I do with adversity, if it should come upon me, without God? What shall I do, if I have no God, when I come to die? Before this other qualities, other companions, attracted and drew the man; but, as the Apostle says, &ldquo;If any man be in Christ he is a new creature,&rdquo; he has new views, new feelings, new hopes, new pleasures, new aversions, and new companions.<p>How much depends on association. While the &ldquo;companion of fools will be destroyed,&rdquo; &ldquo;he that walketh with the wise shall be wise.&rdquo; He that chooses good men for his companions will have God as his Guide, Guardian, and Comforter, and Portion in the land of the living. We shall have fellowship with them while we live, and when we come to die we may say as a good man once said, &ldquo;I am going to change my place, but not my company.&rdquo; Death will take us to our home, to the general assembly and church of the first-born, whose names are written in heaven, where <p>&ldquo;For us our elder brethren stay, <p> And angels beckon us away, <p> And Jesus bids us come.&rdquo; </i>


devotion:
<i> We have heard that God is with you. - <a href='B:450 8:23'>Zec 8:23</a>. </i><p>OBSERVE here the knowledge which others have of the Christian&rsquo;s state and privilege. They could not have &ldquo;heard&rdquo; it, unless it had been reported. Religion has many reporters; some very false ones, and some very true ones. God sometimes constrains even the enemies of his people to bear testimony in their favour; and therefore, says Isaiah, &ldquo;Their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people; all they that see them shall acknowledge them that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed.&rdquo; But though others may make known their religion, they must make it known themselves; they must not only be but also appear religious. They must not only &ldquo;believe with the heart,&rdquo; that is beyond the ken of their fellow-creatures, but &ldquo;confess with their mouth unto salvation,&rdquo; and &ldquo;hold fast&rdquo; not only the reality, but &ldquo;the profession of their faith without wavering.&rdquo; As the praises of men should never draw us out of a corner, so the frowns of men should never drive us into one.<p>Daniel did not court publicity, but he made no scruple, when the writing forbidding it was signed, to go into his chamber, the windows being open, and give thanks three times a day as aforetime. It was predicted of the Saviour himself that he should say to the prisoners, Go forth, and to them that were in the darkness of obscurity, Show yourselves. They shall feed, says he, &ldquo;in the way, and their pastures shall be in all high places,&rdquo; where they can be seen, feeding, preserved, and blessed.<p>It is not easy to conceal religion; where it is real it will break out in some way or other. Repentance will get into the eye, and be seen in tears. Meekness will sit in a man&rsquo;s face, and smile like a morning in May. The man&rsquo;s hand will slide into his pocket before he has time to think about other things. Then &ldquo;out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.&rdquo; It is not easy to restrain powerful emotion.<p>When those angry hypocrites, the Pharisees, came to our Saviour, as the common people and children were crying Hosanna, they, with long faces, said, Lord, rebuke thy servants, that they should hold their peace; all this will bring religion into contempt. Oh, said the Saviour, If I were to command them to hold their peace it would be enjoining upon them an impossibility. And moreover I tell you that &ldquo;if these should hold their peace, the very stones would cry out.&rdquo; So when Peter and John were ordered by the council to speak no more in His name, Oh, said they about that we are determined; &ldquo;we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard,&rdquo; whatever may be the consequence.<p>How much good is often done by a verbal, but still more by a practical testimony. &ldquo;Actions speak louder than words.&rdquo; Our meekness under provocation, our humility under applause, our liberality with growing wealth, our patience in affliction, our readiness to forgive when injured, should tell whose we are, what we are, whence we are born, and whither we are bound. We are to be &ldquo;the epistles of Christ, read and known of all men.&rdquo; And our neighbours and friends should never be in perplexity as to whose writing we are, for we are to be &ldquo;manifestly the epistles of Christ.&rdquo;<p>No one should be in doubt concerning us, but we should by our whole Spirit and conduct &ldquo;declare plainly that we are seeking a country, and a heavenly country, and that we are only strangers and pilgrims on the earth.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine that we may enter into them; and forthwith Jesus gave them leave. - <a href='B:480 5:12-13'>Mar 5:12-13</a>. </i><p>IF we reflect, on the one hand, on the extreme limitation of our faculties, and, on the other, on the depth of God&rsquo;s designs, we shall not wonder at being called to walk by sight, and not by faith. Well, a period of development is hastening along, when we shall understand what we now believe. Now, even now, we are able to trust the Lord in the darkness, and now, even now, we may study his doings, and the discoveries we make will amply reward our diligence. The narrative before us affords materials for a variety of reflections. One view of it only we intend to notice; that is, prayer-the prayer of devils: &ldquo;And all the devils besought Jesus.&rdquo;<p>Here is their acknowledgment of the Saviour&rsquo;s power over them. They could not injure even brutes without his permission. Their creed is beyond that of many who profess and call themselves Christians. None of the devils in hell disbelieve the Divinity of Christ. They believe and tremble. And so do men. How many things do they admit to be right, and yet in their practice deny or oppose their convictions. And all Christians know with regard to themselves, that the contemplative and the speculative surpasses that which is experimental and practical in religion.<p>Our truest wisdom will be, not in yielding submission to the dictates of philosophy, falsely so called, in disbelieving the existence and agency of evil Spirits, but in resisting the devices of beings of whom we are necessarily ignorant. Blessed be God that we are conscious the tremendous power of our adversaries is limited and completely controlled by him who is our Saviour and our Friend, who loved us and died for our sakes.<p>But will devils pray, and will they be heard? Yes: &ldquo;And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. Astonishing! Was it out of affection for them, or sympathy with their design? Impossible! But what was the design of their request? It was founded on malice and mischief. No longer permitted to torment the man, they entreat permission to enter the swine; not out of spite to injure the property of the Gadarenes, but to render Christ obnoxious to them through the spoiling of their goods. And so it fell out. These Gadarenes, though dwelling on the other side Jordan, were Jews, and possessed of and engaged in the disposal of contraband property-property which it was unlawful to sell, to eat, to touch, or to possess. Satan knew that they were expressly violating the Divine command. He knew as well as Paul what was the &ldquo;root of all evil.&rdquo; He was acquainted with the history of Achan and of Gehazi, and knew that man would sell body and soul, God and heaven, and everything else, for profit. He knew their hate would drive off the Messiah, who interrupted these unrighteous and sordid gains. Therefore this permission to enter the swine was sought by these evil Spirits.<p>Permission was given. Yes; in judgment, and deserved judgment. This is an awful part of the subject. Satan desired to have Peter that he might sift him as wheat is sifted. Thus Satan desired to have Job; and he destroyed all he had, not in spite against his sons and daughters whom he killed, or against his servants whom he had taken captives, or against his flocks and herds. No; but it was solely in malice against the proprietor. &ldquo;Yet in all this Job sinned not.&rdquo; He triumphed in his trial, which was found unto praise and glory and honour. The same permission was given to Satan to tempt the Gadarenes. How different the result!<p>The gold will endure the furnace; the dross will be consumed. &ldquo;Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he is tried he shall receive a crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> And behold the whole city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts. - <a href='B:470 8:34'>Mat 8:34</a>. </i><p>HERE was a sight enough to melt hearts that were not of flint. The people, hearing of what had befallen the herd of swine, came out of the city in large numbers; and when they came they saw before them that wretched being whom no man could tame, though he were bound in chains and fetters, who had his dwelling among the tombs and mountains, ever cutting himself with stones-they saw this poor wretch dispossessed and tranquillised, clothed, and in his right mind, sitting at the feet of Jesus. Surely this was a sight to endear the Saviour to them; but as soon as they discovered what had befallen the swine, every tender thought was annihilated. Instead of bringing their sick and poor folk to be healed and blessed; instead of praising this Divine Benefactor, or inquiring of this Prophet, so mighty in deed and word, they prayed-yes, for once they prayed (for they were afraid to offer him violence)-that he would depart out of their coasts. He heard their prayer, took shipping, and withdrew, and they saw him no more.<p>How dreadful is this prayer! Alas, how many have offered the same, and even encouraged a hope that it would be answered, and that they would be rid of Christ in time! While Moses has been crying, &ldquo;If thy presence go not with us, carry us not up hence;&rdquo; and David praying,&rdquo; Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me;&rdquo; these have been desiring that Christ would depart from them. And yet we need the Saviour&rsquo;s presence as much as the earth needs the sun; without him all is darkness, dullness, dreariness, and death. &ldquo;Woe to them,&rdquo; says God, &ldquo;When I depart from them.&rdquo; Better for a man to lose his property, and embrace the dunghill, be deprived of his liberty and become a slave, or to lose his health and know not a moment&rsquo;s ease, than to endure the curse, &ldquo;Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone.&rdquo;<p>If God leave a man, then is he left indeed. A blind man on the edge of a precipice, a mariner sleeping on the mast-top, a child with a flambeau amongst gunpowder, is less in danger. Yet the Gadarenes desired him to depart. Alas, how many are there who, though ashamed to say so, have felt the same desire. Thoughts of the Saviour and his presence have been unwelcome and irksome; they have lamented the checks and restraints these have imposed on them, and wished they were able to go on undisturbedly; in short, to be free, to be rid of him.<p>This is the prayer of many a look, many a gesture. By their looks and their actions many have prayed thus, when not a word has been said; but actions speak louder than words. How many have thus told a minister, a friend, a parent, to leave off! In the movement of an eye, or a finger, or the turning of their back, they have said, &ldquo;Depart from us; we desire not a knowledge of thy ways;&rdquo; &ldquo;which say unto the seers, See not, and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things; speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits; get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease before us.&rdquo; This language is their meaning. God puts it into words; and what wonder, if God in judgment takes them at their word. And thus God interprets the meaning of these prayers; he translates these actions into intelligible language, and there is nothing more awful than for the Almighty thus to put men&rsquo;s conduct into words, and to tell them what they say when no sentence passes their lips. 


devotion:
<i> And he called the name of that place Bethel. - <a href='B:10 28:19'>Gen 28:19</a>. </i><p>THAT is, the house of God; and wherever God meets with his people, that place may be thus very appropriately designated. There was no temple nor any edifice at hand, and yet, says Jacob, &ldquo;This is none other than the house of God.&rdquo; This is confirmed by Jehovah&rsquo;s own declaration: &ldquo;The heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? for all those things hath mine hand made, saith the Lord; but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite Spirit and that trembleth at my word.&rdquo; It is also confirmed by the conversation of our Lord with the woman of Samaria.<p>Her countrymen imagined that God must be worshipped at Samaria, or nowhere, while the Jews supposed he must be worshipped at Jerusalem or nowhere; but our Saviour takes this opportunity to teach her that his services are not confined to a particular place. How does this condemn bigotry, which induces men to say, &ldquo;The temple of the Lord! the temple of the Lord are we;&rdquo; while nothing makes a people dear to God but their conformity to him, and that which makes a place of worship sacred is the Divine presence. As to external and intrinsical holiness, we cannot attach any to wood and stone. There were no material temples before the flood; the patriarchs had altars, but no temples; and till near the close of the third century there were no places for Christian worship and preaching expressly reared. The Apostles preached and prayed where they could find a place; and our Saviour preached from on board a vessel, and in private houses, and on the sides of the mountains, and on the wayside; and now <p>&ldquo;Where&rsquo;er we seek thee thou art found, <p> And every place is hallowed ground.&rdquo; </i><p>There are several cases in which this remark will afford encouragement. First, When by sickness, or accident, or distance, we cannot repair to the sanctuary of God. It is our duty to go there whenever it is in our power, and a real Christian will feel it to be a privilege to be there. His past experience enlivens and encourages him when he thinks of it; he has seen his power and his glory in the sanctuary, and he remembers this, and therefore he is glad when they say to him, &ldquo;Come and let us go into the house of the Lord.&rdquo; But we may be the Lord&rsquo;s prisoners; and when so, and deprived of the means of grace, we may remember there are three things to which we have access-access to the word of his grace, access to the throne of his grace, and access to the Spirit of his grace, even when by his providence we may be deprived of public ordinances.<p>Secondly, It should encourage those whom Providence may have placed at a distance from a gospel temple. But if from vanity, discontent, or avarice, a person moves from a neighbourhood where the privileges of religion may be enjoyed, and have chosen a situation regardless whether the gospel ministry is to be found there, then they are not in their duty; but if in the providence of God a person is stationed in a land, as to the means of grace, of Spiritual barrenness, they may hope that the presence of the fountain will make up for the streams, and that the God of all grace will be with them though they may be deprived of some of the means of grace.<p>Thirdly, It will also encourage us in the intervals of the Sabbath. The Sabbath does not last always; we cannot be always in the temple of God; but we can be with God in the closet as well as in the sanctuary. The Spirit of devotion may influence us in the absence of forms. Any place, by prayer and meditation, may become to us the house of God, and thus we may sanctify every situation, and render it sacred and happy. 


devotion:
<i> This is the gate of heaven. - <a href='B:10 28:17'>Gen 28:17</a>. </i><p>THE experience of Christians sometimes approximates toward heaven; therefore, says Jacob, not only &ldquo;This is the house of God,&rdquo; but &ldquo;This is the gate of heaven.&rdquo; There was nothing around him that was so outwardly inviting; but, oh, that ladder, the angels ascending and descending upon it; and his God above, standing and looking down, and addressing him; oh, such scenery, such language, and such communion, made Jacob think, though he saw from the place it was not heaven, that heaven could not be far off. The poor unbelieving world think that heaven is some place millions of miles off, somewhere beyond the stars, to which they are to return when they are delivered from their trouble and toil here; but our Lord said, &ldquo;The kingdom of God is within you;&rdquo; and the Christian knows this.<p>Though the harvest is hereafter, he has the first-fruits now: &ldquo;He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.&rdquo; &ldquo;Ye are come,&rdquo; says Paul, &ldquo;to mount Zion and to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God, to the general assembly of the church of the firstborn which are written in heaven, and to an innumerable company of angels.&rdquo; Oh, we have seen Christians in trouble and in sickness joyful in the prospect of glory; and we have heard them shout aloud for joy on their dying beds, exclaiming, &ldquo;O death where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory?&rdquo; Even &ldquo;while they are here experience will convince them that heaven is a state rather than a place, and their connection with it and its commencement are already begun. There is nothing gives a Christian such an acquaintance with heaven as experience like this. Communion with God in holy exercises will give him a better idea of heaven than all the sermons he ever heard, or all the books he ever read.<p>The best way to obtain a lively and impressive view of heaven is to contemplate our holiest frames and our happiest feelings here, and to add to them perfection and perpetuity, especially when we feel so blessed as to say, &ldquo;Oh that this were to last for ever!&rdquo; <p>&ldquo;The smilings of thy face, <p> How amiable they are, &rsquo;<p>Tis heaven to rest in thine embrace, <p> And nowhere else but there.&rdquo; </i>


devotion:
<i> This is the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. - <a href='B:10 28:17'>Gen 28:17</a>. </i><p>THE house of God and the gate of heaven are most intimately related; and Jacob mentions them together, and in their proper order: &ldquo;This is the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.&rdquo; The one precedes the other; the one affords us the earnest and foretaste of the other. Philip Henry was accustomed to say, at the close of his Sabbath-days&rsquo; exercises, &ldquo;Well, if this be not heaven it is the way to it.&rdquo; Not that the house of God and heaven are inseparably connected; far from it.<p>Alas! there are many who will find the word preached the savour of death unto death; and others the savour of life unto life. There are some who will find the Saviour displayed there as a destroyer, while others will find him their Redeemer; while some regard him as &ldquo;a precious corner-stone,&rdquo; some make him &ldquo;a stone of stumbling, over which they fall and are broken,&rdquo; and &ldquo;are snared and taken.&rdquo; To some, alas! the house of God will be found the gate of hell too. How many have passed through the sanctuary as through a gate into perdition!<p>Oh, the remembrance of the pulpit, the desk, and the figures of the ministers who have addressed them, and the tones of their voices, and the various sermons they preached, these will furnish the fuel to the fire that is unquenchable, and the food to the worm that dieth not. But to many others the house of God will be the gate of heaven. Those who call the &ldquo;Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord,&rdquo; will enjoy an eternal Sabbath; they who can now say, &ldquo;I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth,&rdquo; shall &ldquo;serve him day and night in his temple&rdquo; above, never more to go out. We should live in the expectation of this.<p>The Saviour is set forth as a ladder to teach us that when we have done with time we shall ascend to heaven. Some of the Lord&rsquo;s people are near the top, and are about to set their feet on the last step; while others are grasping some of the lower rounds. Let us take a firm hold, and be persuaded that we shall receive eternal life as God&rsquo;s free gift through Jesus Christ; that he who now is giving grace &ldquo;will give glory, and no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.&rdquo;<p>To all who are convinced of sin, and, renouncing self, who are rejoicing alone in Christ Jesus, and are giving themselves up to him at the foot of the cross, and are saying, <p>&ldquo;No joy can be compared with this, <p> To love and serve the Lord,&rdquo; </i><p>there is not a promise in the book of God which does not belong to them. Though for awhile they may be troubled through manifold temptations, he will soon take them out of the furnace, and place them beyond the possibility of further trial: &ldquo;For when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not. - <a href='B:480 5:18-19'>Mar 5:18-19</a>. </i><p>WHILE the Gadarenes were rejoicing at Christ&rsquo;s departure the poor patient followed him with tears, and kneeling on the shore stretched out his hand towards the vessel as the Lord entered it, and craved to be with him. Observe, with regard to his prayer, First, That it arose from fear; he connected his recovery with the Saviour&rsquo;s bodily presence, and was afraid lest the demons should again take possession of him.<p>Secondly, It arose from gratitude; he wished to be with him for &ldquo;a name and a praise&rdquo;-as a monument of his grace and power, to attend him as his servant- to execute his orders, and comply with his commands.<p>Thirdly, It arose from love; he wished to see and to know more of Jesus, to sit always at his feet and hear his words. And it is the desire of every one that has obtained grace that he may be with Jesus; and the prayer of every one who has tasted the bread of life is, &ldquo;Lord, evermore give us this bread.&rdquo; Yet innocent, pious, and praiseworthy as the poor creature&rsquo;s prayer was, it was refused: &ldquo;Jesus suffered him not.&rdquo;<p>This part of the subject is full of instruction. It will serve to enable us to think correctly of answers to prayer; and lead to the conclusion that God may answer in wrath or refuse a petition in kindness; that success here is no mark of the Divine favour and friendship. The Israelites wished for flesh; God &ldquo;gave them their hearts desire,&rdquo; but &ldquo;sent leanness into their souls.&rdquo; They asked for a king in their folly; &ldquo;God gave them a king in his anger, and took him away in his wrath.&rdquo; But to turn to the other side. God&rsquo;s heart is towards his people; before they call he answers, and while they are yet speaking he hears. Thus we say with David, &ldquo;I love the Lord, because he hath heard my supplications;&rdquo; and we should love him more if we knew all.<p>There are times when, if our desires had been complied with, we might have been destroyed, or materially injured. Our desires too frequently betray our imperfections and our depravity, even in our devotions. When on our knees worldly-mindedness whispers, &ldquo;Ask something for me;&rdquo; and pride suggests, &ldquo;Ask something for me.&rdquo; Alas! we &ldquo;know not what to ask for as we ought.&rdquo; But for our comfort God is kind as well as wise; he &ldquo;waits to be gracious,&rdquo; and is &ldquo;exalted that he may have mercy.&rdquo; He sees the end from the beginning, and knows how to distinguish between our welfare and our wishes, and is often necessitated to sacrifice the latter for our good; nor will he spare for our crying.<p>Thus God acts towards us as a judicious parent to his child, distinguishing his wants from his wishes. Moses prayed to see God&rsquo;s face; now none can see him and live; therefore God graciously refused his prayer. Christians often beg of God to tell them that their sins are pardoned, that their names are written in the Lamb&rsquo;s book of life, and that they are heirs of glory. If their desires were granted, and their requests complied with, their frame would break down with the communication. Paul prayed that &ldquo;the thorn might depart,&rdquo; but it was too indispensable.<p>The Saviour therefore says, I am too much concerned for your own welfare to do this. I will not deliver you from the burden; but I will give you my supporting grace, which &ldquo;shall be sufficient for you.&rdquo; Sometimes our way is hedged up with thorns, why? To prevent our wandering! If the passage were open and smooth, we should be tempted to stray; but mercy would throw even a hell across the road to stop us, rather than suffer us to depart from God. 


devotion:
<i> Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him; and all men did marvel. - <a href='B:480 5:19-20'>Mar 5:19-20</a>. </i><p>OFTEN when men do good they think more of their own advantage and praise than of the objects of their beneficence; not only their left hand must know what their right hand is doing, but all the neighbourhood, and all the nation, if possible. But, in the pure benevolence of our Saviour, there was no ostentation; it terminated with the individual. When the poor widow of Nain was bemoaning the loss of her son, the prop of her life, whom she must now see no more, mark the delicacy of the Saviour: &ldquo;He gave him to his mother.&rdquo;<p>What a trophy this poor man would have been of his power, had he chosen to exhibit him, to introduce him on every occasion to the company or to the congregation. But no; this was his language: &ldquo;Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.&rdquo; There is nothing in the religion of Jesus unnaturally to disarrange the decorum of social or domestic life. He that is not relatively godly is not really so. A man who is bad at home is bad throughout. It was a wise reply of Whitfield, when asked, Is such a man a good man? &ldquo;How should I know that? I never lived with him,&rdquo;<p>The religion of Jesus Christ calls us into the world as well as out of it. It calls us out of the world as to its Spirit and maxims, and into it as the sphere of activity and place of trial. The idea of living among the Gadarenes must have been uncomfortable to the renewed mind of the poor man. Yet he is directed to go without murmuring or gainsaying; not indeed in the spirit of the Pharisee to say: &ldquo;Stand by, I am holier than thou;&rdquo; nor of the rigid and bigoted professor, who, while he confesses that &ldquo;a man can receive nothing unless it be given him from above,&rdquo; is occupied all day in maligning and censuring his neighbours, but to display a heavenly meekness and the gentleness of Jesus Christ in his conduct and conversation; to relate his recovery, to honour the Physician, and to direct others to him.<p>And there is nothing strikes like a fact. What attention in the neighbourhood the case of this poor man would excite. Don&rsquo;t you remember John such a one, the poor demoniac who has been dwelling among the tombs? he is now dispossessed and tranquillised, and is become as gentle and mild as a lamb; he is the most benevolent creature in the neighbourhood, and is ever engaged in doing good. We should take especial care, while we recommend religion to others, that we ourselves are the subjects of it.<p>Many professors had better be dumb as stones for the good they effect by all they say. Oh, it is a moral sickness to hear them talk of the &ldquo;precious Saviour,&rdquo; of &ldquo;communion with God,&rdquo; and &ldquo;the gospel,&rdquo; while they are at the same time vain, proud, worldly-minded, covetous, hard-hearted, and unforgiving. May the Lord give us consistency of character, sanctify our tempers and our tongues, and make us in our actions such as we are in our words, that we may make known to others the mercy we have ourselves received; that like Andrew we may find a brother Simon or like Philip a friend Nathaniel; or, like the woman of Samaria, we may bring a whole neighbourhood to Christ. 


