Morning and Evening

by Charles Spurgeon

APRIL
 

April 1 — Morning

"Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth!" Song of Solomon 1:2

For several days we have been dwelling upon the Savior's sufferings, and for some little time to come, we shall linger there. In beginning a new month—let us seek the same desires after our Lord, as those which glowed in the heart of the elect spouse.

See how she leaps at once to Him—there are no prefatory words; she does not even mention His name; she is in the heart of her theme at once, for she speaks of Him who was the only "Him" in the world to her.

How bold is her love! It was much condescension which permitted the weeping penitent to anoint His feet with spikenard—it was rich love which allowed the gentle Mary to sit at His feet and learn of Him—but here, love—strong, fervent love, aspires to higher tokens of regard, and closer signs of fellowship. Esther trembled in the presence of king Ahasuerus; but here the spouse in joyful liberty of perfect love, knows no fear. If we have received the same loving spirit—we also may ask the like.

By "kisses" we suppose to be intended those varied manifestations of affection by which the believer is made to enjoy the love of Jesus.

The kiss of reconciliation we enjoyed at our conversion, and it was sweet as honey dropping from the comb.

The kiss of acceptance is still warm on our brow, as we know that He has accepted our persons and our works through rich grace.

The kiss of daily, present communion, is that which we pant after to be repeated day after day—until it is changed into the kiss of reception, which removes the soul from earth, and the kiss of consummation which fills it with the joy of heaven!

Faith is our walk—but fellowship sensibly felt—is our rest. Faith is the road—but communion with Jesus, is the well from which the pilgrim drinks. O lover of our souls, do not be strange to us; let the lips of Your blessing—meet the lips of our asking; let the lips of Your fullness—touch the lips of our need, and straightway the kiss will be effected.

 

April 1 — Evening

"It is time to seek the Lord!" Hosea 10:12

This month of April is said to derive its name from the Latin verb aperio, which signifies to open, because all the buds and blossoms are now opening, and we have arrived at the gates of the flowery year.

Reader, if you are yet unsaved, may your heart, in accord with the universal awakening of nature, be opened to receive the Lord. Every blossoming flower warns you that it is time to seek the Lord; do not be out of tune with nature—but let your heart bud and bloom with holy desires.

Do you tell me that the warm blood of youth leaps in your veins? Then, I entreat you—give your vigor to the Lord. It was my unspeakable happiness to be called in early youth, and I could sincerely praise the Lord every day for it. Salvation is priceless, let it come when it may—but oh! an early salvation has a double value in it. Young men and maidens, since you may perish before you reach your prime, "It is time to seek the Lord!" You who feel the first signs of decay—quicken your pace! That hollow cough, that hectic flush—are warnings which you must not trifle with—with you it is indeed time to seek the Lord.

Did I observe a little grey mingled with your once luxurious tresses? Years are stealing on apace, and death is drawing nearer by hasty marches—let each return of spring arouse you to set your house in order. Dear reader, if you are now advanced in life, let me entreat and implore you to delay no longer. There is a day of grace for you now—be thankful for that—but it is a limited season and grows shorter every time that clock ticks!

Here in this silent chamber, on this first night of another month, I speak to you as best I can by paper and ink, and from my inmost soul, as God's servant, I lay before you this warning, "It is time to seek the Lord!" Slight not that work, it may be your last call from destruction, the final syllable from the lip of grace.

 

April 2 — Morning

"He answered him to never a word." Matthew 27:14

He had never been slow of speech when He could bless the sons of men—but He would not say a single word for Himself. "Never man spoke like this Man," and never man was silent like Him. Was this singular silence the index of His perfect self-sacrifice? Did it show that He would not utter a word to stay the slaughter of His sacred person, which He had dedicated, as an offering for us? Had He so entirely surrendered Himself that He would not interfere in His own behalf, even in the minutest degree—but be bound and slain an unstruggling, uncomplaining victim?

Was this silence a type of the defenselessness of sin? Nothing can be said in palliation or excuse of human guilt; and, therefore, He who bore its whole weight stood speechless before His judge. Is not patient silence—the best reply to a gainsaying world? Calm endurance answers some questions, infinitely more conclusively than the loftiest eloquence. The best apologists for Christianity in the early days were its martyrs. The anvil breaks a legion of hammers—by quietly bearing their blows.

Did not the silent Lamb of God furnish us with a grand example of wisdom? Where every word was occasion for new blasphemy, it was the line of duty to afford no fuel for the flame of sin. The ambiguous and the false, the unworthy and mean, will before long overthrow and confute themselves, and therefore the true can afford to be quiet, and find silence to be its wisdom.

Evidently our Lord, by His silence, furnished a remarkable fulfillment of prophecy. A long defense of Himself would have been contrary to Isaiah's prediction. "He is led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb—so He opens not His mouth." By His quiet—He conclusively proved Himself to be the true Lamb of God. As such we salute Him this morning. Be with us, Jesus, and in the silence of our heart—let us hear the voice of Your love.

 

April 2 — Evening

"He shall see His seed; He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand." Isaiah 53:10

Plead for the speedy fulfillment of this promise, all you who love the Lord. It is easy work to pray when we are grounded and bottomed, as to our desires, upon God's own promise. How can He who gave the Word refuse to keep it? Immutable veracity cannot demean itself by a lie, and eternal faithfulness cannot degrade itself by neglect. God must bless His Son, His covenant binds Him to it. That which the Spirit prompts us to ask for Jesus, is that which God decrees to give Him.

Whenever you are praying for the kingdom of Christ, let your eyes behold the dawning of the blessed day which draws near, when the Crucified One shall receive His coronation in the place where men rejected Him. Courage, you who prayerfully work and toil for Christ with success of the very smallest kind, it shall not be so always; better times are before you. Your eyes cannot see the blissful future: borrow the telescope of faith; wipe the misty breath of your doubts from the glass; look through it and behold the coming glory.

Reader, let us ask, do you make this your constant prayer? Remember that the same Christ who tells us to say, "Give us this day our daily bread," had first given us this petition, "Hallowed be Your name; Your kingdom come; Your will be done in earth as it is in heaven." Let not your prayers be all concerning your own sins, your own needs, your own imperfections, your own trials—but let them climb the starry ladder, and get up to Christ Himself, and then, as you draw near to the blood-sprinkled mercy-seat, offer this prayer continually, "Lord, extend the kingdom of Your dear Son!" Such a petition, fervently presented, will elevate the spirit of all your devotions. Mind that you prove the sincerity of your prayer by laboring to promote the Lord's glory.

 

April 3 — Morning

"They took Jesus, and led Him away." John 19:16

He had been all night in agony, He had spent the early morning at the hall of Caiaphas, He had been hurried from Caiaphas to Pilate, from Pilate to Herod, and from Herod back again to Pilate. He had, therefore—but little strength left, and yet neither refreshment nor rest were permitted Him. They were eager for His blood, and therefore led Him out to die, loaded with the cross. O dolorous procession! Well may Jerusalem's daughters weep. My soul—you weep also.

What do we learn here, as we see our blessed Lord led forth? Do we not perceive that truth which was set forth in shadow by the scapegoat? Did not the high-priest bring the scapegoat, and put both his hands upon its head, confessing the sins of the people, that thus those sins might be laid upon the goat, and cease from the people? Then the goat was led away by a fit man into the wilderness, and it carried away the sins of the people—so that if they were sought for, they could not be found.

Now we see Jesus brought before the priests and rulers, who pronounce Him guilty; God Himself imputes our sins to Him, "the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all;" "He was made sin for us;" and, as the substitute for our guilt, bearing our sin upon His shoulders, represented by the cross; we see the great Scapegoat led away by the appointed officers of justice.

Beloved, can you feel assured that He carried your sin? As you look at the cross upon His shoulders, does it represent your sin? There is one way by which you can tell whether He carried your sin or not. Have you laid your hand upon His head, confessed your sin, and trusted in Him? Then your sin lies not on you; it has all been transferred by blessed imputation to Christ, and He bears it on His shoulder as a load heavier than the cross. Let not the picture vanish until you have rejoiced in your own deliverance, and adored the loving Redeemer upon whom your iniquities were laid.

 

April 3 — Evening

"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." Isaiah 53:6

Here a confession of sin common to all the elect people of God. They have all fallen, and therefore, in common chorus, they all say, from the first who entered heaven—to the last who shall enter there, "All we like sheep have gone astray." The confession, while thus unanimous, is also special and particular: "We have turned everyone to his own way." There is a peculiar sinfulness about everyone of the individuals; all are sinful—but each one with some special aggravation not found in his fellow. It is the mark of genuine repentance, that while it naturally associates itself with other penitents, it also takes up a position of loneliness. "We have turned every one to his own way," is a confession that each man had sinned against light peculiar to himself, or sinned with an aggravation which he could not perceive in others.

This confession is unreserved; there is not a word to detract from its force, nor a syllable by way of excuse. The confession is a giving up of all pleas of self-righteousness. It is the declaration of men who are consciously guilty—guilty with aggravations, guilty without excuse: they stand with their weapons of rebellion broken in pieces, and cry, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way."

Yet we hear no dolorous wailings attending this confession of sin; for the next sentence makes it almost a song. "The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." It is the most grievous sentence of the three—but it overflows with comfort. Strange is it—that where misery was concentrated, mercy reigned; where sorrow reached her climax—weary souls find rest. The bruised Savior—is the healing of bruised hearts. See how the lowliest penitence gives place to assured confidence through simply gazing at Christ on the cross!

 

April 4 — Morning

"For He has made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Corinthians 5:21

Mourning Christian! why do you weep? Are you mourning over your own corruptions? Look to your perfect Lord, and remember, you are complete in Him; you are in God's sight as perfect as if you had never sinned! Nay, more than that, the Lord our Righteousness has put a divine garment upon you, so that you have more than the righteousness of man—you have the righteousness of God.

O You who are mourning by reason of inbred sin and depravity, remember, none of your sins can condemn you. You have learned to hate sin; but you have learned also to know that sin is not yours—it was laid upon Christ's head. Your standing is not in yourself—it is in Christ; your acceptance is not in yourself—but in your Lord. You are as much accepted by God today, with all your sinfulness, as you will be when you stand before His throne, free from all corruption.

O, I beseech you, lay hold on this precious thought, perfection in Christ! For you are "complete in Him." With your Savior's garment on—you are holy as the Holy one. "Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, yes rather, who is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us." Christian, let your heart rejoice, for you are "accepted in the beloved" what have you to fear?

Let your face ever wear a smile; live near your Master; live in the suburbs of the Celestial City; for soon, when your time has come, you shall rise up where your Jesus sits, and reign at His right hand; and all this because the divine Lord "was made to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."
 

April 4 — Evening

"Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord." Isaiah 2:3

It is exceedingly beneficial to our souls to mount above this present evil world to something nobler and better. The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches are apt to choke everything good within us—and we grow fretful, desponding, perhaps proud and carnal. It is well for us to cut down these thorns and briers—for heavenly seed sown among them is not likely to yield a harvest; and where shall we find a better sickle with which to cut them down than communion with God and the things of the kingdom?

In the valleys of Switzerland, many of the inhabitants are deformed, and all wear a sickly appearance, for the atmosphere is charged with the plague, and is closed and stagnant; but up yonder, on the mountain, you find a hardy race, who breathe the clear fresh air as it blows from the virgin snows of the Alpine summits. It would be well if the dwellers in the valley could frequently leave their abodes among the marshes and the fever mists—and inhale the bracing element upon the hills.

