Morning & Evening
by C H Spurgeon
November 1
This morning's verse:
"The Church in thy house." Philemon 1:2
Is there a Church in this house? Are parents, children, friends, servants, all members of it? or are some still
unconverted? Let us pause here and let the question go round--Am I a member of the Church in this house? How would
father's heart leap for joy, and mother's eyes fill with holy tears if from the eldest to the youngest all were
saved! Let us pray for this great mercy until the Lord shall grant it to us. Probably it had been the dearest object
of Philemon's desires to have all his household saved; but it was not at first granted him in its fulness. He had
a wicked servant, Onesimus, who, having wronged him, ran away from his service. His master's prayers followed him,
and at last, as God would have it, Onesimus was led to hear Paul preach; his heart was touched, and he returned
to Philemon, not only to be a faithful servant, but a brother beloved, adding another member to the Church in Philemon's
house. Is there an unconverted servant or child absent this morning? Make special supplication that such may, on
their return to their home, gladden all hearts with good news of what grace has done! Is there one present? Let
him partake in the same earnest entreaty.
If there be such a Church in our house, let us order it well, and let all act as in the sight of God. Let us move
in the common affairs of life with studied holiness, diligence, kindness, and integrity. More is expected of a
Church than of an ordinary household; family worship must, in such a case, be more devout and hearty; internal
love must be more warm and unbroken, and external conduct must be more sanctified and Christlike. We need not fear
that the smallness of our number will put us out of the list of Churches, for the Holy Spirit has here enrolled
a family-church in the inspired book of remembrance. As a Church let us now draw nigh to the great head of the
one Church universal, and let us beseech Him to give us grace to shine before men to the glory of His name.
This evening's verse:
"And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away: so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."
Matthew 24:39
Universal was the doom, neither rich nor poor escaped: the learned and the illiterate, the admired and the abhorred,
the religious and the profane, the old and the young, all sank in one common ruin. Some had doubtless ridiculed
the patriarch-- where now their merry jests? Others had threatened him for his zeal which they counted madness--where
now their boastings and hard speeches? The critic who judged the old man's work is drowned in the same sea which
covers his sneering companions. Those who spoke patronizingly of the good man's fidelity to his convictions, but
shared not in them, have sunk to rise no more, and the workers who for pay helped to build the wondrous ark, are
all lost also. The flood swept them all away, and made no single exception. Even so, out of Christ, final destruction
is sure to every man of woman born; no rank, possession, or character, shall suffice to save a single soul who
has not believed in the Lord Jesus. My soul, behold this wide-spread judgment and tremble at it.
How marvellous the general apathy! they were all eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, till the
awful morning dawned. There was not one wise man upon earth out of the ark. Folly duped the whole race, folly as
to self-preservation-- the most foolish of all follies. Folly in doubting the most true God--the most malignant
of fooleries. Strange, my soul, is it not? All men are negligent of their souls till grace gives them reason, then
they leave their madness and act like rational beings, but not till then.
All, blessed be God, were safe in the ark, no ruin entered there. From the huge elephant down to the tiny mouse
all were safe. The timid hare was equally secure with the courageous lion, the helpless cony as safe as the laborious
ox. All are safe in Jesus. My soul, art thou in Him?
November 2
This morning's verse:
"I am the Lord, I change not." Malachi 3:6
It is well for us that, amidst all the variableness of life, there is One whom change cannot affect; One whose
heart can never alter, and on whose brow mutability can make no furrows. All things else have changed--all things
are changing. The sun itself grows dim with age; the world is waxing old; the folding up of the worn-out vesture
has commenced; the heavens and earth must soon pass away; they shall perish, they shall wax old as doth a garment;
but there is One who only hath immortality, of whose years there is no end, and in whose person there is no change.
The delight which the mariner feels, when, after having been tossed about for many a day, he steps again upon the
solid shore, is the satisfaction of a Christian when, amidst all the changes of this troublous life, he rests the
foot of his faith upon this truth--"I am the Lord, I change not."
The stability which the anchor gives the ship when it has at last obtained a hold-fast, is like that which the
Christian's hope affords him when it fixes itself upon this glorious truth. With God "is no variableness,
neither shadow of turning." What ever His attributes were of old, they are now; His power, His wisdom, His
justice, His truth, are alike unchanged. He has ever been the refuge of His people, their stronghold in the day
of trouble, and He is their sure Helper still. He is unchanged in His love. He has loved His people with "an
everlasting love"; He loves them now as much as ever He did, and when all earthly things shall have melted
in the last conflagration, His love will still wear the dew of its youth. Precious is the assurance that He changes
not! The wheel of providence revolves, but its axle is eternal love.
"Death and change are busy ever,
Man decays, and ages move;
But His mercy waneth never;
God is wisdom, God is love."
This evening's verse:
"Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake Thy law." Psalm 119:53
My soul, feelest thou this holy shuddering at the sins of others? for otherwise thou lackest inward holiness. David's
cheeks were wet with rivers of waters because of prevailing unholiness; Jeremiah desired eyes like fountains that
he might lament the iniquities of Israel, and Lot was vexed with the conversation of the men of Sodom. Those upon
whom the mark was set in Ezekiel's vision, were those who sighed and cried for the abominations of Jerusalem. It
cannot but grieve gracious souls to see what pains men take to go to hell. They know the evil of sin experimentally,
and they are alarmed to see others flying like moths into its blaze. Sin makes the righteous shudder, because it
violates a holy law, which it is to every man's highest interest to keep; it pulls down the pillars of the commonwealth.
Sin in others horrifies a believer, because it puts him in mind of the baseness of his own heart: when he sees
a transgressor he cries with the saint mentioned by Bernard, "He fell to-day, and I may fall to-morrow."
Sin to a believer is horrible, because it crucified the Saviour; he sees in every iniquity the nails and spear.
How can a saved soul behold that cursed kill-Christ sin without abhorrence? Say, my heart, dost thou sensibly join
in all this? It is an awful thing to insult God to His face. The good God deserves better treatment, the great
God claims it, the just God will have it, or repay His adversary to his face. An awakened heart trembles at the
audacity of sin, and stands alarmed at the contemplation of its punishment. How monstrous a thing is rebellion!
How direful a doom is prepared for the ungodly! My soul, never laugh at sin's fooleries, lest thou come to smile
at sin itself. It is thine enemy, and thy Lord's enemy--view it with detestation, for so only canst thou evidence
the possession of holiness, without which no man can see the Lord.
November 3
This morning's verse:
"Behold, he prayeth." Acts 9:11
Prayers are instantly noticed in heaven. The moment Saul began to pray the Lord heard him. Here is comfort for
the distressed but praying soul. Oftentimes a poor broken-hearted one bends his knee, but can only utter his wailing
in the language of sighs and tears; yet that groan has made all the harps of heaven thrill with music; that tear
has been caught by God and treasured in the lachrymatory of heaven. "Thou puttest my tears into thy bottle,"
implies that they are caught as they flow. The suppliant, whose fears prevent his words, will be well understood
by the Most High. He may only look up with misty eye; but "prayer is the falling of a tear." Tears are
the diamonds of heaven; sighs are a part of the music of Jehovah's court, and are numbered with "the sublimest
strains that reach the majesty on high." Think not that your prayer, however weak or trembling, will be unregarded.
Jacob's ladder is lofty, but our prayers shall lean upon the Angel of the covenant and so climb its starry rounds.
Our God not only hears prayer but also loves to hear it. "He forgetteth not the cry of the humble." True,
He regards not high looks and lofty words; He cares not for the pomp and pageantry of kings; He listens not to
the swell of martial music; He regards not the triumph and pride of man; but wherever there is a heart big with
sorrow, or a lip quivering with agony, or a deep groan, or a penitential sigh, the heart of Jehovah is open; He
marks it down in the registry of His memory; He puts our prayers, like rose leaves, between the pages of His book
of remembrance, and when the volume is opened at last, there shall be a precious fragrance springing up therefrom.
"Faith asks no signal from the skies,
To show that prayers accepted rise,
Our Priest is in His holy place,
And answers from the throne of grace."
This evening's verse:
"Their prayer came up to His holy dwelling place, even unto heaven." 2Chronicles 30:27
Prayer is the never-failing resort of the Christian in any case, in every plight. When you cannot use your sword
you may take to the weapon of all-prayer. Your powder may be damp, your bow-string may be relaxed, but the weapon
of all-prayer need never be out of order. Leviathan laughs at the javelin, but he trembles at prayer. Sword and
spear need furbishing, but prayer never rusts, and when we think it most blunt it cuts the best. Prayer is an open
door which none can shut. Devils may surround you on all sides, but the way upward is always open, and as long
as that road is unobstructed, you will not fall into the enemy's hand. We can never be taken by blockade, escalade,
mine, or storm, so long as heavenly succours can come down to us by Jacob's ladder to relieve us in the time of
our necessities. Prayer is never out of season: in summer and in winter its merchandize is precious. Prayer gains
audience with heaven in the dead of night, in the midst of business, in the heat of noonday, in the shades of evening.
In every condition, whether of poverty, or sickness, or obscurity, or slander, or doubt, your covenant God will
welcome your prayer and answer it from His holy place. Nor is prayer ever futile. True prayer is evermore true
power. You may not always get what you ask, but you shall always have your real wants supplied. When God does not
answer His children according to the letter, He does so according to the spirit. If thou askest for coarse meal,
wilt thou be angered because He gives thee the finest flour? If thou seekest bodily health, shouldst thou complain
if instead thereof He makes thy sickness turn to the healing of spiritual maladies? Is it not better to have the
cross sanctified than removed? This evening, my soul, forget not to offer thy petition and request, for the Lord
is ready to grant thee thy desires.
November 4
This morning's verse:
"For my strength is made perfect in weakness." 2Corinthians 12:9
A primary qualification for serving God with any amount of success, and for doing God's work well and triumphantly,
is a sense of our own weakness. When God's warrior marches forth to battle, strong in his own might, when he boasts,
"I know that I shall conquer, my own right arm and my conquering sword shall get unto me the victory,"
defeat is not far distant. God will not go forth with that man who marches in his own strength. He who reckoneth
on victory thus has reckoned wrongly, for "it is not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord
of hosts." They who go forth to fight, boasting of their prowess, shall return with their gay banners trailed
in the dust, and their armour stained with disgrace. Those who serve God must serve Him in His own way, and in
His strength, or He will never accept their service. That which man doth, unaided by divine strength, God can never
own. The mere fruits of the earth He casteth away; He will only reap that corn, the seed of which was sown from
heaven, watered by grace, and ripened by the sun of divine love. God will empty out all that thou hast before He
will put His own into thee; He will first clean out thy granaries before He will fill them with the finest of the
wheat. The river of God is full of water; but not one drop of it flows from earthly springs. God will have no strength
used in His battles but the strength which He Himself imparts. Are you mourning over your own weakness? Take courage,
for there must be a consciousness of weakness before the Lord will give thee victory. Your emptiness is but the
preparation for your being filled, and your casting down is but the making ready for your lifting up.
"When I am weak then am I strong,
Grace is my shield and Christ my song."
