The Pastor in Prayer
Being a Choice Selection of Charles Spurgeon's Sunday Morning Prayers
"Prayer is the rustling of the wings of the angels that are on their way bringing us the boons of Heaven.… Prayer is the prophecy of the blessing that is about to come."—Spurgeon
EDITOR'S PREFACE
A man of faith and prayer, is an apt description of the late Pastor of the Tabernacle.His faith was responsive to the Divine call and obedient to the Divine command: it grasped the promises of God and proved the secret of his strength for service and endurance.
Familiar with the mercy-seat, he sought for heavenly guidance and found in the exercise of prayer a well-spring of joy, and the inspiration for his ministry. Things not seen and eternal ever lay within the range of his soul's vision, and he lived as one who had business with eternity.
Mr. D. L. MOODY in commencing his first address in the Tabernacle, October 9th, 1892, pathetically recalled the time when he first entered the building, twenty-five years ago. He had come four thousand miles to hear Mr. Spurgeon. What impressed him most was not the praise, though he thought he had never heard such grand congregational singing; it was not Mr. Spurgeon's exposition, fine though it was, nor even his sermon; it was his prayer. He seemed to have such access to God that he could bring down the power from Heaven; that was the great secret of his influence and his success.
The following selection of Mr. Spurgeon's Sunday morning prayers, reported verbatim, will be welcomed as a precious memorial of a life and ministry by which God was honored, souls saved, believers edified, and "workers together with God" were encouraged in all holy service. They will furnish stimulus for the preacher in the pulpit and aids to devotion to saints in solitude.
THE PERSONAL TOUCH
"If I touch but his garments, I shall be made whole."—Mark 5:28
O LORD GOD, the great I AM, we do confess and cheerfully acknowledge that all come of You. You have made us and not we ourselves, and the breath in our nostrils is kept there by Your continued power. We owe our sustenance, our happiness, our advancement, our ripening, our very existence entirely unto You. We would bless You for all the mercies with which You do surround us, for all things which our eyes see that are pleasant, which our ears hear that are agreeable, and for everything that makes existence to be life. Especially do we own this dependence when we come to deal with spiritual things. O God, we are less than nothing in the spiritual world. We do feel this growingly, and yet even to feel this is beyond our power. Your grace must give us even to know our need of grace. We are not willing to confess our own sinfulness until You do show it to us. Though it stares us in the face, our pride denies it, and our own inability is unperceived by us. We steal Your power and call it our own until You do compel us to say that we have no strength in ourselves. Now, Lord, would we acknowledge that all good must come of You, through Jesus Christ by Your Spirit, if ever we are to receive it. And we come humbly, first of all acknowledging our many sins. How many they are we cannot calculate, how black they are, how deep their ill-desert; yet we do confess that we have sinned ourselves into hopeless misery, unless Your free undeserved grace do rescue us from it. Lord, we thank You for any signs of penitence—give us more of it. Lay us low before You under a consciousness of our undeserving state. Let us feel and mourn the atrocity of our guilt. O God, we know a tender heart must come from Yourself. By nature our hearts are stony, and we are proud and self-righteous.
Help everyone here to make an acceptable confession of sin, with much mourning, with much deep regret, with much self-loathing, and with the absence of anything like a pretense to merit or to excuse. Here we stand, Lord, a company of publicans and sinners, with whom Jesus deigns to sit down. Heal us, Emanuel! Here we are, needing that healing. Good Physician, here is scope for You; come and manifest Your healing power! There are many of us who have looked unto Jesus and are lightened, but we do confess that our faith was the gift of God. We had never looked with these blear eyes of ours to that dear cross, unless first the heavenly light had shone, and the heavenly finger had taken the thick scales away. We trace therefore our faith to that same God who gave us life, and we ask now that we may have more of it. Lord, maintain the faith You have created; strengthen it, let it be more and more simple. Deliver us from any sort of reliance upon ourselves, whatever shape that reliance might take, and let our faith in You become more childlike every day that we live; for, O dear Savior, there is room for the greatest faith to be exercised upon Your blessed person and work. O God, the Most High and All-sufficient, there is room for the greatest confidence in You. O Divine Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, there is now sufficient room for the fullest faith in Your operations. Grant us this faith. Oh, work it in us now, while, at the same time, we do confess that if we have it not, it is our shame and sin. We make no excuse for unbelief, but confess it with detestation of it, that we should ever have doubted the truthful, the mighty, the faithful God. Yet, Lord, we shall fall into the like sin again, unless the grace that makes us know it to be sin shall help us to avoid it.
And now, Lord, we ask you to accept of us this morning whatever offerings we can bring. We bring our hearts to You, full of love to You for what You have done; full of gratitude, full of faith, full of hope, full of joy. We feel glad in the Lord. But we do confess that if there be anything acceptable in these our offerings, they are all first given us of You. No praise comes from us until first it is wrought in us, for
"Every virtue we possess,
And every victory won;
And every thought of holiness,
Are Yours, great God, alone."Well may we lay those fruits at Your feet that were grown in Your garden, and that gold and silver and frankincense which You Yourself did bestow: only first give us more! Oh, to love the Savior with a passion that can never cool! Oh, to believe in God with a confidence that can never stagger! Oh, to hope in God with an expectation that can never be dim! Oh, to delight in God with a holy overflowing rejoicing that can never be stopped; so that we might live to glorify God at the highest bent of our powers, living with enthusiasm—burning, blazing, being consumed with the indwelling God who works all things in us according to His will! Thus, Lord, would we praise and pray at the same time; confess and acknowledge our responsibilities; but also bless the free, the sovereign grace that makes us what we are. O God of the eternal choice, O God of the ransom purchased on the tree, O God of the effectual call, Father, Son and Spirit, our adoration rises to Heaven like the smoke from the altar of incense. Glory and honor and majesty and power and dominion and might be unto the one only God, forever and ever, and all the redeemed by blood will say, Amen.
Look, at this time, we beseech You, upon us as a church, and give us greater prosperity. Add to us daily. Knit and unite us together in love. Pardon church sins. Have mercy upon us that we do not more for you. Accept what we are enabled to do. Qualify each one of us to be vessels fit for the Master's use; then use each one of us according to the measure of our capacity. Will You be pleased to bless the various works carried on by the church; may they all prosper. Let our Sabbath School especially be visited with the dew of Heaven, and the Schools that belong to us and are situated a little distance, may they also have an abundant shower from the Lord; and may all the Sabbath Schools throughout the world be richly refreshed, and bring forth a great harvest for God.
Bless our College, O God; let every brother sent out be clothed with power; and may the many sons of this church that have been brought up at her side, preach with power today. It is sweet to us to think of hundreds of voices of our sons this day declaring the name of Christ. Blessed is the church that has her quiver full of them, she shall speak with her adversaries in the gate; but the Lord bless us in this thing also; for except You build the house, they labor in vain that build it. Bless our dear boys at the Orphanage. We thank You for the conversion of many. May they all be the children of God, and as You have taken yet another away to Yourself, prepare any whom You do intend to take. We pray You, spare their lives, but if at any time any must depart, may they go out of the world unto the Father. May the Lord bless all the many works that are carried on by us, or rather which You do carry on through our feeble instrumentality.
May our Colporteurs in going from house to house be graciously guided to speak a good word for Jesus. And Lord bless us. We live unto You; our one aim in life is to glorify You, You know. For You we hope we would gladly die; ay, for You we will cheerfully labor while strength is given; but, Oh, send prosperity, and not to us only, but to all workers for Jesus, to all missions in foreign lands, and missions in the heathendom at home. Bless all Your churches far and near, especially the many churches speaking our own language across the Atlantic, as well as in this land. The Lord send plenteous prosperity to all the hosts of His Israel. May Your kingdom come! And, Lord, gather in the unconverted: our prayers can never conclude without pleading for the dead in sin. Oh, quicken them, Savior! and if any one here has a little daughter that lies dead in sin, like Jairus may they plead with Jesus to come and lay His hand upon her that she may live. If we have any relatives unsaved, Lord, save them: save our servants, save our neighbors, save this great city; yes, let Your kingdom come over the whole earth. Let the nations melt into one glorious empire beneath the sole sway of Jesus the Son of David and the Son of God. Come quickly, O Lord Jesus, even so, come quickly. Amen.
SERMON: No. 1382. (November 4, 1877.)
JESUS INTERCEDING FOR TRANSGRESSORS
"He bare the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."—Isaiah 53:12.
GRACIOUS GOD, we praise You with our whole hearts for the wondrous revelation of Your love in Christ Jesus our Lord. We think every day of His passion, for all our hope lies in His death: but as often as we think upon it, we are still filled with astonishment that You should so love the world as to give Your only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life; that Heaven's eternal darling should come to earth to be made a man, and in manhood's form to be despised and rejected of the very men whom He came to bless; and then should be made to bear the sin of many and to be numbered with the transgressors, and, being found in that number, to die a transgressor's death, a felon's death upon the gibbet of the cross. Oh, this surpasses all belief if it had not indeed been actually so: and if the sure word of prophecy had not of old declared it, we could not have imagined it. It would have seemed blasphemy to have suggested such a thought; yet You have done it. Your grace has almost out-graced itself; Your love has reached its height: love to rebels; so to love, that even Your Son could not be spared. O God, we are afflicted in our hearts to think we do not love You more, after such love as this. Oh, were there not a stone in our hearts, we should melt in love to You; we should account that there was no thought fit to occupy the mind but this one stupendous thought of God's love to us: and henceforth this would be the master-key to our hearts, that should unlock or lock them at Your will—the great love with which You have loved us. We lie in the very dust before You in utter shame, to think that we have sometimes heard this story without emotion, and even told it without tenderness. The theme truly has never become stale to us. We can say in Your presence that the story of Christ's death still brings joy, and makes our hearts to leap. But yet, Lord, it never has affected us as we could have expected it would. Give us more tenderness of heart, give us to feel the wounds of Jesus until they wound our sins to death. Give us to have a heart pierced even as His was, with deep sympathy for His griefs, and an all-consuming love for His blessed person.
We adore You, O Father, for Your great love in the gift of Jesus: we equally adore You, most blessed Jesus, for resigning Your life for our sakes: and then we adore the Blessed Spirit who has led us to know this mystery and to put our trust in Jesus. Unto the one God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, do we pay our reverent homage this morning; only we see Him yet more clearly than the patriarchs of old did; for God in the face of Jesus Christ is seen in the clearest light that mortal eye can bear.