It is to such an exploit of climbing—that I invite you this evening. May the Spirit of God assist us to leave the mists of fear, and the fevers of anxiety, and all the evils which gather in this valley of earth, and to ascend the mountains of anticipated joy and blessedness. May God the Holy Spirit cut the cords that keep us here below—and assist us to mount!

We sit too often like chained eagles fastened to the rock, only that, unlike the eagle, we begin to love our chain, and would, perhaps, if it came really to the test, be loath to have it snapped. May God now grant us grace, if we cannot escape from the chain as to our flesh—yet to do so as to our spirits; and leaving the body, like a servant, at the foot of the hill, may our soul, like Abraham, attain the top of the mountain, there to indulge in communion with the Most High God!

 

April 5 — Morning

"On him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus." Luke 23:26

We see in Simon's carrying the cross—a picture of the work of the Church throughout
all generations; she is the cross-bearer after Jesus. Mark then, Christian, Jesus does not suffer—so as to exclude your suffering. He bears a cross, not that you may escape it—but that you may endure it. Christ exempts you from sin—but not from sorrow. Remember that, and expect to suffer. But let us comfort ourselves with this thought, that in our case, as in Simon's, it is not our cross—but Christ's cross which we carry. When you are molested for your piety; when your religion brings the trial of cruel mockings upon you, then remember it is not your cross—it is Christ's cross; and how delightful is it to carry the cross of our Lord Jesus!

You carry the cross after Him. You have blessed company; your path is marked with the footprints of your Lord. The mark of His blood-red shoulder, is upon that heavy burden. It is His cross, and He goes before you as a shepherd goes before his sheep. Take up your cross daily, and follow Him.

Do not forget, also, that you bear this cross in partnership. It is the opinion of some, that Simon only carried one end of the cross, and not the whole of it. That is very possible; Christ may have carried the heavier part, against the transverse beam, and Simon may have borne the lighter end. Certainly it is so with you—you do but carry the light end of the cross, Christ bore the heavier end. And remember, though Simon had to bear the cross for a very little while, it gave him lasting honor. Even so, the cross we carry is only for a little while at most, and then we shall receive the crown, the glory! Surely we should love the cross, and, instead of shrinking from it—count it very dear, when it works out for us "a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory!"

 

April 5 — Evening

"Before honor is humility." Proverbs 15:33

Humiliation of soul always brings a positive blessing with it. If we empty our hearts of SELF, God will fill them with His love. He who desires close communion with Christ, should remember the Word of the Lord, "To this man will I look, even to him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembles at My Word." Stoop if you would climb to heaven. Do we not say of Jesus, "He descended, that He might ascend"? so must you. You must grow downwards, that you may grow upwards; for the sweetest fellowship with heaven is to be had by humble souls—and by them alone. God will deny no blessing to a thoroughly humbled spirit. "Blessed are the poor in spirit—for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," with all its riches and treasures!

The whole treasury of God shall be made over by deed of gift to the soul which is humble enough to be able to receive it without growing proud because of it. God blesses us all up to the full measure and extremity of what it is safe for Him to do. If you do not get a blessing, it is because it is not safe for you to have one. If our heavenly Father were to let your unhumbled spirit win a victory in His holy war, you would pilfer the crown for yourself, and meeting with a fresh enemy you would fall a victim—so you are kept low for your own safety.

When a man is sincerely humble, and never ventures to touch so much as a grain of the praise, there is scarcely any limit to what God will do for him. Humility makes us ready to be blessed by the God of all grace, and fits us to deal efficiently with our fellow men. True humility is a flower which will adorn any garden. This is a sauce with which you may season every dish of life, and you will find an improvement in every case. Whether it is prayer or praise, whether it is work or suffering, the genuine salt of humility cannot be used in excess.

 

April 6 — Morning

"Let us go forth therefore unto Him, outside the camp." Hebrews 13:13

Jesus, bearing His cross, went forth to suffer outside the gate. The Christian's reason for leaving the camp of the world's sin and the world's religion—is not because he loves to be singular—but because Jesus did so—and the disciple must follow his Master. Christ was "not of the world," His life and His testimony were a constant protest against conformity with the world. Never was there such overflowing affection for men as you find in Him; but still He was "separate from sinners."

In like manner, Christ's people must "go forth unto Him." They must take their position "outside the camp," as witness-bearers for the truth. They must be prepared to tread the straight and narrow path. They must have bold, unflinching, lion-like hearts, loving Christ first, and His truth next—and Christ and His truth beyond all the world.

Jesus would have His people "go forth outside the camp" for their own sanctification. You cannot grow in grace to any high degree—while you are conformed to the world. The life of separation may be a path of sorrow—but it is the highway of safety; and though the separated life may cost you many pangs, and make every day a battle—yet it is a happy life after all. No joy can excel that of the soldier of Christ; Jesus reveals Himself so graciously, and gives such sweet refreshment, that the warrior feels more calm and peace in his daily strife—than others in their hours of rest! The highway of holiness is the highway of communion with Jesus. It is thus we shall hope to win the crown if we are enabled by divine grace faithfully to follow Christ "outside the camp." The crown of glory—will follow the cross of separation. A moment's shame—will be well recompensed by eternal honor; a little while of witness-bearing, will seem nothing when we are "forever with the Lord!"

 

April 6 — Evening

"In the name of the Lord—I will destroy them." Psalm 118:12

Our Lord Jesus, by His death, did not purchase a right to a part of us only—but to the entire man. He contemplated in His passion, the sanctification of us wholly—spirit, soul, and body; that in this triple kingdom He Himself might reign supreme without a rival. It is the business of the newborn nature which God has given to the regenerate, to assert the rights of the Lord Jesus Christ.

My soul, so far as you are a child of God, you must conquer all the rest of yourself which yet remains unblest; you must subdue all your powers and passions to the silver scepter of Jesus' gracious reign, and you must never be satisfied until He who is King by purchase becomes also King by gracious coronation, and reigns in you supreme!

Seeing, then, that sin has no right to any part of us—we go about a good and lawful warfare when we seek, in the name of God, to drive it out. O my body—you are a member of Christ: shall I tolerate your subjection to the prince of darkness? O my soul—Christ has suffered for your sins, and redeemed you with His most precious blood—shall I allow your memory to become a storehouse of evil, or your passions to be firebrands of iniquity? Shall I surrender my judgment to be perverted by error, or my will to be led in fetters of iniquity? No, my soul, you are Christ's, and sin has no right to you!

Be courageous concerning this, O Christian! do not be dispirited, as though your spiritual enemies could never be destroyed. You are able to overcome them—not in your own strength—the weakest of them would be too much for you; but you can and shall overcome them through the blood of the Lamb. Do not ask, "How shall I dispossess them, for they are greater and mightier than I?" You must go to the strong for strength, wait humbly upon God, and the mighty God of Jacob will surely come to the rescue, and you shall sing of victory through His grace!

 

April 7 — Morning

"How long, O men—will you turn My glory into shame?" Psalm 4:2

An instructive writer has made a mournful list of the 'honors' which the blinded people of Israel awarded to their long-expected King.

(1.) They gave Him a procession of honor, in which Roman legion, Jewish priests, men and women, took a part, with He Himself bearing His cross. This is the triumph which the world awards to Him who comes to overthrow man's direst foes. Derisive shouts are His only acclamations, and cruel taunts His only paeans of praise.

(2.) They presented Him with the wine of honor. Instead of a golden cup of fine wine—they offered Him the criminal's stupefying death-draught, which He refused because He would preserve an uninjured taste wherewith to taste of death; and afterwards when He cried, "I thirst," they gave Him vinegar mixed with gall, thrust to His mouth upon a sponge. Oh! wretched, detestable inhospitality to the King's Son!

(3.) He was provided with a guard of honor, who showed their esteem of Him by gambling over His garments, which they had seized as their booty. Such was the body-guard of the adored One of heaven—a foursome of brutal gamblers.

(4.) A throne of honor was found for Him upon the bloody tree; no easier place of rest would rebel men, yield to their vassal Lord. The bloody cross was, in fact, the full expression of the world's feeling towards Christ! "There," they seemed to say, "O Son of God, this is the manner in which God Himself would be treated—if could we reach Him!"

(5.) The title of honor was nominally "King of the Jews," but that the blinded nation distinctly repudiated, and really called Him "King of thieves," by preferring Barabbas, and by placing Jesus in the place of highest shame between two thieves.

His glory was thus in all things turned into shame by the sons of men—but it shall yet gladden the eyes of saints and angels, world without end!

 

April 7 — Evening

"Save me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, the God of my salvation—and my tongue will sing aloud of Your righteousness." Psalm 51:14

In this SOLEMN CONFESSION—it is pleasing to observe that David plainly names his sin. He does not call it man-slaughter, nor speak of it as an imprudence by which an unfortunate accident occurred to a worthy man—but he calls it by its true name, the guilt of bloodshed. He did not actually kill the husband of Bathsheba; but still it was planned in David's heart that Uriah should be slain, and he was his murderer, before the Lord.

Learn in confession to be honest with God. Do not give fair names to foul sins. Call them what you will—they will smell no sweeter. What God sees them to be, that you must labor to feel them to be; and with all openness of heart, acknowledge their real character.

Observe, that David was evidently oppressed with the heinousness of his sin. It is easy to use words—but it is difficult to feel their meaning. The fifty-first Psalm is the photograph of a contrite heart. Let us seek after the same brokenness of heart; for however excellent our words may be, if our heart is not conscious of the hell-deservingness of sin—we cannot expect to find forgiveness.

Our text has in it AN EARNEST PRAYER—it is addressed to the God of salvation. It is His prerogative to forgive; it is His very name and office to save those who seek His face. Better still, the text calls Him the God of my salvation. Yes, blessed be His name, while I am yet going to Him through Jesus' blood, I can rejoice in the God of my salvation.

The psalmist ends with A COMMENDABLE VOW—if God will deliver him, he will sing—nay, more, he will "sing aloud." Who can sing in any other style—of such a mercy as this!

But note the subject of the song, "Your Righteousness." We must sing of the finished work of a precious Savior; and he who knows most of forgiving love—will sing the loudest!

 

April 8 — Morning

"If they do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?" Luke 23:31

Among other interpretations of this suggestive question, the following is full of teaching: "If the innocent substitute for sinners suffer thus, what will be done when the sinner himself—the dry tree—shall fall into the hands of an angry God?" When God saw Jesus in the sinner's place—He did not spare Him; and when He finds the unregenerate without Christ—He will not spare them. O sinner, Jesus was led away by His enemies—so shall you be dragged away by fiends to the place appointed for you! Jesus was deserted of God; and if He, who was only imputedly a sinner, was deserted—how much more shall you be?

"Jesus cried out in a loud voice—My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me!" What an awful shriek! But what shall be your cry when you shall say, "O God! O God! why have You forsaken me?" and the answer shall come back, "Because you neglected all My counsel and did not accept My correction, I, in turn, will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when terror strikes you, when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when trouble and stress overcome you!"

If God spared not His own Son—how much less will He spare you! What whips of burning wire will be yours, when conscience shall smite you with all its terrors. You richest, you merriest, you most self-righteous sinners—who would stand in your place when God shall say, "Awake, O sword, against the man who rejected Me—smite him, and let him feel the smart forever!" Jesus was spit upon: sinner, what shame will be yours! We cannot sum up in one word all the mass of sorrows which met upon the head of Jesus who died for us, therefore it is impossible for us to tell you what streams, what oceans of grief must roll over your spirit—if you die as you now are!