devotion:
<i> The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away, blessed he the name of the Lord. - <a href='B:220 1:21'>Job 1:21</a>. </i><p>IN all Job&rsquo;s trials and under his most painful bereavements, privations, and losses, it is said that he &ldquo;sinned not, nor charged God foolishly,&rdquo; but blessed the Lord for having &ldquo;taken away,&rdquo; as well as for what he &ldquo;gave.&rdquo; And so we may and should be thankful for our bitter mercies as well at our sweet mercies. But we have been reproached and persecuted; we have had a succession of losses and bereavements.<p>What! are we to bless God for them? Why not? If &ldquo;all the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth,&rdquo; why not these, for they are &ldquo;a part of his ways?&rdquo; If &ldquo;all things work together for good to them that love God,&rdquo; why should not these? &ldquo;Shall we,&rdquo; says Job, &ldquo;receive good at the hands of the Lord, and shall we not receive evil?&rdquo; Not that we are required to bless God for these things themselves. The things may be considered in themselves as evils; and we are not allowed to make any evil thing the object of our desire or of our praise. But we may and we should be thankful for the principle by which these are sent to us; the covenant love of God in Christ. &ldquo;Whom the Lord loveth he correcteth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.&rdquo; We should therefore be thankful for the love which sends them and attends them, and for the end which they are designed to accomplish; for;&rdquo; these light afflictions, which are but for a moment, work out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.&rdquo;<p>When a child comes of age, he feels thankful for many restraints and corrections which he thought hardly of during his minority. So will it be with tried Christians. &ldquo;When Messias cometh he will show us all things.&rdquo; In his light we shall see light, and be able to discern that &ldquo;he hath done all things well,&rdquo; that &ldquo;God is a rock, his work is perfect, and all his ways are done in judgment; a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.&rdquo; Even before they reach Immanuel&rsquo;s land, or walk the golden streets, they shall see enough in God&rsquo;s dealings with them to produce acquiescence and submission, and to answer Job&rsquo;s inquiry, &ldquo;Show me wherefore thou contendest with me.&rdquo; But then they will see more fully what evil it has prevented, and what good it has been the means of procuring. And not only do they see enough even here to produce this submission, but to call forth their gratitude and praise. And how many have been able to say, <p>&ldquo;&rsquo;Tis my happiness below <p> Not to live without the cross, <p> But the Saviour&rsquo;s power to know, <p> Sanctifying every loss. <p> Trials must and will befal, <p> But with humble faith to see <p> Love inscribed upon them all, <p> This is happiness to me.&rdquo; </i>


devotion:
<i> Who hold the truth in unrighteousness. - <a href='B:520 1:18'>Rom 1:18</a>. </i><p>THAT is, while the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all the ungodly, against all the unrighteous, and in a way of enhancement and aggravation, those especially are peculiarly obnoxious to it who &ldquo;hold the truth in unrighteousness.&rdquo; It more intensely burns against those who act against their knowledge, having a convinced judgment, but being wedded to a wicked life. And there is far more of this to be found than is commonly imagined.<p>The heathen themselves never lived up to the light they possessed, never practised what they knew. This is the charge brought against them by the Apostle in this chapter: &ldquo;When they knew God they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful.&rdquo; It was not otherwise with the Jews; they never practised what they knew: to whom Paul says, in the next chapter, &ldquo;Behold thou art called a Jew, and restest on the law, and makest thy boast in God, and knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law. Thou that teachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?&rdquo;<p>There is not a man in any country under heaven, or pertaining to any religious sect, that lives up to his own principles; he does many things he knows to be wrong, and he omits many things he knows to be right. The plea of ignorance, therefore, can only be admitted in the case of idiots. All the rest are of those, as Job says, who &ldquo;rebel against the light,&rdquo; not only rebelling against that which they might know, but that which they do know. The original is, and so it is strongly rendered, &ldquo;who imprison the truth in unrighteousness.&rdquo; That is, truth would speak in them, and struggles to be heard, but it is restrained, confined, and imprisoned. Fashion, public opinion, the love of fame, the love of money, the love of pleasure, these are the jail wardens, these are the jailers, these confine the truth in prison.<p>Saul knew it belonged not to him to offer sacrifice; his conscience told him, therefore, that it was a sin. He struggled hard, but he yielded: I &ldquo;forced my self,&rdquo; said he, and mark the expression, there was difficulty in the case, &ldquo;and offered a burnt offering.&rdquo; Herod knew John; he revered him, he considered him a just man, he knew the murder of him would be a most unjust thing-his conscience told him so, and he was very sorry when the desire of Herodias was expressed, but he overcame it, though he struggled hard-but his regard for his own word overpowered the word of God. It was the same with Pilate. Pilate was persuaded of our Saviour&rsquo;s innocence, and the persuasion was increased by the dream which his wife had in the morning; and when she informed him of it, he found a struggle within him, and he forced himself, and condemned him whom he knew to be innocent.<p>Oh, how many of those who are born in a land of light, who have attended at the family altar and who have from children &ldquo;known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make them wise unto salvation&rdquo;-who know such and such things to be sins and yet they practise them, know such and such things to be duties, and yet neglect them, are convinced, but not converted-with what accusing and condemning consciences they are forcing themselves on, themselves and God only know. &ldquo;To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is a sin;&rdquo; and our Saviour says: &ldquo;The servant who knew his lord&rsquo;s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. For unto whom much is given, of him shall much be required.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> Reckon ye yourselves to he dead indeed unto sin. - <a href='B:520 6:11'>Rom 6:11</a>. </i><p>THIS supposes nothing less than that Christians avoid sin, but it implies much more. A man from a fear of loss or from a hope of advantage, or from a reference to his reputation, may be urged and induced to avoid what he loves, and there are many who are ready to wish it were lawful to indulge themselves with impunity in a course of open profanity and profligacy, in the violation of the Sabbath, and in the omission of public worship and the means of grace. And the Lord looketh at the heart and will give them credit for all this.<p>Lot&rsquo;s wife left Sodom, but she was loath to leave it, she was not &ldquo;dead&rdquo; to it; her heart was in it still. This led her to look back, and &ldquo;she became a pillar of salt.&rdquo; If all those were to become pillars of salt who profess to forsake the world while yet they hanker after it, we should hardly be able to move about. What spectacles would the house of God produce! Some would be petrified as they came up the aisle; others would be left petrifaction&rsquo;s in their pews. And all hearts are transparent in the view of God.<p>But Christians not only profess to leave the world, they do leave it. &ldquo;They are dead indeed unto sin&rdquo; as soon as they are dead to the nature of it, and not merely to any particular instance of it: The Christian&rsquo;s aversion to sin is natural (not as to the old nature, but as to the new nature), and all natural aversions and antipathies operate universally. It is not to some particular vice to which he may have no constitutional propensity, or to which he may have little temptation in his outward calling and circumstances; no, but he prays, &ldquo;Deliver me from all my transgressions,&rdquo; &ldquo;save me from all mine iniquities.&rdquo; &ldquo;What have I to do any more with idols?&rdquo; This is the way, and, indeed, the only effectual way, to preserve us from all sin; other provisions will be sure to fail when the power of temptation combines with opportunity, secrecy, and inclination.<p>It is this that serves to secure the believer so effectually under it, and that distinguishes him from other men. He would not live in sin if he might. The Christian does not feel sin to be his pleasure, and therefore he does not deem the opportunity to indulge in it his privilege. If it were lawful to say to a mother, &ldquo;Why, you may take your child and throw it out of the window,&rdquo; she would not do it, she could not do it. And why could she not do it? Has she not strength to open the window? Has she not strength in her arms to throw it out? Oh, but it would violate every feeling of her nature, it would be impossible. So the Apostle says that the Christian &ldquo;doth not commit sin,&rdquo; that is, as others do, and as they once did, for &ldquo;his seed remaineth in him, and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.&rdquo; And Dr. Watts says, <p>&ldquo;Immortal principles forbid <p> The sons of God to sin.&rdquo; </i><p>There were some that brought forward a charge against the Apostle for preaching a doctrine which implied a tendency, or a permission at least, to live in sin. And how does he treat it? Why, with abhorrence: &ldquo;How shall we who are dead to sin live any longer therein?&rdquo; Dead to it by profession, by obligation, and by inclination. As no creature can live out of its own element long without compulsion, so is it impossible for the Christian, now that he is regenerated by the Holy Ghost, to live in sin, or to love it. But negative holiness is not sufficient; it is not enough that the Christian &ldquo;put off the old man,&rdquo; with his deeds; he must &ldquo;put on the new man;&rdquo; and while he must live &ldquo;soberly, and righteously, and godly,&rdquo; not only walk not &ldquo;after the flesh,&rdquo; but walk &ldquo;after the Spirit.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> And having done all, to stand. - <a href='B:560 6:13'>Eph 6:13</a>. </i><p>OH how significant is this! It is an intimation that heavenward is not easy walking. The Apostle says to the Philippians: &ldquo;Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;&rdquo; not the procuring of salvation, it is already procured by the precious blood of Christ; not to make atonement for our sins, the atonement is already made;. nor to furnish a justifying righteousness in which to appear before God, &ldquo;for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.&rdquo; The meaning of the Apostle is, that in the use of means, and in progressing and persevering to the end of life, we are to work out our salvation.<p>The Galatians &ldquo;did run well,&rdquo; but were &ldquo;hindered;&rdquo; they began in the Spirit, but ended in the flesh: &ldquo;Ephraim&rsquo;s goodness was as the morning cloud and the early dew, that soon passeth away.&rdquo; It is not the first but the last step in the race that brings us to the goal. &ldquo;Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life.&rdquo; &ldquo;He that endureth to the end,&rdquo; says the Saviour,&rdquo; shall be saved.&rdquo; We are by &ldquo;patient continuance in well-doing, to seek for glory, honour, and immortality.&rdquo;<p>Some of God&rsquo;s servants have been foiled after various successes, and have become affecting examples to show us that we are never out of danger as long as we are in the body, and in the world. Of Solomon, after all his attainments, it is said: &ldquo;In his old age outlandish women drew away his heart from God.&rdquo; Joab was a fine officer, and he faithfully adhered to David in the rebellion of Absalom, but he failed in the case of Adonijah; and therefore he perished, notwithstanding all his righteousness, in his sovereign&rsquo;s fall.<p>The battle of Eylau, between the French and the Russians, was a dreadful conflict; more than sixty thousand perished; both parties claimed the victory. What then is the historian to do? Why, he will inquire who kept the field; and these were the French while the Russians withdrew. It is the keeping of the field to the last, to see all the adversaries withdrawn, that is to make us &ldquo;more than conquerors through him that loved us.&rdquo; It is this that gives decision to the battle.<p>Some have overcome, and then, alas! they have been themselves overcome: &ldquo;What is it to gain success, and yield it at last?&rdquo; Some have been often checked, they often meet with a defeat, but then they have succeeded upon the whole. And &ldquo;having done all, they stand:&rdquo; &ldquo;Of Gad it is said, A troop shall overcome him, but he shall overcome at the last.&rdquo; And this will be the case with every real Christian.<p>What comes from God will be sure to lead back to God: &ldquo;A good man&rsquo;s steps are ordered by the Lord, and he delighteth greatly in his way; though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> Endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. - <a href='B:620 2:3'>2Ti 2:3</a>. </i><p>ALL Christians are called to experience a warfare, a real, trying, and a very peculiar warfare; so that every believer can say with the Apostle: &ldquo;So fight I not as one that beateth the air;&rdquo; for &ldquo;we wrestle,&rdquo; says the Apostle,&rdquo; we agonize, not merely with flesh and blood, but with a numerous, mighty, invisible, subtle, and malignant foe.&rdquo; In other wars there are some exemptions, or substitutes may be provided; but no one can engage in this warfare for us.<p>No one can believe, or repent, or obey, or deny himself for us. And if he promises and vows all these things on our behalf, he promises and vows what he is unable ever to perform. In other wars there are dispensations allowed; for instance, as to the royal family, ministers of the gospel, the aged, the sick and infirm, and as to females and children. But there is no discharge in this war.&rdquo; Ministers must even officer this army. Women must become Amazons, and children must resemble Hannibal- who, at the age of nine, laid his little hand upon the altar and swore eternal enmity to the Romans. And they who are &ldquo;faint&rdquo; must yet be &ldquo;pursuing,&rdquo; and &ldquo;endure hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ.&rdquo;<p>And then as to the endurance of these hardships of war, we find there is to be no cessation in this warfare. We are forbidden to conclude a peace with these enemies, or to enter into a truce with them, or even to make an armistice with them during the burial of the dead. The war is to go on night and day, summer and winter, in sickness and in health. There is to be no relaxation either of fighting or of watching; none until death proclaims the Christian&rsquo;s deliverance and his triumph.<p>And then this warfare, this contention, is not for a trifle, as is often the case with wars amongst men, as the war between England and America was-for a pound of tea. No, but here the most awful consequences are depending. Here everything is for life-the life of the soul, the life of eternity. Eternity is to result from this struggle, an eternity of happiness or woe. If we do not overcome, we are vanquished and undone for ever. <p>&ldquo;Fight on, my faithful band, he cries, <p> Nor fear the mortal blow, <p> Who first in such a warfare dies <p> Shall speediest victory know.&rdquo; </i>


devotion:
<i> That I may win Christ. - <a href='B:570 3:8'>Phi 3:8</a>. </i><p>WHILE the men of the world are making worldly good their chief aim, and are seeking for happiness in the things of the present life, endeavouring to gain its honours, its riches, its pleasures, the Christian&rsquo;s aim is to &ldquo;win Christ.&rdquo; Oh, says he, it is my wish, my grand desire, my principal aim, my daily and earnest pursuit, to win him, to realize him, to possess him, and to enjoy him.<p>Observe, therefore, The value of the prize. That I may win Christ; and oh, what a prize is he. To describe the excellence of this &ldquo;treasure hid in the field,&rdquo; this pearl of price unknown, would beggar a seraph&rsquo;s tongue. The sacred penmen seem to have been at a loss to find suitable expressions to set it forth. They speak of him as being &ldquo;fairer than the children of men;&rdquo; yea, he is &ldquo;altogether lovely.&rdquo; He is the &ldquo;hope,&rdquo; and the &ldquo;consolation,&rdquo; and the &ldquo;glory&rdquo; of Israel, in whom all fulness dwells, so that in winning him we gain all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, that we may become &ldquo;wise unto salvation.&rdquo; In him it hath pleased the Father should all fulness dwell, so that in gaining him we gain all pure, Spiritual, durable, and satisfying good, all Spiritual blessings in time, and all the happiness and glories of eternity. Therefore, says the Apostle, &ldquo;All things are yours, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or things present or things to come. All are yours, and ye are Christ&rsquo;s, and Christ is God&rsquo;s.&rdquo;<p>Observe, secondly, The person who is thus desirous to win Christ. This is the language of Paul. He is the candidate for this prize, and we notice, first, that this language received as coming from Paul, is calculated to excite our admiration. What a change has taken place in his views and in his feelings, he who verily thought within himself that he ought to do many things against the name of Christ. Haling men and women, and committing them to prison, and persecuting even to strange cities all that called upon his name; and when they were put to death giving his voice against them.<p>Here we find the blasphemer now a worshipper of Jesus; the bitterest foe the most earnest candidate for his favour, and giving expression to unparalleled admiration. And we may also notice that this language is calculated to excite inquiry. It may he asked, But had he not already won the prize, and was he not now rejoicing in a knowledge of the fact? Yes, but with all who sincerely love Christ, he sought after higher attainments in a knowledge and enjoyment of his interest in Him. He says, &ldquo;I count not myself to have apprehended, but 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.&rdquo; And thus it is with all Christians that love Christ so well, that they are not satisfied with what they have known and felt. &ldquo;They want to see still &ldquo;greater things than these.&rdquo; Hence says the Apostle, &ldquo;That I may know him,&rdquo; that is, know more of him, &ldquo;and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable to his death.&rdquo;<p>An increase in knowledge promotes humility. A Christian is not dissatisfied with the object, but with the measure of his knowledge; and therefore he is, with Paul, anxious to possess more of &ldquo;the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, his Lord.&rdquo;<p>Thirdly, Observe the possibility of success. This prize is attainable, and it is attainable by us. Not by way of merit, nor desert, but by an humble, penitent, and loving application to him; in an exclusive dependence upon him; and in an entire renouncing of all for him. As nothing can be a substitute for him, so no sacrifice will be deemed too great to make for him. We shall be ready to part with self and the world, &ldquo;laying aside every weight, and the sin that doth so easily beset us,&rdquo; that we may win Christ. Thrice happy and blessed are all those that win Christ. Happy in time, in trouble, in death, and happy in eternity.<p>But alas, how dreadful will it be with all those who lose the prize. Whatever else they possess, how poor, and wretched, and miserable will their state be in life, in death, and in eternity. 


devotion:
<i> Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God. - <a href='B:520 6:11'>Rom 6:11</a>. </i><p>CHRISTIANS are herein reminded of what they are. The Apostle would have them form a correct estimate of themselves: &ldquo;Reckon yourselves&rdquo; as such, says he. And there are three reasons to be assigned for this. We should reckon ourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, and alive unto God, in order to maintain the conduct that is suitable to such. For our conduct should correspond with our character and condition. The way to know what we ought to do is to ascertain what we are; for our duties grow out of our conditions and relations. &ldquo;If ye be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God.&rdquo; &ldquo;Seeing ye look for these things, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness.&rdquo; Christians are not to live like others; more is expected from them than from others. Therefore let us be concerned to &ldquo;walk worthy of God, who has called us unto his kingdom and glory.&rdquo;<p>Secondly, We should thus reckon ourselves to be such, in order that we may be kept from wondering at the treatment of such. By their principles and practice, Christians censure and condemn the world, and if we oppose them they will oppose us as far as they have the power. They wish to be in darkness, and hate the light that Christian conduct flashes upon them. They wish to be asleep, and they dislike to be aroused; nor will they easily forgive the disturbance. The Saviour says, &ldquo;Marvel not if the world hate you; ye know that it hateth me.&rdquo; And why did it hate him? What he said to the Jews he could now say to many empty and inconsiderate professors of religion who live so much in the world: &ldquo;The world cannot hate you&rdquo; (because they were so much like it), &ldquo;but me it hateth, because I testify of it that the works thereof are evil.&rdquo;<p>Thirdly, We are to reckon ourselves as being thus &ldquo;dead&rdquo; and &ldquo;alive,&rdquo; in order that we may rejoice in the portion of such. &ldquo;Oh, how great is the goodness which God has laid up for them that fear him; which he has wrought for them that trust in him before the sons of men.&rdquo; If the world frowns on us, he smiles. If they condemn us, he is near to justify us. Such a death and such a life as this demands self-denial and sacrifices, which will be more than indemnified if there be any meaning and truth in the Scriptures.<p>We may be losers in his service, but we can never be losers by it. &ldquo;There is no man who hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God&rsquo;s sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time and in the world to come life everlasting;&rdquo; for &ldquo;the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory, and no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb. - <a href='B:730 12:11'>Rev 12:11</a> </i><p>SOME are now engaged in &ldquo;fighting the good fight of faith.&rdquo; The conflict is severe and protracted: &ldquo;Without are fightings, and within are fears;&rdquo; and they are saying: &ldquo;Lord how are they increased that trouble me; many are they that rise up against me; many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God.&rdquo; But though we have to wrestle against <p>&ldquo;A numerous host of mighty foes, <p> Though earth and hell our way oppose, <p> He safely leads our souls along: <p> His loving-kindness, O how strong!&rdquo; </i><p>The conflict is ours, and ours shall be the victory. A victory the most sure-as sure as the truth and promise and the oath of God, and the sacrifice of Immanuel can make it. A victory the most glorious: &ldquo;To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me on my throne;&rdquo; &ldquo;I will give him the morning star;&rdquo; &ldquo;he that overcometh shall inherit all things.&rdquo; A victory not very remote. If life be short, our conflicts cannot be long. A few more rising and descending suns, and our sun &ldquo;shall no more go down by day, nor our moon withdraw her shining; for God shall be our everlasting light, and the days of our mourning shall be ended.&rdquo; A few more &ldquo;fightings,&rdquo; and the &ldquo;enemies we have seen to-day we shall see no more for ever,&rdquo; our warfare will have been &ldquo;accomplished.&rdquo; But there are others who were once engaged in this warfare, but are not now. What shall we say of them? those yonder. Who are these arrayed in white robes, &ldquo;having palms in their hands, and whence came they?&rdquo; &ldquo;They overcame by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony.&rdquo; Blessed spirits! <p>&ldquo;Once they were mourning here below, <p> And wet their couch with tears, <p> They wrestled hard as we do now <p> With sins, and doubts, and fears. <p> I ask them whence their victory came, <p> They with united breath <p> Ascribe their conquest to the Lamb, <p> Their victory to his death.&rdquo; </i><p>They seem to be looking down from the heavenly battlements, cheering us on, saying, &ldquo;Once we were in the same condition with you, and soon you will be in the same glories with us.&rdquo; Wherefore, let us &ldquo;gird up the loins of our mind, and hope unto the end for the grace that is to be brought unto us at the revelation of Jesus Christ.&rdquo; <p>&ldquo;Then let my soul march boldly on, <p> Press forward to the heavenly gate, <p> There peace and joy eternal reign, <p> And glittering robes for conquerors wait.&rdquo; </i>


devotion:
<i> Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad. - <a href='B:510 11:23'>Act 11:23</a>. </i><p>WE may consider Barnabas as a partaker of this pleasure under three views. First, As a man of piety. Piety regards godliness, fears God, loves God, and is, so to speak, absorbed in the promotion of God&rsquo;s glory. God&rsquo;s enemies are the Christian&rsquo;s enemies; God&rsquo;s friends are his friends. He is &ldquo;sorrowful for the solemn assembly,&rdquo; and the &ldquo;reproach of it &ldquo;is his &ldquo;burden.&rdquo; On the other hand, when the word of the Lord &ldquo;has free course and is glorified;&rdquo; when sinners are converted and believers &ldquo;walk as becometh the gospel,&rdquo; then they rejoice. Yes, they must rejoice, if they possess the principle of piety, on God&rsquo;s behalf, for conversion is to the &ldquo;Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.&rdquo; Whenever a man is converted, God has a subject born; here is one in whom he is then glorified.<p>Secondly, We may view Barnabas as a man of benevolence. As a benevolent man he was pleased when he saw the lame and the maimed healed, the hungry fed, the naked clothed, and the sick recovered. But he knew that the body was as nothing compared to the soul, or time to eternity. What is every other attainment compared with the acquisition of that godliness which &ldquo;is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life which now is and of that which is to come?&rdquo; From what enemy can a man be saved like his sins? What salvation can a man obtain like that which he derives from the gospel? and can a benevolent man view this and not rejoice? Besides, every subject of divine grace is not only blessed in himself, but he is made a blessing to others; he becomes then one of those for whom &ldquo;the wilderness and the solitary place will be glad.&rdquo; When a man is converted, who can tell what he may become, or what good he may do before his death? Who can tell, if that persecutor going to Damascus is called by divine grace, what he may do by preaching the gospel which he once despised? Who can tell, when that tinker is converted from profligacy, what good he may do by writing works which may edify the world and the church to the end of time? Can a benevolent man look on persons when they become thus blessed, and prove such blessings, and not rejoice?<p>Thirdly, We may view Barnabas as a minister, who had come here on a preaching tour. Salvation was the very end of his office; it was the design of his labours; it was the answer of his prayers. Barnabas had the Spirit of his functions, and could say, with Paul, &ldquo;God is my record how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.&rdquo; So will every minister who has the same disposition with Barnabas. He may have his trials-trials in common with men and with Christians, and trials peculiar to himself and to his office-but yet his hands will be strengthened, his heart will be enlivened by such a sight; he will be able to say, &ldquo;Now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord, for ye are our glory and joy.&rdquo;<p>Fourthly, His pleasure was disinterested. Barnabas could rejoice, though he had not been the means of producing here the grace in which he took so much pleasure. Some cannot rejoice to see things done by others, especially if they do not belong to their own communion, if they cannot pronounce the Shibboleth of their party. How many confine the operations of divine grace to their own people. But if a man has the Spirit of Barnabas, he will be able to say, &ldquo;Let God choose and employ what instrument he pleases, and let him bless in what instance he chooses, I will follow him and therein rejoice; yea, and I will rejoice.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> And exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. - <a href='B:510 11:23'>Act 11:23</a>. </i><p>OBSERVE, first, The importance of the admonition-that they would &ldquo;cleave unto the Lord.&rdquo; Who did he mean by the Lord? Unquestionably the Lord Jesus. Him they had received; in him they were to walk. He possessed every excellency to excite their admiration, and every claim upon their obedience. He and he alone was equal to the relief of all their exigencies; and therefore &ldquo;he exhorted them all that with purpose of heart they should cleave unto the Lord.&rdquo; If we had heard Barnabas explaining his own exhortation, probably it would have been something to this effect: Cleave, my brethren, to him; cleave to him as your Teacher; hear ye him. If others go off murmuring and complaining, saying this is a &ldquo;hard saying, who can hear it,&rdquo; and he says unto you, &ldquo;Will ye also go away?&rdquo; return the same answer as we are doing, &ldquo;Lord, to whom can we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.&rdquo; Cleave to him as your Redeemer, whose blood cleanseth from all sin; whose righteousness alone can give you boldness and access, with confidence in all your dealings with Cod. Cleave to him as your Support in all your duties, and in all your conflicts, and in all your trials, for in him you have not only righteousness, but strength. &ldquo;Without him you can do nothing,&rdquo; but through his &ldquo;strengthening you, you can do all things.&rdquo; Cleave to him as your Comforter; he is the &ldquo;hope&rdquo; and &ldquo;consolation of Israel;&rdquo; in him alone you can have peace; while &ldquo;in the world you shall have tribulation.&rdquo; Cleave to him as your Master; remember that he bought you with his blood, and that you have dedicated yourselves entirely to his service. Cleave to him as your Example. Seek to be more and more like him, &ldquo;to deny yourselves and take up your cross,&rdquo; and &ldquo;follow the Lamb wheresoever he goeth.&rdquo;<p>Observe, secondly, The nature of the admonition. It was &ldquo;that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.&rdquo; Now this impulse-not only conviction but resolution-always issues from the heart; and what is religion unless the heart be engaged from the beginning to the end. God therefore says, &ldquo;My son, give me thine heart.&rdquo; When this is given, everything else will be surrendered. When there is purpose of heart, when the heart is fixed, the possessor of it will go forward notwithstanding difficulties, and will convert opposition and hindrances into furtherances and aids.<p>Thirdly, The extensiveness of the admonition. It was universal; he &ldquo;exhorted them all;&rdquo; not only those who were weak, but the strong; not only the young, but the aged. When is a man beyond the snares of Satan? Solomon&rsquo;s heart was led away in his old age: and does not the Apostle warn Timothy, who was young, to &ldquo;flee youthful lusts?&rdquo; Who is ever entitled to live without caution? Those who think they stand in need of no admonition or caution are those who are most in danger; for &ldquo;pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are Spiritually discerned. But he that is Spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. - <a href='B:530 2:14-15'>1Co 2:14-15</a>. </i><p>THERE is a vast difference between the Christian and a &ldquo;natural man.&rdquo; By a natural man the Apostle means a man under the influence of principles and affections which are altogether natural to him. By a &ldquo;Spiritual man&rdquo; he means an individual who is renewed in the Spirit of his mind by the operation of the Holy Spirit, by whom he has been made a partaker of the divine nature.<p>According to the promise, &ldquo;A new heart will I give you, and a new Spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh, and I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do them;&rdquo; and therefore we find it stated of Christians that they are &ldquo;born of the Spirit,&rdquo; and &ldquo;live in the Spirit,&rdquo; and are being &ldquo;led by the Spirit,&rdquo; and being &ldquo;filled with the Spirit.&rdquo; It is from these circumstances they derive their new and distinguishing characteristics as being Spiritual, and possessed of Spiritual discernment.<p>The natural man, being altogether under the predominating influence of natural principles and passions, is altogether ignorant of Spiritual things, and with whom there is an absolute inability to judge respecting them. They cannot possibly know what a Christian is, either as to his principles, his conduct, or his resources. Here is the difference between a Christian and a natural man. The Christian knows the natural man, but the natural man does not know the Christian. The natural man has never been in the Spiritual man&rsquo;s condition; but the Christian has been in that of the natural man. The natural man does not know what the service of God is; but the spiritual man knows what the service of the world is, and he knows it is not pleasantness nor peace, that it is not liberty but bondage: he knows that there is no peace to the wicked. The natural man thinks it strange that Christians do not run with them into the same excesses, that they should turn their backs upon scenes of dissipation and worldly pleasure; that they are tranquil under losses, and are comforted under tribulation. They see their burdens and their afflictions; but they do not see the everlasting arms beneath them, nor do they understand how they have access to the throne of the heavenly grace, or the enjoyments and comforts they receive from the Holy Ghost. They see not the principles by which the Christian is influenced, either in reference to their conduct in suffering or serving. And then this non-discernment of Christians by natural men is often aided by their external circumstances.<p>&ldquo;The king&rsquo;s daughter is all glorious within,&rdquo; but not without; that is, in the estimation of natural men. Had we seen the tabernacle in the wilderness, we should have seen a common tent covered with badgers&rsquo; skins dyed red; but if we had entered in, there was Deity upon the mercy-seat, between the cherubims. It is the same with Christians. The life of the Christian is hid, and it is hid not only in his principles, in his resources, in his experience, but it is hid in the obscurity of his condition, in his penury, in the reproach thrown upon him. The principle by which some men judge of others is external circumstances, worldly power, authority, rank; but if a Christian is to be judged by this standard, &ldquo;not many wise, not many mighty are called.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; - <a href='B:560 5:20'>Eph 5:20</a>. </i><p>OH, how little of this there is to be found! How much does our selfishness predominate! Even in our religious exercises! Even when we succeed in our applications to God for supplies, we forget the Giver. And thus it was even with good Hezekiah himself. How had God appeared for him! And he even composed a song for the occasion, and yet what was after a while the consequence? It is said, &ldquo;Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefits done unto him.&rdquo; Whatever be our condition, gratitude is required. Whatever be our circumstances, we have more to be grateful for than to complain of. Let us therefore take four views of this gratitude.<p>First, It is deserved. When we reflect on the Lord having remembered us in our low estate, of his having given his Son for, and his Spirit to us, of his redeeming our souls from the lowest hell, and of his engaging to conduct us to the highest heaven, that he hath &ldquo;quickened us when dead in trespasses and in sins,&rdquo; has forgiven us all our trespasses, and admitted us into a state of holy intimacy, so that by his grace we stand, rejoicing in hope of the glory of God, we must acknowledge that he has infinite claims upon our gratitude.<p>Secondly, This gratitude is distinguishing. What is it that at any time will most easily and powerfully excite our gratitude? A natural man, even if he is thankful, is moved to thankfulness by a line harvest, a safe journey, or a prosperous voyage, or on account of some outward temporal good. While these should not be overlooked, nor will they be by a Christian, yet these will not principally draw forth his gratitude. He will say, with the Apostle, &ldquo;Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.&rdquo; He will not principally bless God that his grounds bring forth plenteously, but that he has a plenteousness of the means of grace, and that he is blessed with all Spiritual blessings in heavenly places.<p>Thirdly, This gratitude impractical. It will be so, if we are sensible of that obligation which we are never able to discharge. Let us not with regard to God as well as to man, &ldquo;love in word and in tongue, but in deed and in truth.&rdquo; David therefore says, &ldquo;What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me? I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.&rdquo; Upon which Philip Henry observes, that &ldquo;though thanks-giving be good, thanks-living is much better. If a tree had a capacity, and wished to praise the husbandman, the only way in which it could do it would be by the excellence and abundance of fruit it produced to him.&rdquo; &ldquo;And herein,&rdquo; says the Saviour, &ldquo;is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit.&rdquo; Thus, according to the well-known and beautiful language of the Liturgy, we should be concerned to &ldquo;show forth his praise not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up ourselves to his service, and by walking before him in holiness and righteousness all our days.&rdquo;<p>Lastly, This gratitude is to be never ending. We shall soon have done with many things here. We shall soon have done with sorrow, with sin, with a wicked world without us, and a wicked heart within us. We shall soon have done with some parts of our Christian experience and exercises. Faith will soon be lost in sight, and hope in fruition. There will be no need of patience where there is nothing to be endured or waited for. But as to thanksgiving and praise, though we shall change our places, we shall never change our employment, unless for higher and nobler strains. They that dwell in his house above will be still praising him, and therefore we may say- <p>&ldquo;My days of praise shall ne&rsquo;er be past, <p> While life, or breath, or being last, <p> Or immortality endures.&rdquo; </i>


