Morning & Evening
by C H Spurgeon
April 1
This morning's verse:
Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth. - Song Of Solomon 1:2
For several days we have been dwelling upon the Saviour's passion, and for some little time to come we shall linger
there. In beginning a new month, let us seek the same desires after our Lord as those which glowed in the heart
of the elect spouse. See how she leaps at once to Him; there are no prefatory words; she does not even mention
His name; she is in the heart of her theme at once, for she speaks of Him who was the only Him in the world to
her. How bold is her love! it was much condescension which permitted the weeping penitent to anoint His feet with
spikenard--it was rich love which allowed the gentle Mary to sit at His feet and learn of Him--but here, love,
strong, fervent love, aspires to higher tokens of regard, and closer signs of fellowship. Esther trembled in the
presence of Ahasuerus, but the spouse in joyful liberty of perfect love knows no fear. If we have received the
same free spirit, we also may ask the like. By kisses we suppose to be intended those varied manifestations of
affection by which the believer is made to enjoy the love of Jesus. The kiss of reconciliation we enjoyed at our
conversion, and it was sweet as honey dropping from the comb. The kiss of acceptance is still warm on our brow,
as we know that He hath accepted our persons and our works through rich grace. The kiss of daily, present communion,
is that which we pant after to be repeated day after day, till it is changed into the kiss of reception, which
removes the soul from earth, and the kiss of consummation which fills it with the joy of heaven. Faith is our walk,
but fellowship sensibly felt is our rest. Faith is the road, but communion with Jesus is the well from which the
pilgrim drinks. O lover of our souls, be not strange to us; let the lips of Thy blessing meet the lips of our asking;
let the lips of Thy fulness touch the lips of our need, and straightway the kiss will be effected.
April 1
This evening's verse:
It is time to seek the Lord. - Hosea 10:12
This month of April is said to derive its name from the Latin verb aperio, which signifies to open, because all
the buds and blossoms are now opening, and we have arrived at the gates of the flowery year. Reader, if you are
yet unsaved, may your heart, in accord with the universal awakening of nature, be opened to receive the Lord. Every
blossoming flower warns you that it is time to seek the Lord; be not out of tune with nature, but let your heart
bud and bloom with holy desires. Do you tell me that the warm blood of youth leaps in your veins? then, I entreat
you, give your vigour to the Lord. It was my unspeakable happiness to be called in early youth, and I could fain
praise the Lord every day for it. Salvation is priceless, let it come when it may, but oh! an early salvation has
a double value in it. Young men and maidens, since you may perish ere you reach your prime, "It is time to
seek the Lord." Ye who feel the first signs of decay, quicken your pace: that hollow cough, that hectic flush,
are warnings which you must not trifle with; with you it is indeed time to seek the Lord. Did I observe a little
grey mingled with your once luxurious tresses? Years are stealing on apace, and death is drawing nearer by hasty
marches, let each return of spring arouse you to set your house in order. Dear reader, if you are now advanced
in life, let me entreat and implore you to delay no longer. There is a day of grace for you now--be thankful for
that, but it is a limited season and grows shorter every time that clock ticks. Here in this silent chamber, on
this first night of another month, I speak to you as best I can by paper and ink, and from my inmost soul, as God's
servant, I lay before you this warning, "It is time to seek the Lord." Slight not that work, it may be
your last call from destruction, the final syllable from the lip of grace.
April 2
This morning's verse:
He answered him to never a word. - Matthew 27:14
He had never been slow of speech when He could bless the sons of men, but He would not say a single word for Himself.
"Never man spake like this Man," and never man was silent like Him. Was this singular silence the index
of His perfect self-sacrifice? Did it show that He would not utter a word to stay the slaughter of His sacred person,
which He had dedicated as an offering for us? Had He so entirely surrendered Himself that He would not interfere
in His own behalf, even in the minutest degree, but be bound and slain an unstruggling, uncomplaining victim? Was
this silence a type of the defenselessness of sin? Nothing can be said in palliation or excuse of human guilt;
and, therefore, He who bore its whole weight stood speechless before His judge. Is not patient silence the best
reply to a gainsaying world? Calm endurance answers some questions infinitely more conclusively than the loftiest
eloquence. The best apologists for Christianity in the early days were its martyrs. The anvil breaks a host of
hammers by quietly bearing their blows. Did not the silent Lamb of God furnish us with a grand example of wisdom?
Where every word was occasion for new blasphemy, it was the line of duty to afford no fuel for the flame of sin.
The ambiguous and the false, the unworthy and mean, will ere long overthrow and confute themselves, and therefore
the true can afford to be quiet, and finds silence to be its wisdom. Evidently our Lord, by His silence, furnished
a remarkable fulfillment of prophecy. A long defence of Himself would have been contrary to Isaiah's prediction.
"He is led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth."
By His quiet He conclusively proved Himself to be the true Lamb of God. As such we salute Him this morning. Be
with us, Jesus, and in the silence of our heart, let us hear the voice of Thy love.
April 2
This evening's verse:
He shall see His seed; He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. - Isaiah
53:10
Plead for the speedy fulfillment of this promise, all ye who love the Lord. It is easy work to pray when we are
grounded and bottomed, as to our desires, upon God's own promise. How can He that gave the word refuse to keep
it? Immutable veracity cannot demean itself by a lie, and eternal faithfulness cannot degrade itself by neglect.
God must bless His Son, His covenant binds Him to it. That which the Spirit prompts us to ask for Jesus, is that
which God decrees to give Him. Whenever you are praying for the kingdom of Christ, let your eyes behold the dawning
of the blessed day which draweth near, when the Crucified shall receive His coronation in the place where men rejected
Him. Courage, you that prayerfully work and toil for Christ with success of the very smallest kind, it shall not
be so always; better times are before you. Your eyes cannot see the blissful future: borrow the telescope of faith;
wipe the misty breath of your doubts from the glass; look through it and behold the coming glory. Reader, let us
ask, do you make this your constant prayer? Remember that the same Christ who tells us to say, "Give us this
day our daily bread," had first given us this petition, "Hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy
will be done in earth as it is in heaven." Let not your prayers be all concerning your own sins, your own
wants, your own imperfections, your own trials, but let them climb the starry ladder, and get up to Christ Himself,
and then, as you draw nigh to the blood-sprinkled mercy-seat, offer this prayer continually, "Lord, extend
the kingdom of Thy dear Son." Such a petition, fervently presented, will elevate the spirit of all your devotions.
Mind that you prove the sincerity of your prayer by labouring to promote the Lord's glory.
April 3
This morning's verse:
They took Jesus, and led Him away. - John 19:16
He had been all night in agony, He had spent the early morning at the hall of Caiaphas, He had been hurried from
Caiaphas to Pilate, from Pilate to Herod, and from Herod back again to Pilate; He had, therefore, but little strength
left, and yet neither refreshment nor rest were permitted Him. They were eager for His blood, and therefore led
Him out to die, loaded with the cross. O dolorous procession! Well may Salem's daughters weep. My soul, do thou
weep also.
What learn we here as we see our blessed Lord led forth? Do we not perceive that truth which was set forth in shadow
by the scapegoat? Did not the high-priest bring the scapegoat, and put both his hands upon its head, confessing
the sins of the people, that thus those sins might be laid upon the goat, and cease from the people? Then the goat
was led away by a fit man into the wilderness, and it carried away the sins of the people, so that if they were
sought for they could not be found. Now we see Jesus brought before the priests and rulers, who pronounce Him guilty;
God Himself imputes our sins to Him, "the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all;" "He was
made sin for us;" and, as the substitute for our guilt, bearing our sin upon His shoulders, represented by
the cross; we see the great Scapegoat led away by the appointed officers of justice. Beloved, can you feel assured
that He carried your sin? As you look at the cross upon His shoulders, does it represent your sin? There is one
way by which you can tell whether He carried your sin or not. Have you laid your hand upon His head, confessed
your sin, and trusted in Him? Then your sin lies not on you; it has all been transferred by blessed imputation
to Christ, and He bears it on His shoulder as a load heavier than the cross.
Let not the picture vanish till you have rejoiced in your own deliverance, and adored the loving Redeemer upon
whom your iniquities were laid.
April 3
This evening's verse:
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the
iniquity of us all. - Isaiah 53:6
Here a confession of sin common to all the elect people of God. They have all fallen, and therefore, in common
chorus, they all say, from the first who entered heaven to the last who shall enter there, "All we like sheep
have gone astray." The confession, while thus unanimous, is also special and particular: "We have turned
every one to his own way." There is a peculiar sinfulness about every one of the individuals; all are sinful,
but each one with some special aggravation not found in his fellow. It is the mark of genuine repentance that while
it naturally associates itself with other penitents, it also takes up a position of loneliness. "We have turned
every one to his own way," is a confession that each man had sinned against light peculiar to himself, or
sinned with an aggravation which he could not perceive in others. This confession is unreserved; there is not a
word to detract from its force, nor a syllable by way of excuse. The confession is a giving up of all pleas of
self-righteousness. It is the declaration of men who are consciously guilty--guilty with aggravations, guilty without
excuse: they stand with their weapons of rebellion broken in pieces, and cry, "All we like sheep have gone
astray; we have turned every one to his own way." Yet we hear no dolorous wailings attending this confession
of sin; for the next sentence makes it almost a song. "The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all."
It is the most grievous sentence of the three, but it overflows with comfort. Strange is it that where misery was
concentrated mercy reigned; where sorrow reached her climax weary souls find rest. The Saviour bruised is the healing
of bruised hearts. See how the lowliest penitence gives place to assured confidence through simply gazing at Christ
on the cross!
April 4
This morning's verse:
For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.
- 2 Corinthians 5:21
Mourning Christian! why weepest thou? Art thou mourning over thine own corruptions? Look to thy perfect Lord, and
remember, thou art complete in Him; thou art in God's sight as perfect as if thou hadst never sinned; nay, more
than that, the Lord our Righteousness hath put a divine garment upon thee, so that thou hast more than the righteousness
of man--thou hast the righteousness of God. O Thou who art mourning by reason of inbred sin and depravity, remember,
none of thy sins can condemn thee. Thou hast learned to hate sin; but thou hast learned also to know that sin is
not thine--it was laid upon Christ's head. Thy standing is not in thyself--it is in Christ; thine acceptance is
not in thyself, but in thy Lord; thou art as much accepted of God to-day, with all thy sinfulness, as thou wilt
be when thou standest before His throne, free from all corruption. O, I beseech thee, lay hold on this precious
thought, perfection in Christ! For thou art "complete in Him." With thy Saviour's garment on, thou art
holy as the Holy one. "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again,
who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." Christian, let thy heart rejoice,
for thou art "accepted in the beloved"--what hast thou to fear? Let thy face ever wear a smile; live
near thy Master; live in the suburbs of the Celestial City; for soon, when thy time has come, thou shalt rise up
where thy Jesus sits, and reign at His right hand; and all this because the divine Lord "was made to be sin
for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."
April 4
This evening's verse:
Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord. - Isaiah 2:3
It is exceedingly beneficial to our souls to mount above this present evil world to something nobler and better.
The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches are apt to choke everything good within us, and we grow
fretful, desponding, perhaps proud and carnal. It is well for us to cut down these thorns and briers, for heavenly
seed sown among them is not likely to yield a harvest; and where shall we find a better sickle with which to cut
them down than communion with God and the things of the kingdom? In the valleys of Switzerland many of the inhabitants
are deformed, and all wear a sickly appearance, for the atmosphere is charged with miasma, and is close and stagnant;
but up yonder, on the mountain, you find a hardy race, who breathe the clear fresh air as it blows from the virgin
snows of the Alpine summits. It would be well if the dwellers in the valley could frequently leave their abodes
among the marshes and the fever mists, and inhale the bracing element upon the hills. It is to such an exploit
of climbing that I invite you this evening. May the Spirit of God assist us to leave the mists of fear and the
fevers of anxiety, and all the ills which gather in this valley of earth, and to ascend the mountains of anticipated
joy and blessedness. May God the Holy Spirit cut the cords that keep us here below, and assist us to mount! We
sit too often like chained eagles fastened to the rock, only that, unlike the eagle, we begin to love our chain,
and would, perhaps, if it came really to the test, be loath to have it snapped. May God now grant us grace, if
we cannot escape from the chain as to our flesh, yet to do so as to our spirits; and leaving the body, like a servant,
at the foot of the hill, may our soul, like Abraham, attain the top of the mountain, there to indulge in communion
with the Most High.
