the Third Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God
Jesus said, will ye also go away?- John 6:67.
This, O soul, is the voice of thy beloved. Thy friend put this question to his own disciples. Our captain keeps no prest men in his service. All his subjects enter as volunteers. They are made willing to come to him, believe on him and greatly esteem the day of his power, to follow and cleave to him. Force, restraint, and compulsion act not on their ingenuous minds. But what they find in Jesus now, present peace; what they expect from Jesus hereafter, glory and salvation, endears him to their souls.
Daily observation furnishes with instances of many who profess to own Christ and to follow him for a season; but anon, through not understanding his doctrine, not seeing their own misery and wretchedness, and not knowing his love, they are offended, forsake Christ, his truths and his ways. They go back again to the world, to the enjoyment of their lusts, and take up with carnal preachers, who cry peace, peace unto them. Thus they make shipwreck of faith and a good conscience, which they professed to have; and the last end of such is worse than their first. They forsake their own mercies, by turning their backs upon precious Jesus; and are left to perish without hope or remedy.
But a true disciple, who knows Jesus in spirit and truth, our Saviour keeps from such folly. The sight of others falling off and leaving him is made of blessed use to such. It excites humility and gratitude-quickens to holy jealousy and godly watchfulness. Such a tender expostulation put to the soul, "Wilt thou also go away?" O how it kindles a spark of fire, and blows up a flame of love in the poor sinner’s heart! As when a tender, indulgent parent says to his dear little child, Wilt thou go away and leave ME? How does it draw forth the love and affection of its heart! and the little thing, with eager embraces, clings the faster to its parent. O, by this question our dear Saviour has often roused my sluggish heart: and called forth a holy fear; and excited an earnest cry, "Lord keep me-O never, never let me forsake thee!"
When the aged Polycarp was joyfully going to seal the truth of his faith with his blood, being threatened by his proconsul with death in various shapes, answered, ’Why tarriest thou? Bring forth what thou wilt; we Christians are fixed in our minds not to change from good to evil.’ Then the proconsul promised him liberty if he would reproach Christ. (O, the affecting reply! how ingenuous! how full of love!) ’Eighty and six years (said he) have I served my Lord Christ, and he has never done me the least wrong: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour?’ How victorious is faith! how powerful is love! Lord, increase our faith! Jesus inflame our love! "To whom should we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life."- John 6:68.
Of whom I am chief. 1 Timothy 1:15.
What a mighty change does grace make! The apostle was once, in his own eyes, the chief of saints. If but two went to heaven, he had no doubt but he should be one. Now, he is really an eminent saint in Christ: he confesses himself the chief of sinners. Why so? Did he love sin, lie down and wallow in sin, and glory in sin? No, far from it: he was now saved from all his sins. Hence he sees the exceeding preciousness of Christ, his Saviour; the exceeding sinfulness of sin, which dwelt in him; and the infinite holiness, spirituality, and perfection of the law of God. Therefore, he makes this public declaration: not, I have been, but, I now am the chief of sinners. He, as it were, stands forth and challenges the whole race of sinners, and says, I will give place to no one: of all of you, I will be the first rate, and stand foremost in the rank. But is not this glorying in sin, which was his shame? Selfrighteous hearts think so: they cannot understand it. When any sinner adopts St. Paul’s language, and says, “of sinners I am chief,” they ignorantly reply, there can be but one chief. Who then is that one? Why every one, who drinks into the same spirit with the apostle, has the same views of himself which he had. For, (1st.) They see sin, not only in its fruits, but as a root: not only in its actions, but as a nature, in which dwells no good thing. Such feel in their nature the vile lusts of the beast, and the cursed tempers of Satan. Though sin has not the dominion over them, yet sin dwells in them. When they look at their past sinful conduct, they take into view their present sinful nature also, and therefore rate themselves according to their views of themselves. They have done with self-admiration and self-justification. I AM the chief of sinners. I see myself. I think, no one has so wicked a heart, and so bad a nature as I have. (2d.) Such from their hearts give glory to the holy, blessed Trinity. O, how is God the Father glorified for his everlasting love to such sinners! how is God the Son’s grace exalted, in dying to save them, living to fulfil the law for them! how is the Holy Spirit’s operations magnified, in convincing them of sin; bringing them to Christ, to be saved from sin; and sanctifying them, by the faith of Christ, over the power of sin! (3d.) Such, all such, and none but such, do cordially embrace and comfortably live upon this faithful saying, which is worthy of all acceptation, (with the deepest humility, and the most inflamed joy) “That Christ came into the world to save sinners.” Therefore, as they are not under the power of sin, so they are delivered from the pride of their own righteousness. A sinner’s righteousness! They are now ashamed, that they should ever be so arrogant and ignorant as to talk of it, trust in it, or expect to be justified by it, either in whole or in part.
Transgressors of the deepest stain,
In Christ salvation find,
His blood removes the foulest guilt,
His Spirit heals the mind.
