MORNING AND EVENING

by Charles Spurgeon

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November AM PM
December AM PM

JANUARY AM

01/01/AM

"They did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year."
--Joshua 5:12

Israel's weary wanderings were all over, and the promised
rest was attained. No more moving tents, fiery serpents, fierce
Amalekites, and howling wildernesses: they came to the land
which flowed with milk and honey, and they ate the old corn of
the land. Perhaps this year, beloved Christian reader, this may
be thy case or mine. Joyful is the prospect, and if faith be in
active exercise, it will yield unalloyed delight. To be with
Jesus in the rest which remaineth for the people of God, is a
cheering hope indeed, and to expect this glory so soon is a
double bliss. Unbelief shudders at the Jordan which still rolls
between us and the goodly land, but let us rest assured that we
have already experienced more ills than death at its worst can
cause us. Let us banish every fearful thought, and rejoice with
exceeding great joy, in the prospect that this year we shall
begin to be "for ever with the Lord."

A part of the host will this year tarry on earth, to do
service for their Lord. If this should fall to our lot, there is
no reason why the New Year's text should not still be true. "We
who have believed do enter into rest." The Holy Spirit is the
earnest of our inheritance; He gives us "glory begun below." In
heaven they are secure, and so are we preserve in Christ Jesus;
there they triumph over their enemies, and we have victories
too. Celestial spirits enjoy communion with their Lord, and this
is not denied to us; they rest in His love, and we have perfect
peace in Him: they hymn His praise, and it is our privilege to
bless Him too. We will this year gather celestial fruits on
earthly ground, where faith and hope have made the desert like
the garden of the Lord. Man did eat angels' food of old, and why
not now ? O for grace to feed on Jesus, and so to eat of the
fruit of the land of Canaan this year!

01/02/AM

"Continue in prayer."
--Colossians 4:2

It is interesting to remark how large a portion of Sacred
Writ is occupied with the subject of prayer, either in
furnishing examples, enforcing precepts, or pronouncing
promises. We scarcely open the Bible before we read, "Then
began men to call upon the name of the Lord;" and just as we are
about to close the volume, the "Amen" of an earnest supplication
meets our ear. Instances are plentiful. Here we find a wrestling
Jacob--there a Daniel who prayed three times a day--and a David
who with all his heart called upon his God. On the mountain we
see Elias; in the dungeon Paul and Silas. We have multitudes of
commands, and myriads of promises. What does this teach us, but
the sacred importance and necessity of prayer? We may be certain
that whatever God has made prominent in His Word, He intended to
be conspicuous in our lives. If He has said much about prayer,
it is because He knows we have much need of it. So deep are our
necessities, that until we are in heaven we must not cease to
pray. Dost thou want nothing? Then, I fear thou dost not know
thy poverty. Hast thou no mercy to ask of God? Then, may the
Lord's mercy show thee thy misery! A prayerless soul is a
Christless soul. Prayer is the lisping of the believing infant,
the shout of the fighting believer, the requiem of the dying
saint falling asleep in Jesus. It is the breath, the watchword,
the comfort, the strength, the honour of a Christian. If thou be
a child of God, thou wilt seek thy Father's face, and live in
thy Father's love. Pray that this year thou mayst be holy,
humble, zealous, and patient; have closer communion with Christ,
and enter oftener into the banqueting-house of His love. Pray
that thou mayst be an example and a blessing unto others, and
that thou mayst live more to the glory of thy Master. The motto
for this year must be, "Continue in prayer."

01/03/AM

"I will give thee for a covenant of the people."
--Isaiah 49:8

Jesus Christ is Himself the sum and substance of the
covenant, and as one of its gifts, He is the property of every
believer. Believer, canst thou estimate what thou hast gotten in
Christ? "In Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."
Consider that word "God" and its infinity, and then meditate
upon "perfect man" and all his beauty; for all that Christ, as
God and man, ever had, or can have, is thine--out of pure free
favour, passed over to thee to be thine entailed property
forever. Our blessed Jesus, as God, is omniscient, omnipresent,
omnipotent. Will it not console you to know that all these great
and glorious attributes are altogether yours? Has he power?
That power is yours to support and strengthen you, to overcome
your enemies, and to preserve you even to the end. Has He love?
Well, there is not a drop of love in His heart which is not
yours; you may dive into the immense ocean of His love, and you
may say of it all, "It is mine." Hath He justice? It may seem a
stern attribute, but even that is yours, for He will by His
justice see to it that all which is promised to you in the
covenant of grace shall be most certainly secured to you. And
all that He has as _perfect man_ is yours. As a perfect man the
Father's delight was upon Him. He stood accepted by the Most
High. O believer, God's acceptance of Christ is thine
acceptance; for knowest thou not that the love which the Father
set on a perfect Christ, He sets on thee _now_? For all that
Christ did is thine. That perfect righteousness which Jesus
wrought out, when through His stainless life He kept the law and
made it honourable, is thine, and is imputed to thee. Christ is
in the covenant.

"My God, I am thine--what a comfort divine!
What a blessing to know that the Saviour is mine!
In the heavenly Lamb thrice happy I am,
And my heart it doth dance at the sound of His name."

01/04/AM

"Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ."
--2 Peter 3:18

"Grow in grace"--not in one grace only, but in _all_ grace.
Grow in that root-grace, _faith_. Believe the promises more
firmly than you have done. Let faith increase in fulness,
constancy, simplicity. Grow also in _love_. Ask that your love
may become extended, more intense, more practical, influencing
every thought, word, and deed. Grow likewise in _humility_. Seek
to lie very low, and know more of your own nothingness. As you
grow _downward_ in humility, seek also to grow _upward_--having
nearer approaches to God in prayer and more intimate fellowship
with Jesus. May God the Holy Spirit enable you to "_grow in the
knowledge of our Lord and Saviour_." He who grows not in the
knowledge of Jesus, refuses to be blessed. To know Him is "life
eternal," and to advance in the knowledge of Him is to increase
in happiness. He who does not long to know more of Christ, knows
nothing of Him yet. Whoever hath sipped this wine will thirst
for more, for although Christ doth satisfy, yet it is such a
satisfaction, that the appetite is not cloyed, but whetted. If
you know the love of Jesus--as the hart panteth for the
water-brooks, so will you pant after deeper draughts of His
love. If you do not desire to know Him better, then you love Him
not, for love always cries, "Nearer, nearer." Absence from
Christ is hell; but the presence of Jesus is heaven. Rest not
then content without an increasing acquaintance with Jesus.
Seek to know more of Him in His divine nature, in His human
relationship, in His finished work, in His death, in His
resurrection, in His present glorious intercession, and in His
future royal advent. Abide hard by the Cross, and search the
mystery of His wounds. An increase of love to Jesus, and a more
perfect apprehension of His love to us is one of the best tests
of growth in grace.

01/05/AM

"And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the
light from the darkness."
--Genesis 1:4

Light might well be good since it sprang from that fiat of
goodness, "Let there be light." We who enjoy it should be more
grateful for it than we are, and see more of God in it and by
it. Light _physical_ is said by Solomon to be sweet, but
_gospel_ light is infinitely more precious, for it reveals
eternal things, and ministers to our immortal natures. When the
Holy Spirit gives us _spiritual_ light, and opens our eyes to
behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, we behold
sin in its true colours, and ourselves in our real position; we
see the Most Holy God as He reveals Himself, the plan of mercy
as He propounds it, and the world to come as the Word describes
it. Spiritual light has many beams and prismatic colours, but
whether they be knowledge, joy, holiness, or life, all are
divinely good. If the light received be thus good, what must the
_essential_ light be, and how glorious must be the place where
He reveals Himself. O Lord, since light is so good, give us more
of it, and more of Thyself, the true light.

No sooner is there a good thing in the world, than _a
division is necessary_. Light and darkness have no communion;
God has divided them, let us not confound them. Sons of light
must not have fellowship with deeds, doctrines, or deceits of
darkness. The children of the day must be sober, honest, and
bold in their Lord's work, leaving the works of darkness to
those who shall dwell in it for ever. Our Churches should by
discipline divide the light from the darkness, and we should by
our distinct separation from the world do the same. In judgment,
in action, in hearing, in teaching, in association, we must
discern between the precious and the vile, and maintain the
great distinction which the Lord made upon the world's first
day. O Lord Jesus, be Thou our light throughout the whole of
this day, for Thy light is the light of men.

01/06/AM

"Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you."
--1 Peter 5:7

It is a happy way of soothing sorrow when we can feel--"HE
careth for me." Christian! do not dishonour religion by always
wearing a brow of care; come, cast your burden upon your Lord.
You are staggering beneath a weight which your Father would not
feel. What seems to you a crushing burden, would be to Him but
as the small dust of the balance. Nothing is so sweet as to

"Lie passive in God's hands,
And know no will but His."

O child of suffering, be thou patient; God has not passed thee
over in His providence. He who is the feeder of sparrows, will
also furnish you with what you need. Sit not down in despair;
hope on, hope ever. Take up the arms of faith against a sea of
trouble, and your opposition shall yet end your distresses.
_There is_ One who careth for you. His eye is fixed on you, His
heart beats with pity for your woe, and his hand omnipotent
shall yet bring you the needed help. The darkest cloud shall
scatter itself in showers of mercy. The blackest gloom shall
give place to the morning. He, if thou art one of His family,
will bind up thy wounds, and heal thy broken heart. Doubt not
His grace because of thy tribulation, but believe that He loveth
thee as much in seasons of trouble as in times of happiness.
What a serene and quiet life might you lead if you would leave
providing to the God of providence! With a little oil in the
cruse, and a handful of meal in the barrel, Elijah outlived the
famine, and you will do the same. If God cares for you, why need
you care too? Can you trust Him for your soul, and not for your
body? He has never refused to bear your burdens, He has never
fainted under their weight. Come, then, soul! have done with
fretful care, and leave all thy concerns in the hand of a
gracious God.

01/07/AM

"For me to live is Christ."
--Philippians 1:21

The believer did not always live to Christ. He began to do so
when God the Holy Spirit convinced him of sin, and when by grace
he was brought to see the dying Saviour making a propitiation
for his guilt. From the moment of the new and celestial birth
the man begins to live to Christ. Jesus is to believers the one
pearl of great price, for whom we are willing to part with all
that we have. He has so completely won our love, that it beats
alone for Him; to His glory we would live, and in defence of His
gospel we would die; He is the pattern of our life, and the
model after which we would sculpture our character. Paul's words
mean more than most men think; they imply that the _aim and end
of his life_ was Christ--nay, his life itself was Jesus. In the
words of an ancient saint, he did eat, and drink, and sleep
eternal life. Jesus was his very breath, the soul of his soul,
the heart of his heart, the life of his life. Can you say, as a
professing Christian, that you live up to this idea? Can you
honestly say that for you to live is Christ? Your business--are
you doing it _for Christ_? Is it not done for self-
aggrandizement and for family advantage? Do you ask, "Is that a
mean reason?" For the _Christian_ it is. He professes to live
for Christ; how can he live for another object without
committing a spiritual adultery? Many there are who carry out
this principle in some measure; but who is there that dare say
that he hath lived wholly for Christ as the apostle did? Yet,
this alone is the true life of a Christian--its source, its
sustenance, its fashion, its end, all gathered up in one
word--Christ Jesus. Lord, accept me; I here present myself,
praying to live only in Thee and to Thee. Let me be as the
bullock which stands between the plough and the altar, to work
or to be sacrificed; and let my motto be, "Ready for either."