devotion:
<i> The righteousness of the righteous. - <a href='B:290 5:23'>Isa 5:23</a>. </i><p>&ldquo;THERE is none righteous, no, not one.&rdquo; Such was the testimony of God himself when he looked down from heaven on the children of men; not when he looked down before the flood, when it is said, &ldquo;The wickedness of man was great,&rdquo; but after so many means had been employed to reform the world. We may be imposed upon, we are often led to form erroneous conclusions, but his judgment is always according to truth. Whatever good opinion we may form of our fellow-creatures or of ourselves, this is the testimony of God concerning us. We are &ldquo;transgressors,&rdquo; and are &ldquo;under the law,&rdquo; and &ldquo;under the curse;&rdquo; and universal observation and experience accord with the testimony of God, that &ldquo;there is none righteous, no, not one.&rdquo; Yet the Scripture is perpetually speaking of the &ldquo;righteous;&rdquo; and if there were no such characters to be found, nothing could be said concerning them. The case is this.<p>There are none righteous by nature; but there are some righteous by grace. There are none possessed of an inherent righteousness of their own; but there are those who are righteous by a righteousness derived from God. Of this the Apostle speaks: &ldquo;That I may be found in him, not having mine own righteousness.&rdquo; He tells us that &ldquo;Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, did not attain to the law of righteousness; and wherefore?&rdquo; says he, &ldquo;because they sought it not by faith;&rdquo; but &ldquo;they, being ignorant of God&rsquo;s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, had not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.&rdquo;<p>There is a twofold righteousness, however, spoken of in the Scripture; the righteousness of justification, and the righteousness of sanctification. These are inseparable, though distinguishable. The one is a change of state, and gives us a title to heaven; the other is a change of disposition, and produces a meetness for heaven. As says the Apostle: &ldquo;If any man be in Christ Jesus, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, old things are become new.&rdquo; With regard to the righteousness of sanctification, it is not yet complete. So far from it, &ldquo;there is not a man that liveth and sinneth not.&rdquo; We are taught by our Saviour himself to pray for our daily pardon, as well as for our daily bread. This righteousness is so prevailing in the subject of it as to discriminate even to character; and when a Christian falls, he is acting out of character. In due time it will be complete, complete as the righteousness of justification.<p>Now, as he has a new righteousness, he has new and right views, new and right feelings, new and right hopes; but all these righteousnesses have a mixture in them, but soon they will be pure and without mixture before the throne for ever. Oh, it is a thing worth dying for to drop this body of sin and death; to feel no more &ldquo;a law in the members warring against the law of the mind;&rdquo; no more to say, &ldquo;When I would do good, evil is present with me;&rdquo; to shake ourselves from our mortal dust, to put on our beautiful garments of holiness; to &ldquo;meet the Lord in the air,&rdquo; and be &ldquo;presented faultless before the throne with exceeding joy.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me: until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end. - <a href='B:230 73:16-17'>Psa 73:16-17</a>. </i><p>WE have here the infirmity and excellency of a good man. What a state heaven will be when &ldquo;that which is perfect is come, and that which is imperfect is done away!&rdquo; The present is a mixed condition, during which we feel like a man under his recovery, thankful for his deliverance and his hope, yet feeling the sad remembrance of his former complaint; so that he cannot do the things that he would, nor enjoy himself as he would, and longing for the day of his restoration.<p>Observe, first, The source of his perplexity. As a general principle he was constrained to make the admission, &ldquo;Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart;&rdquo; but here he erred, as he was unable to harmonize the principle with some of the dispensations of Divine Providence; namely, the prosperity of the wicked and the adversity of the righteous. These have generally proved a stumbling-block to pious men in all ages, and the enemy of souls has never been backward to avail himself of it. Even Jeremiah said: &ldquo;Righteous art thou, O Lord, when I plead with thee, yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments. Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? &ldquo;Wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?&rdquo; So it was here with Asaph; he says, &ldquo;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. Verily, I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.&rdquo;<p>Observe, secondly, The principle which cheered him, and which led him to conceal what he could not help feeling. &ldquo;If I say I should speak thus, behold I should offend against the generation of thy children. When I thought to know this, it was painful for me.&rdquo; Ah! they were dear to him, and they should be dear also to us; and they will be dear to us if we are born of God, for the Apostle John says: &ldquo;He that loveth him that begat, loveth him also that is begotten of him.&rdquo; And then we should remember that it is beneath a Christian to regard only his own satisfaction of mind, or even conscience, in many things: he should regard the satisfaction of others, and be willing to make sacrifices. &ldquo;Let every one,&rdquo; says Paul, who himself acted upon the principle, &ldquo;please his neighbour for his good to edification, for even Christ pleased not himself.&rdquo;<p>Thirdly, Observe the source of his relief. &ldquo;I went into the sanctuary, then understood I their end.&rdquo; Thus, in every perplexity, we should repair like him to the temple of revelation: we should turn away from science to faith; we should inquire what the end will be; for, as the proverb says, &ldquo;All is well that ends well.&rdquo;<p>Fourthly, Observe the candid acknowledgment he makes of his mistakes and miscarriages: &ldquo;Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins. So foolish was I and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee.&rdquo; A good man is not infallible, and therefore liable to err. There is life and principle in that man. Painting is not dying; the bough may be borne down by the violence of the flood, but when the pressure has rolled off, it will retain its erectness, and point towards heaven. To know therefore whether the infirmities of a man be the spots of God&rsquo;s children, we must not dwell on the things themselves, but we must look beyond; we must know the man afterwards. Is he open to conviction? Is he willing to retract? Does he say to God, &ldquo;What I know not teach thou me. If I have done iniquity, I will do so no more?&rdquo;<p>Old Mr. Eyland has remarked that the three hardest words to pronounce in the English language are I was mistaken, but they are noble ones. They imply much wisdom, much concern for improvement. Frederick the Great was generally victorious, but he lost one great battle, going contrary to a council of war which he called. But when he wrote home to the senate, he made no scruple of saying, &ldquo;I have lost a great battle entirely through my own fault.&rdquo; On which the historian of his life says: &ldquo;This did him more honour than any of the victories which he had gained.&rdquo; And here, so &ldquo;ignorant was I, I was as a beast before thee.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? - <a href='B:230 24:3'>Psa 24:3</a>. </i><p>THERE are three ways in which this question can be answered respecting those who shall enter the realms of bliss. First, By ascertaining who have entered it already. This will go some way toward the decision. Who have they been from the first that have entered? Abel entered; and it is said that &ldquo;he offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain.&rdquo; Enoch entered, and entered body and soul together; but &ldquo;Enoch walked with God.&rdquo; Elijah also entered in a similar way, and he had been very &ldquo;zealous for the Lord of hosts.&rdquo; The patriarchs have entered, but the Apostle tells us how, &ldquo;through faith and patience, they inherit the promises.&rdquo;<p>Secondly, By ascertaining to whom it is promised. And here we read: &ldquo;Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.&rdquo; This cannot be a legal but a gospel right; it cannot be a meritorious but a merciful right, founded entirely in the grace of God. And he has given us the character of the heirs of promise. He has told us who will be partakers of eternal life. Our Saviour has said: &ldquo;Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.&rdquo;<p>Thirdly, Who are prepared for it? &ldquo;Heaven,&rdquo; as the old writer says, &ldquo;is a prepared place for a prepared people.&rdquo; We read of being made &ldquo;meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.&rdquo; &ldquo;Except, therefore,&rdquo; says the Saviour, &ldquo;a man be born again, he cannot see&rdquo; (that is, he cannot possess and enjoy) &ldquo;the kingdom of God.&rdquo; Happiness does not depend entirely on the excellency of the object, but on its adaptation to our condition, our views, and our desires, to our hopes, and to our feelings. It is therefore undeniable that many would be miserable were they to enter. The best way therefore to determine our title to heaven is to consider our fitness for it; to go to the Scriptures, and take from them the representations which are there given of heaven, and then ascertain whether there be anything in ourselves that would enable us to enjoy it. If we are to be there raised above adventitious distinctions, we must rise above them now. If hereafter all the righteous are to be one, and all the distinctions which now prevail among them will be done away, we must now be rising above them, so as to be able to pray that now &ldquo;grace may be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.<p>Heaven is a holy place, and into it enters nothing that defileth, and without personal holiness, no man shall see the Lord. And thus we are now saying: &ldquo;Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right Spirit within me.&rdquo; The blessedness of heaven will consist much in the fellowship of the saints. And are these, in our esteem, &ldquo;the excellent of the earth, and our chosen companions now?&rdquo; It will consist in the presence and glory of the Saviour. And is this dear to us now? Is he regarded by us as being &ldquo;fairer than the children of men&rdquo; and &ldquo;altogether lovely?&rdquo; And are our best moments those in which we enjoy intercourse with him? In this way the question is determined, &ldquo;Who shall stand in the holy place?&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. - <a href='B:500 16:33'>Joh 16:33</a>. </i><p>THIS is a commendation of Christianity. The Christian&rsquo;s course is not darkness, but light: it will bear examination. The evidences of our religion are not arguments but facts. Prophecies are not messages like the heathen oracles; they were delivered ages before their accomplishment, and some of them are accomplishing now. The miracles recorded in the Scriptures were not done in secret places and alone, so that they could not be gainsayed or denied; but they were performed in public, before the face even of enemies. The promises by which believers are incited and comforted are as real as they are valuable, and therefore the parties interested in them are &ldquo;able to give a reason of the hope that is in them.&rdquo; The world is like Jael standing at the door of the tent in the evening, spreading the mantle, and bringing out the butter in a lordly dish, but hiding the hammer and nail till she had smote the nail fast into the temples of Sisera.<p>But it is not thus with Christianity as to the dangers or sacrifices which it may require; instead of concealing these, it tells us from the beginning we shall have tribulation, that if any man believe in Christ he shall suffer persecution. The Saviour calls upon us to count the cost and calculate the labour of the journey, and see whether we have resources to bear the expense of the one and undergo the fatigues of the other. Christianity does not encourage its converts by flattery, it does not comfort its sufferers by denying their trials, it allows them to feel them, and it allows them to feel them heavily, but it does enough to animate them under them all. It can enable the Christian to dispense with the world and the things of the world; the world that is everything to others.<p>As to carnal men, when they are deprived of their outward possessions, they say with Micah, &ldquo;You have taken away my gods, and what have I more?&rdquo; But the Christian &ldquo;having nothing, yet possesses all things.&rdquo; The Christian must be a very wonderful man, a man of unbounded, of infinite resources. His mouth is filled with marrow and fatness. He can dispense with plenty, and say, &ldquo;Though the fig-tree does not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.&rdquo; He can dispense with liberty, and say, having the presence of God, he desireth not the presence of the world. He can dispense with health and say, God &ldquo;maketh all my bed in my sickness.&rdquo; He can dispense with life and say, &ldquo;Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.&rdquo;<p>He can dispense with the whole universe; and when the heavens pass away with a great noise, and the elements melt with fervent heat standing upon the ashes of the universe, he can exclaim, I look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. 


devotion:
<i> Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. - <a href='B:500 1:17'>Joh 1:17</a>. </i><p>GRACE means favour, and especially undeserved favour. Indeed without this it cannot be grace. Grace is the darling word of inspiration, and is unspeakably dear to all those who feel their Spiritual condition. But how did this grace come? By Jesus Christ. First, Because he revealed it. He published it as a doctrine, and he gave clearer and fuller views of it than were ever heard before. Grace came by Jesus Christ; &ldquo;grace was poured into his lips,&rdquo; and all men &ldquo;wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth.&rdquo;<p>Secondly, Because he is the effect of it. This is his own testimony: &ldquo;God so loved the world as to give his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him might not perish, but have everlasting life;&rdquo; and Paul, his own inspired servant, said: &ldquo;To show in the ages to come the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us by Christ Jesus.&rdquo; The earth on which we dwell is full of goodness, and his goodness appears in providing us not only with relief but with indulgences. But Spiritual blessings are infinitely above these in their nature and in their value; and what is the chief of these but the &ldquo;consolation of Israel,&rdquo; the &ldquo;desire of all nations,&rdquo; the &ldquo;hope of all the ends of the earth.&rdquo; Grace comes by the Son, and all the blessings God gives us. Grace comes by friendship, and the charms of it; but &ldquo;thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift,&rdquo; grace came by Jesus Christ.<p>Thirdly, Because he was the medium of it. He is the Mediator between God and man, the channel of all divine communication to us. God was under no obligation to save us; and therefore it follows that he had a right to determine the way in which he would be gracious to the guilty, and as he had the right so he had the power. Every thing that is worthy the name of grace in the Scriptures we find flowing from his mediation.<p>Is it the purpose of our salvation? This was &ldquo;given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.&rdquo; Is it the exceeding great and precious promises? &ldquo;They are all yea and amen in Christ Jesus.&rdquo; Is it redemption? &ldquo;In him we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.&rdquo; Is it justification? &ldquo;By him all that believe are justified from all things from which they could not be justified by the law of Moses.&rdquo;<p>Lastly, Grace came by Jesus Christ, because he is the exemplifier of it. We know not what kind of body Jesus Christ had-whether it was tall or short, whether it was full or slender, whether it was plain or beauteous; as far, indeed, as beauty depends upon the expressions of the inward sentiment, he must have been fairer than the children of men. But we know what a soul he has; that <p>&ldquo;His heart is made of tenderness, <p> His bowels melt with love.&rdquo; </i><p>If we go back to the prophecies given before time, there it was foretold that &ldquo;he shall come down like the rain upon the mown grass, as showers that water the earth;&rdquo; &ldquo;a bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench.&rdquo; If we go forward and look into his history, there we only see grace. What is the image of his person? &ldquo;A lamb.&rdquo; What is the emblem of his Spirit? &ldquo;A dove.&rdquo; What is the character of his kingdom? &ldquo;Righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.&rdquo; If we turn to his miracles, we shall find that they were not displays of wrath, nor of the pride of mere power; they were desirable, useful, necessary, merciful, and gracious. Nor can we read his history, or witness his conduct to his disciples, without feeling that &ldquo;grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. - <a href='B:230 139:1-4'>Psa 139:1-4</a>. </i><p>WHAT a preservation from sin would the continued reflection of this solemn and important fact prove. The eye of a fellow-creature-yea the eye of a child-would be sufficient to restrain some from many a sin, how much more the eye of God. The thief would never steal the goods while he saw the eyes of the owner upon him, but &ldquo;his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings; there is no darkness nor shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.&rdquo; &ldquo;Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering.&rdquo; We never committed a secret sin in our lives. &ldquo;Thou hast set my secret sins in the light of thy countenance.&rdquo; What a check to insincerity in all our religious concerns also would such a reflection prove. We may deceive our fellow creatures, our fellow Christians, our ministers, but &ldquo;God is not mocked.&rdquo; <p>&ldquo;Nothing but truth before his throne <p> With honour can appear, <p> The painted hypocrite is known <p> Through the disguise he wears.&rdquo; </i><p>And what an excitement would this be to duty! How does the eye of the commander-in-chief animate the soldier in action? How does the eye of the master stimulate the servant. We therefore read of &ldquo;eye-service;&rdquo; service performed while the servant knows the eye of the master is on him. The master cannot have his eye always upon his servant; but as to the God we serve, we are continually with him.<p>The heathen philosopher recommended as a moral maxim to his pupils always to imagine, wherever they were, and whatever they were doing, that the eye of some distinguished individual was upon them. What was the eye of Cato compared with the eye of the Eternal God? God therefore said to Abraham, &ldquo;Walk thou before me and be thou perfect.&rdquo; See how you move; I have you under my eye; I can see if you turn back; if you turn aside; if you lie down; if you stand still; if you look back; if you even seem to come short. &ldquo;Walk before me, and be thou perfect.&rdquo;<p>A Christian endeavours to realize this, and the thoughts of God are with him; not only frequently but pleasantly, and indeed they are frequent because they are pleasant. Therefore he can say with David, &ldquo;How precious are thy thoughts unto me, O God, how great is the sum of them. If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand; when I awake I am still with thee.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> And the door was shut. - <a href='B:470 25:10'>Mat 25:10</a>. </i><p>THE period for closing the door of mercy is twofold. First, At the end of the world as to the human race, when time shall be no more. Then the reign of justice will follow the reign of mercy. Secondly, At the end of life as it regards individuals.<p>Many things have been said of the day of grace, and of the termination of it before the day of death. The Scripture uses awful language: &ldquo;They are joined to idols, let them alone.&rdquo; &ldquo;Oh, that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments, then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.&rdquo; &ldquo;Oh, that thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things that belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.&rdquo;<p>There are seasons and opportunities peculiarly favourable, which may be closed before death: when the health of individuals has been in danger, and they have been as it were suspended over the grave; when the thoughts of their heart have been broken off, and their earthly schemes laid desolate; when the beloved of their heart, or the desire of their eyes, has been removed from them by a stroke; when God has come to them in these dispensations, he has removed intervening objects that he might be seen, and he has commanded silence that his voice might be heard. What seasons and opportunities are those when conscience has been awakened! When impressed by the word, they have been melted into tears.<p>Sometimes in their walks in the fields they have had sympathies with God, and seem to have been in communion with him. Then have they been able to make the surrender, and to say, &ldquo;Lord, I am thine, save me.&rdquo; Such were then not far from the kingdom of God. This was to them the &ldquo;day of salvation.&rdquo; Oh, that it had been the accepted time! Felix, when he heard Paul preach, trembled; but instead of cherishing the impression, he endeavoured to evade it, and said, &ldquo;Go thy way for this time; when I have a more convenient season, I will send for thee,&rdquo; which season however never came.<p>He saw Paul frequently afterwards, who spake to him of the faith of Christ; but there was no more trembling: that was gone by for ever. He felt then as he never felt before nor afterwards. But in general, while there is life there is hope. It is related in history, that when Alexander was besieging a place, he hung up a lamp; while this continued burning terms were offered, but when it went out no quarter was allowed. So <p>&ldquo;Life is the time to serve the Lord, <p> The time to ensure the great reward, <p> And while the lamp holds out to burn <p> The vilest sinner may return!&rdquo; </i>


devotion:
<i> All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof for correction, and for instruction in righteousness. - <a href='B:620 3:16'>2Ti 3:16</a>. </i><p>WHAT a proof is this comprehensiveness, and adaptedness of Scripture, of the divinity of the Bible itself. What other book of the same size could bear, from age to age, to have thousands of persons always examining it, always discussing it, and yet always finding something fresh and suitable, and never exhausted. Then we may observe the diversity of the topics, and the comparative superiority and importance of some truths over others.<p>Every thing equally true is not equally important; there are essential truths, and there are circumstantial truths; and all these things are made plain in proportion as they are important. They are all available, and all &ldquo;were written aforetime for our learning, that we, through faith and comfort of the Scripture, might have hope.&rdquo; As therefore nothing is useless, the separation or concealment, or neglect of any part of it must be to hinder a benefit and a blessing.<p>Partial knowledge will sometimes be found to injure more than entire ignorance. Indeed, what in fact is all error but some truth pushed too far, or not far enough; some truth taken out of its place; or some truth taken alone, without other truths, which would qualify and explain it, and render it not only safe but useful. The Apostle therefore says to the Ephesians that the ministry of the word is intended for the &ldquo;perfecting of the saints and the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come to the unity of the faith, and the knowledge of the son of God unto the perfect man&rdquo; (that is in knowledge), &ldquo;unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.&rdquo; And then, as a consequence of it, he says, &ldquo;That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine;&rdquo; or, as he tells the Hebrews, &ldquo;with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace;&rdquo; that is, with the truths of the gospel.<p>And as these partialities and preferences injure the gospel, so they mar its beauty. This arises from the connection and harmony of the whole. &ldquo;As to cloth,&rdquo; says Lord Bacon, &ldquo;a small pattern may enable us to judge fairly and safely of the whole piece; but the Bible is like a fine arras tapestry, which, though a remnant, may assure us of the colours and the richness of the stuff; yet the hangings never appear to their true advantage but when displayed in their full dimensions, and seen together.&rdquo; So, however mysterious to our reason, however mortifying to the pride of our hearts, however it may reprove or censure us, we should open our bosoms to the admission of the admonitions, reproofs, and instructions of the Holy Scriptures. And so in hearing the word preached.<p>We are not to hang down our heads, and go away dissatisfied, because we have not been comforted. Is comfort everything we want in the Divine life? We are not to say, I have had no new information. Is knowledge all we want? If the subject be not so adapted to our case, it may be the very subject another wants; if we are familiar with it, another in the assembly may never have heard it before. If we retain the truth, and repetition be irksome, we should remember there are others who are forgetful, and who need to have their minds stirred up by way of remembrance.<p>And we should therefore, instead of wishing to limit the preacher, encourage him to go through the land of revelation in the length and breadth of it; encourage him not only to plant, but water; not only to lay the foundation, but to build. 