By the agonies of Christ, by His wounds and by His blood, do not bring upon yourselves the wrath to come! Trust in the Son of God, and you shall never die!

 

April 8 — Evening

"I will fear no evil—for You are with me." Psalm 23:4

Behold, how independent of outward circumstances the Holy Spirit can make the Christian! What a bright light may shine within us—when it is all dark without! How firm, how happy, how calm, how peaceful we may be—when the world shakes to and fro, and the pillars of the earth are removed! Even death itself, with all its terrible influences, has no power to suspend the music of a Christian's heart—but rather makes that music become more sweet, more clear, more heavenly—until the last kind act which death can do—is to let the earthly strain melt into the heavenly chorus, the temporal joy into the eternal bliss!

Let us have confidence, then, in the blessed Spirit's power to comfort us. Dear reader, are you looking forward to poverty? Fear not; the divine Spirit can give you, in your poverty—a greater plenty than the rich have in their abundance. You know not, what joys may be stored up for you in your poor cottage, around which grace will plant the roses of contentent.

Are you conscious of a growing failure of your bodily health? Do you expect to suffer long nights of languishing and days of pain? O do not be sad! That sick-bed may become a throne to you. You little know—how every pang that shoots through your body—may be a refining fire to consume your dross—a beam of glory to light up the secret parts of your soul. Are the eyes growing dim? Jesus will be your light. Do the ears fail you? Jesus' name will be your soul's best music, and His person your dear delight.

Socrates used to say, "Philosophers can be happy without music;" and Christians can be happier than philosophers when all outward causes of rejoicing are withdrawn. In You, my God, my heart shall triumph, come what may of ills without! By your power, O blessed Spirit, my heart shall be exceeding glad, though all things should fail me here below!

 

April 9 — Morning

"A great multitude of the people followed Him, including women who mourned and wailed for Him." Luke 23:27

Amid the rabble crowd which hounded the Redeemer to His doom, there were some gracious souls whose bitter anguish sought vent in wailing and lamentations—fit music to accompany that march of woe!

When my soul can, in imagination, see the Savior bearing His cross to Calvary—she joins the godly women and weeps with them; for, indeed, there is true cause for grief—cause lying deeper than those mourning women thought. They bewailed . . .

innocence—maltreated,
goodness—persecuted,
love—bleeding,
meekness—dying!

But my heart has a deeper and more bitter cause to mourn— MY SINS were the scourges which lacerated those blessed shoulders, and crowned that bleeding brow with thorns! My sins cried, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" and laid the cross upon His gracious shoulders! His being led forth to die, is sorrow enough for one eternity—but MY having been His murderer—is more, infinitely more grief, than one poor fountain of tears can express! Those women who loved and wept—could not have had greater reasons for love and grief—than my heart has!

The widow of Nain saw her son restored—but I myself have been raised to newness of life! Peter's mother-in-law was cured of the fever—but I myself have been cured of the plague of sin! Mary Magdalene had seven devils cast out of her—but a whole legion of devils were cast out of me! Mary and Martha were favored with visits from Jesus—but He dwells with me! I am not behind these holy women in debt to Jesus—let me not be behind them, in gratitude or sorrow.

"Love and grief my heart dividing,
With my tears His feet I'll lave;
Constant still in heart abiding,
Weep for Him who died to save!"

 

April 9 — Evening

"Your gentleness has made me great." Psalm 18:35

The words are capable of being translated, "Your goodness has made me great." David gratefully ascribed all his greatness, not to his own goodness—but the goodness of God.

"Your providence has made me great," is another reading; and providence is nothing more than God's goodness in action. Goodness is the bud—of which providence is the flower; or goodness is the seed—of which providence is the harvest. Some render it, "Your help," which is but another word for providence; providence being the firm ally of the saints, aiding them in the service of their Lord.

Or again, "Your humility has made me great."

"Your condescension" may, perhaps, serve as a comprehensive reading, combining the ideas mentioned, including that of humility. It is God's making Himself little—which is the cause of our being made great. We are so little, that if God should manifest His greatness without condescension, we would be trampled under His feet; but God, who must stoop to view the skies, and bow to see what angels do—turns His eye yet lower, and looks to the lowly and contrite—and makes them great.

There are yet other readings, as for instance, the Septuagint, which reads, "Your discipline" Your fatherly correction, "has made me great;" while the Chaldee paraphrase reads, "Your Word has increased me." Still the idea is the same.

David ascribes all his own greatness—to the condescending goodness of his Father in heaven. May this sentiment be echoed in our hearts this evening while we cast our crowns at Jesus' feet, and cry, "Your gentleness has made me great!"

How marvelous has been our experience of God's gentleness! How gentle have been His corrections! How gentle His forbearance! How gentle His teachings! How gentle His drawings! Meditate upon this theme, O believer. Let gratitude be awakened; let humility be deepened; let love be quickened before you fall asleep tonight!

 

April 10 — Morning

"The place which is called Calvary." Luke 23:33

The hill of comfort—is the hill of Calvary. The house of consolation—is built with the wood of the cross. The temple of heavenly blessing—is founded upon the cleft rock—cleft by the spear which pierced His side! No scene in sacred history ever gladdens the soul—like Calvary's tragedy!

Light springs from the midday-midnight of Golgotha! Every flower of blessing blooms sweetly beneath the shadow of the once accursed tree. In that place of thirst—grace has dug a fountain which ever gushes with waters pure as crystal, each drop capable of alleviating the woes of mankind!

You who have had your seasons of trouble, will confess that it was not at Mount Olivet that you ever found comfort, not on the Mount Sinai—but Gethsemane, Gabbatha, and Golgotha have been a means of comfort to you. The bitter herbs of Gethsemane—have often taken away the bitters of your life. The scourge of Gabbatha—has often scourged away your cares. The groans of Calvary—yield us rare and rich comfort.

We would never have known Christ's love in all its heights and depths—if He had not died; nor could we guess the Father's deep affection—if He had not given His Son to die. The common mercies we enjoy, all sing of love; just as the sea-shell, when we put it to our ears, whispers of the deep sea whence it came. But if we desire to hear the ocean itself, we must not look at every-day blessings—but at the transactions of the crucifixion. He who would know love, let him retire to Calvary and see the Man of sorrows die!

 

April 10 — Evening

"Last night an angel of God stood beside me." Acts 27:23

Tempest and long darkness, coupled with imminent risk of shipwreck, had brought the crew of the vessel into a sad case; one man alone among them remained perfectly calm, and by his word—the rest were reassured. Paul was the only man who had heart enough to say, "take courage, men." There were veteran Roman legionaries on board, and brave old mariners, and yet their poor Jewish prisoner had more courage than them all. He had a secret Friend who kept his courage up. The Lord Jesus despatched a heavenly messenger to whisper words of consolation in the ear of His faithful servant, therefore he wore a shining countenance and spoke like a man at ease.

If we sincerely fear the Lord, we may look for timely interpositions, when our case is at its worst. Angels are not kept from us by storms, or hindered by darkness. Seraphs think it no humiliation to visit the poorest of the heavenly family. If angel's visits are few and far between at ordinary times—they shall be frequent in our nights of tempest and tossing. Friends may drop from us when we are under pressure—but our fellowship with the inhabitants of the angelic world shall be more abundant; and in the strength of love-words, brought to us from the throne by the way of Jacob's ladder—we shall be strong to do exploits!

Dear reader, is this an hour of distress with you? then ask for special help. Jesus is the angel of the covenant, and if His presence be now earnestly sought—it will not be denied. What that presence brings in heart-cheer, those remember who, like Paul, have had the angel of God standing by them in a night of storm, when anchors would no longer hold, and rocks were near.

"O angel of my God, be near,
Amid the darkness hush my fear;
Loud roars the wild tempestuous sea,
Your presence, Lord, shall comfort me."

 

April 11 — Morning

"I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint." Psalm 22:14

Did earth or heaven ever behold a sadder spectacle of woe! In soul and body, our Lord felt Himself to be weak as water poured upon the ground. The placing of the cross in its socket had shaken Him with great violence, had strained all the ligaments, pained every nerve, and more or less dislocated His bones. Burdened with His own weight, the grand sufferer felt the strain increasing every moment of those six long hours. His sense of faintness and general weakness were overpowering; while to His own consciousness He became nothing but a mass of misery and swooning sickness.

When Daniel saw the great vision, he thus describes his sensations, "There remained no strength in me, for my vigor was turned into corruption, and I retained no strength." How much more faint must have been our greater Prophet—when He saw the dread vision of the wrath of God, and felt it in His own soul!

To us, sensations such as our Lord endured would have been insupportable, and kind unconsciousness would have come to our rescue; but in His case, He was wounded, and felt the sword—He drained the cup and tasted every drop!

O King of grief! O King of wounds—how shall I grieve for You! As we kneel before our now ascended Savior's throne, let us well remember the way by which He prepared it as a throne of grace for us; let us in spirit drink of His cup, that we may be strengthened for our hour of heaviness whenever it may come. In His natural body every member suffered, and so must it be in the spiritual; but as out of all His griefs and woes—His body came forth uninjured to glory and power, even so shall His mystical body come through the furnace with not so much as the smell of fire upon it.

 

April 11 — Evening

"Look upon my affliction and my pain—and forgive all my sins." Psalm 25:18

It is well for us when prayers about our sorrows are linked with pleas concerning our sins—when, being under God's hand, we are not wholly taken up with our pain—but remember our offences against God. It is well, also, to take both sorrow and sin—to the same place. It was to God that David carried his sorrow—it was to God that David confessed his sin.

We must take our sorrows to God. Even your little sorrows you may roll upon God—for He counts the hairs of your head. And your great sorrows you may commit to Him—for He holds the ocean in the hollow of His hand. Go to Him, whatever your present trouble may be—and you shall find Him able and willing to relieve you.

But we must also take our sins to God. We must carry them to the cross, that the blood may fall upon them, to purge away their guilt, and to destroy their defiling power.

The special lesson of the text is this—that we are to go to the Lord with sorrows and with sins in the right frame of heart. Note that all David asks concerning his sorrow is, "Look upon my affliction and my pain." But the next petition is vastly more express, definite, decided, and plain, "Forgive all my sins!"

Many sufferers would have put it, "Remove my affliction and my pain—and look at my sins." But David does not say so—he cries, "Lord, as for my affliction and my pain, I will not dictate to Your wisdom. Lord, look at them, I will leave them to You. I would be glad to have my pain removed—but do as You will. But as for my sins, Lord, I know what I want with them—I must have them forgiven! I cannot endure to lie under their curse for a moment!"

A Christian counts his sorrow lighter in the scale than his sin. He can bear that his troubles should continue—but he cannot support the burden of his transgressions.

 

April 12 — Morning

"My heart is like wax—melting within Me." Psalm 22:14

Our blessed Lord experienced a terrible sinking and melting of soul. "The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity—but a wounded spirit, who can bear?" Deep depression of spirit is the most grievous of all trials; all besides is as nothing. Well might the suffering Savior cry to His God, "Do not be far from me!" for above all other seasons, a man needs his God when his heart is melted within him, because of heaviness.