This evening's verse:
"In Thy light shall we see light." Psalm 36:9
No lips can tell the love of Christ to the heart till Jesus Himself shall speak within. Descriptions all fall flat
and tame unless the Holy Ghost fills them with life and power; till our Immanuel reveals Himself within, the soul
sees Him not. If you would see the sun, would you gather together the common means of illumination, and seek in
that way to behold the orb of day? No, the wise man knoweth that the sun must reveal itself, and only by its own
blaze can that mighty lamp be seen. It is so with Christ. "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona:" said He
to Peter, "for flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee." Purify flesh and blood by any educational
process you may select, elevate mental faculties to the highest degree of intellectual power, yet none of these
can reveal Christ. The Spirit of God must come with power, and overshadow the man with His wings, and then in that
mystic holy of holies the Lord Jesus must display Himself to the sanctified eye, as He doth not unto the purblind
sons of men. Christ must be His own mirror. The great mass of this blear-eyed world can see nothing of the ineffable
glories of Immanuel. He stands before them without form or comeliness, a root out of a dry ground, rejected by
the vain and despised by the proud. Only where the Spirit has touched the eye with eye-salve, quickened the heart
with divine life, and educated the soul to a heavenly taste, only there is He understood. "To you that believe
He is precious"; to you He is the chief corner-stone, the Rock of your salvation, your all in all; but to
others He is "a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence." Happy are those to whom our Lord manifests
Himself, for His promise to such is that He will make His abode with them. O Jesus, our Lord, our heart is open,
come in, and go out no more for ever. Show Thyself to us now! Favour us with a glimpse of Thine all-conquering
charms.
November 5
This morning's verse:
"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper." Isaiah 54:17
This day is notable in English history for two great deliverances wrought by God for us. On this day the plot of
the Papists to destroy our Houses of Parliament was discovered, 1605.
"While for our princes they prepare
In caverns deep a burning snare,
He shot from heaven a piercing ray,
And the dark treachery brought to day."
And secondly--to-day is the anniversary of the landing of King William III, at Torbay, by which the hope of Popish
ascendancy was quashed, and religious liberty was secured, 1688.
This day ought to be celebrated, not by the saturnalia of striplings, but by the songs of saints. Our Puritan forefathers
most devoutly made it a special time of thanksgiving. There is extant a record of the annual sermons preached by
Matthew Henry on this day. Our Protestant feeling, and our love of liberty, should make us regard its anniversary
with holy gratitude. Let our hearts and lips exclaim, "We have heard with our ears, and our fathers have told
us the wondrous things which Thou didst in their day, and in the old time before them." Thou hast made this
nation the home of the gospel; and when the foe has risen against her, Thou hast shielded her. Help us to offer
repeated songs for repeated deliverances. Grant us more and more a hatred of Antichrist, and hasten on the day
of her entire extinction. Till then and ever, we believe the promise, "No weapon that is formed against thee
shall prosper." Should it not be laid upon the heart of every lover of the gospel of Jesus on this day to
plead for the overturning of false doctrines and the extension of divine truth? Would it not be well to search
our own hearts, and turn out any of the Popish lumber of self-righteousness which may lie concealed therein?
This evening's verse:
"Be thankful unto Him, and bless His name." Psalm 100:4
Our Lord would have all His people rich in high and happy thoughts concerning His blessed person. Jesus is not
content that His brethren should think meanly of Him; it is His pleasure that His espoused ones should be delighted
with His beauty. We are not to regard Him as a bare necessary, like to bread and water, but as a luxurious delicacy,
as a rare and ravishing delight. To this end He has revealed Himself as the "pearl of great price" in
its peerless beauty, as the "bundle of myrrh" in its refreshing fragrance, as the "rose of Sharon"
in its lasting perfume, as the "lily" in its spotless purity.
As a help to high thoughts of Christ, remember the estimation that Christ is had in beyond the skies, where things
are measured by the right standard. Think how God esteems the Only Begotten, His unspeakable gift to us. Consider
what the angels think of Him, as they count it their highest honour to veil their faces at His feet. Consider what
the blood-washed think of Him, as day without night they sing His well deserved praises. High thoughts of Christ
will enable us to act consistently with our relations towards Him. The more loftily we see Christ enthroned, and
the more lowly we are when bowing before the foot of the throne, the more truly shall we be prepared to act our
part towards Him. Our Lord Jesus desires us to think well of Him, that we may submit cheerfully to His authority.
High thoughts of Him increase our love. Love and esteem go together. Therefore, believer, think much of your Master's
excellencies. Study Him in His primeval glory, before He took upon Himself your nature! Think of the mighty love
which drew Him from His throne to die upon the cross! Admire Him as He conquers all the powers of hell! See Him
risen, crowned, glorified! Bow before Him as the Wonderful, the Counsellor, the mighty God, for only thus will
your love to Him be what it should.
November 6
This morning's verse:
"I will pour water upon him that is thirsty." Isaiah 44:3
When a believer has fallen into a low, sad state of feeling, he often tries to lift himself out of it by chastening
himself with dark and doleful fears. Such is not the way to rise from the dust, but to continue in it. As well
chain the eagle's wing to make it mount, as doubt in order to increase our grace. It is not the law, but the gospel
which saves the seeking soul at first; and it is not a legal bondage, but gospel liberty which can restore the
fainting believer afterwards. Slavish fear brings not back the backslider to God, but the sweet wooings of love
allure him to Jesus' bosom. Are you this morning thirsting for the living God, and unhappy because you cannot find
him to the delight of your heart? Have you lost the joy of religion, and is this your prayer, "Restore unto
me the joy of Thy salvation"? Are you conscious also that you are barren, like the dry ground; that you are
not bringing forth the fruit unto God which He has a right to expect of you; that you are not so useful in the
Church, or in the world, as your heart desires to be? Then here is exactly the promise which you need, "I
will pour water upon him that is thirsty." You shall receive the grace you so much require, and you shall
have it to the utmost reach of your needs. Water refreshes the thirsty: you shall be refreshed; your desires shall
be gratified. Water quickens sleeping vegetable life: your life shall be quickened by fresh grace. Water swells
the buds and makes the fruits ripen; you shall have fructifying grace: you shall be made fruitful in the ways of
God. Whatever good quality there is in divine grace, you shall enjoy it to the full. All the riches of divine grace
you shall receive in plenty; you shall be as it were drenched with it: and as sometimes the meadows become flooded
by the bursting rivers, and the fields are turned into pools, so shall you be--the thirsty land shall be springs
of water.
This evening's verse:
"Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you." Hebrews 9:20
There is a strange power about the very name of blood, and the sight of it is always affecting. A kind heart cannot
bear to see a sparrow bleed, and unless familiarized by use, turns away with horror at the slaughter of a beast.
As to the blood of men, it is a consecrated thing: it is murder to shed it in wrath, it is a dreadful crime to
squander it in war. Is this solemnity occasioned by the fact that the blood is the life, and the pouring of it
forth the token of death? We think so. When we rise to contemplate the blood of the Son of God, our awe is yet
more increased, and we shudder as we think of the guilt of sin, and the terrible penalty which the Sin-bearer endured.
Blood, always precious, is priceless when it streams from Immanuel's side. The blood of Jesus seals the covenant
of grace, and makes it for ever sure. Covenants of old were made by sacrifice, and the everlasting covenant was
ratified in the same manner. Oh, the delight of being saved upon the sure foundation of divine engagements which
cannot be dishonoured! Salvation by the works of the law is a frail and broken vessel whose shipwreck is sure;
but the covenant vessel fears no storms, for the blood ensures the whole. The blood of Jesus made His testament
valid. Wills are of no power unless the testators die. In this light the soldier's spear is a blessed aid to faith,
since it proved our Lord to be really dead. Doubts upon that matter there can be none, and we may boldly appropriate
the legacies which He has left for His people. Happy they who see their title to heavenly blessings assured to
them by a dying Saviour. But has this blood no voice to us? Does it not bid us sanctify ourselves unto Him by whom
we have been redeemed? Does it not call us to newness of life, and incite us to entire consecration to the Lord?
O that the power of the blood might be known, and felt in us this night!
November 7
This morning's verse:
"Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands." Isaiah 49:16
No doubt a part of the wonder which is concentrated in the word "Behold," is excited by the unbelieving
lamentation of the preceding sentence. Zion said, "The Lord hath forsaken me, and my God hath forgotten me."
How amazed the divine mind seems to be at this wicked unbelief! What can be more astounding than the unfounded
doubts and fears of God's favoured people? The Lord's loving word of rebuke should make us blush; He cries, "How
can I have forgotten thee, when I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands? How darest thou doubt my constant
remembrance, when the memorial is set upon my very flesh?" O unbelief, how strange a marvel thou art! We know
not which most to wonder at, the faithfulness of God or the unbelief of His people. He keeps His promise a thousand
times, and yet the next trial makes us doubt Him. He never faileth; He is never a dry well; He is never as a setting
sun, a passing meteor, or a melting vapour; and yet we are as continually vexed with anxieties, molested with suspicions,
and disturbed with fears, as if our God were the mirage of the desert. "Behold," is a word intended to
excite admiration. Here, indeed, we have a theme for marvelling. Heaven and earth may well be astonished that rebels
should obtain so great a nearness to the heart of infinite love as to be written upon the palms of His hands. "I
have graven thee."It does not say, "Thy name." The name is there, but that is not all: "I have
graven thee." See the fulness of this! I have graven thy person, thine image, thy case, thy circumstances,
thy sins, thy temptations, thy weaknesses, thy wants, thy works; I have graven thee, everything about thee, all
that concerns thee; I have put thee altogether there. Wilt thou ever say again that thy God hath forsaken thee
when He has graven thee upon His own palms?
This evening's verse:
"And ye shall be witnesses unto Me." Acts 1:8
In order to learn how to discharge your duty as a witness for Christ, look at His example. He is always witnessing:
by the well of Samaria, or in the Temple of Jerusalem: by the lake of Gennesaret, or on the mountain's brow. He
is witnessing night and day; His mighty prayers are as vocal to God as His daily services. He witnesses under all
circumstances; Scribes and Pharisees cannot shut His mouth; even before Pilate He witnesses a good confession.
He witnesses so clearly, and distinctly that there is no mistake in Him. Christian, make your life a clear testimony.
Be you as the brook wherein you may see every stone at the bottom--not as the muddy creek, of which you only see
the surface--but clear and transparent, so that your heart's love to God and man may be visible to all. You need
not say, "I am true:" be true. Boast not of integrity, but be upright. So shall your testimony be such
that men cannot help seeing it. Never, for fear of feeble man, restrain your witness. Your lips have been warmed
with a coal from off the altar; let them speak as like heaven-touched lips should do. "In the morning sow
thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand." Watch not the clouds, consult not the wind--in season
and out of season witness for the Saviour, and if it shall come to pass that for Christ's sake and the gospel's
you shall endure suffering in any shape, shrink not, but rejoice in the honour thus conferred upon you, that you
are counted worthy to suffer with your Lord; and joy also in this--that your sufferings, your losses, and persecutions
shall make you a platform, from which the more vigorously and with greater power you shall witness for Christ Jesus.
Study your great Exemplar, and be filled with His Spirit. Remember that you need much teaching, much upholding,
much grace, and much humility, if your witnessing is to be to your Master's glory.
November 8
This morning's verse:
"As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord." Colossians 2:6
The life of faith is represented as receiving-- an act which implies the very opposite of anything like merit.
It is simply the acceptance of a gift. As the earth drinks in the rain, as the sea receives the streams, as night
accepts light from the stars, so we, giving nothing, partake freely of the grace of God. The saints are not, by
nature, wells, or streams, they are but cisterns into which the living water flows; they are empty vessels into
which God pours His salvation. The idea of receiving implies a sense of realization, making the matter a reality.
One cannot very well receive a shadow; we receive that which is substantial: so is it in the life of faith, Christ
becomes real to us. While we are without faith, Jesus is a mere name to us--a person who lived a long while ago,
so long ago that His life is only a history to us now! By an act of faith Jesus becomes a real person in the consciousness
of our heart. But receiving also means grasping or getting possession of. The thing which I receive becomes my
own: I appropriate to myself that which is given. When I receive Jesus, He becomes my Saviour, so mine that neither
life nor death shall be able to rob me of Him. All this is to receive Christ--to take Him as God's free gift; to
realize Him in my heart, and to appropriate Him as mine.
