My soul melleth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according to thy word....Psalm cxix. 28. WHILE the wicked are gay, alert and merry, many of God's beloved children go bowed down from day to day, with heaviness of soul; when they compare themselves with the men of the world under such seasons, they are tempted to write bitter things against themselves, and to pass a verdict in favor of others. Soul, in the heaviest season, and most dejected frame you ever experienced, say, could you find it in your heart to wish to change lots with them? what! quit your faith in Jesus and hope of eternal enjoyment of him? for what? The momentary gratifications and short-lived pleasures of time and sense. Alas! my soul is in such heaviness that I doubt whether I have either a spark of faith, or a ray of hope in Christ. My soul melteth! it bears no image nor impression of any grace, or of the power of any truth; faith fails; hope decays; my heart ́sinks; I am burdened with a sense of sin; oppressed with temptations; and what is heaviest of all, the Lord hides his face and deserts my soul: David felt all this; Peter experienced the same; hence he says, "for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations."....1 Pet. i. 6. Mind those two words; there is support and relief in them....FOR A SEASON. Blessed be Jesus, heaviness lasts not always; he will deliver out of it; IF NEED BE; there is cause for it; good shall issue from it. What is the remedy when the soul is in heaviness? Prayer; pleading God's word of grace, and promises of love for strength under burdens, and deliverance from soul-heaviness; "strengthen thou me according to thy word;" says wisdom, "heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop;" the poor soul sinks under its burden; "but," says he, "a good word maketh it glad.”. Prov. xii. 25. Where shall we find that good word? In the gospel of the grace of God; here is a good word, enough to make thy heavy heart leap for joy, and thy burdened soul sing for gladness. O, meditate upon it; pray over it; and may the Lord the Spirit give thee comfort from it; it is the work and office of thy blessed Saviour; in his own time, way and manner, he will most surely fulfil it; "to appoint unto them who mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that the Lord may be glorified."....Isa. lxi. 3. In all my burden'd frames of heart, To thee alone for strength I'll cry, [thee, M. I have all and abound: I am full....Phil. iv. 18. HAPPY Paul! Infinitely richer than the most opulent monarch under heaven. Ye poor, wretched, covetous worldlings, whose gold is your God, and who are labouring to add heap to heap....how long? till ye drop into eternity, die like fools, and for ever lose the idols of your hearts? behold here a man who has more than ever you possessed: he has ALL; you only obtain a part of what you aim at; you are still in want of more. Rich, happy Paul, possesses ALL. "And," says he, "I abound." Not in want and wish, but in full enjoyment. "I am full." I can contain no more. He had "the unsearchable riches of Christ for his portion:" his wealth consisted in his mind being contented with that as his greatest treasure. O, thou poor murmuring disciple of Christ, who art often fearing and distrusting, lest thou shouldst want the bread that perisheth for thyself and family; and thou, my soul, who hast often been exercised with this sore temptation, learn a lesson to-night from rich and happy Paul. Of all the men in the world, would you expect to hear St. Paul say, "I have all things and abound: I am full?" What! he who hath been in necessities, destitute, in want, in nakedness, who. like his master had not where to lay his head, and was treated as the filth and off-scouring of all things?.... Yet for him to say, "I have all and abound: I am full." O, may the Lord contract our wants! They are most of them more imaginary than real. Lord enable us to be content with such things as we have! What are they? Come, christian, count up your riches; look over the deeds of your inheritance; see what vast possessions you are entitled to: verily, no less than what Paul once had by faith and now enjoys in full pos session, even Jesus, the God of his salvation; Christ is all in all: if he dwells in your heart by faith, he filleth all; you have all; you abound in all; you are full of all. The flesh may lust for more; the spirit must be quite satisfied with HIM; for all things are yours; and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's....1 Cor. iii. 23. Learn hence the use and blessedness of your faith; it brings the unsearchable riches of Christ into your heart. When flesh and sense require to be gratified, here is the work of faith, "Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof."....Rom. xiii. 14. Jesu, thou art all my treasure: When fill'd with thee, I want no more: P Come, come, my Lord, O sweetly come, M. IIe that is of God heareth God's words....John viii. 47. "THE words from Mount Sinai, gender to bondage."....Gal. iv. 24. Some of God's children are kept under bondage by them: they are taught to look on themselves only as SERVANTS, not sons of God, because they dare not say, they know their sins forgiven. This is a foolish, unscriptural distinction. Paul expressly declares, that every believer is a son of God: "Ye are ALL the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus."....Gal. iii. 26. Can a man be a servant of God without faith? No; without faith it is impossible to please God....Heb. xi. 6. Every one who hath faith in the Son of God, is a child of God; his sins are as surely forgiven, as that Christ died for sinners; he shall never come into eternal condemnation for them, no more than if he had never committed them: 66 this is God's word."....John v. 24. As many as receive Christ, that is, believe on his name, have the privilege of becoming the sons of God....John i. 12. How came they by this faith? "By hearing the word of God."