01/08/AM

"The iniquity of the holy things."
--Exodus 28:38

What a veil is lifted up by these words, and what a
disclosure is made! It will be humbling and profitable for us to
pause awhile and see this sad sight. The iniquities of our
public worship, its hypocrisy, formality, lukewarmness,
irreverence, wandering of heart and forgetfulness of God, what a
full measure have we there! Our work for the Lord, its
emulation, selfishness, carelessness, slackness, unbelief, what
a mass of defilement is there! Our private devotions, their
laxity, coldness, neglect, sleepiness, and vanity, what a
mountain of dead earth is there! If we looked more carefully we
should find this iniquity to be far greater than appears at
first sight. Dr. Payson, writing to his brother, says, "My
parish, as well as my heart, very much resembles the garden of
the sluggard; and what is worse, I find that very many of my
desires for the melioration of both, proceed either from pride
or vanity or indolence. I look at the weeds which overspread my
garden, and breathe out an earnest wish that they were
eradicated. But why? What prompts the wish? It may be that I may
walk out and say to myself, 'In what fine order is my garden
kept!' This is _pride_. Or, it may be that my neighbours may
look over the wall and say, 'How finely your garden flourishes!'
This is _vanity_. Or I may wish for the destruction of the
weeds, because I am weary of pulling them up. This is
indolence." So that even our desires after holiness may be
polluted by ill motives. Under the greenest sods worms hide
themselves; we need not look long to discover them. How cheering
is the thought, that when the High Priest bore the iniquity of
the holy things he wore upon his brow the words, "HOLINESS TO
THE LORD:" and even so while Jesus bears our sin, He presents
before His Father's face not our unholiness, but his own
holiness. O for grace to view our great High Priest by the eye
of faith!

01/09/AM

"I will be their God."
--Jeremiah 31:33

Christian! here is all thou canst require. To make thee happy
thou wantest something that shall satisfy thee; and is not this
enough? If thou canst pour this promise into thy cup, wilt thou
not say, with David, "My cup runneth over; I have more than
heart can wish"? When this is fulfilled, _"I am thy God_," art
thou not possessor of all things? Desire is insatiable as death,
but He who filleth all in all can fill it. The capacity of our
wishes who can measure? but the immeasurable wealth of God can
more than overflow it. I ask thee if thou art not complete when
God is thine? Dost thou want anything but God? Is not His
all-sufficiency enough to satisfy thee if all else should fail?
But thou wantest more than quiet satisfaction; thou desirest
_rapturous delight_. Come, soul, here is music fit for heaven in
this thy portion, for God is the Maker of Heaven. Not all the
music blown from sweet instruments, or drawn from living
strings, can yield such melody as this sweet promise, "I will be
their God." Here is a deep sea of bliss, a shoreless ocean of
delight; come, bathe thy spirit in it; swim an age, and thou
shalt find no shore; dive throughout eternity, and thou shalt
find no bottom. "I will be their God." If this do not make thine
eyes sparkle, and thy heart beat high with bliss, then assuredly
thy soul is not in a healthy state. But thou wantest more than
present delights--thou cravest something concerning which thou
mayest exercise _hope_; and what more canst thou hope for than
the fulfillment of this great promise, "I will be their God"?
This is the masterpiece of all the promises; its enjoyment makes
a heaven below, and will make a heaven above. Dwell in the light
of thy Lord, and let thy soul be always ravished with His love.
Get out the marrow and fatness which this portion yields thee.
Live up to thy privileges, and rejoice with unspeakable joy.

01/10/AM

"There is laid up for me a crown of righteousness."
--2 Timothy 4:8

Doubting one! thou hast often said, "I fear I shall never
enter heaven." Fear not! all the people of God shall enter
there. I love the quaint saying of a dying man, who exclaimed,
"I have no fear of going home; I have sent all before me; God's
finger is on the latch of my door, and I am ready for Him to
enter." "But," said one, "are you not afraid lest you should
miss your inheritance?" "Nay," said he, "nay; there is one crown
in heaven which the angel Gabriel could not wear, it will fit no
head but mine. There is one throne in heaven which Paul the
apostle could not fill; it was made for me, and I shall have
it." O Christian, what a joyous thought! thy portion is secure;
"there remaineth a rest." "But cannot I forfeit it?" No, it is
entailed. If I be a child of God I shall not lose it. It is mine
as securely as if I were there. Come with me, believer, and let
us sit upon the top of Nebo, and view the goodly land, even
Canaan. Seest thou that little river of death glistening in the
sunlight, and across it dost thou see the pinnacles of the
eternal city? Dost thou mark the pleasant country, and all its
joyous inhabitants? Know, then, that if thou couldst fly across
thou wouldst see written upon one of its many mansions, "This
remaineth for such a one; preserved for him only. He shall be
caught up to dwell for ever with God." Poor doubting one, see
the fair inheritance; it is _thine_. If thou believest in the
Lord Jesus, if thou hast repented of sin, if thou hast been
renewed in heart, thou art one of the Lord's people, and there
is a place reserved for thee, a crown laid up for thee, a harp
specially provided for thee. No one else shall have thy portion,
it is reserved in heaven for thee, and thou shalt have it ere
long, for there shall be no vacant thrones in glory when all the
chosen are gathered in.

01/11/AM

"These have no root."
--Luke 8:13

My soul, examine thyself this morning by the light of this
text. Thou hast received the word with joy; thy feelings have
been stirred and a lively impression has been made; but,
remember, that to receive the word in the ear is one thing, and
to receive Jesus into thy very soul is quite another;
superficial feeling is often joined to inward hardness of heart,
and a lively impression of the word is not always a lasting one.
In the parable, the seed in one case fell upon ground having a
rocky bottom, covered over with a thin layer of earth; when the
seed began to take root, its downward growth was hindered by the
hard stone and therefore it spent its strength in pushing its
green shoot aloft as high as it could, but having no inward
moisture derived from root nourishment, it withered away. Is
this my case? Have I been making a fair show in the flesh
without having a corresponding inner life? Good growth takes
place upwards and downwards at the same time. Am I rooted in
sincere fidelity and love to Jesus? If my heart remains
unsoftened and unfertilized by grace, the good seed may
germinate for a season, but it must ultimately wither, for it
cannot flourish on a rocky, unbroken, unsanctified heart. Let me
dread a godliness as rapid in growth and as wanting in endurance
as Jonah's gourd; let me count the cost of being a follower of
Jesus, above all let me feel the energy of His Holy Spirit, and
then I shall possess an abiding and enduring seed in my soul. If
my mind remains as obdurate as it was by nature, the sun of
trial will scorch, and my hard heart will help to cast the heat
the more terribly upon the ill-covered seed, and my religion
will soon die, and my despair will be terrible; therefore, O
heavenly Sower, plough me first, and then cast the truth into
me, and let me yield Thee a bounteous harvest.

01/12/AM

"Ye are Christ's."
--1 Corinthians 3:23

Ye _are_ Christ's." You are His by donation, for the Father
gave you to the Son; His by His bloody purchase, for He counted
down the price for your redemption; His by dedication, for you
have consecrated yourself to Him; His by relation, for you are
named by his name, and made one of His brethren and joint-heirs.
Labour practically to show the world that you are the servant,
the friend, the bride of Jesus. When tempted to sin, reply, "I
cannot do this great wickedness, for I am Christ's." Immortal
principles forbid the friend of Christ to sin. When wealth is
before you to be won by sin, say that you are Christ's, and
touch it not. Are you exposed to difficulties and dangers?
Stand fast in the evil day, remembering that you are Christ's.
Are you placed where others are sitting down idly, doing
nothing? Rise to the work with all your powers; and when the
sweat stands upon your brow, and you are tempted to loiter, cry,
"No, I cannot stop, for I am Christ's. If I were not purchased
by blood, I might be like Issachar, crouching between two
burdens; but I am Christ's, and cannot loiter." When the siren
song of pleasure would tempt you from the path of right, reply,
"Thy music cannot charm me; I am Christ's." When the cause of
God invites thee, give thy goods and thyself away, for thou art
Christ's. Never belie thy profession. Be thou ever one of those
whose manners are Christian, whose speech is like the Nazarene,
whose conduct and conversation are so redolent of heaven, that
all who see you may know that you are the Saviour's, recognizing
in you His features of love and His countenance of holiness. "I
am a Roman!" was of old a reason for integrity; far more, then,
let it be your argument for holiness, "I am Christ's!"

01/13/AM

"Jehoshaphat made ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold:
but they went not; for the ships were broken at Ezion-geber."
--1 Kings 22:48

Solomon's ships had returned in safety, but Jehoshaphat's
vessels never reached the land of gold. Providence prospers one,
and frustrates the desires of another, in the same business and
at the same spot, yet the Great Ruler is as good and wise at one
time as another. May we have grace to-day, in the remembrance
of this text, to bless the Lord for ships broken at Ezion-geber,
as well as for vessels freighted with temporal blessings; let us
not envy the more successful, nor murmur at our losses as though
we were singularly and specially tried. Like Jehoshaphat, we may
be precious in the Lord's sight, although our schemes end in
disappointment.

The secret cause of Jehoshaphat's loss is well worthy of
notice, for it is the root of very much of the suffering of the
Lord's people; it was his alliance with a sinful family, his
fellowship with sinners. In 2 Chron. 20:37, we are told that the
Lord sent a prophet to declare, "Because thou hast joined
thyself with Ahaziah, the Lord hath broken thy works." This was
a fatherly chastisement, which appears to have been blest to
him; for in the verse which succeeds our morning's text we find
him refusing to allow his servants to sail in the same vessels
with those of the wicked king. Would to God that Jehoshaphat's
experience might be a warning to the rest of the Lord's people,
to avoid being unequally yoked together with unbelievers! A life
of misery is usually the lot of those who are united in
marriage, or in any other way of their own choosing, with the
men of the world. O for such love to Jesus that, like Him, we
may be holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners; for
if it be not so with us, we may expect to hear it often said,
"The Lord hath broken thy works."

01/14/AM

"Mighty to save."
--Isaiah 63:1

By the words "to save" we understand the whole of the great
work of salvation, from the first holy desire onward to complete
sanctification. The words are _multum in parro_: indeed, here
is all mercy in one word. Christ is not only "mighty to save"
those who repent, but He is able to make men repent. He will
carry those to heaven who believe; but He is, moreover, mighty
to give men new hearts and to work faith in them. He is mighty
to make the man who hates holiness love it, and to constrain the
despiser of His name to bend the knee before Him. Nay, this is
not all the meaning, for the divine power is equally seen in the
after-work. The life of a believer is a series of miracles
wrought by "the Mighty God." The bush burns, but is not
consumed. He is mighty to keep His people holy after He has made
them so, and to preserve them in his fear and love until he
consummates their spiritual existence in heaven. Christ's might
doth not lie in making a believer and then leaving him to shift
for himself; but He who begins the good work carries it on; He
who imparts the first germ of life in the dead soul, prolongs
the divine existence, and strengthens it until it bursts asunder
every bond of sin, and the soul leaps from earth, perfected in
glory. Believer, here is encouragement. Art thou praying for
some beloved one? Oh, give not up thy prayers, for Christ is
"mighty to save." You are powerless to reclaim the rebel, but
your Lord is Almighty. Lay hold on that mighty arm, and rouse it
to put forth its strength. Does your own case trouble you? Fear
not, for His strength is sufficient for you. Whether to begin
with others, or to carry on the work in you, Jesus is "mighty to
save;" the best proof of which lies in the fact that He has
saved _you_. What a thousand mercies that you have not found Him
mighty to destroy!