Salvation may be described as the blind receiving sight, the deaf receiving hearing, the dead receiving life; but
we have not only received these blessings, we have received CHRIST JESUS Himself. It is true that He gave us life
from the dead. He gave us pardon of sin; He gave us imputed righteousness. These are all precious things, but we
are not content with them; we have received Christ Himself. The Son of God has been poured into us, and we have
received Him, and appropriated Him. What a heartful Jesus must be, for heaven itself cannot contain Him!
This evening's verse:
"The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with My disciples?" Mark
14:14
Jerusalem at the time of the passover was one great inn; each householder had invited his own friends, but no one
had invited the Saviour, and He had no dwelling of His own. It was by His own supernatural power that He found
Himself an upper room in which to keep the feast. It is so even to this day--Jesus is not received among the sons
of men save only where by His supernatural power and grace He makes the heart anew. All doors are open enough to
the prince of darkness, but Jesus must clear a way for Himself or lodge in the streets. It was through the mysterious
power exerted by our Lord that the householder raised no question, but at once cheerfully and joyfully opened his
guestchamber. Who he was, and what he was, we do not know, but he readily accepted the honour which the Redeemer
proposed to confer upon him. In like manner it is still discovered who are the Lord's chosen, and who are not;
for when the gospel comes to some, they fight against it, and will not have it, but where men receive it, welcoming
it, this is a sure indication that there is a secret work going on in the soul, and that God has chosen them unto
eternal life. Are you willing, dear reader, to receive Christ? then there is no difficulty in the way; Christ will
be your guest; His own power is working with you, making you willing. What an honour to entertain the Son of God!
The heaven of heavens cannot contain Him, and yet He condescends to find a house within our hearts! We are not
worthy that He should come under our roof, but what an unutterable privilege when He condescends to enter! for
then He makes a feast, and causes us to feast with Him upon royal dainties, we sit at a banquet where the viands
are immortal, and give immortality to those who feed thereon. Blessed among the sons of Adam is he who entertains
the angels' Lord.
November 9
This morning's verse:
"So walk ye in Him." Colossians 2:6
If we have received Christ Himself in our inmost hearts, our new life will manifest its intimate acquaintance with
Him by a walk of faith in Him. Walking implies action. Our religion is not to be confined to our closet; we must
carry out into practical effect that which we believe. If a man walks in Christ, then he so acts as Christ would
act; for Christ being in him, his hope, his love, his joy, his life, he is the reflex of the image of Jesus; and
men say of that man, "He is like his Master; he lives like Jesus Christ." Walking signifies progress.
"So walk ye in Him"; proceed from grace to grace, run forward until you reach the uttermost degree of
knowledge that a man can attain concerning our Beloved. Walking implies continuance. There must be a perpetual
abiding in Christ. How many Christians think that in the morning and evening they ought to come into the company
of Jesus, and may then give their hearts to the world all the day: but this is poor living; we should always be
with Him, treading in His steps and doing His will. Walking also implies habit. When we speak of a man's walk and
conversation, we mean his habits, the constant tenour of his life. Now, if we sometimes enjoy Christ, and then
forget Him; sometimes call Him ours, and anon lose our hold, that is not a habit; we do not walk in Him. We must
keep to Him, cling to Him, never let Him go, but live and have our being in Him. "As ye have received Christ
Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him"; persevere in the same way in which ye have begun, and, as at the first
Christ Jesus was the trust of your faith, the source of your life, the principle of your action, and the joy of
your spirit, so let Him be the same till life's end; the same when you walk through the valley of the shadow of
death, and enter into the joy and the rest which remain for the people of God. O Holy Spirit, enable us to obey
this heavenly precept.
This evening's verse:
"His place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure."
Isaiah 33:16
Do you doubt, O Christian, do you doubt as to whether God will fulfil His promise? Shall the munitions of rock
be carried by storm? O Shall the storehouses of heaven fail? Do you think that your heavenly Father, though He
knoweth that you have need of food and raiment, will yet forget you? When not a sparrow falls to the ground without
your Father, and the very hairs of your head are all numbered, will you mistrust and doubt Him? Perhaps your affliction
will continue upon you till you dare to trust your God, and then it shall end. Full many there be who have been
tried and sore vexed till at last they have been driven in sheer desperation to exercise faith in God, and the
moment of their faith has been the instant of their deliverance; they have seen whether God would keep His promise
or not. Oh, I pray you, doubt Him no longer! Please not Satan, and vex not yourself by indulging any more those
hard thoughts of God. Think it not a light matter to doubt Jehovah. Remember, it is a sin; and not a little sin
either, but in the highest degree criminal. The angels never doubted Him, nor the devils either: we alone, out
of all the beings that God has fashioned, dishonour Him by unbelief, and tarnish His honour by mistrust. Shame
upon us for this! Our God does not deserve to be so basely suspected; in our past life we have proved Him to be
true and faithful to His word, and with so many instances of His love and of His kindness as we have received,
and are daily receiving, at His hands, it is base and inexcusable that we suffer a doubt to sojourn within our
heart. May we henceforth wage constant war against doubts of our God--enemies to our peace and to His honour; and
with an unstaggering faith believe that what He has promised He will also perform. "Lord, I believe, help
Thou mine unbelief."
November 10
This morning's verse:
"The eternal God is thy refuge." Deuteronomy 33:27
The word refuge may be translated "mansion," or "abiding- place," which gives the thought that
God is our abode, our home. There is a fulness and sweetness in the metaphor, for dear to our hearts is our home,
although it be the humblest cottage, or the scantiest garret; and dearer far is our blessed God, in whom we live,
and move, and have our being. It is at home that we feel safe: we shut the world out and dwell in quiet security.
So when we are with our God we "fear no evil." He is our shelter and retreat, our abiding refuge. At
home, we take our rest; it is there we find repose after the fatigue and toil of the day. And so our hearts find
rest in God, when, wearied with life's conflict, we turn to Him, and our soul dwells at ease. At home, also, we
let our hearts loose; we are not afraid of being misunderstood, nor of our words being misconstrued. So when we
are with God we can commune freely with Him, laying open all our hidden desires; for if the "secret of the
Lord is with them that fear Him," the secrets of them that fear Him ought to be, and must be, with their Lord.
Home, too, is the place of our truest and purest happiness: and it is in God that our hearts find their deepest
delight. We have joy in Him which far surpasses all other joy. It is also for home that we work and labour. The
thought of it gives strength to bear the daily burden, and quickens the fingers to perform the task; and in this
sense we may also say that God is our home. Love to Him strengthens us. We think of Him in the person of His dear
Son; and a glimpse of the suffering face of the Redeemer constrains us to labour in His cause. We feel that we
must work, for we have brethren yet to be saved, and we have our Father's heart to make glad by bringing home His
wandering sons; we would fill with holy mirth the sacred family among whom we dwell. Happy are those who have thus
the God of Jacob for their refuge!
This evening's verse:
"It is enough for the disciple that he be as His Master." Matthew 10:25
No one will dispute this statement, for it would be unseemly for the servant to be exalted above his Master. When
our Lord was on earth, what was the treatment He received? Were His claims acknowledged, His instructions followed,
His perfections worshipped, by those whom He came to bless? No; "He was despised and rejected of men."
Outside the camp was His place: cross-bearing was His occupation. Did the world yield Him solace and rest? "Foxes
have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head." This
inhospitable country afforded Him no shelter: it cast Him out and crucified Him. Such--if you are a follower of
Jesus, and maintain a consistent, Christ-like walk and conversation--you must expect to be the lot of that part
of your spiritual life which, in its outward development, comes under the observation of men. They will treat it
as they treated the Saviour--they will despise it. Dream not that worldlings will admire you, or that the more
holy and the more Christ-like you are, the more peaceably people will act towards you. They prized not the polished
gem, how should they value the jewel in the rough? "If they have called the Master of the house Beelzebub,
how much more shall they call them of His household?" If we were more like Christ, we should be more hated
by His enemies. It were a sad dishonour to a child of God to be the world's favourite. It is a very ill omen to
hear a wicked world clap its hands and shout "Well done" to the Christian man. He may begin to look to
his character, and wonder whether he has not been doing wrong, when the unrighteous give him their approbation.
Let us be true to our Master, and have no friendship with a blind and base world which scorns and rejects Him.
Far be it from us to seek a crown of honour where our Lord found a coronet of thorn.
November 11
This morning's verse:
"Underneath are the everlasting arms." Deuteronomy 33:27
God--the eternal God--is Himself our support at all times, and especially when we are sinking in deep trouble.
There are seasons when the Christian sinks very low in humiliation. Under a deep sense of his great sinfulness,
he is humbled before God till he scarcely knows how to pray, because he appears, in his own sight, so worthless.
Well, child of God, remember that when thou art at thy worst and lowest, yet "underneath" thee "are
everlasting arms." Sin may drag thee ever so low, but Christ's great atonement is still under all. You may
have descended into the deeps, but you cannot have fallen so low as "the uttermost"; and to the uttermost
He saves. Again, the Christian sometimes sinks very deeply in sore trial from without. Every earthly prop is cut
away. What then? Still underneath him are "the everlasting arms." He cannot fall so deep in distress
and affliction but what the covenant grace of an ever-faithful God will still encircle him. The Christian may be
sinking under trouble from within through fierce conflict, but even then he cannot be brought so low as to be beyond
the reach of the "everlasting arms"--they are underneath him; and, while thus sustained, all Satan's
efforts to harm him avail nothing.
This assurance of support is a comfort to any weary but earnest worker in the service of God. It implies a promise
of strength for each day, grace for each need, and power for each duty. And, further, when death comes, the promise
shall still hold good. When we stand in the midst of Jordan, we shall be able to say with David, "I will fear
no evil, for Thou art with me." We shall descend into the grave, but we shall go no lower, for the eternal
arms prevent our further fall. All through life, and at its close, we shall be upheld by the "everlasting
arms"--arms that neither flag nor lose their strength, for "the everlasting God fainteth not, neither
is weary."
This evening's verse:
"He shall choose our inheritance for us." Psalm 47:4
Believer, if your inheritance be a lowly one you should be satisfied with your earthly portion; for you may rest
assured that it is the fittest for you. Unerring wisdom ordained your lot, and selected for you the safest and
best condition. A ship of large tonnage is to be brought up the river; now, in one part of the stream there is
a sandbank; should some one ask, "Why does the captain steer through the deep part of the channel and deviate
so much from a straight line?" His answer would be, "Because I should not get my vessel into harbour
at all if I did not keep to the deep channel." So, it may be, you would run aground and suffer shipwreck,
if your divine Captain did not steer you into the depths of affliction where waves of trouble follow each other
in quick succession. Some plants die if they have too much sunshine. It may be that you are planted where you get
but little, you are put there by the loving Husbandman, because only in that situation will you bring forth fruit
unto perfection. Remember this, had any other condition been better for you than the one in which you are, divine
love would have put you there. You are placed by God in the most suitable circumstances, and if you had the choosing
of your lot, you would soon cry, "Lord, choose my inheritance for me, for by my self-will I am pierced through
with many sorrows." Be content with such things as you have, since the Lord has ordered all things for your
good. Take up your own daily cross; it is the burden best suited for your shoulder, and will prove most effective
to make you perfect in every good word and work to the glory of God. Down busy self, and proud impatience, it is
not for you to choose, but for the Lord of Love!
"Trials must and will befall--
But with humble faith to see
Love inscribed upon them all;
This is happiness to me."