And now we have a prayer to put up to You, Great God, and it is this, that in us Your dear Son may see some portion of the travail of His soul. Lord, let Him see a reward for His sufferings, in all of us being repentant for sin, and trusting in God, and confessing His name. We fear there are among us this morning some who still indulge in the sins which brought Christ to death, some that still are trusting in their own righteousness and so are despising His; because if their will suffices, then His was superfluous. O God, we beseech You, bring men away from all their false trusts to rest in the great sacrifice of Your dear Son. Let not one person here be so callous to the merit of Christ as not to love Him, or so indifferent to the efficacy of His blood as not to desire to be cleansed in it. Oh, bring every one of us now to believe in Jesus Christ with our whole heart unto eternal life, that so the thousands in this Tabernacle may belong to Jesus, that He may have a portion with the great. But even those who have believed in Christ have need to put up the same prayer. Our Lord and Master, Redeemer and Savior, come and take entire possession of us. We own Your right; but You must take by force what You have purchased, or You will never have it. By force of arms, the arms must be those of love, will You capture our willful, wayward spirit. Come and divide the spoil with the strong in us, we pray You. Take every faculty and use it, overpower and sanctify it. Every moment of our time help us to employ for You; every breath may we breathe out to Your honor. We feel that there is unconquered territory in our nature yet. Subdue, Lord, we beseech You, our corruptions; cast them out, and in our spirit rule and conquer. There set up Your eternal throne—
"Wean our heart from every creature,
You to love, and You alone."We do pray this with our whole hearts; and assist us, we pray You most blessed Redeemer, to show forth Your praises in our lives. Sanctify us in our households. May we go in and out before You showing the name and nature of Christ. Help us in our business, that in all we do among our fellow men we may act as Christ would have us act. Strengthen us in secret; there may we be mighty in prayer. Guard us in public, that neither in act nor word we may slip away from You. Above all, cast cords of love around our hearts. Oh, hold us, Savior, never let us go! Suffer no professed Christian here ever to violate the loyalty of his obedience to his King. May those dear wounds of His have more sway over us than ever silver scepter had over the subjects of earthly princes. May we feel that if He drank for us the vinegar and gall, whatever cup He sets before us we will cheerfully drink. Rule us, Savior, rule us, we beseech You. And let no believer here violate the chastity of his heart to the Beloved of his soul. O Jesus, let us love You so intensely, that whatever else there may be of loving relationship, still this may cover all and swallow up all. Oh, to be wholly Christ's! We do mourn that we cannot reach to this—that in the secret of our hearts every devil should be cast out, every demon driven to its deep, every sin made hateful, every thought of sin made loathsome to us, until only pure desires and inward longings after perfect holiness shall predominate in our nature. O God, let the scourge still be used to drive out the buyers and sellers: we would not ask to have them spared, but let the temple be the Lord's, seeing He has built it and has cleansed it with His blood. Bless at this time very graciously the church to which we belong. Let us in this place know the power of prayer today and tomorrow: especially pour out upon the members of this church an intense spirit of supplication. May we agonize tomorrow for the glory of God, and today also, and let it not depart from us so long as we live. Send us, Lord, a mighty ground swell of intense desire for the glory of God, and may these Your servants, banded together in church fellowship, recognize their sweet obligations to their dying Lord, and determine that the prayers of the church shall go up before Him like sweet perfume.
Lord, convert our friends that still remain unsaved. Oh, mighty power of God, let none come into this house, even accidentally and casually, without receiving some devout impression. May the Spirit of God work mightily by our ministry, and the ministration of all His servants now present, whether in the Sabbath school, or in the streets, or in the lodging-houses, or from door to door, or when they privately speak to individuals. Oh, glorify Yourself in us! Dear Savior, we pray You come and mark us all distinctly with the blood mark, as being wholly Your, and henceforth may we say with Paul, "Let no man trouble me; for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." As we have been buried with You by baptism into death, so would we be dead to all the world and only live for Christ. God grant it may be so, and we will glorify You in life, and death, and forever.
As You have bidden us pray for all men, so do we now especially pray for our beloved country. May every blessing rest upon this favored isle. Upon the Queen let Your mercies always descend. Keep this land in peace we beseech You; and as for all other lands, may peace yet reign. May oppression in every place be broken to shivers, and may truth and righteousness win the day. Break in pieces the power of Antichrist, we pray You, and of the false prophet; and let the idols fall from their thrones, and may the Lord God Omnipotent yet reign, even Jesus, King of kings and Lord of lords. We ask it all in His name. Amen.
SERMON: NO. 1385. (November 18, 1877.)
GOD'S THOUGHTS AND WAYS FAR ABOVE OURS
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."—Isaiah 55:8, 9.
O GOD, most high and glorious, the thought of Your infinite serenity has often cheered us; for we are toiling and moiling, troubled and distressed here below, beneath the moon; but You sit forever in perfect happiness. Your designs cause You no care or fear; for You will surely carry them out. Your purposes stand fast as the eternal hills: Your power knows no bound, Your goodness no stint. You bring order out of confusion, and our defeats are but Your victories. We sow in tears, but You do see us reap in joy. Our everlasting felicity is present to You, even while groans and mourning are our present lot. Glory be to the Lord most high, who sits on the clouds, who sits King forever and ever. Our hearts rejoice to hear the gladsome tidings that the Lord reigns. Let His kingdom be established over the sons of men; for His kingdom must come, and of it there will be no end. Behold, we come to Your throne this morning bearing about with us a body of sin and death, and consequently much of sin, and much of care, and it may be much of sorrow; but we would be unburdened at Your mercy-seat now. As for our cares, we are ashamed that we have them, seeing You care for us. We have trusted You now for many years, and Your faithfulness has never been under suspicion, nor Your love a matter of question. We therefore leave every concern about our families or about ourselves, about our business, or about our souls, entirely with our God. And as for our sin, we bless You for a sight of the precious blood of Jesus: when You see it You do pass over us. No angel of justice smites where once the blood is sprinkled. Oh, let us have a sight of the blood of Jesus, too and rest because You have forever put away our sin, because we believe in Jesus. Thus, Lord, help us to stand before You, entering into Your rest as we enter into Your presence; and may this be a time of peace, wherein the peace of God which passes all understanding, shall keep the hearts and minds of His people through Christ Jesus.
Still, Lord, we have a burden which we must now lay before You, and ask You to help us in it. We mourn over the condition of Your church; for on every side as we look around, we see men endeavoring to undermine the doctrines of the everlasting Gospel. Time was when a man was famous for lifting up his axe upon the trees of the forest; but now they with axes break down the carved work of Your sanctuary—they despoil Your truth. There is scarce a single doctrine of Your word which the wise men among us do not deny. Yes, and those that pretend to be the ministers of the gospel are among the first to speak against it, and to denounce it, and to sanction licence to sin because You will no more punish it, and to declare that Jesus Christ is not Your Son. O Lord God, our heart often sinks within us; we are apt to wish to lay our hand upon the ark to steady it, for the oxen shake it; but we know it is in Your hand; and having spread the case before You, we leave it there. Many a Rabshakeh's letter have we read of late: behold, we bring it into the sanctuary and spread it before the Lord. O Lord our God, rebuke the unbelief, rebuke the skepticisms of those who assail both You and Your Christ, and the gospel of Your truth.
And we would ask You to do it thus, if it please You: revive deep spirituality in the hearts of Your own children. Oh, that we might live so near to the great Shepherd as to be familiar with His voice, to know its tones, that so a stranger we may not follow; for we know not the voice of strangers. If it were possible, they would deceive even the very elect; and how shall Your elect be kept from their deceptions but by abiding in the truth, and walking in the power of the Holy Spirit? Oh, revive Your church, we pray You, in this respect! Give to those who know You intenser faith in the eternal verities, burning into us by experience the things which we do know; may they be beyond all question to us. And may we never be ashamed to glory in the good old way, the way the fathers trod, the way which leads to Heaven and to God. May we not be ashamed to vindicate it, and to bear reproach; for Your gospel has of old been to the Jews a stumbling-block, and to the Greeks foolishness; and so we expect it ever to be a stumbling-block to those who go after the way of superstition, and also to be foolishness to the wise men of the world. O God, again confuse the knowledge of men by what they think to be the foolishness of the gospel. Again let it be seen that the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. O Jesus, Son of the Highest, we know that the truth is powerful, because You are the soul of it—the very essence of it. Put Your life into it, we pray You. May the Eternal Spirit go with every word which God-sent ministers shall proclaim, and may the Lord grant that as the mists fly before the sun, and the clouds before the wind, so error and superstition may be driven away by the rising of the Sun of Righteousness in all the glory of His brightness.
We have also to bring before You another burden, and that is the godlessness of this present age. It is not alone the wise men but, behold, the men that know not seek not after God. O Lord, the multitude delight in sin. Drunkenness defiles our city, and filthy words are heard on every side. Be not wroth with this nation, we beseech You. It has been entrusted with wondrous privileges. Forgive it and have mercy upon its aggravated sin. Lay not its heavy responsibilities to its charge, but let this nation be saved. We pray for it, as we are in duty bound to do, and as our love constrains us to do. Oh, let the masses of the people yet come to seek after Christ: by some means, by all means, by every means, may the ears of men be reached, and then their hearts be touched. May they hear, that their souls may live; and may the Lord who in everlasting covenant sets forth His Son, glorify Him in the midst of the nations. Let all the nations know the Christ of God. Our Father, we pray You help the few, valiant few, that press forward into the dense area of the enemy. Help them to fight valiantly! May these pioneers of the Christian host in mission lands be increased in number, may they be kept in good heart, may they have confidence in God, and may the Lord send the day of victory much sooner than our feeble faith has dared to hope.
But, Lord, we have yet another burden—it is that we ourselves do not love You as we should, that oftentimes we grow lukewarm and chill, and doubt creeps over us, and unbelief mars our confidence, and we sin and forget our God. O Lord, help us! Pardon is not enough, we want sanctification. We beseech You, let the weeds that grow in the seed plot of our soul be cut up by the roots. We do want to serve You. We long that every thought we think, and word we say or write, should be all for You. We would lead consecrated lives; for we are persuaded that we only live as we live unto God, that anything else is but trifling. Oh, to be taken up as offerings wholly to be consumed upon the altar of the Lord, joyfully ascending to Him in every outgoing of our life. Now this morning be pleased to refresh us. Draw near unto us, You gracious God: it is only Your presence that can make us happy, holy, devout or strong. Shadow us now with Your wings, cover us with Your feathers, and under Your wings may we trust. May we follow very near unto You, and so feel the quickening warmth, the joy which only Your nearness can bring. If any in Your presence this morning are unsaved, oh save them now. Do grant that the service of this morning may bring such glad tidings to their ear, that their heart shall leap at the sound of it, and they shall return unto God, who will abundantly pardon. Bless every preacher of the Word today, and all Sabbath schools, classes of young men and women, all tract distributing and street preaching, and preaching in the theaters, and every form of holy service. Accept the prayers and praises of Your people. Receive them even from the sick beds of those detained at home. Let not one of Your mourners, the weary watchers of the night, be kept without a smile from God. The Lord bless us now, and all His chosen people. Our soul cries out for it. Break, O everlasting morning, break o'er the dark hills! Let our eyes behold You, and until the day break and the shadows flee away, abide with us, O our Beloved, abide with us now. Amen.
SERMON: NO. 1387. (December 2, 1877.)
A GOLDEN PRAYER
"Father, glorify Your name."—John 12:28.
O LORD, our God, how excellent is Your name in all the earth! Some of us have to thank You for many mercies bestowed. We thank You for them; for we feel that we are entirely in Your hands in all respects. Others of us have been brought very low, bruised full sore, but having a little strength remaining, we desire to praise and bless the Giver of every gift. You are good when You give, and You are good when You take away. You are good when the night gathers heavy about us. You are good when the sun shines and gladdens our pathway. You are always good and do good, and blessed be the name of the Lord from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof, and through the night watches let His praise be still celebrated. In the recollection of all that You have done for us Your people, we are filled with amazement, as well as with gratitude, that You should have loved us before the foundation of the world; that sovereign love should have pitched upon us poor unworthy ones, that You should so love us as to redeem us with the blood of Jesus and give the Only Begotten to die for unworthy creatures like to us; that You should love us notwithstanding our sins and transgressions, that You should love us despite the hardness of our hearts and the rebellion of our nature. It is strange, it surpasses belief at times; yet do we know it to be so. And since the hour when we knew Your love and learned to say Abba, Father, we do confess we have been unworthy still. We have but little felt Your goodness; we have often acted very ungratefully, very distrustfully. But Lord, You have not changed, but still does Your faithfulness abound to Your servants; for which again we can only say, Blessed be the name of the Lord!
Especially would we make mention of the goodness of the Lord during another year. Each believer here has trodden a different pathway: to some it has been a very smooth road, to others a very rough climb: to some a deep descent into the valley of sorrow and humiliation. But You have led Your people by a right way. With all the twisting of the wilderness march, we are persuaded that when You lead us about, still we go the nearest way. You know best, and oftentimes to retreat is to advance, and to be beaten back is to make surest headway. We would again in the recollection of the whole year, whatever it may have been, lift up the song of grateful praise, raise another stone of help to record the loving-kindness of our God.