devotion:
<i> Likewise reckon ye also yourselves dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. - <a href='B:520 6:11'>Rom 6:11</a>. </i><p>HERE the Apostle not only reminds us that Christians are &ldquo;dead indeed unto sin,&rdquo; and &ldquo;alive unto God,&rdquo; but that it is &ldquo;through Jesus Christ our Lord.&rdquo; And these results will be found to be through him in four ways.<p>First, Through him as their Example. In his principles, in his temper, in his practice, in his life, believers see all this fully embodied. &ldquo;In him was no sin; in him there were no irregular appetites, no improper passions. He never once in his life preferred his own gratification to the glory of God; he denied himself the refreshment of sleep to engage in the duties of devotion; and he denied himself the pleasures of solitude and retirement, in order that he might attend to the claims of those who often very unreasonably addressed him. &ldquo;He pleased not himself.&rdquo; He always did the things that pleased the Father. He was our religion incarnate.<p>Secondly, Through him as their Teacher. He has set before us those arguments and motives which have the greatest tendency to turn us away from sin, and to turn us towards the blessed God; so that we may be dead unto the one and alive unto the other. What threatenings, what promises, has he given! What addresses to our hopes and fears, to every passion in our bosom, and every principle in our nature! He has drawn back the veil that concealed the future, and has showed us a world inflames-a descending Judge-the judgment fixed-the wicked going away &ldquo;into everlasting punishment, and the righteous into life eternal.&rdquo;<p>Thirdly, Through him as their dying Friend. We know that he &ldquo;loved us, and gave himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour;&rdquo; and can I refuse to live according to his pleasure, who has laid me under such infinite obligation? &ldquo;who loved me, and gave himself for me.&rdquo; Is it possible for me to love, is it possible for me to live in, that which crucified the Lord of Glory? <p>&ldquo;No, my Redeemer, they shall die, <p> My heart has so decreed; <p> Nor will I spare the guilty things <p> That made my Saviour bleed.&rdquo; </i><p>Thus do we see in his cross the evil of sin; and thus, as the Apostle says, we become &ldquo;dead&rdquo; and thus &ldquo;alive;&rdquo; our &ldquo;old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.&rdquo;<p>Fourthly, Through him as their Mediator. That is, that he not only died to atone for our sins, but he at the same time obtained for us that grace which we require in every time of need, for the purpose of trial, of duty, and of conflict. The whole dispensation of the supplies of grace which we need is lodged in his possession; and that the administration of it to the end of the world is annexed to his office. Therefore it is so often called the &ldquo;Spirit of Christ;&rdquo; not only the Spirit he possessed, but the Spirit he procured for us, and which he communicates to us. It is thus we live; it is thus we walk; and it is thus we mortify the deeds of the body; as, says the Apostle, &ldquo;If ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.&rdquo; We therefore see the importance of the Lord Jesus; that he is the &ldquo;daysman&rdquo; between God and us, laying his hand upon both; that &ldquo;he gave his life a ransom for us;&rdquo; that &ldquo;he was delivered for our offences, and raised again for our justification;&rdquo; that he vanquished sin, death, and hell; that he is the &ldquo;resurrection and the life;&rdquo; and that he is made unto us wisdom, sanctification, and redemption: as it is written, &ldquo;He that glorieth let him glory in the Lord,&rdquo; and thus may we &ldquo;reckon ourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. - <a href='B:230 73:24'>Psa 73:24</a>. </i><p>Do what we will, the future will be continually intruding upon our minds. The Christian feels that he need not fear; he knows that all is prepared and provided for; he knows that the future can bring nothing but what is providential, and what is also merciful and gracious. Futurity has a double aspect: there is a temporal futurity, and there is a more awful futurity still-an eternal futurity.<p>Asaph looks at both, and says with regard to the temporal futurity, &ldquo;Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel.&rdquo; I must advance in life, and how much depends upon every step I take. What, then, is my consolation? &ldquo;Thou shalt guide me.&rdquo; How was it with the Jews? They had been delivered from Egypt, were in expectation of possessing Canaan, but they were in an intermediate state. They had the wilderness to pass through; he led them about and instructed them. And what provision was made for them? There was the fiery cloudy pillar to go always before them, and this continued forty years, till they reached the verge of Jordan; then it was no more needed, and disappeared.<p>And what is the language of the Church? &ldquo;This God is our God for ever and ever, he will be our guide even unto death.&rdquo; He has said to us also, &ldquo;I will lead thee, I will guide thee with mine eye.&rdquo; And what a guide! How patient to bear with us in our mistakes! how powerful to guard us from all our foes! how able to supply all our wants! how wise and unerring in all our difficulties! We know not the way that we are taking; &ldquo;but,&rdquo; says Job, &ldquo;he knoweth the way that I take;&rdquo; and he has said, &ldquo;I will bring the blind by a way that they know not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known.&rdquo;<p>So all is provided us for the journey. Ah! but there is the journey&rsquo;s end. What is to become of me when I enter the valley of the shadow of death? David says, &ldquo;Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.&rdquo;<p>Secondly, Asaph looks at an eternal futurity, and says, &ldquo;Afterward thou shalt receive me to glory.&rdquo; There is a state beyond this vale of tears, of which the land flowing with milk and honey was a very imperfect emblem. Sometimes it is called rest; sometimes peace; sometimes the joy of the Lord; but more frequently than any other it is called glory. Into this Christians will enter after being guided by God&rsquo;s counsel.<p>God says, I will receive you; and just as a person hastens to receive a beloved friend, or a darling child, after a dangerous trying journey being over so, but with infinitely more affection, will he receive us into glory, that &ldquo;where he is there we may be also.&rdquo;<p>Here we see that a Christian man can attain the satisfaction of certainty as to the nature of his religion; certainty as to the truth of Scripture; certainty as to the privileges on which his hope is placed; certainty as to his own possession of them. A firm unshaken foundation is laid for his confidence- a confidence that is full and extensive-a confidence that enables him to say, &ldquo;The Lord is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory, and no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.&rdquo; "Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: and they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. - <a href='B:490 17:12-13'>Luk 17:12-13</a>. </i><p>OBSERVE, the name of the village into which our Saviour now entered is not mentioned, but we read that there met him ten men that were lepers. To them the meeting was perfectly accidental, but not to him. Nothing occurs by chance in his operations. He is master of events and circumstances; he foreknows them, ordains them, procures them, dispenses them, and he would teach us never to separate his agency from what is contingent on other things. &ldquo;The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing of it is of the Lord.&rdquo;<p>Observe these petitioners, and their miserable condition. How instructive and edifying the spectacle. They were lepers. There are some who think very lightly of sin; but surely it has done enough to induce us to call it &ldquo;exceeding sinful,&rdquo; and to excite all our abhorrence of it. How many evils has it gendered? It has turned our earth into a vale of tears, and our world so far into a hospital. It has rendered the body mortal, and sown in it the seeds of disease, which ripening by external influences prove malignant, and bring forth fruit unto death.<p>Observe their diversity. What a mixture is here. It is remarkable that we find among these ten lepers nine Jews, and one Samaritan. The &ldquo;Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans;&rdquo; they could not endure the presence of each other; they were to each other objects of mutual envy and dislike, hatred and exclusion. But there is a force in affliction to soften prejudice and to remove alienation. We find Esau and Jacob, after all their quarrels, weeping together over the remains of their father Isaac.<p>Observe their position. They &ldquo;stood afar off.&rdquo; The disorder was supposed to have been an immediate infliction of God, and to have been incurable by any human means. It was also considered to be infectious, and the sufferer became a kind of exile, being forbidden to approach either the camp or the congregation. But Jesus was passing by, and they were near enough, by a united utterance, to make themselves heard; and therefore observe their prayer. They lifted up their voices and said, &ldquo;Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.&rdquo;<p>By &ldquo;mercy&rdquo; they intended a cure. This was all in all with them for the present. And what a mercy is health. These men must have known something of our Saviour, or they would not and could not have addressed him as they did. They had heard something of Jesus: his fame was spread abroad: it was made known especially by those who had been the subjects of his delivering mercy; for even when he enjoined silence on the recipients of his favour, the more abundantly, it is said, &ldquo;they published abroad all that had been done.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> Go show thyself to the priest. - <a href='B:480 1:44'>Mar 1:44</a>. </i><p>OBSERVE the order these lepers received. Under the law the leper was to apply to the priest to examine his case, and to determine whether he was cured of the disease. The recovered patient, if the priest was satisfied of the reality of the recovery, performed the offices prescribed by the law in token of his gratitude, and then he was set at liberty; then he was certificated by the priest, and so could move abroad at large, and again, if he pleased, enter the camp or the congregation. The ceremonial law was not as yet abolished, and our Saviour therefore said, &ldquo;Go show yourselves unto the priests.&rdquo;<p>There are also two other advantages which would arise from this order: the first of which is, that it was very likely to awaken the attention of these priests to inquire after One who was able at his pleasure to cure a distemper so cruel and desperate; the other is, that it was a trial of the faith of the patients themselves. Unless they had possessed some trust in the Saviour, they would not have moved a step, and they would have been ready to exclaim, &ldquo;Alas! alas! to what purpose shall we go to the priests to be examined and judged of? We know and feel that we are lepers. We know and feel that we are not cured. We shall only render ourselves ridiculous. And is it to be expected that we shall pick up a cure upon the road as we go to them?&rdquo;<p>But it was not theirs to prescribe, but to acquiesce; not to reason, but to obey. And it is, or should be, the same with us. Those who expect a cure from him must take it in the way he prescribes; for though he will heal &ldquo;without money and without price,&rdquo; he will have the entire management of the case and cure, or he will have nothing to do with it. We see, therefore, how likely Naaman, the Syrian leper, was to have missed a recovery. When the Man of God ordered him to go and wash seven times in the Jordan, &ldquo;he was wroth.&rdquo; It was well his servants, who advised compliance therewith, were wiser than he, or he had retained his leprosy.<p>What a different disposition did Paul display when he says, &ldquo;If by any means, however perplexing they may be to my understanding, mortifying to my pride, disliked by my passions-however they may require the crucifixion of my lusts-Lord, prescribe and I submit, if by any means I might attain to the resurrection of the dead.&rdquo; The intimation, though our Saviour said nothing more, &ldquo;Go show yourselves to the priests,&rdquo; was encouraging. They understood it as such. It is the same with regard to all God&rsquo;s addresses to us, and all his commands to us in the gospel.<p>When he says &ldquo;Repent;&rdquo; when he says &ldquo;Believe,&rdquo; &ldquo;Be renewed in the Spirit of your minds;&rdquo; all these commands are so many promises to us: they are all intimations that the thing is possible; that there is a possibility of this-not in nature indeed, not in ourselves indeed, but in the Saviour, &ldquo;in whom it hath pleased the Father that all fulness should dwell.&rdquo; &ldquo;He shall,&rdquo; says God, &ldquo;take hold of my strength and make peace with me.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> This is my rest for ever; here will I dwell; for I have desired it. - <a href='B:230 132:14'>Psa 132:14</a>. </i><p>THUS we read that God dwelleth in Zion. There he was in the temple which he had chosen for his habitation, the place where his honour dwelt, where he was accessible, where his oracles were deposited, where his servants ministered unto him, where his worship was celebrated, where he &ldquo;clothed his priests with salvation,&rdquo; and made his &ldquo;saints shout aloud for joy,&rdquo; and &ldquo;satisfied his poor with bread.&rdquo; Hence we read in the prophecies of Isaiah that the Jews were a people nigh unto him, while, on the other hand, the Gentiles are spoken of as being &ldquo;far off,&rdquo; &ldquo;strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.&rdquo;<p>We have succeeded to the Jews as to these means of grace and privileges, and have them in a much higher degree. He says to us as he did to Israel, &ldquo;In all places where I record my name there will I come unto you, and there will I bless you.&rdquo; And our Saviour says, &ldquo;Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.&rdquo; He is therefore with us in his word, with us in his ministers, with us in the assembly of the saints; and his saints still find him in his palaces for a refuge; and we may hear his voice and see his &ldquo;power and his glory&rdquo; in the sanctuary. There we may taste that he is gracious; there we may sit under &ldquo;his shadow with great delight and find his fruit sweet unto our taste.&rdquo; &ldquo;That his name is near,&rdquo; says David, &ldquo;his wondrous works declare.&rdquo;<p>The effect shows agency, and agency evinces presence; and the effects which have taken place in the sanctuary and in the hearts of individuals show that God is there. The voice of a man could never reach the heart and turn the whole tide of the soul another way; but how often is this performed by God! A man enters the house of God prayerless, and begins to cry, &ldquo;God be merciful to me, a sinner.&rdquo; He enters carelessly, or from curiosity, or with a view perhaps of ridicule; but he is soon &ldquo;known of all and judged of all,&rdquo; and the &ldquo;secrets of his heart are made manifest;&rdquo; and if he does not fall down on the ground, he inwardly exclaims, &ldquo;God is in the midst of them of a truth.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> The Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. - <a href='B:480 16:20'>Mar 16:20</a>. </i><p>IT was by the preaching of the gospel that the heathen nations were to he turned from dumb idols to serve the living God. &ldquo;When the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believed.&rdquo; Thus on the day of Pentecost three thousand were, by the preaching of the Apostles, &ldquo;pricked in their hearts, and cried out, Men and brethren, what must we do?&rdquo;<p>When the Christians were scattered abroad upon the persecution of Stephen, they preached the Lord Jesus, and a &ldquo;great number believed and turned unto the Lord.&rdquo; At the Reformation, what was it converted this country from Popery to Protestantism? It was the preaching of the truth as it is in Jesus; and we know what was done in Scotland by Knox and his companions, and since in this land by Whitefield and Wesley, and the band of men whose heart God had touched, and who flew like angels over the land, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that &ldquo;dwell upon the earth;&rdquo; and if the members of any Christian community should be examined as to their religious experience, how many will acknowledge they were Divinely impressed by the preaching of the word.<p>How often would be heard acknowledgments like these: I was a poor careless creature, without one serious thought about my poor soul, till I heard such a sermon, which like thunder accused my conscience, and induced me to ask &ldquo;What must I do to be saved?&rdquo; Another would say, I was a proud Pharisee, trusting in myself that I was righteous, and despising others till I heard such a sermon, which induced me to quit the hope I held before, to trust the merits of Christ, and to say, &ldquo;In the Lord have I righteousness and strength.&rdquo; Another would say, My soul was clad with the blackness of despair, without one ray of hope, till by such a sermon there arose light in the darkness, and it was the light of life to me.<p>It is thus the preaching of the Lord Jesus meets man in all his relations, in all his exigencies; it teaches and makes him &ldquo;wise unto salvation:&rdquo; is he weak? it makes him &ldquo;strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus;&rdquo; is he cast down? it comforts him, it possesses him with &ldquo;a peace that passeth all understanding,&rdquo; it animates him with &ldquo;everlasting consolation and good hope through grace.&rdquo; But observe the source of their success: &ldquo;The Lord working with them.&rdquo;<p>This honour have all the faithful preachers of Christ&rsquo;s holy gospel; &ldquo;they are workers together with him.&rdquo; And this is their encouragement, the Lord working with them; and this is their conviction, &ldquo;without him they can do nothing.&rdquo; &ldquo;Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts:&rdquo; and saith Paul, &ldquo;The excellency of the power is not of us;&rdquo; We are not sufficient to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God.&rdquo;<p>Thus they went forth preaching, depending upon Divine cooperation; and the hand of the Lord was with them. &ldquo;We then, as workers together with him,&rdquo; says the Apostle- we fellow-workers, who differ in our stations, our abilities, our modes of preaching, and on which account there are some who take advantage and create divisions, and form parties, saying, &ldquo;I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas,&rdquo; and in so saying display much weakness and carnality, and walk as men.<p>Ministers, however they are endowed and employed, or wherever they are engaged, are workers together, and are workers together with God, and they say with these first preachers, &ldquo;we beseech you that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. 


devotion:
<i> The gentleness of Christ. - <a href='B:540 10:1'>2Co 10:1</a>. </i><p>IT was predicted of the Saviour, that &ldquo;a bruised reed he should not break, and the smoking flax he should not quench.&rdquo; And when his person and work were typified, the image under which he was set forth was a lamb, and the emblem of his Spirit &ldquo;a dove;&rdquo; and his whole mission consisted in &ldquo;going about doing good,&rdquo; and in &ldquo;giving his life a ransom for many.&rdquo; If we turn to his miracles there were displays of his grace and compassion, as there were also of his omnipotence. Who can read his history without feeling this?<p>Here he has compassion upon the multitude because they had nothing to eat, and had come from afar and he made the hungry-men, women, and children, in a secluded scenery, on a fine summer evening-sit upon the grass, and miraculously fed them with five barley loaves and a few small fishes. Here a blind beggar sitting by the wayside, finding that he was passing by, cried, &ldquo;Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me;&rdquo; and &ldquo;the multitude rebuked him, and told him to hold his peace; but Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be brought to him.&rdquo; The sun in nature once stood still to enable a great general to finish a great victory; here the Sun of Righteousness stands still while an act of kindness is performed, and he the performer too. &ldquo;What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?&rdquo; &ldquo;Lord, that I might receive my sight.&rdquo; And Jesus said unto him, &ldquo;Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.&rdquo;<p>There is one thing worthy of special notice with regard to the character of our Saviour&rsquo;s miracles; it may be called the tenderness and the delicacy of kindness they displayed. For example, the young man of Nain was the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; had our Saviour, when he had compassion on her, ordered him to become his follower and attendant, and taken him away, she even then would be grateful. She might have said, &ldquo;He would have been the greatest support on which I could have leaned as I walk down into the valley of years, and travel toward the tomb of my husband; but it is enough; he is alive.&rdquo; But what did Jesus? &ldquo;He delivered him to his mother.&rdquo; When the demoniac was dispossessed he came to the Saviour, and besought him that he might be with him; and he would have been a monument of his power, a trophy of his mercy; but the poor man had been more than dead to all his friends and relations a long time, and they would be glad at heart to see him, and therefore Jesus says, &ldquo;No; go home to thy house, and tell what great things the Lord hath done for thee; and how he hath had mercy on thee.&rdquo;<p>We see the gentleness of Jesus Christ in his behaviour towards those who were his own disciples; though they often tried him and offended him, yet he bore with their miscarriages; hence it is said, &ldquo;Having loved his own which were with him in the world, he loved them unto the end.&rdquo; When in the garden of Gethsemane he found them sleeping, he said, &ldquo;The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.&rdquo; When Peter denied him, he turned and looked upon him with a look of love that melted him into contrition, for the look said to him, Peter, with all thy faults, I love thee still, and am going to die for thee; and Peter &ldquo;went out and wept bitterly.&rdquo;<p>Nor was this grace and goodness confined to his disciples; &ldquo;He went about doing good.&rdquo; To the woman who was a sinner weeping over her sins, he said, &ldquo;Thy sins, which are many, are all forgiven thee; go in peace.&rdquo; When the Jews rejected him he wept over them. When they were driving the nails through his hands and feet, he said, &ldquo;Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do;&rdquo; and when a malefactor, a thief, and probably a murderer, who was hanging by his side, prayed, &ldquo;Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom,&rdquo; then he heard the gracious answer, &ldquo;Verily I say unto thee, to-day thou shalt be with me in Paradise.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> Truth came by Jesus Christ. - <a href='B:500 1:17'>Joh 1:17</a>. </i><p>WHAT is truth? This is a question Pilate once asked, but did not wait for an answer. And it is a question which many still ask, and with regard to the result they betray equal carelessness. The shortest and easiest way of answering the question according to some would be for each religious party to exhibit its own creed, and censure and exclude the claimants of every other. But candour would lead a man to conclude that all parties have it partially, and that none have it wholly. Thus it is with philosophers with regard to nature; metaphysicians with regard to mind; and historians with regard to facts.<p>The gospel is a system too vast for a finite mind to take in at once, and people have used it as children use a large mirror: unable to carry the whole, they break it in pieces, all of them going away with a fraction: one calls out, &ldquo;I have the glass;&rdquo; a second says, &ldquo;I have the glass;&rdquo; and a third says, &ldquo;No, but I have the glass.&rdquo; The fact is, the glass consisted of all these parts. But let us now (though no one has a large portion) reunite all these, that we may possess the mirror undefiled and uninjured. And we need not feel any kind of embarrassment with regard to truth. It is not the creed of any party church, or council. It is what all who are Christians profess to receive. It is the gospel itself, and this truth came by Jesus Christ.<p>Let us glance at four articles. First, There is the truth of performance in distinction from engagement. The promise made to the fathers is everywhere to be met with in the Old Testament. Yet there is a difference between the existence of the promise and its fulfilment. Therefore our Saviour, addressing his disciples, comparing their state not with the heathen but with the Jews, says, &ldquo;Many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; but blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear.&rdquo;<p>Secondly, There is the truth of reality in distinction from prefiguration. This truth came by Jesus Christ. The Jews were children; God treated them as infants are treated who have pictures placed over their lessons in order to allure, to impress, and to explain. Their senses were addressed as well as their understanding. The Jews had various types and ceremonies, which the Apostle called &ldquo;a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things,&rdquo; not the reality. A shadow depends upon the body, derives its form from the body, but it has no power in itself, and is an obscure and imperfect representation of the substance. This was precisely the case with the law, its carnal ordinances and observances had no efficiency to save or to sanctify; the value of the services were derived entirely from their relation to the Messiah, but for whom they would never have been established, but for whom they would have had no use, therefore in themselves would have been unprofitable, and vain, and absurd. But by the aid of these, however, the Spiritual among the Jews were enabled to hold communion with God, though in what degree it is impossible to decide. As to ourselves, they are full of pleasing and interesting instruction.<p>Having the clue we can explain them; having the reference we can perceive the resemblance. We are in possession of the truth of all these, the truth of the paschal Lamb; &ldquo;it is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world;&rdquo; the truth of the manna is the true bread which came down from heaven; the truth of the rock that followed the Jews in the wilderness, for that rock was Christ;&rdquo; the truth of the altar and mercy-seat of the Tabernacle and of the Temple, for &ldquo;Christ is all and in all.&rdquo;<p>Thirdly, There is the truth of certainty in distinction from error and falsehood. This came by Jesus Christ. What was heathenism? an assemblage of falsehoods-false gods, false temples, false sacrifices, false hopes, and false fears. A great deal of them was indeed originally derived from revelation, but it was obscured so that the Apostle tells us it was &ldquo;turning the truth of God into a lie.&rdquo;<p>Lastly, There is the truth of importance in distinction from all other truths. This truth came by Jesus Christ. If many things were as true as they are perfectly false they would be unworthy our principal earnestness, for what good have they done, or can they do, compared with &ldquo;repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ?&rdquo; This is truth;-truth emphatically, as our Saviour says, &ldquo;This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> The world knoweth us not. - <a href='B:690 3:1'>1Jn 3:1</a>. </i><p>THE meaning here is not merely that Christians are not discerned by the men of the world, but that the world does not approve of them. The word &ldquo;know &ldquo;is often taken in this sense. Thus Paul says, &ldquo;Know them who labour among you, and are over you in the Lord;&rdquo; that is, acknowledge them, and conduct yourselves toward them in a manner becoming their calling. Now, how does the world regard Christians?<p>As far as it discerns them, does it admire them? does it esteem them as regenerate and Spiritual? For this is the question here. There is another sense in which they may like them, not because of their Spiritual or heavenly-minded qualities, but notwithstanding these and in spite of these. They may have other claims, they may be relatives or friends, they may be as amiable, as gentle, as agreeable as others; and thus they may approve of them, not because they are born of God, not because they are renewed after his image. The people of the world must often come into contact with real Christians, but they do not make them their models, their chosen companions; they do not wish to be intimate with them.<p>When most at home, when they are engaged in Spiritual concerns, they know them not, and they would be withdrawn from them. People of the world are under obligations to Christians. Christians are useful to all. For their sakes it is that the frame of nature continues, that judgments are withdrawn, that blessings are bestowed or continued. If unknown to their neighbours, yet they retire and pray, and their supplications for them ascend to heaven. Yet the ungrateful world knows them not. But more is implied here than is expressed.<p>It means the world actually dislikes Christians. If proof were necessary, it would be easy to cite passages of Scripture. &ldquo;Marvel not, my brethren,&rdquo; says John, &ldquo;if the world hate you;&rdquo; and says the Saviour, &ldquo;Because ye are not of the world, therefore the world hateth you.&rdquo; The Christian&rsquo;s principles and practices condemn the world. They that hate light and love darkness will be sure to hate the light that breaks in upon their sinful practices. Among us persecution is not legal; but there are instances of injustice and persecution which are beyond the reach of the law. &ldquo;The carnal mind is enmity with God.&rdquo; &ldquo;The tongue no man can tame.&rdquo; And the sacred writers tell us that evil-speaking will be the portion of the righteous in all ages and in all places.<p>The world will always turn the Christian&rsquo;s excellencies into scandal; their zeal will be accounted enthusiasm, their faith will be esteemed folly, their hope delusion, their meekness meanness. They have always some convenient names, and misrepresentations, and slander by which to disparage and defame the friends and followers of the Saviour. If there is nothing blameable in their deportment, the world will impeach their motives. It is in vain, therefore, for Christians to expect real candour from the world. And those who will be followers of the Redeemer must still go forth bearing his reproach, for &ldquo;the world knoweth us not.&rdquo;<p><b> It does not discern us, it does not approve us, it actually dislikes us. </b>