01/15/AM

"Do as thou hast said."
--2 Samuel 7:25

God's promises were never meant to be thrown aside as waste
paper; He intended that they should be used. God's gold is not
miser's money, but is minted to be traded with. Nothing pleases
our Lord better than to see His promises put in circulation; He
loves to see His children bring them up to Him, and say, "Lord,
do as Thou hast said." We glorify God when we plead His
promises. Do you think that God will be any the poorer for
giving you the riches He has promised? Do you dream that He will
be any the less holy for giving holiness to you? Do you
imagine He will be any the less pure for washing you from your
sins? He has said "Come now, and let us reason together, saith
the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white
as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as
wool." Faith lays hold upon the promise of pardon, and it does
not delay, saying, "This is a precious promise, I wonder if it
be true?" but it goes straight to the throne with it, and
pleads, "Lord, here is the promise, 'Do as Thou hast said.'" Our
Lord replies, "Be it unto thee even as thou wilt." When a
Christian grasps a promise, if he do not take it to God, he
dishonours Him; but when he hastens to the throne of grace, and
cries, "Lord, I have nothing to recommend me but this, 'Thou
hast said it;'" then his desire shall be granted. Our heavenly
Banker delights to cash His own notes. Never let the promise
rust. Draw the word of promise out of its scabbard, and use it
with holy violence. Think not that God will be troubled by your
importunately reminding Him of His promises. He loves to hear
the loud outcries of needy souls. It is His delight to bestow
favours. He is more ready to hear than you are to ask. The sun
is not weary of shining, nor the fountain of flowing. It is
God's nature to keep His promises; therefore go at once to the
throne with "Do as Thou hast said."

01/16/AM

"I will help thee, saith the Lord."
--Isaiah 41:14

This morning let us hear the Lord Jesus speak to each one of
us: "I will _help_ thee." "It is but a small thing for Me, thy
God, to _help_ thee. Consider what I have done already. What!
not help thee? Why, I bought thee with My blood. What! not help
thee? I have died for thee; and if I have done the greater, will
I not do the less? _Help_ thee! It is the least thing I will
ever do for thee; I _have_ done more, and will do more. Before
the world began I chose thee. I made the covenant for thee. I
laid aside My glory and became a man for thee; I gave up My life
for thee; and if I did all this, I will surely help thee now. In
helping thee, I am giving thee what I have bought for thee
already. If thou hadst need of a thousand times as much help, I
would give it thee; thou requirest little compared with what I
am ready to give. 'Tis much for thee to need, but it is nothing
for me to bestow. '_Help_ thee?' Fear not! If there were an ant
at the door of thy granary asking for help, it would not ruin
thee to give him a handful of thy wheat; and thou art nothing
but a tiny insect at the door of My all-sufficiency. 'I will
help thee.'"

O my soul, is not this enough? Dost thou need more strength
than the omnipotence of the United Trinity? Dost thou want more
wisdom than exists in the Father, more love than displays itself
in the Son, or more power than is manifest in the influences of
the Spirit? Bring hither thine empty pitcher! Surely this well
will fill it. Haste, gather up thy wants, and bring them
here--thine emptiness, thy woes, thy needs. Behold, this river
of God is full for thy supply; what canst thou desire beside? Go
forth, my soul, in this thy might. The Eternal God is thine
helper!

"Fear not, I am with thee, oh, be not dismay'd!
I, I am thy God, and will still give thee aid."

01/17/AM

"And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion."
--Revelation 14:1

The apostle John was privileged to look within the gates of
heaven, and in describing what he saw, he begins by saying, "I
looked, and, lo, a Lamb!" This teaches us that the chief object
of contemplation in the heavenly state is "the Lamb of God,
which taketh away the sins of the world." Nothing else attracted
the apostle's attention so much as the person of that Divine
Being, who hath redeemed us by His blood. He is the theme of the
songs of all glorified spirits and holy angels. Christian, here
is joy for thee; thou hast looked, and thou hast seen the Lamb.
Through thy tears thine eyes have seen the Lamb of God taking
away thy sins. Rejoice, then. In a little while, when thine eyes
shall have been wiped from tears, thou wilt see the same Lamb
_exalted on His throne_. It is the joy of thy heart to hold
daily fellowship with Jesus; thou shalt have the same joy to a
higher degree in heaven; thou shalt enjoy the constant vision of
His presence; thou shalt dwell with Him for ever. "I looked,
and, lo, a Lamb!" Why, that Lamb is heaven itself; for as good
Rutherford says, "Heaven and Christ are the same thing;" to be
with Christ is to be in heaven, and to be in heaven is to be
with Christ. That prisoner of the Lord very sweetly writes in
one of his glowing letters--"O my Lord Jesus Christ, if I could
be in heaven without thee, it would be a hell; and if I could be
in hell, and have thee still, it would be a heaven to me, for
thou art all the heaven I want." It is true, is it not,
Christian? Does not thy soul say so?

"Not all the harps above
Can make a heavenly place,
If God His residence remove,
Or but conceal His face."

All thou needest to make thee blessed, supremely blessed, is "to
be with Christ."

01/18/AM

"There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God."
--Hebrews 4:9

How different will be the state of the believer in heaven
from what it is here! Here he is born to toil and suffer
weariness, but in the land of the immortal, fatigue is never
known. Anxious to serve his Master, he finds his strength
unequal to his zeal: his constant cry is, "Help me to serve
Thee, O my God." If he be thoroughly active, he will have much
labour; not too much for his will, but more than enough for his
power, so that he will cry out, "I am not wearied _of_ the
labour, but I am wearied _in it_." Ah! Christian, the hot day
of weariness lasts not for ever; the sun is nearing the horizon;
it shall rise again with a brighter day than thou hast ever seen
upon a land where they serve God day and night, and yet rest
from their labours. _Here_, rest is but partial, _there_, it is
_perfect_. _Here_, the Christian is always unsettled; he feels
that he has not yet attained. _There_, all are at rest; they
have attained the summit of the mountain; they have ascended to
the bosom of their God. Higher they cannot go. Ah, toil-worn
labourer, only think when thou shalt rest for ever! Canst thou
conceive it? It is a rest _eternal_; a rest that "remaineth."
Here, my best joys bear "mortal" on their brow; my fair flowers
fade; my dainty cups are drained to dregs; my sweetest birds
fall before Death's arrows; my most pleasant days are shadowed
into nights; and the flood-tides of my bliss subside into ebbs
of sorrow; but _there_, everything is immortal; the harp abides
unrusted, the crown unwithered, the eye undimmed, the voice
unfaltering, the heart unwavering, and the immortal being is
wholly absorbed in infinite delight. Happy day! happy! when
mortality shall be swallowed up of life, and the Eternal Sabbath
shall begin.

01/19/AM

"I sought him, but I found him not."
--Song of Solomon 3:1

Tell me where you lost the company of Christ, and I will
tell you the most likely place to find Him. Have you lost
Christ in the closet by restraining prayer? Then it is there
you must seek and find Him. Did you lose Christ by sin? You
will find Christ in no other way but by the giving up of the
sin, and seeking by the Holy Spirit to mortify the member in
which the lust doth dwell. Did you lose Christ by neglecting
the Scriptures? You must find Christ in the Scriptures. It is
a true proverb, "Look for a thing where you dropped it, it is
there." So look for Christ where you lost Him, for He has not
gone away. But it is hard work to go back for Christ. Bunyan
tells us, the pilgrim found the piece of the road back to the
Arbour of Ease, where he lost his roll, the hardest he had ever
travelled. Twenty miles onward is easier than to go one mile
back for the lost evidence.

Take care, then, when you find your Master, to cling close to
Him. But how is it you have lost Him? One would have thought you
would never have parted with such a precious friend, whose
presence is so sweet, whose words are so comforting, and whose
company is so dear to you! How is it that you did not watch Him
every moment for fear of losing sight of Him? Yet, since you
have let Him go, what a mercy that you are seeking Him, even
though you mournfully groan, "O that I knew where I might find
Him!" Go on seeking, for it is dangerous to be without thy Lord.
Without Christ you are like a sheep without its shepherd; like a
tree without water at its roots; like a sere leaf in the
tempest--not bound to the tree of life. With thine whole heart
seek Him, and He will be found of thee: only give thyself
thoroughly up to the search, and verily, thou shalt yet discover
Him to thy joy and gladness.

01/20/AM

"Abel was a keeper of sheep."
--Genesis 4:2

As a shepherd Abel _sanctified his work to the glory of God,
and offered a sacrifice of blood upon his altar, and the Lord
had respect unto Abel and his offering_. This early type of our
Lord is exceedingly clear and distinct. Like the first streak of
light which tinges the east at sunrise, it does not reveal
everything, but it clearly manifests the great fact that the sun
is coming. As we see Abel, a shepherd and yet a priest, offering
a sacrifice of sweet smell unto God, we discern our Lord, who
brings before His Father a sacrifice to which Jehovah ever hath
respect. Abel was hated by his brother--hated without a cause;
and even so was the Saviour: the natural and carnal man hated
the accepted man in whom the Spirit of grace was found, and
rested not until his blood had been shed. Abel fell, and
sprinkled his altar and sacrifice with his own blood, and
therein sets forth the Lord Jesus slain by the enmity of man
while serving as a priest before the Lord. "The good Shepherd
layeth down His life for the sheep." Let us weep over Him as we
view Him slain by the hatred of mankind, staining the horns of
His altar with His own blood. _Abel's blood speaketh_. "The Lord
said unto Cain, 'The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto Me
from the ground.'" The blood of Jesus hath a mighty tongue, and
the import of its prevailing cry is not vengeance but mercy. It
is precious beyond all preciousness to stand at the altar of our
good Shepherd! to see Him bleeding there as the slaughtered
priest, and then to hear His blood speaking peace to all His
flock, peace in our conscience, peace between Jew and Gentile,
peace between man and his offended Maker, peace all down the
ages of eternity for blood-washed men. Abel is the first
shepherd in order of time, but our hearts shall ever place Jesus
first in order of excellence. Thou great Keeper of the sheep, we
the people of Thy pasture bless Thee with our whole hearts when
we see Thee slain for us.

01/21/AM

"And so all Israel shall be saved."
--Romans 11:26

Then Moses sang at the Red Sea, it was his joy to know that
all Israel were safe. Not a drop of spray fell from that solid
wall until the last of God's Israel had safely planted his foot
on the other side the flood. That done, immediately the floods
dissolved into their proper place again, but not till then. Part
of that song was, "Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people
which thou hast redeemed." In the last time, when the elect
shall sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and of the
Lamb, it shall be the boast of Jesus, "Of all whom thou hast
given me, I have lost none." In heaven there shall not be a
vacant throne.

"For all the chosen race
Shall meet around the throne,
Shall bless the conduct of His grace,
And make His glories known."

As many as God hath chosen, as many as Christ hath redeemed, as
many as the Spirit hath called, as many as believe in Jesus,
shall safely cross the dividing sea. We are not all safely
landed yet:

"Part of the host have crossed the flood,
And part are crossing now."