April 5
This morning's verse:
On Him they laid the cross, that He might bear it after Jesus. - Luke 23:26
We see in Simon's carrying the cross a picture of the work of the Church throughout all generations; she is the
cross-bearer after Jesus. Mark then, Christian, Jesus does not suffer so as to exclude your suffering. He bears
a cross, not that you may escape it, but that you may endure it. Christ exempts you from sin, but not from sorrow.
Remember that, and expect to suffer.
But let us comfort ourselves with this thought, that in our case, as in Simon's, it is not our cross, but Christ's
cross which we carry. When you are molested for your piety; when your religion brings the trial of cruel mockings
upon you, then remember it is not your cross, it is Christ's cross; and how delightful is it to carry the cross
of our Lord Jesus!
You carry the cross after Him. You have blessed company; your path is marked with the footprints of your Lord.
The mark of His blood-red shoulder is upon that heavy burden. 'Tis His cross, and He goes before you as a shepherd
goes before his sheep. Take up your cross daily, and follow Him.
Do not forget, also, that you bear this cross in partnership. It is the opinion of some that Simon only carried
one end of the cross, and not the whole of it. That is very possible; Christ may have carried the heavier part,
against the transverse beam, and Simon may have borne the lighter end. Certainly it is so with you; you do but
carry the light end of the cross, Christ bore the heavier end.
And remember, though Simon had to bear the cross for a very little while, it gave him lasting honour. Even so the
cross we carry is only for a little while at most, and then we shall receive the crown, the glory. Surely we should
love the cross, and, instead of shrinking from it, count it very dear, when it works out for us "a far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory."
April 5
This evening's verse:
Before honour is humility. - Proverbs 15:33
Humiliation of soul always brings a positive blessing with it. If we empty our hearts of self God will fill them
with His love. He who desires close communion with Christ should remember the word of the Lord, "To this man
will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word." Stoop if you would
climb to heaven. Do we not say of Jesus, "He descended that He might ascend"? so must you. You must grow
downwards, that you may grow upwards; for the sweetest fellowship with heaven is to be had by humble souls, and
by them alone. God will deny no blessing to a thoroughly humbled spirit. "Blessed are the poor in spirit:
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," with all its riches and treasures. The whole exchequer of God shall
be made over by deed of gift to the soul which is humble enough to be able to receive it without growing proud
because of it. God blesses us all up to the full measure and extremity of what it is safe for Him to do. If you
do not get a blessing, it is because it is not safe for you to have one. If our heavenly Father were to let your
unhumbled spirit win a victory in His holy war, you would pilfer the crown for yourself, and meeting with a fresh
enemy you would fall a victim; so that you are kept low for your own safety. When a man is sincerely humble, and
never ventures to touch so much as a grain of the praise, there is scarcely any limit to what God will do for him.
Humility makes us ready to be blessed by the God of all grace, and fits us to deal efficiently with our fellow
men. True humility is a flower which will adorn any garden. This is a sauce with which you may season every dish
of life, and you will find an improvement in every case. Whether it be prayer or praise, whether it be work or
suffering, the genuine salt of humility cannot be used in excess.
April 6
This morning's verse:
Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp. - Hebrews 13:13
Jesus, bearing His cross, went forth to suffer without the gate. The Christian's reason for leaving the camp of
the world's sin and religion is not because he loves to be singular, but because Jesus did so; and the disciple
must follow his Master. Christ was "not of the world:" His life and His testimony were a constant protest
against conformity with the world. Never was such overflowing affection for men as you find in Him; but still He
was separate from sinners. In like manner Christ's people must "go forth unto Him." They must take their
position "without the camp," as witness-bearers for the truth. They must be prepared to tread the straight
and narrow path. They must have bold, unflinching, lion-like hearts, loving Christ first, and His truth next, and
Christ and His truth beyond all the world. Jesus would have His people "go forth without the camp" for
their own sanctification. You cannot grow in grace to any high degree while you are conformed to the world. The
life of separation may be a path of sorrow, but it is the highway of safety; and though the separated life may
cost you many pangs, and make every day a battle, yet it is a happy life after all. No joy can excel that of the
soldier of Christ: Jesus reveals Himself so graciously, and gives such sweet refreshment, that the warrior feels
more calm and peace in his daily strife than others in their hours of rest. The highway of holiness is the highway
of communion. It is thus we shall hope to win the crown if we are enabled by divine grace faithfully to follow
Christ "without the camp." The crown of glory will follow the cross of separation. A moment's shame will
be well recompensed by eternal honour; a little while of witness-bearing will seem nothing when we are "for
ever with the Lord."
April 6
This evening's verse:
In the name of the Lord I will destroy them. - Psalm 118:12
Our Lord Jesus, by His death, did not purchase a right to a part of us only, but to the entire man. He contemplated
in His passion the sanctification of us wholly, spirit, soul, and body; that in this triple kingdom He Himself
might reign supreme without a rival. It is the business of the newborn nature which God has given to the regenerate
to assert the rights of the Lord Jesus Christ. My soul, so far as thou art a child of God, thou must conquer all
the rest of thyself which yet remains unblest; thou must subdue all thy powers and passions to the silver sceptre
of Jesus' gracious reign, and thou must never be satisfied till He who is King by purchase becomes also King by
gracious coronation, and reigns in thee supreme. Seeing, then, that sin has no right to any part of us, we go about
a good and lawful warfare when we seek, in the name of God, to drive it out. O my body, thou art a member of Christ:
shall I tolerate thy subjection to the prince of darkness? O my soul, Christ has suffered for thy sins, and redeemed
thee with His most precious blood: shall I suffer thy memory to become a storehouse of evil, or thy passions to
be firebrands of iniquity? Shall I surrender my judgment to be perverted by error, or my will to be led in fetters
of iniquity? No, my soul, thou art Christ's, and sin hath no right to thee.
Be courageous concerning this, O Christian! be not dispirited, as though your spiritual enemies could never be
destroyed. You are able to overcome them--not in your own strength--the weakest of them would be too much for you
in that; but you can and shall overcome them through the blood of the Lamb. Do not ask, "How shall I dispossess
them, for they are greater and mightier than I?" but go to the strong for strength, wait humbly upon God,
and the mighty God of Jacob will surely come to the rescue, and you shall sing of victory through His grace.
April 7
This morning's verse:
O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? - Psalm 4:2
An instructive writer has made a mournful list of the honours which the blinded people of Israel awarded to their
long-expected King. (1.) They gave Him a procession of honour, in which Roman legionaries, Jewish priests, men
and women, took a part, He Himself bearing His cross. This is the triumph which the world awards to Him who comes
to overthrow man's direst foes. Derisive shouts are His only acclamations, and cruel taunts His only paeans of
praise. (2.) They presented Him with the wine of honour. Instead of a golden cup of generous wine they offered
Him the criminal's stupefying death-draught, which He refused because He would preserve an uninjured taste wherewith
to taste of death; and afterwards when He cried, "I thirst," they gave Him vinegar mixed with gall, thrust
to His mouth upon a sponge. Oh! wretched, detestable inhospitality to the King's Son. (3.) He was provided with
a guard of honour, who showed their esteem of Him by gambling over His garments, which they had seized as their
booty. Such was the body-guard of the adored of heaven; a quaternion of brutal gamblers. (4.) A throne of honour
was found for Him upon the bloody tree; no easier place of rest would rebel men yield to their liege Lord. The
cross was, in fact, the full expression of the world's feeling towards Him; "There," they seemed to say,
"Thou Son of God, this is the manner in which God Himself should be treated, could we reach Him." (5.)
The title of honour was nominally "King of the Jews," but that the blinded nation distinctly repudiated,
and really called Him "King of thieves," by preferring Barabbas, and by placing Jesus in the place of
highest shame between two thieves. His glory was thus in all things turned into shame by the sons of men, but it
shall yet gladden the eyes of saints and angels, world without end.
April 7
This evening's verse:
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, Thou God of my salvation; and my tongue shall sing aloud of Thy righteousness.
- Psalm 51:14
In this SOLEMN CONFESSION, it is pleasing to observe that David plainly names his sin. He does not call it manslaughter,
nor speak of it as an imprudence by which an unfortunate accident occurred to a worthy man, but he calls it by
its true name, bloodguiltiness. He did not actually kill the husband of Bathsheba; but still it was planned in
David's heart that Uriah should be slain, and he was before the Lord his murderer. Learn in confession to be honest
with God. Do not give fair names to foul sins; call them what you will, they will smell no sweeter. What God sees
them to be, that do you labour to feel them to be; and with all openness of heart acknowledge their real character.
Observe, that David was evidently oppressed with the heinousness of his sin. It is easy to use words, but it is
difficult to feel their meaning. The fifty-first Psalm is the photograph of a contrite spirit. Let us seek after
the like brokenness of heart; for however excellent our words may be, if our heart is not conscious of the hell-deservingness
of sin, we cannot expect to find forgiveness.
Our text has in it AN EARNEST PRAYER--it is addressed to the God of salvation. It is His prerogative to forgive;
it is His very name and office to save those who seek His face. Better still, the text calls Him the God of my
salvation. Yes, blessed be His name, while I am yet going to Him through Jesus' blood, I can rejoice in the God
of my salvation.
The psalmist ends with A COMMENDABLE VOW: if God will deliver him he will sing--nay, more, he will "sing aloud."
Who can sing in any other style of such a mercy as this! But note the subject of the song--"THY RIGHTEOUSNESS."
We must sing of the finished work of a precious Saviour; and he who knows most of forgiving love will sing the
loudest.
April 8
This morning's verse:
If they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry? - Luke 23:31
Among other interpretations of this suggestive question, the following is full of teaching: "If the innocent
substitute for sinners, suffer thus, what will be done when the sinner himself --the dry tree--shall fall into
the hands of an angry God?" When God saw Jesus in the sinner's place, He did not spare Him; and when He finds
the unregenerate without Christ, He will not spare them. O sinner, Jesus was led away by His enemies: so shall
you be dragged away by fiends to the place appointed for you. Jesus was deserted of God; and if He, who was only
imputedly a sinner, was deserted, how much more shall you be? "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" what an
awful shriek! But what shall be your cry when you shall say, "O God! O God! why hast Thou forsaken me?"
and the answer shall come back, "Because ye have set at nought all My counsel, and would none of My reproof:
I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh." If God spared not His own Son, how
much less will He spare you! What whips of burning wire will be yours when conscience shall smite you with all
its terrors. Ye richest, ye merriest, ye most self-righteous sinners--who would stand in your place when God shall
say, "Awake, O sword, against the man that rejected Me; smite him, and let him feel the smart for ever"?
Jesus was spit upon: sinner, what shame will be yours! We cannot sum up in one word all the mass of sorrows which
met upon the head of Jesus who died for us, therefore it is impossible for us to tell you what streams, what oceans
of grief must roll over your spirit if you die as you now are. You may die so, you may die now. By the agonies
of Christ, by His wounds and by His blood, do not bring upon yourselves the wrath to come! Trust in the Son of
God, and you shall never die.
