the Third Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
The Poor Man's Morning and Evening Portions
March 12—Morning—Hebrews 6:12
"Followers of them, who through faith and patience, inherit the promises."—Hebrews 6:12.
How gracious is the Holy Ghost, in not only holding forth to the people of Jesus the blessedness and certainty of the promises, but opening to our view multitudes, who are now in glory, in the full enjoyment of them. My soul, dost thou ask how they lived, when upon earth, in the full prospect, before that they were called upon to enter heaven for the full participation of them? Hear what the blessed Spirit saith concerning it in this sweet scripture. "It was through faith and patience." Now observe how these blessed principles manifested themselves. Another part of scripture explains—"they all died in faith, not having received the promises; but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them." Now this is the whole sum and substance of the believer’s life: he sees them afar off, as Abraham did the day of Christ—as David, who had the same enjoyment in a believing view, with which his whole soul was satisfied: for he saith, "it was all his salvation, and all his desire; "a covenant which he rested upon, "as ordered in all things, and sure." Pause, my soul, over this, and ask within, are your views thus firmly founded? What, though the day of Christ’s second coming be far off, or nigh, doth thy faith realize the blessed things belonging to it as certain, and as sure as God is truth. Pause, and see that such is thy faith—then go on. The faithful, who row inherit the promises, end which the Holy Ghost bids thee to follow, not only saw with the eye of faith, the things of Jesus afar off, but "were persuaded of them;" that is, were as perfectly satisfied of their existence and reality, as if they were already in actual possession. Pause here again, and say, is this thy faith? Are you perfectly persuaded "that God was, in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them?" Are you convinced that it is God’s design, God’s plan, God’s grace, God’s love, God’s mercy, in all that concerns Jesus? Art thou convinced that God’s glory is concerned in the glory of Jesus, and that every poor sinner gives glory to God in believing the record that God hath given of his Son? Dost thou, my soul, believe heartily, cordially, fully, joyfully, believe these precious things; nay, that in fact, it is the only possible way a poor sinner can give glory to God, in looking, up to him as God, in giving him the credit of God, and taking his word as God concerning his dear Son Jesus Christ? Dost thou, my soul, set thy seal to these things? Then art thou "persuaded of the truths of God, "as the patriarchs were "who saw them afar off." Once more—the faithful, whom the Holy Ghost calls upon thee to follow, embraced them also, as well as were persuaded of them. They clasped, by faith, Jesus in their arms, as really and as truly as Simeon did in substance. Their love to Jesus, and their interest in Jesus, their acquaintance by faith with Jesus, were matters of certainty, reality, delight; and their whole souls were, day by day, so familiarized in the unceasing meditation, that they walked by faith with Jesus while here below, as now, by sight, they are with him above in glory. Pause, my soul! Is this thy faith? Then, surely, Jesus is precious, and thou art indeed "the follower of them-who now, through faith and patience, inherit the promises." And ere long, like them, thou shalt see him whom thy soul loveth, and dwell with him for ever!
March 12—Evening—Psalms 75:10
"Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee; the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain."—Psalms 76:10.
My soul! thou art returned from the exercises of the day;. exercises which sometimes are sharp and trying: come now into the pavilion and retirings of thy God in Christ, and take with thee this sweet scripture, and under his gracious teachings, see what beauties, by way of comfort, it affords. The Holy Ghost saith, "Surely the wrath of man shall praise the Lord." Pause, and consider in how many ways this blessed scripture proves itself. How often is the wrath of man made to minister to the happiness of God’s people! How often do they become the unconscious ministers of producing the very reverse of what they intended: and where they designed evil to the saints of God, there good is found to come! When the Lord makes our friends, in the sweet endearments of society, promote our welfare, and we find blessings spring out of the thousand, and ten thousand charities of life; in providences, in helps, assistances, and the like, in which we minister by his appointment one to another; we do not so often trace the divine hand; and from the commonness of the blessing, lose sight of the direction whence it comes. But when the Lord, at any time, makes our enemies, and the enemies of our God and of his Christ, accomplish the secret purposes of his holy will; and those acts of theirs, which were evidently meant by them to distress, prove the very cause of joy; then we discern how the Lord overrules every thing to his glory, and his people’s welfare. Here the Lord speaks in a loud voice, as in that sweet scripture, "In that day sing ye unto her, a vineyard of red wine. I, the Lord, do keep it. I will water it every moment, lest any hurt it; I will keep it night and day." Isaiah 27:2-3. My soul! learn from henceforth to be on the watch-tower, as the prophet was, looking for the evidences of these things. They will be very blessed, when at any time they are discovered; and, depend upon it, they are more frequent, than with thy poor thoughtless and inattentive mind thou art apt to suppose. Had not the brethren of Joseph sold him for a slave, how would he afterwards have arisen to be governor in Egypt? Had not Pharaoh oppressed Israel, how would their cries to, God have called Him forth to their rescue? Had not that monster of iniquity pursued the people of God to the Red Sea, how would Israel have seen their foes dead on the shore? Nay, ascending to an infinitely higher and more momentous matter than all these, or every other in history put together, I would ask, had not the wrath of man nailed Jesus to the cross, how, my soul, wouldest thou, and all the ransomed church of Christ, have found redemption in his blood? Oh! for grace, ever to keep this in remembrance. Never, surely, did the wrath of men praise Jehovah in any equal degree, or was so made to minister to-the divine glory! Precious, precious Jesus! I beseech thee, gracious Lord, preserve alive in my soul, this contemplation of man’s malice ministering to God’s praise; that in all my little exercises here below, my soul may be stayed and comforted under them. And when at any time the enemy frowns, bad men afflict, the proud scorn, or the mighty of the earth would trample me under their feet, until in the bitterness of my heart, I cry out, "hath God forgotten to be gracious?" O for grace to cast one look at the cross of my Lord, and there read the whole explained: "Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee; the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain."