The vanguard of the army has already reached the shore. We are
marching through the depths; we are at this day following hard
after our Leader into the heart of the sea. Let us be of good
cheer: the rear-guard shall soon be where the vanguard already
is; the last of the chosen ones shall soon have crossed the sea,
and then shall be heard the song of triumph, when all are
secure. But oh! if one were absent--oh! if one of His chosen
family should be cast away--it would make an everlasting discord
in the song of the redeemed, and cut the strings of the harps of
paradise, so that music could never be extorted from them.

01/22/AM

"Son of man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a
branch which is among the trees of the forest?"
--Ezekiel 15:2

These words are for the humbling of God's people; they are
called God's vine, but what are they by nature more than others?
They, by God's goodness, have become fruitful, having been
planted in a good soil; the Lord hath trained them upon the
walls of the sanctuary, and they bring forth fruit to His glory;
but what are they without their God? What are they without the
continual influence of the Spirit, begetting fruitfulness in
them? O believer, learn to reject pride, seeing that thou hast
no ground for it. Whatever thou art, thou hast nothing to make
thee proud. The more thou hast, the more thou art in debt to
God; and thou shouldst not be proud of that which renders thee a
debtor. Consider thine origin; look back to what thou wast.
Consider what thou wouldst have been but for divine grace. Look
upon thyself as thou art now. Doth not thy conscience reproach
thee? Do not thy thousand wanderings stand before thee, and tell
thee that thou art unworthy to be called His son? And if He hath
made thee anything, art thou not taught thereby that it is grace
which hath made thee to differ? Great believer, thou wouldst
have been a great sinner if God had not made thee to differ. O
thou who art valiant for truth, thou wouldst have been as
valiant for error if grace had not laid hold upon thee.
Therefore, be not proud, though thou hast a large estate--a wide
domain of grace, thou hadst not once a single thing to call
thine own except thy sin and misery. Oh! strange infatuation,
that thou, who hast borrowed everything, shouldst think of
exalting thyself; a poor dependent pensioner upon the bounty of
thy Saviour, one who hath a life which dies without fresh
streams of life from Jesus, and yet proud! Fie on thee, O silly
heart!

01/23/AM

"I have exalted one chosen out of the people."
--Psalm 89:19

Why was Christ chosen out of the people? Speak, my heart,
for heart-thoughts are best. Was it not that He might be able
to be our brother, in the blest tie of kindred blood? Oh, what
relationship there is between Christ and the believer! The
believer can say, "I have a Brother in heaven; I may be poor,
but I have a Brother who is rich, and is a King, and will He
suffer me to want while He is on His throne? Oh, no! He loves
me; He is my Brother." Believer, wear this blessed thought, like
a necklace of diamonds, around the neck of thy memory; put it,
as a golden ring, on the finger of recollection, and use it as
the King's own seal, stamping the petitions of thy faith with
confidence of success. He is a brother born for adversity, treat
Him as such.

Christ was also chosen out of the people that He might know
our wants and sympathize with us. "He was tempted in all points
like as we are, yet without sin." In all our sorrows we have His
sympathy. Temptation, pain, disappointment, weakness, weariness,
poverty--He knows them all, for He has felt all. Remember this,
Christian, and let it comfort thee. However difficult and
painful thy road, it is marked by the footsteps of thy Saviour;
and even when thou reachest the dark valley of the shadow of
death, and the deep waters of the swelling Jordan, thou wilt
find His footprints there. In all places whithersoever we go, He
has been our forerunner; each burden we have to carry, has once
been laid on the shoulders of Immanuel.

"His way was much rougher and darker than mine
Did Christ, my Lord, suffer, and shall I repine?"

Take courage! Royal feet have left a blood-red track upon the
road, and consecrated the thorny path for ever.

01/24/AM

"Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler."
--Psalm 91:3

God delivers His people from the snare of the fowler in two
senses. _From_, and _out of_. First, He delivers them _from_ the
snare--does not let them enter it; and secondly, if they should
be caught therein, He delivers them _out of_ it. The first
promise is the most precious to some; the second is the best to
others.

"He shall deliver thee _from_ the snare." How? Trouble is
often the means whereby God delivers us. God knows that our
backsliding will soon end in our destruction, and He in mercy
sends the rod. We say, "Lord, why is this?" not knowing that our
trouble has been the means of delivering us from far greater
evil. Many have been thus saved from ruin by their sorrows and
their crosses; these have frightened the birds from the net. At
other times, God keeps His people _from_ the snare of the fowler
by giving them great spiritual strength, so that when they are
tempted to do evil they say, "How can I do this great
wickedness, and sin against God?" But what a blessed thing it is
that if the believer shall, in an evil hour, come into the net,
yet God will bring him out of it! O backslider, be cast down,
but do not despair. Wanderer though thou hast been, hear what
thy Redeemer saith--"Return, O backsliding children; I will have
mercy upon you." But you say you cannot return, for you are a
captive. Then listen to the promise--"Surely He shall deliver
thee out of the snare of the fowler." Thou shalt yet be brought
out of all evil into which thou hast fallen, and though thou
shalt never cease to repent of thy ways, yet He that hath loved
thee will not cast thee away; He will receive thee, and give
thee joy and gladness, that the bones which He has broken may
rejoice. No bird of paradise shall die in the fowler's net.

01/25/AM

"I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the Lord, and the
praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath
bestowed on us."
--Isaiah 63:7

And canst thou not do this? Are there no mercies which thou
_hast experienced_? What though thou art gloomy now, canst thou
forget that blessed hour when Jesus met thee, and said, "Come
unto me"? Canst thou not remember that rapturous moment when He
snapped thy fetters, dashed thy chains to the earth, and said,
"I came to break thy bonds and set thee free"? Or if the love
of thine espousals be forgotten, there must surely be some
precious milestone along the road of life not quite grown over
with moss, on which thou canst read a happy memorial of His
mercy towards thee? What, didst thou never have a sickness like
that which thou art suffering now, and did He not restore thee?
Wert thou never poor before, and did He not supply thy wants?
Wast thou never in straits before, and did He not deliver thee?
Arise, go to the river of thine experience, and pull up a few
bulrushes, and plait them into an ark, wherein thine infant-
faith may float safely on the stream. Forget not what thy God
has done for thee; turn over the book of thy remembrance, and
consider the days of old. Canst thou not remember the hill
Mizar? Did the Lord never meet with thee at Hermon? Hast thou
never climbed the Delectable Mountains? Hast thou never been
helped in time of need? Nay, I know thou hast. Go back, then, a
little way to the choice mercies of yesterday, and though all
may be dark _now_, light up the lamps of the past, they shall
glitter through the darkness, and thou shalt trust in the Lord
till the day break and the shadows flee away. "Remember, O
Lord, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses, for they
have been ever of old."

01/26/AM

"Your heavenly Father."
--Matthew 6:26

God's people are doubly His children, they are His offspring
by creation, and they are His sons by adoption in Christ. Hence
they are privileged to call Him, "Our Father which art in
heaven." Father! Oh, what precious word is that. Here is
_authority_: "If I be a Father, where is mine honour?" If ye be
sons, where is your obedience? Here is _affection_ mingled with
authority; an authority which does not provoke rebellion; an
obedience demanded which is most cheerfully rendered--which
would not be withheld even if it might. The obedience which
God's children yield to Him must be _loving_ obedience. Do not
go about the service of God as slaves to their taskmaster's
toil, but run in the way of His commands because it is your
_Father's_ way. Yield your bodies as instruments of
righteousness, because righteousness is your Father's will, and
_His_ will should be the will of His child. _Father_!--Here is
a kingly attribute so sweetly veiled in love, that the King's
crown is forgotten in the King's face, and His sceptre becomes,
not a rod of iron, but a silver sceptre of mercy--the sceptre
indeed seems to be forgotten in the tender hand of Him who
wields it. Father!--Here is honour and love. How great is a
Father's love to his children! That which friendship cannot do,
and mere benevolence will not attempt, a father's heart and
hand must do for his sons. They are his offspring, he must
bless them; they are his children, he must show himself strong
in their defence. If an earthly father watches over his
children with unceasing love and care, how much more does our
heavenly Father? Abba, Father! He who can say this, hath
uttered better music than cherubim or seraphim can reach. There
is heaven in the depth of that word--Father! There is all I can
ask; all my necessities can demand; all my wishes can desire. I
have all in all to all eternity when I can say, "Father."

01/27/AM

"And of his fulness have all we received."
--John 1:16

These words tell us that there is a fulness in Christ. There
is a fulness of essential Deity, for "in Him dwelleth all the
fulness of the Godhead." There is a fulness of perfect manhood,
for in Him, bodily, that Godhead was revealed. There is a
fulness of atoning efficacy in His blood, for "the blood of
Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin." There is a
fulness of justifying righteousness in His life, for "there is
therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ
Jesus." There is a fulness of divine prevalence in His plea,
for "He is able to save to the uttermost them that come unto
God by Him; seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for
them." There is a fulness of victory in His death, for through
death He destroyed him that had the power of death, that is the
devil. There is a fulness of efficacy in His resurrection from
the dead, for by it "we are begotten again unto a lively hope."
There is a fuIness of triumph in His ascension, for "when He
ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and received
gifts for men." There is a fulness of blessings of every sort
and shape; a fulness of grace to pardon, of grace to
regenerate, of grace to sanctify, of grace to preserve, and of
grace to perfect. There is a fulness at all times; a fulness of
comfort in affliction; a fulness of guidance in prosperity. A
fulness of every divine attribute, of wisdom, of power, of
love; a fulness which it were impossible to survey, much less
to explore. "It pleased the Father that in Him should _all_
fulness dwell." Oh, what a fulness must this be of which _all_
receive! Fulness, indeed, must there be when the stream is
always flowing, and yet the well springs up as free, as rich,
as full as ever. Come, believer, and get all thy need supplied;
ask largely, and thou shalt receive largely, for this "fulness"
is inexhaustible, and is treasured up where all the needy may
reach it, even in Jesus, Immanuel--God with us.

01/28/AM

"Perfect in Christ Jesus."
--Colossians 1:28

Do you not feel in your own soul that perfection is not in
you? Does not every day teach you that? Every tear which
trickles from your eye, weeps "imperfection"; every harsh word
which proceeds from your lip, mutters "imperfection." You have
too frequently had a view of your own heart to dream for a
moment of any perfection _in yourself_. But amidst this sad
consciousness of imperfection, here is comfort for you--you are
"perfect in _Christ Jesus_."In God's sight, you are "complete
in Him;" _even now_ you are "accepted in the Beloved." But
there is a second perfection, yet to be realized, which is sure
to all the seed. Is it not delightful to look forward to the
time when every stain of sin shall be removed from the
believer, and he shall be presented faultless before the
throne, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing? The Church
of Christ then will be so pure, that not even the eye of
Omniscience will see a spot or blemish in her; so holy and so
glorious, that Hart did not go beyond the truth when he said--

"With my Saviour's garments on,
Holy as the Holy One."