April 8
This evening's verse:
I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me. - Psalm 23:4
Behold, how independent of outward circumstances the Holy Ghost can make the Christian! What a bright light may
shine within us when it is all dark without! How firm, how happy, how calm, how peaceful we may be, when the world
shakes to and fro, and the pillars of the earth are removed! Even death itself, with all its terrible influences,
has no power to suspend the music of a Christian's heart, but rather makes that music become more sweet, more clear,
more heavenly, till the last kind act which death can do is to let the earthly strain melt into the heavenly chorus,
the temporal joy into the eternal bliss! Let us have confidence, then, in the blessed Spirit's power to comfort
us. Dear reader, are you looking forward to poverty? Fear not; the divine Spirit can give you, in your want, a
greater plenty than the rich have in their abundance. You know not what joys may be stored up for you in the cottage
around which grace will plant the roses of content. Are you conscious of a growing failure of your bodily powers?
Do you expect to suffer long nights of languishing and days of pain? O be not sad! That bed may become a throne
to you. You little know how every pang that shoots through your body may be a refining fire to consume your dross--a
beam of glory to light up the secret parts of your soul. Are the eyes growing dim? Jesus will be your light. Do
the ears fail you? Jesus' name will be your soul's best music, and His person your dear delight. Socrates used
to say, "Philosophers can be happy without music;" and Christians can be happier than philosophers when
all outward causes of rejoicing are withdrawn. In Thee, my God, my heart shall triumph, come what may of ills without!
By thy power, O blessed Spirit, my heart shall be exceeding glad, though all things should fail me here below.
April 9
This morning's verse:
And there followed Him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented Him. - Luke 23:27
Amid the rabble rout which hounded the Redeemer to His doom, there were some gracious souls whose bitter anguish
sought vent in wailing and lamentations--fit music to accompany that march of woe. When my soul can, in imagination,
see the Saviour bearing His cross to Calvary, she joins the godly women and weeps with them; for, indeed, there
is true cause for grief-- cause lying deeper than those mourning women thought. They bewailed innocence maltreated,
goodness persecuted, love bleeding, meekness about to die; but my heart has a deeper and more bitter cause to mourn.
My sins were the scourges which lacerated those blessed shoulders, and crowned with thorn those bleeding brows:
my sins cried "Crucify Him! crucify Him!" and laid the cross upon His gracious shoulders. His being led
forth to die is sorrow enough for one eternity: but my having been His murderer, is more, infinitely more, grief
than one poor fountain of tears can express.
Why those women loved and wept it were not hard to guess: but they could not have had greater reasons for love
and grief than my heart has. Nain's widow saw her son restored--but I myself have been raised to newness of life.
Peter's wife's mother was cured of the fever--but I of the greater plague of sin. Out of Magdalene seven devils
were cast--but a whole legion out of me. Mary and Martha were favoured with visits--but He dwells with me. His
mother bare His body--but He is formed in me the hope of glory. In nothing behind the holy women in debt, let me
not be behind them in gratitude or sorrow.
"Love and grief my heart dividing,
With my tears His feet I'll lave--
Constant still in heart abiding,
Weep for Him who died to save."
April 9
This evening's verse:
Thy gentleness hath made me great. - Psalm 18:35
The words are capable of being translated, "Thy goodness hath made me great." David gratefully ascribed
all his greatness not to his own goodness, but the goodness of God. "Thy providence," is another reading;
and providence is nothing more than goodness in action. Goodness is the bud of which providence is the flower,
or goodness is the seed of which providence is the harvest. Some render it, "Thy help," which is but
another word for providence; providence being the firm ally of the saints, aiding them in the service of their
Lord. Or again, "Thy humility hath made me great." "Thy condescension" may, perhaps, serve
as a comprehensive reading, combining the ideas mentioned, including that of humility. It is God's making Himself
little which is the cause of our being made great. We are so little, that if God should manifest His greatness
without condescension, we should be trampled under His feet; but God, who must stoop to view the skies, and bow
to see what angels do, turns His eye yet lower, and looks to the lowly and contrite, and makes them great. There
are yet other readings, as for instance, the Septuagint, which reads, "Thy discipline"--Thy fatherly
correction--"hath made me great;" while the Chaldee paraphrase reads, "Thy word hath increased me."
Still the idea is the same. David ascribes all his own greatness to the condescending goodness of his Father in
heaven. May this sentiment be echoed in our hearts this evening while we cast our crowns at Jesus' feet, and cry,
"Thy gentleness hath made me great." How marvellous has been our experience of God's gentleness! How
gentle have been His corrections! How gentle His forbearance! How gentle His teachings! How gentle His drawings!
Meditate upon this theme, O believer. Let gratitude be awakened; let humility be deepened; let love be quickened
ere thou fallest asleep to-night.
April 10
This morning's verse:
The place which is called Calvary. - Luke 23:33
The hill of comfort is the hill of Calvary; the house of consolation is built with the wood of the cross; the temple
of heavenly blessing is founded upon the riven rock--riven by the spear which pierced His side. No scene in sacred
history ever gladdens the soul like Calvary's tragedy.
"Is it not strange, the darkest hour
That ever dawned on sinful earth,
Should touch the heart with softer power,
For comfort, than an angel's mirth?
That to the Cross the mourner's eye should turn,
Sooner than where the stars of Bethlehem burn?"
Light springs from the midday-midnight of Golgotha, and every herb of the field blooms sweetly beneath the shadow
of the once accursed tree. In that place of thirst, grace hath dug a fountain which ever gusheth with waters pure
as crystal, each drop capable of alleviating the woes of mankind. You who have had your seasons of conflict, will
confess that it was not at Olivet that you ever found comfort, not on the hill of Sinai, nor on Tabor; but Gethsemane,
Gabbatha, and Golgotha have been a means of comfort to you. The bitter herbs of Gethsemane have often taken away
the bitters of your life; the scourge of Gabbatha has often scourged away your cares, and the groans of Calvary
yields us comfort rare and rich. We never should have known Christ's love in all its heights and depths if He had
not died; nor could we guess the Father's deep affection if He had not given His Son to die. The common mercies
we enjoy all sing of love, just as the sea-shell, when we put it to our ears, whispers of the deep sea whence it
came; but if we desire to hear the ocean itself, we must not look at every-day blessings, but at the transactions
of the crucifixion. He who would know love, let him retire to Calvary and see the Man of sorrows die.
April 10
This evening's verse:
For there stood by me this night the angel of God. - Acts 27:23
Tempest and long darkness, coupled with imminent risk of shipwreck, had brought the crew of the vessel into a sad
case; one man alone among them remained perfectly calm, and by his word the rest were reassured. Paul was the only
man who had heart enough to say, "Sirs, be of good cheer." There were veteran Roman legionaries on board,
and brave old mariners, and yet their poor Jewish prisoner had more spirit than they all. He had a secret Friend
who kept his courage up. The Lord Jesus despatched a heavenly messenger to whisper words of consolation in the
ear of His faithful servant, therefore he wore a shining countenance and spake like a man at ease.
If we fear the Lord, we may look for timely interpositions when our case is at its worst. Angels are not kept from
us by storms, or hindered by darkness. Seraphs think it no humiliation to visit the poorest of the heavenly family.
If angel's visits are few and far between at ordinary times, they shall be frequent in our nights of tempest and
tossing. Friends may drop from us when we are under pressure, but our intercourse with the inhabitants of the angelic
world shall be more abundant; and in the strength of love-words, brought to us from the throne by the way of Jacob's
ladder, we shall be strong to do exploits. Dear reader, is this an hour of distress with you? then ask for peculiar
help. Jesus is the angel of the covenant, and if His presence be now earnestly sought, it will not be denied. What
that presence brings in heart-cheer those remember who, like Paul, have had the angel of God standing by them in
a night of storm, when anchors would no longer hold, and rocks were nigh.
"O angel of my God, be near,
Amid the darkness hush my fear;
Loud roars the wild tempestuous sea,
Thy presence, Lord, shall comfort me."
April 11
This morning's verse:
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. - Psalm 22:14
Did earth or heaven ever behold a sadder spectacle of woe! In soul and body, our Lord felt Himself to be weak as
water poured upon the ground. The placing of the cross in its socket had shaken Him with great violence, had strained
all the ligaments, pained every nerve, and more or less dislocated all His bones. Burdened with His own weight,
the august sufferer felt the strain increasing every moment of those six long hours. His sense of faintness and
general weakness were overpowering; while to His own consciousness He became nothing but a mass of misery and swooning
sickness. When Daniel saw the great vision, he thus describes his sensations, "There remained no strength
in me, for my vigour was turned into corruption, and I retained no strength:" how much more faint must have
been our greater Prophet when He saw the dread vision of the wrath of God, and felt it in His own soul! To us,
sensations such as our Lord endured would have been insupportable, and kind unconsciousness would have come to
our rescue; but in His case, He was wounded, and felt the sword; He drained the cup and tasted every drop.
"O King of Grief! (a title strange, yet true
To Thee of all kings only due)
O King of Wounds! how shall I grieve for Thee,
Who in all grief preventest me!"
As we kneel before our now ascended Saviour's throne, let us remember well the way by which He prepared it as a
throne of grace for us; let us in spirit drink of His cup, that we may be strengthened for our hour of heaviness
whenever it may come. In His natural body every member suffered, and so must it be in the spiritual; but as out
of all His griefs and woes His body came forth uninjured to glory and power, even so shall His mystical body come
through the furnace with not so much as the smell of fire upon it.
April 11
This evening's verse:
Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins. - Psalm 25:18
It is well for us when prayers about our sorrows are linked with pleas concerning our sins--when, being under God's
hand, we are not wholly taken up with our pain, but remember our offences against God. It is well, also, to take
both sorrow and sin to the same place. It was to God that David carried his sorrow: it was to God that David confessed
his sin. Observe, then, we must take our sorrows to God. Even your little sorrows you may roll upon God, for He
counteth the hairs of your head; and your great sorrows you may commit to Him, for He holdeth the ocean in the
hollow of His hand. Go to Him, whatever your present trouble may be, and you shall find Him able and willing to
relieve you. But we must take our sins to God too. We must carry them to the cross, that the blood may fall upon
them, to purge away their guilt, and to destroy their defiling power.
The special lesson of the text is this:--that we are to go to the Lord with sorrows and with sins in the right
spirit. Note that all David asks concerning his sorrow is, "Look upon mine affliction and my pain;" but
the next petition is vastly more express, definite, decided, plain--"Forgive all my sins" Many sufferers
would have put it, "Remove my affliction and my pain, and look at my sins." But David does not say so;
he cries, "Lord, as for my affliction and my pain, I will not dictate to Thy wisdom. Lord, look at them, I
will leave them to Thee, I should be glad to have my pain removed, but do as Thou wilt; but as for my sins, Lord,
I know what I want with them; I must have them forgiven; I cannot endure to lie under their curse for a moment."
A Christian counts sorrow lighter in the scale than sin; he can bear that his troubles should continue, but he
cannot support the burden of his transgressions.
April 12
This morning's verse:
My heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. - Psalm 22:14
Our blessed Lord experienced a terrible sinking and melting of soul. "The spirit of a man will sustain his
infirmity, but a wounded spirit who can bear?" Deep depression of spirit is the most grievous of all trials;
all besides is as nothing. Well might the suffering Saviour cry to His God, "Be not far from me," for
above all other seasons a man needs his God when his heart is melted within him because of heaviness. Believer,
come near the cross this morning, and humbly adore the King of glory as having once been brought far lower, in
mental distress and inward anguish, than any one among us; and mark His fitness to become a faithful High Priest,
who can be touched with a feeling of our infirmities. Especially let those of us whose sadness springs directly
from the withdrawal of a present sense of our Father's love, enter into near and intimate communion with Jesus.