And now do we hoist sail and draw up anchor to sail into another year. O You blessed Pilot of the future as of the past, we are so happy to leave all to You; but in leaving all to You we have one wish, and it is that You would in the next year glorify the Father's name in us more than in any other year of our lives. Perhaps this may involve deeper trial, but let it be if we can glorify God. Perhaps this may involve the being cast aside from the service that we love; but we would prefer to be laid aside if we could glorify You the better. Perhaps this may involve the ending of all life's pleasant work and the being taken home—well, Your children make no sort of stipulations with their God, but this one prayer ascends from all true hearts this morning, "Father, glorify Your name." Will You glorify Yourself, great Father, by making us more holy? Purge us every day, we beseech You, from the selfishness that clings to us. Deliver us also from the fear of man, from the love of approbation so far as these might lead us astray. Help us to be resolute and self-contained to do, and think, and speak the right at all times. Give us great love to our fellow men. May we love them so that we could die for them if need be.
Above all, blessed Jesus, our Redeemer, let Your love to us fire us with love to You. Stamp Your dear image on our hearts, and let us never wander from the path of complete obedience to Your will. Here we stand, asking to be washed again in the open fountain that every sin may be put away; but also begging to be washed in the water "from the riven side that flows," that every wrong desire, every base aspiration, everything contrary to the mind of God may be utterly taken away from us. We beseech You strengthen Your servants for the battles of another year. Give them courage for all the trials, give them grace for all the joys. Help us to be a holy and a happy people! Let the redeemed of the Lord speak well of His name, and whatever their distress may be at times, yet over all may they lift up notes of perpetual joy, glorying in the name of the Lord their God.
We ask You, O God, at this time to revive religion in our land. Oh, that You would be pleased to speak by the Holy Spirit that the gospel's power may be known: there be many that run away from the truth; Lord, hold us fast to it, bind us to it. May there be a people found in this place, and throughout this land, that will abide by the doctrines of the gospel, come what may. May we not be ashamed to be old fashioned, and to be thought fanatical. May we not wish to be thought cultured, nor aim to keep abreast of the times. May we be side by side with You, O bleeding Savior; and be content to be rejected, be willing to take up unpopular truth, and to hold fast despised teachings of sacred writ even to the end. Oh make us faithful—faithful unto death.
And now Lord, bless this people, this our beloved church. You have been very gracious to us; be gracious to us still. Oh that we had health and strength to labor here as our heart desires: may it please You yet to give us these! But if not, use what there is of us until the last is gone, and be pleased ever to find someone or other to go in and out before this people, to feed them with knowledge and understanding. "Father, glorify Your name."
We ask You once more that You would, by some means, cause peace to be re-established throughout the earth. Grant that this nation may not be drawn into war. We have been foolish once over it, grant that we may not be so again; but Oh, let Your Kingdom come without the use of the sword. Oh, angel of war, will you not rest! Oh, sword of the Lord, put yourself into your scabbard and be still; for the sake of the great Prince of Peace we ask it. Amen.
SERMON: NO. 1391. (December 30, 1877.)
THE DAY OF SALVATION
"Behold, now is the accepted time, behold, now is the day of salvation."—2 Corinthians 6:2.
O GOD, You are our exceeding joy. The very singing of Your praises lifts our heart upward: when we can join in the solemn psalm or the sacred hymn, our heart does leap within us. And when Your name is glorified, when we see sinners glorifying the name of Jesus, when we look forward to the brighter days when myriads shall flock to the Crucified: above all, when we contemplate His final triumph, then is our heart very restful, and our spirit rejoices in God our Savior. What a fountain of delight You are, and how richly have You promised to bless the men that delight themselves in God. You have said, "Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desire of your heart." Do You reward us for being delighted? Oh, pleasant duty, which has appended to it so divine a promise. Shall we have the desire of our heart, when our heart finds all its desire in You? Oh blessed Lord, You do indeed meet them that work righteousness and that rejoice in Your ways; and You fill Your people with good things, so that their youth is renewed like the eagles'. We pray You, help us who know You, to glorify You. We have known You from our youth, some of us, and hitherto have we declared Your wondrous works. Oh, may there never be in our heart, and above all may there never come from our lips, or in our life, anything that might dishonor You. Oh, let us die a thousand deaths, sooner than ever dishonor Your hallowed name. This is dearer to us than the apple of our eye. We have loved the habitation of Your house, and the place where Your honor dwells. Gather not our soul with sinners, nor our lives with cruel men; but let us be helped, even to the end, to follow the Lamb wherever He goes, even if it be to Gethsemane and Calvary. Oh, to be perfect in heart towards the Lord! Our lives are faulty; we see much to grieve over; but we would have our whole heart towards Your statutes; and we bless You that so it is; for our heart is in Your ways, and we are willing to spend and to be spent for You. Reservation would we not make to the very slightest; but lay ourselves out for Your honor only, for by us and in us, Father glorify Your name!
Look down upon the great assemblies of this morning all over the world, and let Your eye of tenderness rest here. You see here many that love Thee—may we love You more! You see many that live by the life of God—oh, life of God, live in us to the full! You see also, we fear, some that are declining from Your ways, in whom grace is but a flickering light. Lord, trim the lamps; bring back the wanderers; for there is no joy but in God. And perhaps, nay, we fear it must be so, that You see in this throng, ungodly ones, careless and indifferent. Oh, sword of the Lord, pierce them through, that carelessness may be slain, that their souls may live. Oh, You who are as a polished shaft hidden in the quiver of the Eternal, go forth today to smite to the heart the proud, the self-righteous, and those that will not stoop to ask mercy at Your hands: but as for the humble and the contrite, look upon them; the broken-hearted and the heavy-laden do You relieve, and such as have no helper do You support. Bring up the sinner from the prison house, let the lawful captive be delivered. Let the mighty God of Jacob lead forth His elect, as once He did out of Pharaoh's bondage. The Red Sea is already divided that they may march through it. The Lord save multitudes—He knows them that are His. Accomplish their number and let Jesus so be rewarded, though Israel be not gathered.
Oh, Lord, we ask for ourselves strength to bear and to do. Some of us would ask, if it were Your will, restoration to health; but Your will be done. Others would ask deliverance out of trouble; again, Your will be done. Some would come before You with conscious guilt, and ask for a new application of the precious blood. We had better all ask it, let us all have it. O God, bless this church and people more and more. How richly You have blessed them! When we look back upon past years, what has God wrought! Shall You be without our song? Even when we are not as we would be, shall our voice, if it be cracked and broken, still be silent? No, if every harp-string shall be broken but one, that one shall still resound the love of Jesus, and the glory of God. Long as we live we will bless Your name, our King, our God of love; for there is none like You. "Whom have we in Heaven but You, and there is none upon earth that we desire beside You." Our soul is clean divorced from all earth's good, and married to the Christ of God forever. By bonds that never can be snapped, we are one with Him, and who shall separate us from His love?
The Lord be pleased to reveal Himself to His servants. Oh, for the uplifting of the veil, for the drawing near of the people that are made glad by the blood, for the speaking of God unto the soul, and the speaking of our soul unto God. Oh, for converse with the Eternal, for such fellowship as they may have who are raised up together with Christ, and made to sit in the heavenlies with Him. Oh, Savior, grant us a glimpse of Your great love. One flash of Your eye is brighter than the noonday. One word from Your lips will be sweeter to us and more full of music, than the harps of angels. Grant it to every one of Your children all over the world, both to the sick and to the dying. Oh how gloriously will they die!
And now Lord, we ask You to bless our country at this time, and by Your great and infinite mercy preserve us, we beseech You, from war. Oh, that peace may reign yet all over the world, but let not this nation intermeddle and be as one that takes a dog by the ear, but may there be wisdom given where we fear folly, and strength given where wisdom reigns. The Lord grant that wars may utterly cease unto the ends of the earth. Oh make a way we pray You, for the progress of Christianity, of civilization, of liberty, of everything that is honest and of good repute. May Your kingdom come, and Your will be done, in earth, as it is in Heaven, for Your is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
SERMON: NO. 1394. (January 13, 1878.)
CHRIST IS ALL
OH, the bitter shame and sorrow,
That a time could ever be
When I let the Savior's pity
Plead in vain, and proudly answered,
"All of self, and none of You."
Yet He found me. I beheld Him
Bleeding on the accursed tree,
Heard Him pray, "Forgive them, Father!"
And my wistful heart said faintly,
"Some of self, and some of You."
Day by day His tender mercy,
Healing, helping, full and free,
Sweet and strong, and ah! so patient,
Brought me lower, while I whispered,
"Less of self, and more of You!"
Higher than the highest heavens,
Deeper than the deepest sea,
Lord, Your love at last has conquered;
Grant me now my soul's desire—
"None of self, and all of Thee!" MONOD
SITTING OVER AGAINST THE SEPULCHER
"And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulcher."—Matthew 27:6.
MOST glorious Lord God, it is marvelous in our eyes that You should become incarnate, that Your Son should take our flesh upon Him. It surprises us greatly that the Lord of Life should condescend to die, and that the incorruptible One should be laid in the grave. We are full of loving gratitude, we are also full of adoring wonder. When we have stood at the sepulcher and looked into it, and thought of Jesus having lain there, when we have seen it open and knew that it was empty, we bless Your name that even He died and was buried, and magnify You that He is risen again from the dead. These great facts concerning our divine Lord are the foundation of our confidence in Him. We bless You that they have been attested by such four-fold witness, and yet further that afterwards He appeared alive to so large a number of those who knew Him, that the fact of His rising from the dead might never be questioned again. We do not question it, our hearts devoutly believe the fact; but Lord, we want by Your Holy Spirit to know the facts in their living power. We wish that we might have fellowship with our Lord, who is our Head, in all this. Oh, that we might know how to die with Him, and to live with Him in newness of life. O God, we do rejoice that the old man was crucified with Him. We would daily mortify the flesh with its affections and lusts. We wish to be to the world, to sin, to selfishness as dead and buried men; as dead men, out of mind, so would we be. Oh, that no faculty might hear the voice of the charmer when it charms us towards sin! may we be delivered from the mere power to obey the lusts of the flesh and the temptations of the devil. May grace so sanctify us that we may reckon ourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. O God, we have too much of the ill alive about us. Go on to crucify it: let it die and, painful and lingering though the death may be, may we reckon the thing to be dead, because it is crucified, and never treat it as though it were a living thing to be fed and to have provision made for it: but let it die, and let it be buried. May those of us who bear in our body the marks of the Lord Jesus, be solemnly concerned that our baptism should be no fiction; but that we should be really baptized into the death of Christ with all the fullness of the deadening power that is about the sacred burial by fellowship with Him. And, O Lord, give us more and more to have the new life; yes, and to have it more abundantly, for this is one of the objects of His coming. May the new life always rule us, may we walk by its power, may we have strength through its influence, may we be elevated by its energies, may we be indeed entirely subjugated, as to our own entire manhood, to the control of the Holy Spirit through the new-born life. We do pant for this.
We ask especially on this Lord's Day, that we may be in the Spirit, and know the fullness of His quickening power. May we do nothing after the dead manner of formality. May there be no dead hymn, nor dead prayer. Lord, give the preacher life. Oh, give the hearers life. Oh may this be living worship this morning, the bowing not of heads alone, but of hearts, and the closing not alone of the eyes to things that can be seen, but the closing of the eyelids of the thought to everything worldly.
O Lord, imprison us in the grave of Christ today, that within those sacred walls we may find a chamber where our Lord shall manifest Himself to us, as He does not unto the world.
A spring shut up, a fountain sealed are You, O Christ, to us, and we would be such to You; a garden enclosed for our Beloved, wherein He may take His delights. Our soul shall sing for joy, "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine; he feeds among the lilies."
Oh! for a day's release from every care! Now break the bands of our yoke. And, Oh that we could live above care in the week-days too, casting all our care on Him who cares for us, and leaving all in those wise hands that rule the world, and can well rule our mean affairs. Today, gracious Lord, reproach Your children and comfort them; also rebuke and reprove as may seem good unto You; but Oh, sanctify us for the skies, and prepare us for the place which You are preparing for us. The Lord be very mindful of all his sick servants at home, of any that are under depression of spirit, and especially of such as are near to die.
