Behold the Throne of Grace
Charles Spurgeon's Prayers
FOREWORD
That Charles Haddon Spurgeon was supreme among the famous preachers of the Victorian age is, today, all but universally conceded. The passage of time, which plays havoc with shallow reputations, has in nowise modified contemporary estimates of his greatness, nor has it made foolish the predictions that his influence would long abide. Never was he more assuredly acclaimed the "Prince of Preachers" than in this centenary year of his birth.With the possible exception of John Bunyan, no Nonconformist preacher belongs more certainly to the Church universal. His published sermons have gone out into all the earth, and have influenced a vaster multitude even than that which, year in and year out, hung upon the silver-trumpet notes of his marvelous voice. In the printed page they have made an irresistible appeal, not only to all sections of the Protestant Church, but also to Anglo-Catholics, and even to priests of the Roman Catholic and the Eastern churches.
But Spurgeon's power did not lie wholly in his exceptional preaching gifts. He was a mighty man of prayer. Not even his pulpit genius could have attracted such vast congregations throughout a period of nearly forty years, nor would his ministry have been so rich in spiritual results, had he not lived in closest intimacy with the unseen. "You spoke as if you had come straight from the Presence," said a worshiper, on one occasion, to Alexander Whyte. That was how many felt whenever Spurgeon preached.
There were some—D. L. Moody notably among them—who were more deeply moved by his pulpit prayers than by his sermons. Another eminent American visitor—the late Dr. A. T. Pierson—who had still closer associations with Spurgeon and his Tabernacle than the great evangelist, has vividly described the impression made upon himself when Spurgeon led the devotions of his people:
"And oh, what praying, peculiar for that element of adoration, in which nearly all public prayer is lacking! His confession of sin is humble, his supplication fervent, his intercession importunate; but when he praises and extols God, it is an eagle soaring toward the sun, and bearing you on its wings. You see the glory of God; you feel smitten with the splendor of His power and wisdom, goodness and holiness" ( Evangelistic Work, p. 166).
It is known that Spurgeon attached as much importance to the prayer as to the sermon. He strongly advised his students against entrusting that part of the service to another, while his own attitude was stoutly defined in the declaration, "I would sooner yield up the sermon than the prayer." Those who would learn the secrets of Spurgeon's success cannot afford to ignore this vital aspect of his pulpit ministry.
At a time, therefore, when the Centenary celebrations have caused increased attention to be devoted to Spurgeon and his message, it is surely fitting that a new selection of his prayers and hymns should be given to the world. Over a long period of years the prayers were reported for Mr. Spurgeon's own use, but with no thought of publication. Many, however, will be thankful that the manuscripts have been preserved, making it possible for a later generation to have access to such treasures of devotion. Two collections of the prayers, which were published shortly after the Tabernacle pastor's death, have long since been out of print. The present volume is an entirely new selection, chosen from among the stenographers' transcripts which remain in possession of Marshall, Morgan & Scott. The topical titles throughout have been supplied by the compiler, who has also attached an Amen to each of the selected passages in the concluding section.
Included in the volume are a number of Spurgeon's hymns, written in the first instance for the Tabernacle hymn-book ("Our Own Hymn-book"), now out of print. Several of these are of a high order, and are worthy of a place in every hymnary.
It is not our purpose to examine the prayers in detail, but perhaps one or two observations may be allowed. While many books of written prayers have been published for the edification of believers, here is a collection of extempore utterances. In this respect, at least, the volume is unique. Not a few earnest people are lamenting that nowadays extempore prayer is "a lost are." Such a criticism is, of course, an obvious exaggeration. Nevertheless, it has sufficient substance to make it well worth while for ministers and preachers to inquire how far the powerlessness of the modern pulpit may be directly traceable to formalism and unreality in prayer. Do congregations feel instinctively that the preacher is in touch with the Throne? It is not difficult to detect when a man is "praying in the Holy Spirit." Spurgeon knew the holy are as did few men. He lived in such conscious dependence upon his heavenly Father, that his whole being was poured out in his supplications. Many of his prayers rose to high levels of eloquence, but it was the eloquence of a heart aflame, and no conscious striving after effect. His simplicity was as marked as his intensity.
Sir William Robertson Nicoll placed in the forefront of Spurgeon's pulpit qualities the fact that he possessed "the theological temper." But Spurgeon's theology was never more living and practical than in his prayers. How large the grace of God looms in every address to the Most High! Over and over again he seems to be drawn to the Mercy Seat by the wonder of the grace which brought salvation down, rather than driven to God by a sense of need. He rejoices to be occupied with the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Yet it is the realization that men owe everything to the Vicarious Sacrifice which gives such wide range to his intercessions. It is because he believes with all his heart that grace is as sovereign as it is free, that he is emboldened to ask great things, confident that, with such a God, all things are possible.
Although the writer never saw Spurgeon, he owes an immeasurable debt to him. It was through the ministry of his son and successor in the Tabernacle pastorate—Thomas Spurgeon—that he was brought to a saving knowledge of Christ. It was in membership with his great church in South London that he was nurtured in the Faith, and led out into Christian service. And, in due course, it was at Spurgeon's College that he learned how to employ whatever gifts he may have to better purpose in the noblest of all callings. He is encouraged to send forth this volume in the belief that the reading of these prayers will be made a means of grace to many believers, both in the place of secret communion, and at the family altar. Further, he would cherish the hope that preachers, and Christian workers generally, may gain from these glowing utterances of a great ministry, new inspiration to pray and work for the quickening of the Church of Christ, and the salvation of a lost world.
Charles Cook
Blessed be Your Name, You ever-living God. Our neighbors die; friend after friend departs; few of us have not lost someone dear to us; but You abide the same, and of Your years there is no end. We come to You. You are this day as strong to deliver as in our fathers' time; as true to Your promise, and as mighty to perform Your Covenant as when You spoke unto Abraham at Mamre, or did work mightily in the field of Zoan for the Children of Israel. You, O God, are forever strong and mighty. Never can Your arm know palsy, nor can Your brow decay. We look up to You with joyful confidence, knowing that You are an inexhaustible fountain of every good thing, and believing that You will supply our need out of the riches of Your fullness of glory by Christ Jesus. Will You refresh our souls. We come as the Children of Israel came to the wells of Elim, and we would now sit by the palm-trees thereof. Let our souls gather strength. Give comfort to the mourners; give rebuke to those that slumber, and a word in season to everyone. As for the minister, may he be as one that brings forth out of the treasury things new and old. May there be food fitted for strong men, as well as milk for babes, and may we all of us retire from the Master's house feeling that He has satisfied us with good things, and made us rejoice in Himself. Our Father, hear and bless us for Jesus' sake. Amen.
April 19, 1863.
A Word to the Heart
Permit us, Lord, to behold again the light of Your countenance. May our glad spirits approach again to the Throne of Grace, receiving grace from the Throne enabling us so to do. Oh that You would have a word with our heart! May the truth be mighty; may it pierce into the conscience, may it reach the inner man. May those who are born again, and those who are afar off, receive some good thing. Vain is the help of man. The preacher depends on nothing of his own, but behold, here he is at Your feet. Speak through Your servant to this great assembly, and let not a word fall to the ground; neither may there be a deaf ear nor a hard heart. God Almighty, glorify Your Son Jesus by Your Holy Spirit. We ask it for His sake. Amen.
April 19, 1863.
A Day of Delightful Remembrance
Gracious God, preserved by Your goodness, we are permitted to come up to Your house. We desire here to pay our vows in the midst of Your people. We hail the Sabbath as a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable. We delight to find ourselves in the place where prayer is accustomed to be made, and we humbly hope that this day our supplications will be heard in Heaven. Let our praise be accepted at the Throne, and that there will be for each of us a portion of meat in due season. Oh for the bedewings of the Holy Spirit upon every plant of the Lord's right-hand planting. Let every soul be nourished in this house today. As trees planted in the courts of the Lord, so may we flourish and bring forth fruit.
May this be a day to be remembered by us. May Your people, especially, be in the Spirit on the Lord's Day. And though they may not, like John in Patmos, behold the Lord with their visible eyes, yet may they see Him spiritually, and rejoice in the glory of His presence. Bless the Word this morning. The burden of the Lord is upon us. Help us to deliver Your Word with power. Oh, that You would enable us to plead with sinners. We have sought to plead with God for men; now may we plead with men for God.
Throughout the whole service may a deep solemnity rest on every mind. May those who know the art of prayer be holding up Your servant's hands as did Aaron and Hur. May they be praying, like Moses on the mountain, while we, like Joshua, fight in the plain. Let the Spirit come down upon the unconverted this morning, and save them with a great salvation. We ask it for the Savior's sake. Amen.
July 5, 1863.
The Savior in the Midst
O God, our hearts are up unto You. We want to feel that You are here. We cannot expect this if we ask so great a blessing in our own name, but we ask it through the merits of Jesus Christ. Divine Savior, You have said, "Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them." Be here now, for we are more than two or three. You have been pleased to give us Your Holy Spirit to be the Comforter that shall abide with us forever; may He abide with us tonight.
We have to confess that sometimes we go through the service as a mere matter of routine. We are afraid that many of Your people do not join as they should do in prayer, nor does their heart go up with the sacred longing. May it not be so now. May there be real worship the whole service through.
When we come clustering round the Table, may we be hungering and thirsting after Jesus, who is the Bread of Heaven, and may we eat of His flesh, and drink of His blood. The Lord give us His help. We are perfect weaklings. There is nothing else that we are perfect in. Lord, give us the perfect strength, for Jesus' sake. Amen.
July 5, 1863.
The Soul's Yearning for God
O Lord, You delight to dwell in the midst of Your people. Where Your saints gather themselves together in the Name of Jesus there are You in the midst of them. Let us feel Your presence here throughout all the services of today. Nothing short of this can satisfy us. It is in vain that we see the minister in his place, or that we are enabled to join in the customary voice of song. We want to feel that You are here. Our heart pants after You as pants the thirsty stag for the water-brooks. Come and refresh our spirits! Earth shall be made like Heaven if You will be with us, and if You are absent Your house becomes but as other houses, and the sanctuary itself has lost its power to bless.
Father, forgive our sins. Help us to wash our hands in innocency, and so to compass Your altar. Our Father, draw us near to Yourself. Let the attractions of Heaven overcome the lesser attractions of earth. Close to Jesus may we come this day. Beneath that cross where once did hang our hope, there let us find our joy. May there be today in the hearts of many of Your people a renewed consecration to Your service. May there be a giving of the Spirit afresh to Your people, and oh, let sinners be converted today! While we try to cast the net, do You bring them to it. Make the hands strong that shall draw the bow, and do You direct it so exactly that the arrow may find out the joint in the harness. O Spirit of God, be not absent from us, but from the first opening prayer to the last amen, may Your power be revealed, for Christ's sake. Amen.
August 16, 1863.
Refresh Our Waiting Spirits!
Our Father, delight Your children with Your presence. Indulge us with Your smile. For a little longer we are spared in this valley of tears; but soon we hope to see Your face behind the curtain, in the land of the blessed, in the home of Your people. Until then, refresh our waiting spirits. Give us drops of Heaven's glory before we come to bathe our souls in it. Refresh us with Heaven's manna before we sit at the heavenly table. Let us have the clusters of Eshcol before we go up to take possession of this goodly land, and may Your people, despite the weakness of the flesh and the infirmities of nature, be so filled with grace that like Moses they may climb to the top of Nebo and have a vision across the stream. Our Father, which are in Heaven, we are persuaded that our great request is none too great for You. Bring us up to Heaven now. Illuminate our eyes that we may behold Yourself in Your own light, through Jesus Christ. Be you a help to the speaker and to every hearer. For Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.
August 16, 1863.
Jesus' Presence Delightful
Then... came Jesus and stood in the midst. John 20:19.
Amidst us our Beloved stands,
And bids us view His pierced hands;
Points to His wounded feet and side,
Blessed emblems of the Crucified.
What food luxurious loads the board,
When at His table sits the Lord!
The wine how rich, the bread how sweet,
When Jesus deigns the guests to meet!
If now with eyes defiled and dim,
We see the signs but see not Him,
Oh may His love the scales displace,
And bid us see Him face to face!
Our former transports we recount,
When with Him in the holy mount, These cause our souls to thirst anew,
His marred but lovely face to view.
You glorious Bridegroom of our hearts,
Your present smile a Heaven imparts!
Oh lift the veil, if veil there be,
Let every saint Your beauties see.
Sorrowing, yet Always Rejoicing
Expecting to receive the precious help of Your Holy Spirit, we would wait upon You, O Lord, with all earnestness of desire, with all sincerity of heart, and with all confidence of faith. Oh that now our fellowship may be with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ! May this be a season of access to God through Christ Jesus. May we not stand at a distance from You, but may we now speak to our God as a man speaks with his friend.
Our Father, we feel that we must praise and bless Your Name this morning. You have smitten us during this week; very many of our families have been made to mourn, but still—
"Your strokes are fewer than our crimes, And lighter than our guilt."
We are constrained to say, now, when Your chastening hand falls upon us—"The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord." It is impossible for You to do that which is unkind, and if we have received good at Your hands, shall we not receive with equal cheerfulness that which appears to be evil? You do well, O Lord, and nothing shall alter us in this our boasting, that in everything You do the best thing that could be done. We would not only be resigned to Your will, but we would feel a divine pleasure and satisfaction in the thought that You have Your own will; for who should have it, who should reign, who should be the disposer of events, but Yourself?
O our gracious Friend and Father, we bless You, then, with all our hearts for Your trying dispensations, and for the mercies with which You are pleased to sweeten them. Oh how good have You been to us, Your people. In old eternity You did ascribe our names in the Book of Life. In the fullness of time, You gave Your Darling from Your bosom, that He might be offered up a sacrifice for us, and then when the full time was come, You did call us by Your grace from wandering in the ways of sin unto the paths of righteousness. You did take us out of the horrible pit, and out of the miry clay. You did set our feet upon a rock, and did establish all our goings. Therefore will we praise the God of grace. While we have any being we will extol the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And when we leave this clay to be the food of worms, it shall be in confident expectation that our body shall rise again, and our spirit shall mount to Heaven, singing as it mounts, to look forever into the face of God, forever to sing the praise of Kim who loved us, and washed us from our sins in His blood. Oh that we knew the language of Heaven! Would that we could borrow the notes of angels:
"Teach us some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above."Oh for the music of those golden harps, and the notes that fall from perfect lips!
"Had we our tongues, like theirs, inspired,
Like theirs, our joys should rise."But until then, good Lord, we offer You such as we have, and since 'tis perfumed with a Savior's merits, and put into the golden censer which waves in His hand, we believe that even our poor frankincense and myrrh shall not be unaccepted, but that You will receive it through Jesus Christ, the great High Priest.
Father, we now desire You to have pity upon us, Your children; who have of late erred and strayed, even as we have done aforetime. You have washed us,—in that Fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel's veins, we have found perfect cleansing. But as the priests needed to wash their feet in the laver every day, so do we. Oh wash us clean again; and as before the judgment seat we are clean, so now before our Father's face, let us, too, be clean.
O You that dwell in Zion, rid us of corruptions within. Drive out the Canaanites. Some of our besetting sins are like those that have chariots of iron; but do You drive them out before us by the irresistible power of Your grace, until the whole land of Mansoul in its uttermost lengths shall belong unto God alone.
O Father, we have a thousand wants, and we have but few words in which to express them; but You know them altogether. Our Father, which are in Heaven, we want more love to You! Sometimes we feel the spirit of adoption, and we can cry "Abba Father;" but there are times when this world creeps in, and when gloomy doubts prevail, and we fear to call You ours. Strengthen our faith, that our love may be strengthened too. You know all things; You know that we love You. Oh for grace to love You more! and we want to have a greater longing, and hungering, and thirsting after Christ. We would not be indifferent to His charms. He has given Himself to us. Oh let us not live as though we were destitute of such a Treasure. He is, we hope, dearer to us than all our senses are, our limbs, our passions, or our eyes. Oh let us live nearer to Him, or, when absent, let us mourn as the dove that laments for her mate. If we may not drink of Him, give us at least grace to hunger and thirst after Him.
Most glorious and inestimably precious Jesus; we desire to honor You more. How few are the jewels which we put into Your Crown! How small is the homage which we pay to You! Do You help us to live talking of Jesus, and walking with Jesus, receiving His image. May our lives be distinct portraits of the life of Christ. May we so live that men may take knowledge of us that have been with the Nazarene, and have caught His speech, His manner, and His conduct. Most glorious Spirit, it is Your to make our bodies temples of the Holy Spirit, and to drive out from us everything which would prevent Jesus from dwelling within. Do You do this, until we shall live wholly and only for Him. Better to die for Jesus than to live for self; better to bleed for Jesus than to preserve one's life wholly unsuffering, separated from Him.
Let this church ever have in its midst the sweet savor of Your ointments! Oh that the name of Jesus might always charm the members of this church. Whatever others may do, may we fear and love Jesus. Oh crucify us, nailing us to His cross. Let us die with Him; let us slumber in His grave; and then let us wake up and live only in His resurrection. And may our life be an ascended one, which He has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
Do You look upon each member of the church now. There are so many families that have been bereaved, that we pray for all. You take away a mother here; You take away a husband there; You removest a child yonder; You are smiting on the right hand and on the left. We would kiss the rod and the hand that wields it, but we pray that the richest consolation may be given, especially, to those who through years and infirmities suffer much. We pray that richer consolation than usual may be given where most it is required. Do You sanctify their bereavements. May the whole of the flock feel that when the Shepherd is taking away one after another, it is time for us to be ready for His coming. May these things be as a shout in the midnight—"Behold the Bridegroom comes; go you forth to meet Him." May a deep spirit of earnestness pervade the members. May we walk as those who are Christ's, as men who are alive from the dead, and cannot live as they were once accustomed to do.