Let us not give way to despair, since through this dark room the Master has passed before us. Our souls may sometimes
long and faint, and thirst even to anguish, to behold the light of the Lord's countenance: at such times let us
stay ourselves with the sweet fact of the sympathy of our great High Priest. Our drops of sorrow may well be forgotten
in the ocean of His griefs; but how high ought our love to rise! Come in, O strong and deep love of Jesus, like
the sea at the flood in spring tides, cover all my powers, drown all my sins, wash out all my cares, lift up my
earth-bound soul, and float it right up to my Lord's feet, and there let me lie, a poor broken shell, washed up
by His love, having no virtue or value; and only venturing to whisper to Him that if He will put His ear to me,
He will hear within my heart faint echoes of the vast waves of His own love which have brought me where it is my
delight to lie, even at His feet for ever.
April 12
This evening's verse:
The king's garden. - Nehemiah 3:15
Mention of the king's garden by Nehemiah brings to mind the paradise which the King of kings prepared for Adam.
Sin has utterly ruined that fair abode of all delights, and driven forth the children of men to till the ground,
which yields thorns and briers unto them. My soul, remember the fall, for it was thy fall. Weep much because the
Lord of love was so shamefully ill-treated by the head of the human race, of which thou art a member, as undeserving
as any. Behold how dragons and demons dwell on this fair earth, which once was a garden of delights.
See yonder another King's garden, which the King waters with His bloody sweat--Gethsemane, whose bitter herbs are
sweeter far to renewed souls than even Eden's luscious fruits. There the mischief of the serpent in the first garden
was undone: there the curse was lifted from earth, and borne by the woman's promised seed. My soul, bethink thee
much of the agony and the passion; resort to the garden of the olive-press, and view thy great Redeemer rescuing
thee from thy lost estate. This is the garden of gardens indeed, wherein the soul may see the guilt of sin and
the power of love, two sights which surpass all others.
Is there no other King's garden? Yes, my heart, thou art, or shouldst be such. How do the flowers flourish? Do
any choice fruits appear? Does the King walk within, and rest in the bowers of my spirit? Let me see that the plants
are trimmed and watered, and the mischievous foxes hunted out. Come, Lord, and let the heavenly wind blow at Thy
coming, that the spices of Thy garden may flow abroad. Nor must I forget the King's garden of the church. O Lord,
send prosperity unto it. Rebuild her walls, nourish her plants, ripen her fruits, and from the huge wilderness,
reclaim the barren waste, and make thereof "a King's garden."
April 13
This morning's verse:
A bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me. - Song Of Solomon 1:13
Myrrh may well be chosen as the type of Jesus on account of its preciousness, its perfume, its pleasantness, its
healing, preserving, disinfecting qualities, and its connection with sacrifice. But why is He compared to "a
bundle of myrrh"? First, for plenty. He is not a drop of it, He is a casket full. He is not a sprig or flower
of it, but a whole bundle. There is enough in Christ for all my necessities; let me not be slow to avail myself
of Him. Our well-beloved is compared to a "bundle" again, for variety: for there is in Christ not only
the one thing needful, but in "Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily," everything needful
is in Him. Take Jesus in His different characters, and you will see a marvellous variety--Prophet, Priest, King,
Husband, Friend, Shepherd. Consider Him in His life, death, resurrection, ascension, second advent; view Him in
His virtue, gentleness, courage, self-denial, love, faithfulness, truth, righteousness-- everywhere He is a bundle
of preciousness. He is a "bundle of myrrh" for preservation--not loose myrrh tied up, myrrh to be stored
in a casket. We must value Him as our best treasure; we must prize His words and His ordinances; and we must keep
our thoughts of Him and knowledge of Him as under lock and key, lest the devil should steal anything from us. Moreover,
Jesus is a "bundle of myrrh" for speciality. The emblem suggests the idea of distinguishing, discriminating
grace. From before the foundation of the world, He was set apart for His people; and He gives forth His perfume
only to those who understand how to enter into communion with Him, to have close dealings with Him. Oh! blessed
people whom the Lord hath admitted into His secrets, and for whom He sets Himself apart. Oh! choice and happy who
are thus made to say, "A bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me."
April 13
This evening's verse:
And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt-offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement
for him. - Leviticus 1:4
Our Lord's being made "sin for us" is set forth here by the very significant transfer of sin to the bullock,
which was made by the elders of the people. The laying of the hand was not a mere touch of contact, for in some
other places of Scripture the original word has the meaning of leaning heavily, as in the expression, "Thy
wrath lieth hard upon me" (Psalm 88:7). Surely this is the very essence and nature of faith, which doth not
only bring us into contact with the great Substitute, but teaches us to lean upon Him with all the burden of our
guilt. Jehovah made to meet upon the head of the Substitute all the offences of His covenant people, but each one
of the chosen is brought personally to ratify this solemn covenant act, when by grace he is enabled by faith to
lay his hand upon the head of the "Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world." Believer, do
you remember that rapturous day when you first realized pardon through Jesus the sin-bearer? Can you not make glad
confession, and join with the writer in saying, "My soul recalls her day of deliverance with delight. Laden
with guilt and full of fears, I saw my Saviour as my Substitute, and I laid my hand upon Him; oh! how timidly at
first, but courage grew and confidence was confirmed until I leaned my soul entirely upon Him; and now it is my
unceasing joy to know that my sins are no longer imputed to me, but laid on Him, and like the debts of the wounded
traveller, Jesus, like the good Samaritan, has said of all my future sinfulness, 'Set that to My account.'"
Blessed discovery! Eternal solace of a grateful heart!
"My numerous sins transferr'd to Him,
Shall never more be found,
Lost in His blood's atoning stream,
Where every crime is drown'd!"
April 14
This morning's verse:
All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head. - Psalm 22:7
Mockery was a great ingredient in our Lord's woe. Judas mocked Him in the garden; the chief priests and scribes
laughed Him to scorn; Herod set Him at nought; the servants and the soldiers jeered at Him, and brutally insulted
Him; Pilate and his guards ridiculed His royalty; and on the tree all sorts of horrid jests and hideous taunts
were hurled at Him. Ridicule is always hard to bear, but when we are in intense pain it is so heartless, so cruel,
that it cuts us to the quick. Imagine the Saviour crucified, racked with anguish far beyond all mortal guess, and
then picture that motley multitude, all wagging their heads or thrusting out the lip in bitterest contempt of one
poor suffering victim! Surely there must have been something more in the crucified One than they could see, or
else such a great and mingled crowd would not unanimously have honoured Him with such contempt. Was it not evil
confessing, in the very moment of its greatest apparent triumph, that after all it could do no more than mock at
that victorious goodness which was then reigning on the cross? O Jesus, "despised and rejected of men,"
how couldst Thou die for men who treated Thee so ill? Herein is love amazing, love divine, yea, love beyond degree.
We, too, have despised Thee in the days of our unregeneracy, and even since our new birth we have set the world
on high in our hearts, and yet Thou bleedest to heal our wounds, and diest to give us life. O that we could set
Thee on a glorious high throne in all men's hearts! We would ring out Thy praises over land and sea till men should
as universally adore as once they did unanimously reject.
Thy creatures wrong Thee, O Thou sovereign Good!
Thou art not loved, because not understood:
This grieves me most, that vain pursuits beguile
Ungrateful men, regardless of Thy smile.
April 14
This evening's verse:
Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him. - Isaiah 3:10
It is well with the righteous ALWAYS. If it had said, "Say ye to the righteous, that it is well with him in
his prosperity," we must have been thankful for so great a boon, for prosperity is an hour of peril, and it
is a gift from heaven to be secured from its snares: or if it had been written, "It is well with him when
under persecution," we must have been thankful for so sustaining an assurance, for persecution is hard to
bear; but when no time is mentioned, all time is included. God's "shalls" must be understood always in
their largest sense. From the beginning of the year to the end of the year, from the first gathering of evening
shadows until the day-star shines, in all conditions and under all circumstances, it shall be well with the righteous.
It is so well with him that we could not imagine it to be better, for he is well fed, he feeds upon the flesh and
blood of Jesus; he is well clothed, he wears the imputed righteousness of Christ; he is well housed, he dwells
in God; he is well married, his soul is knit in bonds of marriage union to Christ; he is well provided for, for
the Lord is his Shepherd; he is well endowed, for heaven is his inheritance. It is well with the righteous--well
upon divine authority; the mouth of God speaks the comforting assurance. O beloved, if God declares that all is
well, ten thousand devils may declare it to be ill, but we laugh them all to scorn. Blessed be God for a faith
which enables us to believe God when the creatures contradict Him. It is, says the Word, at all times well with
thee, thou righteous one; then, beloved, if thou canst not see it, let God's word stand thee in stead of sight;
yea, believe it on divine authority more confidently than if thine eyes and thy feelings told it to thee. Whom
God blesses is blest indeed, and what His lip declares is truth most sure and steadfast.
April 15
This morning's verse:
My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me? - Psalm 22:1
We here behold the Saviour in the depth of His sorrows. No other place so well shows the griefs of Christ as Calvary,
and no other moment at Calvary is so full of agony as that in which His cry rends the air--"My God, my God,
why hast Thou forsaken me?" At this moment physical weakness was united with acute mental torture from the
shame and ignominy through which He had to pass; and to make His grief culminate with emphasis, He suffered spiritual
agony surpassing all expression, resulting from the departure of His Father's presence. This was the black midnight
of His horror; then it was that He descended the abyss of suffering. No man can enter into the full meaning of
these words. Some of us think at times that we could cry, "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?"
There are seasons when the brightness of our Father's smile is eclipsed by clouds and darkness; but let us remember
that God never does really forsake us. It is only a seeming forsaking with us, but in Christ's case it was a real
forsaking. We grieve at a little withdrawal of our Father's love; but the real turning away of God's face from
His Son, who shall calculate how deep the agony which it caused Him?
In our case, our cry is often dictated by unbelief: in His case, it was the utterance of a dreadful fact, for God
had really turned away from Him for a season. O thou poor, distressed soul, who once lived in the sunshine of God's
face, but art now in darkness, remember that He has not really forsaken thee. God in the clouds is as much our
God as when He shines forth in all the lustre of His grace; but since even the thought that He has forsaken us
gives us agony, what must the woe of the Saviour have been when He exclaimed, "My God, my God, why hast Thou
forsaken me?"
April 15
This evening's verse:
Lift them up for ever. - Psalm 28:9
God's people need lifting up. They are very heavy by nature. They have no wings, or, if they have, they are like
the dove of old which lay among the pots; and they need divine grace to make them mount on wings covered with silver,
and with feathers of yellow gold. By nature sparks fly upward, but the sinful souls of men fall downward. O Lord,
"lift them up for ever!" David himself said, "Unto Thee, O God, do I lift up my soul," and
he here feels the necessity that other men's souls should be lifted up as well as his own. When you ask this blessing
for yourself, forget not to seek it for others also. There are three ways in which God's people require to be lifted
up. They require to be elevated in character. Lift them up, O Lord; do not suffer Thy people to be like the world's
people! The world lieth in the wicked one; lift them out of it! The world's people are looking after silver and
gold, seeking their own pleasures, and the gratification of their lusts; but, Lord, lift Thy people up above all
this; keep them from being "muck-rakers," as John Bunyan calls the man who was always scraping after
gold! Set thou their hearts upon their risen Lord and the heavenly heritage! Moreover, believers need to be prospered
in conflict. In the battle, if they seem to fall, O Lord, be pleased to give them the victory. If the foot of the
foe be upon their necks for a moment, help them to grasp the sword of the Spirit, and eventually to win the battle.
Lord, lift up Thy children's spirits in the day of conflict; let them not sit in the dust, mourning for ever. Suffer
not the adversary to vex them sore, and make them fret; but if they have been, like Hannah, persecuted, let them
sing of the mercy of a delivering God.
We may also ask our Lord to lift them up at the last! Lift them up by taking them home, lift their bodies from
the tomb, and raise their souls to Thine eternal kingdom in glory.