November 12
This morning's verse:
"The trial of your faith." 1Peter 1:7
Faith untried may be true faith, but it is sure to be little faith, and it is likely to remain dwarfish so long
as it is without trials. Faith never prospers so well as when all things are against her: tempests are her trainers,
and lightnings are her illuminators. When a calm reigns on the sea, spread the sails as you will, the ship moves
not to its harbour; for on a slumbering ocean the keel sleeps too. Let the winds rush howling forth, and let the
waters lift up themselves, then, though the vessel may rock, and her deck may be washed with waves, and her mast
may creak under the pressure of the full and swelling sail, it is then that she makes headway towards her desired
haven. No flowers wear so lovely a blue as those which grow at the foot of the frozen glacier; no stars gleam so
brightly as those which glisten in the polar sky; no water tastes so sweet as that which springs amid the desert
sand; and no faith is so precious as that which lives and triumphs in adversity. Tried faith brings experience.
You could not have believed your own weakness had you not been compelled to pass through the rivers; and you would
never have known God's strength had you not been supported amid the water-floods. Faith increases in solidity,
assurance, and intensity, the more it is exercised with tribulation. Faith is precious, and its trial is precious
too.
Let not this, however, discourage those who are young in faith. You will have trials enough without seeking them:
the full portion will be measured out to you in due season. Meanwhile, if you cannot yet claim the result of long
experience, thank God for what grace you have; praise Him for that degree of holy confidence whereunto you have
attained: walk according to that rule, and you shall yet have more and more of the blessing of God, till your faith
shall remove mountains and conquer impossibilities.
This evening's verse:
"And it came to pass in those days, that He went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer
to God." Luke 6:12
If ever one of woman born might have lived without prayer, it was our spotless, perfect a Lord, and yet none was
ever so much in supplication as He! Such was His love to His Father, that He loved much to be in communion with
Him: such His love for His people, that He desired to be much in intercession for them. The fact of this eminent
prayerfulness of Jesus is a lesson for us--He hath given us an example that we may follow in His steps. The time
He chose was admirable, it was the hour of silence, when the crowd would not disturb Him; the time of inaction,
when all but Himself had ceased to labour; and the season when slumber made men forget their woes, and cease their
applications to Him for relief. While others found rest in sleep, He refreshed Himself with prayer. The place was
also well selected. He was alone where none would intrude, where none could observe: thus was He free from Pharisaic
ostentation and vulgar interruption. Those dark and silent hills were a fit oratory for the Son of God. Heaven
and earth in midnight stillness heard the groans and sighs of the mysterious Being in whom both worlds were blended.
The continuance of His pleadings is remarkable; the long watches were not too long; the cold wind did not chill
His devotions; the grim darkness did not darken His faith, or loneliness check His importunity. We cannot watch
with Him one hour, but He watched for us whole nights. The occasion for this prayer is notable; it was after His
enemies had been enraged--prayer was His refuge and solace; it was before He sent forth the twelve apostles--prayer
was the gate of His enterprise, the herald of His new work. Should we not learn from Jesus to resort to special
prayer when we are under peculiar trial, or contemplate fresh endeavours for the Master's glory? Lord Jesus, teach
us to pray.
November 13
This morning's verse:
"The branch cannot bear fruit of itself." John 15:4
How did you begin to bear fruit? It was when you came to Jesus and cast yourselves on His great atonement, and
rested on His finished righteousness. Ah! what fruit you had then! Do you remember those early days? Then indeed
the vine flourished, the tender grape appeared, the pomegranates budded forth, and the beds of spices gave forth
their smell. Have you declined since then? If you have, we charge you to remember that time of love, and repent,
and do thy first works. Be most in those engagements which you have experimentally proved to draw you nearest to
Christ, because it is from Him that all your fruits proceed. Any holy exercise which will bring you to Him will
help you to bear fruit. The sun is, no doubt, a great worker in fruit-creating among the trees of the orchard:
and Jesus is still more so among the trees of His garden of grace. When have you been the most fruitless? Has not
it been when you have lived farthest from the Lord Jesus Christ, when you have slackened in prayer, when you have
departed from the simplicity of your faith, when your graces have engrossed your attention instead of your Lord,
when you have said, "My mountain standeth firm, I shall never be moved"; and have forgotten where your
strength dwells--has not it been then that your fruit has ceased? Some of us have been taught that we have nothing
out of Christ, by terrible abasements of heart before the Lord; and when we have seen the utter barrenness and
death of all creature power, we have cried in anguish, "From Him all my fruit must be found, for no fruit
can ever come from me." We are taught, by past experience, that the more simply we depend upon the grace of
God in Christ, and wait upon the Holy Spirit, the more we shall bring forth fruit unto God. Oh! to trust Jesus
for fruit as well as for life.
This evening's verse:
"Men ought always to pray." Luke 18:1
If men ought always to pray and not to faint, much more Christian men. Jesus has sent His church into the world
on the same errand upon which He Himself came, and this mission includes intercession. What if I say that the church
is the world's priest? Creation is dumb, but the church is to find a mouth for it. It is the church's high privilege
to pray with acceptance. The door of grace is always open for her petitions, and they never return empty-handed.
The veil was rent for her, the blood was sprinkled upon the altar for her, God constantly invites her to ask what
she wills. Will she refuse the privilege which angels might envy her? Is she not the bride of Christ? May she not
go in unto her King at every hour? Shall she allow the precious privilege to be unused? The church always has need
for prayer. There are always some in her midst who are declining, or falling into open sin. There are lambs to
be prayed for, that they may be carried in Christ's bosom? the strong, lest they grow presumptuous; and the weak,
lest they become despairing. If we kept up prayer-meetings four-and-twenty hours in the day, all the days in the
year, we might never be without a special subject for supplication. Are we ever without the sick and the poor,
the afflicted and the wavering? Are we ever without those who seek the conversion of relatives, the reclaiming
of back-sliders, or the salvation of the depraved? Nay, with congregations constantly gathering, with ministers
always preaching, with millions of sinners lying dead in trespasses and sins; in a country over which the darkness
of Romanism is certainly descending; in a world full of idols, cruelties, devilries, if the church doth not pray,
how shall she excuse her base neglect of the commission of her loving Lord? Let the church be constant in supplication,
let every private believer cast his mite of prayer into the treasury.
November 14
This morning's verse:
"I will cut off them that worship and that swear by the Lord, and that swear by Malcham." Zephaniah 1:5
Such persons thought themselves safe because they were with both parties: they went with the followers of Jehovah,
and bowed at the same time to Malcham. But duplicity is abominable with God, and hypocrisy His soul hateth. The
idolater who distinctly gives himself to his false god, has one sin less than he who brings his polluted and detestable
sacrifice unto the temple of the Lord, while his heart is with the world and the sins thereof. To hold with the
hare and run with the hounds, is a dastard's policy. In the common matters of daily life, a double- minded man
is despised, but in religion he is loathsome to the last degree. The penalty pronounced in the verse before us
is terrible, but it is well deserved; for how should divine justice spare the sinner, who knows the right, approves
it, and professes to follow it, and all the while loves the evil, and gives it dominion in his heart?
My soul, search thyself this morning, and see whether thou art guilty of double-dealing. Thou professest to be
a follower of Jesus--dost thou truly love Him? Is thy heart right with God? Art thou of the family of old Father
Honest, or art thou a relative of Mr. By-ends? A name to live is of little value if I be indeed dead in trespasses
and sins. To have one foot on the land of truth, and another on the sea of falsehood, will involve a terrible fall
and a total ruin. Christ will be all or nothing. God fills the whole universe, and hence there is no room for another
god; if, then, He reigns in my heart, there will be no space for another reigning power. Do I rest alone on Jesus
crucified, and live alone for Him? Is it my desire to do so? Is my heart set upon so doing? If so, blessed be the
mighty grace which has led me to salvation; and if not so, O Lord, pardon my sad offence, and unite my heart to
fear Thy name.
This evening's verse:
"And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn." Genesis
29:26
We do not excuse Laban for his dishonesty, but we scruple not to learn from the custom which he quoted as his excuse.
There are some things which must be taken in order, and if we would win the second we must secure the first. The
second may be the more lovely in our eyes, but the rule of the heavenly country must stand, and the elder must
be married first. For instance, many men desire the beautiful and well-favoured Rachel of joy and peace in believing,
but they must first be wedded to the tender-eyed Leah of repentance. Every one falls in love with happiness, and
many would cheerfully serve twice seven years to enjoy it, but according to the rule of the Lord's kingdom, the
Leah of real holiness must be beloved of our soul before the Rachel of true happiness can be attained. Heaven stands
not first but second, and only by persevering to the end can we win a portion in it. The cross must be carried
before the crown can be worn. We must follow our Lord in His humiliation, or we shall never rest with Him in glory.
My soul, what sayest thou, art thou so vain as to hope to break through the heavenly rule? Dost thou hope for reward
without labour, or honour without toil? Dismiss the idle expectation, and be content to take the ill-favoured things
for the sake of the sweet love of Jesus, which will recompense thee for all. In such a spirit, labouring and suffering,
thou wilt find bitters grow sweet, and hard things easy. Like Jacob, thy years of service will seem unto thee but
a few days for the love thou hast to Jesus; and when the dear hour of the wedding feast shall come, all thy toils
shall be as though they had never been--an hour with Jesus will make up for ages of pain and labour.
Jesus, to win Thyself so fair,
Thy cross I will with gladness bear:
Since so the rules of heaven ordain,
The first I'll wed the next to gain.
November 15
This morning's verse:
"The Lord's portion is His people." Deuteronomy 32:9
How are they His? By His own sovereign choice. He chose them, and set His love upon them. This He did altogether
apart from any goodness in them at the time, or any goodness which He foresaw in them. He had mercy on whom He
would have mercy, and ordained a chosen company unto eternal life; thus, therefore, are they His by His unconstrained
election.
They are not only His by choice, but by purchase. He has bought and paid for them to the utmost farthing, hence
about His title there can be no dispute. Not with corruptible things, as with silver and gold, but with the precious
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord's portion has been fully redeemed. There is no mortgage on His estate;
no suits can be raised by opposing claimants, the price was paid in open court, and the Church is the Lord's freehold
for ever. See the blood-mark upon all the chosen, invisible to human eye, but known to Christ, for "the Lord
knoweth them that are His"; He forgetteth none of those whom He has redeemed from among men; He counts the
sheep for whom He laid down His life, and remembers well the Church for which He gave Himself.
They are also His by conquest. What a battle He had in us before we would be won! How long He laid siege to our
hearts! How often He sent us terms of capitulation! but we barred our gates, and fenced our walls against Him.
Do we not remember that glorious hour when He carried our hearts by storm? When He placed His cross against the
wall, and scaled our ramparts, planting on our strongholds the blood-red flag of His omnipotent mercy? Yes, we
are, indeed, the conquered captives of His omnipotent love. Thus chosen, purchased, and subdued, the rights of
our divine possessor are inalienable: we rejoice that we never can be our own; and we desire, day by day, to do
His will, and to show forth His glory.
This evening's verse:
"Strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us." Psalm 68:28
It is our wisdom, as well as our necessity, to beseech God continually to strengthen that which He has wrought
in us. It is because of their neglect in this, that many Christians may blame themselves for those trials and afflictions
of spirit which arise from unbelief. It is true that Satan seeks to flood the fair garden of the heart and make
it a scene of desolation, but it is also true that many Christians leave open the sluice-gates themselves, and
let in the dreadful deluge through carelessness and want of prayer to their strong Helper. We often forget that
the Author of our faith must be the Preserver of it also. The lamp which was burning in the temple was never allowed
to go out, but it had to be daily replenished with fresh oil; in like manner, our faith can only live by being
sustained with the oil of grace, and we can only obtain this from God Himself. Foolish virgins we shall prove,
if we do not secure the needed sustenance for our lamps. He who built the world upholds it, or it would fall in
one tremendous crash; He who made us Christians must maintain us by His Spirit, or our ruin will be speedy and
final. Let us, then, evening by evening, go to our Lord for the grace and strength we need. We have a strong argument
to plead, for it is His own work of grace which we ask Him to strengthen--"that which Thou hast wrought for
us." Think you He will fail to protect and sustain that? Only let your faith take hold of His strength, and
all the powers of darkness, led on by the master fiend of hell, cannot cast a cloud or shadow over your joy and
peace. Why faint when you may be strong? Why suffer defeat when you may conquer? Oh! take your wavering faith and
drooping graces to Him who can revive and replenish them, and earnestly pray, "Strengthen, O God, that which
thou hast wrought for us."