Oh, be very gracious to all Your children under temptation; and if any are in very sharp trial, and are also conscious of having brought it upon themselves, which makes the trial worse than ever, yet of Your mercy do You let the fullness of the power of Your grace be manifest in them, that in the ages to come they may, with all saints declare the exceeding riches of Your power and love in Christ Jesus.
And now, Lord, bless the unconverted that come into this house today, or into any other place of worship. Be pleased to save them; let the eternal purpose be fulfilled in many today. Oh bring home Your prodigal children, and let such as are coming home be met by the loving Father; and may such as have come home have a feast of fat things today. May elder brethren today be made better tempered, be made more in sympathy with the great Father! May there be blessings all round today for all of us, and so may we together bless and magnify Your august and sacred name. O You one God of Israel, whom we worship, let others worship whom they may; the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob is our God forever and ever, and we worship You, Oh Jehovah Elohim, in the name of Jesus Christ Your only-begotten Son. Amen.
SERMON: NO. 1404. (March 24, 1878.)
THE REASON WHY MANY CANNOT FIND REST
"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep; let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up."—James 4:7–10.
PERMIT us, gracious Father, to come very near to You. May the drawings of the Divine Spirit now sweetly attract us to God; and, most blessed Jesus, fulfill Your office as Mediator, bring us now near to God by Your precious blood. Oh, for the power to pray aright this morning! May Your servant have it largely, that he may be able to lead all this people, by the power of the Spirit, close to the mercy-seat.
First would we adore and bless and magnify our God; not only, O God, for what You are to us, but for what You are in Yourself, for You are incomparably glorious. In You, all perfections shine. Through the rebellion of our flesh we cannot delight ourselves in Your ways, because they are hard and afflictive apparently; yet we do delight in You, and we will at all times rest our souls in the excellence and goodness and loving-kindness of the Most High. As You have revealed Yourself in Christ Jesus, You are now become to Your people the object of inexpressible delight. You have bidden us delight in You, promising to give us the desire of our hearts. We trust we can, many of us, truly say that You are our exceeding joy; the thought of God does to our soul exceeding pleasure bring. Our soul exults in her God: He is our God and we will extol Him, He is our fathers' God and we will glorify Him.
But, Lord, we do confess that our nature is at enmity with You. The fallen corrupt nature of Adam has revolted and gone aside from God; and though we hope that by Your free grace You have renewed us, yet the old rebellions come up at times, and the evil nature urges us still to oppose You. Therefore our prayer this morning is, that we may not only extol You with our words, as we do now; but by the entire submission of our hearts in loyal reverence to You, we may pay You the truest homage. But, Lord, lest we should not have done this, or thinking that we have done so, should still have failed, we will make this the burden of our morning prayer. A large number of us have put on Christ by open confession of His name. Oh, Searcher of hearts, are we really in Christ? Have we been by His spirit begotten again? Will You be pleased to search our hearts, that this question may be put beyond all suspicion. Help us to be very diligent in self-examination, observing whether our spirit be the spirit of Your children, whether our griefs be the griefs that tear repenting hearts, whether our joys are the joys of faith or the delusions of presumption. May we make severe trial of ourselves, often and often putting ourselves into the balances of the sanctuary, to see whether we be full weight or no. One thing we hope we can say with confidence—that our trust is stayed where You would have it stayed, even in the work, the blood, the righteousness, the person of Your dear Son. We have no confidence but in Christ, this we know; but Lord, if this be a true confidence it will work by love and purify the soul. Oh, that there might be the sweet results of faith about our secret character and public life. We do sin, the Lord grant we may never leave off grieving because of sin, never may we be contented with ourselves, never fancy that we have reached a point where we may rest and be thankful, and that there is nothing more for us to do in seeking to be more than conquerors of ourselves. As we have read the charge of Your word against that unruly member, the tongue; as we have heard Your servant James rebuking our envy and other evil spirits that are within us, we do feel humbled under Your hand, and our prayer is, Lord, kill our envy, Lord, help us to command our tongue, grant us grace to be holy: may we be kind and gentle towards our fellow-men, having that fruit of the Spirit, which follows upon purity, even peace. Oh, that we might live for You and not for self. Slay self we pray You, gracious God, whenever there is a selfish, angry disposition about us; help us to trample it out, as men put out sparks lest a fire should arise therefrom.
Oh to be Christly! We do desire to live on earth the life of Jesus—sent into the world by Him as He was sent into the world by the Father. We would closely copy all His acts, words, and spirit; for so only are we saved, when we are saved from the power of sin, and transformed into the likeness of Christ. Let no drunkard here imagine that his life ought to be spent in a selfish endeavor to save himself from the flames of Hell; but may he rather reckon that the grand object is to be saved from the power of sin, and to be consecrated unto God, and to live unto the glory of the most High. Oh Lord, we do fear that selfishness even enters into our most holy things; we mar and spoil our prayers, and preachings, and teachings, with the unwashed hands with which we go about them. Oh, that You would make us clean, we pray You; while we thus pray to You, we do also know that believing in Christ we are clean; we thank You we do not doubt His justifying power. While we are now crying to Him to be sanctified, may we not doubt His power to sanctify; but while crying, "O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death," as well we may; we do nevertheless shout exultingly, "Thanks be unto God who gives us the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord."
And now, we beseech You, look upon some who are seeking salvation, but do not find it; who hear the simple gospel, but somehow cannot enter into its rest. We know that something hinders—Satan hinders. There may be in the heart of seekers here, attachment to a favorite sin. Oh, deliver them from that fascination. There may be still some holding fast to evil associations some predominance of evil passions. Oh God, help penitent souls to come to You, asking to be delivered from sin in every shape, from the sugar of sin as well as from the gall of sin. Oh, make the soul of the seeker to be weary until he is delivered from corruption. May there be none here that shall fancifully seek after a pretended salvation, which will leave them as they are; but may they know that Jesus saves His people from their sins; and, oh, that with self-loathing, and deep contrition, and earnest heart-searching, souls may come to You again and cast themselves before Your face, trusting in Jesus, and crying out to be delivered from sin; and may this be the day of deliverance. Oh, that at this very hour, while we are trying to preach, You may raise up of these stones children unto Abraham. Men that seem naked and cold as stones, quicken by the mighty Spirit this very day; and may they be led to yield themselves unto God, and their members instruments of righteousness. The Lord grant it, and we will bless His name.
Lord, save us all, not only now, but in that day. So as by fire, perhaps, some of us will be saved, but we had rather pray that you would minister unto us an entrance abundantly into the Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
We have many things to ask of You, but You know, without our use of words. Give to all before You, and to all Your people everywhere, exactly what You see they need. We pray for the revival of the Church of God, for help to be given this day to all preachers, and teachers, and seekers after the souls of others. We pray You, Lord, to add to Your church daily of such as shall be saved. With our whole heart many of us at least do pray You to bless our country, and spare it from the horrible evils of war. O God of peace, send us peace always, by all means. Sword of the Lord rest and be quiet now; and may the gospel with its benign influences spread over all nations, until there shall be no selfish clutching, no rapacious grasping at territories, no oppression of one race by another; but may the laws of the King of Peace be universally proclaimed, and obeyed even by those who perhaps yield not their hearts to His sway; for we do know, great King, that while You have a special kingdom in Your people, yet the Lord has given You power over all flesh; and we pray this may be recognized, and we may see it. Your kingdom come, O Jesus; may Your kingdom come—Your Father's kingdom; and let His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven; for Your is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
SERMON: No. 1408. (April 7, 1878.)
THE CONQUEST OF SIN
"For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace."—Romans 6:14.
GLORIOUS Lord God, our inmost hearts worship You; for You are high above the heavens, and yet You humblest Yourself to behold the things that are in Heaven and that are on earth. And in Your condescension You have regard to the very lowest of mankind. Many of us can sing "He has regarded my low estate"; for You do raise the poor out of the dust, and the needy out of the dunghill, that You may set them among princes, even the princes of the people. Who is a God like unto You: Hallelujah! our praises shall never cease: from the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, and all through the night watches, the Lord's name is to be praised.
Our Father, for that is the sweetest title by which we can address You, we pray You save us entirely from sin. There are many in Your presence who are resting in the peace which comes of justification by faith. We know that we are righteous through the righteousness of another, even Jesus Christ; but we pant and pine for personal likeness to Yourself. If You are our Father, then upon every child of Your should be the Father's image impressed: so let it be. We beseech You, Lord, to enable us to recognize our death to sin; and when it tempts us may we be deaf to the voice of the charmer with the deafness of death; and when it would use our members as instruments of unrighteousness, may we be quite incapable thereof with the incapacity of death. O God, deliver us we pray You from the invasion of sin, as well as from the dominion of it. Grant us to walk as Christ walked; in His newness of life may we live—may the life in the flesh be a life of faith upon the Son of God who loved us, and gave Himself for us; and may it be a life of love, and consecration of burning zeal for God; a life of pure holiness; such a life as the incarnate God Himself has lived among the sons of men.
We lament that in the body of this death there is much that we abhor. We are tempted to indolence at times, and though busy in the world we become spiritually idle. Also, we are tempted to envy others, because they excel us, and we mourn to confess the baseness of our spirit in this matter; and also we have to lament our pride. We have nothing to be proud of; the lowest place is ours; but Lord, we often conceive ourselves to be something when we are nothing. We pray You forgive all these vices of our nature; but at the same time kill them, for we hate ourselves to think we should fall into such evils. Especially have mercy upon us for our unbelief. You have given us proof of Your existence, and of Your love to us, and of Your care over us: especially have You given us Your only begotten Son, best pledge of love. And yet we acknowledge that we do doubt. Unbelief comes into the soul. We are quite ashamed of this. We could lie in the very dust to think it should be so. Lord, have mercy upon us; but also help us to be strong in faith in the future, giving glory to God.
We must sorrowfully also lament our hearts, how they wander. If You give us a blessing we begin to idolize it. How often do we set our hearts upon children, upon some beloved object, or upon wealth or upon honor. Somehow or other, this spiritual adultery too often comes upon us, and the chastity of our hearts towards our God is violated. Be pleased to forgive us in this thing also.
"Take this poor heart and let it be,
Forever closed to all but Thee"—a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. Let the whole heart be Christ's alone, and never stray again.
Yet we do bless You this morning that we can pray in this fashion, for there was a time when it never struck us that there was much amiss with us, when sin was no plague to us; when we lived even in outward sin with but slight accusation of conscience, and certainly without any pain at heart. You know, Lord, that sin is our greatest curse; we would sooner suffer anything than sin, at least when we are in our right mind we feel so. O God, deliver us from sin! At the very thought of its coming near to us we cry, "O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me;" and we only find comfort in the blessed truth that You give us the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let that victory be very apparent, may it be very clear to our own consciousness, very much displayed in our lives. O God, help us to live towards You in all devotion, confidence, obedience, resignation and simple childlike trust. Help us to love You with all our heart and soul and mind. Enable us also to live to our fellow men according to Your word, loving our neighbor as ourselves. Save us from all unneighborly tempers, all hard thoughts, all slanderous words. Deliver us from bearing any anger in our heart: from everything that is ungenerous or unkind do You save us, and let the law of love be written on the fleshy tablets of our renewed heart, and be carried out in all the thoughts and words and acts of our lives. Especially help us to master our tongue; for if that be bridled the whole body will be manageable. Keep us, O God, when we are in company, and equally preserve us when we are in secret. Help us to keep the door of our lips; and grant that when that door is opened there may not come out of it sweet water and bitter: may we not both bless and curse, but may we speak that which is good to edification, and may our speech be also seasoned with salt.