devotion:
<i> And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. - <a href='B:490 17:14-16'>Luk 17:14-16</a>. </i><p>OBSERVE their recovery. These men having received our Saviour&rsquo;s directions, concluding that the very order to show themselves unto the priests was an intimation that they should be healed, immediately went, and as soon as they began to move the cure commenced; and filled them with wonder and astonishment. &ldquo;Oh,&rdquo; says one, &ldquo;I feel better already.&rdquo; &ldquo;So do I,&rdquo; says another. So say they all. They look upon each other and see their flesh has become like the flesh of a new-born child. They feel and they find the purification of their blood, and the renewal of their strength, and all those fine but indescribable emotions and energies which are enjoyed when a person recovers from disease and enjoys health and strength again.<p>Observe what was their conduct finally. The conduct of one of them was very praiseworthy. &ldquo;One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God and fell down at his feet, giving him thanks; and he was a Samaritan.&rdquo; And what said the Saviour to him? &ldquo;Arise, go thy way;&rdquo; but he seemed glued to the very ground whereon our Saviour stood. He seemed to imagine that he might have been allowed to remain with him as a servant, to do his pleasure as a monument of his power, as a trophy of his goodness, and to accompany him on his journey. But no, the religion of the Saviour is a religion adapted to human nature. &ldquo;No,&rdquo; said Jesus, &ldquo;&lsquo;go thy way; thy place is vacant,-it is asking for thee; thy family, thy friends, thy condition- they are all waiting for thee. Go and walk among them, and show forth the praises of thy Deliverer.&rdquo;<p>Nor was this all, but he gave him a very important assurance: &ldquo;Thy faith hath saved thee;&rdquo; tending to encourage his future confidence in him; not meaning that his faith had done this efficiently, but that this was the medium through which he chose to convey to him a cure. And this is most strikingly the case with regard to ourselves; we therefore read everywhere of the importance of faith; we read that by faith we walk, we live, we are justified, we are sanctified, &ldquo;we are saved by grace through faith.&rdquo;<p>Hence it is worthy of remark that the very same things in the Scriptures which are ascribed to Christ are also ascribed to faith; not in the same way, indeed; they are ascribed to him meritoriously, but they are equally ascribed to faith instrumentally. He is indeed a refuge; but a refuge is nothing unless it be entered, and it can only be entered by faith.<p>He is the remedy; but the remedy is nothing unapplied, and it can only he applied by faith. He is the food of the soul; but however excellent in itself, this cannot nourish us unless it be eaten, and it is only to be eaten by faith. &ldquo;He that eateth me, even he shall live by me.&rdquo;<p>But the conduct of the rest was, oh, how blameable! &ldquo;Jesus answering, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? - <a href='B:490 17:17'>Luk 17:17</a>. </i><p>LET us view the narrative as a picture, and observe the various things in it, not as objects of curiosity, but as affording lessons &ldquo;profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness.&rdquo; Behold the picture, and see, First, that all our Saviour&rsquo;s miracles were not connected with salvation. As his works on the bodies of men were designed to be typical of his operations on the soul, we sometimes find them blended together. But this was not always the case.<p>Here we see ten lepers sharing equally his kindness, in their miraculous recovery, and yet nine of them remaining unchanged, morally and Spiritually, the same as before. And there are many also now who, like the Jews of old and these lepers, have experienced temporal and signal deliverances, without experiencing that Spiritual salvation which they were designed and adapted to prefigure.<p>What is bodily health if the soul is sick, and diseased, and dead? What are these nine lepers the better for their cure now? We may look again and see that adversity and affliction are more friendly and favourable to our intercourse with the Saviour than prosperity and health. These lepers, while they were suffering under their malady, cried to him with a loud voice; but, alas! as soon as they are recovered they go away and never think more of him. Thus many will &ldquo;pour out a prayer unto God when his chastening is upon them,&rdquo; and this circumstance will also serve to account for the afflictions of the righteous.<p>There is a needs be for them. If we look again we shall see that the generality of those who receive favours from God act as if they were insensible of their obligations. Oh! the ingratitude of these men made them much more vile than their former disease did. This ingratitude is general, and extends even to the righteous.<p>We may take the case of Hezekiah as an affecting illustration, and in how many instances do we see this, and find that we ourselves are not free from it. We may observe that however we forget our obligations the Lord remembers them, and expects suitable returns for them. He sees whether we are thankful with the one, or regardless with the nine, whether we come back to give God the glory with the Samaritan, or profanely depart with the Jews. He sees what blessings we receive from him, and how we receive them. He expects from us suitable improvement and returns.<p>We may observe also that we are not to avoid duty on the ground of singularity. Here was only one man out of ten, but he dares to come back regardless of the rest. He stood alone. So did Noah. Here was a world ungodly, nevertheless Noah walked righteously with God. Observe that the most unlikely sometimes excel the most promising. Who would not have expected more from the Jews than from this Samaritan? How many, who have but few advantages, have made greater improvement than others with more abundant privileges.<p>But lastly, let us observe the glory of the Lord Jesus, and think of his goodness. See, how no sooner did these men cry than he heard them; and let us remember that he has now what he always had, an ear for the destitute and the miserable. Let us behold his all-sufficiency and self-sufficiency. Power does not always accompany benevolence; but we see &ldquo;nothing is too hard for the Lord.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> A door was opened in heaven. - <a href='B:730 4:1'>Rev 4:1</a>. </i><p>OBSERVE for what purpose the opening in heaven was made. First, For inspection and discovery; accordingly John looked immediately in and he saw many things there to reward his investigation. And we can look in and see the same things now, and some of them more clearly than he could see them. We can see who are the inhabitants there. There is Jesus, the Lord of life and glory. There are the angels and the Spirits of just men made perfect; patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and the noble army of martyrs are there. There are, too, our own beloved friends and relatives who have died in the faith of Jesus; they have done with sorrow and they have done with sin, and we can look in now and see how they are engaged, and in what they are employed. We can see them serving him, and seeing his face, and bearing his name on their foreheads. We can see that their service is all fervour, union, harmony, joy, and praise. Oh, that ours may resemble it! They are resting from their labours, they are &ldquo;clothed with white robes,&rdquo; having &ldquo;palms in their hands, and crowns of glory upon their heads;&rdquo; and they have songs of praise in their mouths, even &ldquo;salvation unto God and unto the Lamb.&rdquo; This is not all: it is,<p>Secondly, Opened for communication; not only for us to look in, but to receive from. Ever since a door has been opened in heaven there has been a perpetual egression from thence. If departed saints do not, and however pleasing the idea may seem, yet the Scriptures do not sanction it-yet if saints come not from thence, angels do, and whatever their rank may be, they are &ldquo;all ministering Spirits sent forth to minister unto them who shall be heirs of salvation.&rdquo; But we want to receive something from heaven above angels. The Holy Spirit comes from thence; our Saviour, therefore, said to his disciples, &ldquo;If I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you. It is expedient for you that I go away, for if I depart I will send him unto you.&rdquo;<p>It is from above that we receive all our blessed influences and consolations. Does not the Apostle say, &ldquo;My God shall supply all your needs from his riches in glory by Christ Jesus?&rdquo; As the Jews received the cluster of grapes from Eschol, and thereby not only had something from Canaan, but also something of Canaan, so it is with Christians now. They receive the first-fruits of their inheritance, the earnest of their portion, and the foretastes of their eternal blessedness; and &ldquo;whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord from heaven; and to them that look for him will he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.&rdquo;<p>Thirdly, It is opened for admission. This crowns the whole. It is well for us to look in and to look upon, but it is much better to go in. There are two entrances into heaven to which we may refer. The one is a. present entrance. This is Spiritual. By faith, and in religious exercises, the believer, now draws near even to God. As Milton says- <p>-&ldquo;Led by thee <p> Into the heaven of heavens, I have presumed <p> An earthly guest to draw my comforts hence.&rdquo; </i><p>The believer now has &ldquo;boldness of access with confidence, by the faith of him.&rdquo; But there will be a future entrance; this will he personal. This will accomplish the Saviour&rsquo;s prayer, &ldquo;Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory.&rdquo; Whatever advantages they now enjoy they are only, as the Apostle says, &ldquo;strangers and pilgrims upon the earth;&rdquo; they declare plainly that they seek a country, even a heavenly; nothing less will satisfy their minds; but they will not be always upon the road sending spies to Zion, and fetching in supplies from thence by faith and hope. They will receive the end of their faith and hope -the salvation of their souls, and realize the language of David, who says, &ldquo;With joy and rejoicing shall they be brought; they shall enter into the king&rsquo;s palace.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> Their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges. - <a href='B:50 32:31'>Deu 32:31</a>. </i><p>OTHERS besides the Lord&rsquo;s people have their rock; they make many things their rock; but, as Moses here says, &ldquo;Their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges.&rdquo; Do they ever recommend their rock in trouble? However fond people may be of the world they never speak well of the world.<p>Not one of them in death recommends the world to those that visit them. Not one of them speaks well, of their own experience of what they have realized from their connection with it. But the wicked have been obliged to bear their testimony to &ldquo;our Rock.&rdquo; Balaam exclaimed, &ldquo;Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his.&rdquo; If this be the testimony of the wicked, of those who are enemies to God and to his people, what must be the testimony of those who are the friends of God? They can speak from experience, and this carries force with it.<p>There is nothing like this to give effect to our addresses to others. When we speak from experience, we speak clearly and with confidence. We can say, &ldquo;That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you.&rdquo; Such are likely to speak with earnestness. It will come from the heart. They are the persons who know what a miserable condition it is to be absent from God; and they who have made trial of a reconciliation with God are the men to speak of his faithfulness. Yes, they who have tasted that God is gracious can say to others: &ldquo;O taste, and see how good the Lord is.&rdquo;<p>We should, therefore, think well and speak well of his name, and recommend him to all around, taking care of this one thing, that while we recommend religion to others, we are examples of it ourselves. Some often speak in favour of it who would be doing much more service to it by being silent. Much more harm than good is done when the mouth says one thing, and the temper and conduct say another. What would be thought of an individual who would recommend a medicine to others, while yet they could see disease staring in his own face? Would not they say to such a person, &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t believe one word of what you are saying. You have no confidence in the prescription yourself; try it upon yourself, and then you will be better able, from its influence, to recommend it to us?&rdquo;<p>Let us see to it, then, that our conduct is such as becomes the Gospel of Christ. Then we cannot say too much in praise of our Rock. And thus &ldquo;a word spoken in season, how good is it!&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> Nevertheless I am continually with thee. - <a href='B:230 73:23'>Psa 73:23</a>. </i><p>OBSERVE here the source of the Psalmist&rsquo;s satisfaction; as if he had said, &ldquo;What have I been doing? I have been dwelling on my trials instead of considering my blessings. I have been among creatures and have not turned from them unto my God.&rdquo; But he now says, &ldquo;Nevertheless, I am continually with thee.&rdquo; There are several ways in which this may be considered.<p>First, He was with him by a realizing sense of his presence. God is continually with all his creatures, as their Witness and Observer; but they are not continually with him. Yea, they are never with him long. God is not in all their thoughts. Their concern is to get him out of their way and out of sight, saying unto God, &ldquo;Depart from us; we desire not a knowledge of thy ways.&rdquo; They say this by their vices, by their infidelity, and by their carelessness. But it is otherwise with a Christian; he does not live without God, but is continually with him in the world.<p>Secondly, He was continually with God, as he was in a state of friendship with him. It is obvious Asaph mentions the thing here as a privilege, therefore it supposes reconciliation with God. We commonly infer the degree of friendship from the degree of visitation. This is really the case with regard to God and the Christian. Yes, God is his hiding-place, his resting place, his dwelling-place. God is the home of his heart. The Apostle John says, &ldquo;And truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.&rdquo; And our Saviour says, &ldquo;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.&rdquo; And not only does the Christian dwell with God but in God. &ldquo;God is love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.&rdquo;<p>Thirdly, He was so by his engagement in his service. If any difficulty attended this, we could point out an explanation from the Book of Revelation, where it is said, &ldquo;These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, for he is the King of kings and Lord of lords, and they that are with him are called and chosen and faithful.&rdquo; And so our Saviour said, &ldquo;He that is not with me is against me.&rdquo;<p>Mere neutrality here is inadmissible; we must be decided. There are only two parties-the world&rsquo;s party and God&rsquo;s party; and &ldquo;he that will be the friend of the world is the enemy of God.&rdquo; &ldquo;Who,&rdquo; says God, &ldquo;will rise up for me against the evil-doers? Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? &ldquo;I will,&rdquo; says David, &ldquo;if there is no other individual to be found. Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred. I count them mine enemies.&rdquo; Is this motto the motto of our lives? &ldquo;Whose I am and whom I serve.&rdquo; &ldquo;I am continually with thee.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. - <a href='B:690 3:13'>1Jn 3:13</a>. </i><p>THE Christian can do very well without the world&rsquo;s approval. The world has its influence, and there are many who are much influenced by it, but with regard to the world&rsquo;s dislike of Christians, we observe, First, That for their sakes it is letter it should he so. For if we are redeemed out of the world, if we are Spiritual, we need not lament their distance from us. The more remote they are, the more safe shall we be from their influence. It is not easy to mingle with the heathen, and not learn their worship. Even Joseph, when in Egypt, learned to &ldquo;swear by the life of Pharaoh.&rdquo;<p>Secondly, There is nothing peculiar in this. Moses endured scorn and reproach rather than run into sin. David was ridiculed for reposing his all in God. Isaiah was sawn in sunder for his fidelity. The Apostles were considered the scum and the off-scouring of the earth, and not one of them died a natural death but John, and he in his old age was banished and worked as a slave in the Isle of Patmos; and when Paul was apprehended, on his way to Damascus, the Saviour said to Ananias, &ldquo;I will show him how many things he is to suffer for my name&rsquo;s sake.&rdquo;<p>Shall we refuse to drink of the cup that they drank of, and be baptized with the baptism which they were baptized with? What are our trials compared with those that have been endured by the many that have gone before?<p>Thirdly, It hated the Master. &ldquo;He was despised and rejected of men.&rdquo; When will his poor followers remember that his name was cast out as evil, and that &ldquo;the servant is not above his Master, nor the disciple above his Lord?&rdquo; &ldquo;Ye know,&rdquo; says the Saviour, &ldquo;it hated me before it hated you.&rdquo; And is not this enough? Can we refuse to suffer in such company?<p>Fourthly, If the world knoweth us not, and hateth us, it will hereafter know us. &ldquo;Wisdom will be justified of her children.&rdquo; The day of the &ldquo;manifestation of the sons of God&rdquo; is coming. Then every cloud will be dispersed, and &ldquo;the righteous shall shine forth as stars in the firmament of heaven.&rdquo; &ldquo;Then shall they return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God, and him that serveth him not.&rdquo; &ldquo;I will bring them to thy feet,&rdquo; says God, &ldquo;and they shall know that I have loved thee.&rdquo; But is not this anticipated by the world now?<p>In their dying hours they begin to see things as they are. &ldquo;I have always observed,&rdquo; remarks Mrs. Savage, the daughter of Philip Henry, &ldquo;that the people of the world never speak well of it at parting.&rdquo; How often might we hear them say, &ldquo;Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his.&rdquo;<p>Fifthly, If the world in its ignorance of Christians hateth us, God does not; and it is he on whose frowns or smiles depends our misery or our happiness. It is &ldquo;a light thing to be judged of man&rsquo;s judgment; he that judgeth us is the Lord. In his favour is life, and his loving-kindness is better than life.&rdquo; This puts &ldquo;joy into our hearts, more than when their corn and their oil and wine increases.&rdquo; Let them curse, but bless thou. 


devotion:
<i> And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? And the captain of the Lord&rsquo;s host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so. - <a href='B:60 5:13-15'>Jos 5:13-15</a>. </i><p>LET us glance at the circumstances here recorded. Joshua had now passed the river Jordan. He had just commenced the course of his warfare, and was now favoured with a supernatural appearance. Observe the time of the manifestation. It was when he had performed the rite of circumcision and the ordinance of the passover. None of our services can be meritorious; &ldquo;but them that honour me,&rdquo; says God, &ldquo;I will honour:&rdquo; &ldquo;draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to thee.&rdquo;<p>Observe, also, the place of this manifestation. He was now under the walls of Jericho. What was he doing there? It is not possible for us absolutely to determine; he seems to have been alone, probably surveying the place, perhaps dejected at the difficulty of taking such a stronghold; perhaps he was praying, or perhaps, rather, musing in meditation, when, lifting up his eyes, he &ldquo;looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand.&rdquo; There was something dreadful in the aspect, and a timid man would have fled; but Joshua was full of Divine confidence and courage, and therefore unruffled.<p>Thus inspired, he approached his mysterious visitant, and inquired whether he is a friend, that he may entertain him, or whether he is an enemy, that he may engage with him. The armed messenger soon furnished him with an answer, assuring him not only that he was come as a friend, but that he was come to take the chief command. Joshua immediately pays him homage, asks of him orders, and is enjoined to render him the deepest reverence. Would any man, any mere creature, any created agent, have either required or have allowed this? Did Paul and Barnabas at Lystra? &ldquo;When the people were disposed to sacrifice to them, they said, &ldquo;Sirs, why do ye these things? we also are men of like passions with you.&rdquo; Or would the angel of the Apocalypse have enjoined or allowed this, of whom John says, &ldquo;I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things; and the angel said unto me, See thou do it not, for I am thy fellow-servant?&rdquo;<p>We are therefore enabled to decide who this man was: the man who wrestled with Jacob until the dawning of the day, and. rested, and concerning whom Jacob said, &ldquo;I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved;&rdquo; this is the man who, allied to our nature by engagement and anticipation, &ldquo;rejoiced in the habitable parts of the earth before his incarnation, and his delights were with the sons of men;&rdquo; he &ldquo;whose goings forth were from everlasting.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> The host of the Lord. - <a href='B:60 5:14'>Jos 5:14</a>. </i><p>HAVING noticed the historical circumstances connected with the passage, let us now derive from it a subject which may be found profitable. It regards two things. First, &ldquo;The host of the Lord;&rdquo; and this will apply to the Israel of God now: they are so called because of their number. Now they are a multitude; and hereafter they will be found to be &ldquo;a number which no man can number;&rdquo; and because they are in a state of martial discipline, arrangement, and order, and readiness for conflict.<p>Thus the Church is held forth by Solomon, &ldquo;Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?&rdquo; The Book of the Lord reminds us that they are now in a state of warfare. And the Christian life is in a very peculiar sense a warfare; and there is no one image more frequently employed in Scripture in describing the partakers of Divine grace, than the image taken from the condition of a soldier. Paul therefore, speaking to his son Timothy, says, &ldquo;Warring a good warfare,&rdquo; &ldquo;fighting the good fight of faith;&rdquo; and when he takes his final review of life, he not only says, &ldquo;I have kept the faith, and I have finished my course, but I have fought a good fight.&rdquo;<p>And in the addresses to the seven Churches of Asia there is a promise, a glorious promise, made to each of them; it is made in each instance to him that overcometh. There is an obvious truth and force in the metaphor; and the Christian finds that it corresponds with his experience. He is called not only to work and to walk, but to fight; and he finds that he can neither walk nor work without fighting. The world is a foe to the Christian, not only by its persecutions; the friendship of the world is enmity with God; its smiles are much more dangerous than its frowns.<p>The world is only one of the enemies that the Christian has to contend with; for, says the Apostle, &ldquo;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.&rdquo; &ldquo;Our adversary the devil goeth about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour:&rdquo; and &ldquo;the flesh lusteth against the Spirit;&rdquo; there is the &ldquo;evil heart of unbelief, that departeth from the living God,&rdquo; there is &ldquo;the sin that dwelleth in us,&rdquo; enfeebling all our powers.<p>It is not a trifling nor an easy conflict which every Christian is engaged in now; he must be constrained to say with the Apostle, &ldquo;So fight I not as one that beateth the air;&rdquo; that is, I am not like one vapouring away, while the enemy is at a distance, and brandishing my weapons in a feigned combat. I have to beat not the air but the adversary; we have closed upon each other; it is a dreadful struggle, and I must conquer or be conquered and undone for ever. There is much to be said of this warfare which cannot be said of any other. This will bear examination.<p>This is a just and necessary war; the cause is truth and righteousness and peace; and the issue will be glorious. 


devotion:
<i> This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. - <a href='B:610 1:15'>1Ti 1:15</a>. </i><p>HERE is an exhibition of grace and truth, of truth and grace, in connection. The gospel message is truth; and therefore we are to receive it with the firmness of conviction and assent; the more important the news, the more evident assurances are necessary to establish it that it is true as to its object. It was thus regarded in the beginning; the original receivers of it felt their feet upon a rock; their goings were established: a new song was put into their mouths; they received this saying as it is in truth the word of God. Their confidence in it was equal to the reality; we are told that it is the &ldquo;substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen.&rdquo; Yea, their works proved not only the reality, but the degree of their confidence in God to be such that they ventured their all upon it, all for time, and all for eternity. Do we thus receive it? Are we thus convinced? Can we say that we know that we are of the truth, and can assure our hearts before him.&rdquo;<p>Then it is a gracious message. It brings us &ldquo;glad tidings of great joy;&rdquo; and therefore it is impossible to receive it properly unless we receive it also with cordiality, gratitude, and with joy. The first Christians thus received it. The people were not only taught the truth as it is in Jesus, but they were made blessed by it. The jailer at Philippi who, a few hours before, found his soul filled with horror and despair, &ldquo;received the word with joy, believing with all his house;&rdquo; and the Thessalonians &ldquo;received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost.&rdquo; It was universally the case then; they believed, and believing &ldquo;they rejoiced with joy unspeakable, and full of glory;&rdquo; they knew the truth, and the truth made them free-free from the burden of guilt- free from the torment of sin-free from worldly anxieties and future forebodings; they were &ldquo;careful for nothing;&rdquo; &ldquo;the peace of God which passeth all understanding kept their hearts and minds by Christ Jesus.&rdquo; They were happy without the vanities and dissipations of the world; they were borne up under their trials; they gloried in tribulations also; they triumphed in the valley of the shadow of death.<p>Do we thus regard the gospel? Do we thus receive it? Alas! there are thousands called by the Christian name who do not thus consider the gospel worthy their acceptation; or that it is the truth and grace which hath come unto them by Jesus Christ. They neither seem to believe the one, nor feel the other. We can never too frequently nor too seriously reflect that the introduction of the gospel has placed us in a condition of the most solemn responsibility, for it may &ldquo;become the savour of life unto life;&rdquo; or it may become &ldquo;the savour of death unto death.&rdquo;<p>If we have received the gospel, we are to exemplify it, &ldquo;As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye with him;&rdquo; and we are also to extend and diffuse it by our prayers, and by our practical devotedness to his cause. There is no Christian but may do something in his own sphere, and in his own circumstances, to make manifest the savour of these glad tidings. 