Believer, come near the cross this morning, and humbly adore the King of glory as having once been brought far lower, in mental distress and inward anguish—than anyone among us; and mark His fitness to become a faithful High Priest, who can be touched with a feeling of our infirmities.

Especially let those of us whose sadness springs directly from the withdrawal of a present sense of our Father's love, enter into near and intimate communion with Jesus. Let us not give way to despair, since through this dark room the Master has passed before us. Our souls may sometimes long and faint, and thirst even to anguish, to behold the light of the Lord's countenance: at such times let us stay ourselves with the sweet fact of the sympathy of our great High Priest. Our drops of sorrow may well be forgotten in the ocean of His griefs; but how high ought our love to rise! Come in, O strong and deep love of Jesus, like the sea at the flood in spring tides—cover all my anxieties, drown all my sins, wash out all my cares, lift up my earth-bound soul, and float it right up to my Lord's feet—and there let me lie, a poor broken shell, washed up by His love, having no virtue or value; and only venturing to whisper to Him that if He will put His ear to me, He will hear within my heart faint echoes of the vast waves of His own love which have brought me where it is my delight to lie, even at His feet forever!

 

April 12 — Evening

"The king's garden." Nehemiah 3:15

Mention of the king's garden by Nehemiah, brings to mind the paradise which the King of kings prepared for Adam. Sin has utterly ruined that fair abode of all delights, and driven forth the children of men to cultivate the ground, which yields thorns and briers unto them. My soul, remember the fall—for it was your fall. Weep much because the Lord of love was so shamefully ill-treated by the head of the human race, of which you are a member, as undeserving as any. Behold how dragons and demons dwell on this fair earth, which once was a garden of delights.

See yonder another King's garden, which the King waters with His bloody sweat—Gethsemane, whose bitter herbs are sweeter far to renewed souls, than even Eden's luscious fruits. There the mischief of the serpent in the first garden was undone; there the curse was lifted from earth, and borne by the woman's promised seed. My soul, think much of the agony and the passion; resort to the garden of the olive-press, and view your great Redeemer rescuing you from your lost estate. This is the garden of gardens indeed, wherein the soul may see the guilt of sin and the power of love, two sights which surpass all others.

Is there no other King's garden? Yes, my heart, you are, or should be such. How do the flowers flourish? Do any choice fruits appear? Does the King walk within, and rest in the bowers of my spirit? Let me see that the plants are trimmed and watered, and the mischievous foxes hunted out. Come, Lord, and let the heavenly wind blow at Your coming, that the spices of Your garden may flow abroad.

Nor must I forget the King's garden of the church. O Lord, send prosperity unto it. Rebuild her walls, nourish her plants, ripen her fruits, and from the huge wilderness, reclaim the barren waste, and make thereof "a King's garden."

 

April 13 — Morning

"A bundle of myrrh is my Beloved unto me." Song of Solomon 1:13

Myrrh may well be chosen as the type of Jesus—on account of its preciousness, its perfume, its pleasantness; its healing, preserving, disinfecting qualities; and its connection with sacrifice.

But why is He compared to "a BUNDLE of myrrh"?

First, for plenty. He is not a drop of it, He is a casket full. He is not a sprig of it—but a whole bundle. There is enough in Christ for all my necessities; let me not be slow to avail myself of Him.

Our Beloved is compared to a "bundle" again, for variety—for there is in Christ not only the one thing needful—but in "Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily," everything needful is in Him. Take Jesus in His different characters, and you will see a marvelous variety—Prophet, Priest, King, Husband, Friend, Shepherd. Consider Him in His life, death, resurrection, ascension, second advent; view Him in His virtue, gentleness, courage, self-denial, love, faithfulness, truth, righteousness. Everywhere He is a bundle of preciousness!

He is a "bundle of myrrh" for preservation—not loose myrrh—but tied up myrrh, to be stored in a casket. We must value Him as our best treasure; we must prize His Words; and we must keep our thoughts of Him and knowledge of Him as under lock and key, lest the devil should steal anything from us.

Moreover, Jesus is a "bundle of myrrh" for sovereignty. The emblem suggests the idea of sovereign, discriminating grace. From before the foundation of the world, He was set apart for His people; and He gives forth His perfume only to those who understand how to enter into communion with Him, to have close dealings with Him. Oh! blessed people whom the Lord has admitted into His secrets, and for whom He sets Himself apart. Oh! choice and happy who are thus made to say, "A bundle of myrrh is my Beloved unto me."

 

April 13 — Evening

"And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt-offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him." Leviticus 1:4

Our Lord's being made "sin for us" is set forth here by the very significant transfer of sin to the bullock, which was made by the elders of the people. The laying of the hand was not a mere touch of contact, for in some other places of Scripture, the original word has the meaning of leaning heavily, as in the expression, "Your wrath lies hard upon me" (Psalm 88:7). Surely this is the very essence and nature of faith, which does not only bring us into contact with the great Substitute—but teaches us to lean upon Him with all the burden of our guilt.

Jehovah made to meet upon the head of the Substitute, all the offences of His covenant people—but each one of the chosen is brought personally to ratify this solemn covenant act, when by grace he is enabled by faith to lay his hand upon the head of the "Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world."

Believer, do you remember that rapturous day when you first realized pardon through Jesus the sin-bearer? Can you not make glad confession, and join with the writer in saying, "My soul recalls her day of deliverance with delight! Laden with guilt and full of fears, I saw my Savior as my Substitute, and I laid my hand upon Him; oh! how timidly at first—but courage grew and confidence was confirmed until I leaned my soul entirely upon Him! And now it is my unceasing joy to know that my sins are no longer imputed to me—but laid on Him, and like the debts of the wounded traveler, Jesus, like the good Samaritan, has said of all my future sinfulness, Set that to My account!" Blessed discovery! Eternal solace of a grateful heart!

"My numerous sins transferred to Him,
Shall never more be found,
Lost in His blood's atoning stream,
Where every crime is drowned!"

 

April 14 — Morning

"All who see Me mock Me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads." Psalm 22:7

Mockery was a great ingredient in our Lord's woe. Judas mocked Him in the garden; the chief priests and scribes laughed Him to scorn; Herod thought Him nothing; the servants and the soldiers jeered at Him, and brutally insulted Him; Pilate and his guards ridiculed His royalty; and on the tree all sorts of horrid jests and hideous taunts were hurled at Him!

Ridicule is always hard to bear—but when we are in intense pain—it is so heartless, so cruel, that it cuts us to the quick. Imagine the Savior crucified, racked with anguish far beyond all mortal conception, and then picture that motley multitude, all wagging their heads and mocking in bitterest contempt, the poor suffering victim! Surely there must have been something more in the crucified One than they could see, or else such a great and mingled crowd would not unanimously have honored Him with such contempt. Was it not evil confessing, in the very moment of its greatest apparent triumph, that after all it could do no more than mock at that victorious goodness which was then reigning on the cross? O Jesus, "despised and rejected of men," how could You die for men who treated You so ill? Herein is love amazing, love divine, yes, love beyond degree.

We, too, have despised You in the days of our unregeneracy; and even since our new birth we have often set the world on high in our hearts—and yet You bleed to heal our wounds, and die to give us life. O that we could set You on a glorious high throne in all men's hearts! We would ring out Your praises over land and sea until men should as universally adore as once they did unanimously reject You!

 

April 14 — Evening

"Tell the righteous that it will go well for them." Isaiah 3:10

It is well with the righteous always. If it had said, "Tell the righteous that it will go well for them in their prosperity," we must have been thankful for so great a blessing, for prosperity is an hour of peril, and it is a gift from heaven to be secured from its snares. Or if it had been written, "Tell the righteous that it will go well for them when under persecution," we must have been thankful for so sustaining an assurance, for persecution is hard to bear.

But when no time is mentioned, all time is included. God's "shalls" must be understood always in their largest sense. From the beginning of the year to the end of the year, from the first gathering of evening shadows until the day-star shines, in all conditions and under all circumstances—it shall be well with the righteous.

It is so well with the righteous man—that we could not imagine it to be better, for he is well fed—for he feeds upon the flesh and blood of Jesus; he is well clothed—for he wears the imputed righteousness of Christ; he is well housed—for he dwells in God; he is well married—for his soul is knit in bonds of marriage union to Christ; he is well provided for—for the Lord is his Shepherd; he is well endowed—for heaven is his inheritance.

It is well with the righteous—well upon divine authority; the mouth of God speaks the comforting assurance. O beloved, if God declares that all is well, ten thousand devils may declare it to be ill—but we laugh them all to scorn. Blessed be God for a faith which enables us to believe God—when the creatures contradict Him. It is, says the Word, at all times well with you, you righteous one; then, beloved, if you cannot see it, let God's Word stand you in stead of sight; yes, believe it on divine authority more confidently than if your eyes and your feelings told it to you! Whom God blesses—is blessed indeed; and what His lip declares—is truth most sure and steadfast.

 

April 15 — Morning

"My God, my God—why have You forsaken me!" Psalm 22:1

We here behold the Savior in the depth of His sorrows. No other place so well shows the griefs of Christ—as Calvary; and no other moment at Calvary is so full of agony—as that in which His cry rends the air, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me!" At this moment, physical weakness was united with acute mental torture from the shame and ignominy through which He had to pass; and to make His grief culminate with emphasis, He suffered spiritual agony surpassing all expression, resulting from the departure of His Father's presence. This was the black midnight of His horror; then it was that He descended the abyss of suffering.

No man can enter into the full meaning of these words. Some of us think at times that we could cry, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me!" There are seasons when the brightness of our Father's smile is eclipsed by clouds and darkness; but let us remember that God never does really forsake us. It is only a seeming forsaking with us—but in Christ's case it was a real forsaking. We grieve at a little withdrawal of our Father's love; but the real turning away of God's face from His Son—who shall calculate how deep the agony which it caused Him? In our case, our cry is often dictated by unbelief; in His case, it was the utterance of a dreadful fact, for God had really turned away from Him for a season.

O you poor, distressed soul, who once lived in the sunshine of God's face—but are now in darkness; remember that He has not really forsaken you. God in the clouds—is as much our God as when He shines forth in all the luster of His grace. But since even the thought that He has forsaken us gives us agony—what must the woe of the Savior have been when He exclaimed, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me!"

 

April 15 — Evening

"Lift them up forever." Psalm 28:9

God's people need lifting up. They are very heavy by nature. They have no wings, or, if they have, they are like the dove of old which lay among the pots; and they need divine grace to make them mount on wings covered with silver, and with feathers of yellow gold. By nature sparks fly upward—but the sinful souls of men fall downward. O Lord, "lift them up forever!"

David himself said, "Unto You, O God, do I lift up my soul," and he here feels the necessity that other men's souls should be lifted up as well as his own. When you ask this blessing for yourself—do not forget to seek it for others also.

There are three ways in which God's people require to be lifted up.

They require to be elevated in character. Lift them up, O Lord; do not allow Your people to be like the world's people! The world lies in the wicked one—lift them out of it! The world's people are looking after silver and gold, seeking their own pleasures, and the gratification of their lusts—but, Lord, lift Your people up above all this; keep them from being "muck-rakers," as John Bunyan calls the man who was always scraping after gold! Set their hearts upon their risen Lord and the heavenly heritage!

Moreover, believers need to be prospered in conflict. In the battle, if they seem to fall, O Lord, be pleased to give them the victory. If the foot of the foe be upon their necks for a moment, help them to grasp the sword of the Spirit, and eventually to win the battle. Lord, lift up Your children's spirits in the day of conflict; let them not sit in the dust, mourning forever. Do not allow the adversary to vex them sorely, and make them fret; but if they have been, like Hannah, persecuted, let them sing of the mercy of a delivering God.

