Page images
PDF
EPUB

But one thing is needful....Luke x. 42.

:

HAPPY, most happy for that soul who can simply bring all things into a unit, to center in one point. More than one object perplexes the mind. If to double business bent, we stand and pause where we shall first begin, and both neglect. What is the ONE THING NEEDFUL? By which it is plain our Saviour means, the soul keeping close company with himself. This Mary did she sat at his feet and heard his word. Every thing else is but cumbering work, compared with this; for this one thing comprizes all the holiness, happiness and heavenly-mindedness of the soul. O if we have the presence of Jesus, guilty fears vanish, dejecting doubts are scattered, legal terrors are silenced, anxious cares subside, strong temptations loose their force, satan is resisted, afflictions sweetened, turbulent passions calmed, raging corruptions subdued, pride is brought down, humility is excited, peace with God is enjoyed, holiness promoted, the fear of death conquered, the terrors of hell chased away, the prospect of glory, in the full fruition of Jesus, is aspired after and longed for, earth loses its charms, heaven is in the heart, to be absent from the body and present with the Lord, becomes the one desire of the soul. Say, O christian, what ONE THING else can produce so many, such blessed effects, as close communion with our Saviour? Is not this then the ONE THING, above all others, needful? Needful at all times and in all seasons; needful in the hour of prosperity and in the day of adversity. O, if this ONĚ THING is maintained in the soul, believer, you may live as you list, and do what you please; for sweet communion with Christ ever subjects the will, attracts the affections, and begets holy conformity to him. You will not list, you cannot like, you dare not follow any thing which is contrary to your Lord, while you live near him and dwell in holy fellowship with him. Thus religion is brought to a single point; holiness and happiness resolved into ONE thing; there is but ONE Lord, to make you holy and happy, but ONE faith by which you know it, and cleave to him for this; but there are a thousand things to prevent this. O may this one thing needful rise superior to all! Think, O my soul, of Mary's choice. Remember thy Saviour's approbation of it. O, do thou also choose this good part, which shall never be taken away.

Where, O my soul, canst thou find
In all thy troubles great? [peace,
Christ's word can only bring release:
Sit at thy Saviour's feet,
VOL. II.

He came in humble form to bow,
To thy complaining voice:
O to him with thy burden go,

His words hear and rejoice.

M.

Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee.... Sam. xx. 4.

[ocr errors]

SUCH is the language of generous love and sincere friendship. There never was a greater instance of it subsisted between men, than between Jonathan and David. Poor David was in great distress: Saul sought his life: he flies to his friend Jonathan, opens his whole heart to him, and solemnly assures him, as thy soul* liveth, there is but one step between me and death." On which, Jonathan thus declares his love and faithfulness, "Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee." How must David's heart be struck by this noble, this loving promise! O, christian, here is somewhat very similar to thine own case. Consider, 1st. There is but a step between thee and death: thou knowest not how soon thy last step is to be taken. What friend hast thou to go to? Verily the King's Son: the Son of God. As Jonathan signifies, GIVEN. OF THE LORD SO Jesus is the gift of the Lord, to be a friend and a Saviour to all his Davids, to all his beloved people. 2d. Great as the love, sincere as the friendship of Jonathan was, yet the love and friendship of Jesus infinitely exceeds it. Jonathan never laid down his life for his friend David: Jesus did for all his beloved; and he gives them this full and precious promise, "Whatsoever ye ask in my name, that will I do."....John xiv. 13. 3d. The power as. well as the love of our heavenly friend, Jesus, infinitely exceeds Jonathan's; his love might wish to do that for David which his power was not able to effect: but not so with Christ; his power is as great as his love, and neither knows measure nor end. 4th. Was David happy in having such a friend, in whose bosom he could pour his sorrows and upon whose love he could trust his concerns? Infinitely more happy art thou, O christian, thou beloved of the Lord. Does thy soul desire heaven below and heaven above in the enjoyment of Christ? "He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all. we can ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.".... Eph. iii. 20. Blessed be the day I ever knew this beloved friend.. All power in heaven and earth is committed to our friend Jesus. Seeing this is so, why art not thou constantly happy in such a friend as Christ is? Why, 1st. You entertain base suspicions of his love, by unbelief. Therefore, 2d. You do not prove his love and his power, by coming freely to him and telling him thy sorrows, as David did to Jonathan: "Ye have not, because ye ask not."....James iv. 2.

How sweet upon our Saviour's love,
Daily to meditate ?

It brings down comforts from above,
And doth to heaven translate. M.

For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none, effect....Rom. : iv. 14.

WHO are of the law? The openly professed Jew only? Nay, verily, but every man who has the faith and hope of a Jew, he is of the law. What is their faith and hope? Every man's hope is of the same nature as his faith. A Jew believes that he is to seek for righteousness and life by the works of the law; that on account of his obedience to it he hopes he shall be an heir of life and glory. Well, but the Jews totally reject Christ, says one, but I do not. I believe Christ died for the sins of the whole world; that I am justified and pardoned through his blood now; and that at the last day I shall be justified and entitled to God's kingdom for the sake of my good works that there is first a justification by faith and a second justification by works. Take knowledge of thyself: thou art of the law and under the law, and expectest to be an heir of eternal life by the law. Whatever thou professest of faith in Christ, it is not the faith of the gospel; it does not own Christ the Saviour. This is a perilous, creature-exalting notion: it degrades grace; it debases Christ; it dwells only in proud hearts, legal minds, and self-righteous spirits; it awfully prevails in our day. The heirs of grace should oppose it: for, if those of the law be heirs on any account of works, what then? Faith is made void; faith fixes upon the sole work of the Son of God. By faith we become joint-heirs with Christ, enter in and possess the hope of eternal life: we are in actual possession of it. Hence we are filled with joy and peace in believing. That soul, who is striving by any works or doings of his own, to make himself an heir of, and get a title to God's kingdom, he sets aside Christ; he makes faith void: he is so far under the law, and THE PROMISE IS MADE OF NONE EFFECT. Such have no regard to, nor reliance upon it. It has no effect upon their faith and hope it is not their object. But this is the language of the heirs of faith, this the confidence of their hope, this the joy of their souls; and their faith, and hope, and joy, are founded upon the immutable promise of a faithful, unchangeable Jehovah: "IN HOPE of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before the world began.”......