April 16
This morning's verse:
The precious blood of Christ. - 1 Peter 1:19
Standing at the foot of the cross, we see hands, and feet, and side, all distilling crimson streams of precious
blood. It is "precious" because of its redeeming and atoning efficacy. By it the sins of Christ's people
are atoned for; they are redeemed from under the law; they are reconciled to God, made one with Him. Christ's blood
is also "precious" in its cleansing power; it "cleanseth from all sin." "Though your sins
be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow." Through Jesus' blood there is not a spot left upon any believer,
no wrinkle nor any such thing remains. O precious blood, which makes us clean, removing the stains of abundant
iniquity, and permitting us to stand accepted in the Beloved, notwithstanding the many ways in which we have rebelled
against our God. The blood of Christ is likewise "precious" in its preserving power. We are safe from
the destroying angel under the sprinkled blood. Remember it is God's seeing the blood which is the true reason
for our being spared. Here is comfort for us when the eye of faith is dim, for God's eye is still the same. The
blood of Christ is "precious" also in its sanctifying influence. The same blood which justifies by taking
away sin, does in its after-action, quicken the new nature and lead it onward to subdue sin and to follow out the
commands of God. There is no motive for holiness so great as that which streams from the veins of Jesus. And "precious,"
unspeakably precious, is this blood, because it has an overcoming power. It is written, "They overcame through
the blood of the Lamb." How could they do otherwise? He who fights with the precious blood of Jesus, fights
with a weapon which cannot know defeat. The blood of Jesus! sin dies at its presence, death ceases to be death:
heaven's gates are opened. The blood of Jesus! we shall march on, conquering and to conquer, so long as we can
trust its power!
April 16
This evening's verse:
And his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. - Exodus 17:12
So mighty was the prayer of Moses, that all depended upon it. The petitions of Moses discomfited the enemy more
than the fighting of Joshua. Yet both were needed. No, in the soul's conflict, force and fervour, decision and
devotion, valour and vehemence, must join their forces, and all will be well. You must wrestle with your sin, but
the major part of the wrestling must be done alone in private with God. Prayer, like Moses', holds up the token
of the covenant before the Lord. The rod was the emblem of God's working with Moses, the symbol of God's government
in Israel. Learn, O pleading saint, to hold up the promise and the oath of God before Him. The Lord cannot deny
His own declarations. Hold up the rod of promise, and have what you will.
Moses grew weary, and then his friends assisted him. When at any time your prayer flags, let faith support one
hand, and let holy hope uplift the other, and prayer seating itself upon the stone of Israel, the rock of our salvation,
will persevere and prevail. Beware of faintness in devotion; if Moses felt it, who can escape? It is far easier
to fight with sin in public, than to pray against it in private. It is remarked that Joshua never grew weary in
the fighting, but Moses did grow weary in the praying; the more spiritual an exercise, the more difficult it is
for flesh and blood to maintain it. Let us cry, then, for special strength, and may the Spirit of God, who helpeth
our infirmities, as He allowed help to Moses, enable us like him to continue with our hands steady "until
the going down of the sun;" till the evening of life is over; till we shall come to the rising of a better
sun in the land where prayer is swallowed up in praise.
April 17
This morning's verse:
We are come to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. - Hebrews 12:24
Reader, have you come to the blood of sprinkling? The question is not whether you have come to a knowledge of doctrine,
or an observance of ceremonies, or to a certain form of experience, but have you come to the blood of Jesus? The
blood of Jesus is the life of all vital godliness. If you have truly come to Jesus, we know how you came--the Holy
Spirit sweetly brought you there. You came to the blood of sprinkling with no merits of your own. Guilty, lost,
and helpless, you came to take that blood, and that blood alone, as your everlasting hope. You came to the cross
of Christ, with a trembling and an aching heart; and oh! what a precious sound it was to you to hear the voice
of the blood of Jesus! The dropping of His blood is as the music of heaven to the penitent sons of earth. We are
full of sin, but the Saviour bids us lift our eyes to Him, and as we gaze upon His streaming wounds, each drop
of blood, as it falls, cries, "It is finished; I have made an end of sin; I have brought in everlasting righteousness."
Oh! sweet language of the precious blood of Jesus! If you have come to that blood once, you will come to it constantly.
Your life will be "Looking unto Jesus." Your whole conduct will be epitomized in this--"To whom
coming." Not to whom I have come, but to whom I am always coming. If thou hast ever come to the blood of sprinkling,
thou wilt feel thy need of coming to it every day. He who does not desire to wash in it every day, has never washed
in it at all. The believer ever feels it to be his joy and privilege that there is still a fountain opened. Past
experiences are doubtful food for Christians; a present coming to Christ alone can give us joy and comfort. This
morning let us sprinkle our door-post fresh with blood, and then feast upon the Lamb, assured that the destroying
angel must pass us by.
April 17
This evening's verse:
We would see Jesus. - John 12:21
Evermore the worldling's cry is, Who will show us any good?" He seeks satisfaction in earthly comforts, enjoyments,
and riches. But the quickened sinner knows of only one good. "O that I knew where I might find HIM!"
When he is truly awakened to feel his guilt, if you could pour the gold of India at his feet, he would say, "Take
it away: I want to find HIM." It is a blessed thing for a man, when he has brought his desires into a focus,
so that they all centre in one object. When he has fifty different desires, his heart resembles a mere of stagnant
water, spread out into a marsh, breeding miasma and pestilence; but when all his desires are brought into one channel,
his heart becomes like a river of pure water, running swiftly to fertilize the fields. Happy is he who hath one
desire, if that one desire be set on Christ, though it may not yet have been realized. If Jesus be a soul's desire,
it is a blessed sign of divine work within. Such a man will never be content with mere ordinances. He will say,
"I want Christ; I must have Him--mere ordinances are of no use to me; I want Himself; do not offer me these;
you offer me the empty pitcher, while I am dying of thirst; give me water, or I die. Jesus is my soul's desire.
I would see Jesus!"
Is this thy condition, my reader, at this moment? Hast thou but one desire, and is that after Christ? Then thou
art not far from the kingdom of heaven. Hast thou but one wish in thy heart, and that one wish that thou mayst
be washed from all thy sins in Jesus' blood? Canst thou really say, "I would give all I have to be a Christian;
I would give up everything I have and hope for, if I might but feel that I have an interest in Christ"? Then,
despite all thy fears, be of good cheer, the Lord loveth thee, and thou shalt come out into daylight soon, and
rejoice in the liberty wherewith Christ makes men free.
April 18
This morning's verse:
She bound the scarlet line in the window. - Joshua 2:21
Rahab depended for her preservation upon the promise of the spies, whom she looked upon as the representatives
of the God of Israel. Her faith was simple and firm, but it was very obedient. To tie the scarlet line in the window
was a very trivial act in itself, but she dared not run the risk of omitting it. Come, my soul, is there not here
a lesson for thee? Hast thou been attentive to all thy Lord's will, even though some of His commands should seem
non-essential? Hast thou observed in his own way the two ordinances of believers' baptism and the Lord's Supper?
These neglected, argue much unloving disobedience in thy heart. Be henceforth in all things blameless, even to
the tying of a thread, if that be matter of command.
This act of Rahab sets forth a yet more solemn lesson. Have I implicitly trusted in the precious blood of Jesus?
Have I tied the scarlet cord, as with a Gordian knot in my window, so that my trust can never be removed? Or can
I look out towards the Dead Sea of my sins, or the Jerusalem of my hopes, without seeing the blood, and seeing
all things in connection with its blessed power? The passer-by can see a cord of so conspicuous a colour, if it
hangs from the window: it will be well for me if my life makes the efficacy of the atonement conspicuous to all
onlookers. What is there to be ashamed of? Let men or devils gaze if they will, the blood is my boast and my song.
My soul, there is One who will see that scarlet line, even when from weakness of faith thou canst not see it thyself;
Jehovah, the Avenger, will see it and pass over thee. Jericho's walls fell flat: Rahab's house was on the wall,
and yet it stood unmoved; my nature is built into the wall of humanity, and yet when destruction smites the race,
I shall be secure. My soul, tie the scarlet thread in the window afresh, and rest in peace.
April 18
This evening's verse:
And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good. - Genesis 32:12
When Jacob was on the other side of the brook Jabbok, and Esau was coming with armed men, he earnestly sought God's
protection, and as a master reason he pleaded, "And Thou saidst, I will surely do thee good." Oh, the
force of that plea! He was holding God to His word--"Thou saidst." The attribute of God's faithfulness
is a splendid horn of the altar to lay hold upon; but the promise, which has in it the attribute and something
more, is a yet mightier holdfast--"Thou saidst, I will surely do thee good." And has He said, and shall
He not do it? "Let God be true, and every man a liar." Shall not He be true? Shall He not keep His word?
Shall not every word that cometh out of His lips stand fast and be fulfilled? Solomon, at the opening of the temple,
used this same mighty plea. He pleaded with God to remember the word which He had spoken to his father David, and
to bless that place. When a man gives a promissory note, his honour is engaged; he signs his hand, and he must
discharge it when the due time comes, or else he loses credit. It shall never be said that God dishonours His bills.
The credit of the Most High never was impeached, and never shall be. He is punctual to the moment: He never is
before His time, but He never is behind it. Search God's word through, and compare it with the experience of God's
people, and you shall find the two tally from the first to the last. Many a hoary patriarch has said with Joshua,
"Not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you; all are come
to pass." If you have a divine promise, you need not plead it with an "if," you may urge it with
certainty. The Lord meant to fulfil the promise, or He would not have given it. God does not give His words merely
to quiet us, and to keep us hopeful for awhile with the intention of putting us off at last; but when He speaks,
it is because He means to do as He has said.
April 19
This morning's verse:
Behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. - Matthew 27:51
No mean miracle was wrought in the rending of so strong and thick a veil; but it was not intended merely as a display
of power--many lessons were herein taught us. The old law of ordinances was put away, and like a worn-out vesture,
rent and laid aside. When Jesus died, the sacrifices were all finished, because all fulfilled in Him, and therefore
the place of their presentation was marked with an evident token of decay. That rent also revealed all the hidden
things of the old dispensation: the mercy-seat could now be seen, and the glory of God gleamed forth above it.
By the death of our Lord Jesus we have a clear revelation of God, for He was "not as Moses, who put a veil
over his face." Life and immortality are now brought to light, and things which have been hidden since the
foundation of the world are manifest in Him. The annual ceremony of atonement was thus abolished. The atoning blood
which was once every year sprinkled within the veil, was now offered once for all by the great High Priest, and
therefore the place of the symbolical rite was broken up. No blood of bullocks or of lambs is needed now, for Jesus
has entered within the veil with his own blood. Hence access to God is now permitted, and is the privilege of every
believer in Christ Jesus. There is no small space laid open through which we may peer at the mercy-seat, but the
rent reaches from the top to the bottom. We may come with boldness to the throne of the heavenly grace. Shall we
err if we say that the opening of the Holy of Holies in this marvellous manner by our Lord's expiring cry was the
type of the opening of the gates of paradise to all the saints by virtue of the Passion? Our bleeding Lord hath
the key of heaven; He openeth and no man shutteth; let us enter in with Him into the heavenly places, and sit with
Him there till our common enemies shall be made His footstool.
April 19
This evening's verse:
The Amen. - Revelation 3:14
The word AMEN solemnly confirms that which went before; and Jesus is the great Confirmer; immutable, for ever is
"the Amen" in all His promises. Sinner, I would comfort thee with this reflection. Jesus Christ said,
"Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." If you come to Him,
He will say "Amen" in your soul; His promise shall be true to you. He said in the days of His flesh,
"The bruised reed I will not break." O thou poor, broken, bruised heart, if thou comest to Him, He will
say "Amen" to thee, and that shall be true in thy soul as in hundreds of cases in bygone years. Christian,
is not this very comforting to thee also, that there is not a word which has gone out of the Saviour's lips which
He has ever retracted? The words of Jesus shall stand when heaven and earth shall pass away. If thou gettest a
hold of but half a promise, thou shalt find it true. Beware of him who is called "Clip-promise," who
will destroy much of the comfort of God's word.