devotion:
<i> The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. - <a href='B:230 92:12'>Psa 92:12</a>. </i><p>HERE we may observe how the righteous shall flourish. The image by which this is set forth is sometimes taken from human life. We read in the family of God of little children, young men, and fathers. We read of our coming to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. Sometimes it is taken from animal life; it is said that those &ldquo;upon whom the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings shall go forth like calves of the stall.&rdquo; Sometimes the image is taken from vegetable life. &ldquo;They shall grow as the vine; they shall revive as the corn;&rdquo; &ldquo;they shall spring up as willows by the water-courses;&rdquo; and as it is here, they &ldquo;shall flourish like the palm-tree&rdquo;; they shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.&rdquo;<p>It is unnecessary to inquire why the palm-tree and the cedar are selected. It is sufficient to know that these trees are beautiful in their growth and form, and very fruitful, and both of them are evergreens: the cedar gives strong and sweetly scented timber; and in addition to this the palm-tree yields an abundance of fruit (dates); sometimes as much as a hundred-weight is found upon one tree. Let us just notice this in contrast with a preceding verse of the Psalm, &ldquo;When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish, it is that they shall be destroyed for ever.&rdquo; They flourish as &ldquo;the grass which to-day is and to-morrow is cast into the fire.&rdquo; But the righteous flourish as &ldquo;cedars and palm trees.&rdquo;<p>We have the same contrast in another Psalm, and in reference to another image: &ldquo;The man,&rdquo; says David, &ldquo;whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and in whose law he doth meditate day and night, is like a tree planted by rivers of water. The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand.&rdquo; But the grand thing to be derived from this image is this, that there is a real and active progressiveness in religion; that though the Christian&rsquo;s principles and faculties at present are all imperfect, yet they are growing and shall advance to maturity.<p>This progressiveness is to be considered as a Christian&rsquo;s duty, desire, and privilege. It is his duty; therefore it is often enjoined upon him, &ldquo;Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.&rdquo; Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, etc. It is his desire, therefore, &ldquo;forgetting the things that are behind, he is reaching forth to the things that are before.&rdquo; Therefore his prayer, &ldquo;Strengthen that which thou hast wrought for us;&rdquo; &ldquo;perfect the work which concerneth us;&rdquo; &ldquo;forsake not the work of thy hands.&rdquo; It is his privilege, and therefore it is provided for him. For &ldquo;it hath pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell, and from this fulness we have received, and grace for grace.&rdquo;<p>Therefore it is said, &ldquo;The righteous shall hold on his way.&rdquo; &ldquo;The Lord will give grace and glory, and no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> Those that he planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. - <a href='B:230 92:13'>Psa 92:13</a>. </i><p>THIS is a fine allusion. It intimates that the house of God is like a garden, or like a well of water, ministering to the life and fertility of the tree. And cannot we still say- <p>&ldquo;Lord, how delightful &rsquo;tis to see <p> A whole assembly worship thee?&rdquo; </i><p>There it is we have fellowship with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ; there his ordinances are dispensed- the ordinances of life. There the word of everlasting truth is proclaimed; there &ldquo;God hath commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.&rdquo; There he resides: &ldquo;This is my rest for ever, here will I dwell;&rdquo; and there, he says, &ldquo;I will clothe my priests with righteousness, and make my saints shout for joy; yea, they shall be satisfied with the goodness of my house.&rdquo; But in order to enjoy these advantages we must be &ldquo;planted &ldquo;there, as a tree is planted in the soil in order to be fruitful; that is, we must be fixed there: this is to be our dwelling-place; not literally, but spiritually. As Watts says- <p>&ldquo;Here would I find a settled rest, <p> While others go and come; <p> No more a stranger or a guest, <p> But like a child at home.&rdquo; </i><p>We frequently read of Christians dwelling in the house of God, and here we have the same idea. Their being planted means that they are fixed. There they dwell in two ways -one by choice, for &ldquo;where the treasure is, there will the heart be also.&rdquo; The other is the frequency of our attendance, availing ourselves of every opportunity the providence of God allows us to be found there; how often, is not determined even in the Scriptures. God honours his people by leaving it to their dispositions.<p>Love is a generous principle, that always acts best when left free. How wonderful it is that those who know the value of the blessings realized in the sanctuary do attend more frequently, especially on week-days. We need something in the week to keep our minds nearer to God. How many might, by rising earlier on those days, so manage their concerns as to be able on a week evening to hear the word of life.<p>Now this slack attendance of some is the effect of a cause; it is the effect of a low degree of zeal, and will become still lower to those who can neglect the means of grace when opportunity offers. Such can never expect to flourish or be in a prosperous condition. Sometimes persons are so fixed where they cannot attend by reason of sickness or accident. Now God in these cases will not leave them comfortless. But ordinarily this is the ground of our expectation: &ldquo;They that wait on 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.&rdquo; &ldquo;The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree; those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> We beseech you that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. - <a href='B:540 6:1'>2Co 6:1</a>. </i><p>TWO inquiries here are very necessary. First, What are we to understand by the grace of God? According to the common acceptation of the word, it cannot be received in vain; it always brings glory to God, and we, says the Apostle, &ldquo;are confident of this very thing, that he who hath begun the good work in you will perform it.&rdquo; But here, by the grace of God is meant the gospel. This name is given to the gospel to remind us of its source. It originated in the grace of God only and entirely. Did we deserve it? Were we prepared to receive it? Did we even desire it? It has reached us from the mere goodness of God, and is free in every sense of the word. It is thus designated also to remind us of the subject of the gospel. Is it not a display of the grace of God in the free, full, and everlasting salvation of sinners? in the opening of the eyes of our understanding, the renewing of us in the Spirit of our mind, making us &ldquo;new creatures in Christ Jesus?&rdquo; And is it not thus always in Scripture called &ldquo;grace,&rdquo; because of its gracious influence or agency in us?<p>The gospel therefore springs from the grace of God, displays and produces this grace in the heart and life, and therefore very properly bears the name and is called &ldquo;the grace of God.&rdquo;<p>The second inquiry is, What is it to receive the grace of God &ldquo;in vain?&rdquo; This is a very important inquiry. The gospel is received in vain when it is received partially, if we receive it as a system of doctrine only, or as a system of duty only. The gospel reveals to a sinner the means of his justification and of his sanctification, and the absolute necessity of both. When these are not united, we always find either antinomian ignorance or pharisaical pride. They must therefore be blended together, as they are inseparable. Jesus came not by water nor by blood, but &ldquo;by water and blood.&rdquo; These were not severed in their effusion from the cross, and they are not to be severed in their application to the soul.<p>Man wants both equally in his misery and in his helpless condition. Unless his sins are subdued as well as pardoned, unless he is renewed as well as justified, it is impossible he can hold communion with God, or that God can receive any proper service from him. Where, therefore, persons separate privilege from duty, promise from precept, and the end from the use of the means, and &ldquo;God&rsquo;s working in us, to will and to do of his good pleasure,&rdquo; from &ldquo;our working out our own salvation with fear and trembling,&rdquo; such receive the gospel in vain.<p>Secondly, when the gospel is received speculatively, and not experimentally and practically, it is not in accordance with the nature and design of it, and therefore it is received in vain. The gospel is not given to teach us to dispute, but to pray; not to exercise our ingenuity, but to change our hearts; not to amuse our curiosity, but to nourish us up unto eternal life. Our aim therefore in hearing or reading the gospel should be the same as God&rsquo;s end in giving it. And why has he provided, why has he revealed a Saviour?<p>Not that we may behold, wonder, and perish; but that by believing we might have life, that we might flee unto this only refuge, this grand restorer, this almighty Saviour, able and willing to save unto the uttermost, who has declared &ldquo;Whosoever cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out.&rdquo;<p>Thirdly, The gospel is received in vain when it is received unperseveringly. Peter speaks of our &ldquo;receiving the end of our faith, even the salvation of our souls.&rdquo; He only that &ldquo;endureth to the end shall be saved.&rdquo; Many have been informed, but not illuminated; they have been reformed, but not regenerated. And our Saviour says, &ldquo;If ye continue in my words, then (alone) are ye my disciples; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> As the truth is in Jesus. - <a href='B:560 4:21'>Eph 4:21</a>. </i><p>THINGS may be equally true and yet not equally valuable. We are commanded to buy the truth, but we would give much more for some truths than others, as we could turn them into much more account in the Spiritual merchandise. If many of our modern notions were as true as they are erroneous, they would not deserve our most earnest attention. What are they in importance compared with the &ldquo;excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord,&rdquo; for the possession of which the Apostle would submit to the loss of all things? What truth can be of so much personal importance as &ldquo;repentance toward God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ.&rdquo;<p>If we &ldquo;abound in all knowledge and in all judgment, and approve of the things that are excellent,&rdquo; we shall discriminate and distinguish things that are diverse; not only between the true and the false, but between the true and the true. There is a great deal of truth in the world, of physical truth, of historical truth, of moral truth, but we may lay our hand upon the Bible, and say, &ldquo;This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.&rdquo; This is the truth emphatically, the &ldquo;truth as it is in Jesus,&rdquo; truth the most honourable to God, for it brings &ldquo;glory to God in the highest,&rdquo; while it proclaims &ldquo;peace on earth and goodwill toward men;&rdquo; truth the most suited to man, the most adapted to his state of existence.<p>He is enslaved, and it brings him relief; he is guilty, and it brings him the righteousness of Christ; he is perishing for want, and it brings him the bread and water of life; he is poor, having nothing, and it brings him the unsearchable riches of Christ. Truth the most influential, reaching the heart as well as the ear; not only convincing and informing, but also sanctifying, dedicating the man entirely to the service of God by its influence. We know that the ancient philosophers, whatever celebrity they had acquired, could not bring over the inhabitants of a single village to live according to their maxims and rules. But at Corinth, at Philippi, at Thessalonica, and other places, after the fishermen of Galilee had been there, how many were there of whom the Apostle could say, but &ldquo;ye are washed and sanctified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God?&rdquo;<p>It is the same now, where the truth is received in the love of it. There we find the swearer learns to fear an oath, the Sabbath-breaker learns to calls the Sabbath a delight, the careless become prayerful, the profligate is made moral, the proud humble, the avaricious liberal; they who minded earthly things have their conversation in heaven. Blessed be God, we speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen. This truth is the most excellent, the most beneficent truth. Solomon says, &ldquo;In much wisdom is much grief, and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.&rdquo; But David says, &ldquo;Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound; they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance, and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted.&rdquo;<p>If we possess this knowledge we shall be happy, happy in social intercourse, happy in solitude, happy in trouble, and happy even in death. It turns death into an everlasting gain, and enables us to rejoice in the prospect of eternal life. Here is truth that deserves the name, and we do not wonder the Apostle should prize it so as to say, &ldquo;Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> They shall still bring forth fruit in old age. - <a href='B:230 92:14'>Psa 92:14</a>. </i><p>NOT that all the people of God live to be old; this is not the meaning of it; sometimes they have been removed in early life, in the midst of their days, and these occurrences in Providence are very mysterious-that men who are likely to be useful should be so soon cut off, while a Voltaire is suffered to live, poisoning men&rsquo;s minds, to the age of ninety. But though they die young they fill up their days; they die old, for life is not measured by days.<p>There was a Being once that lived in Judea who died at thirty-three, yet lived much longer than Methuselah, for every action, word, and feeling of that Being said, &ldquo;I must work the work of him that sent me while it is called to-day.&rdquo; Under the former economy long life was reckoned a peculiar honour and blessing; it was made a matter of promise; and we find in the Scriptures that the &ldquo;hoary head is spoken of as a crown of glory when found in the way of righteousness.&rdquo; Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Caleb, Joshua, David, Samuel, John, Peter and Simeon, and Mnason (an old disciple with whom the Apostles lodged, all were spared to a fine old age, and were gathered in like a shock of corn when it is ripe.<p>But when it is said &ldquo;they shall still bring forth fruit in old age,&rdquo; it is not to be taken as if they were not to bring forth fruit at any other time, but just to show the permanency of their fruits and disposition; that though others fail they will endure. That which comes from God will not fail to lead to God. It is thus a Christian is distinguished from all the works of nature. <p>&ldquo;The plants of grace shall ever live, <p> Nature decays, but grace must thrive; <p> Time, that doth all things else impair, <p> Still makes them flourish strong and fair.&rdquo; </i><p>Not that they escape the effects of old age, but, as the Apostle says, &ldquo;when the outward man perisheth the inward man is renewed day by day;&rdquo; when the outward ear grows deaf, then the inward man hears the voice of God; when the eye grows dim, the mind is irradiated and enlightened; when the fleshly parts grow weak, &ldquo;we are strengthened with all might in our inner man.&rdquo; We look for this in the old Christian.<p>The young Christian may be compared to a tree in spring covered with blossom; that is the loveliest period to see it. An old Christian is like a tree in autumn bending with fruit; it is not more beautiful, but more valuable. In them we look for weanedness from the world. It is one of the consequences of old age in Christians to look towards heaven; there he reckons upon meeting his relations and friends; he seems to have more communion with that world than this. We look for meekness in the aged.<p>The young are giddy, fiery, and determined; the older are willing to give up for the sake of peace, unless it is a good conscience and truth. There we look for maturity of judgment: that he should be able to distinguish between things that differ; that his heart is established in righteousness. He has not only had faith but experience; the one is a help to the other. &ldquo;I know,&rdquo; says Paul, &ldquo;whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.&rdquo;<p>The young have had few trials, and have seen but little of the power and providence of God; but the old Christian can endure longer and can better bear hardships; he has seen the interpositions of Providence and of grace, so that he does not despair, for &ldquo;tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> To show that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him. - <a href='B:230 92:15'>Psa 92:15</a>. </i><p>OBSERVE the testimony here given concerning God; it is this, that the fruitfulness of Christians manifested in their fearing God-in attending upon and delighting in his ordinances, and growing in grace, and bringing forth fruit in old age, not only show that they are upright, but are declarative of and designed to &ldquo;show that the Lord is upright; and that there is no unrighteousness in him.&rdquo; And they do this in two ways.<p>First, As it evidences his faithfulness to his engagements. &ldquo;All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth;&rdquo; not only mercy but &ldquo;truth;&rdquo; because they are in fulfilment of his promises. What is there pertaining to us, as Christians, that has not been provided for us in the covenant of grace, Is it our afflictions? Whatever else it may be, this is included; the rod was in the covenant from everlasting: &ldquo;If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments, if they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments, then I will visit their transgressions with a rod, and their iniquities with stripes; nevertheless my loving-kindness will I not utterly take from them, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.&rdquo; And David says, &ldquo;I know that in faithfulness thou hast afflicted me.&rdquo; Faithfulness regards the accomplishment of the promise, God has engaged to afflict his people. Has he not been with us in trouble? He assured us of this. Has he not sustained our strength? have not our &ldquo;shoes been as iron and brass&rdquo; to defend us from the thorns and briars of the wilderness? &ldquo;The Lord is upright.&rdquo; &ldquo;He is faithful that hath promised.&rdquo;<p>Secondly, Because it shows that they are adhering to him with purpose of heart. They have not turned back from him, and this shows that they have found him to be what they expected he would be. Had they been deceived by him, they would have given him up. &ldquo;Under the law the servant that had his ear bored gave proof that he loved his master; and he would not have loved him if he had not behaved well to him. The attachment and the adherence of the servants of God proclaim his faithfulness, and show that they have not been disappointed in their expectations of him. Just like the venerable Polycarp, who, when commanded to deny his Saviour, said, &ldquo;Eighty and four years he has been a good Master to me, and has not forsaken me, and shall I now forsake him?&rdquo; Thus the perseverance of the Christian shows not what he is, but what God is; and says Paul, &ldquo;By the grace of God I am what I am;&rdquo; &ldquo;not me, but the grace of God which is in me.&rdquo; It shows &ldquo;that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.&rdquo;<p>And here we may also observe the Testifier. Who can bear his testimony to this truth? &ldquo;I,&rdquo; says David, &ldquo;he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.&rdquo; Every one can say this, and will say this, who has like David made God his rock for building upon; his rock of refuge from danger; his rock of refreshment, whose streams follow him all the wilderness through. And cannot we also bear this testimony and say, &ldquo;He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him?&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> Grace is poured into thy lips. - <a href='B:230 45:2'>Psa 45:2</a>. </i><p>IN the Old Testament we find God commonly spoken of as &ldquo;the Almighty,&rdquo; &ldquo;the everlasting God,&rdquo; &ldquo;the Lord of &ldquo;Hosts;&rdquo; but in these last days, when he hath spoken to us by his Son, we find him represented as &ldquo;the Father,&rdquo; the loving Father of the human race, dooming none of his offspring to endless misery but those who insist upon going there. The Saviour, when he prayed, said &ldquo;Our Father:&rdquo; he addressed him thus as the Father of all mercy, and the God of all grace.<p>What views does he give us of him, for instance, in the parable of the Prodigal Son. There we see that he is not an arbitrary and implacable tyrant, but an affectionate Father, offended and grieved, but willing to receive the returning Prodigal: yea, seeing him afar off, running to meet him, and falling upon his neck, and kissing him; and not only clothing, but adorning him; not only ordering a feast, but killing the fatted calf; in an ecstasy of pleasure saying, &ldquo;Because this my son was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.&rdquo; What, therefore, can be so delightful as to sit at the feet of this Teacher sent from God, and hear him talk of the extent and vastness of the paternal care and kindness of God-that he clothes the grass, that he adorns the lily, that he hears the ravens cry, that the &ldquo;sparrow falls not to the ground without our heavenly Father&rsquo;s&rdquo; notice, that the &ldquo;very hairs of our head are all numbered?&rdquo; It was thus the only-begotten Son who dwelt in the bosom of the Father declared him, and in this respect never man spake like this man.<p>Grace was poured into his lips, and it was this grace that gave such a charm to his teaching, especially among the humbler and the afflicted ranks of mankind. &ldquo;He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.&rdquo; His authority was not the authority of the hammer breaking the rock in pieces, but the authority of spring melting the rigour of winter, bending the severity of the frost, and bringing out all into life and loveliness. Therefore we are told that &ldquo;the poor have the gospel preached unto them,&rdquo; and the common people heard him gladly.<p>They were now delivered from the dry, hard teaching of the Jewish doctors; they now found that grace had come down from heaven to earth, and after it they go. If he crosses the lake they go round by the land to meet him. If he passes the road they climb the tree; if they have knowledge that he is in the house, they enter it by the roof; if he preaches by the sea-side, he gets into a boat and they listen by the shore. Now the poor are told of riches within their reach. He informs the vulgar and mean of a kingdom that they might inherit, and to those that were weary and crushed beneath the tradition of the elders, and with the oppressions of the worldly, and with the sorrows of life, and the burden of guilt, he said, with a soft and gentle voice:<p>&ldquo;Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> God be thanked that ye were the servants of sin, out ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. - <a href='B:520 6:17'>Rom 6:17</a>. </i><p>MACKNIGHT and other modern translators have rendered this passage, &ldquo;Ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine into which ye have been delivered.&rdquo; The allusion is to melted metal. When this is poured into the mould it does not come out as it went in, but brings out the image of the model; and as it is employed by the Apostle it means that, under the agency of the Spirit, we are softened from our natural hardness to receive Divine impressions, and that we, who were by nature the servants of sin, are fashioned and changed into the very character of the gospel, so that we realize it, embody it, render it visible and palpable; so that we &ldquo;adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.&rdquo; Not by adding anything to it, but by showing what it is in itself.<p>Yes, whatever the gospel be, we are required to copy it. If the gospel be light we are to be illuminated; if it be salt we are to be seasoned; if it be love we are to be loving and lovely; if it be holiness, how holy and happy ought we to be; if it be truth and grace we are to be truthful and gracious, for truth and grace are to be displayed by us; and our tempers, our speech, and our carriage are to be distinguished by it.<p>There are some who have clear views and firm convictions, and who are sincere and open in their profession, who are the &ldquo;children of the light and of the day;&rdquo; that is, they are all truth; but then they are not kind, not tender, not forbearing, not forgiving; they do not restore a fallen brother in the Spirit of meekness; they despise the day of small things; they are not all the gospel of the grace of God requires.<p>The perfection of Christian character comes from the union, the harmony, and the proportion of these excellencies.<p>Why in our zeal for orthodoxy should we renounce charity and candour? Is it not possible to combine these? Why cannot mercy and truth meet together? &ldquo;Righteousness and peace kiss each other,&rdquo; in ourselves as well as in our creed. Are we not commanded to &ldquo;seek the truth and peace;&rdquo; to &ldquo;speak the truth in love?&rdquo; And did not the Apostle exclaim, &ldquo;Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity?&rdquo;<p>Let us therefore seek to unite all the excellencies of the Christian character, and to display them in the world, in the church, in the family, in all the habitual intercourse of life, and be thus &ldquo;manifestly the epistles of Christ, known and read of all men;&rdquo; full of &ldquo;grace and truth.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> Thou hast holden me by my right hand. - <a href='B:230 73:23'>Psa 73:23</a>. </i><p>THAT is, thou hast sustained me, and supported me when I was ready to fall, or ready to faint, or ready to sink. As Watts expresses it: <p>&ldquo;Thine arm of mercy held me up, <p> When sinking in despair.&rdquo; </i><p>This is the promise: &ldquo;I will strengthen thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness;&rdquo; and this is the Christian&rsquo;s prayer: &ldquo;Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe.&rdquo; This is the humiliating concession: &ldquo;Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;&rdquo; and this is the gracious intimation: &ldquo;The Lord upholdeth him with his hand.&rdquo; And here is the grateful acknowledgment: &ldquo;When I said, My foot slippeth, thy mercy, O Lord, held me up.&rdquo; This is the experience: &ldquo;My soul followeth hard after God, thy right hand upholdeth me.&rdquo;<p>Where is the Christian that does not need this sustaining mercy? who does not &ldquo;groan, being burdened&rdquo; by cares, by fears, by toils, by disappointments, by afflictions (personal and relative), by a sense of guilt and unworthiness, and continual imperfection? And what is our own strength but perfect weakness? We know it, and are daily convinced of it. Therefore, not only from faith but experience we know the truth of the Saviour&rsquo;s words, &ldquo;Without me ye can do nothing.&rdquo;<p>We are as a branch severed from the vine; but when we are weak then are we strong, because, distrusting ourselves, we trust in another, rely on another, and find that in the &ldquo;Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength;&rdquo; that &ldquo;the eternal God is our refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.&rdquo; Were God to leave us, were God to let go our hand for a moment, we could no more stand than a new-born infant- we could no more stand than a staff when the hand is taken away. But though this is the truth, it is equally true, as Jude says, that &ldquo;he is able to keep us from falling.&rdquo;<p>Even with such hearts as ours, even in such a world as this, we are &ldquo;kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.&rdquo;<p>Asaph does not here say, &ldquo;He has exempted me as I passed through life; the trials which have befallen others have passed by me.&rdquo; No; says he, &ldquo;I have been tried, but he has not left nor forsaken me. I have been in trouble, but he has been ever with me.&rdquo; And we should learn, from the experience of this good man, to give God the glory for all he has done for us. We should say with Paul, &ldquo;By the grace of God, I continue to this day;&rdquo; and with Samuel, &ldquo;Hitherto, the Lord hath helped us.&rdquo;<p>It would be a poor business to look back upon life without connecting it with God; but nothing can be more pleasing and encouraging than to review life in connection with him, and his interpositions of Providence and grace in our behalf. The Christian can say, &ldquo;The Lord helped me at that time. I remember well at another time, a snare was laid for my feet, but the snare was discovered, and I escaped. I did not think that, in this situation, I should have been helped; but at the moment I cried, thou answeredst me, and thou strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.&rdquo;<p>Therefore this conclusion now will be drawn, &ldquo;Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> As Captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. - <a href='B:60 5:14'>Jos 5:14</a>. </i><p>TO do justice to this image we must throw off the restricted meaning of the word &ldquo;captain&rdquo; as it is used now, and consider it as it was exemplified in the earlier ages, for to them the reference is. And we observe that here the &ldquo;captain&rdquo; means nothing less than the commander-in-chief. Let us make three inquiries.<p>First, How did our Lord Jesus Christ become the Captain of the host of the Lord? He does so two ways. By the appointment of God: &ldquo;I have set my King upon my holy hill of Zion.&rdquo; I have laid help upon one that is Mighty, I have exalted one chosen out of the people. By the suffrages of the army. For their Captain is not forced upon them against their consciences or their consent. None of them are conscripts, they are all volunteers; all his people are &ldquo;willing in the day of his power,&rdquo; willing that he should be to them all that God wills him to be; as God says, in Hosea, &ldquo;They appoint themselves one head.&rdquo; Why, it is God appoints the Head of his Church. Yes; but they acquiesce in the appointment. They make it their own; the call is theirs, and this is the very essence of faith, to approve of God&rsquo;s appointment; to say &ldquo;Amen&rdquo; to all the testimonies of revelation concerning the Son of God.<p>Observe, secondly, what he does as Captain of the host of the Lord. He instructs them. &ldquo;He teaches their hands to war, and their fingers to fight.&rdquo; He gives a tone to and animates them by his presence and example; in the course of duty and suffering he goes before them. As Paul says, &ldquo;Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.&rdquo; He maintains discipline. It is from obedience, subordination, and order that an army principally derives its power. &ldquo;Order is heaven&rsquo;s first law,&rdquo; says Pope, and it obtains in the church: &ldquo;Warn them,&rdquo; says Paul, &ldquo;that are unruly,&rdquo; or, as it is in the Greek, those that are insubordinate. &ldquo;Let every man abide in the calling wherein he is called of God.&rdquo;<p>It is he must appoint the line in which we are to act offensively or defensively. All must be determined by him; he must assign the place and the post at which we are to fight and perhaps to fall. Moreover, he furnishes them with whatever is necessary. Are arms necessary? He provided the whole armour of God. Do they require rest or food? He has engaged to furnish all these; they do not go a warfare at their own charges. &ldquo;As thy day so shall thy strength be.&rdquo; He notices and rewards his soldiers.<p>Observe, thirdly, the attributes this Captain possesses. He has everything which can qualify him, and draw forth our confidence in him and our submission to him. What tenderness! It is said of Trajan that he tore his robe in order to bind up the wounds of a poor bleeding soldier whom he saw before him. But what was this to our Lord and Saviour? &ldquo;By his stripes we are healed.&rdquo; Then what wisdom and prudence. &ldquo;In him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.&rdquo; No enemy can be concealed from him. &ldquo;Hell is naked before his eyes, and destruction hath no covering,&rdquo; while with regard to his people, &ldquo;his eyes run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in their behalf.&rdquo;<p>What power, what resources has he. All creatures are under his control. Every being, from an insect upwards to an archangel, is ready to start forth at his nod to avenge him on his adversaries. What a wonderful character then is the Lord Jesus. We see how many images are made use of in the Scriptures in order to hold him forth! He fulfilled them all, yea, and surpassed them all in their combination. Here we see how it is that the poor Christian succeeds, though he is so weak in himself, and though his enemies have every quality which can render them formidable.<p>Hence says the Apostle, &ldquo;in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that hath loved us.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> 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. - <a href='B:730 3:21'>Rev 3:21</a>. </i><p>IN what a glorious manner does the &ldquo;Captain of our salvation,&rdquo; who was &ldquo;made perfect through sufferings that he might bring many sons unto glory,&rdquo; discharge the office he has assumed. Another commander must depend very much on report, he cannot see in the engagement all the combatants, but only a few of them; but as to our Captain, his eye is everywhere, and though much of the Spiritual warfare is carried on in secret, and many a battle is fought and won in the house without the knowledge of any individual even there but the Christian himself, yet nothing ever escapes the eye of our Commander, and he will be sure not to forget it; he will remember it all for good.<p>Now if the Duke of Wellington some years ago had taken a soldier and introduced him to the king, in the presence of all the peers of the realm, saying, I bear testimony to the good behaviour of this man in the camp and in the field, to his prowess and skill in the day of battle, and I implore of your majesty some token of the royal favour, can we imagine that he would be refused? Well, our Saviour says, &ldquo;He that confesseth me before men, him will I confess before my Father and his holy angels. Here, says he, is one who was often &ldquo;faint, yet pursuing;&rdquo; here is one who had only a &ldquo;little strength,&rdquo; but he did not deny my name; here is one who was not ashamed of my cross, but went forth without the camp, bearing my reproach, and saying, &ldquo;I should be magnified in his body, whether it be by life or by death.&rdquo;<p>And what is the reward he will bestow upon him? Is it money? Is it an estate? Is it an office? Speaking to his faithful disciples, when many had gone away, he said, &ldquo;I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me.&rdquo; &ldquo;Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.&rdquo; A throne is incommunicable; a sovereign may dispose of part of his riches, or his power, or his glory, and even his authority, but the throne is solely his own. He may admit counsellors into his cabinet, and nobles to his table, and favourites to his friendship, but he will suffer none to sit with him on his throne.<p>And therefore when Pharaoh appointed Joseph viceroy over all Egypt, and said to him every man should bow, &ldquo;Only,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;in the throne will I be greater than thou.&rdquo; But this is the language of the Captain of the host of the Lord: &ldquo;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.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. - <a href='B:500 14:21'>Joh 14:21</a>. </i><p>WE may judge of the state of our Lord&rsquo;s disciples when, he announced his approaching departure from them. They were as wanderers without a guide, as sheep having no shepherd, as a family without a head. Sorrow, therefore, filled their hearts. But Jesus said unto them, &ldquo;I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day, ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me. And he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him.&rdquo; This regards a peculiar manifestation of Jesus to his own disciples, and he did this in two ways.<p>First, by the exhibition of his person after he was risen from the dead. He appeared to them, &ldquo;showing himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.&rdquo; He appeared unto some of them alone, and to several of them when together. And it is said, &ldquo;Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord.&rdquo; It was not unto the world. No; he said, &ldquo;The world seeth me no more.&rdquo; The last time the world saw him was on the cross, where they suspended him. But they were to see him no more till they see him on his great white throne. But he showed himself to Peter though he did not to Pilate, to Thomas though not to Caiphas. He showed himself to his disciples, though not to his enemies. His disciples had their infirmities, but they were sincere, and were open to conviction; whereas his enemies could not see; they closed their eyes, and God was not obliged to force them open.<p>The second way in which he manifested himself to them was by the mission of his Spirit. This he had promised; for, says he, &ldquo;He shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.&rdquo; Now, though the Spirit here promised as to his agency is in one view extraordinary and miraculous, it was not exclusively so. They wanted the Holy Spirit, not only to speak with new tongues, but also to enlighten their minds, to strengthen their faith and their hope, to purify their hearts more from the love of the world, and to enable them more entirely to dedicate themselves to his service and to his glory. Thus the manifestations of Christ by his Holy Spirit, instead of being confined to them, continue to the end of the world.<p>Hence believers are said to have &ldquo;an unction from the Holy One, and know all things.&rdquo; &ldquo;And if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> And I saw no temple therein. - <a href='B:730 21:22'>Rev 21:22</a>. </i><p>THERE is no party temple in heaven. Now even the disciples of Christ cannot see eye to eye. Well, let everyone be fully persuaded in his own mind. As population increases, these temples will be necessarily multiplied. These would indeed be a great blessing, provided those who are connected with them love each other, and co-operate as brethren in Christ. But, alas! we frequently find the bigotry of the attendants leading them to exclaim, &ldquo;The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are we.&rdquo;<p>Hence frequently those who worship God through the same Mediator, and by the influences of the same Spirit, live estranged from each other, as if they did not belong to the same community. Really one would sometimes imagine that each denomination expected that hereafter there would be a party temple of their own, into which all would submissively enter. But these are mistaken; all their differences will then be done away, and we shall be surprised and, if grief could enter heaven, we should be grieved that we have attached ourselves so exclusively to our distinctions here.<p>When the corn is carried home to the same garner, no inquiry is made whether it grew in this or that field before the harvest. Do we believe that the perfection of the future state is such that there will be no party temple there? Surely it is desirable for us now to approach as nearly to that state as possible. We shall not be saved as a member of a particular Church, but as a member of the Church universal.<p>Secondly, There will be no material temple in heaven. The reason is because they will be unnecessary. They are now in the order of means, and then the end will be accomplished. Observe if the things in any order of means are continued, in any case their continuance implies their imperfection, or at least that they have not so far answered their purpose. For example, now, if the mediation of Christ continued after the day of judgment, it would be a proof that it had not previously fully accomplished all its purposes; but it will have fully accomplished all its purposes, and therefore the kingdom will be delivered up to God the Father, and &ldquo;God will be all in all.&rdquo;<p>The Jewish sacrifices were repeated from year to year; because, says the Apostle, they could not make the comers thereunto perfect, for otherwise they would cease to be offered. So it was with the Jewish types, they were abolished by the arrival of the reality, just as the dawn is abolished by the coming of the light of day. We may observe the same with regard to &ldquo;the Lord&rsquo;s Supper;&rdquo; he now says, &ldquo;Do this in remembrance of me;&rdquo; because he is absent we are liable to forget him, and it is of vast importance that he should live in our thoughts. But this will not be the case when we are present with him, and &ldquo;for ever with the Lord.&rdquo;<p>The order of the means is now established for the work of the ministry; but when there is no sinner to be converted, no saint to be edified, the work itself will cease with the object. There will be no need for an army when the enemies which we see to-day we shall see no more for ever; no need of prayer when we are filled with all the fulness of God; no need of patience when we are no longer required to suffer on the way; no need of faith when we see; no need of hope when we enjoy. There will be no charity there, for there will be no penury; there will be no mercy there, for there will be no misery. All duration will be one perpetual sabbath, and all space one temple. 