Thus would we cry unto You after holiness. You know we do not expect to be saved by it; but we do look upon it as salvation, to be saved from sin, to be delivered from corruption; to be emancipated from the bondage of the evil is the great thought of our spirit, and we look forward to Heaven with this as one of its highest felicities, that we shall be without fault before the throne of God, and that nothing that defiles shall ever enter there. O Lamb of God, by whom we have been redeemed from sin and washed from impurity, will You graciously daily wash our feet, that we may be clean every whit, and may enter in through the gates into the city, and be among those of whom it is written—"They shall walk with Me in white for they are worthy."
And at this hour, which is an hour of grace, we would ask You to help any of Your children who are under bondage. If they have lost their hope, if their faith has become weak, if their love burns low—Lord renew the youth of Your people, like that of the eagles'; and let them mount up with eagles, and rise above their doubts, their deadness, and their care.
Should any of Your servants be in deep trouble, will You grant them grace to glory in tribulation also, because it works patience, experience, and hope. And may the Lord grant to all his tried and troubled ones, beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.
Prosper Your universal church. Send the preaching of the pure gospel again to the world. Silence the voices of those that are spreading infidelity and superstition: and may the day come when every pulpit shall resound with the pure gospel of Jesus Christ, and His people shall again return to their allegiance to the faith—the faith once delivered to the saints, never to swerve again.
O God, suffer us to intercede with You a moment for our unconverted ones. Give us to feel great sorrow and heaviness of heart for those who, as yet, are far off from God: Lord, bring them in. O God, awaken the careless and frivolous—there may be such here this morning, who have never given any solemn consideration to the matters of their soul. May they be awakened and aroused today; and while we set forth the way of salvation by grace, may they feel their need of it, and be willing to accept it; and may the Lord save them this day.
May any that are anxious, but are missing the mark, looking to themselves instead of to Christ, learn the way of life and run in it. Save them, O God; yes, save this people. Let all within the Tabernacle walls today be within the Temple gates above at the last. May every congregation of the faithful everywhere, be under the Divine blessing.
Bless our country, we pray You: and we lift up again the voice of earnest prayer that peace may not be broken. Oh, let not bloodshed break forth in the midst of the continent; but may it please You to send wisdom to the councillors of all nations, that by some means such a dreadful calamity may be avoided; and may He come who will end all danger of war, even the Prince of Peace Himself, in whose days shall the righteous flourish, and abundance of peace so long as the moon endures. The Lord hear us now; and forgive, and answer, and bless, according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus: and unto Israel's one God, revealed to us in the Trinity of Mystic Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be glory by Christ Jesus. Amen, and Amen.
SERMON: No. 1410. (April 21, 1878.)
TRUE PRAYER—HEART PRAYER
"For you, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed to your servant, saying, I will build you an house: therefore has your servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee."—2 Samuel 7:27.
OH Lord, our song reminds us of what we were, and we would begin our praise by the acknowledgment of our natural condition; we would remember the miry clay, and the rock whence we were hewn, for we were "by nature children of wrath even as others." Well do we remember when we felt this, and when the bitterness and gall were in our mouths, of which we had to drink both day and night. How heavy was the load of sin! all our thoughts were engrossed with that sense of pressure and of dread. We looked on the right hand and there was none, and on the left and we found no helper; but then You did Yourself deliver us by leading us to cast a faith-look to the Divine, Only begotten, and crucified Son. At this moment vividly is it upon our recollection, how You did bring us up out of the "horrible pit:" we remember now the new song which You did put into our mouths, as we found our feet fast on the rock, and our goings established. It is long since then with some of us, but all the way has been strewn with mercies, and we desire this morning to record, "Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not all His benefits."
We thank You now in the retrospect, for the trials which we have endured. Some of us have been brought very low with physical pain and mental weariness, and others have been sore smitten with bereavement, losses and crosses, and persecutions; but there is not one out of all our trials which we could have afforded to have been without. No, Lord, all has been ordered well; there was a need-be for every twig of the rod, and we desire now to thank You that we can see in looking back, how all things have even now worked together for good, though we know we cannot see the end as yet.
Oh, You good God, You blessed God; like David, we would gladly sit down before You in silence and wait awhile, for our words, when we do use them, are totally inadequate to the expression of what we feel, much more of what we ought to feel concerning Your goodness and Your loving-kindness; yet we will bless Your name, with such language as we have. Jehovah, our God, let others worship whom they will, and seek after what object of love they please, this God is our God forever and ever, He shall be our guide even unto death. Father, Son, and Spirit, the Triune God of Israel, we express most solemnly the reverence we feel for You; and render to You our humble adoration, as we acknowledge You to be the One and only God, by whom the heavens and the earth were made, by whom all things consist—the Redeemer of Your people, their Father and their Friend, forever and ever! All our hearts worship You, Oh, You glorious Lord!
And truly, since we have received so many mercies at Your hand, we do feel that You will never forsake us, nor in any darkness, which may be in our path in the future, will You desert Your own. You have done too much for us, to desert us now. We have cost You so much—Oh wondrous price that You have paid for us—and You have spent so much of wise thought, and gracious act upon us, that we are persuaded You will go through with the work which Your wisdom has undertaken. But give us faith to believe this: when the stormy times come, let us not doubt, but what our Helmsman will bring us to the desired haven. Though winds and waves assault our keel, may we still find perfect peace, and rest in the thought that He, who is in the hinder part of the ship, is Master of winds and waves. Comfort Your children this morning, great Father, if any of them are in doubt just now; and bring them all into an assured confidence, and perfect restfulness in the Lord their God.
Next, we would humbly entreat of You, that we may each one be permitted to do some great service for You, before we go hence: we do not mean great in the wisdom of our fellows, but let it be all that we can do. If we cannot build a house for You, yet have we set our hearts upon doing something; and if it be Your will, direct our minds to what it shall be, lest our minds should not be Your mind: but let not one of us be barren or unfruitful. If we have indeed been redeemed by the blood of Christ, may we reckon that we must live to Him; may the love of Christ constrain us; and may something come of our lives that shall be a blessing to the sons of men, before we go hence.
And our Father, while we offer this prayer, we will also pray with a deep gratitude for all Your mercies: may they take possession of all our hearts that, as when David sat in his house of cedar he "magnified the Lord," so may we also, whenever things go smoothly with us. Lord, may the gratitude we feel prompt us to say again, "what shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits towards me." Make every child of you're here, to be every day serving You; and serving You so that Heaven's work may begin below, and something of Heaven's pleasure may be enjoyed even now. But Lord, while we work for You, always keep us sitting at the feet of Jesus. Let our faith never wander away from the simplicity of its confidence in Him. Let our motive never be anything but His glory; may our hearts be taken up with His love, and our thoughts perpetually engaged about His person. Let us choose the good part which shall not be taken away—that if we serve with Martha we may also sit with Mary.
Let this church, Lord, receive a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit, that all its members may be spending themselves for the Master. Will You quicken, we pray You, every agency; in all our Sabbath schools, may there be no lack of teachers; may our young friends find it a delight to be teaching the little ones; may there be even a superabundance of workers in this department. Let not anything flag to which the church has set her hand. Prosper us in the education of our young men for the ministry! bless us, we pray You, with our dear orphan boys: may they, all of them, be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation. Remember our colporteurs scattered about this country; and prosper them in their going from house to house with the Word of God; and may they be great soul-winners, all of them, that the Lord's name may be glorified.
And all the thousand and one things, which constitute the activities of the churches at large, do You bless and prosper them, so far as they are according to Your mind; and may it please You, to give to the churches prayer in proportion to activity, and faith in proportion to zeal. O Lord! visit Your church at this time, which is a time of peril; and in Your mercy, revive among us the love of the pure gospel of Jesus Christ. Rebuke, we pray You, those who, with their philosophy and vain deceit, would mar and spoil the gospel of Jesus Christ. Grant that in all deliberations of any part of Your church, which concern this great and grievous and crying evil, there may be decision and wisdom and help given, that all may be done and ordered to Your glory.
Bless our nation, Lord, we pray You; and let the spirit of Christianity permeate it, enter into the high places, and flow down even to its darkest dens. And, we beseech You, let us have peace; may nothing happen to break it, may it be established on a firm and judicious footing; and for many a year may no sound of trumpet, or noise of cannon, be heard throughout the whole earth. Let the people praise You, O God, and learn war no more! Let all the nations be blessed! May the gospel of Christ Jesus penetrate into the remotest regions, and where it is known, may the power of it be felt far more.
Bless our brethren across the sea of another land, but who, with the same tongue, worship our Lord in spirit and in truth; and our brethren on the southern side of the globe, and all the scattered saints in every nation, visit them with the bedewing of the Holy Spirit; and make the gardens of the Lord amidst the desert to be green, and blossom as the rose. Now help us this morning, give to every one a sense of pardoned sin: forgive us, O Father, for Christ's sake! Give to each one of us also, sanctifying power, that we may be cleansed from the influence of guilt. Give power in the delivery of the gospel. May the truth sink into the soul, and may this be a good and happy, devout and beneficial occasion, to all of us here gathered. We ask it for Jesus' sake. Amen.
SERMON: No. 1412. (May 5, 1878.)
DISTINCTION AND DIFFERENCE
"You have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet you say, Wherein have we wearied him? When you say, Every one that does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?"
"Then shall you return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serves God and him that serves him not."—Malachi 2:17; 3:18.
TRULY God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. Your people desire to set their seal to this, and to acknowledge that You are overflowing goodness. O You blessed God, You have remembered both our temporal and our spiritual wants; You have lifted us up from the gates of the grave, delivered our soul from death, our eyes from tears, and our feet from falling. You have dealt well with Your servants, O Lord, according to Your Word. There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, there is none that deals so bountifully; for as high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are His thoughts above our thoughts and His ways above our ways. Our soul, therefore, blesses God the Lord, and all that is in us is stirred up His holy name to magnify and bless. "Bless the Lord" is the utterance of our inmost soul this morning; "from the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, let the Lord's name be praised."
And now, Lord, will You listen to us while we confess before You how unworthy we have been of all Your goodness; for we are a sinful generation, even as our fathers were? We have sinned, times without number; and even those of us who are Your people, and have been born into Your house, we have even more than others to mourn over our sin; for You have made us more sensible of it, and we have sinned against greater light, which we do sorrowfully confess. Our sins of pride, of unbelief, of hasty judgment of Your providence, our neglect of searching into Your mind in the Word, our neglect of possessing Your mind in our daily life, our transgressions and our shortcomings, make against us a great list of accusations. But we bless You that they will not stand as accusations; for, behold, none can lay anything to the charge of Your people, seeing all was laid on Him, upon whom the transgression of Your people was laid of old, by Your own hand; and now, washed in His precious blood, and clothed in His matchless righteousness, we know that despite our faults, we stand accepted in the Beloved; for which again we bless You. Deep down in our hearts shall the song begin, in humiliation of spirit because of our offences, but it shall rise to the very heights of Heaven, while with exultation we behold how we are "raised up together and made to sit in the heavenly places," and are presented in Christ Jesus "without spot or wrinkle or any such thing."
Lord, we desire this morning to contemplate with admiration Your ways toward us. You have put some of us into the furnace There is no child of Your but knows something of the heat of the furnace; and we perceive that You are as a refiner unto us, and that the fire is meant to consume our dross and tin; therefore do we thank You for it. For all the acts of discipline to which we are subject, we would praise the wisdom and the love of our divine Father. You would not have us live in sin; sin is much worse than furnace work. All the trial in the world is not so hard to carry as a sense of sin. Lord, if You do give us choice to keep our sins and to live in pleasure, or to have them burnt away with trial, we will say to You, Lord, give us the sanctified affliction, but deliver us from all the influences of sin, from every evil habit, from all the accretions of former sin, all the ore that is mixed with the precious metal, everything that diminishes the brightness of Your grace in us; everything that keeps You from taking delight in us, take it away, we beseech You: and if this life is to be to Your people the crucible and the burning heat, even to a white heat, so let it be, so long as You do sit at the furnace mouth, to watch the ore that nothing should be lost. Oh, blessed God, help any of Your children that are in the midst of the heat now. Let them see the Lord sitting near and watching, and let them feel perfectly at ease, because in His hands all things must be well.