November 16
This morning's verse:
"The Lord is my portion, saith my soul." Lamentations 3:24
It is not "The Lord is partly my portion," nor "The Lord is in my portion"; but He Himself
makes up the sum total of my soul's inheritance. Within the circumference of that circle lies all that we possess
or desire. The Lord is my portion. Not His grace merely, nor His love, nor His covenant, but Jehovah Himself. He
has chosen us for His portion, and we have chosen Him for ours. It is true that the Lord must first choose our
inheritance for us, or else we shall never choose it for ourselves; but if we are really called according to the
purpose of electing love, we can sing--
"Lov'd of my God for Him again
With love intense I burn;
Chosen of Him ere time began,
I choose Him in return."
The Lord is our all-sufficient portion. God fills Himself; and if God is all-sufficient in Himself, He must be
all-sufficient for us. It is not easy to satisfy man's desires. When he dreams that he is satisfied, anon he wakes
to the perception that there is somewhat yet beyond, and straightway the horse-leech in his heart cries, "Give,
give." But all that we can wish for is to be found in our divine portion, so that we ask, "Whom have
I in heaven but Thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee." Well may we "delight ourselves
in the Lord" who makes us to drink of the river of His pleasures. Our faith stretches her wings and mounts
like an eagle into the heaven of divine love as to her proper dwelling-place. "The lines have fallen to us
in pleasant places; yea, we have a goodly heritage." Let us rejoice in the Lord always; let us show to the
world that we are a happy and a blessed people, and thus induce them to exclaim, "We will go with you, for
we have heard that God is with you."
This evening's verse:
"Thine eyes shall see the King in His beauty." Isaiah 33:17
The more you know about Christ the less will you be satisfied with superficial views of Him; and the more deeply
you study His transactions in the eternal covenant, His engagements on your behalf as the eternal Surety, and the
fulness of His grace which shines in all His offices, the more truly will you see the King in His beauty. Be much
in such outlooks. Long more and more to see Jesus. Meditation and contemplation are often like windows of agate,
and gates of carbuncle, through which we behold the Redeemer. Meditation puts the telescope to the eye, and enables
us to see Jesus after a better sort than we could have seen Him if we had lived in the days of His flesh. Would
that our conversation were more in heaven, and that we were more taken up with the person, the work, the beauty
of our incarnate Lord. More meditation, and the beauty of the King would flash upon us with more resplendence.
Beloved, it is very probable that we shall have such a sight of our glorious King as we never had before, when
we come to die. Many saints in dying have looked up from amidst the stormy waters, and have seen Jesus walking
on the waves of the sea, and heard Him say, "It is I, be not afraid." Ah, yes! when the tenement begins
to shake, and the clay falls away, we see Christ through the rifts, and between the rafters the sunlight of heaven
comes streaming in. But if we want to see face to face the "King in His beauty" we must go to heaven
for the sight, or the King must come here in person. O that He would come on the wings of the wind! He is our Husband,
and we are widowed by His absence; He is our Brother dear and fair, and we are lonely without Him. Thick veils
and clouds hang between our souls and their true life: when shall the day break and the shadows flee away? Oh,
long-expected day, begin!
November 17
This morning's verse:
"To whom be glory for ever. Amen" Romans 11:36
"To whom be glory for ever." This should be the single desire of the Christian. All other wishes must
be subservient and tributary to this one. The Christian may wish for prosperity in his business, but only so far
as it may help him to promote this--"To Him be glory for ever." He may desire to attain more gifts and
more graces, but it should only be that "To Him may be glory for ever." You are not acting as you ought
to do when you are moved by any other motive than a single eye to your Lord's glory. As a Christian, you are "of
God, and through God," then live "to God." Let nothing ever set your heart beating so mightily as
love to Him. Let this ambition fire your soul; be this the foundation of every enterprise upon which you enter,
and this your sustaining motive whenever your zeal would grow chill; make God your only object. Depend upon it,
where self begins sorrow begins; but if God be my supreme delight and only object,
"To me 'tis equal whether love ordain
My life or death--appoint me ease or pain."
Let your desire for God's glory be a growing desire. You blessed Him in your youth, do not be content with such
praises as you gave Him then. Has God prospered you in business? Give Him more as He has given you more. Has God
given you experience? Praise Him by stronger faith than you exercised at first. Does your knowledge grow? Then
sing more sweetly. Do you enjoy happier times than you once had? Have you been restored from sickness, and has
your sorrow been turned into peace and joy? Then give Him more music; put more coals and more sweet frankincense
into the censer of your praise. Practically in your life give Him honour, putting the "Amen" to this
doxology to your great and gracious Lord, by your own individual service and increasing holiness.
This evening's verse:
"He that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby." Ecclesiastes 10:9
Oppressors may get their will of poor and needy men as easily as they can split logs of wood, but they had better
mind, for it is a dangerous business, and a splinter from a tree has often killed the woodman. Jesus is persecuted
in every injured saint, and He is mighty to avenge His beloved ones. Success in treading down the poor and needy
is a thing to be trembled at: if there be no danger to persecutors here there will be great danger hereafter.
To cleave wood is a common every-day business, and yet it has its dangers; so then, reader, there are dangers connected
with your calling and daily life which it will be well for you to be aware of. We refer not to hazards by flood
and field, or by disease and sudden death, but to perils of a spiritual sort. Your occupation may be as humble
as log splitting, and yet the devil can tempt you in it. You may be a domestic servant, a farm labourer, or a mechanic,
and you may be greatly screened from temptations to the grosser vices, and yet some secret sin may do you damage.
Those who dwell at home, and mingle not with the rough world, may yet be endangered by their very seclusion. Nowhere
is he safe who thinks himself so. Pride may enter a poor man's heart; avarice may reign in a cottager's bosom;
uncleanness may venture into the quietest home; and anger, and envy, and malice may insinuate themselves into the
most rural abode. Even in speaking a few words to a servant we may sin; a little purchase at a shop may be the
first link in a chain of temptations; the mere looking out of a window may be the beginning of evil. O Lord, how
exposed we are! How shall we be secured! To keep ourselves is work too hard for us: only Thou Thyself art able
to preserve us in such a world of evils. Spread Thy wings over us, and we, like little chickens, will cower down
beneath Thee, and feel ourselves safe!
November 18
This morning's verse:
"A spring shut up, a fountain sealed." Song 4:12
In this metaphor, which has reference to the inner life of a believer, we have very plainly the idea of secrecy.
It is a spring shut up: just as there were springs in the East, over which an edifice was built, so that none could
reach them save those who knew the secret entrance; so is the heart of a believer when it is renewed by grace:
there is a mysterious life within which no human skill can touch. It is a secret which no other man knoweth; nay,
which the very man who is the possessor of it cannot tell to his neighbour. The text includes not only secrecy,
but separation. It is not the common spring, of which every passer-by may drink, it is one kept and preserved from
all others; it is a fountain bearing a particular mark--a king's royal seal, so that all can perceive that it is
not a common fountain, but a fountain owned by a proprietor, and placed specially by itself alone. So is it with
the spiritual life. The chosen of God were separated in the eternal decree; they were separated by God in the day
of redemption; and they are separated by the possession of a life which others have not; and it is impossible for
them to feel at home with the world, or to delight in its pleasures. There is also the idea of sacredness. The
spring shut up is preserved for the use of some special person: and such is the Christian's heart. It is a spring
kept for Jesus. Every Christian should feel that he has God's seal upon him--and he should be able to say with
Paul, "From henceforth let no man trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." Another
idea is prominent--it is that of security. Oh! how sure and safe is the inner life of the believer! If all the
powers of earth and hell could combine against it, that immortal principle must still exist, for He who gave it
pledged His life for its preservation. And who "is He that shall harm you," when God is your protector?
This evening's verse:
"Thou art from everlasting." Psalm 93:2
Christ is EVERLASTING. Of Him we may sing with David, "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever." Rejoice,
believer, in Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever. Jesus always was. The Babe born in Bethlehem
was united to the Word, which was in the beginning, by whom all things were made. The title by which Christ revealed
Himself to John in Patmos was, "Him which is, and which was, and which is to come." If He were not God
from everlasting, we could not so devoutly love Him; we could not feel that He had any share in the eternal love
which is the fountain of all covenant blessings; but since He was from all eternity with the Father, we trace the
stream of divine love to Himself equally with His Father and the blessed Spirit. As our Lord always was, so also
He is for evermore. Jesus is not dead; "He ever liveth to make intercession for us." Resort to Him in
all your times of need, for He is waiting to bless you still. Moreover, Jesus our Lord ever shall be. If God should
spare your life to fulfil your full day of threescore years and ten, you will find that His cleansing fountain
is still opened, and His precious blood has not lost its power; you shall find that the Priest who filled the healing
fount with His own blood, lives to purge you from all iniquity. When only your last battle remains to be fought,
you shall find that the hand of your conquering Captain has not grown feeble--the living Saviour shall cheer the
dying saint. When you enter heaven you shall find Him there bearing the dew of His youth; and through eternity
the Lord Jesus shall still remain the perennial spring of joy, and life, and glory to His people. Living waters
may you draw from this sacred well! Jesus always was, He always is, He always shall be. He is eternal in all His
attributes, in all His offices, in all His might, and willingness to bless, comfort, guard, and crown His chosen
people.
November 19
This morning's verse:
"Avoid foolish questions." Titus 3:9
Our days are few, and are far better spent in doing good, than in disputing over matters which are, at best, of
minor importance. The old schoolmen did a world of mischief by their incessant discussion of subjects of no practical
importance; and our Churches suffer much from petty wars over abstruse points and unimportant questions. After
everything has been said that can be said, neither party is any the wiser, and therefore the discussion no more
promotes knowledge than love, and it is foolish to sow in so barren a field. Questions upon points wherein Scripture
is silent; upon mysteries which belong to God alone; upon prophecies of doubtful interpretation; and upon mere
modes of observing human ceremonials, are all foolish, and wise men avoid them. Our business is neither to ask
nor answer foolish questions, but to avoid them altogether; and if we observe the apostle's precept (Titus 3:8)
to be careful to maintain good works, we shall find ourselves far too much occupied with profitable business to
take much interest in unworthy, contentious, and needless strivings.
There are, however, some questions which are the reverse of foolish, which we must not avoid, but fairly and honestly
meet, such as these: Do I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? Am I renewed in the spirit of my mind? Am I walking
not after the flesh, but after the Spirit? Am I growing in grace? Does my conversation adorn the doctrine of God
my Saviour? Am I looking for the coming of the Lord, and watching as a servant should do who expects his master?
What more can I do for Jesus? Such enquiries as these urgently demand our attention; and if we have been at all
given to cavilling, let us now turn our critical abilities to a service so much more profitable. Let us be peace-makers,
and endeavour to lead others both by our precept and example, to "avoid foolish questions."
This evening's verse:
"O that I knew where I might find Him!" Job 23:3
In Job's uttermost extremity he cried after the Lord. The longing desire of an afflicted child of God is once more
to see his Father's face. His first prayer is not "O that I might be healed of the disease which now festers
in every part of my body!" nor even "O that I might see my children restored from the jaws of the grave,
and my property once more brought from the hand of the spoiler!" but the first and uppermost cry is, "O
that I knew where I might find HIM, who is my God! that I might come even to His seat!" God's children run
home when the storm comes on. It is the heaven-born instinct of a gracious soul to seek shelter from all ills beneath
the wings of Jehovah. "He that hath made his refuge God," might serve as the title of a true believer.
