the Fourth Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
The Poor Man's Morning and Evening Portions
September 2—Morning—Amos 5:14
"The Lord, the God of Hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken."—Amos 5:14.
My soul, pause over this precious scripture, and ask thyself, is it indeed confirmed to thy experience? And do remark how the promise of the old testament scripture is confirmed in the new. Jesus assured the same, when he said, "If a man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come and make our abode with him." Pause, my soul, again, and see whether both testaments concurring in the same, and the Holy Ghost ever abiding with the Lord’s people, to confirm his word in the heart; are not these promises thine, and art thou not everlastingly enjoying them? Precious Jesus, morning by morning would I besiege thy mercy-seat, to put thee in mind of this promise, which in this blessedness, comprehends every other. If the Lord, the God of Hosts, be with me; if the Father graciously come; if the Son himself come, both to make their abode, not as a wayfaring man that turneth in to tarry for a night, but to make their abode; and if the Holy Ghost abide with me for ever—Oh the blessedness of such a state, the glory of such company! Lord, I pray, be it unto me according to thy word.
September 2—Evening—Song of Solomon 7:11-12
"Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field: let us lodge in the villages. Let us get up early to the vineyards, let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth: there will I give thee my loves."—Song of Solomon 7:11-12.
My soul! wilt thou do as the church here hath done, and invite Jesus to come with thee into retirement, to enjoy sweet fellowship and communion, and to tell him how exceedingly thou lovest him, or desirest so to do? Jesus invites thee repeatedly to this, and why shouldest not thou invite him? It is blessed to catch the gracious words of thy Lord from his mouth, and to say to him what he first saith to thee. See Isaiah 26:20. Song of Solomon 2:10. Matthew 11:28. Revelation 22:17. And where wouldest thou have thy Lord to go with thee? Surely thou wilt say, to the field of his own scriptures, and to the villages of his own people, and to the vineyards of his own church; that Jesus may open to thee his own blessed word, and that thou mayest not barely visit, with Jesus, his people, but lie down with him, and he with thee, and arise early to visit the vineyards of his church, as the blessed place, where his honour dwelleth. And what is thy motive for this divine society with thy Lord? Is it not to take delight in Jesus, and in all that concerns him? His vine is his church, Isaiah 5:7. And Oh! how refreshing is it to thee, to behold the church of Jesus flourishing in the earth? How truly blessed to behold the first dawnings of grace in young believers, which are not unlike the appearance of the tender grape; and the more confirmed faith of old saints, which the buddings of the strong fruit of the pomegranate shadow forth. Is this thy motive, and dost thou really, truly, and heartily invite thy honoured Lord to this communion? And wilt thou there shew him thy loves, and tell him how truly lovely and truly loving he is; that" his love is better than wine;" and that thou desirest to love him, who hath first loved thee; and that thou longest to see more, and to know more of that love of Jesus, "which passeth knowledge, that thou mayest be filled with all the fulness of God?"—If these be thy longings, and thou communicatest them to Jesus, he will be found of them that seek him; yea, "before thou callest, he will answer, and while thou art speaking, he will hear." And, precious blessed husband of thy church and people! may I not consider this invitation as given also by thee to thy church and to thy people, yea, to my poor soul? Methinks I hear thee saying to me, personally to me, ’Come, my beloved; come, let us go forth into the field of my word alone; let us go together also to the villages of my people, and dwell in my house and vineyards: both in private and in public will I manifest myself unto thee, and shew thee my loves.’ Oh, thou bountiful Lord! thy whole heart is love. All is grace, and mercy, and kindness in Jesus; and all thou art, and all thou hast, is for thy people, thy redeemed, thy Segullah, thy chosen! Lord, give me but grace in the lively actings of faith, and my soul shall follow thee "whithersoever thou goest!"