Then shall we know, and taste, and feel the happiness of this
vast but short sentence, "Complete in Christ." Not till then
shall we fully comprehend the heights and depths of the
salvation of Jesus. Doth not thy heart leap for joy at the
thought of it? Black as thou art, thou shalt be white one day;
filthy as thou art, thou shalt be clean. Oh, it is a marvellous
salvation this! Christ takes a worm and transforms it into an
angel; Christ takes a black and deformed thing and makes it
clean and matchless in His glory, peerless in His beauty, and
fit to be the companion of seraphs. O my soul, stand and admire
this blessed truth of perfection in Christ.

01/29/AM

"The things which are not seen."
--2 Corinthians 4:18

In our Christian pilgrimage it is well, for the most part,
to be looking forward. Forward lies the crown, and onward is
the goal. Whether it be for hope, for joy, for consolation, or
for the inspiring of our love, the future must, after all, be
the grand object of the eye of faith. Looking into the future
we see sin cast out, the body of sin and death destroyed, the
soul made perfect, and fit to be a partaker of the inheritance
of the saints in light. Looking further yet, the believer's
enlightened eye can see death's river passed, the gloomy stream
forded, and the hills of light attained on which standeth the
celestial city; he seeth himself enter within the pearly gates,
hailed as more than conqueror, crowned by the hand of Christ,
embraced in the arms of Jesus, glorified with Him, and made to
sit together with Him on His throne, even as He has overcome
and has sat down with the Father on His throne. The thought of
this future may well relieve the darkness of the past and the
gloom of the present. The joys of heaven will surely compensate
for the sorrows of earth. Hush, hush, my doubts! death is but a
narrow stream, and thou shalt soon have forded it. Time, how
short--eternity, how long! Death, how brief--immortality, how
endless! Methinks I even now eat of Eshcol's clusters, and sip
of the well which is within the gate. The road is so, so short!
I shall soon be there.

"When the world my heart is rending
With its heaviest storm of care,
My glad thoughts to heaven ascending,
Find a refuge from despair.
Faith's bright vision shall sustain me
Till life's pilgrimage is past;
Fears may vex and troubles pain me,
I shall reach my home at last."

01/30/AM

"When thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the
mulberry trees, then thou shalt bestir thyself."
--2 Samuel 5:24

The members of Christ's Church should be very prayerful,
always seeking the unction of the Holy One to rest upon their
hearts, that the kingdom of Christ may come, and that His "will
be done on earth, even as it is in heaven;" but there are times
when God seems especially to favour Zion, such seasons ought to
be to them like "the sound of a going in the tops of the
mulberry trees." We ought then to be doubly prayerful, doubly
earnest, wrestling more at the throne than we have been wont to
do. Action should then be prompt and vigorous. The tide is
flowing--now let us pull manfully for the shore. O for
Pentecostal outpourings and Pentecostal labours. Christian, in
yourself there are times "when thou hearest the sound of a
going in the tops of the mulberry trees." You have a peculiar
power in prayer; the Spirit of God gives you joy and gladness;
the Scripture is open to you; the promises are applied; you
walk in the light of God's countenance; you have peculiar
freedom and liberty in devotion, and more closeness of
communion with Christ than was your wont. Now, at such joyous
periods when you hear the "sound of a going in the tops of the
mulberry trees," is the time to bestir yourself; now is the
time to get rid of any evil habit, while God the Spirit helpeth
your infirmities. Spread your sail; but remember what you
sometimes sing--

"I can only spread the sail;
Thou! Thou! must breathe the auspicious gale."

Only be sure you have the sail up. Do not miss the gale for
want of preparation for it. Seek help of God, that you may be
more earnest in duty when made more strong in faith; that you
may be more constant in prayer when you have more liberty at
the throne; that you may be more holy in your conversation
whilst you live more closely with Christ.

01/31/AM

"The Lord our Righteousness."
--Jeremiah 23:6

It will always give a Christian the greatest calm, quiet,
ease, and peace, to think of the perfect righteousness of
Christ. How often are the saints of God downcast and sad! I do
not think they ought to be. I do not think they would if they
could always see their perfection in Christ. There are some who
are always talking about corruption, and the depravity of the
heart, and the innate evil of the soul. This is quite true, but
why not go a little further, and remember that we are "perfect
in Christ Jesus." It is no wonder that those who are dwelling
upon their own corruption should wear such downcast looks; but
surely if we call to mind that "Christ is made unto us
righteousness," we shall be of good cheer. What though
distresses afflict me, though Satan assault me, though there may
be many things to be experienced before I get to heaven, those
are done for me in the covenant of divine grace; there is
nothing wanting in my Lord, Christ hath done it all. On the
cross He said, "It is finished!" and if it be finished, then am
I complete in Him, and can rejoice with joy unspeakable and full
of glory, "Not having mine own righteousness, which is of the
law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the
righteousness which is of God by faith." You will not find on
this side heaven a holier people than those who receive into
their hearts the doctrine of Christ's righteousness. When the
believer says, "I live on Christ alone; I rest on Him solely for
salvation; and I believe that, however unworthy, I am still
saved in Jesus;" then there rises up as a motive of gratitude
this thought-- "Shall I not live to Christ? Shall I not love Him
and serve Him, seeing that I am saved by His merits?" "The love
of Christ constraineth us," "that they which live should not
henceforth live unto themselves but unto Him which died for
them." If saved by imputed righteousness, we shall greatly value
imparted righteousness.

JANUARY PM

01/01/PM

"We will be glad and rejoice in Thee."
--Song of Solomon 1:4

We will be glad and rejoice in Thee. We will not open the
gates of the year to the dolorous notes of the sackbut, but to
the sweet strains of the harp of joy, and the high sounding
cymbals of gladness. "O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us
make a joyful noise unto the rock of our salvation." We, the
called and faithful and chosen, we will drive away our griefs,
and set up our banners of confidence in the name of God. Let
others lament over their troubles, we who have the sweetening
tree to cast into Marah's bitter pool, with joy will magnify the
Lord. Eternal Spirit, our effectual Comforter, we who are the
temples in which Thou dwellest, will never cease from adoring
and blessing the name of Jesus. _We_ WILL, we are resolved about
it, Jesus must have the crown of our heart's delight; we will
not dishonour our Bridegroom by mourning in His presence. We are
ordained to be the minstrels of the skies, let us rehearse our
everlasting anthem before we sing it in the halls of the New
Jerusalem. _We will_ BE GLAD AND REJOICE: two words with one
sense, double joy, blessedness upon blessedness. Need there be
any limit to our rejoicing in the Lord even now? Do not men of
grace find their Lord to be camphire and spikenard, calamus and
cinnamon even now, and what better fragrance have they in heaven
itself? _We will be glad and rejoice_ IN THEE. That last word is
the meat in the dish, the kernel of the nut, the soul of the
text. What heavens are laid up in Jesus! What rivers of
infinite bliss have their source, ay, and every drop of their
fulness in Him! Since, O sweet Lord Jesus, Thou art the present
portion of Thy people, favour us this year with such a sense of
Thy preciousness, that from its first to its last day we may be
glad and rejoice in Thee. Let January open with joy in the Lord,
and December close with gladness in Jesus.

01/02/PM

"Let the people renew their strength."
--Isaiah 41:1

All things on earth need to be renewed. No created thing
continueth by itself. "Thou renewest the face of the year," was
the Psalmist's utterance. Even the trees, which wear not
themselves with care, nor shorten their lives with labour, must
drink of the rain of heaven and suck from the hidden treasures
of the soil. The cedars of Lebanon, which God has planted, only
live because day by day they are full of sap fresh drawn from
the earth.Neither can man's life be sustained without renewal
from God. As it is necessary to repair the waste of the body by
the frequent meal, so we must repair the waste of the soul by
feeding upon the Book of God, or by listening to the preached
Word, or by the soul-fattening table of the ordinances.How
depressed are our graces when means are neglected! What poor
starvelings some saints are who live without the diligent use of
the Word of God and secret prayer! If our piety can live without
God it is not of divine creating; it is but a dream; for if God
had begotten it, it would wait upon Him as the flowers wait upon
the dew. Without constant restoration we are not ready for the
perpetual assaults of hell, or the stern afflictions of heaven,
or even for the strifes within. When the whirlwind shall be
loosed, woe to the tree that hath not sucked up fresh sap, and
grasped the rock with many intertwisted roots.When tempests
arise, woe to the mariners that have not strengthened their
mast, nor cast their anchor, nor sought the haven. If we suffer
the good to grow weaker, the evil will surely gather strength
and struggle desperately for the mastery over us; and so,
mayhap, a painful desolation, and a lamentable disgrace may
follow. Let us draw near to the footstool of divine mercy in
humble entreaty, and we shall realize the fulfillment of the
promise, "They that wait on the Lord shall renew their
strength."

01/03/PM

"The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way
of the Lord, make his paths straight."
--Luke 3:4

The voice crying in the wilderness demanded _a way for the
Lord, a way prepared, and a way prepared in the wilderness_. I
would be attentive to the Master's proclamation, and give Him a
road into my heart, cast up by gracious operations, through the
desert of my nature. The four directions in the text must have
my serious attention.

_Every valley must be exalted_. Low and grovelling thoughts
of God must be given up; doubting and despairing must be
removed; and self-seeking and carnal delights must be forsaken.
Across these deep valleys a glorious causeway of grace must be
raised.

_Every mountain and hill shall be laid low_. Proud creature-
sufficiency, and boastful self-righteousness, must be levelled,
to make a highway for the King of kings. Divine fellowship is
never vouchsafed to haughty, highminded sinners. The Lord hath
respect unto the lowly, and visits the contrite in heart, but
the lofty are an abomination unto Him. My soul, beseech the Holy
Spirit to set thee right in this respect.

_The crooked shall be made straight_. The wavering heart must
have a straight path of decision for God and holiness marked out
for it. Double-minded men are strangers to the God of truth. My
soul, take heed that thou be in all things honest and true, as
in the sight of the heart-searching God.

_The rough places shall be made smooth_. Stumbling-blocks of
sin must be removed, and thorns and briers of rebellion must be
uprooted. So great a visitor must not find miry ways and stony
places when He comes to honour His favoured ones with His
company. Oh that this evening the Lord may find in my heart a
highway made ready by His grace, that He may make a triumphal
progress through the utmost bounds of my soul, from the
beginning of this year even to the end of it.

01/04/PM

"And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him."
--Genesis 42:8

This morning our desires went forth for growth in our
acquaintance with the Lord Jesus; it may be well to-night to
consider a kindred topic, namely, _our heavenly Joseph's
knowledge of us_. This was most blessedly perfect long before we
had the slightest knowledge of Him. "His eyes beheld our
substance, yet being imperfect, and in His book all our members
were written, when as yet there was none of them." Before we had
a being in the world we had a being in His heart. When we were
enemies to Him, He knew us, our misery, our madness, and our
wickedness. When we wept bitterly in despairing repentance, and
viewed Him only as a judge and a ruler, He viewed us as His
brethren well beloved, and His bowels yearned towards us. He
never mistook His chosen, but always beheld them as objects of
His infinite affection. "The Lord knoweth them that are His," is
as true of the prodigals who are feeding swine as of the
children who sit at the table.