A hypocrite, when afflicted by God, resents the infliction, and, like a slave, would run from the Master who has
scourged him; but not so the true heir of heaven, he kisses the hand which smote him, and seeks shelter from the
rod in the bosom of the God who frowned upon him. Job's desire to commune with God was intensified by the failure
of all other sources of consolation. The patriarch turned away from his sorry friends, and looked up to the celestial
throne, just as a traveller turns from his empty skin bottle, and betakes himself with all speed to the well. He
bids farewell to earth-born hopes, and cries, "O that I knew where I might find my God!" Nothing teaches
us so much the preciousness of the Creator, as when we learn the emptiness of all besides. Turning away with bitter
scorn from earth's hives, where we find no honey, but many sharp stings, we rejoice in Him whose faithful word
is sweeter than honey or the honeycomb. In every trouble we should first seek to realize God's presence with us.
Only let us enjoy His smile, and we can bear our daily cross with a willing heart for His dear sake.
November 20
This morning's verse:
"0 Lord, Thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul." Lamentations 3:58
Observe how positively the prophet speaks. He doth not say, "I hope, I trust, I sometimes think, that God
hath pleaded the causes of my soul"; but he speaks of it as a matter of fact not to be disputed. "Thou
hast pleaded the causes of my soul." Let us, by the aid of the gracious Comforter, shake off those doubts
and fears which so much mar our peace and comfort. Be this our prayer, that we may have done with the harsh croaking
voice of surmise and suspicion, and may be able to speak with the clear, melodious voice of full assurance. Notice
how gratefully the prophet speaks, ascribing all the glory to God alone! You perceive there is not a word concerning
himself or his own pleadings. He doth not ascribe his deliverance in any measure to any man, much less to his own
merit; but it is "thou"--"O Lord, Thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; Thou hast redeemed my
life." A grateful spirit should ever be cultivated by the Christian; and especially after deliverances we
should prepare a song for our God. Earth should be a temple filled with the songs of grateful saints, and every
day should be a censor smoking with the sweet incense of thanksgiving. How joyful Jeremiah seems to be while he
records the Lord's mercy. How triumphantly he lifts up the strain! He has been in the low dungeon, and is even
now no other than the weeping prophet; and yet in the very book which is called "Lamentations," clear
as the song of Miriam when she dashed her fingers against the tabor, shrill as the note of Deborah when she met
Barak with shouts of victory, we hear the voice of Jeremy going up to heaven--"Thou hast pleaded the causes
of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life." O children of God, seek after a vital experience of the Lord's lovingkindness,
and when you have it, speak positively of it; sing gratefully; shout triumphantly.
This evening's verse:
"The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks." Proverbs 30:26
Conscious of their own natural defenselessness, the conies resort to burrows in the rocks, and are secure from
their enemies. My heart, be willing to gather a lesson from these feeble folk. Thou art as weak and as exposed
to peril as the timid cony, be as wise to seek a shelter. My best security is within the munitions of an immutable
Jehovah, where His unalterable promises stand like giant walls of rock. It will be well with thee, my heart, if
thou canst always hide thyself in the bulwarks of His glorious attributes, all of which are guarantees of safety
for those who put their trust in Him. Blessed be the name of the Lord, I have so done, and have found myself like
David in Adullam, safe from the cruelty of my enemy; I have not now to find out the blessedness of the man who
puts his trust in the Lord, for long ago, when Satan and my sins pursued me, I fled to the cleft of the rock Christ
Jesus, and in His riven side I found a delightful resting-place. My heart, run to Him anew to-night, whatever thy
present grief may be; Jesus feels for thee; Jesus consoles thee; Jesus will help thee. No monarch in his impregnable
fortress is more secure than the cony in his rocky burrow. The master of ten thousand chariots is not one whit
better protected than the little dweller in the mountain's cleft. In Jesus the weak are strong, and the defenceless
safe; they could not be more strong if they were giants, or more safe if they were in heaven. Faith gives to men
on earth the protection of the God of heaven. More they cannot need, and need not wish. The conies cannot build
a castle, but they avail themselves of what is there already: I cannot make myself a refuge, but Jesus has provided
it, His Father has given it, His Spirit has revealed it, and lo, again to-night I enter it, and am safe from every
foe.
November 21
This morning's verse:
"Grieve not the Holy Spirit." Ephesians 4:30
All that the believer has must come from Christ, but it comes solely through the channel of the Spirit of grace.
Moreover, as all blessings thus flow to you through the Holy Spirit, so also no good thing can come out of you
in holy thought, devout worship, or gracious act, apart from the sanctifying operation of the same Spirit. Even
if the good seed be sown in you, yet it lies dormant except He worketh in you to will and to do of His own good
pleasure. Do you desire to speak for Jesus--how can you unless the Holy Ghost touch your tongue? Do you desire
to pray? Alas! what dull work it is unless the Spirit maketh intercession for you! Do you desire to subdue sin?
Would you be holy? Would you imitate your Master? Do you desire to rise to superlative heights of spirituality?
Are you wanting to be made like the angels of God, full of zeal and ardour for the Master's cause? You cannot without
the Spirit--"Without me ye can do nothing." O branch of the vine, thou canst have no fruit without the
sap! O child of God, thou hast no life within thee apart from the life which God gives thee through His Spirit!
Then let us not grieve Him or provoke Him to anger by our sin. Let us not quench Him in one of His faintest motions
in our soul; let us foster every suggestion, and be ready to obey every prompting. If the Holy Spirit be indeed
so mighty, let us attempt nothing without Him; let us begin no project, and carry on no enterprise, and conclude
no transaction, without imploring His blessing. Let us do Him the due homage of feeling our entire weakness apart
from Him, and then depending alone upon Him, having this for our prayer, "Open Thou my heart and my whole
being to Thine incoming, and uphold me with Thy free Spirit when I shall have received that Spirit in my inward
parts."
This evening's verse:
"Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with Him." John 12:2
He is to be envied. It was well to be Martha and serve, but better to be Lazarus and commune. There are times for
each purpose, and each is comely in its season, but none of the trees of the garden yield such clusters as the
vine of fellowship. To sit with Jesus, to hear His words, to mark His acts, and receive His smiles, was such a
favour as must have made Lazarus as happy as the angels. When it has been our happy lot to feast with our Beloved
in His banqueting-hall, we would not have given half a sigh for all the kingdoms of the world, if so much breath
could have bought them.
He is to be imitated. It would have been a strange thing if Lazarus had not been at the table where Jesus was,
for he had been dead, and Jesus had raised him. For the risen one to be absent when the Lord who gave him life
was at his house, would have been ungrateful indeed. We too were once dead, yea, and like Lazarus stinking in the
grave of sin; Jesus raised us, and by His life we live--can we be content to live at a distance from Him? Do we
omit to remember Him at His table, where He deigns to feast with His brethren? Oh, this is cruel! It behoves us
to repent, and do as He has bidden us, for His least wish should be law to us. To have lived without constant intercourse
with one of whom the Jews said, "Behold how He loved him," would have been disgraceful to Lazarus, is
it excusable in us whom Jesus has loved with an everlasting love? To have been cold to Him who wept over his lifeless
corpse, would have argued great brutishness in Lazarus. What does it argue in us over whom the Saviour has not
only wept, but bled? Come, brethren, who read this portion, let us return unto our heavenly Bridegroom, and ask
for His Spirit that we may be on terms of closer intimacy with Him, and henceforth sit at the table with Him.
November 22
This morning's verse:
"Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep." Hosea 12:12
Jacob, while expostulating with Laban, thus describes his own toil, "This twenty years have I been with thee.
That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee: I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it,
whether stolen by day, or stolen by night. Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night;
and my sleep departed from mine eyes." Even more toilsome than this was the life of our Saviour here below.
He watched over all His sheep till He gave in as His last account, "Of all those whom Thou hast given me I
have lost none." His hair was wet with dew, and His locks with the drops of the night. Sleep departed from
His eyes, for all night He was in prayer wrestling for His people. One night Peter must be pleaded for; anon, another
claims His tearful intercession. No shepherd sitting beneath the cold skies, looking up to the stars, could ever
utter such complaints because of the hardness of his toil as Jesus Christ might have brought, if He had chosen
to do so, because of the sternness of His service in order to procure His spouse--
"Cold mountains and the midnight air,
Witnessed the fervour of His prayer;
The desert His temptations knew,
His conflict and His victory too."
It is sweet to dwell upon the spiritual parallel of Laban having required all the sheep at Jacob's hand. If they
were torn of beasts, Jacob must make it good; if any of them died, he must stand as surety for the whole. Was not
the toil of Jesus for His Church the toil of one who was under suretiship obligations to bring every believing
one safe to the hand of Him who had committed them to His charge? Look upon toiling Jacob, and you see a representation
of Him of whom we read, "He shall feed His flock like a shepherd."
This evening's verse:
"The power of His resurrection." Philippians 3:10
The doctrine of a risen Saviour is exceedingly precious. The resurrection is the corner-stone of the entire building
of Christianity. It is the key-stone of the arch of our salvation. It would take a volume to set forth all the
streams of living water which flow from this one sacred source, the resurrection of our dear Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ; but to know that He has risen, and to have fellowship with Him as such--communing with the risen Saviour
by possessing a risen life--seeing Him leave the tomb by leaving the tomb of worldliness ourselves, this is even
still more precious. The doctrine is the basis of the experience, but as the flower is more lovely than the root,
so is the experience of fellowship with the risen Saviour more lovely than the doctrine itself. I would have you
believe that Christ rose from the dead so as to sing of it, and derive all the consolation which it is possible
for you to extract from this well-ascertained and well-witnessed fact; but I beseech you, rest not contented even
there. Though you cannot, like the disciples, see Him visibly, yet I bid you aspire to see Christ Jesus by the
eye of faith; and though, like Mary Magdalene, you may not "touch" Him, yet may you be privileged to
converse with Him, and to know that He is risen, you yourselves being risen in Him to newness of life. To know
a crucified Saviour as having crucified all my sins, is a high degree of knowledge; but to know a risen Saviour
as having justified me, and to realize that He has bestowed upon me new life, having given me to be a new creature
through His own newness of life, this is a noble style of experience: short of it, none ought to rest satisfied.
May you both "know Him, and the power of His resurrection." Why should souls who are quickened with Jesus,
wear the grave-clothes of worldliness and unbelief? Rise, for the Lord is risen.
November 23
This morning's verse:
"Fellowship with Him." 1John 1:6
When we were united by faith to Christ, we were brought into such complete fellowship with Him, that we were made
one with Him, and His interests and ours became mutual and identical. We have fellowship with Christ in His love.
What He loves we love. He loves the saints--so do we. He loves sinners--so do we. He loves the poor perishing race
of man, and pants to see earth's deserts transformed into the garden of the Lord--so do we. We have fellowship
with Him in His desires. He desires the glory of God--we also labour for the same. He desires that the saints may
be with Him where He is--we desire to be with Him there too. He desires to drive out sin--behold we fight under
His banner. He desires that His Father's name may be loved and adored by all His creatures--we pray daily, "Let
Thy kingdom come and Thy will be done on earth, even as it is in heaven." We have fellowship with Christ in
His sufferings. We are not nailed to the cross, nor do we die a cruel death, but when He is reproached, we are
reproached; and a very sweet thing it is to be blamed for His sake, to be despised for following the Master, to
have the world against us. The disciple should not be above His Lord. In our measure we commune with Him in His
labours, ministering to men by the word of truth and by deeds of love. Our meat and our drink, like His, is to
do the will of Him who hath sent us and to finish His work. We have also fellowship with Christ in His joys. We
are happy in His happiness, we rejoice in His exaltation. Have you ever tasted that joy, believer? There is no
purer or more thrilling delight to be known this side heaven than that of having Christ's joy fulfilled in us,
that our joy may be full. His glory awaits us to complete our fellowship, for His Church shall sit with him upon
His throne, as His well-beloved bride and queen.