We may also ask our Lord to lift them up at the last! Lift them up by taking them home, lift their bodies from the tomb, and raise their souls to Your eternal kingdom in glory!

 

April 16 — Morning

"The precious blood of Christ." 1 Peter 1:19

Standing at the foot of the cross, we see hands, and feet, and side—all distilling crimson streams of precious blood.

It is "precious" because of its redeeming and atoning efficacy. By it the sins of Christ's people are atoned for; they are redeemed from under the law; they are reconciled to God, made one with Him.

Christ's blood is also "precious" in its cleansing power. It "cleanses from all sin." "Though your sins be as scarlet—they shall be as white as snow." Through Jesus' blood, there is not a spot left upon any believer, no wrinkle nor any such thing remains. O precious blood, which makes us clean, removing the stains of abundant iniquity, and permitting us to stand accepted in the Beloved, notwithstanding the many ways in which we have rebelled against our God.

The blood of Christ is likewise "precious" in its preserving power. We are safe from the destroying angel under the sprinkled blood. Remember it is God's seeing the blood—which is the true reason for our being spared. Here is comfort for us when our eye of faith is dim, for God's eye is still the same. The blood of Christ is "precious" also in its sanctifying influence. The same blood which justifies by taking away sin, does in its after-action, quicken the new nature and leads it onward to subdue sin and to follow out the commands of God. There is no motive for holiness so great—as that which streams from the veins of Jesus!

And "precious," unspeakably precious, is this blood, because it has an overcoming power. It is written, "They overcame through the blood of the Lamb." How could they do otherwise? He who fights with the precious blood of Jesus—fights with a weapon which cannot know defeat. The blood of Jesus! Sin dies at its presence; death ceases to be death; heaven's gates are opened. The blood of Jesus! we shall march on, conquering and to conquer, so long as we can trust its power!

 

April 16 — Evening

"And his hands were steady until the going down of the sun." Exodus 17:12

So mighty was the prayer of Moses, that all depended upon it. The petitions of Moses routed the enemy—more than the fighting of Joshua. Yet both were needed. No, in the soul's conflict, force and fervor, decision and devotion, valor and vehemence, must join their forces, and all will be well. You must wrestle with your sin—but the major part of the wrestling must be done alone in private with God.

Moses grew weary, and then his friends assisted him. When at any time your prayer flags, let faith support one hand, and let holy hope uplift the other—and prayer seating itself upon the stone of Israel, the rock of our salvation, will persevere and prevail.

Beware of faintness in devotion; if Moses felt it, who can escape? It is far easier to fight with sin in public—than to pray against it in private. It is remarked that Joshua never grew weary in the fighting—but Moses did grow weary in the praying. The more spiritual an exercise—the more difficult it is for flesh and blood to maintain it. Let us cry, then, for special strength, and may the Spirit of God, who helps our infirmities, as He allowed help to Moses, enable us like him to continue with our hands steady "until the going down of the sun;" until the evening of life is over; until we shall come to the rising of a better sun in the land where prayer is swallowed up in praise!

 

April 17 — Morning

"We have come to the sprinkled blood, which says better things than the blood of Abel." Hebrews 12:24

Reader, have you come to the sprinkled blood? The question is not whether you have come to a knowledge of doctrine, or an observance of ceremonies, or to a certain form of experience—but have you come to the blood of Jesus? The blood of Jesus is the life of all vital godliness.

If you have truly come to Jesus, we know how you came—the Holy Spirit sweetly brought you there. You came to the sprinkled blood with no merits of your own. Guilty, lost, and helpless, you came to take that blood, and that blood alone, as your everlasting hope. You came to the cross of Christ, with a trembling and an aching heart; and oh! what a precious sound it was to you—to hear the voice of the blood of Jesus! The dropping of His blood is as the music of heaven to the penitent sons of earth. We are full of sin—but the Savior bids us lift our eyes to Him, and as we gaze upon His streaming wounds, each drop of blood, as it falls, cries, "It is finished! I have made an end of sin! I have brought in everlasting righteousness." Oh! sweet language of the precious blood of Jesus!

If you have come to that blood once, you will come to it constantly. Your life will be "Looking unto Jesus." Your whole conduct will be epitomized in this, "To whom coming." Not to whom I have come—but to whom I am always coming. If you have ever come to the blood of sprinkling, you will feel your need of coming to it every day. He who does not desire to wash in it every day—has never washed in it at all. The believer ever feels it to be his joy and privilege that there is still a fountain opened. Past experiences are doubtful food for Christians; a present coming to Christ—alone can give us joy and comfort. This morning let us sprinkle our door-post fresh with blood, and then feast upon the Lamb, assured that the destroying angel must pass us by.

 

April 17 — Evening

"We would see Jesus!" John 12:21

Evermore the worldling's cry is, "Who will show us any good?" He seeks satisfaction in earthly comforts, enjoyments, and riches. But the quickened sinner knows of only one good. "O that I knew where I might find HIM!" When he is truly awakened to feel his guilt, if you could pour the gold of India at his feet, he would say, "Take it away! I want to find HIM!"

It is a blessed thing for a man, when he has brought his desires into a focus, so that they all center in one object. When he has fifty different desires, his heart resembles a mere of stagnant water, spread out into a marsh, breeding plague and pestilence; but when all his desires are brought into one channel, his heart becomes like a river of pure water, running swiftly to fertilize the fields. Happy is he who has one desire, if that one desire is set on Christ, though it may not yet have been realized. If Jesus is a soul's desire, it is a blessed sign of divine work within. Such a man will never be content with mere ordinances. He will say, "I want Christ; I must have Him—mere ordinances are of no use to me; I want Himself; do not offer me these; you offer me the empty pitcher, while I am dying of thirst; give me water, or I die! Jesus is my soul's desire. I would see Jesus!"

Is this your condition, my reader, at this moment? Have you but one desire—and is that after Christ? Then you are not far from the kingdom of heaven. Have you but one wish in your heart, and that one wish that you may be washed from all your sins in Jesus' blood? Can you really say, "I would give all I have—to be a Christian; I would give up everything I have and hope for—if I might but feel that I have a saving interest in Christ"? Then, despite all your fears, be of good cheer, the Lord loves you, and you shall come out into daylight soon, and rejoice in the liberty with which Christ makes men free.

 

April 18 — Morning

"She tied the scarlet cord in the window." Joshua 2:21

Rahab depended for her preservation upon the promise of the spies, whom she looked upon as the representatives of the God of Israel. Her faith was simple and firm—but it was very obedient. To tie the scarlet cord in the window was a very trivial act in itself—but she dared not run the risk of omitting it.

Come, my soul, is there not here a lesson for you? Have you been attentive to all your Lord's will, even though some of His commands should seem non-essential? Have you observed in his own way—the two ordinances of believers' baptism and the Lord's Supper? These neglected, argue much unloving disobedience in your heart. Be henceforth in all things blameless, even to the tying of a thread, if that is matter of command.

This act of Rahab sets forth a yet more solemn lesson. Have I implicitly trusted in the precious blood of Jesus? Have I tied the scarlet cord, as with a Gordian knot in my window, so that my trust can never be removed? Or can I look out towards the Dead Sea of my sins, or the Jerusalem of my hopes, without seeing the blood, and seeing all things in connection with its blessed power?

The passer-by can see a cord of so conspicuous a color, if it hangs from the window. It will be well for me, if my life makes the efficacy of the atonement conspicuous to all onlookers. What is there to be ashamed of? Let men or devils gaze if they will—the blood is my boast and my song.

My soul, there is One who will see that scarlet line, even when from weakness of faith you cannot see it yourself! Jehovah, the Avenger, will see it—and pass over you. Jericho's walls fell flat!

Rahab's house was on the wall, and yet it stood unmoved; my nature is built into the wall of humanity, and yet when destruction smites the race, I shall be secure. My soul, tie the scarlet thread in the window afresh, and rest in peace!

 

April 18 — Evening

"And You said, I will surely do you good." Genesis 32:12

When Jacob was on the other side of the brook Jabbok, and Esau was coming with armed men, he earnestly sought God's protection, and as a master reason he pleaded, "And You said, I will surely do you good." Oh, the force of that plea! He was holding God to His word, "You said." The attribute of God's faithfulness is a splendid horn of the altar to lay hold upon; but God's promise, which has in it the attribute and something more, is a yet mightier holdfast, "You said, I will surely do you good." Has He said—and shall He not do it? "Let God be true—and every man a liar." Shall not He be true? Shall He not keep His Word? Shall not every Word that comes out of His lips stand fast and be fulfilled?

Solomon, at the opening of the temple, used this same mighty plea. He pleaded with God to remember the Word which He had spoken to his father David, and to bless that place. When a man gives a promissory note, his honor is engaged; he signs his hand, and he must discharge it when the due time comes, or else he loses credit. It shall never be said that God dishonors His bills. The credit of the Most High never was impeached, and never shall be. He is punctual to the moment—He never is before His time—but He never is behind it.

Search God's Word through, and compare it with the experience of God's people, and you shall find the two tally from the first to the last. Many a hoary patriarch has said with Joshua, "Not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you; all have come to pass." If you have a divine promise, you need not plead it with an "if," you may urge it with certainty. The Lord meant to fulfill the promise, or He would not have given it. God does not give His words merely to quiet us, and to keep us hopeful for awhile with the intention of putting us off at last; but when He speaks, it is because He means to do as He has said.

 

April 19 — Morning

"Behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom." Matthew 27:51

No small miracle was wrought in the rending of so strong and thick a veil; but it was not intended merely as a display of power—many lessons were herein taught us.

The old law of ordinances was put away, and like a worn-out vesture, rent and laid aside. When Jesus died, the sacrifices were all finished, because all fulfilled in Him, and therefore the place of their presentation was marked with an evident token of decay.

That rent also revealed all the hidden things of the old dispensation: the mercy-seat could now be seen, and the glory of God gleamed forth above it. By the death of our Lord Jesus we have a clear revelation of God, for He was "not as Moses, who put a veil over his face." Life and immortality are now brought to light, and things which have been hidden since the foundation of the world are manifest in Him.

The annual ceremony of atonement was thus abolished. The atoning blood which was once every year sprinkled within the veil, was now offered once for all by the great High Priest, and therefore the place of the symbolical rite was broken up. No blood of bullocks or of lambs is needed now, for Jesus has entered within the veil with his own blood. Hence access to God is now permitted, and is the privilege of every believer in Christ Jesus. There is no small space laid open through which we may peer at the mercy-seat—but the tear reaches from the top to the bottom. We may come with boldness to the throne of the heavenly grace.

Shall we err if we say that the opening of the Holy of Holies in this marvelous manner by our Lord's expiring cry, was the type of the opening of the gates of paradise to all the saints by virtue of the Passion? Our bleeding Lord has the key of heaven; He opens—and no man shuts; let us enter in with Him into the heavenly places, and sit with Him there, until our common enemies shall be made His footstool.

 

April 19 — Evening

"The Amen." Revelation 3:14

The word AMEN solemnly confirms that which went before; and Jesus is the great Confirmer; immutable, forever is "the Amen" in all His promises. Sinner, I would comfort you with this reflection.