But, alas! _we knew not our royal Brother_, and out of this
ignorance grew a host of sins. We withheld our hearts from Him,
and allowed Him no entrance to our love. We mistrusted Him, and
gave no credit to His words. We rebelled against Him, and paid
Him no loving homage. The Sun of Righteousness shone forth, and
we could not see Him. Heaven came down to earth, and earth
perceived it not. Let God be praised, those days are over with
us; yet even now it is but little that we know of Jesus compared
with what He knows of us. We have but begun to study Him, but He
knoweth us altogether. It is a blessed circumstance that the
ignorance is not on His side, for then it would be a hopeless
case for us. He will not say to us, "I never knew you," but He
will confess our names in the day of His appearing, and
meanwhile will manifest Himself to us as He doth not unto the
world.

01/05/PM

"And God saw the light."
--Genesis 1:4

This morning we noticed the goodness of the light, and the
Lord's dividing it from the darkness, we now note the special
eye which the Lord had for the light. "God saw the light"--He
looked at it with complacency, gazed upon it with pleasure, saw
that it "was good." If the Lord has given you light, dear
reader, He looks on that light with peculiar interest; for not
only is it dear to Him as His own handiwork, but because it is
like Himself, for "He is light." Pleasant it is to the believer
to know that God's eye is thus tenderly observant of that work
of grace which He has begun. He never loses sight of the
treasure which He has placed in our earthen vessels. Sometimes
we cannot see the light, but God always sees the light, and that
is much better than our seeing it. Better for the judge to see
my innocence than for me to think I see it. It is very
comfortable for me to know that I am one of God's people--but
whether _I_ know it or not, if the Lord knows it, I am still
safe. This is the foundation, "The Lord knoweth them that are
His." You may be sighing and groaning because of inbred sin, and
mourning over your darkness, yet the Lord sees "light" in your
heart, for He has put it there, and all the cloudiness and gloom
of your soul cannot conceal your light from His gracious eye.
You may have sunk low in despondency, and even despair; but if
your soul has any longing towards Christ, and if you are seeking
to rest in His finished work, God sees the "light." He not only
_sees_ it, but He also _preserves_ it in you. "I, the Lord, do
keep it." This is a precious thought to those who, after anxious
watching and guarding of themselves, feel their own
powerlessness to do so. The light thus preserved by His grace,
He will one day develop into the splendour of noonday, and the
fulness of glory. The light within is the dawn of the eternal
day.

01/06/PM

"Now the hand of the Lord was upon me in the evening."
--Ezekiel 33:22

In the way of _judgment_ this may be the case, and, if so, be
it mine to consider the reason of such a visitation, and bear
the rod and Him that hath appointed it. I am not the only one
who is chastened in the night season; let me cheerfully submit
to the affliction, and carefully endeavour to be profited
thereby. But the hand of the Lord may also be felt in another
manner, strengthening the soul and lifting the spirit upward
towards eternal things. O that I may in this sense feel the Lord
dealing with me! A sense of the divine presence and indwelling
bears the soul towards heaven as upon the wings of eagles. At
such times we are full to the brim with spiritual joy, and
forget the cares and sorrows of earth; the invisible is near,
and the visible loses its power over us; servant-body waits at
the foot of the hill, and the master-spirit worships upon the
summit in the presence of the Lord. O that a hallowed season of
divine communion may be vouchsafed to me this evening! The Lord
knows that I need it very greatly. My graces languish, my
corruptions rage, my faith is weak, my devotion is cold; all
these are reasons why His healing hand should be laid upon me.
His hand can cool the heat of my burning brow, and stay the
tumult of my palpitating heart. That glorious right hand which
moulded the world can new-create my mind; the unwearied hand
which bears the earth's huge pillars up can sustain my spirit;
the loving hand which incloses all the saints can cherish me;
and the mighty hand which breaketh in pieces the enemy can
subdue my sins. Why should I not feel that hand touching me this
evening? Come, my soul, address thy God with the potent plea,
that Jesu's hands were pierced for thy redemption, and thou
shalt surely feel that same hand upon thee which once touched
Daniel and set him upon his knees that he might see visions of
God.

01/07/PM

"My sister, my spouse."
--Song of Solomon 4:12

Observe the sweet titles with which the heavenly Solomon
with intense affection addresses His bride the church. "_My
sister_, one near to me by ties of nature, partaker of the same
sympathies. _My spouse_, nearest and dearest, united to me by
the tenderest bands of love; my sweet companion, part of my own
self. _My sister_, by my Incarnation, which makes me bone of thy
bone and flesh of thy flesh; _my spouse_, by heavenly betrothal,
in which I have espoused thee unto myself in righteousness. _My
sister_, whom I knew of old, and over whom I watched from her
earliest infancy; _my spouse_, taken from among the daughters,
embraced by arms of love, and affianced unto me for ever. See
how true it is that our royal Kinsman is not ashamed of us, for
He dwells with manifest delight upon this two-fold relationship.
We have the word "my" twice in our version; as if Christ dwelt
with rapture on His possession of His Church. "His delights were
with the sons of men," because those sons of men were His own
chosen ones. He, the Shepherd, sought the sheep, because they
were _His_ sheep; He has gone about "to seek and to save that
which was lost," because that which was lost was _His_ long
before it was lost to itself or lost to Him. The church is the
exclusive portion of her Lord; none else may claim a
partnership, or pretend to share her love. Jesus, thy church
delights to have it so! Let every believing soul drink solace
out of these wells. Soul! Christ is near to thee in ties of
relationship; Christ is dear to thee in bonds of marriage union,
and thou art dear to Him; behold He grasps both of thy hands
with both His own, saying, "_My_ sister, _my_ spouse." Mark the
two sacred holdfasts by which thy Lord gets such a double hold
of thee that He neither can nor will ever let thee go. Be not, O
beloved, slow to return the hallowed flame of His love.

01/08/PM

"Thy love is better than wine."
--Song of Solomon 1:2

_Nothing gives the believer so much joy as fellowship with
Christ_. He has enjoyment as others have in the common mercies of
life, he can be glad both in God's gifts and God's works; but in
all these separately, yea, and in all of them added together, he
doth not find such substantial delight as in the matchless
person of his Lord Jesus. He has wine which no vineyard on earth
ever yielded; he has bread which all the corn-fields of Egypt
could never bring forth. Where can such sweetness be found as we
have tasted in communion with our Beloved? In our esteem, the
joys of earth are little better than husks for swine compared
with Jesus, the heavenly manna. We would rather have one
mouthful of Christ's love, and a sip of his fellowship, than a
whole world full of carnal delights. What is the chaff to the
wheat? What is the sparkling paste to the true diamond? What is
a dream to the glorious reality? What is time's mirth, in its
best trim, compared to our Lord Jesus in His most despised
estate? If you know anything of the inner life, you will confess
that our highest, purest, and most enduring joys must be the
fruit of the tree of life which is in the midst of the Paradise
of God. No spring yields such sweet water as that well of God
which was digged with the soldier's spear. All earthly bliss is
of the earth earthy, but the comforts of Christ's presence are
like Himself, heavenly. We can review our communion with Jesus,
and find no regrets of emptiness therein; there are no dregs in
this wine, no dead flies in this ointment. The joy of the Lord
is solid and enduring. Vanity hath not looked upon it, but
discretion and prudence testify that it abideth the test of
years, and is in time and in eternity worthy to be called "the
only true delight." For nourishment, consolation, exhilaration,
and refreshment, no wine can rival the love of Jesus. Let us
drink to the full this evening.

01/09/PM

"Serve the Lord with gladness."
--Psalm 100:2

Delight in divine service is a token of acceptance. Those who
serve God with a sad countenance, because they do what is
unpleasant to them, are not serving Him at all; they bring the
form of homage, but the life is absent. Our God requires no
slaves to grace His throne; He is the Lord of the empire of
love, and would have His servants dressed in the livery of joy.
The angels of God serve Him with songs, not with groans; a
murmur or a sigh would be a mutiny in their ranks. That
obedience which is not voluntary is disobedience, for the Lord
looketh at the heart, and if He seeth that we serve Him from
force, and not because we love Him, He will reject our offering.
Service coupled with cheerfulness is heart-service, and
therefore true. Take away joyful willingness from the Christian,
and you have removed _the test of his sincerity_. If a man be
driven to battle, he is no patriot; but he who marches into the
fray with flashing eye and beaming face, singing, "It is sweet
for one's country to die," proves himself to be sincere in his
patriotism. Cheerfulness is _the support of our strength_; in
the joy of the Lord are we strong. It acts as _the remover of
difficulties_. It is to our service what oil is to the wheels of
a railway carriage. Without oil the axle soon grows hot, and
accidents occur; and if there be not a holy cheerfulness to oil
our wheels, our spirits will be clogged with weariness. The man
who is cheerful in his service of God, proves that obedience is
his element; he can sing,

"Make me to walk in Thy commands,
'Tis a delightful road."

Reader, let us put this question--do _you_ serve the Lord _with
gladness_? Let us show to the people of the world, who think our
religion to be slavery, that it is to us a delight and a joy!
Let our gladness proclaim that we serve a good Master.

01/10/PM

"In my flesh shall I see God."
--Job 19:26

Mark the subject of Job's devout anticipation "I shall see
God." He does not say, "I shall see the saints"--though
doubtless that will be untold felicity--but, "I shall see God."
It is not--"I shall see the pearly gates, I shall behold the
walls of jasper, I shall gaze upon the crowns of gold," but "I
shall see God." This is the sum and substance of heaven, this is
the joyful hope of all believers. It is their delight to see Him
now in the ordinances by faith. They love to behold Him in
communion and in prayer; but there in heaven they shall have an
open and unclouded vision, and thus seeing "Him as He is," shall
be made completely like Him. _Likeness to God_--what can we wish
for more? And _a sight of God_--what can we desire better? Some
read the passage, "Yet, I shall see God in my flesh," and find
here an allusion to Christ, as the "Word made flesh," and that
glorious beholding of Him which shall be the splendour of the
latter days. Whether so or not it is certain that Christ shall
be the object of our eternal vision; nor shall we ever want any
joy beyond that of seeing Him. Think not that this will be a
narrow sphere for the mind to dwell in. It is but one source of
delight, but that source is infinite. All His attributes shall
be subjects for contemplation, and as He is infinite under each
aspect, there is no fear of exhaustion. His works, His gifts,
His love to us, and His glory in all His purposes, and in all
His actions, these shall make a theme which will be ever new.
The patriarch looked forward to this sight of God as _a
personal_ enjoyment. "Whom mine eye shall behold, and not
another." Take realizing views of heaven's bliss; think what it
will be _to you_. "_Thine eyes_ shall see the King in His
beauty." All earthly brightness fades and darkens as we gaze
upon it, but here is a brightness which can never dim, a glory
which can never fade--"_I shall see God_."

01/11/PM

"I have prayed for thee."
--Luke 22:32

How encouraging is the thought of the Redeemer's never-
ceasing intercession for us. When we pray, He pleads for us; and
when we are _not_ praying, He is advocating our cause, and by
His supplications shielding us from unseen dangers. Notice the
word of comfort addressed to Peter--"Simon, Simon, Satan hath
desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat; but"--what?
"But go and pray for yourself." That would be good advice, but
it is not so written. Neither does he say, "But I will keep you
watchful, and so you shall be preserved." That were a great
blessing. No, it is, "_But I have prayed for thee_, that thy
faith fail not." We little know what we owe to our Saviour's
prayers. When we reach the hill-tops of heaven, and look back
upon all the way whereby the Lord our God hath led us, how we
shall praise Him who, before the eternal throne, undid the
mischief which Satan was doing upon earth. How shall we thank
Him because He never held His peace, but day and night pointed
to the wounds upon His hands, and carried our names upon His
breastplate! Even before Satan had begun to tempt, Jesus had
forestalled him and entered a plea in heaven. Mercy outruns
malice. Mark, He does not say, "Satan hath _desired_ to have
you." He checks Satan even in his very desire, and nips it in
the bud. He does not say, "But I have desired to pray for you."
No, but "I _have_ prayed for you: I have done it already; I have
gone to court and entered a counterplea even before an
accusation is made." O Jesus, what a comfort it is that thou
hast pleaded our cause against our unseen enemies; countermined
their mines, and unmasked their ambushes. Here is a matter for
joy, gratitude, hope, and confidence.