This evening's verse:
"Get thee up into the high mountain." Isaiah 40:9
Each believer should be thirsting for God, for the living God, and longing to climb the hill of the Lord, and see
Him face to face. We ought not to rest content in the mists of the valley when the summit of Tabor awaits us. My
soul thirsteth to drink deep of the cup which is reserved for those who reach the mountain's brow, and bathe their
brows in heaven. How pure are the dews of the hills, how fresh is the mountain air, how rich the fare of the dwellers
aloft, whose windows look into the New Jerusalem! Many saints are content to live like men in coal mines, who see
not the sun; they eat dust like the serpent when they might taste the ambrosial meat of angels; they are content
to wear the miner's garb when they might put on king's robes; tears mar their faces when they might anoint them
with celestial oil. Satisfied I am that many a believer pines in a dungeon when he might walk on the palace roof,
and view the goodly land and Lebanon. Rouse thee, O believer, from thy low condition! Cast away thy sloth, thy
lethargy, thy coldness, or whatever interferes with thy chaste and pure love to Christ, thy soul's Husband. Make
Him the source, the centre, and the circumference of all thy soul's range of delight. What enchants thee into such
folly as to remain in a pit when thou mayst sit on a throne? Live not in the lowlands of bondage now that mountain
liberty is conferred upon thee. Rest no longer satisfied with thy dwarfish attainments, but press forward to things
more sublime and heavenly. Aspire to a higher, a nobler, a fuller life. Upward to heaven! Nearer to God!
"When wilt Thou come unto me, Lord?
Oh come, my Lord most dear!
Come near, come nearer, nearer still,
I'm blest when Thou art near."
November 24
This morning's verse:
"The glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams." Isaiah 33:21
Broad rivers and streams produce fertility, and abundance in the land. Places near broad rivers are remarkable
for the variety of their plants and their plentiful harvests. God is all this to His Church. Having God she has
abundance. What can she ask for that He will not give her? What want can she mention which He will not supply?
"In this mountain shall the Lord of Hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things." Want ye the bread
of life? It drops like manna from the sky. Want ye refreshing streams? The rock follows you, and that Rock is Christ.
If you suffer any want it is your own fault; if you are straitened you are not straitened in Him, but in your own
bowels. Broad rivers and streams also point to commerce. Our glorious Lord is to us a place of heavenly merchandize.
Through our Redeemer we have commerce with the past; the wealth of Calvary, the treasures of the covenant, the
riches of the ancient days of election, the stores of eternity, all come to us down the broad stream of our gracious
Lord. We have commerce, too, with the future. What galleys, laden to the water's edge, come to us from the millennium!
What visions we have of the days of heaven upon earth! Through our glorious Lord we have commerce with angels;
communion with the bright spirits washed in blood, who sing before the throne; nay, better still, we have fellowship
with the Infinite One. Broad rivers and streams are specially intended to set forth the idea of security. Rivers
were of old a defence. Oh! beloved, what a defence is God to His Church! The devil cannot cross this broad river
of God. How he wishes he could turn the current, but fear not, for God abideth immutably the same. Satan may worry,
but he cannot destroy us; no galley with oars shall invade our river, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby.
This evening's verse:
"Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as
one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man." Proverbs 24:33, 34
The worst of sluggards only ask for a little slumber; they would be indignant if they were accused of thorough
idleness. A little folding of the hands to sleep is all they crave, and they have a crowd of reasons to show that
this indulgence is a very proper one. Yet by these littles the day ebbs out, and the time for labour is all gone,
and the field is grown over with thorns. It is by little procrastinations that men ruin their souls. They have
no intention to delay for years--a few months will bring the more convenient season--to-morrow if you will, they
will attend to serious things; but the present hour is so occupied and altogether so unsuitable, that they beg
to be excused. Like sands from an hour-glass, time passes, life is wasted by driblets, and seasons of grace lost
by little slumbers. Oh, to be wise, to catch the flying hour, to use the moments on the wing! May the Lord teach
us this sacred wisdom, for otherwise a poverty of the worst sort awaits us, eternal poverty which shall want even
a drop of water, and beg for it in vain. Like a traveller steadily pursuing his journey, poverty overtakes the
slothful, and ruin overthrows the undecided: each hour brings the dreaded pursuer nearer; he pauses not by the
way, for he is on his master's business and must not tarry. As an armed man enters with authority and power, so
shall want come to the idle, and death to the impenitent, and there will be no escape. O that men were wise be-times,
and would seek diligently unto the Lord Jesus, or ere the solemn day shall dawn when it will be too late to plough
and to sow, too late to repent and believe. In harvest, it is vain to lament that the seed time was neglected.
As yet, faith and holy decision are timely. May we obtain them this night.
November 25
This morning's verse:
"To preach deliverance to the captives." Luke 4:18
None but Jesus can give deliverance to captives. Real liberty cometh from Him only. It is a liberty righteously
bestowed; for the Son, who is Heir of all things, has a right to make men free. The saints honour the justice of
God, which now secures their salvation. It is a liberty which has been dearly purchased. Christ speaks it by His
power, but He bought it by His blood. He makes thee free, but it is by His own bonds. Thou goest clear, because
He bare thy burden for thee: thou art set at liberty, because He has suffered in thy stead. But, though dearly
purchased, He freely gives it. Jesus asks nothing of us as a preparation for this liberty. He finds us sitting
in sackcloth and ashes, and bids us put on the beautiful array of freedom; He saves us just as we are, and all
without our help or merit. When Jesus sets free, the liberty is perpetually entailed; no chains can bind again.
Let the Master say to me, "Captive, I have delivered thee," and it is done for ever. Satan may plot to
enslave us, but if the Lord be on our side, whom shall we fear? The world, with its temptations, may seek to ensnare
us, but mightier is He who is for us than all they who be against us. The machinations of our own deceitful hearts
may harass and annoy us, but He who hath begun the good work in us will carry it on and perfect it to the end.
The foes of God and the enemies of man may gather their hosts together, and come with concentrated fury against
us, but if God acquitteth, who is he that condemneth? Not more free is the eagle which mounts to his rocky eyrie,
and afterwards outsoars the clouds, than the soul which Christ hath delivered. If we are no more under the law,
but free from its curse, let our liberty be practically exhibited in our serving God with gratitude and delight.
"I am Thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: Thou hast loosed my bonds." "Lord, what wilt Thou
have me to do?"
This evening's verse:
"For He saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I
will have compassion." Romans 9:15
In these words the Lord in the plainest manner claims the right to give or to withhold His mercy according to His
own sovereign will. As the prerogative of life and death is vested in the monarch, so the Judge of all the earth
has a right to spare or condemn the guilty, as may seem best in His sight. Men by their sins have forfeited all
claim upon God; they deserve to perish for their sins--and if they all do so, they have no ground for complaint.
If the Lord steps in to save any, He may do so if the ends of justice are not thwarted; but if He judges it best
to leave the condemned to suffer the righteous sentence, none may arraign Him at their bar. Foolish and impudent
are all those discourses about the rights of men to be all placed on the same footing; ignorant, if not worse,
are those contentions against discriminating grace, which are but the rebellions of proud human nature against
the crown and sceptre of Jehovah. When we are brought to see our own utter ruin and ill desert, and the justice
of the divine verdict against sin, we no longer cavil at the truth that the Lord is not bound to save us; we do
not murmur if He chooses to save others, as though He were doing us an injury, but feel that if He deigns to look
upon us, it will be His own free act of undeserved goodness, for which we shall for ever bless His name.
How shall those who are the subjects of divine election sufficiently adore the grace of God? They have no room
for boasting, for sovereignty most effectually excludes it. The Lord's will alone is glorified, and the very notion
of human merit is cast out to everlasting contempt. There is no more humbling doctrine in Scripture than that of
election, none more promotive of gratitude, and, consequently, none more sanctifying. Believers should not be afraid
of it, but adoringly rejoice in it.
November 26
This morning's verse:
"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might." Ecclesiastes 9:10
"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do," refers to works that are possible. There are many things which our
heart findeth to do which we never shall do. It is well it is in our heart; but if we would be eminently useful,
we must not be content with forming schemes in our heart, and talking of them; we must practically carry out "whatsoever
our hand findeth to do." One good deed is more worth than a thousand brilliant theories. Let us not wait for
large opportunities, or for a different kind of work, but do just the things we "find to do" day by day.
We have no other time in which to live. The past is gone; the future has not arrived; we never shall have any time
but time present. Then do not wait until your experience has ripened into maturity before you attempt to serve
God. Endeavour now to bring forth fruit. Serve God now, but be careful as to the way in which you perform what
you find to do--"do it with thy might." Do it promptly; do not fritter away your life in thinking of
what you intend to do to-morrow as if that could recompense for the idleness of to-day. No man ever served God
by doing things to-morrow. If we honour Christ and are blessed, it is by the things which we do to-day. Whatever
you do for Christ throw your whole soul into it. Do not give Christ a little slurred labour, done as a matter of
course now and then; but when you do serve Him, do it with heart, and soul, and strength.
But where is the might of a Christian? It is not in himself, for he is perfect weakness. His might lieth in the
Lord of Hosts. Then let us seek His help; let us proceed with prayer and faith, and when we have done what our
"hand findeth to do," let us wait upon the Lord for His blessing. What we do thus will be well done,
and will not fail in its effect.
This evening's verse:
"They shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel." Zechariah 4:10
Small things marked the beginning of the work in the hand of Zerubbabel, but none might despise it, for the Lord
had raised up one who would persevere until the headstone should be brought forth with shoutings. The plummet was
in good hands. Here is the comfort of every believer in the Lord Jesus; let the work of grace be ever so small
in its beginnings, the plummet is in good hands, a master builder greater than Solomon has undertaken the raising
of the heavenly temple, and He will not fail nor be discouraged till the topmost pinnacle shall be raised. If the
plummet were in the hand of any merely human being, we might fear for the building, but the pleasure of the Lord
shall prosper in Jesus' hand. The works did not proceed irregularly, and without care, for the master's hand carried
a good instrument. Had the walls been hurriedly run up without due superintendence, they might have been out of
the perpendicular; but the plummet was used by the chosen overseer. Jesus is evermore watching the erection of
His spiritual temple, that it may be built securely and well. We are for haste, but Jesus is for judgment. He will
use the plummet, and that which is out of line must come down, every stone of it. Hence the failure of many a flattering
work, the overthrow of many a glittering profession. It is not for us to judge the Lord's church, since Jesus has
a steady hand, and a true eye, and can use the plummet well. Do we not rejoice to see judgment left to Him?
The plummet was in active use--it was in the builder's hand; a sure indication that he meant to push on the work
to completion. O Lord Jesus, how would we indeed be glad if we could see Thee at Thy great work. O Zion, the beautiful,
thy walls are still in ruins! Rise, Thou glorious Builder, and make her desolations to rejoice at Thy coming.