Jesus Christ said, "Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." If you come to Him, He will say "Amen" in your soul; His promise shall be true to you. He said in the days of His flesh, "The bruised reed I will not break." O you poor, broken, bruised heart, if you come to Him, He will say "Amen" to you, and that shall be true in your soul as in hundreds of cases in bygone years.

Christian, is not this very comforting to you also, that there is not a word which has gone out of the Savior's lips which He has ever retracted? The words of Jesus shall stand when heaven and earth shall pass away. If you get a hold of but half a promise, you shall find it true. Beware of him who is called "Clip-promise," who will destroy much of the comfort of God's Word. Jesus is Yes and Amen in all His offices.

He was a Priest to pardon and cleanse once, He is Amen as Priest still. He was a King to rule and reign for His people, and to defend them with His mighty arm. He is an Amen King—the same still.

He was a Prophet of old, to foretell good things to come, His lips are most sweet, and drop with honey still—He is an Amen Prophet. He is Amen as to the merit of His blood; He is Amen as to His righteousness. That sacred robe shall remain most fair and glorious when nature shall decay.

He is Amen in every single title which He bears; your Husband, never seeking a divorce; your Friend, sticking closer than a brother; your Shepherd, with you in death's dark valley; your Help and your Deliverer; your Castle and your High Tower; the Horn of your strength, your confidence, your joy, your all in all, and your Yes and Amen in all.

 

April 20 — Morning

"That through death, He might destroy him who had the power of death." Hebrews 2:14

O child of God, death has lost its sting, because the devil's power over it is destroyed. Then cease to fear dying. Ask grace from God the Holy Spirit, that by an intimate knowledge and a firm belief of your Redeemer's death, you may be strengthened for that dread hour. Living near the cross of Calvary—you may think of death with pleasure, and welcome it when it comes with intense delight. It is sweet to die in the Lord—it is a covenant-blessing to sleep in Jesus. Death is no longer banishment, it is a return from exile, a going home to the many mansions where the loved ones already dwell.

The distance between glorified spirits in heaven and militant saints on earth seems great; but it is not so. We are not far from home—a moment will bring us there. The sail is spread; the soul is launched upon the deep. How long will be its voyage? How many wearying winds must beat upon the sail—before it shall be reefed in the port of peace? How long shall that soul be tossed upon the waves— before it comes to that sea which knows no storm? Listen to the answer, "Absent from the body—present with the Lord."

Yon ship has just departed—but it is already at its haven. It did but spread its sail—and it was there. Like that ship of old, upon the Lake of Galilee, a storm had tossed it—but Jesus said, "Peace, be still," and immediately it came to land. Do not think that a long period intervenes between the instant of death—and the eternity of glory. When the eyes close on earth—they open in heaven. The horses of fire are not an instant on the road. O child of God, what is there for you to fear in death, seeing that through the death of your Lord its curse and sting are destroyed? Now death is but a Jacob's ladder whose foot is in the dark grave—but its top reaches to glory everlasting.

 

April 20 — Evening

"Fight the Lord's battles." 1 Samuel 18:17

The army of God's elect is warring still on earth, Jesus Christ being the Captain of their salvation. He has said, "Lo! I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Harken to the shouts of war! Now let the people of God stand fast in their ranks, and let no man's heart fail him. It is true that just now in England the battle is turned against us, and unless the Lord Jesus shall lift His sword, we know not what may become of the church of God in this land; but let us be of good courage, and play the man. There never was a day when Protestantism seemed to tremble more in the scales, than now that a fierce effort is making to restore the Romish antichrist to his ancient seat. We greatly need a bold voice and a strong hand to preach and publish the old gospel for which martyrs bled and confessors died. The Savior is, by His Spirit, still on earth; let this cheer us. He is ever in the midst of the fight, and therefore the battle is not doubtful. And as the conflict rages, what a sweet satisfaction it is to know that the Lord Jesus, in His office as our great Intercessor, is prevalently pleading for His people!

O anxious gazer, look not so much at the battle below, for there you shall be enshrouded in smoke, and amazed with garments rolled in blood; but lift your eyes yonder where the Savior lives and pleads, for while He intercedes, the cause of God is safe. Let us fight as if it all depended upon us—but let us look up and know that all depends upon Him! Now, by the lilies of Christian purity, and by the roses of the Savior's atonement, by the roes and by the hinds of the field, we charge you who are lovers of Jesus—to do valiantly in the Holy War, for truth and righteousness, for the kingdom and crown jewels of your Master. Onward! "for the battle is not yours but God's."

 

April 21 — Morning

"I know that my Redeemer lives." Job 19:25

The marrow of Job's comfort lies in that little word "My" "My Redeemer," and in the fact that the Redeemer lives. Oh! to get hold of a living Christ. We must get a property in Him—before we can enjoy Him. What is gold in the mine to me? Men are beggars in Peru, and beg their bread in California. It is gold in my purse which will satisfy my necessities, by purchasing the bread I need. So a Redeemer who does not redeem me—of what avail is such? Rest not content, until by faith you can say "Yes, I cast myself upon my living Lord; and He is mine." It may be you hold Him with a feeble hand; you half think it presumption to say, "He lives as my Redeemer;" yet, remember if you have but faith as a grain of mustard seed, that little faith entitles you to say it.

But there is also another word here, expressive of Job's strong confidence, "I know." To say, "I hope so" is comfortable; and there are thousands in the fold of Jesus who hardly ever get much further. But to reach the essence of consolation you must say, "I know." Ifs—buts, and perhapses, are sure murderers of peace and comfort. Doubts are dreary things in times of sorrow. Like wasps they sting the soul! If I have any suspicion that Christ is not mine, then there is vinegar mingled with the gall of death; but if I know that Jesus lives for me, then darkness is not dark—even the night is light about me.

Surely if Job, in those ages before the coming and advent of Christ, could say, "I know," we should not speak less positively. God forbid that our positiveness should be presumption. Let us see that our evidences are right, lest we build upon an ungrounded hope; and then let us not be satisfied with the mere foundation, for it is from the upper rooms that we get the widest prospect. A living Redeemer, truly mine—is joy unspeakable!

 

April 21 — Evening

"Who is even at the right hand of God." Romans 8:34

He who was once despised and rejected of men, now occupies the honorable position of the beloved and honored Son of God. The right hand of God is the place of majesty and favor. Our Lord Jesus is His people's representative. When He died for them—they had rest; He rose again for them—they had liberty; when He sat down at His Father's right hand—they had favor, and honor, and dignity. The raising and elevation of Christ—is the elevation, the acceptance, and enshrinement, the glorifying of all His people—for He is their head and representative. This sitting at the right hand of God, then, is to be viewed as the acceptance of the person of the Surety, the reception of the Representative, and therefore, the acceptance of our souls. O saint, see in this—your sure freedom from condemnation. "Who is he who condemns?" Who shall condemn the men who are in Jesus at the right hand of God?

The right hand is the place of power. Christ at the right hand of God has all power in heaven and in earth. Who shall fight against the people who have such power vested in their Captain? O my soul, what can destroy you—if Omnipotence is your helper? If the protection of the Almighty covers you—what sword can smite you? Rest secure. If Jesus is your all-prevailing King, and has trodden your enemies beneath His feet; if sin, death, and hell are all vanquished by Him, and you are represented in Him—by no possibility can you be destroyed.

 

April 22 — Morning

"Him has God exalted." Acts 5:31

Jesus, our Lord, once crucified, dead and buried, now sits upon the throne of glory! The highest place that heaven affords, is His by undisputed right. It is sweet to remember that the exaltation of Christ in heaven—is a representative exaltation. He is exalted at the Father's right hand, and though as Jehovah He had eminent glories, in which finite creatures cannot share—yet as the Mediator, the honors which Jesus wears in heaven are the heritage of all the saints.

It is delightful to reflect how close is Christ's union with His people. We are actually one with Him; we are members of His body; and His exaltation is our exaltation. He will give us to sit upon His throne, even as He has overcome, and has sat down with His Father on His throne. He has a crown, and He gives us crowns too. He has a throne—but He is not content with having a throne to Himself, on His right hand there must be His queen, arrayed in "gold of Ophir." He cannot be glorified without His bride.

Look up, believer, to Jesus—let the eye of your faith behold Him with many crowns upon His head; and remember that you will one day be like Him, when you shall see Him as He is; you shall not be so great as He is, you shall not be so divine—but still you shall, in a measure, share the same honors, and enjoy the same happiness and the same dignity which He possesses. Be content to live unknown for a little while, and to walk your weary way through the fields of poverty, or up the hills of affliction; for by-and-by you shall reign with Christ, for He has "made us kings and priests unto God, and we shall reign forever and ever!" Oh! wonderful thought for the children of God! We have Christ for our glorious representative in heaven's courts now—and soon He will come and receive us to Himself, to be with Him there, to behold His glory, and to share His joy!

 

April 22 — Evening

"You will not fear the terror of night." Psalm 91:5

What is this terror? It may be the cry of fire, or the noise of thieves, or the shriek of sudden sickness or death. We live in the world of death and sorrow, we may therefore look for ills as well in the night-watches as beneath the glare of the broiling sun. Nor should this alarm us, for be the terror what it may, the promise is—that the believer shall not be afraid. Why should he? Let us put it more closely, why should we? God our Father is here, and will be here all through the lonely hours; He is an almighty Watcher, a sleepless Guardian, a faithful Friend. Nothing can happen without His direction, for even hell itself is under His control. Darkness is not dark to Him. He has promised to be a wall of fire around His people—and who can break through such a barrier?

Worldlings may well be afraid, for they have an angry God above them, a guilty conscience within them, and a yawning hell beneath them! But we who rest in Jesus are saved from all these—through rich mercy. If we give way to foolish fear we shall dishonor our profession, and lead others to doubt the reality of godliness. We ought to be afraid of being afraid, lest we should vex the Holy Spirit by foolish distrust. Down, then, you dismal forebodings and groundless apprehensions, God has not forgotten to be gracious, nor shut up His tender mercies. It may be night in the soul—but there need be no terror, for the God of love changes not. Children of light may walk in darkness—but they are not therefore cast away, nay, they are now enabled to prove their adoption by trusting in their heavenly Father as hypocrites cannot do.

 

April 23 — Morning

"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." Romans 8:37

We go to Christ for forgiveness, and then too often look to the law for power to fight our sins. Paul thus rebukes us, "You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?" Galatians 3:1-3

Take your sins to Christ's cross, for the old man can only be crucified there—we are crucified with Him. The only weapon to fight sin with—is the spear which pierced the side of Jesus!

To give an illustration—you want to overcome an angry temper, how do you go to work? It is very possible you have never tried the right way of going to Jesus with it. How did I get salvation? I came to Jesus just as I was, and I trusted Him to save me. I must kill my angry temper in the same way! It is the only way in which I can ever kill it. I must go to the cross with it, and say to Jesus, "Lord, I trust You to deliver me from it." This is the only way to give it a death-blow.

Are you covetous? Do you feel the world entangle you? You may struggle against this evil so long as you please—but if it be your besetting sin, you will never be delivered from it in any way but by the blood of Jesus. Take it to Christ. Tell Him, "Lord, I have trusted You, and Your name is Jesus, for You save Your people from their sins; Lord, this is one of my sins; save me from it!"

Ordinances are nothing, without Christ as a means of mortification. Your prayers, and your repentances, and your tears—the whole of them put together—are worth nothing apart from Him. "None but Jesus can do helpless sinners good;" or helpless saints either. You must be conquerors through Him who has loved you, if conquerors at all. Our laurels must grow among His olives in Gethsemane.