01/12/PM

"I have yet to speak on God's behalf."
--Job 36:2

We ought not to court publicity for our virtue, or notoriety
for our zeal; but, at the same time, it is a sin to be always
seeking to hide that which God has bestowed upon us for the good
of others. A Christian is not to be a village in a valley, but
"a city set upon a hill;" he is not to be a candle under a
bushel, but a candle in a candlestick, giving light to all.
Retirement may be lovely in its season, and to hide one's self
is doubtless modest, but the hiding of _Christ_ in us can never
be justified, and the keeping back of truth which is precious to
ourselves is a sin against others and an offence against God. If
you are of a nervous temperament and of retiring disposition,
take care that you do not too much indulge this trembling
propensity, lest you should be useless to the church. Seek in
the name of Him who was not ashamed of you to do some little
violence to your feelings, and tell to others what Christ has
told to you. If thou canst not speak with trumpet tongue, use
the still small voice. If the pulpit must not be thy tribune, if
the press may not carry on its wings thy words, yet say with
Peter and John, "Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have
give I thee." By Sychar's well talk to the Samaritan woman, if
thou canst not on the mountain preach a sermon; utter the
praises of Jesus in the house, if not in the temple; in the
field, if not upon the exchange; in the midst of thine own
household, if thou canst not in the midst of the great family of
man. From the hidden springs within let sweetly flowing rivulets
of testimony flow forth, giving drink to every passer-by. Hide
not thy talent; trade with it; and thou shalt bring in good
interest to thy Lord and Master. To speak for God will be
refreshing to ourselves, cheering to saints, useful to sinners,
and honouring to the Saviour. Dumb children are an affliction to
their parents. Lord, unloose all Thy children's tongue.

01/13/PM

"The iron did swim."
--2 Kings 6:9

The axe-head seemed hopelessly lost, and as it was borrowed,
the honour of the prophetic band was likely to be imperilled,
and so the name of their God to be compromised. Contrary to all
expectation, the iron was made to mount from the depth of the
stream and to swim; for things impossible with man are possible
with God. I knew a man in Christ but a few years ago who was
called to undertake a work far exceeding his strength. It
appeared so difficult as to involve absurdity in the bare idea
of attempting it. Yet he was called thereto, and his faith rose
with the occasion; God honoured his faith, unlooked-for aid was
sent, and the iron did swim. Another of the Lord's family was in
grievous financial straits, he was able to meet all claims, and
much more if he could have realized a certain portion of his
estate, but he was overtaken with a sudden pressure; he sought
for friends in vain, but faith led him to the unfailing Helper,
and lo, the trouble was averted, his footsteps were enlarged,
and the iron did swim. A third had a sorrowful case of depravity
to deal with. He had taught, reproved, warned, invited, and
interceded, but all in vain. Old Adam was too strong for young
Melancthon, the stubborn spirit would not relent. Then came an
agony of prayer, and before long a blessed answer was sent from
heaven. The hard heart was broken, the iron did swim.

Beloved reader, what is thy desperate case? What heavy matter
hast thou in hand this evening? Bring it hither. The God of the
prophets lives, and lives to help His saints. He will not suffer
thee to lack any good thing. Believe thou in the Lord of hosts!
Approach Him pleading the name of Jesus, and the iron shall
swim; thou too shalt see the finger of God working marvels for
His people. According to thy faith be it unto thee, and yet
again the iron shall swim.

01/14/PM

"Beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me."
--Matthew 14:30

_Sinking times are praying times_ with the Lord's servants.
Peter neglected prayer at starting upon his venturous journey,
but when he began to sink his danger made him a suppliant, and
his cry though late was not too late. In our hours of bodily
pain and mental anguish, we find ourselves as naturally driven
to prayer as the wreck is driven upon the shore by the waves.
The fox hies to its hole for protection; the bird flies to the
wood for shelter; and even so the tried believer hastens to the
mercy seat for safety. Heaven's great harbour of refuge is
All-prayer; thousands of weather-beaten vessels have found a
haven there, and the moment a storm comes on, it is wise for us
to make for it with all sail.

_Short prayers are long enough_. There were but three words
in the petition which Peter gasped out, but they were sufficient
for his purpose. Not length but strength is desirable. A sense
of need is a mighty teacher of brevity. If our prayers had less
of the tail feathers of pride and more wing they would be all
the better. Verbiage is to devotion as chaff to the wheat.
Precious things lie in small compass, and all that is real
prayer in many a long address might have been uttered in a
petition as short as that of Peter.

_Our extremities are the Lord's opportunities_. Immediately a
keen sense of danger forces an anxious cry from us the ear of
Jesus hears, and with Him ear and heart go together, and the
hand does not long linger. At the last moment we appeal to our
Master, but His swift hand makes up for our delays by instant
and effectual action. Are we nearly engulfed by the boisterous
waters of affliction? Let us then lift up our souls unto our
Saviour, and we may rest assured that He will not suffer us to
perish. When we can do nothing Jesus can do all things; let us
enlist His powerful aid upon our side, and all will be well.

01/15/PM

"But I give myself unto prayer."
--Psalm 109:4

Lying tongues were busy against the reputation of David, but
he did not defend himself; he moved the case into a higher
court, and pleaded before the great King Himself. Prayer is the
safest method of replying to words of hatred. The Psalmist
prayed in no cold-hearted manner, he gave himself to the
exercise--threw his whole soul and heart into it--straining
every sinew and muscle, as Jacob did when wrestling with the
angel. Thus, and thus only, shall any of us speed at the throne
of grace. As a shadow has no power because there is no substance
in it, even so that supplication, in which a man's proper self
is not thoroughly present in agonizing earnestness and vehement
desire, is utterly ineffectual, for it lacks that which would
give it force. "Fervent prayer," says an old divine, "like a
cannon planted at the gates of heaven, makes them fly open." The
common fault with the most of us is our readiness to yield to
distractions. Our thoughts go roving hither and thither, and we
make little progress towards our desired end. Like quicksilver
our mind will not hold together, but rolls off this way and
that. How great an evil this is! It injures us, and what is
worse, it insults our God. What should we think of a petitioner,
if, while having an audience with a prince, he should be playing
with a feather or catching a fly?

Continuance and perseverance are intended in the expression
of our text. David did not cry once, and then relapse into
silence; his holy clamour was continued till it brought down the
blessing. Prayer must not be our chance work, but our daily
business, our habit and vocation. As artists give themselves to
their models, and poets to their classical pursuits, so must we
addict ourselves to prayer. We must be immersed in prayer as in
our element, and so pray without ceasing. Lord, teach us so to
pray that we may be more and more prevalent in supplication.

01/16/PM

"The Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself."
--Daniel 9:26

Blessed be His name, there was no cause of death in Him.
Neither original nor actual sin had defiled Him, and therefore
death had no claim upon Him. No man could have taken His life
from Him justly, for He had done no man wrong, and no man could
even have lain Him by force unless He had been pleased to yield
Himself to die. But lo, one sins and another suffers. Justice
was offended by us, but found its satisfaction in Him. Rivers of
tears, mountains of offerings, seas of the blood of bullocks,
and hills of frankincense, could not have availed for the
removal of sin; but Jesus was cut off for us, and the cause of
wrath was cut off at once, for sin was put away for ever. Herein
is wisdom, whereby substitution, the sure and speedy way of
atonement, was devised! Herein is condescension, which brought
Messiah, the Prince, to wear a crown of thorns, and die upon the
cross! Herein is love, which led the Redeemer to lay down His
life for His enemies!

It is not enough, however, to admire the spectacle of the
innocent bleeding for the guilty, we must make sure of our
interest therein. The special object of the Messiah's death was
the salvation of His church; have we a part and a lot among
those for whom He gave His life a ransom? Did the Lord Jesus
stand as our representative? Are we healed by His stripes? It
will be a terrible thing indeed if we should come short of a
portion in His sacrifice; it were better for us that we had
never been born. Solemn as the question is, it is a joyful
circumstance that it is one which may be answered clearly and
without mistake. To all who believe on Him the Lord Jesus is a
present Saviour, and upon them all the blood of reconciliation
has been sprinkled. Let all who trust in the merit of Messiah's
death be joyful at every remembrance of Him, and let their holy
gratitude lead them to the fullest consecration to His cause.

01/17/PM

"And it came to pass in an evening-tide, that David arose from
off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house."
--2 Samuel 11:2

At that hour David saw Bathsheba. We are never out of the
reach of temptation. Both at home and abroad we are liable to
meet with allurements to evil; the morning opens with peril, and
the shades of evening find us still in jeopardy. They are well
kept whom God keeps, but woe unto those who go forth into the
world, or even dare to walk their own house unarmed. Those who
think themselves secure are more exposed to danger than any
others. The armour-bearer of Sin is Self-confidence.

David should have been engaged in fighting the Lord's
battles, instead of which he tarried at Jerusalem, and gave
himself up to luxurious repose, for he arose from his bed at
eventide. Idleness and luxury are the devil's jackals, and find
him abundant prey. In stagnant waters noxious creatures swarm,
and neglected soil soon yields a dense tangle of weeds and
briars. Oh for the constraining love of Jesus to keep us active
and useful! When I see the King of Israel sluggishly leaving his
couch at the close of the day, and falling at once into
temptation, let me take warning, and set holy watchfulness to
guard the door.

Is it possible that the king had mounted his housetop for
retirement and devotion? If so, what a caution is given us to
count no place, however secret, a sanctuary from sin! While our
hearts are so like a tinder-box, and sparks so plentiful, we had
need use all diligence in all places to prevent a blaze. Satan
can climb housetops, and enter closets, and even if we could
shut out that foul fiend, our own corruptions are enough to
work our ruin unless grace prevent. Reader, beware of evening
temptations. Be not secure. The sun is down but sin is up. We
need a watchman for the night as well as a guardian for the day.
O blessed Spirit, keep us from all evil this night. Amen.

01/18/PM

"He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things
concerning himself."
--Luke 24:27

The two disciples on the road to Emmaus had a most profitable
journey. Their companion and teacher was _the best of tutors_;
the interpreter one of a thousand, in whom are hid all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge. The Lord Jesus condescended
to become a preacher of the gospel, and He was not ashamed to
exercise His calling before an audience of two persons, neither
does He now refuse to become the teacher of even one. Let us
court the company of so excellent an Instructor, for till He is
made unto us wisdom we shall never be wise unto salvation.

This unrivalled tutor used as His class-book _the best of
books_. Although able to reveal fresh truth, He preferred to
expound the old. He knew by His omniscience what was the most
instructive way of teaching, and by turning at once to Moses and
the prophets, He showed us that the surest road to wisdom is not
speculation, reasoning, or reading human books, but meditation
upon the Word of God. The readiest way to be spiritually rich
in heavenly knowledge is to dig in this mine of diamonds, to
gather pearls from this heavenly sea. When Jesus Himself sought
to enrich others, He wrought in the quarry of Holy Scripture.