Remember with equal favor the churches of our Lord Jesus Christ. Do You revive Your work in the midst of the years. Wherever and by whoever Your cross is lifted up, there let the energy of the Spirit be found, and there let sinners believe and live, and let Your saints be comforted. O Father, remember those present who are not as yet converted to God. O Spirit of God, go forth into their hearts to slay, and like healing balm, make them whole; wound and heal, for You must do both. You great Omega of our souls, be You the Alpha to their souls. You who will complete, do You begin. Mighty Finisher, be You the Author. May some man be led to feel that he can go no farther. May some sinner be brought this very morning to a dead pause. May he stand still and say: "This will not do! I must reverse my course; no longer will I live unto the world, for that the time past suffices. Now will I live unto Him." Make our word this morning encouraging, and at the same time arousing, to Your people, and in the evening come up with us, that the word may be specially blessed to unconverted hearts.
Father bless this land. We pray earnestly for our fellow-countrymen, and we pray especially for the Queen. God bless her! May all the blessings of the Covenant be hers, and may its rich consolations be enjoyed. Let all nations know their God. Wherever there are wars and strife, let them cease when the end is answered. Let slavery loose her fetters; let liberty reign everywhere. Let the Advent of Christ soon arrive. Let the idols be dashed in pieces; let all false foundations be razed to the ground, and may He come whose right it is to reign. O Jesus, the world has waited long; and we have heard the word which says, "Overturn; overturn;" but when will You stop the overturn to establish the righteous things, and to cast down all evil? When will You come to be King of kings and Lord of lords? And now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, our Savior, be glory forever and ever, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.
April 19, 1863.
Mercy's Streams
Our Father in Heaven, we are not worthy to be called Your sons. We have so sinned against You that if You should drive us forever from Your house of love, and from Your heart of mercy, we could not blame You. Justice would but have its due if we were this day sorrowing with the rich man. Lord, we thank You for Your long-suffering mercies, that You have not cut us down as cumberers of the ground. We thank You that You did not permit eternal ruin to fall upon us. And we thank You that though, since we have known You, we have been very unfaithful, and are always going astray from You, starting aside like a broken bow, yet still Your loving-kindness holds good, and Your mercy is not put away from Your people. We know not which most to wonder at, Your loving-kindness or our ingratitude. How stupid, how stolid have we been. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib, but we have not known, we have not considered. Even the sheep follow their shepherd but we would not follow You, but we went astray after any leader rather than follow Him who is now today our All-in-All.
Gracious God, we have all sinned peculiarly in our own position. Your servant would confess his own want of earnestness and faithfulness in his ministry. With shame and confusion of face would he make his confession before Your footstool. And Your servants who are members of the Church of Christ would acknowledge that they have not lived for God as they should. How little have we done for Him who died to save our guilty souls. Our love is cold. Your mercies flow to us like rivers, but returns are but scanty drops. Lord, forgive us all. We come to You conscious that we are guilty, and most of all ashamed of ourselves that we are not more ashamed, and blushing that we do not blush, mourning that we do not mourn. God be merciful unto us sinners. With the publicans we take our place. Our cry is the cry of the returning prodigal. O Father, we are not worthy to be called Your sons, but our faith beholds the promise, the sweet and assuring promise made to sinners, and we know that God was in Jesus Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, not imparting to us our trespasses.
O Lord Jesus, our souls fly to You. You are the only refuge of our heart. Our confidence is fixed upon Your blood and righteousness, and we believe that these will never fail us. We are persuaded that if we build upon this Rock of ages, the floods may come, and the winds may beat upon that house, but it shall not fall because it is built upon the rock. Renew the faith of Your people. Let its former simplicity come back. May we each of us come to Jesus as we did at first, weary, and overworn, and sad, and sinful, and find in Him all that our largest want can possibly demand. Oh for grace today to take a bleeding Savior at His word, and to believe Him to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
But, our Father, we have many petitions to put up to You this morning. We pray You hear them. We are sometimes afraid that we Your people are growing cold in heart. You have brought summer weather upon our bodies, and You make the whole earth to rejoice in the light of the sun; but how often is there winter within while there is summer without. We are afraid that too often we come up to the house of prayer without prayer, and go away from it, in consequence without a blessing. How little heart is there in our praise! How little true earnestness in our prayers!
Lord, we would confess our sanctuary sins; but we would be delivered from them. There have been times when we have worshiped You with a holy enthusiasm, when the blessed fire has rested upon every heart. Bestow upon us those tokens. Help the minister to preach better. May there be some life in the ministry. Help the people to hear better; may there be a deeper and more solemn attention to the Word. Especially this morning, while we feel God's burden pressing very heavily upon us, so that our hearts are borne down to earth, do You help us to deliver it with boldness, with fidelity, with earnest affection.
At this hour, Lord, inspire the heart of every child of Your to true prayer. Help us to feel the weight of men's souls. May the wondrous value of a soul be opened up to our understanding; may the preciousness of a soul be laid upon our hearts, and may we pray, every one of us, as if we have never prayed before, and if we have had power with You, may we have a special power now, while silently we are pleading. God have mercy upon us, and have mercy upon sinners this day.
Lord, Your servant blesses You that You have not altogether taken away Your blessing from his ministry. Still Your saints rejoice. Still are sinners converted, but we want to see larger ingatherings. We thirst and pant for more numerous conversions. Our souls travail in birth for the souls of others until Christ be formed in them. Nothing can satisfy us until we see more sons born unto Christ.
Our Father which are in Heaven, there are young men and women here who listen to us whose hearts are untouched; put out Your finger now and make their hearts dissolve. Here are men who are parents, women who are mothers; they are in middle life, but as yet the hammer of God has not come home to the heart. Lord bring it home today, and while the law is being preached may it act as a schoolmaster to bring them to Christ. Here, too, are some aged men who are tottering on the brink of Jordan, and on the other side there is a dismal country without hope or light. Oh save them, save them, save them yet, that they may cross the river after another fashion, and land in that blessed country of which our cheerful voices have been singing. There are strangers within Your courts: they are unknown to us, but Searcher of all hearts, You know them. May they hear a sermon they shall never forget. May the arrows of God stick so fast that they may never be drawn out, except by that healing Hand that once was pierced.
O Jesus, we cannot pray as we would, but our hearts are full of bursting with an anxious desire to see men saved. Father, hear our cry. We have one argument that You will hear. It is that Jesus died. Behold we set His bloody sweat before Your eye, His flagellations, His piercings on the mount of doom. Remember Jesus, O You mighty Father. Look with eyes of love on Him, and then with eyes of pity look on us. Can You deny us? Will You not hear us when we have such a plea as this? If the preacher urged anything that he has said, or anything that his hearers have done, well might You turn Your back upon us. But we urge what Jesus did. O You mighty God, we cannot let You go except You bless us. As Jacob laid hold upon the Angel and wrestled with Him, so lay we hold upon the Covenant Angel now. We must have a blessing. What shall our hearts do if You hear us not? Our soul cries unto You; out of the depth of our nature we cry unto You. Oh give us this day souls to our ministry, and souls for our hire.
Father, we want to feel this morning that we are in the Spirit. We are afraid that too often we sing, and it is but a form; that we pray and it is but an utterance of words. Bring every one of us into the Spirit today. Let us be over-shadowed by Him, baptized in Him, until there shall be no room for any thought or emotion but concerning things divine. Let us feel as we have sometimes felt: "Surely God is in this place and I knew it not." Oh come now and spread the skirts of Your covenant love over us, and You shall have the glory.
Bless our country, and bless it through the ministers of the Gospel. May they begin to preach with the Holy Spirit sent down from Heaven. Restore to us the Revival, the skirts of whose departing presence we begin to see. Take not Your blessing from England; extinguish not her candle; put not out her light. Men have been warned and called, and entreated, and this city has had its day of visitation. Oh take not that day away forever, but return, You blessed Spirit, return. And first return to this house, and let a new season of wonderful revival begin in this house of prayer, and then spread from house to house, and from country to country, until the whole land shall be covered with its divine light.
Our Father, come to us now. We have asked amiss we know, but You will forgive the error of it. But we love asking through Jesus Christ, and You can not deny us. Lord, we believe. We would not waver; we shall have nothing of the Lord if we waver. We believe that You will bless us. We believe that souls shall this morning be saved, and that our souls shall be stirred up. We ask it again, believing that we shall receive it, for His dear sake, to whom, with You and the blessed Spirit, be glory forever. Amen.
July 5, 1863.
Such Love as Seraphs Know
O Lord, You know that our body exercises great influence upon our soul, and tonight, by reason of the great heat of this day, many feel weary, and Your servant has spent his strength in preaching Your Word this morning. Will You, however, give so much of the blessed Spirit, that, notwithstanding the weakness of the flesh, our spirit may have fellowship with God.
We specially desire, tonight, to cry unto You upon one or two accounts, and we trust that we may be heard in Heaven Your dwelling-place. First, we do very devoutly pray You to let the word of this morning live in the hearts of those who heard it. We could not wrestle as we would, but still we did pour out our heart for this people, and our soul went out after them as a mother's heart goes out after her sick child. We know that many of Your people have been lifting up their hearts in prayer. Let our united supplication bring a blessing upon the congregation, and out of the many who listened to us, may a large number be brought to Christ.
Now tonight, we are soon to come to Your Table. As a church we ask that there we may have Your presence in a very remarkable and delightful manner. Some of the people have been much in trouble. May they get ease from every care, and relief from every anxiety, while they behold their Savior offered up for them. Some of Your people we know, are getting cold in heart and backsliding. Grey hairs are upon them here and there, and perhaps they know it not. May this evening's service restore to them the love of their espousals. May they be brought back to that first heat of youthful piety, when first they knew the Lord. It may be that there are some here who have backslidden very much. They have come to forget the assembling of themselves together. Prayer has been neglected; the closet is not often entered; it may be that family prayer is almost given up. There may be some in Your presence who have even fallen into outward sin, and yet they are come up here tonight. Lord, may they come as mourners. Make this place to them a Bochim: may they repent of their sin. May this be the place of their return unto You; and may they hear You say, "Return unto Me, for I am married unto you."
Let the divine attractions of infinite affection and love lift each one of us up from the world. Oh, You have loved us with a love surpassing thought. You have redeemed us with a price beyond all price; and can we be cold and indifferent towards You? Come, blessed Spirit, come, and fire us with Heaven's own flame! Oh that we may be filled with such love as seraphs know, with more than a seraph's delight and more than a seraph's energy.
Lord, if You see any of us dead and cleaving to the world, You can lift us up. This is our comfort, that we cannot be so dead that You can not quicken us. Let the hand of love that drew us first, draw us now. Jesus, if You be mine, assure my conscience of her part in Your most precious blood. If our lips can only lisp "Abba Father," may the Spirit of adoption be with us now. Hide not Yourself from Your own flesh, our divine Husband. You who are the Head of Your Body, be not strange to the members of Your frame. Reveal Yourself to us, for You will make us all that we should be. Your love can make us loving; Your presence can make us joyous; Your example can make us holy.
Come Jesus, then; come and tabernacle with Your people; and while we preach, and when we sit at the Master's Table, may Your ointment give forth a sweet smell. Gracious Lord, will You bless many in this house tonight. Crowded together, they are come here, they scarce know what for. May some good word drop like good seed into prepared soil. O God, have mercy upon those present who never had mercy upon themselves. There is the blasphemer here, who scarcely speaks without an oath. Forgive him Lord. Give him a new heart, and help him to live in Your fear. Here are those that never pray, and they may soon die, and then prayers will be too late. Lead them to see their state by nature. Let their desperate danger be set before them in its true colors. Bring them to the Savior. Wash them in His blood. Save them with His great salvation. Our soul pleads with You for the dying sons of men. Jesus, is not Your blood able to cleanse? Spirit, have you not power to change the heart? Now, even now, let the sinner live to the praise and the glory of Your grace.
We have many things to ask of You, but we will not ask them now. Only do for us exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask, or even think, for Jesus' sake. Amen.
July 5, 1863.
Oh, to be Like Christ!
O God, we feel the hands of Your love holding us fast, and the cords of Your love drawing us towards Yourself. Oh, that every one now in this house felt the same! Let every one now become truly a suppliant, and out of all this company may there not be one wandering heart, nor one spirit that does not now draw near unto God.
Our Father which are in Heaven: here at Your footstool we confess that our hearts are full of evil. We are always going astray from You; and though we have tasted of Your love, and know something of its constraining power, yet is our soul as full of vanity as a cage that is crowded with unclean birds. Even when we would pray, our distracted thoughts are flying hither and thither. How little of our time do we spend in Your service. How few are the words that we speak about You, or for You. How little is the savor of Christ upon our garments. How seldom do we rise to God, or taste of joy above! We are of the earth, earthy; and though we hope that in some degree we are spiritual, yet alas, we are compelled to feel that we are carnal. We acknowledge, O God, our sins of omission. We have all of us forgotten You and forsaken You, times without number. Nor are we without sins of commission too, for we have erred and strayed from Your ways like lost sheep. We have done those things which we ought not to have done, as well as left undone those things which we ought to have done.
Oh, that You would have mercy upon us and blot out all our sins. Father, we do not love these things, our souls strive against them; and though we do not fight with the powers of darkness as we ought, neither are we adversaries as we should be, yet there is a something within us which pants after holiness. The divine spark which we have within us cannot be content until it has burned up sin. You have been pleased to quicken us by Your grace, and to make us Your children; and nothing ever will content our spirits until we are wholly given up to Your service; until the very being and power of sin shall be cut out root and branch, and we shall be made in all things like unto Yourself. This is our longing desire; and we feel that we shall never have any rest until we attain to it; and since we know we shall never attain to it on earth, we are convinced that there remains a rest for the people of God, and towards that rest we would push forward with earnestness of desire.
Our gracious God and Father, since You have taught us to hate these wandering thoughts and these sins, will You not give us grace to overcome them? Oh that we could be what we want to be! We are well aware that even our model which we have painted in our own mind, is not a perfect one, for we have not fully understood the perfection of the Lord Jesus, so as to set Him before us as our example. We do complain, gracious God, that even in trying to draw the picture of that example we fail, and that our thought makes an imperfect Christ out of Him who is altogether matchless. Yet, even to that poor ideal of Christ we never have as yet attained. Oh that we could reach it! Oh that we could be like Christ! We feel that we want to be some use in the world. We would not live here selfishly, merely to be ourselves saved, and ourselves to enjoy the pleasures of this life. Lord, help us to honor You. By some means or other do You get glory out of us. Put as much grace into us as we can hold, and put us to as much service as that grace can make us perform; or to as much patient endurance as that grace can enable us to sustain. We would be used to the utmost. We would not be laid by the side of the altar, but would be put upon it and be utterly consumed, until the caul and the fat and inwards and every part of us, shall be wholly given up to the Lord's own work.
Lord, help us to think nothing of toil, of contempt, of ignominy; but may we be prepared by evil report, good report, by honor and by dishonor, as deceivers and yet true, by being all things to all men, by some means, or by any means, to glorify Your name, and to bring sinners to Yourself. We come to You now, having asked that the power of sin may be subdued, and we humbly pray for a perfect cleansing in the precious blood. Just as we are come to that cross of Calvary, and where the blood drops, we hide ourselves.
"Other refuge have I none;
Hangs my helpless soul on You."Jesus, once the dying Savior, but now risen and ascended, will You not look down on us? We do believe that You can save. You are very God of very God; there is nothing impossible with You. Here on Your cross we hang; into Your hands we commend our spirits without reserve. We have no hope but in Yourself; but we believe that You are mighty to save, and that You can save us, even us. Let each man say—"Even me; even me," and may there be, this morning, in every individual, a distinct and personal putting himself into the hands of the great Surety, by an act of simple faith. "Lord save me, or I perish." "God be merciful to me, a sinner." Let this be the prayer of each heart this morning.
Now, great Father, hear a pastor's prayer for his people. You know that at the thought of this multitude, our soul is bowed down within us. Your servant Moses could not carry the burdens of the people which You brought up out of Egypt; much less can we carry the burden of this host upon us. O God, Your servant feels His own inability every day, more and more, until sometimes his heart is ready to break with a sense of the overwhelming responsibilities which You have laid upon one of the weakest creatures whom You did ever honor in Your service. But O God, will You not be the Pastor of this people? Will You, Jesus, not be the great Shepherd and Bishop of these souls?
Help the brethren who help us. Stand by the church officers in all that they seek to do for Christ, and grant to them that they, being good shepherds of the flock, may have a good reward. Keep our members. Some of them are very poor. Oh let them not be too much cast down. Let them not lack any good thing. Supply their wants out of Your fullness. Some of them are very young. Keep them; let not early temptations be too strong for them. Many of them are very weak in faith: comfort and strengthen them. Some, You know, are very much tempted; every day they are tempted; and perhaps they are tempted by their besetting sin. Oh keep them! Some of them are going back: they are backsliding. Gracious Father, rouse them. Besides these, there are some that are sick, and some that are desponding in spirit, and there are some who have lately had to mourn over sad bereavement. Do You visit every aching heart, and give consolation to every troubled spirit this day. Feed the whole company of Your children with bread to the full.
We feel even more anxiety for the unconverted part of our congregation. O God, save them we pray You. Those who listened to the Gospel until it has become an old thing with them; those who listen to it, and yet never feel its power—by the blood of Christ, we beseech You, to save them. Oh, by Your promised blessing upon the Word, let these be gathered in unto Christ: let these be made part of His purchase, the reward of His soul's travail. Save them! yes, save them this day!
Bless the services of last Sabbath-day. Let the brother who then filled our lack of service have a blessing upon himself and upon his people.
Bless today all the works that are going on: the Sabbath-schools, and all who are preaching the Gospel. Throughout all England, let the Spirit of God be seen in His great power. Throughout the world, let the Kingdom of Jesus come. But here, this morning, clothe the minister with salvation, and make Your people shout aloud for joy.
We have nothing, Lord; give us Yourself. We have no power, Lord; clothe us with Your power. And as of old You did make Your prophet speak words that moved the heart, and made men feel the terror of Jehovah's presence, so do You speak today through us. Take us into a divine rapture, a holy enthusiasm. Let the glowing coal touch our lips, uncircumcised though they be. And now today, even today, let Your ancient Gospel be as a two-edged sword in Your mighty hand, to cut, and pierce and divide; to slay, to kill, and to make alive. And unto You shall be the glory, world without end. Amen.
August 16, 1863.