And gracious God, we pray You, work in us, according to the chapter we have been reading, such a holy love to You, that we may render to You all that we have. We have sometimes said in our soul: "Take not tithe, but take You all." Keep us true to this. May we feel that we are "not our own, but bought with a price," and let this be no sentiment which ought to have power over us, but a real force which does constrain us, because "we thus judge that if one died for all, then all died, and that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him that died for them and rose again." We do pray for grace, that we may spend all our time, every faculty, and all that we possess in glorifying our Lord and Master among the sons of men, in
"Works which perfect saints above
And holy angels cannot do."This morning, be pleased to accept the thanksgivings of Your servants for any special mercies received, and especially of one who begs us to thank You for Your grace and mercy extended to her, and to the little ones with whom she was about to cross the sea. They went through fire and through water, but still You did preserve them; and we pray God speed them on their way to the distant land: and bless that sister who spends her life in gathering the arabs of the street, that she may take them to a land where they will be well cared for. Oh Lord, prosper her and all others that in any way seek the good of the poor and needy.
Bless, we pray You, all city missionaries, all visitors from house to house, all those who seek to reclaim fallen women, or waifs and strays among the children. Let the philanthropic work that is done in our city, ever be under Your eye, and be upheld by Your gracious hand. Our ragged schools, and especially our Sabbath schools, do You look upon with favor, and grant them ever to be a nursery for the Church of God. And the Lord bless all that in any way seek to make known the savor of the name of Jesus. Oh, give the humblest tongue that tells of Christ to speak with fire, and where the multitudes are gathered together, there give fervor and earnestness, sincerity and depth of power to bring sinners to Jesus. "Let the people praise You, O God, yes, let all the people You!"
Let our great cities be swept clean of vice, and infidelity, and superstition. Deliver our country villages and hamlets from the drunkenness and ignorance in which they dwell. Let the whole earth behold the brightness of the coming of the Lord. Let Jesus Christ reign from pole to pole, until He Himself shall come openly and manifestly to take to Himself His great power, and all the kingdoms surrender themselves into His hands.
And now, Father, save any in this house who remain unreconciled to their God. Touch now, with Your sacred finger, some careless heart that may be using even the House of God as a place for the gratification of curiosity, desiring no spiritual gift whatever; yet will You be pleased to lay Your hand upon that heart, and make it feel that God is near; and may conscience say, "Be you sure of this, that the kingdom of God has come near unto you." And, oh, that there might not be the power to put aside that kingdom; but may the conscience now be so touched, and girded with strength, that the will may submit, and the judgment yield, and the affections bow, that God may reign over many a heart which hitherto has been a rebellious province of His domain. Again we say, "Let the people praise You, O God; yes, let all the people praise You!" Save this assembly this day; let every one that is within these walls, or shall be here, be saved. And now may the good seed drop into furrows that shall welcome it; and from it may there spring a harvest to Your glory, O You ever blessed, unto whose name be honor, world without end, through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
SERMON: No. 1415. (May 19, 1878.)
TAKE FAST HOLD
"Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is your life."—Proverbs 4:13.
BLESSED God, our heart does praise You, our inmost soul exults in Your name, for the Lord is good, and His mercy endures forever. Your people praise You, O God, for all that You have been unto them, and we can each one set forth Your worthy praise by reason of our personal experience of Your goodness. You have dealt well with Your servants, O Lord, according unto Your word. We bless You for teaching us from our youth; for some of us have known You, even from our childhood, and Your word was precious to us even in our earlier days, when, like young Samuel, we were spoken to of the Lord. Now You have borne and carried us these years in the wilderness with unchanging love and goodness, and there be some in Your presence this morning who know that even to hoar hairs You are He—You have made and You do carry; You do not forsake the work of Your own hands. "Your mercy endures forever," and let Your praise endure forever also.
O Lord, we would cling to You more firmly than ever we have done: we would say, "Return unto Your rest, O my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. For You have delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears and my feet from falling." We would this morning "take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord." We would "pay our vows unto the Lord now, in the courts of the Lord's house, in the midst of all His people." Blessed be the name of the Lord, we have been brought low, but the Lord has helped us; we have oftentimes wandered, but He has restored us; we have been tried, but He has preserved us; yes, we have found His paths to be "paths of pleasantness" and all the ways of His wisdom to be "ways of peace." We bear our willing witness to the testimony of the Lord, we set our seal that "He is true" and we cry again, "Bind the sacrifice with cords, even with cords unto the horns of the altar." From henceforth let no man trouble us, for we "bear in our body the marks of the Lord Jesus." We are His branded servants, henceforth and forever. Our ear is nailed to our Master's door-post, to go no more out forever.
And now, Lord, we beseech You, hear the voice of our cry. Your people would first of all ask You to deepen in them all the good works of Your grace. We do repent of sin—give us a deeper repentance! May we have a horror of it, may we dread the very approach of it, may we chastely flee from it and resolve, with sacred jealousy, that our hearts shall be for the Lord alone. We have faith in Jesus, blessed be Your name, but Oh strengthen and deepen that faith! May He be all in all to us; may we never look elsewhere for ground of rest, but abide in Him with an unwavering, immutable confidence, that the Christ of God cannot fail nor be discouraged, but must forever be the salvation of His people. We trust we can say also that we love the Lord, but Oh that we loved Him more! Let this blessed flame feed on the very marrow of our bones. May the zeal of Your house consume us; may we feel that we love the Lord with all our heart, with all our mind, with all our soul, with all our strength; and hence may there be about our life a special consecration, an immoveable dedication unto the Lord alone.
O Lord Jesus, deepen in us our knowledge of You. You have made the first lines of Your likeness upon our character; go on with this work of sacred are, until we shall be like You in all respects. We wish that we had greater power in private prayer, that we were oftener wrestling with the covenant angel. We would that the Word of God were more sweet to us, more intensely precious—that we had a deeper hunger and thirst after it. Oh, that our knowledge of the truth were more clear, and our grip of it more steadfast. Teach us, O Lord, to know the reason of the hope that is in us, and to be able to defend the faith against all comers. Plough deep in us, great Lord; and let the roots of Your grace strike into the roots of our being, until it shall be no longer I that live, but "Christ that lives in me."
Holiness, also, of life we crave after. Grant that our speech, our thoughts, our actions, may all be holiness, and "holiness unto the Lord." We know that there be some that seek after moral virtue apart from God. Let us not be of their kind; but may our desire be that everything should be done as unto the Lord, for You have said, "Walk before Me, and be you perfect." Help us so to do, to have no master but our God, no law but His will, no delight but Himself. Oh, take these hearts, most glorious Lord, and keep them, for "out of them are the issues of life;" and let us be the instruments in Your hand, by daily vigilance, of keeping our hearts, lest in heart we go astray from the Lord our God. Until life's latest hour may we keep the sacred pledges of our early youth. We do remember when we were baptized into the sacred Name—Oh, never may we dishonor that sacred ordinance by which we declared that we were dead to the world and buried with Christ. Some of us do remember our early covenant with God, when we made over to Him ourselves and all that we had. Oh, in life's last hour when we bow ourselves for weakness, may it be to bless that sacred bond and to "enter into the joy of our Lord." And if You have taught us anything since then, if You have given us any virtue or any praise, may we hear You say, "Hold fast that which you have, that no man take your crown." Oh let no brother or sister become distinguished in grace and then decline, let none bear fruit and afterwards become barren; but may our path "shine more and more unto the perfect day." It is this our spirit craves after, with strong desire, that the whole of our life, from the commencement with Christ to its ending with our being with Christ, may glorify and bring help to His Church.
And now, hear You us again while we cry unto You. Our chief desire is for Your cause in the earth. We are often very heavy about it. The days seem to us to be neither dark nor light, but mingled; oh that the element of light might overcome the darkness! We do pray You, raise up in these days a race of men that shall know the gospel and hold it fast. We do feel that we have so much superficial religion, so much profession without true possession to back it up. Oh, Lord, may our churches be built with precious stones, and not with wood, hay, and stubble. May we ourselves so know the gospel that no one can beat us out of it; may we so hold it, that our faces shall be like flints against the errors of the age; so practice it, that our lives shall be an argument that none can answer, for the power of the gospel of Jesus.
And with this be pleased to grant to Your churches more power over the sons of men. Oh, Lord, make Your ministers throughout all the world to be more fruitful in soul winning. Let us not rest without sowing the good seed beside all waters. Forgive us our coldness and indifference; forgive us that we sleep as do others, for it is high time for us to awake out of sleep.
Oh, Lord, help us to live while we live; shake us clear of these cerements, these grave clothes, which cling to us; say to us, most blessed Jesus, what You said concerning Lazarus of old, "Loose him, and let him go." May we get right away from the old death and the old lethargy, and live under the best conditions of life, diligently serving God. Convert the nations, we pray You! Help our dear brethren who stand far out in the thick heathen darkness, like lone sentinels; let them bear their witness well, and may the day come when the Christian church shall become a missionary church, when all over the world those that love Christ shall be determined that He shall conquer. You have not yet made the church "terrible as an army with banners:" would God she were! May those days of Christian earnestness come to us, and then shall we look for the latter day of glory.
And now, Father, save any in this house that remain unconverted. May this day be the day of their salvation. We would most earnestly entreat that some word may drop into the most careless heart; and this prayer especially, convert this day in this house of prayer, if it may please You, some that shall be very earnest Christians in years to come; take hold today of some whom You have ordained to be like Paul, who shall be missionaries to the ends of the earth! Take hold of some that are specially set against You, some that are very bold spirits even in sin, thorough-hearted in their wickedness—convert such now! Say unto them, "See I have made you a chosen vessel to bear my name unto the Gentiles;" and may there come such power with it, that they may not be disobedient unto the heavenly vision. Your Church needs such men. Oh, that such were brought out today! We put it up as a prayer to be registered in Heaven, and we mean to look for its answer, that You would today take hold of some men that shall become afterwards leaders in the church of God, this day striking them down with the sense of sin and leading them to Christ.
The Lord bless our country. God save the Queen. Keep us in peace, we beseech You and in times of congress and deliberation may there sit in the council chamber One higher than the kings of the earth, and greater than the ambassadors thereof. Oh, that long-continued peace might happen to this poor earth, for its wounds are many. Behold, how all things languish for the lack of peace—the Lord send it. Quicken trade and commerce, remove the complaining that is now heard in our streets. Kindly consider us in the matter of the weather, that the harvests may not be spoiled, and bless the people, O Lord. Let the people praise You, and "then shall the earth yield her increase." The Lord grant all this, with the forgiveness of sin, the acceptance of our person, and assist us ever to live to His glory, for Jesus' sake. Amen.
SERMON: No. 1418. (June 9, 1878.)
THE ROCK OF OUR REFUGEIN the shadow of the Rock, let me rest,
When I feel the tempest's shock, thrill my breast;
All in vain the storm shall sweep, while I hide,
And my tranquil station keep, by Your side.
On the parched and desert way, where I tread,
With the scorching noon-tide ray, o'er my head,
Let me find the welcome shade, cool and still,
And my weary steps be stayed, while I will.
I in peace will rest me there, until I see
That the skies again are fair, over me—
That the burning heats are past, and the day
Bids the traveler at last, go his way.
Then my pilgrim staff I'll take, and once more
I'll my onward journey make, as before;
And with joyous heart and strong, I will raise
Unto You, O Rock, a song, glad with praise! RAY PALMER
TRUST AND PRAY
"For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: you shall weep no more: he will be very gracious unto you at the voice of your cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee."—Isaiah 30:19.