The favoured pair were led to consider _the best of
subjects_, for Jesus spake of Jesus, and expounded the things
concerning Himself. Here the diamond cut the diamond, and what
could be more admirable? The Master of the House unlocked His
own doors, conducted the guests to His table, and placed His own
dainties upon it. He who hid the treasure in the field Himself
guided the searchers to it. Our Lord would naturally discourse
upon the sweetest of topics, and He could find none sweeter than
His own person and work: with an eye to these we should always
search the Word. O for grace to study the Bible with Jesus as
both our teacher and our lesson!

01/19/PM

"Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand
the Scriptures."
--Luke 24:45

He whom we viewed last evening as opening Scripture, we here
perceive opening the understanding. In the first work He has
many fellow-labourers, but in the second He stands alone; many
can bring the Scriptures to the mind, but the Lord alone can
prepare the mind to receive the Scriptures. Our Lord Jesus
differs from all other teachers; they reach the ear, but He
instructs the heart; they deal with the outward letter, but He
imparts an inward taste for the truth, by which we perceive its
savour and spirit. The most unlearned of men become ripe
scholars in the school of grace when the Lord Jesus by His Holy
Spirit unfolds the mysteries of the kingdom to them, and grants
the divine anointing by which they are enabled to behold the
invisible. Happy are we if we have had our understandings
cleared and strengthened by the Master! How many men of
profound learning are ignorant of eternal things! They know the
killing letter of revelation, but its killing spirit they cannot
discern; they have a veil upon their hearts which the eyes of
carnal reason cannot penetrate. Such was our case a little time
ago; we who now see were once utterly blind; truth was to us as
beauty in the dark, a thing unnoticed and neglected. Had it not
been for the love of Jesus we should have remained to this
moment in utter ignorance, for without His gracious opening of
our understanding, we could no more have attained to spiritual
knowledge than an infant can climb the Pyramids, or an ostrich
fly up to the stars. Jesus' College is the only one in which
God's truth can be really learned; other schools may teach us
what is to be believed, but Christ's alone can show us how to
believe it. Let us sit at the feet of Jesus, and by earnest
prayer call in His blessed aid that our dull wits may grow
brighter, and our feeble understandings may receive heavenly
things.

01/20/PM

"Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken Thou me
in Thy way."
--Psalm 119:37

There are divers kinds of vanity. The cap and bells of the
fool, the mirth of the world, the dance, the lyre, and the cup
of the dissolute, all these men know to be vanities; they wear
upon their forefront their proper name and title. Far more
treacherous are those equally vain things, the cares of this
world and the deceitfulness of riches. A man may follow vanity
as truly in the counting-house as in the theatre. If he be
spending his life in amassing wealth, he passes his days in a
vain show. Unless we follow Christ, and make our God the great
object of life, we only differ in appearance from the most
frivolous. It is clear that there is much need of the first
prayer of our text. "Quicken Thou me in Thy way." The Psalmist
confesses that he is dull, heavy, lumpy, all but dead. Perhaps,
dear reader, you feel the same. We are so sluggish that the best
motives cannot quicken us, apart from the Lord Himself. What!
will not hell quicken me? Shall I think of sinners perishing,
and yet not be awakened? Will not heaven quicken me? Can I think
of the reward that awaiteth the righteous, and yet be cold? Will
not death quicken me? Can I think of dying, and standing before
my God, and yet be slothful in my Master's service? Will not
Christ's love constrain me? Can I think of His dear wounds, can
I sit at the foot of His cross, and not be stirred with fervency
and zeal? It seems so! No mere consideration can quicken us to
zeal, but God Himself must do it, hence the cry, "Quicken _Thou_
me." The Psalmist breathes out his whole soul in vehement
pleadings: his body and his soul unite in prayer. "Turn away
mine eyes," says the body: "Quicken Thou me," cries the soul.
This is a fit prayer for every day. O Lord, hear it in my case
this night.

01/21/PM

"He was sore athirst, and called on the Lord, and said, Thou
hast given this great deliverance into the hand of Thy servant:
and now shall I die for thirst?"
--Judges 15:18

Samson was thirsty and ready to die. The difficulty was
totally different from any which the hero had met before. Merely
to get thirst assuaged is nothing like so great a matter as to
be delivered from a thousand Philistines! but when the thirst
was upon him, Samson felt that little present difficulty more
weighty than the great past difficulty out of which he had so
specially been delivered. It is very usual for God's people,
when they have enjoyed a great deliverance, to find a little
trouble too much for them. Samson slays a thousand Philistines,
and piles them up in heaps, and then faints for a little water!
Jacob wrestles with God at Peniel, and overcomes Omnipotence
itself, and then goes "halting on his thigh!" Strange that there
must be a shrinking of the sinew whenever we win the day. As if
the Lord must teach us our littleness, our nothingness, in order
to keep us within bounds. Samson boasted right loudly when he
said, "I have slain a thousand men." His boastful throat soon
grew hoarse with thirst, and he betook himself to prayer. God
has many ways of humbling His people. Dear child of God, if
after great mercy you are laid very low, your case is not an
unusual one. When David had mounted the throne of Israel, he
said, "I am this day weak, though anointed king." You must
expect to feel weakest when you are enjoying your greatest
triumph. If God has wrought for you great deliverances in the
past, your present difficulty is only like Samson's thirst, and
the Lord will not let you faint, nor suffer the daughter of the
uncircumcised to triumph over you. The road of sorrow is the
road to heaven, but there are wells of refreshing water all
along the route. So, tried brother, cheer your heart with
Samson's words, and rest assured that God will deliver you ere
long.

01/22/PM

"Doth Job fear God for nought?"
--Job 1:9

This was the wicked question of Satan concerning that upright
man of old, but there are many in the present day concerning
whom it might be asked with justice, for they love God after a
fashion because He prospers them; but if things went ill with
them, they would give up all their boasted faith in God. If
they can clearly see that since the time of their supposed
conversion the world has gone prosperously with them, then they
will love God in their poor carnal way; but if they endure
adversity, they rebel against the Lord. Their love is the love
of the table, not of the host; a love to the cupboard, not to
the master of the house. As for the true Christian, he expects
to have his reward in the next life, and to endure hardness in
this. The promise of the old covenant is adversity. Remember
Christ's words--"Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit"--
What? "_He purgeth it, that it may bring forth fruit_." If you
bring forth fruit, you will have to endure affliction. "Alas!"
you say, "that is a terrible prospect." But this affliction
works out such precious results, that the Christian who is the
subject of it must learn to rejoice in tribulations, because as
his tribulations abound, so his consolations abound by Christ
Jesus. Rest assured, if you are a child of God, you will be no
stranger to the rod. Sooner or later every bar of gold must pass
through the fire. Fear not, but rather rejoice that such
fruitful times are in store for you, for in them you will be
weaned from earth and made meet for heaven; you will be
delivered from clinging to the present, and made to long for
those eternal things which are so soon to be revealed to you.
When you feel that as regards the present you do serve God for
nought, you will then rejoice in the infinite reward of the
future.

01/23/PM

"We will remember Thy love more than wine."
--Song of Solomon 1:4

Jesus will not let His people forget His love. If all the
love they have enjoyed should be forgotten, He will visit them
with fresh love. "Do you forget my cross?" says He, "I will
cause you to remember it; for at My table I will manifest Myself
anew to you. Do you forget what I did for you in the
council-chamber of eternity? I will remind you of it, for you
shall need a counsellor, and shall find Me ready at your call."
Mothers do not let their children forget them. If the boy has
gone to Australia, and does not write home, his mother
writes--"Has John forgotten his mother?" Then there comes back a
sweet epistle, which proves that the gentle reminder was not in
vain. So is it with Jesus, He says to us, "Remember Me," and our
response is, "We will remember Thy love." _We will_ remember Thy
love and its matchless history. It is ancient as the glory which
Thou hadst with the Father before the world was. We remember, O
Jesus, Thine eternal love when Thou didst become our Surety, and
espouse us as Thy betrothed. We remember the love which
suggested the sacrifice of Thyself, the love which, until the
fulness of time, mused over that sacrifice, and long for the
hour whereof in the volume of the book it was written of Thee,
"Lo, I come." We remember Thy love, O Jesus as it was manifest
to us in Thy holy life, from the manger of Bethlehem to the
garden of Gethsemane. We track Thee from the cradle to the
grave--for every word and deed of Thine was love--and we rejoice
in Thy love, which death did not exhaust; Thy love which shone
resplendent in Thy resurrection. We remember that burning fire
of love which will never let Thee hold Thy peace until Thy
chosen ones be all safely housed, until Zion be glorified, and
Jerusalem settled on her everlasting foundations of light and
love in heaven.

01/24/PM

"Martha was cumbered about much serving."
--Luke 10:40

Her fault was not that she _served_: the condition of a
servant well becomes every Christian. "I serve," should be the
motto of all the princes of the royal family of heaven. Nor was
it her fault that she had "_much_ serving." We cannot do too
much. Let us do all that we possibly can; let head, and heart,
and hands, be engaged in the Master's service. It was no fault
of hers that she was busy preparing a feast for the Master.
Happy Martha, to have an opportunity of entertaining so blessed
a guest; and happy, too, to have the spirit to throw her whole
soul so heartily into the engagement. Her fault was that she
grew "_cumbered_ with much serving," so that she forgot _Him_,
and only remembered the service. She allowed service to override
communion, and so presented one duty stained with the blood of
another. We ought to be Martha and Mary in one: we should do
much service, and have much communion at the same time. For this
we need great grace. It is easier to serve than to commune.
Joshua never grew weary in fighting with the Amalekites; but
Moses, on the top of the mountain in prayer, needed two helpers
to sustain his hands. The more spiritual the exercise, the
sooner we tire in it. The choicest fruits are the hardest to
rear: the most heavenly graces are the most difficult to
cultivate. Beloved, while we do not neglect external things,
which are good enough in themselves, we ought also to see to it
that we enjoy living, personal fellowship with Jesus. See to it
that sitting at the Saviour's feet is not neglected, even though
it be under the specious pretext of doing Him service. The first
thing for our soul's health, the first thing for His glory, and
the first thing for our own usefulness, is to keep ourselves in
perpetual communion with the Lord Jesus, and to see that the
vital spirituality of our religion is maintained over and above
everything else in the world.

01/25/PM

"Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea,
we establish the law."
--Romans 3:31

When the believer is adopted into the Lord's family, his
relationship to old Adam and the law ceases at once; but then
he is under a new rule, and a new covenant. Believer, you are
God's child; it is your first duty to obey your heavenly
Father. A servile spirit you have nothing to do with: you are
not a slave, but a child; and now, inasmuch as you are a
beloved child, you are bound to obey your Father's faintest
wish, the least intimation of His will. Does He bid you fulfil
a sacred ordinance? It is at your peril that you neglect it,
for you will be disobeying your Father. Does He command you to
seek the image of Jesus? It is not your joy to do so? Does
Jesus tell you, "Be ye perfect, even as your Father which is in
heaven is perfect"? Then not because the law commands, but
because your Saviour enjoins, you will labour t