November 27
This morning's verse:
"Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord." Zechariah 3:1
In Joshua the high priest we see a picture of each and every child of God, who has been made nigh by the blood
of Christ, and has been taught to minister in holy things, and enter into that which is within the veil. Jesus
has made us priests and kings unto God, and even here upon earth we exercise the priesthood of consecrated living
and hallowed service. But this high priest is said to be "standing before the angel of the Lord," that
is, standing to minister. This should be the perpetual position of every true believer. Every place is now God's
temple, and His people can as truly serve Him in their daily employments as in His house. They are to be always
"ministering," offering the spiritual sacrifice of prayer and praise, and presenting themselves a "living
sacrifice." But notice where it is that Joshua stands to minister, it is before the angel of Jehovah. It is
only through a mediator that we poor defiled ones can ever become priests unto God. I present what I have before
the messenger, the angel of the covenant, the Lord Jesus; and through Him my prayers find acceptance wrapped up
in His prayers; my praises become sweet as they are bound up with bundles of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia from
Christ's own garden. If I can bring Him nothing but my tears, He will put them with His own tears in His own bottle
for He once wept; if I can bring Him nothing but my groans and sighs, He will accept these as an acceptable sacrifice,
for He once was broken in heart, and sighed heavily in spirit. I myself, standing in Him, am accepted in the Beloved;
and all my polluted works, though in themselves only objects of divine abhorrence, are so received, that God smelleth
a sweet savour. He is content and I am blessed. See, then, the position of the Christian--"a priest-- standing--before
the angel of the Lord."
This evening's verse:
"The forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace." Ephesians 1:7
Could there be a sweeter word in any language than that word "forgiveness," when it sounds in a guilty
sinner's ear, like the silver notes of jubilee to the captive Israelite? Blessed, for ever blessed be that dear
star of pardon which shines into the condemned cell, and gives the perishing a gleam of hope amid the midnight
of despair! Can it be possible that sin, such sin as mine, can be forgiven, forgiven altogether, and for ever?
Hell is my portion as a sinner--there is no possibility of my escaping from it while sin remains upon me--can the
load of guilt be uplifted, the crimson stain removed? Can the adamantine stones of my prison-house ever be loosed
from their mortices, or the doors be lifted from their hinges? Jesus tells me that I may yet be clear. For ever
blessed be the revelation of atoning love which not only tells me that pardon is possible, but that it is secured
to all who rest in Jesus. I have believed in the appointed propitiation, even Jesus crucified, and therefore my
sins are at this moment, and for ever, forgiven by virtue of His substitutionary pains and death. What joy is this!
What bliss to be a perfectly pardoned soul! My soul dedicates all her powers to Him who of His own unpurchased
love became my surety, and wrought out for me redemption through His blood. What riches of grace does free forgiveness
exhibit! To forgive at all, to forgive fully, to forgive freely, to forgive for ever! Here is a constellation of
wonders; and when I think of how great my sins were, how dear were the precious drops which cleansed me from them,
and how gracious was the method by which pardon was sealed home to me, I am in a maze of wondering worshipping
affection. I bow before the throne which absolves me, I clasp the cross which delivers me, I serve henceforth all
my days the Incarnate God, through whom I am this night a pardoned soul.
November 28
This morning's verse:
"For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest
in the truth." 3John 1:3
The truth was in Gaius, and Gaius walked in a the truth. If the first had not been the case, the second could never
have occurred; and if the second could not be said of him the first would have been a mere pretence. Truth must
enter into the soul, penetrate and saturate it, or else it is of no value. Doctrines held as a matter of creed
are like bread in the hand, which ministers no nourishment to the frame; but doctrine accepted by the heart, is
as food digested, which, by assimilation, sustains and builds up the body. In us truth must be a living force,
an active energy, an indwelling reality, a part of the woof and warp of our being. If it be in us, we cannot henceforth
part with it. A man may lose his garments or his limbs, but his inward parts are vital, and cannot be torn away
without absolute loss of life. A Christian can die, but he cannot deny the truth. Now it is a rule of nature that
the inward affects the outward, as light shines from the centre of the lantern through the glass: when, therefore,
the truth is kindled within, its brightness soon beams forth in the outward life and conversation. It is said that
the food of certain worms colours the cocoons of silk which they spin: and just so the nutriment upon which a man's
inward nature lives gives a tinge to every word and deed proceeding from him. To walk in the truth, imports a life
of integrity, holiness, faithfulness, and simplicity--the natural product of those principles of truth which the
gospel teaches, and which the Spirit of God enables us to receive. We may judge of the secrets of the soul by their
manifestation in the man's conversation. Be it ours to-day, O gracious Spirit, to be ruled and governed by Thy
divine authority, so that nothing false or sinful may reign in our hearts, lest it extend its malignant influence
to our daily walk among men.
This evening's verse:
"Seeking the wealth of his people." Esther 10:3
Mordecai was a true patriot, and therefore, being exalted to the highest position under Ahasuerus, he used his
eminence to promote the prosperity of Israel. In this he was a type of Jesus, who, upon His throne of glory, seeks
not His own, but spends His power for His people. It were well if every Christian would be a Mordecai to the church,
striving according to his ability for its prosperity. Some are placed in stations of affluence and influence, let
them honour their Lord in the high places of the earth, and testify for Jesus before great men. Others have what
is far better, namely, close fellowship with the King of kings, let them be sure to plead daily for the weak of
the Lord's people, the doubting, the tempted, and the comfortless. It will redound to their honour if they make
much intercession for those who are in darkness and dare not draw nigh unto the mercy seat. Instructed believers
may serve their Master greatly if they lay out their talents for the general good, and impart their wealth of heavenly
learning to others, by teaching them the things of God. The very least in our Israel may at least seek the welfare
of his people; and his desire, if he can give no more, shall be acceptable. It is at once the most Christlike and
the most happy course for a believer to cease from living to himself. He who blesses others cannot fail to be blessed
himself. On the other hand, to seek our own personal greatness is a wicked and unhappy plan of life, its way will
be grievous and its end will be fatal.
Here is the place to ask thee, my friend, whether thou art to the best of thy power seeking the wealth of the church
in thy neighbourhood? I trust thou art not doing it mischief by bitterness and scandal, nor weakening it by thy
neglect. Friend, unite with the Lord's poor, bear their cross, do them all the good thou canst, and thou shalt
not miss thy reward.
November 29
This morning's verse:
"Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people . . . Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour,
and not suffer sin upon him." Leviticus 19:16, 17
Tale-bearing emits a threefold poison; for it injures the teller, the hearer, and the person concerning whom the
tale is told. Whether the report be true or false, we are by this precept of God's Word forbidden to spread it.
The reputations of the Lord's people should be very precious in our sight, and we should count it shame to help
the devil to dishonour the Church and the name of the Lord. Some tongues need a bridle rather than a spur. Many
glory in pulling down their brethren, as if thereby they raised themselves. Noah's wise sons cast a mantle over
their father, and he who exposed him earned a fearful curse. We may ourselves one of these dark days need forbearance
and silence from our brethren, let us render it cheerfully to those who require it now. Be this our family rule,
and our personal bond--SPEAK EVIL OF NO MAN.
The Holy Spirit, however, permits us to censure sin, and prescribes the way in which we are to do it. It must be
done by rebuking our brother to his face, not by railing behind his back. This course is manly, brotherly, Christlike,
and under God's blessing will be useful. Does the flesh shrink from it? Then we must lay the greater stress upon
our conscience, and keep ourselves to the work, lest by suffering sin upon our friend we become ourselves partakers
of it. Hundreds have been saved from gross sins by the timely, wise, affectionate warnings of faithful ministers
and brethren. Our Lord Jesus has set us a gracious example of how to deal with erring friends in His warning given
to Peter, the prayer with which He preceded it, and the gentle way in which He bore with Peter's boastful denial
that he needed such a caution.
This evening's verse:
"Spices for anointing oil." Exodus 35:8
Much use was made of this anointing oil under the law, and that which it represents is of primary importance under
the gospel. The Holy Spirit, who anoints us for all holy service, is indispensable to us if we would serve the
Lord acceptably. Without His aid our religious services are but a vain oblation, and our inward experience is a
dead thing. Whenever our ministry is without unction, what miserable stuff it becomes! nor are the prayers, praises,
meditations, and efforts of private Christians one jot superior. A holy anointing is the soul and life of piety,
its absence the most grievous of all calamities. To go before the Lord without anointing is as though some common
Levite had thrust himself into the priest's office--his ministrations would rather have been sins than services.
May we never venture upon hallowed exercises without sacred anointings. They drop upon us from our glorious Head;
from His anointing we who are as the skirts of His garments partake of a plenteous unction. Choice spices were
compounded with rarest art of the apothecary to form the anointing oil, to show forth to us how rich are all the
influences of the Holy Spirit. All good things are found in the divine Comforter. Matchless consolation, infallible
instruction, immortal quickening, spiritual energy, and divine sanctification all lie compounded with other excellencies
in that sacred eye-slave, the heavenly anointing oil of the Holy Spirit. It imparts a delightful fragrance to the
character and person of the man upon whom it is poured. Nothing like it can be found in all the treasuries of the
rich, or the secrets of the wise. It is not to be imitated. It comes alone from God, and it is freely given, through
Jesus Christ, to every waiting soul. Let us seek it, for we may have it, may have it this very evening. O Lord,
anoint Thy servants.
November 30
This morning's verse:
"And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the
army of Israel? And the man of God answered, The Lord is able to give thee much more than this." 2Chronicles
25:9
A very important question this seemed to be to the king of Judah, and possibly it is of even more weight with the
tried and tempted O Christian. To lose money is at no times pleasant, and when principle involves it, the flesh
is not always ready to make the sacrifice. "Why lose that which may be so usefully employed? May not the truth
itself be bought too dear? What shall we do without it? Remember the children, and our small income!" All
these things and a thousand more would tempt the Christian to put forth his hand to unrighteous gain, or stay himself
from carrying out his conscientious convictions, when they involve serious loss. All men cannot view these matters
in the light of faith; and even with the followers of Jesus, the doctrine of "we must live" has quite
sufficient weight.
The Lord is able to give thee much more than this is a very satisfactory answer to the anxious question. Our Father
holds the purse-strings, and what we lose for His sake He can repay a thousand-fold. It is ours to obey His will,
and we may rest assured that He will provide for us. The Lord will be no man's debtor at the last. Saints know
that a grain of heart's-ease is of more value than a ton of gold. He who wraps a threadbare coat about a good conscience
has gained a spiritual wealth far more desirable than any he has lost. God's smile and a dungeon are enough for
a true heart; His frown and a palace would be hell to a gracious spirit. Let the worst come to the worst, let all
the talents go, we have not lost our treasure, for that is above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God.
Meanwhile, even now, the Lord maketh the meek to inherit the earth, and no good thing doth He withhold from them
that walk uprightly.
This evening's verse:
"Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels." Revelation
12:7
War always will rage between the two great sovereignties until one or other be crushed. Peace between good and
evil is an impossibility; the very pretence of it would, in fact, be the triumph of the powers of darkness. Michael
will always fight; his holy soul is vexed with sin, and will not endure it. Jesus will always be the dragon's foe,
and that not in a quiet sense, but actively, vigorously, with full determination to exterminate evil. All His servants,
whether angels in heaven or messengers on earth, will and must fight; they are born to be warriors--at the cross
they enter into covenant never to make truce with evil; they are a warlike company, firm in defence and fierce
in attack. The duty of every soldier in the army of the Lord is daily, with all his heart, and soul, and strength,
to fight against the dragon.
The dragon and his angels will not decline the affray; they are incessant in their onslaughts, sparing no weapon,
fair or foul. We are foolish to expect to serve God without opposition: the more zealous we are, the more sure
are we to be assailed by the myrmidons of hell. The church may become slothful, but not so her great antagonist;
his restless spirit never suffers the war to pause; he hates the woman's seed, and would fain devour the church
if he could. The servants of Satan partake much of the old dragon's energy, and are usually an active race. War
rages all around, and to dream of peace is dangerous and futile.
Glory be to God, we know the end of the war. The great dragon shall be cast out and for ever destroyed, while Jesus
and they who are with Him shall receive the crown. Let us sharpen our swords to-night, and pray the Holy Spirit
to nerve our arms for the conflict. Never battle so important, never crown so glorious. Every man to his post,
ye warriors of the cross, and may the Lord tread Satan under your feet shortly!