The Saint's Inalienable Portion
O Lord, the God of Your people, those whom You have chosen, and called, and redeemed, and saved, must and will bless Your holy Name. Surely, if we were to refuse Your praises, our silence would be sinful in the highest degree. We would praise You, O You blessed God, not only with our hearts but with our voices. Blessed be the day in which You did bring us to accept You as our portion, and our heritage, for now we find in You a possession ample and wide. There is no limit to Your goodness, Your riches are unsearchable. You have all good things within the compass of Yourself, and You have given Yourself to us according to Your word, "I will be their God, and they shall be My people." We bless the Lord that our heritage is never exhausted. The world has its winter, but You have none. Even the world's sun has its wintry times, and we see but little above the horizon, but You are ever a summer's sun into Your people, without variableness or shadow cast by turning.
We bless You that we can never lose our portion. Time cannot impair it: death cannot take it from us, or take us away from it. Rather, we expect death, which would destroy all mortal things, to bring us nearer to the God we love, and in our disembodied state we shall behold You more clearly than we do now. In the latter day when our Kinsman shall stand a second time upon the earth, this is our joy—that though the worm devour this body, yet in our flesh shall we see God, whom our eyes shall see for themselves and not another. O God, we know not how to express our delight in You. You are the happy God, and You are the happy-making God. You have often come to us and lifted us up out of danger, and set us on our high places. You have tuned our harps. When every string was broken You have come and repaired it, and taught us how to sing a new song unto the Lord God of our life. Oh, that we had nothing else to do but to praise You! And truly, we have nothing else to do; but we are so slow to know this. We get full of cares and troubles and doubts and fears and sins. Lord, cleanse and purge Your servants; and give us to feel that all that remains for us:
"Is but to love and sing
And wait until the angels come
To bear us to their King."Oh for a well-tuned harp! Oh for a life that shall be one of minstrels—a life that shall be a psalm full of Hallelujahs.
Accept, this morning, the thanksgiving of some that have been sore sick, but who once again feel strength returning. Accept the thanks of others that have been far across the sea, and have come home again safely. Receive the thanksgiving of yet others who have been delivered out of great trouble, or who have seen their dear ones raised up from beds of languishing. We have all some cause for thankfulness, therefore will we praise the Lord from the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same.
Now Lord, if there be any cause of disquietude upon the heart of any of Your servants so that they cannot praise You upon the high-sounding cymbals, but feel bound to sit down in the dust, hear You their complaints. Lies there upon the conscience of any child of Your a sin unforgiven? Then help Your dear child to confess it with his head in his Father's bosom, and to receive full absolution. Do You say, "Daughter, Your sins be forgiven you. Son, go in peace, Your sins be forgiven you." Or, is it that we are mourning under some great grief, which perhaps has not yet happened, but the shadow of which is upon us? Give Your servants great patience. Teach them to bear Your will, and oh give them the happy are of "glorying in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation works patience," and that out of patience shall come glory to God. Are there any here that feel heavy because those whom they love are not here this morning? There are such. There are precious ones that are detained at home for whom we earnestly pray that they may be speedily restored to health. Meanwhile, help us, even in this, still to feel that the Lord is good and His mercy endures forever. Let us not rob You of our song.
Lord deal tenderly with Your people. You blessed Shepherd! You do never drive. We have it concerning You that You "carry the lambs in Your bosom," and that You do "gently lead those that are with young." Deal tenderly with them, and with all the flock; we pray that every child of Your may get a sweet refreshment. May there not be one of us that shall be without a smile for the Father's face, and a kind gentle word dropped into our spirit by the Holy Spirit that shall sink all our fears and send us away happy.
Lord, we pray another prayer, which is this: that those now present who do not know the believer's joy, may learn it today. Oh that this day may be as the beginning of days to some that shall enter within these walls. Today, may some when they hear of the plenitude of blessing which You give to Your people be made to long to be among that happy number. Create, we beseech You, a soul thirst in such as are self-satisfied. Breed a sharp hunger in the hearts of those who have been content with the good things of time and sense. May they begin to long after something more enduring, more satisfying; and when You has set them longing, reveal Christ Jesus to them, and let them see how He can fill the soul with peace and joy, and how through Him:
"Immortal joys come streaming down;
Joys, like His griefs, immersed unknown."Do, Father, grant to Your servant this great privilege and honor, of conducting some to the Savior. Oh happy we shall be, now that You permit us to occupy the pulpit again. Do grant that Your servant may not preach in vain. May every sowing of the seed produce a harvest; and some of the regular hearers do You decide this morning. Some of the strangers do You take in the meshes of the Gospel net this day. Oh do give us fruit in this May time. Give us to see the buds of hope, and the blossom of desire, and may there be fruit to the glory of God.
God bless the Church at large, and send times of great revival. Oh that there may be more fruit in every church, all Your servants seeking to be fruitful. Let the members of this church each one seek to bring others to Christ. May there not be one barren one among us. Lord save us all. Save the grey heads among us. Save the little children that have come, perhaps for the first time, into the pew today. Save all of us; and in the day when the muster roll is read, may each one of us answer to his name and say, "Here am I."
We are bound at this time to remember our country, and we do. O God, in Your great wisdom, interpose at this time of anxiety and dread. Oh that peace may come to our poor sister island. By Your great mercy, teach our senators wisdom. We have already prayed before You that justice might be executed upon those who have committed such cruel murder; * but we do pray that no policy of vengeance may be followed, that we may, in a Christian spirit, seek to overcome evil with good. We are afraid that our senators have not grace enough to do it, but we pray that they may have it, and that still firmly but yet not vindictively the ship of state may be steered through these troubled waters and brought at last to a peaceful haven.
Oh send forth Your light and Your truth to every troubled country. Let the Gospel come; for where it goes liberty follows, and there shall be no liberty except Christ make men free. Let all nations know their Savior. Bless all missionary operations. Let Your power go forth, Lord, with all that preach Christ, wherever He is proclaimed.
God bless the Queen and all her household, and all those that manage affairs of state. Send us peace in all our time, good Lord, we do entreat You. Now before the throne of Your magnificence we bow ourselves with deep humiliation. What are we, and what is our father's house that we should take Your name upon our lips? Yet You, Jehovah, Maker of Heaven and earth, are our covenant God. You have sworn by Yourself that You will bear us as on eagles' wings. We cast ourselves before You. Lead us into perfect holiness. Lead us into glory; and there when we shall see You, we will eternally adore You, even as we adore You now, saying, "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end." Amen.
May 14, 1882.
Nothing but Jesus!
O You that dwell in the highest heavens, yet do dwell in lowly hearts, make us lowly; set us free from all wrath, and pride, and foul desire, and groveling worldliness. Make us conscious of sin; trembling at You but rejoicing in Your mercy; hoping in Your salvation; triumphing in Your love. Even so, our hearts become a temple, and God, even God, that fills all things, shall come and fill us also, with all the fullness of God. O God, we cannot live without You. You have spoiled us for the world. We cannot now be content with it; and You have spoiled us for all things short of Jesus. We believe in nothing else but in Jesus, and in all else that we do, we go back with intense delight to the preaching and the hearing of the Gospel. There is none like it.
We thank You, O You blessed Savior, that You are such a wonderful lover of the sons of men; so willing to go out of Your way after a poor sinner as to be under a compulsion to go the way through Samaria where a guilty one shall come and speak with You, and You shall speak with her. We do admire Your blessed condescension in making Your first convert to be one who had so foully fallen and in winning that one heart, and thereby winning so many more. Far be it from us ever to come to You in the filthy rags of our own righteousness. They are worse than nothing. Oh that we might be willing to come to the Savior as people that want saving, to come to His blood to be washed, to come weak and feeble, to find strength in Him, and nowhere else. You will not meet us on any other terms but these. The Pharisees You would not meet. You did go away from them when they had heard about You that You did make and baptize disciples: then You did avoid them, for You had not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.
Oh it was a sweet day when You did turn my way, my Lord, to meet me. Many of Your dear ones here this morning, most blessed Lord Jesus, praise You for the singular adaptation of the Gospel to their own case. Nothing else could have helped them. They were under too deep a sense of sin to be relieved by the doctrine of mere reformation. They were too far gone to be healed by any flattering unction that could be laid to their soul as to what they could do. But they found all in You, as indeed we do this morning. Some of us have been acquainted with You these thirty years and more. A third of a century have some of us known You, and some for half a century have been living upon You in dependence upon Your bounty. But we have never had a want that You could not supply. We never had a grief which You could not assuage, but we have not, even now, in prospect of death and the grave, any fear which You can not allay.
It has pleased the Father that in You should all fullness dwell, and God forbid that we should ever think of adding to You, or going beyond You, for You are our All-in-All. O precious Christ, we take You over again today, and come with all our emptiness and sin, and folly and weakness, and spiritual death, just as we are, and cast ourselves on You, as man casts himself into the sea, not to up-bear himself, but to be upborne. So cast we ourselves into the sea of Your fullness, to be upborne by You all the days we have to spend in this house of our banishment.
Blessed Lord Jesus, You will never cast away a soul that has cast away everything else for You. You are bound to those who trust You by the bands of Your promises that never can be broken. And here we are, this morning, babes that hang upon Your bosom—emptinesses that are being filled, and sometimes are filled, only they cannot hold all of You. The sea is in us, but we are in the sea. We are filled with the fullness of God, and into that fullness are we still sinking deeper and deeper. Lord Jesus, cure our sins, and among the rest, take away our fears. Give us to trust You with a simple childlike confidence. May we have no difficulties, because God is with us. May we have no disturbance, because the peace of God does keep our heart and mind by Christ Jesus. Oh now to take You o'er again—our Life, our Health, our Righteousness, our All-in-All, from this time forth and even for evermore. Spirit of God—come upon us now, that this may be so with all Your people.
Bless Your dear saints—all of them. Comfort them in their afflictions, and bear them up in any trouble of mind. Be very gracious to Your people here, binding us more and more firmly together in a holy, living unity; and stir us up more and more to seek the good of the sons of men, and more especially to seek the glory of our divine Lord and Master. Jesus, we are Your and belong to nobody else. No cause engrosses our hearts but Your. All our sympathies run one way—in the channel where flows the precious blood of our redeeming Lord. All for Christ and none besides, in our heart at this time. Oh keep it so; keep it so until we behold the Well-beloved in His glory, and are wrapped up in His splendor with Him.
Bless, at this time, those who are beginning to seek after better things. Though perhaps as yet they know not the Lord, if there is any stirring up of grace to seek somewhat better, Lord, lead them further than they mean to go. Bring them to Yourself, and let the stir that has been made here this week, end in conversions, else shall we care nothing about it whatever. If Jesus be not glorified, we shall loathe it rather than love it. O dear Savior, bring men up from the very depths of transgression, from lust, and drunkenness, and wrath, and rioting, and evil speaking—bring them up, Eternal Spirit. How glad we are to get a word with them; how anxious that that word should, like the Master's, reveal them to themselves, and then reveal Him to them. Oh save, Lord,
"Salvation, let the echo fly
The spacious earth around."Let it be so. Let the dark parts of the wicked city see the flame-flash of Christ's eye. May it come to pass that there should be added to our church of such as shall be saved, who once were among the number who seemed right to be damned. Oh save Lord, save every unconverted one here this morning—the old, the young, and righteous in themselves, and the truly righteous.
Now look upon our country. God bless it. Oh, in infinite mercy end this horrible war. * Our soul weeps, to think that this war should have been perpetrated by those whom we thought better of. O God Almighty, may it come to a speedy close, and may a permanent peace be established. Let the whole earth sit still and be at peace. Sword of the Lord, will You never rest? Will You never be quiet? We beseech You, O God of infinite mercy, turn men's minds from all the sins that breed the cruelties and wickednesses of war, and may there come next a peace of soul and heart with God, and then a peace with our fellow men. Oh for the Kingdom and the Coming! Oh that Christ Himself would soon appear! But if in mercy He tarries until men repent, then come, divine Spirit, and lead them to repentance, and let the elect of God be gathered together out from among the sons of men, and the divine purpose be accomplished, and let Jesus see of the travail of His soul. Our heart asks infinitely better than our lips can do. Oh hear us for Jesus' sake. Amen.
September 10, 1882.
The Blessings of the Justified
O Lord, give to all that have believed in You a sense of perfect deliverance from sin. Let us not be saying, "I know that I shall be justified in the Day of Judgment." Let us not postpone that blessing, but may we enjoy it now; for truly if You are the Resurrection so that we may believe in You now, surely You are our Justification to be accepted and rejoiced in now? And we do accept Thee—Jesus. Your blood is our cleansing; Your righteousness is our vesture. We stand accepted in the Beloved, as many of us as have believed in Your holy Name. Let Your people enjoy now that sweet peace which comes of being justified by faith; and if any here have not believed, oh that they might put their trust in Christ! May faith be wrought in them. May they cheerfully and at once receive the great Atonement and be saved thereby.
O our Blessed Lord, You have ascended on high and received gifts for men. We pray You to grant us our measure of those gifts. Give to Your believing people the Holy Spirit. May we receive Him abundantly, in clearness of insight into Your Word, in closeness of fellowship with Yourself, in greater likeness to Your character, in greater zeal for Your glory. What are Your people, without Your Spirit rest on us? Holy Spirit, dwell in us. We cannot even pray aright without You; and for those works of holiness to which we are set apart, we have no strength without You. But if You are with us, we can perform all things. Rest on the preacher when he tries to preach to the congregation; on every minister in every place who shall tell of Jesus' love. And rest also in large measure upon all who personally speak to individuals, upon all who teach in our schools, upon all who stand in the street to proclaim a living Savior. Come Holy Spirit, Heavenly Dove, the Riches and the Endowment of the Church, and let us realize Your extraordinary power today. It is Your to convince Your people, and to convert them, so that truth shall be in their hearts a deep convincement, and comfort shall rise into delight. But we want Your power upon the unconverted. Oh come, sweet Spirit, to take away the heart of stone out of men's flesh, and give them the heart of flesh. Now the stone to flesh convert! Let the obdurate accept their Lord, the prejudiced, the willful, be subdued to the sweet scepter of divine love. We want to see the churches built up and increased with the increase of God. Multiply us with men as with a flock, and let every scatterer of the good seed reap an hundredfold harvest.
We want for ourselves, also, that we may grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We long to be confirmed and established in the truth, and in the life of God. We wish to rise higher and higher in the likeness to our Lord, and in the possession of His Spirit. Oh bring us up out of our grave, out of our sins, out of the world, and everything that drags us down. Bring us up into the higher regions of spirituality, and of divine light and power. Oh, be with us our God; give us all the blessings of the Covenant without stint.
Take care of all sick ones very graciously, and may such as are appointed unto death feel a sweet agreement with the appointment, and find Heaven begun in their hearts while yet they linger here below. The Lord prosper His own cause throughout the earth. Let the heathen be brought to Christ by myriads. May men that now sit in darkness behold great light.
Remember our country. God save and bless the Queen, and all in authority and let this land be visited with providential power. May there be a quickening of trade! May there be more work for the poor and the needy. May there be less complaining in our streets. May there come better and brighter days for this country. We pray the same for all lands, for we feel that there is a touch of grace which has made us one with all the saints in every nation. We forget nationality in our being all citizens of the New Jerusalem. The Lord send a blessing upon all saints everywhere; and chiefly this blessing, that He Himself may come. Come quickly, even so; come quickly, Lord Jesus! Amen.
April 20, 1884.
Come Nearer, Nearer, Nearer!
O God, You are our God, and therefore do we seek unto You. We have a covenant interest in You. You have given Yourself to us of old in the person of Your dear Son. You are our Surety. You, O Savior, did stand for us in the transactions of eternity. You did also redeem us in the fullness of time, laying down Your life that we might live, and now You are All-in-All to us. Our life is not in ourselves, but in You. Our truest and best self is Christ, for we live not, save only as our "life is hid with Christ in God."
Lord, we want this morning to enter into closest possible fellowship with Yourself. In days gone by You have cast Your skirt over Your servants. In the shadow of Your wing we have rejoiced. In the light of Your countenance we have been ready to die of excessive joy. The coming near to us of our God has been Heaven, it is indeed all the Heaven we expect in the future, as it is all we have known in the past. Come near, O our God, come nearer, nearer, nearer. Still some secret to our heart reveal, as yet undiscovered. You have led some of us into darkness and not into light, and You have covered us in the night watches and made it darkness round about us, until our spirit sank within us. Now it is Your way to bring light out of darkness, and joy out of sorrow. Oh, make our joy today to be like Jabez, of whom we read that he was more honorable than his brethren because his mother bare him with sorrow. Oh, that the sorrow pang might bring forth today in Your people some new joys, some blessed novelty of fellowship, that we may enter yet more and more into the secret places and tabernacles of the Most High, and dwell beneath the shadow of the Almighty. O Lord, Your people want this; nothing can so strengthen comfort, lighten, sanctify and perfect us as this. Are we earth bound? Oh, for Your presence, and we shall be of a heavenly mind. Are we deeply depressed in spirit? Oh, for the light of Your countenance, for it shall make us gladder than a wedding day. Oh that we might get at You, our God, for then shall the bonds of this world seem like cobwebs and disappear.
If You be near us, we can do or bear, we can suffer or we can sing; all things are possible when the Omnipotent is within. If the all-sufficient God shall but reveal Himself to us, we care not what our circumstances are. Then are we rich when Christ is near. Then are we full of joy and strength when He draws near to His servants. Perhaps, some have come here from a week of great anxiety. Help them to be anxious no longer, to cast their care on the Lord. Oh, let not the sheep take to shepherdising, but may they leave the Shepherd to do His own work for them. Oh, deliver Your people from attempting to rule the world. Let us not want to drive our Father's horses, but be satisfied to ride with Him. Some of Your children may have come here in conscious sin; they know they are Your but they equally know they are not what they ought to be. Your presence can light them up; it can spiritualize, it can purify; and they shall feel in the presence of God that the Lord has sanctified them by His truth and Himself.