Tit. i. 2.

Am I an heir of life thro' faith?

To Jesus then I'll ever cleave,
And claim the precious words by faith,
To wretched sinners who believe.

The gospel grace of God's dear Son,
Brings to my soul a better hope,
Than works of law which I have done,
Hence Christ and Christ alone's my
M.

prop.

Is any thing too hard for the Lord?....Gen. xviii. 14.

A CLERGYMAN, went to read prayers on a working day. There was but one person in the church, beside himself and the clerk: on which he said to the clerk, as there is nobody else here, what signifies my reading prayers? Sir, said the clerk, is not God present? O, said the priest, I FORGOT Gop. Do not we too often the same? Is it not hence that our poor minds are exercised with doubts, fears, and distress. This question the Lord put to Sarah, when an unbe coming laugh of incredulity appeared, and this unbelieving speech dropt from her, "Shall I of a surety bear a child who am old?" O the long-suffering kindness! the condescending goodness of our Lord! He is Jesus the Saviour; for instead of striking her dead at his feet, for her contempt of his word, he mildly reasons with her: as though he had said, Sarah, look not at yourself; consult not flesh and blood; judge not according to nature, reason and the state of things; consider the promise, look at the promiser, the Lord God, omnipotent," Is any thing too hard for the Lord?" O think of the love of an incarnate God! This question doubtless broke the strong fetters of Sarah's unbelief, for it is thus recorded of her, " Through faith, Sarah received strength to receive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful, who had promised."....Heb. xi. 11. Here is a matter brought to pass beyond the power and contrary to the laws of nature. But who shall set bounds to the God of nature? O soul, whenever thy mind is puzzled with any mysterious truth of God's word, solve the difficulty with thy Lord's own interrogation, "Is any thing too hard for the Lord?" It is quite sufficient to silence all thy carnal reason, quell the risings of unbelief, and cause thee to leave all thy hard matters and difficult concerns in thy Lord's hand: never forget his everlasting love: never doubt his almighty power: say, thou hast a hard heart, a sea of corruptions, a storm of afflictions and temptations, potent enemies, strong unbelief; yea, say, thou hast death and hell to conflict with yet say not that any or all of these are too strong for thy Lord, too hard for him to support thee under and save thee from. O then, in all thy straits, difficulties and trials, never, never forget thy Lord's question, is any thing too hard for the LORD?" Remember the eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath thee are his everlasting arms. He will speak destruction to thy foes, and salvation to thy soul."....Deut. xxxiii. 27.

The Lord we serve's omnipotent,

Let faith then trust his pow'r, For that's engag'd by covenant, To keep us ev'ry hour.

Whene'er strong foes do us assault,
And sin and lust do rage,

Lord keep our souls from ev'ry fault,
For us do thou engage.

M.

The salvation of the righteous is of the Lord, he is their strength in the time of trouble....Psalm xxxvii. 39.

WE

his way."....Gen. vi. 12. QNE."....Psalm xiv. 3.

We may say of righteousness, as Job says of wisdom, "Where shall righteousness be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man knoweth not the price thereof, neither is it to be found in the land of the living."....Job xxviii. 12, 13. The patriarch says, it is not in me. The prophet says, it is not in me. The apostle says, it is not in me. The Lord saith, "All flesh hath corrupted "There is none that doth good, NO NOT Why then do the scriptures speak so much of the righteous, if there are no such persons upon earth? Indeed there are. This is a point of great importance: the Lord settle it well in your heart and mine. We are poor sinners in ourselves; we have no righteousness of our own; yet, saith the Lord Jesus, the righteous one, "Their righteousness is of me."....Isa. liv. 17. We are made the righteousness of God in Christ....2 Cor. v. 21. When we are taught this by the Spirit of truth, instead of looking into ourselves for righteousness, we cry out in the joy of faith, I have found it: "In the Lord have I righteousness."....Isa. xlv. 24. Then we have a living union with THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS, by faith: being perfectly righteous in him, we have righteous hopes, fears, desires, a righteous walk, and righteous expectations; for we know, our salvation is of the Lord. The Spirit of truth does not leave us to the unrighteous notions of salvation on any condition of our own works, duties and performances, either in whole or in part; but he shews us such matchless glory in our Lord's ONE everlasting righteousness, that it puts us at once both out of conceit with our own filthy rags and of any dependance on them for salvation: the Lord increase our faith in this righteousness: Lord quicken our love to thee for making us righteous. So neither are we left to live in sin and walk in sin: but though thus righteous, yet sin is in us, therefore we have our troubles: many are the afflictions of the righteous. Are we in trouble about the number of our enemies, the greatness of our sins and corruptions, the weakness of our graces, the strength of our temptations, a sense of desertion, the want of comfort, peace and joy from the Lord? These are righteous troubles. The righteous Lord is our strength to support under them; he has power to remove them he neither wants strength of love nor ability of power to save us from them; for the Lord delivereth the “ righteous out of all his troubles."....Psalm xxxiv. 18.

:

Salvation is a joyful theme,
To sinners lost and poor,

Lord, 'tis thine own most glorious
O let us feel its pow'r. M. [scheme,

« PreviousContinue »