Jesus is Yea and Amen in all His offices. He was a Priest to pardon and cleanse once, He is Amen as Priest still.
He was a King to rule and reign for His people, and to defend them with His mighty arm, He is an Amen King, the
same still. He was a Prophet of old, to foretell good things to come, His lips are most sweet, and drop with honey
still--He is an Amen Prophet. He is Amen as to the merit of His blood; He is Amen as to His righteousness. That
sacred robe shall remain most fair and glorious when nature shall decay. He is Amen in every single title which
He bears; your Husband, never seeking a divorce; your Friend, sticking closer than a brother; your Shepherd, with
you in death's dark vale; your Help and your Deliverer; your Castle and your High Tower; the Horn of your strength,
your confidence, your joy, your all in all, and your Yea and Amen in all.
April 20
This morning's verse:
That through death He might destroy him that had the power of death. - Hebrews 2:14
O child of God, death hath lost its sting, because the devil's power over it is destroyed. Then cease to fear dying.
Ask grace from God the Holy Ghost, that by an intimate knowledge and a firm belief of thy Redeemer's death, thou
mayst be strengthened for that dread hour. Living near the cross of Calvary thou mayst think of death with pleasure,
and welcome it when it comes with intense delight. It is sweet to die in the Lord: it is a covenant-blessing to
sleep in Jesus. Death is no longer banishment, it is a return from exile, a going home to the many mansions where
the loved ones already dwell. The distance between glorified spirits in heaven and militant saints on earth seems
great; but it is not so. We are not far from home--a moment will bring us there. The sail is spread; the soul is
launched upon the deep. How long will be its voyage? How many wearying winds must beat upon the sail ere it shall
be reefed in the port of peace? How long shall that soul be tossed upon the waves before it comes to that sea which
knows no storm? Listen to the answer, "Absent from the body, present with the Lord." Yon ship has just
departed, but it is already at its haven. It did but spread its sail and it was there. Like that ship of old, upon
the Lake of Galilee, a storm had tossed it, but Jesus said, "Peace, be still," and immediately it came
to land. Think not that a long period intervenes between the instant of death and the eternity of glory. When the
eyes close on earth they open in heaven. The horses of fire are not an instant on the road. Then, O child of God,
what is there for thee to fear in death, seeing that through the death of thy Lord its curse and sting are destroyed?
and now it is but a Jacob's ladder whose foot is in the dark grave, but its top reaches to glory everlasting.
April 20
This evening's verse:
Fight the Lord's battles. - 1 Samuel 18:17
The sacramental host of God's elect is warring still on earth, Jesus Christ being the Captain of their salvation.
He has said, "Lo! I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." Hark to the shouts of war! Now
let the people of God stand fast in their ranks, and let no man's heart fail him. It is true that just now in England
the battle is turned against us, and unless the Lord Jesus shall lift His sword, we know not what may become of
the church of God in this land; but let us be of good courage, and play the man. There never was a day when Protestantism
seemed to tremble more in the scales than now that a fierce effort is making to restore the Romish antichrist to
his ancient seat. We greatly want a bold voice and a strong hand to preach and publish the old gospel for which
martyrs bled and confessors died. The Saviour is, by His Spirit, still on earth; let this cheer us. He is ever
in the midst of the fight, and therefore the battle is not doubtful. And as the conflict rages, what a sweet satisfaction
it is to know that the Lord Jesus, in His office as our great Intercessor, is prevalently pleading for His people!
O anxious gazer, look not so much at the battle below, for there thou shalt be enshrouded in smoke, and amazed
with garments rolled in blood; but lift thine eyes yonder where the Saviour lives and pleads, for while He intercedes,
the cause of God is safe. Let us fight as if it all depended upon us, but let us look up and know that all depends
upon Him.
Now, by the lilies of Christian purity, and by the roses of the Saviour's atonement, by the roes and by the hinds
of the field, we charge you who are lovers of Jesus, to do valiantly in the Holy War, for truth and righteousness,
for the kingdom and crown jewels of your Master. Onward! "for the battle is not yours but God's."
April 21
This morning's verse:
I know that my Redeemer liveth. - Job 19:25
The marrow of Job's comfort lies in that little word "My"--"My Redeemer," and in the fact that
the Redeemer lives. Oh! to get hold of a living Christ. We must get a property in Him before we can enjoy Him.
What is gold in the mine to me? Men are beggars in Peru, and beg their bread in California. It is gold in my purse
which will satisfy my necessities, by purchasing the bread I need. So a Redeemer who does not redeem me, an avenger
who will never stand up for my blood, of what avail were such? Rest not content until by faith you can say "Yes,
I cast myself upon my living Lord; and He is mine." It may be you hold Him with a feeble hand; you half think
it presumption to say, "He lives as my Redeemer;" yet, remember if you have but faith as a grain of mustard
seed, that little faith entitles you to say it. But there is also another word here, expressive of Job's strong
confidence, "I know." To say, "I hope so, I trust so" is comfortable; and there are thousands
in the fold of Jesus who hardly ever get much further. But to reach the essence of consolation you must say, "I
know." Ifs, buts, and perhapses, are sure murderers of peace and comfort. Doubts are dreary things in times
of sorrow. Like wasps they sting the soul! If I have any suspicion that Christ is not mine, then there is vinegar
mingled with the gall of death; but if I know that Jesus lives for me, then darkness is not dark: even the night
is light about me. Surely if Job, in those ages before the coming and advent of Christ, could say, "I know,"
we should not speak less positively. God forbid that our positiveness should be presumption. Let us see that our
evidences are right, lest we build upon an ungrounded hope; and then let us not be satisfied with the mere foundation,
for it is from the upper rooms that we get the widest prospect. A living Redeemer, truly mine, is joy unspeakable.
April 21
This evening's verse:
Who is even at the right hand of God. - Romans 8:34
He who was once despised and rejected of men, now occupies the honourable position of a beloved and honoured Son.
The right hand of God is the place of majesty and favour. Our Lord Jesus is His people's representative. When He
died for them they had rest; He rose again for them, they had liberty; when He sat down at His Father's right hand,
they had favour, and honour, and dignity. The raising and elevation of Christ is the elevation, the acceptance,
and enshrinement, the glorifying of all His people, for He is their head and representative. This sitting at the
right hand of God, then, is to be viewed as the acceptance of the person of the Surety, the reception of the Representative,
and therefore, the acceptance of our souls. O saint, see in this thy sure freedom from condemnation. "Who
is he that condemneth?" Who shall condemn the men who are in Jesus at the right hand of God?
The right hand is the place of power. Christ at the right hand of God hath all power in heaven and in earth. Who
shall fight against the people who have such power vested in their Captain? O my soul, what can destroy thee if
Omnipotence be thy helper? If the aegis of the Almighty cover thee, what sword can smite thee? Rest thou secure.
If Jesus is thine all-prevailing King, and hath trodden thine enemies beneath His feet; if sin, death, and hell
are all vanquished by Him, and thou art represented in Him, by no possibility canst thou be destroyed.
"Jesu's tremendous name
Puts all our foes to flight:
Jesus, the meek, the angry Lamb,
A Lion is in fight.
"By all hell's host withstood;
We all hell's host o'erthrow;
And conquering them, through Jesu's blood
We still to conquer go."
April 22
This morning's verse:
Him hath God exalted. - Acts 5:31
Jesus, our Lord, once crucified, dead and buried, now sits upon the throne of glory. The highest place that heaven
affords is His by undisputed right. It is sweet to remember that the exaltation of Christ in heaven is a representative
exaltation. He is exalted at the Father's right hand, and though as Jehovah He had eminent glories, in which finite
creatures cannot share, yet as the Mediator, the honours which Jesus wears in heaven are the heritage of all the
saints. It is delightful to reflect how close is Christ's union with His people. We are actually one with Him;
we are members of His body; and His exaltation is our exaltation. He will give us to sit upon His throne, even
as He has overcome, and is set down with His Father on His throne; He has a crown, and He gives us crowns too;
He has a throne, but He is not content with having a throne to Himself, on His right hand there must be His queen,
arrayed in "gold of Ophir." He cannot be glorified without His bride. Look up, believer, to Jesus now;
let the eye of your faith behold Him with many crowns upon His head; and remember that you will one day be like
Him, when you shall see Him as He is; you shall not be so great as He is, you shall not be so divine, but still
you shall, in a measure, share the same honours, and enjoy the same happiness and the same dignity which He possesses.
Be content to live unknown for a little while, and to walk your weary way through the fields of poverty, or up
the hills of affliction; for by-and-by you shall reign with Christ, for He has "made us kings and priests
unto God, and we shall reign for ever and ever." Oh!, wonderful thought for the children of God! We have Christ
for our glorious representative in heaven's courts now, and soon He will come and receive us to Himself, to be
with Him there, to behold His glory, and to share His joy.
April 22
This evening's verse:
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night. - Psalm 91:5
What is this terror? It may be the cry of fire, or the noise of thieves, or fancied appearances, or the shriek
of sudden sickness or death. We live in the world of death and sorrow, we may therefore look for ills as well in
the night-watches as beneath the glare of he broiling sun. Nor should this alarm us, for be the terror what it
may, the promise is that the believer shall not be afraid. Why should he? Let us put it more closely, why should
we? God our Father is here, and will be here all through the lonely hours; He is an almighty Watcher, a sleepless
Guardian, a faithful Friend. Nothing can happen without His direction, for even hell itself is under His control.
Darkness is not dark to Him. He has promised to be a wall of fire around His people--and who can break through
such a barrier? Worldlings may well be afraid, for they have an angry God above them, a guilty conscience within
them, and a yawning hell beneath them; but we who rest in Jesus are saved from all these through rich mercy. If
we give way to foolish fear we shall dishonour our profession, and lead others to doubt the reality of godliness.
We ought to be afraid of being afraid, lest we should vex the Holy Spirit by foolish distrust. Down, then, ye dismal
forebodings and groundless apprehensions, God has not forgotten to be gracious, nor shut up His tender mercies,
it may be night in the soul, but there need be no terror, for the God of love changes not. Children of light may
walk in darkness, but they are not therefore cast away, nay, they are now enabled to prove their adoption by trusting
in their heavenly Father as hypocrites cannot do.
"Though the night be dark and dreary,
Darkness cannot hide from Thee;
Thou art He, who, never weary,
Watchest where Thy people be."
April 23
This morning's verse:
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. - Romans 8:37
We go to Christ for forgiveness, and then too often look to the law for power to fight our sins. Paul thus rebukes
us, "O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth? This only would I learn
of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? are ye so foolish? having begun
in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" Take your sins to Christ's cross, for the old man can
only be crucified there: we are crucified with Him. The only weapon to fight sin with is the spear which pierced
the side of Jesus. To give an illustration--you want to overcome an angry temper, how do you go to work? It is
very possible you have never tried the right way of going to Jesus with it. How did I get salvation? I came to
Jesus just as I was, and I trusted Him to save me. I must kill my angry temper in the same way? It is the only
way in which I can ever kill it. I must go to the cross with it, and say to Jesus, "Lord, I trust Thee to
deliver me from it." This is the only way to give it a death-blow. Are you covetous? Do you feel the world
entangle you? You may struggle against this evil so long as you please, but if it be your besetting sin, you will
never be delivered from it in any way but by the blood of Jesus. Take it to Christ. Tell Him, "Lord, I have
trusted Thee, and Thy name is Jesus, for Thou dost save Thy people from their sins; Lord, this is one of my sins;
save me from it!" Ordinances are nothing without Christ as a means of mortification. Your prayers, and your
repentances, and your tears--the whole of them put together--are worth nothing apart from Him. "None but Jesus
can do helpless sinners good;" or helpless saints either. You must be conquerors through Him who hath loved
you, if conquerors at all. Our laurels must grow among His olives in Gethsemane.