O Lord, we have heard of some that can look back upon their lives with pleasure and satisfaction, but we wish to look nowhere but to You, our Savior. You are our Wisdom—not our experience: You are our Righteousness—not our good deeds and almsgivings; You are our sanctification—not our prayers and watchings. You are everything to us, and we are just nothing. We were nothing when You did begin with us, when we lay wallowing in the blood, cast out in death in the open field to perish. Then did You say "Live," and we lived by virtue of that word, and by that word of God shall men live, and so do we live. O Lord, You are emptying us from vessel to vessel. You are letting us see the dregs of our depravity and the violence of our nature; and we loathe ourselves until we are ready to cry, "Bury my dead out of my sight! "Yet this we do know, that in Christ we are lovely, and lovely, and You see no sin in Jacob, neither iniquity in Israel. You do delight Yourself in Your people; You have loved them with an everlasting love, therefore have You drawn them; therefore do You draw them; and therefore will You draw them, until You have drawn them to perfection in Yourself, to dwell with You forever.
O Redeemer of our spirits, visit Your people this day! You are our next of kin; be not strange unto Your own flesh. You have laid down Your life for us: what value do You set upon us! Let us be precious in Your sight and honorable, because You have loved us; and may we know it today. Take every doubt from the heart of Your people; let not a single thought of mistrust abide with any one of us. May we just lean on Christ as hard as we can, with a full weight of weakness and sin and sorrow, and just swoon away into the eternal love, and there lie passive in His hand. To know no will but His, nor active be until He makes us so by His own power.
Bless Your ministering servants before You. The Lord fill them full of His truth, with power to speak it. Oh that we might be clear at the last 1 The Lord look upon the many that there are nowadays that are preaching another gospel, that is not another, and let a blast and confusion from the Eternal go out against those who undermine the essential doctrines of Your word. O God, we grow negligent often in our prayers as we cry out before You against those who would rob Your Son of His deity, His precious blood of its value, sinners of their only hope, who even dare to blot out the terrible threatenings of Your Word, and make sin to be such a trifle as to be scarcely worth mentioning. Oh raise up a race of true preachers, we beseech You. O God of Wesley and Whitefield, let not the breed die out. May we have again men that can thunder when God would have them be like a tempest, but can speak with soft and gentle words when God would find a Barnabas to comfort the sons of men. O God of the Eternal Truth, let the old doctrine yet prevail, and may those that hate it be put to the rout.
Lord save the world, we pray You, with the Gospel; let it go forth even to the ends thereof. Let these lands know the power of Christ, and the great land across the Atlantic, and that other country on the other side of the world where they dwell of our kith and kin, and every race of man. Oh that Christ might be King of kings openly, as we know He is secretly, and let the whole earth bow at His feet, and pay homage unto Him who wore the crown of thorns and surrendered hands and feet to the nails. Oh for His glory! Oh for His glory! Oh for ten thousand thousand hearts for Him! Oh for nations to come and pay homage to Him who has given His life for men. Our heart and flesh cry out to You on behalf of the Well-beloved. Why tarry You, our Father, in rewarding Your Son? His work is finished, but He has not yet seen of the full travail of His soul. Pluck Your right hand from Your bosom, O You Eternal God, and give Your Son yet the precious reward of His Passion. Hasten it, we pray You. Come quickly, even so, come quickly! All Your people cry to You. Why tarry You? The wheels move so tardily. The Gospel spreads so slowly. Oh for the days of the Son of man in the glory of His second Advent! We ask it for His Name's sake. Amen.
September 14, 1884.
Accepted in the Beloved
Our Father God, we wish to speak with You as a man speaks with his friend. But who are we that we should draw near to You, for at best we are but dust and ashes? Yet we come through Him who is our Friend, who long ago introduced some of us to You, and has given us permission to use His name with You. You know Him well. He is Your only-begotten Son, the Well-beloved of Your heart. He is very dear to us, but He is dearer still to You. We do remember well when You did receive us at the gate of the house, with all Your Fatherly compassion, when You did, for His dear sake, "accept us in the Beloved." Many days have passed since then; they have been happy days, days of rest compared with that wretched time in the far-off country, when we wasted our substance, and were like a waste ourselves.
Now, Father, having come to You in that respect years ago, we are not afraid to come to You this morning, making mention of the righteousness of Christ, and coming into the innermost place of Your sanctuary without fear; for our Father will receive us, and He will hear the desires of our heart. Our first cry shall be one of gratitude to You for sending Your Son, Jesus Christ, that great Shepherd of the sheep, that He, as the good Shepherd, might lay down His life for us, and redeem us from wrath. Oh, we have joy in God today, a deep fathomless joy; but it is through Jesus Christ, by whom also we have received the Atonement. We come not unto You Father, except by Him; and coming by Him, we bless the Father that He has given His Son to die for us, that we might live through Him. This is the center of all history to us. This is the light of every day, and the star of every night; the life of our life, and the light of our delight, our entrance into heaven—that He loved me and gave Himself for me. May every believer here not only know this, and be sure of it, but be deeply affected by the fact. May we be stirred to an intense affection, to a fervent gratitude to One who has done everything for us, that we might live through Him.
Now we pray You, our Father, by the love of Jesus Christ, that the Spirit of God dwelling in us, may sanctify us unto the service of Him who has redeemed us with His precious blood. Take out of us, O God, everything which would grieve His Spirit. Plant in us every fair and lovely thing in which He may take pleasure. May the weeds be taken up by the roots, and may the flowers be watered until they come to a sweet perfection. Oh, how we long to live Christly lives—such lives in business, in the domestic circle—such lives even upon a sick bed, if You do appoint our portion there. Oh, help us, dear Savior, to live as those whose life is hid in You, to whom You have become the life, linking Yourself so completely with our personality that we can say "I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me."
Our next prayer is that others may be found by Christ, and forgiven, and washed, and made white, and may become the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. O Lord, save the millions of our race. The whole world still lies in the wicked one; comparatively, the light has fallen upon few. O Lord, grant that the Kingdom of Christ may be extended, and the first grey beams of light that denote the morning sun be followed by the glorious noontide. Oh, that the morning might chase away the long dark ages of the world. The Lord grant power to His Gospel, in our own country, in this our own city, too.
O God, remember London. If the burden of Nineveh was heavy, what must the burden of London be, with its multitudes sickening in poverty, its multitudes sickening in vice and drunkenness? O God, have mercy upon the publicans and sinners. Oh that You would in pity look upon those who will not look upon You, who give us no opportunity of preaching to them the Gospel, for they will not come to hear it. Incline their hearts towards the house of God, incline their hearts towards the Sabbath, give them to long after something better than this weary wilderness of a world can yield them, and may they turn unto the Lord who gives comfort to the comfortless. Lord Jesus, put forth Your power, this morning, in this congregation, for there are many here that are strangers to You. They sit among Your people today, and they will soon rise up to sing, but they know You not; no love in their hearts to You, no faith in Your precious blood; no longings after their Father and their God.
Shepherd of the lost sheep, find the lost sheep this morning! Oh, let no man go out of this place untouched. Let conviction come at last, and let conversion follow quick upon the heels thereof. Oh do not let us gather this morning in vain, and then separate unblessed. Friend of sinners, let the sinners be gathered unto You.
We offer prayer today for such of Your people as are unable to be with us by reason of sickness. We thank You for some who desire to thank God that they are here today, after having for a while been detained. We pray for some that will never come here again, for they are on their way to the glory. The Lord give them to fall sweetly asleep, and to wake up in their Master's likeness, in the glory land. So may it be with each of us when our time shall come. Help us to live upon the borders of eternity. Help Your servant to preach as a dying man to dying men. Help the teachers in our schools to preach as dying men and women. Oh grant that every worker here may work as though he felt the day was far spent, and the night was coming in, in which no man can work. Lord, we do not live as we ought to do. Arouse us, we beseech You. We are like the cold sacrifice upon the altar. We need the fire. Oh bid the fire fall upon us until we are utterly consumed. May a divine ardor possess our spirit, and a sacred fervor run through our entire lives. May we live as those ought to live who have been bought with the heart's blood of the Son of God. Oh lift us above common living; lift us above common Christians; help us to live the true life of a Christian over again, and may the Lord to that end strengthen and sanctify, and instruct, and perfect us, that unto His name there may be some praise through us; for He has created us for Himself, and we must show forth His praise.
Look on foreign lands, we pray You. Help our brethren the missionaries. Be very gracious to those who live in climates where death threatens them every day. Preserve the lives of our brethren and sisters on the Congo. Let us not have to hear of more sacrifices from that region, and let Africa be enlightened, and let its darkest parts be illuminated; and everywhere may Your Kingdom come. Your Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven; for Your is the Kingdom the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
September 28, 1884.
The Gift Unspeakable
O God, thrice holy, infinitely blessed, we can meet You at the Cross. You are well pleased with Jesus, and so are we. Your pleasure in Him is as constant as it is boundless. Our pleasure in Him increases every day. That is all our salvation and all our desire. With Thomas, we have put our hand into the great gash in His side, and we have cried "My Lord and my God!" Our very heart loves Jesus; oh that we loved Him more! Still do we delight in Him. Our happiest moments are in His company—Jesus the Well-spring and River of joy. We are our Beloved's, and our Beloved is ours.
Help us, we pray You, in spirit and in truth, to come near to the Cross of Him who has redeemed us from death and Hell by His death. We would first of all praise You. The heavens are telling of Your glory; but not so loudly as the greatest providence declares Your kindness, and not so sweetly as the cross. Here we behold Your inmost heart. Here we see the love of God made manifest. Behold what manner of love is here! We could not have imagined it; but we do believe it. It could not have seemed true at first blush that You should pierce Your Son with the sharpest smart, that we might enjoy the richest life; yet so it is, and we believe it. It pleased the Father to prove Him. You have put Him to grief: You have made His soul an offering for sin. Lord, we cannot praise You as we would for the Gift unspeakable: it is unspeakable, and so we must leave it. We can each one of us feel with emphasis how true this is: for me, unworthy me, God, the Lord of love and glory, the Eye of the Universe, the Jewel of Heaven, died a villain's death for me! Lord we shall always wonder at it: we shall always feel we can never comprehend the height of this.
Our heart is filled with the praise which shall make us sit silent—praise sits silent on our tongues. We can never sufficiently express Your goodness. But we ask also that this morning in coming to the Cross, we might then exhibit before You a true repentance for sin. But what have we done? We have put to death the Son of God! What have we done? It seemed playing when we sinned, but it turns out to be dreadful work, work of the most solemn kind. We playfully brought ourselves into a mischief, out of which nothing could redeem us but His death. We laughed and sported when we transgressed, but it cost Him cries and tears and bloody sweat, and agonies unknown, to bring us back again from our foolish wandering. God forgive us—yes, You have forgiven us! This sacrifice of Christ upon which we do rely is the assurance that You have put away our sin—that we shall not die here. As the Scapegoat, He has carried our transgressions into the wilderness of forgetfulness: they shall not be numbered against us any more forever. But Lord, while You do forgive us, we cannot forgive ourselves. We would chide ourselves as long as we live for having cost our Lord so dear. Such love, and such an ill return!
Dear Savior, will You so deal with us when You do wash us, that You shall not only take away the guilt of sin, but the power of it—that henceforth we may treat You better; that holiness and true reverence, and hearty loyalty may be our service all our days. O You, who did hang naked on the cross, we pray You, we beseech You, take our whole body, soul, and spirit, and dwell in it and reign over it, and get to Your glory from it, while we live and when we die, and when we rise again, and to eternity.
We would further ask, while we stand this morning at the foot of the Cross, that we may be crucified with Christ to all the world. Oh that the spear might go through our hearts; that the heart henceforth might be dead to all but Christ. And may hands and feet—the instruments of action and of motion—be fastened to His Cross, that we may stray no more, and serve no more the old masters, but may become henceforth wholly the Lord's. We desire, sweet Savior, to feel the power of Your Death, that we may know the power of Your Resurrection. We ask that we may see the world crucified unto us, and that we may be crucified unto the world; that henceforth Christ only may live in us, and we may only live in Him. Lord, bless Your people, that this high privilege—for we are persuaded it is a high privilege—may indeed become ours—to be dead with Christ, to be buried with Christ, to be risen with Christ, to be reigning in Christ, and henceforth to be in loving, living, lasting union with Him who has redeemed us to God by His blood.
But Lord, there are here this morning some who know nothing yet of the power of Jesus Christ; and our prayer is that they may look on Him whom they have pierced, and may mourn for Him, and be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. And this day, may there be opened in the House of David, and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, a fountain which shall cleanse them from sin and from impurity. Oh that today some might stop and ask: What is this? The Son of God in death 1 Why? May none of them pass by, as if it were nothing to do with them, but may a great multitude stand and look at Jesus—look until they live, until they weep, until they wipe their tears away with a holy joy because He died that sin might die.
Lord Jesus, work in the world more powerfully than You have done of late. Our heart is often heavy as we see sin of every kind around us, and especially the insidious advance of error in the midst of Your own Church, which makes the Cross of Christ of none effect. Lord Jesus, reign, we beseech You. O Son of God, we beseech You, reign from the Tree. You are gone up on high: You have led captivity captive. All power is in Your hands: exert that power, graciously exert it, for the salvation of myriads of men. Let the earth bow before You. What a little flock is still Your! We beseech You, gather the nations; let the whole earth call You blessed. Our prayer is, "Let the whole earth be filled with His glory!" May "Hosanna" be our one cry, which shall make us forget every other prayer this morning. Oh, this one thing we do desire—that the hearts of all would acknowledge You; that every closed door should be opened to You; that every obstinate spirit could yield to You. Lord Jesus, reign in the hearts of our young children, of our husbands, wives, brethren, friends, and families. Lord, rule in the hearts of our neighbors. Lord Jesus, save London! Lord Jesus, look at this United Kingdom. Look at all the kingdoms and republics of the earth. May the whole earth know You, You exalted One. By the merit of Your Passion, we beseech the Father to glorify You. Father, glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You. And unto Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be glory world without end. Amen.
April 3, 1887.
A Great God and a Great Company
Great God, we are an exceeding great number of people and how shall one pray for all? Help by Your Holy Spirit, that the words uttered may be suitable for all gathered here. But if not, put prayer into the heart of each individual; may every person here this morning pray, and if he cannot use the words of the one speaker, may he in his heart pray for himself. Oh, let no man, let no woman, let no child, go out of the Tabernacle this morning without having prayer towards God. Your honor is here; Your glory is here revealed. In the great congregation of Your people You are accustomed to be present.
May we, every one, have an audience of God. To some of us You have long been sweetly familiar; we have spoken more to You than to anyone else. There are those here that have spent more time with God than with any other individual. Certainly we have asked larger things of You and have obtained greater answers from our requests to You, than from our requests to our fellow men. Lord, hear our prayers.
Some here, however, have never prayed; may the unfamiliar prayer be breathed this morning for the first time. Lord compel men to come near their God. They will have to come to You: they will have to come before Your Judgment Seat; let them not refuse Your Mercy Seat. While yet the day of grace lasts, let them not turn their backs on God, but rather may they seek You now with full purpose of heart, and seek until they find salvation. Some here once prayed but they have backslidden, and now they have forgotten their hiding place, their resting place. So long is it since they enjoyed prayer that now this morning they are quite strange to it. Come, Holy Spirit, bring the wanderer back. Dear Shepherd, fetch home the stray sheep, and since it may be too lame to come home, put it on Your shoulder and bear it home rejoicing. Glorify the power of Your arm as well as the love of Your heart in bringing home Your wanderers.
And now, Lord, if You will help us to pray we will begin by adoring You. Our Father, which are in Heaven, hallowed be Your name. Here, all prayer should begin with reverent homage to the Most High. You are our Creator, Preserver, Benefactor; all good comes from You, You deep abyss of love. Every drop of the rain of comfort falls from Heaven. Every dewdrop of consolation, are You not the Father of it? We ascribe all honor and glory to You, for every good gift and every perfect gift, is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights with whom is no variableness neither shadow of turning.
May Your Kingdom come among men. We long to see You reign over every class of society. Oh that the great ones of the earth would humble themselves before You. Oh that the multitude would own Him who is exalted out of the people, the people's Friend. May Your will be done, O Lord, on earth, as it is in Heaven. That would make earth a nether Heaven. Would God that men would give up their own wills, their own lustings, their own pride, and follow after God and be obedient. Holy Spirit, You alone can do this. All the eloquence of preachers will effect nothing without the Holy Spirit. We trust not in music, nor education, nor in civilization, nor in anything but the distinct power of the Holy Spirit, working in men to will and to do of God's own good pleasure. Our Father, take to Yourself Your great power. You are Lord of all, and even the will of man which You have made so free, is in bonds until You are Master of it, and then, when it is in bond to You, it becomes alone truly free.
Lord God, sacred Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, reign on earth. Let Your eternal purposes be accomplished. Let the decrees of Your sovereignty be carried out. Let Your grace be glorified. Let the whole earth be filled with Your glory. We know no deeper and no higher prayer than this: oh, that it were fulfilled right speedily!
Now suffer us to speak for ourselves, having thus endeavored to pay You homage. We confess that we have sinned. Father forgive us. To many, forgiveness has been once for all bestowed. You have washed us, and he who is washed needs not save to wash his feet. But give us the foot washing, this morning. Oh that we might come to the laver and be clean, and then go in as priests into the Holy Place of the Most High. Jesus, we believe in Your precious blood. Once for all, it has put away sin; the great Sacrifice has made complete atonement; it can never be repeated, it never needs to be. In that one Sacrifice we are clean, as many as have believed, and there is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. But Savior, we now sin in another fashion, as children against paternal government, against a Father's love, and as children we ask to be pardoned. Hide not Your face from us, put not Your servants away in anger; deal graciously with Your children, and let us walk in the light, as God is in the light, and have fellowship with the Father and with the Son, and may joy and peace abound in us. Is there anything this morning between us and God; does anything darken our light? Lord take it away. Have we any doubts? Let the light remove them. Does anything trouble us? May we cast our care on You. Have we any dark foreboding? May we put our foreboding away, for sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Enable every child of God to have perfect rest in God, this morning. May we be on loving terms with God. May we have not even the least grit in the machinery. May there not be a speck of dust in the eye, for in dealing with God our heart is tender, as the apple of the eye, and the least thing offends. May we be, in Christ Jesus, accepted in the Beloved, dear to God, and may God be dear to us.