devotion:
<i> In me is thine help. - <a href='B:350 13:9'>Hos 13:9</a>. </i><p>THOUGH man&rsquo;s destruction is entirely of himself, his salvation is exclusively of the Lord. &ldquo;O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself,&rdquo; says God, &ldquo;but in me is thine help.&rdquo; First, Help the most gracious in its source. From whence did this scheme arise? Deity could not be constrained to do it; and as to merit, alas! we are not worthy of the least of all his mercies; all our desert was on the other side. Nor has desire had any influence; help was provided before we had any being; and he who made the provision in all its extent has revealed it, and awakened attention to it, and now says, &ldquo;Come, for all things are ready.&rdquo; Well, therefore, may the Apostle say, &ldquo;According to his mercy he saved us,&rdquo; and &ldquo;by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of ourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.&rdquo;<p>Secondly, Help the most wonderful in its procurement. Not only is the agency entirely the Lord&rsquo;s, but he accomplishes the thing in a way the most peculiar, and so as to induce the Church to exclaim, &ldquo;It is the Lord&rsquo;s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes.&rdquo; Here is unfolded the manifold wisdom of God; here he has &ldquo;abounded towards us in all wisdom and prudence.&rdquo; God does not save us by the mere volition of his will or by the exertion of his power. But we see the &ldquo;Word made flesh and dwelling among us;&rdquo; we see the Lord of life and glory suffering for sin; we see him who knew no sin made a sin-offering for us, that we &ldquo;who have no righteousness might be made the righteousness of God in him;&rdquo; we see him in the manger, in the garden, on the cross, and we hear him exclaim, &ldquo;My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?&rdquo;<p>Thirdly, Help the most suitable in its supply. Is light adapted to the eye? melody to the ear? food to the taste? so do the blessings of the gospel correspond with all our wants, and woes, and weaknesses. Here is wisdom for the ignorant, pardon for the offending, renovation for the depraved, strength for the weak, riches for the poor, a sun for our darkness, a shield in our danger.<p>Fourthly, Help the most efficient. He who speaks in righteousness is mighty to save, able to save unto the uttermost. His blood cleanseth from all sin; his righteousness justifies the ungodly; his grace turns the heart of stone to flesh; his power upholds the believer and carries him through all his dangers triumphantly, so that he can say with the Apostle, &ldquo;I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him against that day.&rdquo;<p>Lastly, Help the most extensive and accessible. In no place in the Scriptures are any excluded from participating in this help, unless they exclude themselves from it. Everywhere the language of Scripture is, &ldquo;Whosoever will, let him come and take of the water of life freely.&rdquo; &ldquo;Let him take hold of my strength,&rdquo; says God; therefore Dr. Watts sings- <p>&ldquo;No mortal has a just pretence <p> To perish in despair.&rdquo; </i>


devotion:
<i> The Messenger of the covenant whom ye delight in. - <a href='B:460 3:1'>Mal 3:1</a>. </i><p>THESE words unquestionably refer to the Messiah, and here let us observe the character under which he is here presented to our notice. He is described in three ways- First, By his person, &ldquo;THE LORD.&rdquo; Here the word used signifies authority and dominion, and how fully this applies to him. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. He was to be &ldquo;Ruler in Israel,&rdquo; and the &ldquo;King of saints,&rdquo; and he was to be the &ldquo;Governor among the nations.&rdquo; And though all power is given to him as Mediator, yet if it be true that &ldquo;all things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made,&rdquo; he must have had a previous claim to the dominion before he acquired this by obedience and suffering unto death.<p>Secondly, He is described by his office, &ldquo;the Messenger of the covenant.&rdquo; This covenant means the covenant of grace, &ldquo;ordered in all things and sure,&rdquo; to which David fled for refuge and solace in the hour of his distress, and he found it all his salvation and all his desire. From his various relations to it, he is called the covenant itself. He is the &ldquo;Mediator,&rdquo; the &ldquo;Surety,&rdquo; and the &ldquo;Messenger&rdquo; of the covenant, because he was not only to procure and to possess its blessings, but to bestow them. And, in order to this, it was necessary that he should announce them and make them known. And he did, and made a full disclosure of all these treasures, and prefaced all his invitations with the announcement of his commission from the Father. &ldquo;All things are delivered unto me of my Father, and no man knoweth the Son but the Father, neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son, and he to whom the Son shall reveal him.&rdquo; &ldquo;Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.&rdquo;<p>When he is spoken of as the &ldquo;Messenger of the covenant,&rdquo; this is his inferior title; but this, so far from detracting from his glory as &ldquo;the Lord,&rdquo; displays it, magnifies it, because it shows us his infinite condescension and grace. And his people will never suffer his glory to be injured in their esteem by his goodness.<p>Thirdly, He is described by the estimation in which he was holden: &ldquo;Whom ye delight in.&rdquo; This will apply even to the carnal Jews. They were mistaken in him, they viewed him as a temporal Messiah, and under this mistaken notion of him, they did &ldquo;seek&rdquo; him, and &ldquo;delighted&rdquo; in him. But it applies always, and in a much nobler sense, to the Spiritual Jews.<p>He was desired and delighted in by all the people of God, from the beginning. Thus the patriarchs embraced the promises concerning him. &ldquo;Abraham desired to see his day; he saw it, and was glad.&rdquo; &ldquo;Moses esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt.&rdquo; The earlier Jews were alive to this; they were ever seeking after and looking for a better country, that is, an &ldquo;heavenly.&rdquo; They were exclaiming, &ldquo;Oh, that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion!&rdquo;<p>To seek him and to delight in him will always characterise the redeemed- those who believe in him; for &ldquo;to them that believe he is precious.&rdquo; All that is desirable, all that is delightful to us we find in him. If in darkness, he is our &ldquo;sun;&rdquo; if in danger, he is our &ldquo;shield;&rdquo; if exposed, he is our &ldquo;refuge;&rdquo; if diseased, he is our &ldquo;physician;&rdquo; if naked, he is our &ldquo;righteousness;&rdquo; and if perishing for want, he is our &ldquo;bread,&rdquo; and the &ldquo;water of life,&rdquo; and he is &ldquo;all and in all.&rdquo;<p>Let the hearts of them rejoice, therefore, that seek the Lord. 


devotion:
<i> Judas saith unto him (not Iscariot), Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? - <a href='B:500 14:22'>Joh 14:22</a>. </i><p>OBSERVE, first, By whom this inquiry was made. It was Judas, but not Iscariot. Not that base wretch who had sold his Master for thirty pieces of silver, and who did not wish for any manifestation of him; the very thought of meeting him again plunged him into despondency and perdition.<p>But the inquirer was another Judas, the brother of James; Judas, called Jude, who wrote the last of the inspired epistles; a bold and severe writer, and who in his style much resembled Peter. A good name is sometimes of very great advantage; it may prove a stimulus. There are some names that are odious; and there are other names that seem almost opinions. And it must have been very painful for Judas, the servant of the Lord, to have borne the name of this infamous traitor. It is worse than bearing the name of Nero or Robespierre.<p>We may here also learn a moral admonition; namely, that in relating things we should not confound persons; for want of this distinction what is said of one is often applied to another, and so mistake and mischief ensue. There is great importance in circumstantial truth; and yet there are few who pay proper attention to it. Some are dull of hearing, and never hear anything accurately; and how can they state it so? Others have bad memories, and scarcely ever report a thing as they heard it; and others have a lively imagination, and are almost sure to add circumstances to dress up the fact, so differently as hardly to be known.<p>Observe, secondly, The principle of the inquiry. It is not always easy to ascertain the source of an action. A late statesman was accustomed to say that no action ever proceeded from a single motive; and perhaps it was so as to this inquiry, &ldquo;Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?&rdquo; What was it? Perhaps it was the language of admiration resulting from surprise and gratefulness. Why are we to be so distinguished and indulged? This is the temper of a real Christian. He admires and adores the free and sovereign grace of God, but he pities others and says- <p>&ldquo;Why was I made to hear thy voice, <p> And enter while there&rsquo;s room, <p> While thousands make a wretched choice, <p> And rather starve than come?&rdquo; </i><p>Or was it the language of doubt? He seems to question whether the Lord could appear to them without others seeing and knowing it too. A little consideration would have convinced Judas of the folly; but he spake in haste, and without thinking.<p>How much need have we to pray, &ldquo;Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.&rdquo; We, alas! fail to distinguish between our Lord and others; and therefore we say, &ldquo;How can these things be?&rdquo; &ldquo;But what is impossible with men, is possible with God.&rdquo; Was this question the result of curiosity? He not only wished to know the possibility of the thing, but also something of the mode and reality of the manner of it.<p>Oh, how many good and great men too have indulged themselves in speculation and useless inquiries concerning the purposes of God, the fate of the heathen, the accordance of foreknowledge with free agency, and of the origin of moral evil,-none of which can ever be answered, but which have devoured much of their precious time, and often greatly injured their temper and drawn them away from the simplicity that is in Christ Jesus.<p>Oh, let us guard against this disposition, which if not checked may seriously affect the whole character of the individual indulging it. Or it might be the language of lawful desire. The privilege was a very important one; and Judas with a very fair design might wish to know more about it. Therefore our Saviour does not blame him. Yea, he gave him an answer, and explained himself.<p>Let us observe that, while we should check a doubtful and curious temper of mind, we would foster and cherish an humble and useful inquiry; &ldquo;And if any man lack wisdom let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. - <a href='B:230 145:18'>Psa 145:18</a>. </i><p>THIS is not said of the Divine omnipresence, but of the Lord&rsquo;s special and gracious presence. His presence in the ordinances of religion is in a way of dispensation. There he is always to be sought and found by those who are favoured with them. But there are many to whom these means are never available. There are many who have heard his word and have partaken of his own supper, to whom the Saviour will hereafter say, &ldquo;Depart, I never knew you.&rdquo; And though they will reply, &ldquo;We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets,&rdquo; he will immediately add, &ldquo;I tell you I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.&rdquo;<p>On the other hand, there are some who have the grace of the means without having the means of grace; for God is not confined to &ldquo;temples made with hands,&rdquo; but as to his own people &ldquo;he is nigh unto them.&rdquo; He is with them in the agency of his holy and blessed Spirit, in his inhabitation in them, in his influences upon them, &ldquo;I will put,&rdquo; says he, &ldquo;my Spirit within them, and cause them to know my statutes and do them.&rdquo; He is thus not only dwelling with them, but in them, to illuminate them, to sanctify them, to comfort, and to &ldquo;seal them unto the day of redemption;&rdquo; and he will never withdraw from them. Their fears will sometimes lead them to exclaim, &ldquo;Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me;&rdquo; but he will not, he cannot, for he has been pleased to bind himself.<p>It is owing to this that we have continued to this day. If our feet have held his steps, if we have kept his way, and have not declined, to whom is the glory of this grace to be ascribed? Shall not we gratefully acknowledge that &ldquo;having obtained help of the Lord, we continue to this day;&rdquo; that with David we can look up and say, &ldquo;By thee have I run through a troop, and with the help of my God have I leaped over a wall.&rdquo; It is upon this we found and may found our confidence for the future, that though we may be assailed by men and by Satan, and all the hosts of darkness, yet greater is he that is in us than all they that are in the world. &ldquo;In all these things, we shall be more than conquerors through him that hath loved us.&rdquo;<p>Whenever we think of moving in life, Moses&rsquo; prayer becomes ours, &ldquo;If thy presence go not with us, carry us not up hence.&rdquo; But his promise to Moses becomes ours also, &ldquo;My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest;&rdquo; so that &ldquo;as our day, our strength shall be.&rdquo; So he will say to us as we move on, whatever may be our trials or our difficulties, &ldquo;Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee by the right hand of my righteousness.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> The word of Christ. - <a href='B:580 3:16'>Col 3:16</a>. </i><p>THE Scriptures are a revelation of Christ. &ldquo;These things,&rdquo; says the Apostle John, &ldquo;are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Son of Cod, and that believing ye might have life through his name;&rdquo; and therefore they are called &ldquo;the word of Christ,&rdquo; not only because he is their Author, but because he is their theme; not only because it is a revelation from him, but also of him; he is the subject of the whole; and if we search the Scriptures we shall find this to be the fact; for &ldquo;they testify of me,&rdquo; says the Saviour.<p>He here referred to the Old Testament Scriptures, of the treasures of which he is the key, by which alone we can open them, and make these stores of knowledge our own. This will appear if we take the historical parts, if we look through the Bible at all the eminently pious characters recorded there.<p>In Adam we see him as the federal head and representative of his people. In Noah as the restorer of a new world. In Joseph we see him sold by his brethren, and then saving them, as being humbled and exalted. In Moses we see him as the Lawgiver. In Aaron as the High Priest of our profession. In Joshua as the Captain of our salvation, as Leader and Commander to the people. In Solomon as the Prince of peace. And if we take the Levitical part of Scripture, we shall find him all here. We shall see him in the manna, as the bread which came down from heaven; in the waters of the smitten rock, as the consolation of Israel, and the source of all those refreshing supplies that attend us in our wanderings through the wilderness. We see him in the table of shew-bread; and in the mercy-seat as the propitiation for our sins. In the passover as the lamb whose blood, sprinkled upon the conscience, secures us from the destroying angel; and in the bleeding lamb that was offered, the blood which cleanseth from all sin. In all these, and in the tabernacle and the temple, we shall find that they were shadows of good things to come, of which the body was Christ.<p>Then if we examine the prophetical Scriptures we shall find that he is all there too. To him gave all the prophets witness, some more partially, others more fully. Prophecy apart from him is nothing but the shell without the kernel; the casket without the jewel, for &ldquo;the testimony of Jesus&rdquo; is the Spirit of prophecy. And the promissory part of Scripture all centre in him; for the promises in all their amplitude and preciousness are declared to be &ldquo;yea and amen in Christ Jesus, to the glory of God by us.&rdquo;<p>But more especially are the New Testament Scriptures a revelation of Jesus Christ. This is the record which God hath given of his Son. &lsquo;The record of the incarnation, birth, life, miracles, sayings, sufferings, death, resurrection, and ascension of the Son of God. And so is the epistolary portion of the New Testament the word of Christ, the writers of which all could exclaim, &ldquo;God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.&rdquo; And this it is that renders the Scriptures so interesting, and so delightful to trace: <p>&ldquo;There my Redeemer&rsquo;s face I see, <p> And read his love who died for me.&rdquo; </i>


devotion:
<i> Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. - <a href='B:660 1:22'>Jas 1:22</a>. </i><p>TRUE religion does not consist in mere theory. It is more than a notion of things-something is known and felt. There is such a thing as real experience in divine things. &ldquo;He that believeth hath the witness in himself,&rdquo; and this is what we are to seek after, to taste and see that the Lord is good. We are told that the publican went down to his house &ldquo;justified,&rdquo; he carried away the blessing itself.<p>How different is this from many who hear the gospel, who, after hearing a discourse, carry away the doctrine, but are regardless of the practice; they are hearers of the word, and not doers of it. These are self-deceivers. But this is the grand thing, to partake of the blessing sent, to know that we are pardoned through the blood of the cross, and to receive the gospel, not in word only, but in power and in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance. This is the proof that we have not received it in vain: if it teaches us to &ldquo;deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in the world;&rdquo; if it enables us to say, &ldquo;I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.&rdquo;<p>What opportunities of hearing the word have some enjoyed. But, alas! while they hear the gospel constantly, they walk according to the course of this world. Some attend the house of God and places of dissipation, endeavouring to serve God and mammon; wearing the form of godliness, but denying the power of it. In all ages, God&rsquo;s servants have been compelled to exclaim, &ldquo;Who hath believed our report?&rdquo;<p>Four kinds of soil received the same seed in the same season from the same hand, and what is the result? Only one of the four yields anything to the purpose, and if an appeal is made to the lives, and tempers, and conversation of those who hear the word, and who hear the word of the gospel too, what reason have we to hope that one in four of those who hear the gospel believe? -that one in four of the large numbers of hearers have received the grace of God to the salvation of their souls- are doers of the word and not hearers only? Alas, how awful the conclusion; they are &ldquo;deceiving their own selves.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> Every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life. - <a href='B:500 6:40'>Joh 6:40</a>. </i><p>OBSERVE, first, The nature of this manifestation. We cannot suppose it to be a corporeal one. If so all that he addressed were saved. But he did not speak of the eye of the senses, he spoke of the eye of faith, and therefore &ldquo;to them that believe he is precious.&rdquo; For love enters by the eye, and faith is the eye of the soul. There is a Spiritual discovery made of him to every believer-a perception of his excellencies. This manifestation of himself by his Spirit is distinguishable from all that knowledge which the world possesses, and also from a mere theoretical knowledge of religious truth. It is accompanied with a discernment not only of Spiritual blessings, But of their excellency and glory.<p>There is a great difference here: a man may believe there is such a thing as holiness, but this is not seeing the beauty of holiness and loving it. A man may believe that Jesus is the Christ, and the only way, the truth, and the life, and yet may feel no regard for him. But the knowledge which the Holy Ghost communicates descends from the head always into the heart, and then it gets out from the heart into the life, and walks abroad; and appears in all the relations, all the conditions, and in all the circumstances of human life.<p>Observe, secondly, What will be the consequences of this manifestation? There will be a high estimation of him. &ldquo;The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not; lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ who is the image of God, should shine unto them.&rdquo; Hence to such he has no &ldquo;form nor comeliness nor any beauty that they should desire him.&rdquo; But when we do thus behold him we shall say, <p>&ldquo;All over glorious is my Lord, <p> Must be beloved and yet adored, <p> His worth, if all the nations knew, <p> Sure the whole earth would love him too.&rdquo; </i><p>He is &ldquo;altogether lovely.&rdquo; &ldquo;This is my Beloved; this is my Friend, O ye daughters of Jerusalem.&rdquo; If we have this manifestation of the Son, then we shall apply to him. This is the very end of the manifestation. If we see him as the &ldquo;Refuge&rdquo; set before us, we shall flee to him. If we see him as the &ldquo;Foundation laid in Zion,&rdquo; we shall build upon him. If we see him as &ldquo;the Lord, our righteousness, and strength,&rdquo; we shall therefore rejoice in him. If we thus see the Son as the consequence of the manifestation, we shall be sure to resemble him and to &ldquo;walk even as he also walked.&rdquo;<p>Beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord we shall be changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.&rdquo; There are some who boast of knowing, and in a very superior way, while in their opinion others remain partially in the dark; but where do we discover in them the meekness and gentleness of Christ, and the mind that was in Christ Jesus? Where in them do we see a deadness to the world, and a living unto God with &ldquo;their conversation in heaven?&rdquo; If we thus see the Son, and he is thus manifested to us, self will be annihilated, at least it will be greatly subdued.<p>Thus it was with Job. He said, &ldquo;I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee.&rdquo; And what was the consequence? &ldquo;Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes:&rdquo; and &ldquo;Behold I am vile.&rdquo; And what an influence had it upon Isaiah also: &ldquo;Woe is me, for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King the Lord of Hosts.&rdquo; The world also will lose its attractions. The enjoyment of the greater weakens, more than anything else, our attachment to the less. Those who have tasted the grapes of Eschol will no longer sigh after the leeks, and onions, and garlick of Egypt. <p>&ldquo;When I can say my God is mine, <p> When I can feel his glories shine, <p> I tread the world beneath my feet, <p> And all that earth calls good or great.&rdquo; </i>


devotion:
<i> Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me. - <a href='B:460 3:1'>Mal 3:1</a>. </i><p>WE know that John the Baptist is here intended. The language is metaphorical, and the allusion is to kings and princes, who are preceded by heralds and harbingers, to make ready for their approach. When an eastern monarch travels, a forerunner gives notice of his coming, and the pioneers are employed to remove every obstruction to his advance.<p>If we can depend upon their own history, some of them on these occasions effected extraordinary things. We read of their having filled up chasms and levelled eminences, and opened passages where otherwise the places would have been impassable. When Isaiah would illustrate great things by very little ones, he said, &ldquo;The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked places shall be made straight, and the rough places plain, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.&rdquo; In other words, John was to &ldquo;make ready a people prepared for the Lord.&rdquo; And accordingly he aroused their attention, he removed their prejudices, he awakened their consciences, he announced the nearness of Messiah&rsquo;s approach, proclaimed the nature of his reign, convinced them of sin, and showed them that they stood in need of a much greater salvation than deliverance from the Roman yoke.<p>His mission originated not with himself, neither was he employed by any governing power. &ldquo;The word of the Lord,&rdquo; it is said, &ldquo;came to him.&rdquo; &ldquo;There was a man sent from God whose name was John.&rdquo; And here we are called upon to behold him as the Lord&rsquo;s messenger. When thirty years old he obeyed the heavenly vision. We may easily imagine the scenery. Behold him in raiment of camel&rsquo;s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins, sitting under the shade of a rock or of a tree, eating his frugal repast of &ldquo;locusts and wild honey;&rdquo; and when he saw any person passing by, he arose, and approaching them, exclaimed, &ldquo;Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.&rdquo;<p>These soon expressed this to others, and those to more, and &ldquo;then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, and were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.&rdquo; But when the sun arises, the morning star is concealed. We may look at the forerunner while he is alone, but when we have heard the exclamation, &ldquo;The king! the king!&rdquo; every eye will be naturally and unavoidably turned away from him.<p>And John would acquiesce in this; he did acquiesce in this; he said to those who came to inform him that he whom he had baptized, and to whom he had borne witness when he said, &ldquo;Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world,&rdquo; &ldquo;The same baptizeth, and all men come unto him&rdquo;-I am glad of it, says the messenger; &ldquo;ye yourselves bear me witness that I said I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom which standeth and heareth him rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom&rsquo;s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple. - <a href='B:460 3:1'>Mal 3:1</a>. </i><p>MANY had come before him, many illustrious characters, many prophets, priests, and kings, but they had all come in subordination to him, and in reference and subserviency to him. He had entered our world himself often before this, and especially in anticipation of his incarnation. But now he was to come incarnate, clothed in a body like our own.<p>Now the word was to be made flesh, and to dwell among us, that we might behold his glory, and though there were no earthly grandeur which attached to his coming into our world, and though he was born in a stable and died upon a cross, yet his advent here was unspeakably the most important transaction ever recorded in the annals of history: and the angels, who are proverbial for their knowledge, testified of it, for they exclaimed in the song, &ldquo;Glory to God in the highest; on earth peace, goodwill towards men.&rdquo;<p>Two things are here mentioned with regard to his advent. The fact regards the manner in which he was to come. He shall suddenly come. Does this mean speedily? In Haggai we read, &ldquo;Yet once it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land, and the Desire of all nations shall come.&rdquo; But how could it be said that it was &ldquo;yet a little while only,&rdquo; when four hundred years were to elapse before he appeared?<p>The purpose and the execution, the promise and the fulfillment, are the same with God. And so also they are in a sense with faith. Faith knows no distance; relying on the truth and faithfulness of God, it can view future things as present and as past. Why, though four hundred years were to intervene, was soon compared with the long waiting of those who lived in patriarchal and antediluvian ages. He was to come soon, but this is said in special reference to the ministration of his forerunner, John, who should prepare the way before him, and then he was immediately to follow. But it means that he would come unawares.<p>Though he was foretold, and a general expectation was excited, yet many did not look for him, and as to many others, when he appeared he was unknown. They never dreamed of his appearing under such a character, and when John addressed them he said, &ldquo;There is one standing here whom ye know not.&rdquo; &ldquo;And his kingdom came not,&rdquo; as we are told, &ldquo;by observation.&rdquo; And we are still warned of the approach of his coming. &ldquo;Be ye also ready,&rdquo; says the Saviour, &ldquo;for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.&rdquo;<p>But, secondly, We are reminded of the place to which he was to come. &ldquo;He shall suddenly come to his temple.&rdquo; Accordingly we find him there when he was eight days old, presented by Mary and Joseph; at twelve years of age he was in the temple disputing among the doctors. There he wrought miracles, and there he taught the people. There are two remarks to be derived from these important statements; the first may be addressed with reference to the Jews. He must have come, according to this, while the second temple was standing, for as he was to come to it, he could not come to it when it was demolished, and when it was no more; and therefore the time of his advent, according to their own Scriptures, and their explanation of it, must long ago have gone by.<p>The other regards the enemies of his Deity, those who love to consult to cast him down from his dignity. &ldquo;He shall suddenly come to his temple.&rdquo; Why is it called HIS? Because it was dedicated to his service and to his glory. As a palace always reminds us of a king, so a temple always reminds us of a God. A temple always belongs to a God, and therefore when the prophet here announces that he should &ldquo;suddenly come to his temple,&rdquo; it was as to say that he was the owner of it, and that he was to be adored there. 