 

April 23 — Evening

"Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne!" Revelation 5:6

Why should our exalted Lord appear in His wounds—in glory? The wounds of Jesus are—His glories, His jewels, His sacred ornaments. To the eye of the believer, Jesus is lovely, because He is "white and ruddy" white with innocence, and ruddy with His own blood. We see Him as the Lily of matchless purity—and as the Rose crimsoned with His own gore. Christ is lovely in His life and His teaching—but oh! there never was such a matchless Christ as He who hung upon the cross! There we behold all His beauties in perfection, all His attributes developed, all His love drawn out, all His character expressed!

Beloved, the wounds of Jesus are far more lovely in our eyes—than all the splendor and pomp of kings! The thorny crown is more attractive than any imperial diadem. Jesus wears the appearance of a slain Lamb—as His court dress in which He wooed our souls, and redeemed them by His complete atonement.

Nor are these only the ornaments of Christ—they are the trophies of His love and of His victory! He has redeemed for Himself a great multitude whom no man can number—and these scars are the memorials of the fight! Ah! if Christ delights to retain the thought of His sufferings for His people—how precious should His wounds be to us!

"Behold how every wound of His
A precious balm distills,
Which heals the scars that sin had made,
And cures all mortal ills.

Those wounds are mouths that preach His grace;
The ensigns of His love;
The seals of our expected bliss
In paradise above!"

 

April 24 — Morning

"And because of all this—we make a sure covenant." Nehemiah 9:38

There are many occasions in our experience when we may very rightly, and with benefit, renew our covenant with God. After recovery from sickness when, like Hezekiah, we have had a new term of years added to our life, we may fitly do it. After any deliverance from trouble, when our joys bud forth anew, let us again visit the foot of the cross, and renew our consecration. Especially, let us do this after any sin which has grieved the Holy Spirit, or brought dishonor upon the cause of God; let us then look to that blood which can make us whiter than snow, and again offer ourselves unto the Lord.

We should not only let our troubles confirm our dedication to God—but our prosperity should do the same. If we ever meet with occasions which deserve to be called "crowning mercies" then, surely, if He has crowned us—we ought also to crown our God; let us bring forth anew all the jewels of the divine regalia which have been stored in the jewel-closet of our heart, and let our God sit upon the throne of our love, arrayed in royal apparel.

If we would learn to profit by our prosperity, we would not need so much adversity. If we would gather from a kiss all the good it might confer upon us—we would not so often smart under the rod. Have we lately received some blessing which we little expected? Has the Lord put our feet in a large room? Can we sing of mercies multiplied? Then this is the day to put our hand upon the horns of the altar, and say, "Bind me here, my God; bind me here with cords of love, even forever!"

Inasmuch as we need the fulfillment of new promises from God, let us offer renewed prayers that our old vows may not be dishonored. Let us this morning make with Him a sure covenant, because of the pains of Jesus which for the last month we have been considering with gratitude.

 

April 24 — Evening

"The flowers appear in the countryside. The time of singing has come, and the turtledove's cooing is heard in our land." Song of Solomon 2:12

Sweet is the season of Spring. The long and dreary winter helps us to appreciate its genial warmth, and its promise of summer enhances its present delights. After periods of depression of spirit, it is delightful to behold again the light of the Sun of Righteousness; then our slumbering graces rise from their lethargy, like the crocus and the daffodil from their beds of earth; then is our heart made merry with delicious notes of gratitude, far more melodious than the warbling of birds—and the comforting assurance of peace, infinitely more delightful than the turtledove's cooing, is heard within the soul.

Now is the time for the soul to seek communion with her Beloved; now must she rise from her native sordidness, and come away from her old associations. If we do not hoist the sail when the breeze is favorable, we shall be blameworthy; times of refreshing ought not to pass over us, unimproved. When Jesus Himself visits us in tenderness, and entreats us to arise, can we be so base as to refuse His request? He has Himself risen—that He may draw us after Him. He now by His Holy Spirit has revived us—that we may, in newness of life, ascend into the heavenlies, and hold communion with Himself.

Let our wintry state suffice us for coldness and indifference; when the Lord creates a spring within, let our sap flow with vigor, and our branch blossom with high resolve. O Lord, if it is not spring time in my chilly heart, I pray You make it so, for I am heartily weary of living at a distance from You. Oh! the long and dreary winter, when will You bring it to an end? Come, Holy Spirit, and renew my soul! Quicken me! Restore me, and have mercy on me! This very night I would earnestly implore the Lord to take pity upon His servant—and send me a happy revival of spiritual life!

 

April 25 — Morning

"My beloved spoke and said to me—Rise up my love, my beautiful one, and come away!" Song of Solomon 2:10

Lo, I hear the voice of my Beloved! He speaks to me! Fair weather is smiling upon the face of the earth, and He would not have me spiritually asleep while nature is all around me awaking from her winter's rest. He bids me "Rise up!" and well He may, for I have long enough been lying among the pots of worldliness. He is risen, I am risen in Him, why then should I cleave unto the dust? From lower loves, desires, pursuits, and aspirations—I would rise towards Him.

He calls me by the sweet title of "My love" and regards me as beautiful! This is a good encouragement for my rising. If He has thus exalted me, and thinks me thus lovely—how can I linger in the dark tents of Kedar and find congenial associates among the world?

He bids me "Come away!" Come away further and further from everything selfish, groveling, worldly, and sinful! He calls me from the outwardly religious world which knows Him not, and has no sympathy with the mystery of the pious life.

"Come away" has no harsh sound in it to my ear—for what is there to hold me in this wilderness of vanity and sin? O my Lord, would that I could come away—but I am stuck among the thorns—and cannot escape from them as I would. I would, if it were possible, have neither eyes, nor ears, nor heart for sin!

You call me to Yourself by saying "Come away!" and this is a melodious call indeed. To come to You is to come home from exile; to come to land out of the raging storm; to come to rest after long labor, to come to the goal of my desires and the summit of my wishes! But Lord, how can a stone rise, how can a lump of clay come away from the horrible pit? O raise me, draw me—and I will run after You! Your grace alone can do it. Send forth Your Holy Spirit to kindle sacred flames of love in my heart—and I will continue to rise until I leave life and time behind me, and indeed come away!

 

April 25 — Evening

"If any man hears My voice, and opens the door—I will come in to him." Revelation 3:20

What is your desire this evening? Is it set upon heavenly things? Do you long to enjoy the Father's eternal love? Do you desire liberty in very close communion with God? Do you aspire to know the heights, and depths, and lengths, and breadths? Then you must draw near to Jesus; you must get a clear sight of Him in His preciousness and completeness; you must view Him in His work, in His offices, in His person. He who understands Christ, receives an anointing from the Holy One, by which He knows all things. Christ is the great master-key of all the chambers of God. There is no treasure-house of God which will not open and yield up all its wealth—to the soul that lives near to Jesus.

Are you saying, "O that He would dwell in my bosom! Would that He would make my heart His dwelling-place forever!" Open the door, beloved, and He will come into your souls. He has long been knocking, and all with this object, that He may sup with you, and you with Him. He sups with you because you open your heart, and you with Him because He brings the provision. He could not sup with you if your heart was closed; nor could you sup with Him, if He did not bring provision with Him. Fling wide, then, the portals of your soul. He will come with that love which you long to feel; He will come with that joy into which you cannot work your poor depressed spirit; He will bring the peace which now you have not; He will come with His flagons of wine and sweet apples of love, and cheer you until you have no other sickness but that of "love overpowering, love divine." Only open the door to Him, drive out His enemies, give Him the keys of your heart—and He will dwell there forever! Oh, wondrous love, that brings such a guest to dwell in such a heart!

 

April 26 — Morning

"Do this in remembrance of Me." 1 Corinthians 11:24

It seems then, that Christians may forget Christ! There could be no need for this loving exhortation, if there were not a fearful supposition that our memories might prove treacherous. Nor is this a bare supposition. It is, alas! too well confirmed in our experience, not as a possibility—but as a lamentable fact. It appears almost impossible that those who have been redeemed by the blood of the dying Lamb, and loved with an everlasting love by the eternal Son of God—should forget that gracious Savior! But, if startling to the ear, it is, alas! too apparent to the eye to allow us to deny the crime.

Forget Him—who never forgot us! Forget Him—who poured His blood forth for our sins! Forget Him—who loved us even to the death! Can it be possible? Yes, it is not only possible—but conscience confesses that it is too sadly a fault with all of us—that we allow Him to be as a wayfaring man tarrying but for a night. He whom we should make the abiding tenant of our memories—is but a visitor therein. The cross where one would think that memory would linger, and unmindfulness would be an unknown intruder, is desecrated by the feet of forgetfulness.

Does not your conscience say that this is true? Do you not find yourselves forgetful of Jesus? Some creature steals away your heart—and you are unmindful of Him upon whom your affection ought to be set. Some earthly business engrosses your attention—when you should fix your eye steadily upon the cross. It is the incessant turmoil of the world, the constant attraction of earthly things—which takes away the soul from Christ. While memory too well preserves a poisonous weed, it allows the Rose of Sharon to wither. Let us charge ourselves to bind a heavenly forget-me-not about our hearts for Jesus our Beloved, and, whatever else we let slip—let us hold fast to Him.

 

April 26 — Evening

"Blessed is he who watches." Revelation 16:15

"We die daily," said the apostle. This was the life of the early Christians; they went everywhere with their lives in their hands. We are not in this day called to pass through the same fearful persecutions; if we were, the Lord would give us grace to bear the test. But the tests of Christian life, at the present moment, though outwardly not so terrible, are yet more likely to overcome us than even those of the fiery age. We have to bear the sneer of the world—but its blandishments, its soft words, its oily speeches, its fawning, its hypocrisy, are far worse.

Our danger is that we grow rich and become proud— that we give ourselves up to the fashions of this present evil world, and lose our faith. Or if wealth is not the worst trial, worldly care is quite as mischievous. If we cannot be torn in pieces by the roaring lion, if we may be hugged to death by the bear—the devil little cares which it is, so long as he destroys our love to Christ, and our confidence in Him.

I fear that the Christian church is far more likely to lose her integrity in these soft and silken days—than in those rougher times. We must be awake now, for we traverse the enchanted ground, and are most likely to fall asleep to our own undoing—unless our faith in Jesus is a reality, and our love to Jesus a vehement flame. Many in these days of easy profession are likely to prove tares, and not wheat; hypocrites with fair masks on their faces—but not the true-born children of the living God.

Christian, do not think that these are times in which you can dispense with watchfulness or with holy ardor! You need these things more than ever, and may God the eternal Spirit display His omnipotence in you, that you may be able to say, in all these softer things, as well as in the rougher, "We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us!"

 

April 27 — Morning

"God, even our own God." Psalm 67:6

It is strange how little use we make of the spiritual blessings which God gives us—but it is stranger still how little use we make of God Himself. Though He is "our own God," we apply ourselves but little to Him, and ask but little of Him. How seldom do we ask counsel at the hands of the Lord! How often do we go about our business, without seeking His guidance! In our troubles how constantly do we strive to bear our burdens ourselves, instead of casting them upon the Lord, that He may sustain us! This is not because we may not, for the Lord seems to say, "I am yours—come and make use of me as you will; you may freely come to my store, and the oftener the more welcome." It is our own fault if we make not free with the riches of our God.