....Rom. x. 17. Without this what is called faith is only fancy: the knowing one's sins to be forgiven, which some make so great stir about, if not attained through the faith of God's word, is only a vain, confident delusion; at best, with them it affords but sorry comfort: for, they say, a forgiven sinner after all may be damned for his sins. O, most dishonorable to the precious blood which atoned for them! Cease ye from such: hear God's word: that speaks God's truth and displays his glory, while it proclaims his love in the full, free, certain, and absolute salvation of sinners by Jesus Christ. He who heareth this as God's word, receiveth this as God's truth, and believeth this in his heart, is of God; born of God; born to know, love, enjoy, and rejoice in God. Here is a plain mark to know whether you belong to God or not: try yourself by it to-night. Do you love God's word? Is it the delight of your heart and the glory of your soul? Do you believe its truth and love to walk after its precepts? Then, so sure as you are & son of Adam, you are a soN OF GOD: you will assuredly enjoy the comfort of this, 1st. by studying your Father's will. 2d. In walking in the belief of your Father's unchangeable love. And, 3d. In living to your Father's glory: as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation." O Father, speak this word with power to our souls, "be ye holy, for I am holy."....1 Pet. i. 14, 15, 16. The hearing ear, the knowing heart, Come both from thee, O Lord! O keep us that we ne'er depart From hearing of thy word. Yea, let us know and practice too, Is it true?....Dan. iii. 14. A QUESTION this from a potent monarch backed with a wrathful threatening: enough to have put Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to the stand; their answer must provoke their God, or their king. But did they hesitate a moment? Were they at all in doubtful suspence? No; they had faith in their Lord, and they boldly replied, “O king, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter." Our cause lies before our God: we are not left to ourselves; our present life, our immortal soul is in his hands. If you command us into the fiery furnace, our God will be with us: we shall be safe: he will deliver us either our bodies that we shall not be burnt; or if they are, the burning furnace shall be only as a fiery chariot to convey our souls to heaven and glory. See the power of faith: according as they believed so it was: the Son of God was with them: the fire could not hurt them. Hence consider, 1st. That God may, and sometimes does suffer his dearest children to be brought into great straits, and threatened with the greatest dangers, so that an answer to a single question, may perplex them. Is it true? Are you one who follow this new way? Do you pretend to be justified by the Son of God only, to be saved by the grace of God entirely, and to have received the Spirit of God freely? On an answer to this, perhaps, depends a parent's regard or a friend's kindness: the one threatens to disinherit, the other to withdraw his favors. Do worldly interest, honor or advantage depend upon the answer of the tongue and the conduct of the life? Do poverty and want seem to threaten, if we declare ourselves for the Lord? Here is the trial of faith.. But, 2d. Remember our Lord's declaration: "Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed when he cometh in the glory of his Father."....Mark viii. 38. Therefore, 3d. Put this question to your heart. Is it true that God is my Father in Christ my Saviour? Doth the Spirit bear witness to this in the word and to my heart? Shall I then so fear a worm of the earth as to deny the truth and forsake that Lord who has promised he will never leave nor forsake me, and that they that seek him shall not want any good thing?"....Psalm xxxiv. to.. My soul starts, my heart recoils at the thought; rather say, I will not fear what man can do unto me. Give up and forego all for Christ: scon we shall see these dear children: then they will tell us they never were so happy in their lives as in the fiery furnace: God is most with his children when they suffer most for him. O give me courage, dearest Lord, To tell thy sacred truth abroad, God left him to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart....2 Chron. xxxii. 31. HEZEKIAH was a great and good man of God: he had rich experience in divine grace: still he discovers, that he had a sinful nature and a deceitful heart: though an eminent saint of God, yet pride and vain-glory, beset him. I have been led to think there seems a little of the spirit of the Pharisee in his "beseeching the Lord to remember how he had walked before him, in truth with a perfect heart and done that which was good in his sight."....2 Kings xx. 3. At least, some of a self-righteous spirit have been led to think from hence that we have somewhat in ourselves whereof to glory. O, if we have walked well and done well, we need not remind our Lord of it if the heart is simple with its Saviour, it will not: for it was by his grace we did so. He who gives us grace can never be unmindful of its effects. We hear of Hezekiah's sickness, of the Lord's giving him a sign of restoration, of his sudden recovery, of his sweet experience, of the Lord's dealing with him in his sickness....Isa. xxxviii. Should we not next expect to hear of his perfect love, supreme affection to the Lord, and of his deepest humility before him? But alas! we are told, ❝he rendered not again according to the benefits done unto him:" Why? Astonishing! For HIS HEART WAS LIFTED UP. O, what pride and vain-glory does he discover in shewing to the princes of Babylon his vast treasure! Is this the man who so lately chattered like a crane or a swallow, and mourned like a dove, whose eyes failed and whose tongue cried out: O Lord, I am oppressed, undertake for me? This he, who said I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul? Yes, GOD LEFT HIM. O, if God leaves, satan tempts and corruptions rage. What evils may not the best of men fall into? Saint, know yourself; consider this. Why did God leave him? Why does he leave any of his dear children! TO TRY THEM; that they may have full proof of their weakness and vileness; that they may know ALL that is in their hearts. We know but little of the latent seeds of pride and wickedness in us: the Lord withdraws for a season; he suffers devilish pride to rear its cursed head, that he may wound it by the power of his grace and bring the poor sinner to his feet, with Hezekiah "to humble himself for the pride of his heart."....2 Chron. xxxii. 26. Happy those in whom such effects are produced; for in them the grace of God, yea the God of grace is glorified. My Lord, how wond'rous is thy love, Search me, O God, and try my heart, A wretch so proud, who oft hath/strove, Cause all self-glorying to depart, Glory with thee to share. |