Oh, for the inflowing of divine love. May we feel the heart of God beat toward us, this morning. Open our hearts, Lord, to receive Your heart, and let Your great heart flow into us, until our heart flows back to You with tides of warm emotion and tender love. Your servant will not be able to edify Your people this morning by any power he has, but may the Holy Spirit come; may the floods of God come, and may this be a blessed time to the people of God, a time of great nearness to God, and the light of God shining into every secret part of the soul.
What a number of Your children are met together here this morning! Lord, if we are all right with You, what an amount of happiness there is here, what a Heaven this Tabernacle is! And if You will come and set us all working for You, what an amount of light will go forth from this place! If by our lips and lives we henceforth bear testimony to our God, what a result we shall see; how many will be taught, how many will hear, how many will be blessed! Lord, we are not what we ought to be, we are not what we want to be, we are not what we shall be. Come upon us, we pray You, come and use every child of Your here for the conversion of others. Come and make us to be burning and shining lights, each one in our day and generation.
The members of this church, Lord, make them a holy people. May we not only have the name of Christians, but may we have the life of Christians. Lord, forgive the inconsistent ones. Sanctify, we pray You, the consecrated ones, and if any are unconsecrated, take them today; make them to feel that they are not their own, but are bought with a price. Father, bless those who are newly added to us. May they be good and strong. May the Spirit of God build them up, and make them to be temples for His own indwelling. Bless all the work done by this church, in every department. Among the young, do You prosper us in the Sunday school, in the classes, in the Orphanage—everywhere may young children be born to God. Bless the work of the church in reference to the drunkard. May the mission of the past week be blessed of God, and may the days that yet remain be fuller of blessing than those that are passed. Remember the mission work of the church—all our sons and daughters that are in foreign lands, preaching for Christ. Bless the Convention of this week; may it stir up much missionary zeal, and may many be led to devote themselves to the Lord's work in regions far off.
Our God, use each one of us. Use me, even me, O my Father. There is many a young girl praying, "Lord use me." There is many a worker in the Tabernacle this morning, quite unknown, who is saying, "My Father, use even me." Condescend, Lord, to hear that prayer, and make us to glorify You on earth, that we may be ready to glorify You in Heaven.
Now remember the unconverted among us, and call them today. Call the careless; call the seeker: let him be a seeker no longer, but become a finder. Comfort the despairing; bring the broken-hearted to the great Physician, who can make them whole. Oh save us; save everyone. Is there one person here that is like to be left out of our prayer? Lord, we pray twice for him, for her. Save that prayerless one. Are there any here who despise prayer? Lord change their hearts and renew them. Are there unbelievers here, for whom there is no God and no hereafter? Open their blinded eyes and let them see their God. Do save this company! We are such a mixed multitude it is impossible to pray for every one distinctly, and yet we make the attempt, saying, Our Father bless each one! Omit not one, for Christ's sake. Amen.
October 13, 1889.
Praise at All Times
O God, our God, we would praise You this morning, not only with the voice of song, but with the heart. Sometimes our praise takes the form of thankfulness; and, indeed, we have good reason to thank You for mercies more numerous than the sand. "Bless the Lord, O my soul." Sometimes we praise You by believing in the teeth of appearances. We have praised You for this wet Sunday. We do not know why You should send rain on the Sabbath, and keep the people from coming together; but we Believe it is so ordered by Your wisdom and Your goodness that we would thank You for it. We would learn also to thank You when Your hand is heavy and Your ways are dark. "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away: blessed be the name of the Lord." We are persuaded that the sweetest praise that ever comes to You comes from Your tried children when, under a smarting rod, they kiss the rod, and Him that has appointed it. Help Your dear children who are much afflicted, to praise You by a cheerful submission to Your will. It must be right, for God has done it; it must be for the best, for God is love. Father, when You do stagger us, when we seem at our wits' end, and know not what to do or what to say, may we still hold to You, and feel it is the Lord. Let Him do what seems to Him good.
Here, in Your presence, we would each one render that form of praise which is suitable for the hour. The healthy and the happy praise You with exultant voice. The sick and the sorry praise You with a living hope. Those who are suffering and bowed down, praise You with a willing acquiescence, desiring that even from the loosened string some music may come to the Most High. Our Father, when we shall get up to see You; when Your unveiled face shall appear unto Your perfected ones, we shall gladly have nothing to do but to praise. There will be no regrets, no remembrances of any hard words from You, or rough stroke from Your rod. It will be praise and only praise; as it will be so, as it ought to be so. Let it be so now. And here, with heavenly minds, may we be unanimous in praise; may there be no child of God that refuses to praise God this morning. If any have left their harps so long upon the willows that they almost forget the songs of Zion, teach them over again. Let a new flash, a new light arouse the hallowed instincts of their inner life, and may they begin with double zest to praise God who has brought them out of their captivity.
While we praise You this morning, we are longing that others might do the same. The deepest prayer of our own heart is, "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven." Lord, bring our friends and kinsfolk to praise Thee—everyone. Just as all the tribes stood in their representatives around their father's bed, so may all Your children gather to the living God and praise Him: let no one be absent. We pray You now to bring in the lost sheep of the House of Israel; the many redeemed by blood, not yet redeemed by power, the many chosen who have never chosen You, the many who will be in the glory but as yet are glorying in their shame and minding earthly things. Bring, we pray You, many under the influence of the Gospel, myriads to worship Christ and to be saved by Him; and may His name be as ointment poured forth in every place today, enchanting many and attracting them to bow at His feet.
Our Father, we pray You forgive Your children all the wrong they have done during another week. If there be anything between us and God, take it away. You have taught us to ask and it shall be given us; You have bidden us seek if we cannot find You, and seek until we find. But You have also added, "Knock," as if there might be a door between us and You: "Knock and it shall be opened." Lord, if there is any door between us, may that door be opened; may we begin knocking at it now, and never cease until it opens. We would not have even the beginning of a cloud between our heart and our Father. Lord, put away the sin as between a child and his father. You have put away our sin as between a subject and a king. We are pardoned; we are clean; we are washed with the blood of Christ—so many as have believed in His name—there is no sin remaining on us. But, as children, we come under another discipline, and members of a family that offend our Father. Our Father, "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us." We do very freely and very heartily and very truly forgive anybody who may have aggrieved us. Do You so with Your children, and let us feel of a certainty now that we are perfectly reconciled with God, and that we are one with You, and speak with You as a man speaks with his friend.
Then, our Father, when You have thus put away everything that interposes lead us into Your truth. Teach us more of Your Word; teach it to us by experience; may we have it burned into our hearts; may we know the truth not only in the letter of it, but in the life and spirit of it. And, teach us to be holy. Oh how we long for this! We would have every passion under subjection; we would have every power and faculty bitted and held in with a bridle; nay, we would have every evil tendency killed, and have every holy tendency imparted. Take us, Lord, and sanctify us. We are not content with justification; we want sanctification. Make and keep us pure within, clean in motive, clean in imagination. Oh, how difficult! Make us so that our very thoughts shall be a matter of conscience, and every thought shall be brought into captivity to Jesus Christ our Lord. Oh, that we could live as angels do here in this mortal body, living as purely, as joyfully, as obediently, as they do; not bound down by the body nor kept in subjection to any of its appetites but made free to be the servants of God with enhanced delight!
Remember any child of those here who may have slipped; Lord restore him. And, if any of us have wandered and are not aware of it, bring us back at all events; and if grey hairs are upon us here and there, and we know it not, restore to us our youth; bring back to us whatever of energy and holiness we once had, and somewhat more. Oh make us like Christ: we do pray You, make us like Christ. We would even accept His cross and the vinegar, if we might have His holiness. We make no exception of anything of Christ's; we would take Him as He was, or as He is: only let Christ be formed in us, the hope of glory.
We pray with great earnestness that You would bless this church. We thank You for additions constantly made to our members; we pray that they may be good men, and true, holy women, in their very hearts. Lord, keep those that are in membership. Let us not fall; let us not fall. Make us all useful. Keep the church in unity, peace and concord, and give it zeal and passionate longing for the conversion of the souls of men. O Lord, we do pray You to remember us tonight, when we come to Your Communion, may the Lord be there! And when we gather together, and our dear evangelists will be here, may a very large tide of blessing come. May many be brought in who now think nothing of You. While we are preaching, may the Holy Spirit be working, may souls be saved by thousands.
Remember the churches of our neighbors round about whenever Christ is preached. May there be a revival of pure and undefiled religion where Christ is not preached. The Lord comfort the ministers, the Lord comfort the churches. Oh, put an end to that revival of heresy, which we see on every side! Your glorious Word is treated as a common book. nay, hardly so well respected as a poor almanac. The Lord have mercy upon those who doubt His Word, and bring back a reverence for every line of inspiration, above all a deep love to the Atoning Sacrifice. Let it not be despised, but may the precious blood be preached everywhere and multitudes washed in it and made clean. We pray for our country and our Queen. We pray for every other country, and ask that peace may rule everywhere; and we close our prayer with this deepest wish: "Your Kingdom come"—Yourself, Great King, even so come quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen and Amen.
November 3, 1889.
The Blesser and the Blessed
Our Father, we feel unworthy to go into Your holy presence and to take Your name upon our lips, yet in Christ we have a worthiness which is perfect. Making mention of His name we are not afraid to stand before the blessed throne of Deity. For Christ's sake hear us, we pray You. But we are also impotent in prayer. Your servant feels that to pray for such an assembly as this is far beyond his power. Who can pray aright for himself without the teaching of the Spirit of God? Who can pray for all this mass of people? My Lord, I am as unable as I am unworthy; nevertheless hear and help. First would we praise You. The last week was a week of signal blessing with many of us, and if we did not praise You we could not pray, for he who does not remember favors received, can hardly ask for more. You have done great things for us, whereof we are glad. You have daily loaded us with benefits, our cup runs over. "Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name." Let not Your people spare their praises; may they pour them out like rivers of oil. As the incense rose in clouds from the holy altar, so may praise go up to God like the smoke of the morning sacrifice.
But, Lord, we also adore as well as praise. We worship Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the one God of Israel. We wish every blessing to the God of blessing, to whom be glory, and honor, and power, and light, and might, and dominion forever and ever. We wish we could be always adoring. It is our Heaven on earth, and it will be our Heaven in Heaven forever to glorify God. This is our chief end, and we only find our bliss as we are able to reach unto it. But, You blessed God, words cannot speak our reverence; praise sits on our tongue while we adore the God of the Covenant, the God and Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, our God forever and ever, who shall be our guide even unto death.
And now look upon Your people here and bless us. There are many workers in the midst of this house today. O God, help us. We are very weak, and if we get a little strength, it only adds to our weakness. We grow more and more dependent upon an Almighty arm. If we had not God, we had nothing. Bless Your servants who preach the Gospel. May they never dream that they can save a soul. May they leave salvation with the Savior whose work it is. May we be instruments in the hands of God, and be content to give Him all the praise when we have the largest success. Lord, if You would save everybody in the Tabernacle we can take no credit for it, but lay it down at the feet of the divine Spirit, who rules the will of men, and leads men to put their trust in Christ. Yet would we work as if all depended upon us; throw our whole soul into every sacred exercise, and with all our might and main, plead with men and warn them, and entreat them to flee from the wrath to come. O God, the Holy Spirit, work in every congregation, in every Sunday school, and work in the private houses of men and women who do not come out to public worship, and bring them while they read Your Word at home; or work by Your providence and bring them to Christ somehow, that He may see of the travail of His soul.
Bless Your own people, especially, by giving us more faith. May we believe up to the hilt. May we believe, and believe, and still believe! May we never stagger at a promise through unbelief, and may no affliction ever stagger us. If we are in the cave may we sing David's cave-song: "O God, my heart is fixed, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise." Lord save us from unbelief, which brings misery, but a childlike trust brings happiness. Give us greater love to You; shame that we should need to pray the prayer, but we do. Inflame us with Your love; may all our hearts be taken up with love to Christ; may we live love to Him and so to our fellow-men.
God bless His dear people with patience; make patience have her perfect work that we may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. The Lord give us perfect consecration, and a holy waiting for His coming. May we be looking for the appearing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and so be kept ever on the watch for the setting loose of earthly things, finding our joy not here nor there, but in Him and waiting for His appearing. Revive Your Church at this time. O that there would come a heavenly wind to blow over Your fainting Church! Lord, she has been ill-fed of late; she has eaten ashes with her bread, false doctrine with Your truth. Come and purge away false doctrine and error, and may Your own truth be proclaimed again. Then men, feeding upon it, shall have the old gladness, the old holiness, the old service of God.
The Lord remember this our beloved church. Lord we cannot keep it, it has long ago outgrown all our ability. Come You and be the Shepherd of the flock, and preserve Your sheep, even to the end. At this hour remember our many dear friends who are away. The Lord grant that their holiday may do them good, and oh grant that tomorrow, none of the feebler sort may be tempted into sin. We sometimes dread the effect of holidays upon some who get into company and are allured into sin. Lord keep them today, and tomorrow. And now as there are many strangers here today who fill up the places of our own friends, give them a blessing. Remember the stranger that is within Your gates, for many of them are no strangers to You, though they may be to us. God bless them, and the churches to which they belong. Give them a good meal today. May they have a square meal of Gospel food, and go away greatly refreshed. And if any have come to the Tabernacle this morning who are not converted, may this be their birthday. This day, may they confess their sin and flee to Christ, and believe in Him, and know their sin forgiven, and go away with a heart full ready to leap with joy because the Lord has met with them. Your servant feels very unfit for preaching: do You help him. Oh, give us souls this morning. If we speak feebly, yet do You work mightily. Bring many to Christ's feet. Do it Lord; we have a simple desire for Your glory. While we thus pray, honor Yourself, honor Your truth, honor Your Son, indulge Your mercy, magnify Your name in the conversion of men. We ask it all in the name of the Well-beloved. Amen.
May 25, 1890.
Enrich Us All!
O Lord, enrich us with all spiritual blessings according to Your riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Give us first complete peace of mind. Deliver us from all slavish fear. Let us rest in the great Father's love. Save us also from carefulness and that anxiety which does fret and eat as does a canker. Help us today to cast our burden upon You, whatever that burden may be. Work in us, O God, the precious gift of faith, and increase faith if we have it. Let us not only have life, but have it more abundantly. Brighten our hope, and may we joyfully expect the coming of the Lord. Every day inflame our love, and may we more intensely love our God, our Savior, and our brethren, and our fellow men. Work in us, we pray You, the blessed character of our divine Exemplar. Lead us to follow in His steps. May we be truly Christians, as truly as He was Christ. Amen.
Always Our Helper
O God, You are our God. Early in life many of us were brought to put our trust in You, and since then You have been our God in many and many an experience. We have been in troubles often, but You have always been our Helper. We have been in danger, but He who keeps Israel has neither slumbered nor slept. We can truly say this morning, "Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings will I rejoice." What a God You have been to us in our experience—so tender over our weakness, ever teaching us little by little as we have been able to bear it; so long-suffering with our follies, chastening only in measure, and comforting without measure.
Lord, You have heard our prayers, even when we have hardly thought they could be answered. We have been unbelieving, but You have been faithful. We have been undeserving, but Your grace has never failed. There are many of us present who have known You now as long as Israel knew You in the wilderness, these forty years, and never once have You failed to keep Your promise, or to remember Your people for good. May our faith grow exceedingly. May we that have had experience of Your goodness, feel ashamed ever to entertain a doubt, and when the dark thought ever crosses our mind which would make us mistrust, may we chase it as a strange and vain thought, which must not even lodge, much less dwell, within our hearts. "The Lord lives, and blessed be my Rock"—strong to keep His promise, unchanging, unexhausted, ever the eternal Fountain of good things to His waiting peoples. We pray, O Lord, that those who have not believed in You, may take courage from the experience of Your people to be assured that You will keep them also. There may be some here just beginning to believe—little children—the Lord strengthen them. May they feel no hesitation in committing their souls to the keeping of the great God. May they come to You, our Father, through Jesus Christ Your Son, and now believe, and leave the future, the past, the present—leave everything—with You. We do heartily pray You for some here present who are not far from the Kingdom, who have been upon the verge of believing for months, but they think it is a venture, they are afraid lest they may not believe, though You do command them: may they come and taste and see that the Lord is good, for blessed is the man that trusts in You.
Look in great mercy upon Your people gathered here. Some of them are full of joy. You have sown their sky with stars. Their way is bright with inward joy and with surrounding comforts. May they not begin to worship their comforts, nor kiss their hands to the stars, nor begin to make a God of the things around them. O Lord, keep Your people in the hour of prosperity. May our hearts never wander from the living God, and may we walk as much by faith in the unseen as we should do if we were in the dark. But many of Your people here are in quite another case. Some of us are in pain. Oh help us to forget we have a body. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Help us to rise above the flesh. Some here are remembering household troubles. Enable them not to forget them, but to feel that they come from the Father's hand, and that He must have a good intent in them. So may they accept the bitter cup, and as they drink it, may the cup of consolation be set to their lips. Remember some that are at this moment remembering the dead, unburied yet. Their sorrows are green. O God, send new comfort where You have sent fresh grief. Deal graciously with us, O Lord, whatever our circumstances may be. It may be our trouble is not without, but within—"Some deep sense of sin renewed; This will work us lasting good" if we carry it not too far.