April 23
This evening's verse:
Lo, in the midst of the throne . . . stood a Lamb as it had been slain. - Revelation 5:6
Why should our exalted Lord appear in His wounds in glory? The wounds of Jesus are His glories, His jewels, His
sacred ornaments. To the eye of the believer, Jesus is passing fair because He is "white and ruddy" white
with innocence, and ruddy with His own blood. We see Him as the lily of matchless purity, and as the rose crimsoned
with His own gore. Christ is lovely upon Olivet and Tabor, and by the sea, but oh! there never was such a matchless
Christ as He that did hang upon the cross. There we beheld all His beauties in perfection, all His attributes developed,
all His love drawn out, all His character expressed. Beloved, the wounds of Jesus are far more fair in our eyes
than all the splendour and pomp of kings. The thorny crown is more than an imperial diadem. It is true that He
bears not now the sceptre of reed, but there was a glory in it that never flashed from sceptre of gold. Jesus wears
the appearance of a slain Lamb as His court dress in which He wooed our souls, and redeemed them by His complete
atonement. Nor are these only the ornaments of Christ: they are the trophies of His love and of His victory. He
has divided the spoil with the strong. He has redeemed for Himself a great multitude whom no man can number, and
these scars are the memorials of the fight. Ah! if Christ thus loves to retain the thought of His sufferings for
His people, how precious should his wounds be to us!
"Behold how every wound of His
A precious balm distils,
Which heals the scars that sin had made,
And cures all mortal ills.
"Those wounds are mouths that preach His grace;
The ensigns of His love;
The seals of our expected bliss
In paradise above."
April 24
This morning's verse:
And because of all this we make a sure covenant. - Nehemiah 9:38
There are many occasions in our experience when we may very rightly, and with benefit, renew our covenant with
God. After recovery from sickness when, like Hezekiah, we have had a new term of years added to our life, we may
fitly do it. After any deliverance from trouble, when our joys bud forth anew, let us again visit the foot of the
cross, and renew our consecration. Especially, let us do this after any sin which has grieved the Holy Spirit,
or brought dishonour upon the cause of God; let us then look to that blood which can make us whiter than snow,
and again offer ourselves unto the Lord. We should not only let our troubles confirm our dedication to God, but
our prosperity should do the same. If we ever meet with occasions which deserve to be called "crowning mercies"
then, surely, if He hath crowned us, we ought also to crown our God; let us bring forth anew all the jewels of
the divine regalia which have been stored in the jewel-closet of our heart, and let our God sit upon the throne
of our love, arrayed in royal apparel. If we would learn to profit by our prosperity, we should not need so much
adversity. If we would gather from a kiss all the good it might confer upon us, we should not so often smart under
the rod. Have we lately received some blessing which we little expected? Has the Lord put our feet in a large room?
Can we sing of mercies multiplied? Then this is the day to put our hand upon the horns of the altar, and say, "Bind
me here, my God; bind me here with cords, even for ever." Inasmuch as we need the fulfillment of new promises
from God, let us offer renewed prayers that our old vows may not be dishonoured. Let us this morning make with
Him a sure covenant, because of the pains of Jesus which for the last month we have been considering with gratitude.
April 24
This evening's verse:
The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard
in our land. - Song Of Solomon 2:12
Sweet is the season of spring: the long and dreary winter helps us to appreciate its genial warmth, and its promise
of summer enhances its present delights. After periods of depression of spirit, it is delightful to behold again
the light of the Sun of Righteousness; then our slumbering graces rise from their lethargy, like the crocus and
the daffodil from their beds of earth; then is our heart made merry with delicious notes of gratitude, far more
melodious than the warbling of birds--and the comforting assurance of peace, infinitely more delightful than the
turtle's note, is heard within the soul. Now is the time for the soul to seek communion with her Beloved; now must
she rise from her native sordidness, and come away from her old associations. If we do not hoist the sail when
the breeze is favourable, we shall be blameworthy: times of refreshing ought not to pass over us unimproved. When
Jesus Himself visits us in tenderness, and entreats us to arise, can we be so base as to refuse His request? He
has Himself risen that He may draw us after Him: He now by His Holy Spirit has revived us, that we may, in newness
of life, ascend into the heavenlies, and hold communion with Himself. Let our wintry state suffice us for coldness
and indifference; when the Lord creates a spring within, let our sap flow with vigour, and our branch blossom with
high resolve. O Lord, if it be not spring time in my chilly heart, I pray Thee make it so, for I am heartily weary
of living at a distance from Thee. Oh! the long and dreary winter, when wilt Thou bring it to an end? Come, Holy
Spirit, and renew my soul! quicken Thou me! restore me, and have mercy on me! This very night I would earnestly
implore the Lord to take pity upon His servant, and send me a happy revival of spiritual life!
April 25
This morning's verse:
Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away. - Song Of Solomon 2:10
Lo, I hear the voice of my Beloved! He speaks to me! Fair weather is smiling upon the face of the earth, and He
would not have me spiritually asleep while nature is all around me awaking from her winter's rest. He bids me "Rise
up," and well He may, for I have long enough been lying among the pots of worldliness. He is risen, I am risen
in Him, why then should I cleave unto the dust? From lower loves, desires, pursuits, and aspirations, I would rise
towards Him. He calls me by the sweet title of "My love," and counts me fair; this is a good argument
for my rising. If He has thus exalted me, and thinks me thus comely, how can I linger in the tents of Kedar and
find congenial associates among the sons of men? He bids me "Come away." Further and further from everything
selfish, grovelling, worldly, sinful, He calls me; yea, from the outwardly religious world which knows Him not,
and has no sympathy with the mystery of the higher life, He calls me. "Come away" has no harsh sound
in it to my ear, for what is there to hold me in this wilderness of vanity and sin? O my Lord, would that I could
come away, but I am taken among the thorns, and cannot escape from them as I would. I would, if it were possible,
have neither eyes, nor ears, nor heart for sin. Thou callest me to Thyself by saying "Come away," and
this is a melodious call indeed. To come to Thee is to come home from exile, to come to land out of the raging
storm, to come to rest after long labour, to come to the goal of my desires and the summit of my wishes. But Lord,
how can a stone rise, how can a lump of clay come away from the horrible pit? O raise me, draw me. Thy grace can
do it. Send forth Thy Holy Spirit to kindle sacred flames of love in my heart, and I will continue to rise until
I leave life and time behind me, and indeed come away.
April 25
This evening's verse:
If any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him. - Revelation 3:20
What is your desire this evening? Is it set upon heavenly things? Do you long to enjoy the high doctrine of eternal
love? Do you desire liberty in very close communion with God? Do you aspire to know the heights, and depths, and
lengths, and breadths? Then you must draw ear to Jesus; you must get a clear sight of Him in His preciousness and
completeness: you must view Him in His work, in His offices, in His person. He who understands Christ, receives
an anointing from the Holy One, by which He knows all things. Christ is the great master-key of all the chambers
of God: there is no treasure-house of God which will not open and yield up all its wealth to the soul that lives
near to Jesus. Are you saying, "O that He would dwell in my bosom"? "Would that He would make my
heart His dwelling-place for ever"? Open the door, beloved, and He will come into your souls. He has long
been knocking, and all with this object, that He may sup with you, and you with Him. He sups with you because you
find the house or the heart, and you with Him because He brings the provision. He could not sup with you if it
were not in your heart, you finding the house; nor could you sup with Him, for you have a bare cupboard, if He
did not bring provision with Him. Fling wide, then, the portals of your soul. He will come with that love which
you long to feel; He will come with that joy into which you cannot work your poor depressed spirit; He will bring
the peace which now you have not; He will come with His flagons of wine and sweet apples of love, and cheer you
till you have no other sickness but that of "love o'erpowering, love divine." Only open the door to Him,
drive out His enemies, give Him the keys of your heart, and He will dwell there for ever. Oh, wondrous love, that
brings such a guest to dwell in such a heart!
April 26
This morning's verse:
This do in remembrance of Me. - 1 Corinthians 11:24
It seems then, that Christians may forget Christ! There could be no need for this loving exhortation, if there
were not a fearful supposition that our memories might prove treacherous. Nor is this a bare supposition: it is,
alas! too well confirmed in our experience, not as a possibility, but as a lamentable fact. It appears almost impossible
that those who have been redeemed by the blood of the dying Lamb, and loved with an everlasting love by the eternal
Son of God, should forget that gracious Saviour; but, if startling to the ear, it is, alas! too apparent to the
eye to allow us to deny the crime. Forget Him who never forgot us! Forget Him who poured His blood forth for our
sins! Forget Him who loved us even to the death! Can it be possible? Yes, it is not only possible, but conscience
confesses that it is too sadly a fault with all of us, that we suffer Him to be as a wayfaring man tarrying but
for a night. He whom we should make the abiding tenant of our memories is but a visitor therein. The cross where
one would think that memory would linger, and unmindfulness would be an unknown intruder, is desecrated by the
feet of forgetfulness. Does not your conscience say that this is true? Do you not find yourselves forgetful of
Jesus? Some creature steals away your heart, and you are unmindful of Him upon whom your affection ought to be
set. Some earthly business engrosses your attention when you should fix your eye steadily upon the cross. It is
the incessant turmoil of the world, the constant attraction of earthly things which takes away the soul from Christ.
While memory too well preserves a poisonous weed, it suffereth the rose of Sharon to wither. Let us charge ourselves
to bind a heavenly forget-me-not about our hearts for Jesus our Beloved, and, whatever else we let slip, let us
hold fast to Him.
April 26
This evening's verse:
Blessed is he that watcheth. - Revelation 16:15
"We die daily," said the apostle. This was the life of the early Christians; they went everywhere with
their lives in their hands. We are not in this day called to pass through the same fearful persecutions: if we
were, the Lord would give us grace to bear the test; but the tests of Christian life, at the present moment, though
outwardly not so terrible, are yet more likely to overcome us than even those of the fiery age. We have to bear
the sneer of the world--that is little; its blandishments, its soft words, its oily speeches, its fawning, its
hypocrisy, are far worse. Our danger is lest we grow rich and become proud, lest we give ourselves up to the fashions
of this present evil world, and lose our faith. Or if wealth be not the trial, worldly care is quite as mischievous.
If we cannot be torn in pieces by the roaring lion, if we may be hugged to death by the bear, the devil little
cares which it is, so long as he destroys our love to Christ, and our confidence in Him. I fear me that the Christian
church is far more likely to lose her integrity in these soft and silken days than in those rougher times. We must
be awake now, for we traverse the enchanted ground, and are most likely to fall asleep to our own undoing, unless
our faith in Jesus be a reality, and our love to Jesus a vehement flame. Many in these days of easy profession
are likely to prove tares, and not wheat; hypocrites with fair masks on their faces, but not the true-born children
of the living God. Christian, do not think that these are times in which you can dispense with watchfulness or
with holy ardour; you need these things more than ever, and may God the eternal Spirit display His omnipotence
in you, that you may be able to say, in all these softer things, as well as in the rougher, "We are more than
conquerors through Him that loved us."