O LORD God, the strength and the hope of Your people, we would approach You through Jesus Christ Your Son, with notes of thanksgiving; for we are not ashamed of our hope, neither has our confidence led us into confusion. We have proven it to be true, that they that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which can never be moved, which abides forever. We trusted in You with regard to our innumerable sins, and You have cast them behind Your back. We trusted in You, yes, we trusted in You when many evils compassed us about, and we were sore beset with temptation, and You brought us out into a wealthy place: You did set our feet upon a rock and establish our goings. We trusted in You, alas! too feebly, in the hour of our distress when we were troubled exceedingly with earthly things, still You did not fail us, though our faith trembled: though we believed not You did abide faithful. The Lord has helped His people, yes the Lord has been the strength and the help of His chosen. "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all;" and at this moment, in looking back upon the past, we have nothing to do, but to admire and to adore the constancy of love, the faithfulness of grace.
We thank You, O God, on the behalf of many of Your people, our brethren, that You have dealt so well with them. We knew them many years ago when their young hearts first believed in You, and here they are still, the living, the living in Zion, to praise You, as they do this day. Their feet have sometimes almost gone, their steps have well near slipped; but You have held them up, and they are walking in their integrity, preserved as only grace could preserve them, living still to praise Your name. We bless You on the behalf of the much tried among Your children. They went through fire and through water; men did go over their heads, yet have You preserved them. Their hope seemed to wither like the fading leaf, and the summer of their joy turned into a bleak winter of adversity, yet has the spring time come to them, and the time of the singing of birds; yes, they begin to pluck their first ripe fruits, and they joy and exult in the Lord.
O Lord, we praise You for keeping alive a testimony for the truth in the land. There have been dark and evil days, and some that professed to be Your servants have turned traitors to the gospel; yet still You have heard the cry of the faithful, and the candle is not put out, neither has the sun gone down; but even unto this day the Lord, the God of Israel reigns in the midst of His people, and His saints exult in His name.
And now with this thankfulness upon our hearts, we would humbly ask You to strengthen us as to our future confidence in You. Are there any of Your servants here at this time, or anywhere all over the world, whose confidence begins to fail them, by reason of present affliction or deep depression of spirit? We beseech You, strengthen the things that remain, that are ready to die; and let their faith no longer waver, but may they become strong in the Lord in full assurance of faith. Oh God, you know the burden of every heart before You, the secret sighing of the prisoner comes up into Your ears. Some of us are in perplexity, others are in actual suffering of body. Some are sorely cast down in themselves, and others deeply afflicted with the trials of those they love, but as for all these burdens, our soul would cast them on the Lord—in quietness and confidence shall be our strength, and we would this morning, all without exception who are tried and troubled, take up the place of sitting still, leaving, with quiet acquiescence, everything in the hands of God. Great Helmsman, You shall steer the ship, and we will not be troubled. By Your grace, we will leave everything most sweetly in Your hands. Where else should these things be left? and we will take up the note of joyous song, in anticipation of the deliverance which will surely come.
Save Your people from unbelief, save them from confidence in the creature. Bring us one and all to be, as to the world, even as a weaned child. May we have done with these things; and as to You, O Lord, may we with strong desire seek after yet more of You, and cling to You as our sure confidence for evermore.
As for the future, we desire to bless Your name that You have covered it from our eyes; nor would we wish to lift even a corner of the veil which hides from us the things that are to be; but we delight to feel that He who have ruled all things for our good changes not. It may be You have appointed for us great torrents of tribulation, but You will be with us if we pass through the river. Perhaps You will permit us to go through blazing fires of persecution or temptation, but we shall not be burned; for You have assured us it shall be so, that we shall go through the fires unhurt, since You will be with us.
Perhaps, it is written in the tablets of Your eternal purpose, that we shall soon end this mortal life and die. Well, be it so, we shall the sooner see Your face, the sooner drink eternal draughts of bliss. But if You have appointed for us grey hairs, and a long and weary time of the taking down of the tabernacle; only grant us grace that, by infirmity, our faith may never fail us; but when the windows are darkened, may we still look out to see the hope that is to be revealed; and when the grasshopper becomes a burden, still let our strength be as our days, even to the last day.
We now commit ourselves again to Your keeping, O faithful Creator; to Your keeping, O Savior of the pierced hand; to Your keeping, O eternal Spirit, who are able to keep us from falling, and to sanctify us wholly that we may be made to stand among the saints in light. O God, we can trust You, and we do. Our faith has gathered strength by the lapse of years. Each following birthday, we trust, confirms us in the fact that to rely upon God is our happiness and our strength, and we will do so, though the earth be removed and the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea. We will not fear, since God abides fast forever, and His covenant cannot fail.
And now today, will you lead others to trust You. Oh, be You so revealed, wherever the congregations are met together, that men may come to You and live. Oh that the people in this house this morning, might not one of them go away unbelievers. If they have been indifferent to these things, and have never studied the ground of the believer's confidence, may they see it clearly this morning, and accept of it as the rock on which they shall build. Oh, if there be in this audience, as we fear there must be, many that are living to trust in their wealth, or their talents, or their position in life; or who are trusting in nothing, but raising their building without a foundation at all; Oh, bring them this day to see, that there is nothing worthy of an immortal soul's confidence except the immortal and ever-living God, and may they come by Christ Jesus unto the Father. May many a heart end all its weary wanderings, and sit still at Christ's feet, and see the salvation of God.
God bless our country! May faith be multiplied in the land! Preserve our nation at this juncture. Guide, we pray You, the deliberations of councillors and princes. May peace be preserved, and at the same time may the great purposes of God with regard to the spread of liberty and of the gospel be subserved by every decree of the council. O God, we beseech You, ease the world of the sway of every evil principle. Let the day come, when all classes of men shall study the interest of others as well as their own, when the various nations shall yield to the one scepter of Christ and, like kindred tribes, shall melt into one. Yes, hasten His coming and His reign when the shout shall go up to Heaven, that the "Lord God omnipotent reigns."
As You bid us, we pray for all in authority over us, especially asking that every blessing may rest upon the Queen. We pray for other nations also, and especially for countries and colonies where our language is spoken and our God is worshiped—may the Lord's choicest blessings rest there. We also put up special prayer for any of our dear friends that are in trouble, asking You to help some who have been suffering bitter bereavement, others who are vexed with sickness in their own persons. The Lord be pleased to be gracious unto all who trust Him, and to make them trust Him in the darkest hour. And now, unto the Father, the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, Israel's one God, be glory throughout all the world. Amen and Amen.
SERMON: No. 1419. (June 16, 1878.)
KING AND PRIEST
"Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between them both."—Zechariah 6:13.
GLORIOUS God, it is the flower of our being to worship You: this is the crown and glory of life, to adore and worship the Life-giver from whom all good things come. Worship has often been to us as a bath in heavenly pleasure, and we have come out of it refreshed and comforted, blessed, and filled with heavenly delight. Oh for the Holy Spirit's power to help us in worship now! Breathe upon us, Oh Divine Spirit, and let that breath cause us to forget the world, but bring us into the fullest life in the contemplation of God and Heaven.
Blessed God, Father, Son, and Spirit, our whole spirit would reverence You; yet would we have such knowledge of Your goodness, that we might not be overawed with Your greatness; such a sense of Your nearness in the person of Jesus Christ, the Man, the Branch, that we might not be driven away with terror, but may be drawn near with filial love and holy boldness. Lord, there was once a great gulf between us, but You have bridged that gulf; for now the Lord Jesus Christ is brother to our souls, yet is He Son of the Highest; truly man, yet truly God, He is the Interpreter, one of a thousand, the Daysman, who does this day lay His hand upon us both. Oh how we joy in Christ, and You do joy in Him too. We long to glorify Him, and You do delight to glorify Your Son. We would set Him on high, and You have set Him "far above all principalities and powers, and every name that is named."
Now this day, we pray You, "behold our Shield and look upon the face of Your Anointed;" and while we shelter behind Him as a shield, let Him stand for us, and let the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ be seen, that You may be precious to us unworthy ones.
But, O Lord, we worship with all our heart, and adore the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and Oh, most blessed Lamb of God, with all the saints before the throne, we pay You reverence—casting all that we have before You. Crowns we have none, not even of silver and gold, but such as You have graciously given, we would willingly lay at Your feet, content to feel that everything is ours when it is Your, and the more ours, when we have yielded it up to You. We wish we could live for Jesus wholly, that there were no distractions, no secondary channels into which the stream of life could flow, but that as He is all to us, so all of us might be unto Him alone.
And now we present ourselves before the Throne of God, in the name of Jesus Christ our great High Priest. And first, we ask for pardon through the blessed blood.
Some of us You have already pardoned: give us a new sense of it. Continue to pardon us; let us feel as if we came every day to the "fountain filled with blood," and as if the washing were every day new. But, oh, have pity upon some that have never been pardoned. Hear the cry of sinners as they seek Your face; and wherever there is a penitent spirit, be pleased speedily to send it relief, and let forgiveness of sin be felt, wherever the burden of sin weighs down the spirit.
Next, would we ask You to subdue our iniquities. Lord, conquer the power of sin in all of us. Grant us power to live above it; let not the passions of the flesh, nor the lustings of the mind, bring the spirit into subjection; but may our spirit rule over mind and body; and may Christ rule over our spirit, and so may we know the "liberty with which Christ makes us free."
Next, we ask for perfect consecration, that everything we are and have may be the Lord's, not in name, but in deed and in truth.
And then, we ask for fruitfulness. Oh, help us to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit to the glory of God. May our character get more beautiful every day. If there are any traces of Christ's artistic work upon us, may He go on with that Divine pencil, until He shall have produced in us a perfect character, and we shall be among men copies of the perfectness of our Master.
O Lord, we do ask You to make us fit for Heaven. We hope it is not long before we shall be there. We have sometimes had glimpses between the gates of pearl; we have had such foretastes of the "place prepared," that sometimes we are in haste to be gone; the flavor of the grapes of Eschol is in our mouths, and we long to be where all the clusters grow. But we are conscious of unfitness for that state as yet. Oh, go on most blessed Spirit, with Your patient work, until You shall have made us heavenly, and then we shall be caught up to the "heavenly places," to see the face of our Beloved.
Yet, let not all Your saints be gone as yet. Spare us some, we pray You, to build up Your church below; for that they should abide with us is expedient for our weakness—that they may help us, that they may be to us instead of eyes, for they know where to encamp in the wilderness. You have taught them experimentally Your word, and filled them with an unction from the Holy One, and, therefore, for our sakes let not Your saints be hastened home for a while. We breathe this prayer with bated breath, because there is One who prays against us, whose prayer must always have the first reply; it is even He, the Well Beloved, whom our ears can hear saying at this moment: "Father, I will that they, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am." O Lord Jesus, take us whensoever You will!
Now, standing thus before the throne of God without fear, we would humbly ask You to bless our country. Oh, that You would look upon this nation which has sorely sinned, which has turned away from the path of peace to seek the ways of glory and of blood. O Lord, be pleased to turn its course aright again. We beseech You bring us out of the disasters which we have been made to suffer, and let the nation lie penitent at the feet of God. Oh, that the Christian party in this realm might prevail—that the Church of God might have a little influence over the worldly mass. Oh, that the time were come when the salt shall more completely savor all the masses, and the glorious leaven shall work until all the measures of meal are leavened.
We do ask You, Lord, to give power to truth, to righteousness, to godliness, to peace, and to every other principle which is favored of the Lord of Heaven; and let this land be delivered from the curse of the Papacy, from all the incoming both of rationalism and ritualism; and let the truth as it is in Jesus prevail, not only here but everywhere, until the whole "earth is filled with the knowledge of the glory of God, as the waters cover the sea."
Bless other nations also, we pray You; and the church of God in every land. For the saints of every tongue we pray, especially for those of our own kith and kin, scattered across the ocean hither and thither.
Make the whole of Your people to be full of life and vigor; and may the day come, when the missionary spirit shall be more fully caught by the church at home, and they that have gone forth shall bring tens of thousands, to be built into the temple of God.
O Lord, we wait upon You now, and ask the over-shadowing of Your presence! Jesus of Nazareth, pass by just now! Divine Spirit, rest upon us now! Holy Father, look upon Your children now; and make this place to be glorious at this good hour! We ask it in the name of the Well Beloved. Amen.