It may be we have had great battles of late with Satan, with some old corruption. Make us victorious. It may be that someone of Your promises, even, has been too great for us, and we have scarcely been able to believe it. O God, visit Your people. What strange creatures we are! The little world within has its summer and its winter, its heart-quakes, its tornadoes, its storms. Great Master, govern the world of our inner nature as You do govern the world of nature, and may we conquer yet. May we yet come into the certainties, where the birds sit on the waves and all is still. We shall come there we know in Heaven, but even now give us the peace of God which passes all understanding, the perfect rest of conquered self, and of simple confidence in You. Why are you troubled; why are You cast down, O my soul, why are You disquieted within me? Bring Your people again to the hill Mizar and to the land of the Hermonites; and yet again may they praise Him, who is the health of their countenance and their God. As a church, we want the presence of God more fully. We pray that this week, during the Mission that is to be held, many may be brought in who are far from God in moral conduct, and be converted. May they give up the drink, but may they also give up all sin, by being created anew in Christ Jesus by the Holy Spirit. O God, continue to add to our number, for many have gone home to Heaven, and many are growing old, and in the ordinary course of things will not be long with us. Lord add to us at the one end, as You do diminish at the other. Bring in our children, bring many to the Sabbath school. Bring in the young men and women. Bring in the outsiders who live near this place, and yet never enter it. May they come and hear for eternity, and may their souls live. We wish, O God, with all our hearts, that this church and its many branches and schools, its college and orphanage, its evangelists and colporteurs, might all be under the divine blessing. O Lord, we have an agency, and a great machinery, but we must have the power. Come, Holy Spirit: we adore You from the bottom of our hearts, and we pray You to work mightily with Your people, that work may be done and Christ may be glorified. Save, we pray You, those now present today who have not yet tasted that the Lord is gracious. Save them now. May a second thought drop into their hearts, and work there like a fire spot, setting their sin alight that it may be consumed. May many be so impressed this morning as never to forget, but to turn to God with full purpose of heart. O my Lord, continue to give me fruit among this people. I beseech You, bring my hearers to be obedient to Christ. Your people are praying with me now, as with one heart—Lord save the ungodly! Save those, also, who are hearers but have never felt the divine power with the word. Save them now even this day.
Bless our country. God be pleased to rule and overrule. Give peace and quietness among all ranks and conditions of men. God bless those who rule among us. May the Queen be the special object of Your divine power. May the blessing of God rest on all our foreign relations. May God bless the United States, and the myriads of our brethren there, and all the scattered in every nation that fear God. Best of all, come, O You great King of all the earth! Son of God, make haste to come. We pray You, appear and be glorified in the eyes of men, and reign among Your nations, and end the world's strife and sin. We ask it for Your glory's sake. Amen.
October 12, 1890.
The Adorable Trinity
O Lord, we feel as if we must just stand before You in adoration. Glory be unto the Triune God, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, "the God of the whole earth shall He be called." Let Jehovah be worshiped everywhere. Creator, Preserver, Redeemer, the Friend and Helper of man: unto His name be glory forever and ever. You have revealed Yourself unto us in trinity as well as in unity, and we adore You as You do reveal Yourself.
Glory be unto the Father. We feel the love of children within our hearts; we can say Abba, Father. Oh, how we love You, our God. Father of Jesus, Father of all that are in Jesus, our Father—sweeter word than Abraham could use. You have given us more light and introduced us to a nearer and dearer place than the patriarch knew: shall we not worship? Inconceivably glorious: we are awe-struck. Inconceivably good: we are quickened into boldness. Our God, our Father—we mingle the two words and we feel it to be very sweet to be in the immediate presence of such an One.
With equal honor and depth of love do we adore the Son of God, not only God but also Man, bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh. We have not seen You and still must rest in faith alone; but we believe that You did come to earth, did live and die, that You were buried, and on the third day did rise again from the dead; and You are gone up into glory, and You shall shortly come again to take Your people from among men to dwell with You. Our heart expects You, we long for You; even so, come quickly Lord Jesus. Meanwhile, our spirit bows in lowliest and most loving reverence. With all the shining ranks above of cherubim and seraphim, we adore the Lamb in the midst of the Throne as God over all, blessed forever.
And You, too, O Sacred Spirit, the Holy Spirit, we reverence and love You, for You are our Comforter. You are now the power of this dispensation. You are with us, and You will abide with us. You dwell in our hearts; we worship You and bless the condescending love that deigns to dwell in such poor tenements as our nature.
Blessed be the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Our soul would take a flight out of our bodies for a moment up to the gate of pearl. It is open, and we pass along the golden streets, and we behold Your glory, too excessive for the eye. We hear in spirit the eternal song, and lo, we bow with all the redeemed by blood. We have no crowns to cast at Your feet, O God, but all that we have, and all we are, we ascribe unto You, "By the grace of God I am what I am." We have no words, we can only in the silence of our spirit adore, and again adore, and magnify and extol the Lord that lives forever. Accept our poor worship, through the Mediator Jesus Christ. Amen.
Let All the People Praise You!
Oh that we could praise You! We do not feel like praying just now so much as praising You—
"Oh for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer's praise."Oh for an overflowing power of the Holy Spirit kindling our whole soul, our whole being, like a burnt-offering, that we might smoke toward Heaven, rising in flames of rapturous love and mighty adoration. The Lord lives. Blessed be my rock, and let the God of Israel be exalted. He is my God, and I will extol Him. He is my father's God and I will prepare Him a habitation. Oh let the people praise You, great God, let all the people praise You; then shall the earth yield her increase, and God, even our God, shall bless us. Oh, give a special blessing to this dear church of ours. Continue to multiply us; continue to give us more gifts and more graces. Make us a holy people, and keep us so, a devoted, earnest, eager people, longing to extend the dominion of Christ. The Lord hear the daily prayers of this congregation. Amen.
Children of Abraham
O God, You are our God, and we will exalt You. You are our fathers' God, and we will exalt You. You are the God of Abraham, and of Moses, and of Jacob. Jehovah, the God of David, the God of the whole earth shall You be called. Our soul does magnify You, for You have manifested Yourself to us more clearly than to the patriarchs and kings of old. In the face of Jesus Christ we see Your glory. The express image of Your person, have You made Him to be; and we worship and adore You in Him, magnifying with all our hearts the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the Triune God of Israel, to whom be blessing forever and ever! Happy are the people who call You their God. Happy are we who have by Your mighty grace been born the children of the promise, the true seed of Abraham, seeing we have believed, and are thus the children of believing Abraham. Amen.
The Cross and the Throne
O You infinitely glorious Jehovah, to praise You is our delight. We never feel so blessed as when we are either at the foot of the Cross, or at the foot of the Throne, and we bless You that we know both places. We know not where of the two we can best adore. O You blessed One, that ever You should come from Heaven to earth to bleed and die! What can our hearts say? What can our souls render? Our eyes are better than our lips in this adoration, for we can weep to the praise of the mercy which we see in the bleeding Son of God; but still at the foot of the Throne we would worship Him that lives forever. All glory be to our Creator, Preserver, Redeemer, Comforter. It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves: we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. We would worship and bow down; we would kneel before the Lord our Maker, in the reverence of our hearts. All honor and glory and power and dominion be unto Him that sits upon the Throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever!
We would adore the Most High as we take a retrospect of all His dealings with us. You have dealt well with Your servants, according to Your word. We have often provoked You, but You have as often forgiven us; we have started aside like a deceitful bow, but You have been faithful to Your every word of promise. We have been feeble and weak, and are not worthy of Your regard, but You have shown Yourself strong on the behalf of them that serve You. The right hand of the Lord is exalted, the right hand of the Lord does valiantly. In our life and in our experience we have seen what great things the Lord does for them that put their trust in Him, and we can say, "Happy is the man that has the God of Jacob for His confidence." O Hope of Israel, You do not deceive. You give us no eggs that will not hatch, no mockery of blessing; but he whom You bless is blessed. None can reverse the blessing. We bless You, O God, for our election or ever the earth was, for our calling by Your effectual grace. We bless You for our pardon bought with blood. We bless You for the power of grace which has kept us until now. Who could hold us up but You? And as we set up our Ebenezer today, it is with songs of gratitude unto the Lord whose mercy endures forever. Amen.
The Love of the Firstborn
Our Father, we love You with all our hearts for Your matchless love in giving up Your only-begotten Son for us. You were ever well-pleased with Him. You have delighted in Him and He in You. Yet for our sakes, for the sake of miserable puny beings, whom You might have swept away in a moment, You did give Him that He might take upon Him our nature; that having taken our nature He might be Your servant, and might carry out His obedience unto death, even the death of the cross. We find it very hard to see our children suffer, and if they are taken from us by death, our hearts are broken. Yet did You, infinitely loving Father, give Your only-begotten Son that He might die, and that we might live through Him. Oh, if we have a spark of love toward You, may Your Holy Spirit now fan it to flame. And since the First-born has made us brethren, and is Himself the Firstborn among many brethren, may that same love which is in the heart of the Firstborn be in the hearts of the younger brotherhood, that we may all love You, O Father, even as Jesus loves You, and You love Him. Amen.
Looking unto Him
Great God of the Sabbath, and Lord of the assemblies of Israel, we worship You, You Most High, the Lord of Hosts, God all-sufficient. Our spirits bow into the dust before the infinite majesty of the All-in-All. The Lord lives: God is. We are but as passing shadows and things of an hour; but, O God, You are forever and ever, and our spirits worship You. We ask this great favor at Your hands, that the Lord Jesus Christ may stand among us by His spiritual presence, and that we may all of us be especially conscious that He is fulfilling His promise, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Many of us have looked to Him and we have been lightened, and our faces are not ashamed. We would look to Him again today. Oh, that He might be set forth manifestly crucified among us, and as we look to Him crucified for us, may our souls drink in deep peace and heavenly repose. Give to every believer a sweet sense of pardoned sins, a blessed consciousness of divine love, a holy peace of mind, a blessed restfulness in Christ. Give also perfect consecration, strong resolve to serve the Lord while here below to the utmost of our capacity. Give more receptiveness that we may be ready to hold. Lord, enlarge us; give much faith to believe great things and to lay hold of great things. Amen.
Anticipation of Glory
O blessed Savior, we would ask for all believers to realize their union with Christ Jesus. Oh that our hearts might track You upward to Your throne ascending high. Let us rise with You by a joyous confidence, for we shall be there before long, and let us now survey Your power, Your state, the glories of Your kingly condition, where You sit at the right-hand of God for ever, having finished the atoning sacrifice for the sins of men. We worship You, Immanuel—"God with us." We now adore You, Jesus, before the Father's throne. There is no coming to the Father, but by You; but in tracking You we have come to the Father, and to the place where the "many mansions" are. Our spirit now anticipates her time of rejoicing when, delivered from the house of clay and from the nature of sin, we shall be forever with the Lord. Yet further, do we anticipate yet more that last Day, when He shall come according to His promise. O Savior, You shall come, as surely as You have come once You shall come again, and then our bodies, now our burden, shall become our joy, for You will call them, "from beds of dust and silent clay." You will renew them, You will revive them, and then will You receive us unto Yourself to be with You, world without end. Lay to the hearts of Your children, O Holy Spirit, these priceless consolations. Help us to get out of the present, if it be surrounded with pain or loss or depression, and may we live in that eternal future which is so full of excessive glory that we may well take from it now, and enjoy it without fear of diminishing it when we come to our heritage. The Lord help us to be risen with Christ and then to set our affections upon things above, where Christ sits at the right-hand of God. Oh for grace to do this. And may this day, therefore, be as one of the days of Heaven upon earth. May our life of today be a fragment of the life we lead in Christ, the eternal life that we shall spend with Him in the glory.
O dear Savior, let every believer come very close to You now. May this be a moment in which we shall feel that if there has been distance, and wondering and doubt, there shall not be any of these any longer. We have come close to our Lord; we will lean upon the Beloved; we will abide in Him even as He bids us abide, and in the biding gives us the promise, speaks the word of command, "Abide in Me and I in you." Amen.
Christ in His People
You have done it unto Me. Matthew 25:40.
Jesus, poorest of the poor!
Man of Sorrows! Child of grief!
Happy they whose bounteous store
Ministered to Your relief.Jesus, though Your head is crowned,
Crowned with loftiest majesty,
In Your members You are found,
Plunged in deepest poverty.Happy they who wash Your feet,
Visit You in Your distress.
Honor great, and labor sweet,
For Your sake the saints to bless.They who feed Your sick and faint
For Yourself a banquet find;
They who clothe the naked saint
Round Your loins the clothing bind.You will keep their soul alive;
From their foes protect their head;
Languishing, their strength revive,
And in sickness make their bed.You will deeds of love repay;
Grace shall generous hearts reward
Here on earth, and in the day
When they meet their reigning Lord.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit
Our Father, which are in Heaven, it is an intense joy to us to call You by that endearing name, for it is no mere empty title. We feel the spirit of adoption in us "whereby we cry, Abba, Father." We feel the nature of God in us, which has been given us by the Spirit of God, the quickening, the renewal, the begetting again unto a lively hope. O Lord, we thank You, that we are Your children by regeneration as well as by adoption, that we have been made partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption which is in the world through lust. And we would revel in the thought that now it is given to us to become the sons of God, even to as many as believe on the name of Jesus, which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. Help us to enjoy the sweet privileges which come to us through being introduced into Your family. May we be among the number of those who dwell in Your house and go no more out forever; who must be still praising You, because they are always within the precincts of their great Father's house.
Oh, what have You done for us, great God? What a wondrous grace is this; and what have You prepared for us? Who can tell what You have laid up for them that fear You, among the sons of men? We would now approach You, Lord, with that filial fear which well becomes dear children who are conscious of a thousand transgressions. Yet would we approach You with that filial boldness which is born of a sense of love, and daily grows upon mercies perpetually given. We worship You, O God our Father, with all our heart, and soul and strength. We love You; we trust You; we delight in You; You are all in all to us. You have made with us an everlasting Covenant, ordered in all things and sure; and therefore are we bound to You by bonds that never can be broken.
And You, most blessed Jesus, Son of the Highest, we also worship You with an intensity of affection. You are our Brother, our Goel, our next of kin, and we know that You live; and though after our skin worms destroy this body, yet in our flesh shall we behold You. We shall see You for ourselves and not another, to which hope we are daily coming. You will come to take Your people up to their eternal home: therefore do we adore You now with all our heart, and with all the sacred love of our being. Blessed be the Son of God who spared not His honor, but became a Man, who spared not Himself, but died "the Just for the unjust to bring us God."
And, O Eternal Spirit, with equal reverence do we worship You; for it is by You that we come to Jesus, and it is through Jesus that we come to the Father. Oh, Your wondrous love in dwelling in us 1 We are often astonished as we think of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit: we put it side by side with the incarnation of the ever-blessed Son, and we know not which is the greater mercy, the greater condescension of these twain. O blessed Spirit, make us deeply grateful for both, and because we know the one through the other may we rejoice in each as You shall help us. Blessed be the one God, the God of Abraham, "the God of the whole earth shall He be called." With all our spirit reverently prostrate we adore and worship the only living and true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
The Blessings of the Covenant
O Lord, we take to ourselves without stealth, but of good and honest right, all the blessings of the Covenant; seeing we are heirs of the Covenant, joint-heirs with Christ Jesus Your Son, and therefore does our soul again exalt in God; for You are ours in Covenant now, and we are Your. You are the Covenant God, and we are the Covenanted ones, a people near unto You, whom Your grace has chosen and called and redeemed and set apart unto Yourself; of whom You have said, even of all believers: "This people have I formed for Myself. They shall show forth My praise."
And, indeed, most gracious God, we feel this morning as if we must show forth Your praise as we remember all Your delivering mercy to us. Some of us have now known You for years, and we have had great and sore troubles, but You have established Your word unto Your servants with which You have caused us to hope. You have led us by devious ways, but always by the right way. You have chastened us sore, but You have not appointed us unto death. You have given us marks of Your Fatherly love in every touch of Your rod, and therefore do we bless Your name. You did bring us through fire and through water; men did ride over our heads, yet have You brought us out into a wealthy place. You have set our feet upon a rock and established our goings, and our soul sometimes wishes that the body would dance before the ark of God, for very joy and gratitude that overflows the soul, and would overflow the body too, until the very flesh should be made to pay homage before the ever-blessed One who has caused His mercy to flow to us in ceaseless rivers of love. Amen.
Our Supreme Delight
Gracious God, the highest pleasure we anticipate is that of worshiping You to perfection with cherubim and seraphim and all the host redeemed by blood, with legions of angels and creatures innumerable we hope to pour out day without night continually songs of adoring joy, and even now one of our nearest approaches to Heaven is in sacred song. O You, our supreme delight, our inheritance, our light, our life, our all; we can truly say we delight in God. O You blessed One, we love Your Word, we love Your House, we love Your Day. And You Yourself, what shall we say of You! Take us more and more unto Yourself through Jesus Christ the Mediator, and let our hearts be more and more taken up with You. Your servants have gone another six days' journey through the wilderness and they are glad to come to an oasis, to the Lord's Day, a day set apart for worship and spiritual improvement. Be near us Lord, today; put everything away. May we keep the world outside, and may we have such a fullness of God in us, and be ourselves so wholly in God, that the day may be delightful, every hour of it, even to the closing blessing when we fall asleep. Amen.
Goodness and Mercy
Our God, we love You: we can say from our very hearts we love You. We are not what we ought to be. We often turn aside, but still our heart is right toward You and Your Covenant; though we be faint, we are yet pursuing. Through infinite mercy our faces are still Zionward; our confidence is nowhere but in our God. "From Him comes my salvation." Glory be unto the name of Jehovah forever and ever and ever! Our hearts cannot feel all they ought to feel, nor can our tongues express the thousandth part of the emotions of our inmost nature, as we look back upon the way whereby the Lord our God has led us; how, in the splendor of His mercy, He has kept us, and would not let go away from Him; how He has fed us, and would not suffer us to feed upon the husks that the swine do eat. And He has preserved us even to this day, and made with us an everlasting Covenant, ordered in all things and sure, which neither death nor Hell shall ever disannul. Accept our thanks today; accept the special thanks of some of us who at this peculiar season seem overwhelmed with mercy. We do not know where to begin; and if we began where could we leave off, for it is endless mercy, infinite mercy, inconceivable mercy: "Surely goodness and mercy have followed me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Amen.
"Though He Slay Me, Yet I Will Trust Him!"