devotion:
<i> But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? - <a href='B:460 3:2'>Mal 3:2</a>. </i><p>THE reference here is unquestionably to the Saviour&rsquo;s manifestation in the flesh; and it would appear that there is something awful even with regard to this. We may exemplify this in three articles. First, In the occasional emanations and displays of His majesty. His birth produced anxiety and trouble. Herod &ldquo;was troubled, and all Judea with him;&rdquo; the poor dear babes in Bethlehem became martyrs to him, though he could easily and did recompense them for their sufferings. The devils cried out, &ldquo;Art thou come to torment us before our time.&rdquo; Single and unarmed, unless with a whip of small cords, he rushed into the temple and drove from the place the money-changers, and the buyers and sellers, no one daring to resist him: and on the mount of transfiguration, and in the garden, and at his death, and in his resurrection there were displays of his Majesty.<p>Secondly, It may be exemplified in his detection of character. All through his ministry his eyes were as a flame of fire, for he saw through men. He silenced those who came to entrap him, and induced those who came to him to condemn themselves before they were aware of it. He knew what was in man, and needed not that any should testify of him. A young man came to him one day with fair professions, saying, &ldquo;Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.&rdquo; He only said, &ldquo;The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.&rdquo; Young man, are you willing to follow me now? and no more was heard of him.<p>Many of the people could not bear his searching doctrine, and &ldquo;they went back and walked no more with him.&rdquo; As to the Pharisees, how he exposed their hypocrisy. They were considered the most righteous persons on earth, and were regarded with a veneration almost approaching to idolatry; before the multitude he unmasked them, laid bare their real character, denounced them as being only painted sepulchres; and he opened the tombs, and showed the bones and rottenness within. He declared them to be only &ldquo;wolves in sheep&rsquo;s clothing.&rdquo; He tore away the clothing, and showed the beast of prey that was underneath.<p>Thirdly, It may be exemplified in the calamities which were to follow the rejection of him. They said, &ldquo;His blood be upon us, and upon our children;&rdquo; and it fell upon them, and is lying upon them now. Wrath came upon them to the uttermost; their sufferings were unspeakable, but only emblems of those more dreadful punishments to which they are exposed &ldquo;who have trodden under foot the son of God, and have counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith they were sanctified, an unholy thing, and have done despite unto the Spirit of grace.&rdquo;<p>For there is another coming and appearance of the Son of God. The Lord prepare us for it. It will be a tremendous scene, and we should not have wondered if such language as we here find had been employed with regard to this. For then we are told that before his face the heaven and the earth flee away; and it is asked, &ldquo;Behold, the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?&rdquo; David, in anticipation of this solemn period (all saint as he was), fell upon his knees and cried, &ldquo;Enter not into judgment with thy servant, O Lord, for in thy sight no flesh living can be justified.&rdquo; &ldquo;If thou Lord, shouldest mark iniquity, O Lord, who shall stand?&rdquo; None but those who are then found standing in a better righteousness than their own.<p>Therefore, said Paul, &ldquo;Oh, that I may win Christ, and may be found in him, not having mine own righteousness.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> I have gone astray like a lost sheep. - <a href='B:230 119:176'>Psa 119:176</a>. </i><p>HERE the Psalmist refers to his moral infirmities or deviations from duty. And what is the whole course of a state of nature but a series of wanderings? wanderings from the truth, from righteousness, from God; from God as our sovereign, our portion, our centre, and our end.<p>Even when we have been brought back to God, how sadly prone are we to depart from him again. Alas! even in his renewed state, the Christian has too frequently reason to adopt this confession, &ldquo;I have gone astray like a lost sheep; &ldquo;though he may be able to add, &ldquo;Seek thy servant, since I do not forget thy commandments; and with Dr. Watts to say: <p>&ldquo;I need the influence of thy grace <p> To speed me on my way, <p> Lest I should loiter in my race, <p> Or turn my feet astray.&rdquo; </i><p>&ldquo;All we,&rdquo; says the Church, &ldquo;like sheep have gone astray. We have turned every one to his own way.&rdquo; In meditation how the mind is turned aside. In prayer what wanderings of thought-depriving the suppliants of pleasure in the exercise, and often filling them with fear as to the success of it. In hearing the precious word of God how often do we find our heart, like the fool&rsquo;s eye, in the ends of the earth. And these wanderings are known unto God, &ldquo;to whom all hearts are open, and from whom nothing is hid.&rdquo; Hence David, in addressing God, says, &ldquo;Thou tellest my wanderings.&rdquo;<p>Although he &ldquo;knoweth our frame and remembereth that we are dust,&rdquo; yet he cannot approve of these wanderings; he sees sin in them, and he will correct his people for them. It will be well if we are able to say in reference to this as David did, &ldquo;It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes: for before I was afflicted I went astray, but now have I kept thy word.&rdquo;<p>Affliction falls upon the Christian as the evening darkness falls, which at once hides the earth, and lays open the sky. Affliction is a call from these rovings, or else a hindrance to check them. We may see this exemplified in God&rsquo;s dispensation towards the Jews in the time of Hosea. The Church was wandering after her lovers who had given her corn and wine and oil to induce her to go astray. &ldquo;But,&rdquo; says God, &ldquo;behold 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 unto my first husband, for then it was better with me than now.&rdquo;<p>It is well if God sees that we feel these moral wanderings to be our afflictions as well as our infirmities; and well if his goodness, instead of casting us off for them, leads us to repentance, inducing us to sorrow after a godly sorrow, and to say- <p>&ldquo;My soul hath gone too far astray, <p> My feet too often slip, <p> Yet since I&rsquo;ve not forgot thy way, <p> Restore thy wandering sheep.&rdquo; </i>


devotion:
<i> Thou tellest my wanderings. - <a href='B:230 56:8'>Psa 56:8</a>. </i><p>OBSERVE, first, This may have reference to local changes. Abraham was a wanderer. When called to leave Ur of the Chaldees he went out, not knowing whither he went; and though he was without an earthly guide, all his satisfaction was derived from hence, and of his being able to say,&rdquo; Thou knowest the way that I take.&rdquo;<p>The patriarchs were all wanderers when they went from &ldquo;one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people.&rdquo; Take Israel; forty years they &ldquo;wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in.&rdquo; David was a great wanderer. Saul regarded him with envy and drove him from his presence, and to elude his apprehension he was perpetually compelled to shift his residence. He says, &ldquo;he was hunted like a partridge upon the mountains.&rdquo; But God knew all his wanderings, and preserved him in his going out and in his coming in.<p>Persecution has often driven the people of God from city to city, from country to country. Some of the most eminent servants of God have &ldquo;wandered about in sheep-skins and goat-skins, being destitute, afflicted tormented; they wandered in deserts, and in mountains&rsquo; and in dens and caves of the earth.&rdquo; Pious servants have been dismissed from their places and workmen from their employment, and have wandered about to find situations and engagements, and all this for conscience sake. &ldquo;But there is no man,&rdquo; says our Saviour, &ldquo;that has left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children for the kingdom of God&rsquo;s sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this world, and in the world to come life everlasting.&rdquo;<p>How many, contrary to a disposition to enjoy a permanency, have had frequent removals from station to station. As soon as they had begun to feel attached and fixed, they heard a voice saying, &ldquo;Arise, and depart hence, for this is not your rest.&rdquo; Yet very important purposes have often been answered by these changes, and the Lord has known them all. Of this, as we see here, David was fully persuaded.<p>Observe, secondly, The recognition and acknowledgment here made of God&rsquo;s omniscience and notice. &ldquo;Thou tellest my wanderings.&rdquo; The language must be figurative as applied to God; God needs no aid in any case; his understanding is infinite. But we reach numbers by counting and telling them, and so the effect is put for the cause. The sentiment here stands opposed to two things; the first is a kind of philosophical notion, namely, that God is supremely engaged in managing hundreds of worlds, and that he disregards all individualities.<p>But a general providence always comprehends a particular, as the greater includes the less, as the day includes the hour, and the hour includes the minutes. If we turn to the Scriptures we find a system of providence established there which extends to the minutest concerns of life. Yes; he is always a God at hand, not a God afar off; he is filling every vacuum, peopling every solitude, animating every scene; &ldquo;in him we live and move, and have our being.&rdquo; Then, also, it is opposed to a pious fear, in which good men are tempted to indulge, supposing that they are overlooked or disregarded by God, for their unworthiness, their guilt, and their imperfections.<p>Thus it was with Asaph, who said, &ldquo;Will the Lord cast off for ever, will he be favourable no more?&rdquo; So Zion said, &ldquo;The Lord hath forsaken me, my God hath forgotten me.&rdquo; And we know how tenderly and convincingly was the rebuke received. And Moses said to the Jews, &ldquo;The Lord knoweth thy walkings through this great wilderness.&rdquo; I believe this, says David; I believe nothing befalls me by chance; I believe that it is all permitted, appointed, arranged, and administered by the care of my heavenly Father.<p>So it should be with us; this thought should be with us a very influential and consolatory principle, keeping our minds in perfect peace, leading us to cast all our care upon him, knowing that&rdquo; he careth for us.&rdquo; Thus &ldquo;in all our ways may we acknowledge him, and he will direct our paths.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> His name shall be called Immanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. - <a href='B:470 1:23'>Mat 1:23</a>. </i><p>NAMES are designed to distinguish and characterize; but names do not always well express and indicate the attributes of the bearer. But where God gives a name we may be assured that the thing or person will correspond with it; and what was the name which was to be descriptive of him whose coming we this day commemorate? Oh, it is a name as wonderful as it is delightful: &ldquo;His name shall be called Immanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.&rdquo; And the more we examine the records God has given of his Son, the more we shall find him worthy of this appellation.<p>The Saviour had often appeared in our world before his incarnation: &ldquo;His goings forth were from of old, from everlasting, and he delighted in the habitable parts of the earth, and his delight was with the sons of men.&rdquo; What the body was which he assumed on these occasions it is impossible for us to determine. But in reference to these appearances of the Son of God,it can never be said that he dwelt with man in a bodily appearance, for he soon disappeared from the view of those to whom he manifested himself. But now in the incarnation of the Saviour, God is manifested in the flesh. &ldquo;In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God; all things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made; and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among its;&rdquo;-in the very same world, in the same nature, exposed to the same wants and sufferings with ourselves, answering to his name.<p>This is what Paul calls a &ldquo;mystery,&rdquo; &ldquo;a great mystery,&rdquo; &ldquo;without controversy, a great mystery of godliness;&rdquo; and there is no real godliness separate from it. It is in this that we are so deeply concerned; it is the very medium of salvation. As Paul says, &ldquo;We have boldness to enter into the holiest of all by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the vail, that is to say, his flesh,&rdquo;<p>He was three and thirty years treading our earth, and going in and out before men. By the assumption of our nature he stood in a peculiar relation to us and became our near kinsman, with whom was the right of redemption. The very nature that sinned must suffer, and therefore, because &ldquo;the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same, that through death&rdquo;-through suffering death- &ldquo;he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.&rdquo;<p>Thus he became our example, and goes before us in flesh and blood in the way of obedience and suffering. Thus he gains our confidence; thus he is touched with the feeling of our infirmities, and is &ldquo;able to succour them that are tempted;&rdquo; thus he hath &ldquo;put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.&rdquo; &ldquo;My Father worketh hitherto,&rdquo; says he, &ldquo;and I work; I and my Father are one;&rdquo; &ldquo;He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.&rdquo; So that in this incarnation of the Saviour, &ldquo;God in very deed dwells with man upon the earth.&rdquo;<p>This day brings to us glad tidings that unto us &ldquo;is born a Saviour,&rdquo; a great Saviour, a mighty Saviour, a willing Saviour, a present Saviour, &ldquo;and his name is called Immanuel, God with us; and &ldquo;his name shall be called Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> Will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? - <a href='B:140 6:18'>2Ch 6:18</a>. </i><p>GOD makes use of means for the accomplishment of his purposes; and could we see things as God sees them, we should always see that he employs suitable ones. While the weakness of his instruments shows his power, their adaptedness exhibits his wisdom. Solomon was the instrument here employed. Behold the whole Israel of God assembled together, and their king leading the devotions of the whole.<p>An ordinary mind would have been struck on this occasion with that vastness of the multitude, with the magnitude of the building, with the costliness of the ornaments; but Solomon overlooks all these, and only marvels at God&rsquo;s noticing any of them, and therefore exclaims, &ldquo;Will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth?&rdquo; Four things may be mentioned to show why it is so wonderful that God should dwell with men on the earth.<p>First, The mode of his intercourse. For observe that this is not looking towards them merely, and this he does. Not coming to them as a wayfaring man approaches an inn, when he turns aside to &ldquo;tarry for a night.&rdquo; Not visiting them as a friend calls upon a friend. A visitor is not an inmate, but a dweller is a resident, and this is the case with God; he takes up his abode with his people.<p>Secondly, Observe his infinite dignity and grandeur. This renders him matchless; here all examples fail, his greatness is unsearchable. <p>&ldquo;And will the glorious Lord <p> Unto me condescend, <p> And will he write his name <p> My Father and my Friend?&rdquo; </i><p>&ldquo;THUS saith the High and Lofty One that inhabiteth eternity,&rdquo; whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble Spirit, and that trembleth at my word,&rdquo; &ldquo;to revive the Spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.&rdquo; Such a Being is he.<p>Thirdly, The meanness and unworthiness of those who are, indulged. This struck David as well as Solomon: &ldquo;What is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou visitest him?&rdquo; It was thus also with Job: &ldquo;What is man that thou shouldest magnify him, and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him, and that thou shouldest visit him every morning, and try him every moment?&rdquo; What indeed! what are they, making the best of them, with whom he &ldquo;in very deed dwells upon the earth?&rdquo; If we take them as creatures, they are of yesterday, and know nothing; their foundation is in the dust, they are crushed before the moth.<p>If we take them as sinners, then we shall find them guilty, polluted, blind, deaf, and all over diseased. We shall find them all rebels, all traitors against the Divine Majesty; and therefore not only undeserving, but ill-deserving and hell-deserving creatures. And it is alone of his &ldquo;mercy that they are not consumed.&rdquo; Will God dwell with such upon the earth?<p>Fourthly, Observe the humility which religion always inspires. Man is naturally as proud as he is poor, but the day of conviction is a day of humiliation. <p>&ldquo;The more thy glories strike mine eye <p> The humbler I shall lie, <p> Thus while I sink my joys shall rise <p> Immeasurably high.&rdquo; </i>


devotion:
<i> He is like a refiner&rsquo;s fire, and like fuller&rsquo;s soap. And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. - <a href='B:460 3:3'>Mal 3:3</a>. </i><p>HERE we have a figurative description of the operations of the Saviour&rsquo;s grace. It refers to fuller&rsquo;s soap and to the refiner&rsquo;s fire. The former is used to take stains out of cloth without destroying its texture, as well as giving to it a clearness and freshness of appearance; and the refiner&rsquo;s fire severs the dross from the ore, and instead of injuring it prepares it for circulation or use. Thus the Lord does with all the subjects of Divine grace, for with all their infirmities there are excellencies, and Divine excellencies, in them, and he will purify and sanctify them.<p>Observe the persons, &ldquo;the sons of Levi,&rdquo; we may consider them literally, for they had sadly degenerated; they had &ldquo;departed out of the way,&rdquo; and had &ldquo;caused many to stumble,&rdquo; and they had &ldquo;corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts.&rdquo; Such were they generally when our Saviour made his appearance. Yet we find one of these sons of Levi purified, we find Zacariah righteous before God, &ldquo;walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless;&rdquo; and there were others who were soon called by Divine grace, and sanctified by the Spirit of our God; for we read in the Acts of the Apostles, that &ldquo;the word of God increased and the numbers of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly, and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.&rdquo;<p>And so those who were called and employed under the evangelical dispensation are held forth by the same terms, &ldquo;I will take them,&rdquo; says God, &ldquo;for priests and for Levites.&rdquo; Such we may consider then the twelve Apostles, the seventy disciples, Paul, Barnabas, and others, who were deemed faithful and were put into the ministry: and it is of great importance that those who are thus engaged should, like Isaiah, experience this moral purification.<p>But we are to take it Spiritually also, as intending all the people of God. They are called a &ldquo;royal priesthood,&rdquo; they are all said to be not only priests, but &ldquo;kings unto God.&rdquo; And here we see their work. They were &ldquo;to offer an offering in righteousness,&rdquo; To offer themselves, their prayers, their alms; all these were to be holy offerings, not in pretense but in sincerity; not carnal but Spiritual offerings-&ldquo;offerings in righteousness&rdquo; presented by persons in a righteous state, and who were governed and influenced by righteous motives.<p>So we see that the incarnation of our Saviour regards two classes of men. To the one it is consuming and to the other it is purifying. As to the one it is asked, &ldquo;Who may abide the day of his coming, and who shall stand when he appeareth?&rdquo; as to the other he will purify them by his grace, and they. shall be dedicated to his service and to his glory. 


devotion:
<i> And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall he no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there he any more pain: for the former things are passed away. - <a href='B:730 21:4'>Rev 21:4</a>. </i><p>THIS sublime but mysterious book may be regarded in two ways. The first is, by studying the whole series of prophecies which it contains concerning the church to the end of the world; and the other is, to attend to particular passages. Some wise men and some men certainly not very wise have employed much time and attention upon it, and, we have reason to fear, to very little purpose. Some of them have survived their empty schemes, and have been ashamed of their confidence.<p>But there are particular passages which, like the heavenly Jerusalem, shine the more brightly from the surrounding darkness. This is the case in the addresses to the seven churches, with the representations of the person and glory of the Redeemer, and the descriptions of the heavenly world. To some countries we feel comparatively indifferent, because we have little connection with them; but if there was a country in which we had large possessions, many endearing relations, and where after a while we were to reside, not for a season but for life, we should be glad of a map, and be thankful for any particular instructions respecting it.<p>Such is heaven to all the heirs of glory. It is here represented as glorious, and John, after surveying the gates and the wall, and the foundation and the extent, that is, having surveyed it externally, he looks within; but what he there remarks is rather of a negative kind, for according to our present state and experience, we know what heaven is much more by what it is not, than by what it is.<p>Two things-two kinds of things, rather, he found wanting there, First, evil things. There was no night, no death, no sorrow, no pain, no tears. Here we have enough of these, and of the causes which produce them. All tears were wiped from their eyes, and all these former things are passed away.<p>But, secondly, there were also good things wanting there, and things which now seem very desirable and necessary. &ldquo;Light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun;&rdquo; but &ldquo;the city had no need of the sun neither of the moon to shine upon it.&rdquo;<p>Where is the believer who does not now say, &ldquo;I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth?&rdquo; But &ldquo;I saw no temple therein,&rdquo; says John. What a world must that be where, as to nature, the sun can be dispensed with-where, as to grace, the temple can be dispensed with! How little of such a state are we capable of understanding now! How little can we know while we are here of a state where sabbaths will, instead of being observed, be abolished, and where temples will be no more! 


devotion:
<i> Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee. - <a href='B:50 8:2'>Deu 8:2</a>. </i><p>HERE are two things to be observed: First, the call to remembrance, &ldquo;Thou shalt remember.&rdquo; Memory, like every other faculty, has been injured by the fall, and the injury appears not only in its weakness, but to those things in regard to which it is, in general, most unhappily conversant. It would be almost endless to adduce all the calls to remembrance afforded in the Scripture.<p>One thing, however, is certain; that in all these instances, the remembrance is to be experimental and practical. The sacred writers never regard remembrance as an end, but an instrument; that is, they enjoin us to remember for some purpose; to call forth such feelings, and to produce such actions as will correspond with the things we are required to remember. When Moses calls upon the Jews to look back upon their history, we must suppose he intended they should be affected with encouragement or humiliation, or gratitude, and praise, according as the case demanded. In this Spirit, and with this purpose in view, let us be influenced in all our retrospections.<p>Observe, secondly, the subject to be reviewed. There are four things to be noticed, and they are all to be exemplified in the experience of Christians now, as of the Jews. Yea, much more abundantly. We have the place to be reviewed, &ldquo;the wilderness.&rdquo; Such a place literally they were in after leaving Egypt; and we shall find many allusions to its dreariness, its solitariness, its privations, audits perils. And are not Christians in a similar condition?<p>What is the world, comparatively at least, but a wilderness? Christians are summoned to arise and depart hence, because it is polluted, because its friendship is enmity with God, because it is unsuitable to their new nature, because they have found that good part which shall never be taken away from them, because they look to that better country, even a heavenly, because they have not yet come to that rest and inheritance which the Lord their God shall give unto them, because their portion is beyond the world.<p>They were to remember their Conductor: &ldquo;The way which the Lord thy God led thee.&rdquo; Their safety, their joy, and happiness arose from being under his immediate care. He led them all the way by a fiery, cloudy pillar; it was a pillar of cloud by day, serving to interpose between them and the rays of a vertical sun; and it was a pillar of fire by night, to absorb the unwholesome damps, to cheer the darkness and the gloom; and by this God showed them where they were to look, and where they were to go; and it never left them until it brought them to &ldquo;a city of habitation.&rdquo;<p>And so God is the conductor of his people now. He guides them with his eye, he leads them by his word&rsquo; by his Spirit, and his providence. He is &ldquo;a very present help to them in every time of trouble,&rdquo; and he will never leave them nor forsake them till they have entered the promised land; where, looking back to the desert, and to all his dealings with them in the vale of tears, they will sing songs of everlasting praise to him that &ldquo;led them up through the wilderness, for his mercy endureth for ever.&rdquo; 


devotion:
<i> Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness. - <a href='B:50 8:2'>Deu 8:2</a>. </i><p>OBSERVE the passage they were to review. They were to remember all the way which the Lord their God had led them through the wilderness. Not that everything in their journey was equally important and interesting; this could not be-but all had been under the appointment and discipline of God, and all would be rendered profitable. All their stations were distinctly known; they had memorials of them all. Some of them had been rendered very famous by new names imposed as significant of some instances of the Divine conduct, or of their miscarriage.<p>It must have been affecting to them to look back upon some parts of their journey. Elim, where there were twelve fountains of water, and threescore and ten palm-trees-the waters of Mara, whose bitterness had been made sweet, the Red Sea, the mountains of Horeb and Sinai, and to recollect the marvellous and striking scenes which had been exhibited to them.<p>Now it is the same as to us. Some things in life are very eventful; they have had an amazing influence on our character, our reputation, our happiness, our usefulness; and in the review of our life, these are the things which we are peculiarly to dwell upon, and then, if we are wise, nothing will be found unimprovable. If, indeed, we lived in &ldquo;a fatherless world&rdquo; as Jeremy Taylor has expressed it, if we were under the empire of chance, if we were abandoned to ourselves, it would be a very little in life that would be worth our review.<p>But since all is under the administration of our heavenly Father, since we know the very hairs of our head are all numbered, since we must be compelled to say- <p>&ldquo;If light attends the course I run, &rsquo;<p>Tis he provides those rays, <p> And &rsquo;tis his hand that hides my sun, <p> If darkness cloud my days;&rdquo; </i><p>and since he does all things well, he that is wise will, in the review of his life observe these things: he will see the hand of God directing with infinite wisdom and paternal goodness every circumstance in his lot, and thus will he be taught the loving-kindness of the Lord.<p>Besides, those parts of our life that may seem to be the most insignificant, are often found to have had suspended upon them relations and consequences the most momentous. That a company of Ishmaelites, for example, should pass by a particular place, at a certain hour, trading down to Egypt, was no very remarkable thing, and yet Joseph, when he came to look back upon his life, would see all the mighty interests connected with his humiliation, and his advancement quivering upon that little point. And then the period to be reviewed. &ldquo;Forty years.&rdquo;<p>This was a considerable period as to length, but, oh, what did it contain! oh, what displays of Deity! What proofs of his power, his holiness, his patience, his mercy, and his truth. And oh, what developments of their folly, their impatience, their unbelief and disobedience, and we should endeavour to realize the progression of our time, so as to be impressed by its daily, weekly, monthly, and annual lapses. These periods are so many little breaks in the continual eddyings of the current of life, the murmurs of which conscience may chance to hear, and at the close of another year we are called upon to observe how gradually and insensibly it has passed away. 


devotion:
<i> He that endureth to the end shall he saved. - <a href='B:470 10:22'>Mat 10:22</a>. </i><p>&ldquo;LET not him that girdeth on the harness boast as he that putteth it off,&rdquo; said Ahab; and this was the wisest thing he ever said. And it is not enough to begin well. It is the end proves all, completes all, crowns all; while some &ldquo;draw back unto perdition,&rdquo; there are those &ldquo;who believe to the saving of their soul.&rdquo; Apostasy from the faith and practice of the gospel generally go together; sometimes the one takes the lead, and sometimes the other. &ldquo;Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God.&rdquo;<p>It is a very easy thing to destroy religious convictions. There are two ways of doing it. One is by assassination, and the other is by starvation. Making shipwreck of faith and of a good conscience grieves the Holy Spirit, and in consequence of repeated provocations, God withdraws his restraints, and then the sinner brings upon himself swift destruction. For &ldquo;it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.&rdquo; &ldquo;The last state of that man is worse than the first.&rdquo; But will not that which is Divine always endure? Assuredly; for that which comes from God will lead to God.<p>The devotion of a real Christian will be like the fire upon the Jewish altar, which was kindled by the breath of heaven, and was never to go out. It will not resemble the summer brook, but the perennial fountain. &ldquo;The water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.&rdquo; It was upon this principle that Barnabas exhorted the Christians at Antioch, that with &ldquo;purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.&rdquo; He believed in the terms of the &ldquo;covenant ordered in all things and sure,&rdquo; and in the final perseverance of saints.<p>Why, then, it may be asked, did he thus exhort them? Because he well knew how to apply his own principles; because he knew that admonition and warning were not needless for the people of God themselves, nor would be useless. Yea, he knew they were the only persons who derive advantage from warning and admonition, and he knew also the certainty of the end always included the intervention of the means, and that reaping always required sowing; and he knew that there would be no perseverance without persevering, and that they, and only they, would be saved who endured unto the end.<p>And, says our Lord, &ldquo;If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.&rdquo; And the Apostle James says, &ldquo;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.&rdquo; 