April 27
This morning's verse:
God, even our own God. - Psalm 67:6
It is strange how little use we make of the spiritual blessings which God gives us, but it is stranger still how
little use we make of God Himself. Though He is "our own God," we apply ourselves but little to Him,
and ask but little of Him. How seldom do we ask counsel at the hands of the Lord! How often do we go about our
business, without seeking His guidance! In our troubles how constantly do we strive to bear our burdens ourselves,
instead of casting them upon the Lord, that He may sustain us! This is not because we may not, for the Lord seems
to say, "I am thine, soul, come and make use of me as thou wilt; thou mayst freely come to my store, and the
oftener the more welcome." It is our own fault if we make not free with the riches of our God. Then, since
thou hast such a friend, and He invites thee, draw from Him daily. Never want whilst thou hast a God to go to;
never fear or faint whilst thou hast God to help thee; go to thy treasure and take whatever thou needest--there
is all that thou canst want. Learn the divine skill of making God all things to thee. He can supply thee with all,
or, better still, He can be to thee instead of all. Let me urge thee, then, to make use of thy God. Make use of
Him in prayer. Go to Him often, because He is thy God. O, wilt thou fail to use so great a privilege? Fly to Him,
tell Him all thy wants. Use Him constantly by faith at all times. If some dark providence has beclouded thee, use
thy God as a "sun;" if some strong enemy has beset thee, find in Jehovah a "shield," for He
is a sun and shield to His people. If thou hast lost thy way in the mazes of life, use Him as a "guide,"
for He will direct thee. Whatever thou art, and wherever thou art, remember God is just what thou wantest, and
just where thou wantest, and that He can do all thou wantest.
April 27
This evening's verse:
The Lord is King for ever and ever. - Psalm 10:16
Jesus Christ is no despotic claimant of divine right, but He is really and truly the Lord's anointed! "It
hath pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell." God hath given to Him all power and all authority.
As the Son of man, He is now head over all things to His church, and He reigns over heaven, and earth, and hell,
with the keys of life and death at His girdle. Certain princes have delighted to call themselves kings by the popular
will, and certainly our Lord Jesus Christ is such in His church. If it could be put to the vote whether He should
be King in the church, every believing heart would crown Him. O that we could crown Him more gloriously than we
do! We would count no expense to be wasted that could glorify Christ. Suffering would be pleasure, and loss would
be gain, if thereby we could surround His brow with brighter crowns, and make Him more glorious in the eyes of
men and angels. Yes, He shall reign. Long live the King! All hail to Thee, King Jesus! Go forth, ye virgin souls
who love your Lord, bow at His feet, strew His way with the lilies of your love, and the roses of your gratitude:
"Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all." Moreover, our Lord Jesus is King in Zion by
right of conquest: He has taken and carried by storm the hearts of His people, and has slain their enemies who
held them in cruel bondage. In the Red Sea of His own blood, our Redeemer has drowned the Pharaoh of our sins:
shall He not be King in Jeshurun? He has delivered us from the iron yoke and heavy curse of the law: shall not
the Liberator be crowned? We are His portion, whom He has taken out of the hand of the Amorite with His sword and
with His bow: who shall snatch His conquest from His hand? All hail, King Jesus! we gladly own Thy gentle sway!
Rule in our hearts for ever, Thou lovely Prince of Peace.
April 28
This morning's verse:
Remember the word unto Thy servant, upon which Thou hast caused me to hope. - Psalm 119:49
Whatever your especial need may be, you may readily find some promise in the Bible suited to it. Are you faint
and feeble because your way is rough and you are weary? Here is the promise--"He giveth power to the faint."
When you read such a promise, take it back to the great Promiser, and ask Him to fulfil His own word. Are you seeking
after Christ, and thirsting for closer communion with Him? This promise shines like a star upon you--"Blessed
are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." Take that promise to the throne
continually; do not plead anything else, but go to God over and over again with this--"Lord, Thou hast said
it, do as Thou hast said." Are you distressed because of sin, and burdened with the heavy load of your iniquities?
Listen to these words--"I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions, and will no more remember thy
sins." You have no merit of your own to plead why He should pardon you, but plead His written engagements
and He will perform them. Are you afraid lest you should not be able to hold on to the end, lest, after having
thought yourself a child of God, you should prove a castaway? If that is your state, take this word of grace to
the throne and plead it: "The mountains may depart, and the hills may be removed, but the covenant of My love
shall not depart from thee." If you have lost the sweet sense of the Saviour's presence, and are seeking Him
with a sorrowful heart, remember the promises: "Return unto Me, and I will return unto you;" "For
a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee." Banquet your faith upon God's
own word, and whatever your fears or wants, repair to the Bank of Faith with your Father's note of hand, saying,
"Remember the word unto Thy servant, upon which Thou hast caused me to hope."
April 28
This evening's verse:
All the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted. - Ezekiel 3:7
Are there no exceptions? No, not one. Even the favoured race are thus described. Are the best so bad?--then what
must the worst be? Come, my heart, consider how far thou hast a share in this universal accusation, and while considering,
be ready to take shame unto thyself herein thou mayst have been guilty. The first charge is impudence, or hardness
of forehead, a want of holy shame, an unhallowed boldness in evil. Before my conversion, I could sin and feel no
compunction, hear of my guilt and yet remain unhumbled, and even confess my iniquity and manifest no inward humiliation
on account of it. For a sinner to go to God's house and pretend to pray to Him and praise Him argues a brazen-facedness
of the worst kind! Alas! since the day of my new birth I have doubted my Lord to His face, murmured unblushingly
in His presence, worshipped before Him in a slovenly manner, and sinned without bewailing myself concerning it.
If my forehead were not as an adamant, harder than flint, I should have far more holy fear, and a far deeper contrition
of spirit. Woe is me, I am one of the impudent house of Israel. The second charge is hardheartedness, and I must
not venture to plead innocent here. Once I had nothing but a heart of stone, and although through grace I now have
a new and fleshy heart, much of my former obduracy remains. I am not affected by the death of Jesus as I ought
to be; neither am I moved by the ruin of my fellow men, the wickedness of the times, the chastisement of my heavenly
Father, and my own failures, as I should be. O that my heart would melt at the recital of my Saviour's sufferings
and death. Would to God I were rid of this nether millstone within me, this hateful body of death. Blessed be the
name of the Lord, the disease is not incurable, the Saviour's precious blood is the universal solvent, and me,
even me, it will effectually soften, till my heart melts as wax before the fire.
April 29
This morning's verse:
Thou art my hope in the day of evil. - Jeremiah 17:17
The path of the Christian is not always bright with sunshine; he has his seasons of darkness and of storm. True,
it is written in God's Word, "Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace;" and it
is a great truth, that religion is calculated to give a man happiness below as well as bliss above; but experience
tells us that if the course of the just be "As the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect
day," yet sometimes that light is eclipsed. At certain periods clouds cover the believer's sun, and he walks
in darkness and sees no light. There are many who have rejoiced in the presence of God for a season; they have
basked in the sunshine in the earlier stages of their Christian career; they have walked along the "green
pastures" by the side of the "still waters," but suddenly they find the glorious sky is clouded;
instead of the Land of Goshen they have to tread the sandy desert; in the place of sweet waters, they find troubled
streams, bitter to their taste, and they say, "Surely, if I were a child of God, this would not happen."
Oh! say not so, thou who art walking in darkness. The best of God's saints must drink the wormwood; the dearest
of His children must bear the cross. No Christian has enjoyed perpetual prosperity; no believer can always keep
his harp from the willows. Perhaps the Lord allotted you at first a smooth and unclouded path, because you were
weak and timid. He tempered the wind to the shorn lamb, but now that you are stronger in the spiritual life, you
must enter upon the riper and rougher experience of God's full-grown children. We need winds and tempests to exercise
our faith, to tear off the rotten bough of self-dependence, and to root us more firmly in Christ. The day of evil
reveals to us the value of our glorious hope.
April 29
This evening's verse:
The Lord taketh pleasure in His people. - Psalm 149:4
How comprehensive is the love of Jesus! There is no part of His people's interests which He does not consider,
and there is nothing which concerns their welfare which is not important to Him. Not merely does He think of you,
believer, as an immortal being, but as a mortal being too. Do not deny it or doubt it: "The very hairs of
your head are all numbered." "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in His
way" It were a sad thing for us if this mantle of love did not cover all our concerns, for what mischief might
be wrought to us in that part of our business which did not come under our gracious Lord's inspection! Believer,
rest assured that the heart of Jesus cares about your meaner affairs. The breadth of His tender love is such that
you may resort to Him in all matters; for in all your afflictions He is afflicted, and like as a father pitieth
his children, so doth He pity you. The meanest interests of all His saints are all borne upon the broad bosom of
the Son of God. Oh, what a heart is His, that doth not merely comprehend the persons of His people, but comprehends
also the diverse and innumerable concerns of all those persons! Dost thou think, O Christian, that thou canst measure
the love of Christ? Think of what His love has brought thee--justification, adoption, sanctification, eternal life!
The riches of His goodness are unsearchable; thou shalt never be able to tell them out or even conceive them. Oh,
the breadth of the love of Christ! Shall such a love as this have half our hearts? Shall it have a cold love in
return? Shall Jesus' marvellous lovingkindness and tender care meet with but faint response and tardy acknowledgment?
O my soul, tune thy harp to a glad song of thanksgiving! Go to thy rest rejoicing, for thou art no desolate wanderer,
but a beloved child, watched over, cared for, supplied, and defended by thy Lord.
April 30
This morning's verse:
And all the children of Israel murmured. - Numbers 14:2
There are murmurers amongst Christians now, as there were in the camp of Israel of old. There are those who, when
the rod falls, cry out against the afflictive dispensation. They ask, "Why am I thus afflicted? What have
I done to be chastened in this manner?" A word with thee, O murmurer! Why shouldst thou murmur against the
dispensations of thy heavenly Father? Can He treat thee more hardly than thou deservest? Consider what a rebel
thou wast once, but He has pardoned thee! Surely, if He in His wisdom sees fit now to chasten thee, thou shouldst
not complain. After all, art thou smitten as hardly as thy sins deserve? Consider the corruption which is in thy
breast, and then wilt thou wonder that there needs so much of the rod to fetch it out? Weigh thyself, and discern
how much dross is mingled with thy gold; and dost thou think the fire too hot to purge away so much dross as thou
hast? Does not that proud rebellious spirit of thine prove that thy heart is not thoroughly sanctified? Are not
those murmuring words contrary to the holy submissive nature of God's children? Is not the correction needed? But
if thou wilt murmur against the chastening, take heed, for it will go hard with murmurers. God always chastises
His children twice, if they do not bear the first stroke patiently. But know one thing--"He doth not afflict
willingly, nor grieve the children of men." All His corrections are sent in love, to purify thee, and to draw
thee nearer to Himself. Surely it must help thee to bear the chastening with resignation if thou art able to recognize
thy Father's hand. For "whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. If
ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons." "Murmur not as some of them also murmured and
were destroyed of the destroyer."
April 30
This evening's verse:
How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God. - Psalm 139:17
Divine omniscience affords no comfort to the ungodly mind, but to the child of God it overflows with consolation.
God is always thinking upon us, never turns aside His mind from us, has us always before His eyes; and this is
precisely as we would have it, for it would be dreadful to exist for a moment beyond the observation of our heavenly
Father. His thoughts are always tender, loving, wise, prudent, far-reaching, and they bring to us countless benefits:
hence it is a choice delight to remember them. The Lord always did think upon His people: hence their election
and the covenant of grace by which their salvation is secured; He always will think upon them: hence their final
perseverance by which they shall be brought safely to their final rest. In all our wanderings the watchful glance
of the Eternal Watcher is evermore fixed upon us--we never roam beyond the Shepherd's eye. In our sorrows He observes
us incessantly, and not a pang escapes Him; in our toils He marks all our weariness, and writes in His book all
the struggles of His faithful ones. These thoughts of the Lord encompass us in all our paths, and penetrate the
innermost region of our being. Not a nerve or tissue, valve or vessel, of our bodily organization is uncared for;
all the littles of our little world are thought upon by the great God.
Dear reader, is this precious to you? then hold to it. Never be led astray by those philosophic fools who preach
up an impersonal God, and talk of self-existent, self-governing matter. The Lord liveth and thinketh upon us, this
is a truth far too precious for us to be lightly robbed of it. The notice of a nobleman is valued so highly that
he who has it counts his fortune made; but what is it to be thought of by the King of kings! If the Lord thinketh
upon us, all is well, and we may rejoice evermore.