O Lord our God, before we ask anything at Your hands, we desire to praise and magnify Your name; for You are good in Yourself, and in all Your thoughts, and all Your acts, and in all that You do toward us. You are good when You do lay us low, when the bed of sickness becomes hard, and our bones are weary. You are good when You do strip us of all earthly comforts; good when we stand at the grave's mouth and bury our dearest love. You are in everything good. Shall we not bless the God who takes, as well as the God who gives? We would not follow You as a dog follows a stranger for a bone; but we would love You as loving children, who love even a chastising Father, and have learned to say, "Though He slay me yet will I trust in Him." If ever, even for a moment, the thought of complaint should flit across our spirit, we beg to be forgiven. Shall a living man complain? Surely it is such a mercy that we are yet alive; that we still have our reason; that we are not cast away forever into hopeless misery. It is such grace on Your part, that long as we live, we will bless Your name, yes, while immortality endures! We desire that on our dying bed, if it should please You, we may die singing. We would wish that our first song in Heaven should be "Hallelujah unto Him that has loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood; unto Him be glory now and forever." O Lord, we would bring before You now our sins and our sorrows. Oh, forgive Your servants in everything wherein we have offended. There are some here that must stand before You today as prisoners at the bar. Help them to plead guilty, to confess their sins, and to plead the precious blood, and the glorious righteousness of Jesus Christ, Your Son, that they may be absolved, and hear You say: "Your sins be forgiven you." But there are others of us who have heard that word many years ago, and the music of it has never departed out of our minds. We ask that we may hear You say it now in another sense, for we are no longer prisoners at the bar; we are not under the law, but we are under grace. The one washing in the precious blood has made us clean; as before the Judge of all the earth we are whiter than snow. But now, as children, we offend our Father, we grieve the Spirit of God, we vex our Elder Brother, tender as He is, and so we say that we who have been delivered from sin in its condemning power—we say, "Lord forgive Your children's transgressions, and let us be washed as to our feet in the water which Christ pours forth, with which He did wash of old His disciples' feet, and washes them still." Then may we this day, all of us, be clean every whit, and so be fit to sit with Christ in the heavenly places, and to have fellowship with the Holy Father, and with His Holy Son, and with the Holy Spirit. O Lord, grant us this perfect cleansing. Amen.
The Blood-Besprinkled Mercy Seat
O God Most High, the one God of Israel, we are longing to adore You. Adoration will be the employment of Heaven. It is certainly our greatest enjoyment on earth. But we are not worthy to come unto Your presence, or to present to You the vials of our praises. We would therefore, first, in lowly reverence, make confession of our state and of our guilt. We are fallen creatures, even by nature, and as our nature, such has our life been. We have come short of the glory of God and have offended in many things. We dare not look up apart from the way which You has provided for our uplooking, even through the Mediator, Jesus Christ. O God, if You had driven us long ago from Your presence, and had forbidden us to think of worship, what could we have said? How shall we dare to tread Your courts on the ground of merit; for surely if You should lay Your justice to the line, and Your righteousness to the plummet, there is not one of us that could stand?
O Lord, we thank You for the Atonement, for the great expiatory Sacrifice. So would we compass Your altar, O God. We come sprinkled with the blood to a blood-sprinkled Mercy Seat, and we are not afraid to come when we can make mention of the Righteousness of Christ and His Atonement. We feel that we are reconciled unto God by the death of His Son. Lord, let a sweet sense of pardon and perfect cleansing rest upon the hearts of Your people. May those who have never yet come to You for mercy, look to Jesus and be saved; and may those of us who long ago were washed in the Fountain filled with blood, now receive the foot washing which Jesus daily gives, and, being cleansed every whit, may we be able to come with our adoration into the presence of the Eternal God. Amen.
The Lamb Upon the Throne
O Lord God, the hosts unnumbered, washed in the blood, are bowing before You now, proclaiming eternal honors to Him that sits upon the Throne and to the Lamb. Behold all the angels in Heaven join in the selfsame adoration, ascribing all honor and praise unto the Lord our God. And we, in the outward rank, further off from the central Throne, bow also, and here upon this darkened planet we worship Him who made Heaven and earth. We worship the blessed One who has redeemed us with His precious blood, and we worship that glorious Spirit by whom we have been quickened and called unto the knowledge of God. Unto the one God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob, the God and Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, unto Him be glory forever and ever, and from the very bottom of our hearts we utter this our doxology. Amen.
Washed and Made White
Lord, we would come with our confessions, for as often as we adore we feel how fitly we might cover our faces. The angels have six wings, but we have none. We cannot cover our faces with wings, but we bless Your name we have something better than angelic wings; we have the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ, and with these we cover our faces; with these we cover our feet; and with these we fly out to You now in rapture and adoring love. You have brought us very near You, despite our sin; and as for our sin, You have cast it as far from us as from Yourself, as east is from west. Have You not said, "I will cast all their sins behind My back"? And You have done it. Even to as many as have looked to the wounds of Jesus You have given personal cleansing, and we are clean every whit through the water and the blood; and we need not be ashamed to stand even before Your presence, O thrice Holy One, for we have washed our robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, would we be always before You, and serve You day and night in Your temple, dwelling ever with You, sleeping under the shadow of Your wings, and rejoicing in the light of Your countenance.
But if any among us have not yet been forgiven, Father forgive them. Oh let great love convince of sin, and lead to the sin-atoning blood. This very day may many a sinner lose the burden of his sin at the sepulcher of Christ. Oh for pardons to be freely distributed! You are the Father of pardons. "Who is God like unto You, passing by iniquity, transgression and sin, and remembering not the iniquity of the remnant of Your people?" Glory be unto Your Name! Amen.
Ashamed of Jesus!
Our dear Redeemer, we have read of Your weeping at the grave of Lazarus. We have been made to feel how near akin You are to us. You are no stranger: You are no great noble set high above us, ashamed of us; You are not ashamed to call us brethren. And we have said in our hearts, "Have I ever been ashamed to own Him in any company?" We are ashamed to think that ever the bare idea of being ashamed of Christ should have crossed our spirits.
"Ashamed of Jesus, just as soon,
Might midnight blush to think of noon."We are nothing: You are everything. We are poor worms of the dust, and You are the Eternal Son of God. We are disgusted with ourselves that there ever could have been a temptation to be ashamed of the Crucified, ashamed of the soft impeachment that we are indeed Your followers. Forgive us Savior! Because of Your great tenderness, put this away also among all our other sins, and mention it not against us forever that such a wicked cowardliness could have made us so hold our tongue when we ought to have spoken for You. From henceforth may we be able to say—
"I'm not ashamed to own my Lord
Or to defend His cause."But we thank You forever coming so near us, and our prayer is that we may have the grace today to feel very near to You. You are not strange to Your own flesh, and shall we be strange to You? Great Bridegroom, You love us, and You do delight in us, and shall we not delight ourselves in You? Come, take away the hardness of our hearts, and give us now to be quick and tender, sensitive to Your love. Melt the wax, and then impress Your image on it, and make us bear the faintest touch of Your finger throughout the whole of life. Oh for want of sensitiveness, how we miss the highest privileges You do bestow. Make us very tender. Oh that we might yield to Your sweet love with all our hearts; and since You are the Man that is near akin to us, may we rejoice in You beyond all things, and find our Heaven in the effects of Your relationship to us. Amen.
Sin Shall Not Have Dominion
Our Father, which are in Heaven, forgive our evil deeds towards Your Son! You delight in Him and so do we; but we have strange ways of showing it sometimes. Give us to love Him perfectly. May we say, "Lord You know all things, You know that we love You." May we so love You that even our enemies may be compelled to say, "See how they love their Lord!" Oh make us to display our love so clearly and decidedly as our Master showed His love to buried Lazarus.
Cleanse Your people: let our conscience be purged from dead works. May we know that we are forgiven. May we have no doubt about it. May we know that we are cleansed from the guilt and the defilement of sin. May we therefore have access with boldness to our Father in Heaven, and may the power of sin which has been broken, be destroyed in us. Sin is not on the throne now, but it lurks in the corners, and if it could, it would get to the front again. We thank You for that word, "Sin shall not have dominion over you." God grant it never may! We sorrow with deep inward anguish over some who profess to be Your people in whom sin has had dominion. Lord, when any turn away we ask ourselves, "Shall I do this?" and we know that unless You hold us fast we shall decline, and prove to be like them at last. But do not let us wander; nay, let not a thought go after evil. Let us have no God but God, no Christ but Christ, no spirit but the Spirit. May we be absorbed in God! In Him may we live and move and have our being, not only in a natural, but in a spiritual sense—
"Take our poor heart and let it be
Forever closed to all but Thee."Lord, we get high ideas sometimes; we rise into the pure air of fellowship, but our grief is that we are so soon drawn back again. Earth's attractions hold us, the flesh hampers us, our own infirmities hinder us. Lord help us! He who began the work must carry it on or it will never come to completion. Perfect that which concerns us. Lord we would be rid of sin. We long that every tendency to sin may be burnt on the head with the hot iron of Your love, so that it shall be compelled to die. O come, great Lord, and wield Your scepter over all the powers and passions of our nature, and if they need a rod of iron to subdue them, yet spare them not until grace shall reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Victory Through the Blood
We bless You, O God, that there is a Throne of Grace to come to, and that it is sprinkled with the precious blood of Jesus, so that the guilty may come without fear, that Your wrath should not break forth upon them. We come, blessed Lord, with all our hearts. Oh draw us, that we may run after You. Our desire is toward You, and to Your fear; but oh for the Holy Spirit to enable us; for we are lame and broken, and ready to perish, except You help us. Breathe into us now the prayers which we shall breathe out. Write on our hearts the very words which we shall speak in Your presence. There is the natural tendency in us towards that which is evil; and even in the hearts of those who are regenerate, that tendency still struggles for the mastery. "Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." But still the battle is often very stern; and in the conflict we are made to cry out, "Oh wretched man that I am." Lord, by Your grace we hate the very thought of sin. O Lord, we have broken all Your commandments. We have not loved You with all our heart and soul and strength; nor have we loved our neighbor as ourselves. We are all condemned by that perfect law; and if sentence were executed upon us, it would only be great justice. Thanks be to Your holy Name! Many of us have fled to Christ, and You have blotted out our sin. We praise You for full remission, freely and graciously given, never to be reversed; for You have said: "I will cast their iniquities into the depths of the sea." What a joy is this! May Your believing people be certain of it. May they know that there is "therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." May their souls rest and triumph in the perfect washing, and the perfect clothing, which Jesus' blood and righteousness have given to us. And oh that others, who have never yet known Your pardoning love, might come to You this morning, and take it, and receive it. May there be many a heart here conscious of guilt, which shall be enabled to look to Jesus, the great Sin-offering, and looking to Him, may be able to see how God is reconciled, how sin is blotted out, how the wandering prodigal child is led to the Father's bosom. O precious Sin-bearer, let many know that You did bear their sin. Let them know it today. Is it not written, "By His knowledge shall My Righteous Servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities"? May that priceless promise be fulfilled in thousands of cases. Oh that in this house some might breathe the silent prayer, "Lord Jesus, fulfill it to me." Amen.
The Feast of Jehovah
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy Name. Lord stir up Your people to praise You this day. At this halting-place of our pilgrimage, may we keep the day with song. Ordain the day of feasting for Your people. Come Yourself to the feast; then shall our hearts be exceeding glad, and we will sing our Hallels unto Jehovah, the ever-blessed Jah, the Lord God of Israel. O Father, in Your presence, though we feel ourselves at peace with You, we cannot but lament the many times in which we have offended You, nor can we cease to mourn that even now we come far short of what we owe You. Purge us. O Lord, purge us with hyssop and we shall be clean; wash us and we shall be whiter than snow. We confess our transgressions, and our iniquity we would not hide; but we look again to the great Sacrifice. Our eyes are on the Lamb that was slain, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. You know, Father, that all our hope is here, and this is our joy, that though we walk in the light, as God is in the light, and have fellowship with You, yet still for every offence that comes, the blood of Jesus Christ Your Son cleanses us from all sin. Amen.
Rest and Refreshing
O our gracious God, we have need not only to make confession of sin, but to ask of You innumerable favors. We need to be comforted, for we are often bowed down. It may be we need to be sobered, for our heart runs astray after the idols of the world. It may be that today we are dull and heavy. Oh, give us the Holy Spirit that we may be quick and lively and joyful in Your House of prayer. Whatever it is that ails us, O Jehovah-Rophi, lay Your healing hand upon us, and if in anything we have need, O Jehovah-Jireh, in the mount may it be seen that the Lord does provide. Bless Your people here. Here are many of Your servants who delight to do Your will, but they are, perhaps, somewhat weary: Lord, refresh them. For this is the rest, and this is the refreshing—that we come and feed on Jesus Christ the Heavenly Bread. Amen.
Heal Us, Immanuel!
O Christ Jesus our Lord, You are still mighty to heal, and we are a company who have come together full of sicknesses and sores and sorrows of all kinds. We would not waste a moment while blessings are so rife, and power to heal is so remarkably present in You; but we would each one strive to touch You, if we may, and ask that this day virtue would come out of You, O blessed risen Christ, to heal us of whatever disease we have.
There are some that are Your children, beloved Lord, but they are afflicted with the palsy of a weak and trembling faith. Lord, strengthen our faith. Lift us up beyond all question. Let there be no doubts in our mind about the fundamental principles of the everlasting Gospel. Let us have no distrust of Your power to save even us, though we be the least of all saints and a very chief of sinners. Let us have no distrust of Your Providence, no doubt of Your faithful love; but may we just trust You as a child trusts its father, without the shadow of distrust, resting in the Lord and waiting patiently for Him. Heal us, Immanuel, of our unbelief and make us strong in faith, giving glory to God. Perhaps some of Your children here are sorely tempted; they have had many trials during the week; they scarcely know how they have lived during the week, but here they are, and Your loving-kindness has kept them alive.
"As your days so shall your strength be": that is the promise. "Hitherto has the Lord helped us": that is the experience. "I will trust and not be afraid": that is the practical inference from the promise and the experience. May each child of Your say that through the power of the touch of the Master. Amen.
Sincere Faith Desired
O Lord, we often question ourselves to know whether we have real faith in Jesus Christ our Lord, and we will now pray You to search us, and try us and see that we are really trusting in Him; and if we are, Lord increase our faith. But if we have merely a notional faith, rid us from the counterfeit, and give us yet the real, precious gold, which wisdom alone can furnish. Oh, for a humble but sincere faith in our divine Lord. Lord, if it be necessary to break our hearts in order that we may have it, then let them be broken. If we have to unlearn a thousand things to learn the sweet secret of faith in Him, let us become fools that we may be wise, only bring us surely and really to stand upon the Rock of Ages—so to stand there as never to fall, but to be kept by the power of God, through faith, unto salvation. Amen.
A Sigh for Holiness
O God, we are often ashamed of ourselves to find how vehemently our affections will turn toward earthly loves, how soon we are carried away by a sort of spiritual harlotry after other things. Oh, make us to be chaste to Yourself; our whole heart being given up to the one ever-blessed God, in the Trinity of divine Persons, whom we would worship this morning with all our heart and soul and spirit. We ask of You, most blessed Father, that Your Holy Spirit may repeat in us the life of Christ. Especially, we pray that we may know the fellowship of His suffering, and the power of His resurrection. We know that He has suffered that we may not suffer, and has taken upon Himself our griefs, that we may be filled with joy. Yet, let the shadow of His blessed grief fall over our spirits now. May that shadow begin in our souls the consciousness of the darkness, the blackness, the heinousness of sin. May we see it in its true colors, and loathe ourselves to think we ever should have loved the wages of unrighteousness, and the pleasures of transgression. What pleasure can there be in disobeying our Father, in revolting against One who loves us so infinitely?
May we feel the misery of sin, and chasten our hearts as with a scourge, to think that ever they should have gone aside from the infinite purity of love. Lord we would feel the shame of sin. We would count it as a thing that is not fit to live. Oh that it might be perfectly crucified in us, and the flesh out of which it comes. Would to God the whole power of evil within us, the very embodiment of evil might be slain; and that we might be delivered from its power entirely, to serve God in holiness all the days of our lives. Savior, help us to mortify the flesh with its corruptions and lusts. May that which was our pride become our shame; that which was our love become our hate. May every form of sin for which we have been so ready to make excuse and apologies, be condemned by us, and taken out to die a felon's death. Let not our hands spare, nor our eyes have pity upon any one of our sins; but may we smite them until we have been clean delivered from their dominion, and even from their intrusion. We sigh for holiness, we pine for it. Lord grant we may attain to it, yes, to the very fullness of it by Your sanctifying Spirit. Amen.
That Christ may be in us!
Most gracious Father, we who have received Christ now desire to receive something more than pardon and salvation. We long that Christ may be in us the hope of glory—yes, of glory, of perfection, and exaltation. If we are darkened today, may we be enlightened by the brightness of the hope that is to be revealed. Help Your poor servants to live above poverty, because they are rich in Christ. Let Your suffering and afflicted ones, though the body be torn with pain, yet be full of joy, because there is a hope—a glorious hope—that the body shall be raised again from the grave and shall suffer no more. The Lord grant us grace not to live in this cloudy day of the present, but to mount aloft into the eternal brightness of the future, and to anticipate those joys which You has reserved for them that love You.
Lord, keep us firmly believing in You. Forgive us whenever we sinfully mistrust You, and help us to believe You, come what may; yes, help us when the burden is heaviest, still to believe You, and help us to cast it upon You, being assured that as our day is, so shall our strength be. We would each one of us ask of You, this morning, greater fruitfulness unto God. We want that our whole life should be full of honor and glory unto God. Let us be loaded down with clusters, bowed down if need be like a well-laden branch. We wish not to be broken off; but we would always be content to bear any breakage, if we might but be loaded to the full with fruit for the Well-beloved. Amen.
Fragrant Fellowship
Our Father, as many of us as have been pardoned now desire of You that the Spirit of God, dwelling within us, may daily preserve us from all sin. Sanctify our thoughts. Keep our whole being clean and sweet before God, that as priests unto God, we may be always fit to offer sacrifice, and may never be shut out of the temple because of our impurity. Oh for such perpetual communion with God that we may be able to exercise a perpetual ministry on the behalf of God, offering prayer and thanksgiving and testimony among the sons of men. Lord grant us this. Be it ours to be Enochs, full of the divine life, so that we cannot die; full of the divine light so that we cannot err; walking with God in unbroken fellowship year after year.