Then, since you have such a friend, and He invites you, draw from Him daily. Never lack—while you have a God to go to; never fear or faint—while you have God to help you; go to your treasure house—and take whatever you need—there is all that you can want. Learn the divine skill of making God all things to you. He can supply you with all; or, better still, He can be to you instead of all. Let me urge you, then, to make use of your God. Make use of Him in prayer. Go to Him often, because He is your God. O, will you fail to use so great a privilege? Fly to Him, tell Him all your needs. Use Him constantly by faith at all times. If some dark providence has beclouded you—use your God as a "sun;" if some strong enemy has beset you—find in Jehovah a "shield," for He is a sun and shield to His people. If you have lost your way in the mazes of life—use Him as a "guide," for He will direct you. Whatever you are, and wherever you are, remember God is just what you need, and just where you need—and that He can do all you need.

 

April 27 — Evening

"The Lord is King forever and ever!" Psalm 10:16

Jesus Christ is no despotic claimant of divine right—but He is really and truly the Lord's anointed! "It has pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell." God has given to Him all power and all authority. As the Son of man, He is now head over all things to His church, and He reigns over heaven, and earth, and hell, with the keys of life and death at His belt. Certain princes have delighted to call themselves kings by the popular will, and certainly our Lord Jesus Christ is such in His church. If it could be put to the vote whether He should be King in the church, every believing heart would crown Him. O that we could crown Him more gloriously than we do! We would count no expense to be wasted that could glorify Christ. Suffering would be pleasure, and loss would be gain—if thereby we could surround His brow with brighter crowns, and make Him more glorious in the eyes of men and angels. Yes, He shall reign. Long live the King! All hail to You, King Jesus! Go forth, you virgin souls who love your Lord, bow at His feet, strew His way with the lilies of your love, and the roses of your gratitude! "Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all."

Moreover, our Lord Jesus is King in Zion by right of conquest. He has taken by storm and captured the hearts of His people—and has slain their enemies who held them in cruel bondage. In the Red Sea of His own blood, our Redeemer has drowned the Pharaoh of our sins! He has delivered us from the iron yoke and heavy curse of the law—shall not the Liberator be crowned? We are His portion, whom He has taken out of the hand of the Amorite with His sword and with His bow. Who shall snatch His conquest from His hand? All hail, King Jesus! we gladly own Your gentle sway! Rule in our hearts forever, O lovely Prince of Peace.

 

April 28 — Morning

"Remember the Word unto Your servant, upon which You have caused me to hope." Psalm 119:49

Whatever your especial need may be—you may readily find some promise in the Bible suited to it. Are you faint and feeble because your way is rough and you are weary? Here is the promise, "He gives power to the faint." When you read such a promise, take it back to the great Promiser, and ask Him to fulfill His own Word. Are you seeking after Christ, and thirsting for closer communion with Him? This promise shines like a star upon you, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." Take that promise to the throne continually; do not plead anything else—but go to God over and over again with this, "Lord, You have said it—do as You have said."

Are you distressed because of sin, and burdened with the heavy load of your iniquities? Listen to these words, "I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions, and will no more remember your sins." You have no merit of your own to plead, why He should pardon you—but plead His written engagements and He will perform them.

Are you afraid lest you should not be able to hold on to the end, lest, after having thought yourself a child of God, you should prove a castaway? If that is your state, take this Word of grace to the throne and plead it: "The mountains may depart, and the hills may be removed—but the covenant of My love shall not depart from you."

If you have lost the sweet sense of the Savior's presence, and are seeking Him with a sorrowful heart, remember the promises: "Return unto Me—and I will return unto you." "For a small moment have I forsaken you—but with great mercies will I gather you." Banquet your faith upon God's own Word, and whatever your fears or needs, repair to the Bank of Faith with your Father's hand-written note, saying, "Remember the Word unto Your servant—upon which You have caused me to hope."

 

April 28 — Evening

"All the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted." Ezekiel 3:7

Are there no exceptions? No, not one. Even the favored race are thus described. Are the best—so bad? Then what must the worst be? Come, my heart, consider how far you have a share in this universal accusation, and while considering, be ready to take shame unto yourself however you may have been guilty.

The first charge is impudence, or hardness of forehead, a lack of holy shame, an unhallowed boldness in evil. Before my conversion, I could sin—and feel no remorse; hear of my guilt—and yet remain unhumbled; and even confess my iniquity—and have no inward humiliation on account of it. For a sinner to go to God's house and pretend to pray to Him and praise Him—argues a brazen-facedness of the worst kind! Alas! since the day of my new birth I have doubted my Lord to His face, murmured unblushingly in His presence, worshiped before Him in a slovenly manner, and sinned without bewailing myself concerning it. If my forehead were not as an adamant, harder than flint—I would have far more holy fear, and a far deeper contrition of spirit. Woe is me—I am one of the impudent house of Israel!

The second charge is hard-heartedness, and I must not venture to plead innocent here. Once I had nothing but a heart of stone, and although through grace I now have a new and fleshy heart, much of my former obduracy remains. I am not affected by the death of Jesus as I ought to be; neither am I moved by the ruin of my fellow men, the wickedness of the times, the chastisement of my heavenly Father, and my own failures—as I should be. O that my heart would melt at the recital of my Savior's sufferings and death. Would to God I were rid of this nether millstone within me—this hateful body of death. Blessed be the name of the Lord, the disease is not incurable, the Savior's precious blood is the universal solvent, and me, even me, it will effectually soften—until my heart melts as wax before the fire!

 

April 29 — Morning

"You are my hope in the day of evil." Jeremiah 17:17

The path of the Christian is not always bright with sunshine; he has his seasons of darkness and of storm. True, it is written in God's Word, "Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace;" and it is a great truth, that religion is calculated to give a man happiness below—as well as bliss above. But experience tells us that if the course of the just be "As the shining light that shines more and more unto the perfect day," yet sometimes that light is eclipsed. At certain periods, clouds cover the believer's sun, and he walks in darkness and sees no light.

There are many who have rejoiced in the presence of God for a season; they have basked in the sunshine in the earlier stages of their Christian career; they have walked along the "green pastures" by the side of the "still waters." But suddenly they find the glorious sky is clouded; instead of the fertile Land of Goshen—they have to tread the barren desert; in the place of sweet waters, they find troubled streams, bitter to their taste, and they say, "Surely, if I were a child of God—this would not happen!"

Oh! say not so, you who are walking in darkness. The best of God's saints must drink the wormwood; the dearest of His children must bear the cross. No Christian has enjoyed perpetual prosperity; no believer can always keep his harp from the willows. Perhaps the Lord allotted you at first—a smooth and unclouded path, because you were weak and timid. He tempered the wind to the shorn lamb—but now that you are stronger in the spiritual life, you must enter upon the riper and rougher experience of God's full-grown children. We need winds and tempests to exercise our faith, to tear off the rotten bough of self-dependence, and to root us more firmly in Christ. The day of evil reveals to us the value of our glorious hope.

 

April 29 — Evening

"The Lord takes pleasure in His people." Psalm 149:4

How comprehensive is the love of Jesus! There is no part of His people's interests which He does not consider, and there is nothing which concerns their welfare which is not important to Him. Not merely does He think of you, believer, as an immortal being—but as a mortal being too. Do not deny it or doubt it: "The very hairs of your head are all numbered." It would be a sad thing for us—if this mantle of love did not cover all our concerns, for what mischief might be wrought to us—in that part of our business which did not come under our gracious Lord's inspection!

Believer, rest assured that the heart of Jesus cares about your smaller affairs. The breadth of His tender love, is such that you may resort to Him in all matters; for as a father pities his children—so does He pity you. The smallest interests of all His saints—are all borne upon the broad bosom of the Son of God. Oh, what a heart is His, that does not merely comprehend the salvation of His people—but comprehends also, all their diverse and innumerable concerns!

Do you think, O Christian, that you can measure the love of Christ? Think of what His love has brought you—justification, adoption, sanctification, eternal life! The riches of His goodness are unsearchable; you shall never be able to tally them—or even conceive them. Oh, the breadth of the love of Christ! Shall such a love as this have half our hearts? Shall it have a cold love in return? Shall Jesus' marvelous loving-kindness and tender care—meet with but faint response and tardy acknowledgment? O my soul, tune your harp to a glad song of thanksgiving! Go to your rest rejoicing, for you are no desolate wanderer—but a beloved child, watched over, cared for, supplied, and defended by your Lord!

 

April 30 — Morning

"And all the children of Israel murmured." Numbers 14:2

There are murmurers among Christians now, as there were in the camp of Israel of old. There are those who, when the rod falls, cry out against the afflictive dispensation. They ask, "Why am I thus afflicted? What have I done to be chastened in this manner?"

A word with you, O murmurer! Why should you murmur against the dispensations of your heavenly Father? Can He treat you more badly than you deserve? Consider what a rebel you were once—but He has pardoned you! Surely, if He in His wisdom sees fit now to chasten you—you should not complain. After all—are you smitten as badly as your sins deserve? Consider the corruption which is in your heart—and then will you wonder that there needs so much of the rod to fetch it out? Weigh yourself, and discern how much dross is mingled with your gold—and do you think the fire too hot to purge away so much dross as you have? Does not that proud rebellious spirit of yours, prove that your heart is not thoroughly sanctified? Are not those murmuring words, contrary to the holy submissive nature of God's children? Is not the correction needed?

But if you will murmur against the chastening, take heed—for it will go hard with murmurers. God always chastises His children twice—if they do not bear the first stroke patiently. But know one thing, "He does not afflict willingly—nor grieve the children of men." All His corrections are sent in love—to purify you, and to draw you nearer to Himself. Surely it must help you to bear the chastening with resignation, if you are able to recognize your Father's hand. For "whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons." "Murmur not as some of them also murmured—-and were destroyed of the destroyer!"

 

April 30 — Evening

"How precious also are Your thoughts unto me, O God." Psalm 139:17

Divine omniscience affords no comfort to the ungodly mind—but to the child of God it overflows with consolation. God is always thinking upon us; He never turns aside His mind from us, and has us always before His eyes! This is precisely as we would have it—for it would be dreadful to exist for a moment, beyond the observation of our heavenly Father. His thoughts are always tender, loving, wise, prudent, far-reaching, and they bring to us countless benefits. Hence it is a choice delight, for us to remember them.

The Lord always did think upon His people—hence their election and the covenant of grace by which their salvation is secured. He always will think upon them—hence their final perseverance by which they shall be brought safely to their final rest. In all our wanderings, the watchful glance of the Eternal Watcher is evermore fixed upon us! We never roam beyond the Shepherd's eye! In our sorrows He observes us incessantly, and not a pang escapes Him! In our toils He marks all our weariness, and writes in His book all the struggles of His faithful ones. These thoughts of the Lord encompass us in all our paths, and penetrate the innermost region of our being. Not a nerve or tissue, valve or vessel, of our bodily organization is uncared for. All the 'littles' of our little world—are thought upon by the great God.

Dear reader, is this precious to you? Never be led astray by those philosophic fools who preach up an impersonal God. The Lord lives and thinks upon us! This is a truth far too precious for us to be easily robbed of it. The notice of an earthly king is valued so highly, that he who has it counts his fortune made; but what is this—compared to be thought of by the King of kings! If the Lord thinks upon us—all is well, and we may rejoice evermore!