Blessed Spirit, will You teach us every day to be more useful. May we know how to get at men for God. Give us the keys of men's hearts, as far as we can be trusted with them. May there be about us a savor of Christ. May we come out of the ivory palaces wherein He has made us glad, smelling of the myrrh and aloes and cassia, and all those other beds of spices in which we have lain. May men be sure that we have been with Jesus, because our conduct and converse shall daily betray that we also have been with Jesus of Nazareth. Give us the very brogue of Canaan: give us the accent of truth, and righteousness and love, and may those about us who have hitherto despised our Lord be led by us, through Your Spirit, to honor and reverence Him. Amen.
With Christ in the Heavenlies
O dear Savior, it is such a joy to us to know that You are "Very God of Very God," most truly divine. We worship You. It is an equal joy to know that You are in all points made like unto Your brethren—most truly Man, of the substance of Your mother. We joy in Your humanity. Our heart rejoices to have such a Brother as You are, born for adversities; and it is a great privilege to us to think of You as sitting at the right hand of God, daily interceding for us, for though Your Passion is but once, yet the influence of it is forever. Though You did but once bring the Sacrifice, yet You do present it day and night on behalf of those that come to God by You.
And we, too, are at the Father's right hand, since You are there. You do represent our humanity. You do represent us, and we are accepted in the Beloved, and we are raised up together, and made to sit together in the heavenlies in Christ. Let us realize our privilege. Lord, let us not live as if we were merely earth-born, for we are born from Heaven. Let us not live as if our portion were beneath the moon; for our best portion lies on the other side of Jordan, in the goodly land; thither Christ has gone to take possession of it in our name. And as You are with the Father, let us feel that we are with the Father. Forgetting all the noise and turmoil of this week of tossings to and fro; forgetting all cares and anxieties of family and of business, we would now steal away to Jesus, and feel that we have stolen away towards God, and are now speaking with our Father face to face.
Lord, You know us. Will You not look upon Your children with that sweetly-searching eye of Your which will spy out our wants to fulfill them; our desires, to grant them; our sins to pardon them; our weaknesses, to give us strength equal to our day? Father, we, being evil, speak to our fathers, and they give us, as their children, what we need. And now we speak to You, and You are not evil, and You will surely give us exceeding abundantly above what we ask or think. You will leave no one unsupplied, no grief unassuaged. In fact, we feel perfectly happy when we feel perfectly in the presence of God. We have all we want when we come to You. How am I rich when Christ is mine! To Him be the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
Oh, for Newness of Life!
Lord, give us to know the power of Your resurrection. This day, may we rise from all our natural apathy, and sluggishness, and insensibility, to have a tender, fleshy heart that shall feel deep contrition on account of sin, and a profound sympathy with Christ in His griefs on account of sin. Lord, give us to leave the world behind us, reckoning it to be a grave in which we must not rest; for He has quickened us, though we were dead in trespasses and sin. May we rise into newness of life, and as we have been buried with Him in the likeness of His death, let us rise with Him in the likeness of His resurrection. Oh, for newness of life! Have You not said, "Behold, I make all things new"? Lord, let everything be new in us, and everything living, vividly living, quickened into fullness of life, life more abundantly. Grant us this, we pray You; and then give us fellowship with You, even in Your uprising, until we be raised up together and made to sit together in the heavenlies with Christ, reigning with Him as He reigns, exercising a hallowed priesthood, even as He exercises it, being made kings and priests unto God, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Go on to Fashion us!
Blessed Lord, we trust there are beginnings and outlines of Your own character in us, through Your Holy Spirit; but let that work be carried on, putting more of the contents of beauty, more of the sweetness, the gentleness, the tenderness, that was in Yourself. O divine Sculptor, the divine Spirit; go on to fashion us, until, as Jesus was, so we may be. We will not ask to be spared pain or sorrow, if we may but grow in grace and in the likeness of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Oh make us such, that even You Yourself can look upon us in Christ, and see with delight the work of Your own hands. Some of us have a hard struggle against inward corruption and hindering circumstances, and impetuous passions. Oh subdue us, Lord. Bring every thought into captivity to the law of Christ. Lead us as captives, triumphing over us in every place, and making even devils to see how sin is conquered in us, and that Christ does reign. Amen.
Conformed to the Image of the Firstborn
We ask that we may be among those who love Christ and keep His commandments. We are very anxious about this: the Lord make us obedient to our blessed Leader. May we follow in His steps. We must complain of ourselves that we are not what we want to be, nor what we should be. Oh we do rejoice in this—that we are not what we shall be, for "When He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." Will You be pleased, by Your Spirit, O our Father, to conform us to the image of the Firstborn. Take out of us all tempers that are not according to His gentleness, all spirits that are not after the manner of His obedient, loving, filial spirit. May we be sons in whom You are well pleased. May we behave ourselves in Your house in such a way that You can manifest Yourself to us, and give us answers to our prayers. Help us to delight ourselves in that You may give us the desire of our hearts. We want to be all that believers can be. The Lord grant that the life of faith in us may come to its flower, and not be forever merely in the stalk and root; may we bring forth ripe fruit unto our Lord Jesus Christ by the power of the Spirit of God. Fire us with the heavenly flame. Make us intensely earnest for the increase of the Redeemer's Kingdom, for the conservation of His truth, and for the exhibition of that truth in all its sanctifying power. Amen.
Grace for Everything
O God, we ask You to grant us grace to overcome every tendency to evil in our character, every habit which has been formed which genders towards sin. Help us to overcome all the inclinations of our constitution; may these be kept in due check. We know You have given us for the preservation of life, certain appetites and desires which in themselves are not sinful, but they are too often the causes of sin, being carried beyond due bounds. We pray that we may each one have power over himself. May the Holy Spirit anoint us unto our kingships, that we may reign over ourselves in an imperial way. May the Lord Jesus reign over us! We should have every thought brought into captivity. We desire that spirit, soul and body may live unto Him who died for us, that we being not our own nor the world's, much less Satan's, may be the well-known property of the Lord of Hosts, and may live entirely as to every part of our nature, "Unto Him that loved us and gave Himself for us."
Lord bless us in our works! Give us grace to perform our ordinary business so as to glorify God in it. Give us grace to do our spiritual work aright. Are we preachers of the Gospel? Oh for great grace to preach with a divine anointing! Are we teachers in the school? Oh for great grace to understand the nature of children and to be able to rule their hearts! Whatever else we are doing, do You enable us to do it as unto the Lord. Let officers of the churches be enabled to be examples to the flock, and to go in and out before the people, exhibiting all those rules which adorn the doctrine of God our Savior. Lord, we want to be better Christians than we are; we want to be saturated with Your Spirit, as Gideon's fleece was wet with dew. We are learning a little every day of our own weakness and of the corruption that lies within. Every day may we see more and more the suitability of Christ; the perfectness and suitability of His working, to bring us unto His perfect image. Amen.
Through Bondage to Liberty
O God, remember any in this house that have never known the griefs of Christ because they have never themselves grieved over sin. O Father, let the Holy Spirit come upon them as the Spirit of bondage, convincing them of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. And then let Him come as the sweet Spirit of liberty, leading them to the joy and peace in believing which come through the eternal merits and the precious blood of our redeeming Lord. Oh, that every one of us might look to Christ and live; yes, live forever through the life that is in Him. Amen.
Being Rather Than Doing
We pray You, Lord, to make us more like Yourself in every respect. Once we were all for doing; now we are much more for being. We would rather sit with Mary and do nothing but learn, than become cumbered with much serving like good Martha. Lord, we sometimes feel we could honestly say, some of us, we could not do any more that we know of, or else we would do it; but now we want to serve You better, and we pray that we may do it with a simpler motive, with greater singleness of heart, with deeper devotion to Christ. We want not only to live and work, but to have Christ living in us, and for our life to be but a branch streamlet from the mighty river of the life of Christ. Lord, make us like the Firstborn among many brethren. He is the very model of the family. Make us like Him, O our Father, for the glory of Your Name. Amen.
For the Reign of Christ
O Father in Heaven, take away from us all the dust of the last week's travel. Now may we wash our feet in the laver and be clean, and so let us compass Your altar, O God. Deliver us from everything that hinders and hampers the leaping and the flying of the quickened spirit. May we run and not be weary. May we mount up with wings as eagles. May we walk and not faint, and may this be a day of high joys and of supreme delights; and if of earnest effort and of Christian labor, may all this be part of the delight. May it be that we live to pleasure for we live to You.
Bless us as a church and a people, and continue to increase us with the increase of God. Knit us more and more together in holy love, and let the Spirit of God like a cloud rest over this place, and within the hearts of His people may He be as a flaming fire. Send times of revival and refreshing to all the churches. Let our whole country be visited with a blessing from on high. O Lord, we thank You that we have the open Bible, and an open ministry, and the Spirit of God with us. Let Great Britain flourish by the preaching of the Word! Bless the Throne, and the Court of Parliament, and send great wisdom at this time that everything may be done aright to Your honor and to the prosperity of the people. Let all the nations of the earth be visited with Your love. Let the House of Israel be remembered in the time of sorrow and captivity. O God, deliver Your Ancient People from the hands of cruel and unrighteous men; and let the day come when we shall all feel one in Christ, and every national distinction shall be swept away; for, have You not made of one blood all nations of men that dwell upon the face of the earth? And do You come, Messiah, Prince of Peace, and Son of Man, man's King and Lord. Come You and reign over us You Ancient of Days, without whom was not anything made. Come and take the crown which You did purchase by Your shame and death, and reign forever over the sons of men.
Now forgive us, accept us, quicken us, bless us. We ask all in the name of the Well-beloved. Amen.
Up to the High Mountain
Speak, Lord, and if there be darkness make it light with Your Word. Speak to any that are sleeping and bid them awake. Speak to any that are heavy of heart, and bid them rejoice. May we clash the high-sounding cymbals today, while we rejoice in Jehovah who is our strength and our song, "who also is become our salvation." May we get us up to the high mountain today, and rejoice in Him who bids us mount and mount away. May our dwelling be on high. Do You say unto us, "Who can ascend into the hill of the Lord, and who shall dwell in His holy place?" We desire that we may be men of that order, who would come near unto You. We would be as near as Jesus is, so near, so very near to God, we cannot nearer be. Amen.
Great Designs of Love
Lord bless Your people. Let the fullness of Your grace be ours. Let us not only be believers but full believers. Let us not only be saintly, but make us real saints. May we live unto God. May we rise superior to the ordinary mass of mankind, in holy obedience, doing Your will, that we may know of Your teaching in holy faith, accepting the teaching so that God may dwell in us and we in God. Dear Father, save this congregation. There may be some here who have put themselves to a good deal of inconvenience to come to this place, and yet are not saved. Why they should want to hear the Word and yet not receive it, we do not know; but perhaps You have great designs of love for them today, and the hour has come when they shall be made to know You have loved them with an everlasting love. They have been indifferent and careless up until now. Perhaps they have even resisted Your Spirit. They refused Christ and provoked Him; but now, Lord, where sin abounded let grace much more abound. May this be the beginning of days to some who shall this morning see Christ, accept Him, delight in Him, receive perfect pardon through Him and become new creatures in Him, to the praise and glory of Your grace. The Lord bless the Word to some who little expect it. May it come to them as a wonder, as the man who ploughed his field and thought only of the clods and the oxen, and the possible harvest, yet stumbled on a treasure hidden there. Amen.
Comforted and Made Ready
God comfort His mourners! Let the joy of the departed ones be such joy to us that we shall scarcely know a grief. Make us ready, Lord. Keep us waiting for Your Coming, or for our ascent unto Yourself. Oh, how short a time will intervene, and we shall see the God with whom we speak today! In how few days, or weeks, or months, or years, shall we have crossed the Jordan, and we shall come, each man into his heritage. God grant it be so! Let nobody in this house come short of it through unbelief, but may we all be there when the muster roll is read, to answer to our names. Oh, grant it may be so, You blessed Lord of love. Amen.
We are greatly cheered and comforted as we remember, O Savior, that You are the "Resurrection and the Life." United unto You we can never utterly die, and if dead, yet shall we live; for it is not possible that there should be dead members of Your living Body. You are not the God of the dead but of the living, and therefore, those that have fallen asleep are yet alive. In the fullness of life they still exist; they all have still their God, and he who has his God has bliss. We would come close to You, Jesus, crowding away from the death that hovers all around us, coming from the thick darkness of the sepulcher into the brightness of Your blessed presence; that we may live in the light, and walk in it as You are in the light, and have fellowship with Your Father and with You. Oh the joy of being one with You! Amen.
The Christless Multitudes
Our Father, we ask of You a great favor; it is that others whom Christ has redeemed might be brought to know Him. O Lord, we live in the midst of millions that lie still in the wicked one, as if his bosom were their resting place. O, Savior, be You exalted among men. Oh, that Your name were sweet to them as ointment poured forth! Would God they knew the excellence of a life with You, the sweet peace and the brilliant peace with which You do endow the hearts of Your people! Lord, they will not be convinced, and those that are convinced yet somehow start back; they know that You are the Son of God, and yet they do not believe, and even those that believe You believe not as they should. O Spirit of God, give faith we pray You: work it in the hearts of millions. Bring them to the Savior's feet, and may this day be a day of the manifestation of Your holy power in gathering in the wanderers and strengthening those that are with God. O Lord, there are many that are with us, but there are multitudes that are not with God nor with us. The Lord change them and renew their hearts for Jesus' sake. Amen.
Delight in the Lord's Day
We thank You, Lord, for putting the Sabbath not at the end of the week, as once it was, as though we were to work six days to get one day's rest, but now we begin the week with rest. You give us that rest not earned, but given. And with that rest we are to take in strength to do the six days' work: make it so today. May this be the market day of the week, and may we make good marketing. May Your servants take in large stores. It is a port at which we call. May we victual the vessel well, and then go sailing over the six leagues of days with the provision You have given to us today. The Lord grant it! And may Your people be fed with the finest of the wheat, and go their way as men who have been to a festival, who sing for joy of heart. Look in mercy upon Your Church at large. Revive Your churches; Laodicean we fear they are. Come Lord, with a live coal from off the altar, and set Your churches on a blaze again. Oh for the days of the Son of Man, times of refreshing! We would see millions converted to God. We would see the whole Church quickened to the fullest extent by the indwelling Spirit. You can do it Lord. Do it for Your name and glory's sake. Amen.
Save the People!
Our Father, we do earnestly pray You to look upon these unconverted among us; we are always praying for them, but we would begin to pray with a greater intensity. Hear the many supplications which have gone up for some who are almost persuaded to be Christians, but not quite. Oh let them not tarry longer in that dangerous place, on the brink of faith, knowing but not obeying, hearing but not receiving the Gospel. Oh decide many this morning! While Your servant is preaching, the Lord bring sinners to Himself; and all over London, and all over the world, wherever, whether by pastor or evangelist, or private member, the Gospel is being told out, whether among us or among the heathen, let the blessed message be backed up by the Eternal Spirit; and may men be turned to Christ by thousands, and hundreds of thousands, until the whole earth will be filled with Your glory. Lord convert London; we bless You You have not cast it out, but if there be any worthy to be called outcasts, the Lord gather together the outcasts of Israel and bring them to His own dear feet. Save the people, O Lord, and raise up a nation that shall fear Your name. Amen.
For All Classes and Conditions of Men
The Lord bless today all His people wherever gathered, of many nations, and speaking differing tongues. We pray for our people at home, and we offer prayer for the one great family of God all over the world. Oh, that there might be a revival of religion in every country; and where as yet Christ is not known, break on the long night of heathendom. Grant that yet the people may seek after God, and God's own Gospel come to meet their seeking. O God, have pity upon London with all its sorrows, and may something be done yet to reach every inhabitant, that the Gospel may come to every house and to every heart, until this city shall be as renowned for Godliness as now it is for the multitude of men. O Lord, we long for Your glory to be known by all mankind. Our heart sighs for the Jew, that He still refuses the Messiah, oh bring Him to the dear Messiah's feet. We cry to You for those who go about in Romanism and Ritualism, seeking after a righteousness of their own. They have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. Oh, that they might have the knowledge, and might seek Jesus, and find in Him eternal life. Amen.
"Today He Rose and Left the Dead"
Our Father, if there be any who are mourning, and that hang down their heads, lift You up the light of Your countenance and make them glad. On this Day of the Lord's Resurrection may no soul be in the gloom of the sepulcher.
"Today He rose and left the dead,
And Satan's empire fell."May all the saints today rejoice in their risen Lord, and rise with Him, and sit together with Him in the heavenlies, and reign with Him in the fullness of His joy. The Lord bless our dear friends who cannot come up to Your house. You remember them and so do we. The Lord send them His blessing in their chamber. Oh, that the house wherein they tarry might be bright with the presence of their Lord. Restore the sick; and such of our brotherhood as are appointed unto death, the Lord be solemnly with them. May they die in transports. May they depart out of this world full of the eternal life. May the great sea of God come up in flood-tide into the river of their being, so that though it begins to run low from its natural sources it may be filled from the supernatural deeps of God's indwelling presence. Amen.
The Harvest Season
O God, our Father, while we pray for the whole Church, we would not forget any one of Your saints. There is not a lamb among Your flock we would disdain to feed. Bless the tired ones! There are those that have dear ones very sick and ill: the Lord comfort and sustain them under great trouble of seeing others suffer. Remember any that are in temporal difficulties, and those who are themselves ill. But especially help those who are depressed in spirit. There are among Your own people plants that grow in the shade. Remember the man of a sorrowful spirit, and the woman of a sad heart. Lift up the light of Your countenance upon Your people and let them be no more sad. Send, we pray You, seasonable weather for the ingathering of the fruits of the earth; but above all send a time of ingathering to Your Church. Your Kingdom come. Your will be done. Fulfill that promise of the Father which You have made to Your Son—"They shall call them a people which was not a people, and a beloved which was not a beloved. Nations which knew not You shall run unto You." Oh draw them today; save them today. May this Midsummer Sunday be a day in which many fruits shall ripen for Christ. Lord save the people; save the whole of this people. We ask it in the name, the mighty Sovereign name, of Jesus. Amen.