SERMON: No. 1495. (September 21, 1879.)
THE SIN OF MISTRUST OF GOD
"And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke Me? and how long will it be before they believe Me, for all the signs which I have showed among them?"—Numbers 14:11.
OUR Father, blessed be the grace and love which have taught us to use that dear familiar name—"Our Father, which are in Heaven," and therefore highest and most exalted, and worthy to be breathed with awe and reverence by all that draw near to You.
"Hallowed be Your Name." Oh, that all the earth would ever reverence it! As for ourselves, enable us by Your grace to use it with awe and trembling; and may a consideration of the glorious character which is intended by Your gracious name, ever lay us in the very dust before You, and yet lift us up with holy joy, and with an unwavering confidence. We come before You this morning, through Christ Jesus, to express our entire confidence in You. We believe that You are, and that You are the rewarder of them that diligently seek You.
Glorious Jehovah, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, You have not changed: You are still a covenant God, and You keeps that covenant to all Your people; neither do You permit a single word of it to fall to the ground. All Your promises are yes and amen in Christ Jesus, to Your glory by us; and we believe those promises will be fulfilled in every jot and tittle: not one of them shall want its mate, not one of them shall fall to the ground like the frivolous words of men. Have You said, and will You not do it? Have You commanded, and shall it not come to pass? We are utterly ashamed, and full of confusion; because we have to confess that we have doubted You. Many of our actions have been atheistic. We have lived at times as if there were no God.
Lord, forgive us that death in life, in which so many of our years were spent, when we found something in the world apart from You; and were content with the things of the hour, the vile shadows, transient gusts of things which truly are not, for You alone are all in all. We have repented, as You know, through Your grace, most bitterly of that time of death in which we tried to live; and now, You have given us to see our pardon in the wounds of Jesus, and our soul does put her trust in Him. God incarnate is the ground of our hope that we are accepted and forgiven, notwithstanding that previous life of ours.
But Lord, the worst of it is, that in many of our actions, even since then, we betray a disbelief of You. Like the children of Israel in the wilderness, You may well say of us, "How long will it be, before they believe Me, though I have shown all my signs and wonders among them?" O God, You have been very faithful to Your servants until now. In no one instance is there a breach of promise. You have tried us, as silver is tried, but in very faithfulness You have afflicted us. You have brought us very low indeed; but underneath us have still been the everlasting arms. You have brought us into the wilderness; but You have furnished a table for us, in the presence of our enemies.
You have made us to see the end of all perfection; but Your love, even then, has been perfected—perfected in our weakness. You are all goodness, and truth, and grace, and loving-kindness; and therefore, blessed be Your name forever and ever.
And now, blot out the sin of Your servants. Once again let this unbelief of ours be forgiven; and let us stand, with no sin upon the conscience, but absolved through Jesus' blood, in the enjoyment of such confidence with You, that we may lift up our face without a cloud, and may trust in You henceforth without a doubt, and go on our way rejoicing, whatever that way may be.
Lord, teach us to be resigned to Your will; teach us to delight in Your law; teach us to have no will but Your will; teach us to be sure that everything You do is good—is the very best that can be done. Help us to leave our concerns in Your divine hands, being persuaded that You have sway even over evil; that out of it You bring good, and better still, and better still in infinite progression, until Your high purposes shall develop in Your own perfect glory, and in the perfect bliss of all them that put their trust in You.
Are any of Your servants this morning in great trial? Lord help them! Whatever they fail in, let them not fail in faith. May we scorn to doubt our God. Oh, let not the devil get so much power over us as to cause us to mistrust the Eternal, who must not be mistrusted; but may we glorify You. May we snatch the great opportunities of glorifying You, which troubles and trials bring; and count ourselves to have a high talent committed to us, when we have the opportunity of showing our conquest of self, and our glorying in God in the time of trial. The Lord bless His people here with Abrahamic faith, which staggers not at the promise through unbelief.
O God, have mercy upon the unbelievers that are here this morning, who have heard Your word, and who profess to believe in the inspiration of Your sacred Book, and yet have never come and put their confidence in Christ. We know that they are condemned already, because they have not believed upon the Son of God. But oh deliver them from this great sin; and may they come at this very hour, and cast their helpless souls upon Him on Whom You have laid our help. May they begin to believe this morning, and then they shall begin to live; and You will breathe peace into such, and You will give them rest, and strength, and holiness; and they shall be more than conquerors, if they will but believe their God.
O Lord, we beseech You, save our unconverted friends and neighbors from this gall of bitterness, this horrible yoke of iniquity, which consists in disbelieving God and His Christ.
And, then, deliver any of Your children that have back-slidden, and have got into a state of misbelief. May they be brought back; may they come with weeping and lamentation, and again trust the ever-blessed Father; and may our confidence become strong, that our peace may be like a river, and our righteousness like the waves of the sea.
God bless this beloved church! Give to it more faith: may the prayers that go up before You, be salted with faith: when we preach, may we preach in faith; and may all that is done of the brotherhood for Christ, be done in simple confidence in God. We know, that if we believe not we shall never be established. We cannot expect to see result from our service, except it is done in faith; for You have said "According to your faith be it unto you." O give the thousands of members of this church, the childlike simplicity that never thinks of doubting God; but may we go forward—in all weakness made strong, by the strength of the Mighty God of Jacob.
Give a blessing this morning, we pray You, to us all; may we make a distinct advance in the divine life; may we get to a higher platform; may we leave the mists of doubt and fear below us in the valley, and quit the marshes of the plain, and climb the glittering hill-tops of eternal security in Christ and blessed oneness with Him, by simply believing Him who cannot lie—who has sworn by two immutable things, and cannot from His purpose turn nor from His word draw back. O God, grant this faith to the entire church.
We believe the world will be brought in, when the church believes her God: the Kingdom will come, and the glory shall be made visible to all flesh, when once we have the confidence we ought to have in Him, who is worthy to be praised, and to be trusted evermore. And now, by the precious blood of Jesus, accept this feeble prayer of ours, and send down a shower of blessings; and to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, be glory forever and ever. Amen.
SERMON: No. 1498. (October 5, 1879.)
THE FOOT-WASHING
"Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things unto his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; He rises from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that, he pours water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded."—John 13:3–5.
O JEHOVAH, our God, You love Your people! You have placed all the saints in the hand of Jesus; and You have given Jesus to be to them a Leader, a Commander, and a Husband; and we know that You delight to hear us cry on the behalf of Your church; for You care for Him, and You are ready to grant to Him according to the covenant provisions which You have laid up in store for Christ Jesus. Therefore would we begin this morning's prayer, by entreating You to behold and visit the vine, and the vineyard which Your right hand has planted. Look upon Zion the city of our solemnities; look upon those whom You have chosen from before the foundation of the world, whom Christ has redeemed with blood, whose hearts He has won and holds, and who are His own, though they be in the world.
Holy Father, keep Your people we beseech You, for Jesus' sake: though they are in the world let them not be of it; but may there be a marked distinction between them and the rest of mankind. Even as their Lord was "holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners," so may it be with believers in Christ. May they follow Him; and may they not know the voice of strangers, but come out from the rest, that they may follow Him without the camp.
We cry to You this morning, for the preservation of Your church in the world, and especially for her purity. Oh Father, keep us, we beseech You, with all keeping, that the Evil One touch us not. We shall be tempted, but let him not prevail against us. In a thousand ways he will lay snares for our feet, but, oh, deliver us as a bird from the snare of the fowler. May the snare be broken that we may escape.
Let not the church suffer dishonor at any time; but may her garments be always white. Let not such as come in among her, that are not of her, utterly despoil her. Oh Christ, as You did groan concerning Judas, so may Your children cry to You concerning any that have fallen aside into crooked ways, lest the cause of Christ in the earth should be dishonored. Oh God, cover we beseech You, with Your feathers, all the people of Christ; and keep Your church, even until He shall come who, having loved His own that were in the world, loves them even to the end.
We would, each one of us, ask this morning that we may be washed as to our feet: we trust You have bathed us once for all in the sin-removing fountain. You have also washed us in the waters of regeneration, and given us the renewing of our minds through Jesus Christ. But oh, for daily cleansing! Do You see any fault in us?—oh, we know that You dost—wash us that we may be clean. Are we deficient in any virtue? Oh, supply it, that we may exhibit a perfect character, to the glory of Him who have made us anew in Christ Jesus. Or, is there something that would be good, carried to excess? Be pleased to modify it, lest one virtue should slaughter another, and we should not be the image of Christ completely. Oh Lord and Master, You who did wash Your disciples' feet of old, still be very patient toward us, very condescending towards our provoking faults, and go on with us, we pray You, until Your great work shall be completed, and we shall be brethren of the First-born, like unto Him.
Gracious Master, we wish to conquer self in every respect; we desire to live for the glory of God and the good of our fellow men. We would have it true of us as of our Master, "He saved others, Himself He cannot save." Will You enable us, especially, to overcome the body with all its affections and lusts; may the flesh be kept under; let no appetite of any kind, of the grosser sort, prevail against our manhood, lest we be dishonored and unclean. And let not, even, the most refined power of the natural mind, be permitted to come so forward, as to mar the dominion of the Spirit of God within us.
Oh help us not to be so easily moved, even by pain: may we have much patience; and let not the prospect of death ever cause us any fear; but may the Spirit get the mastery of the body. We know nothing can hurt the true man—the inner, new born, cannot be smitten; nor is it to die: it is wholly incorruptible, and lives and abides forever in the life that is in Christ Jesus.
Oh for a complete conquest of self: especially render us insensible to praise, lest we be too sensitive to censure. Let us reckon that to have the approbation of God, and of our own conscience, is quite enough; and may we be content, gracious God, to hear the cavilings of unreasonable men; yes, and to hear the misrepresentations of cur own brethren. Those that we love, if they love not us, yet may we love them none the less; and if by mistake they misjudge us, let us have no hard feelings towards them: and God grant we may never misjudge one another. Does not our Judge stand at the door!
Oh keep us, like little children who do not know, but expect to know hereafter, and are content to believe things which they do not understand. Lord keep us humble, dependent, yet serenely joyful. May we be calm and quiet, even as a weaned child; yet may we be earnest and active.
Oh Savior, make us like Yourself; we wish not so much to do, as to be. If You will make us to be right, we shall do right. We have often to put a constraint upon ourselves to be right; but oh, that we were like You, Jesus, so that we had but to act out ourselves to act out perfect holiness. We shall never rest until this is the case, until You have made us to be inwardly holy; and then words and actions must be holy as a matter of course.
Now, here we are, Lord, and we belong to You. We caught at that word as we read it—"Having loved His own." Oh, it is because we are Your own, that we have hope. You will make us worthy of You. Your possession of us is our hope of perfection. You do wash our feet because we are Your own. Oh how sweet is the mercy which first took us to its heart, and made us all its own, and now continues to deal tenderly with us that, being Christ's own, we may have that of Christ within us which all may see, and which proves us to be the Lord's.
Now, this morning, we would bring before You all Your saints, and ask You to attend to their trials and troubles. Some we know here, are afflicted in person; others are afflicted in their dear friends; some are afflicted in their temporal estate, and are brought into sore distress. Lord, we do not know the trials of all Your people, but You do; for You are the Head, and the pains of all the members are centered in You. Help all Your people even to the end.
Now, we pray You to grant us the Sabbath blessing, which we have already sought; and let it come upon all the churches of our beloved country. May the Lord revive true and undefiled religion here, and in all the other lands where Christ is known and preached: and let the day come when heathendom shall become converted, when the crescent of Mohammed shall wane into eternal night, and when she that sits on the Seven Hills, and exalts herself in the place of God, shall be cast down to sink like a millstone in the flood. Let the blessed gospel of the Eternal God prevail: let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Oh, that we may live to see that day!
The Lord bless our country: have pity upon it, in all its present afflicted condition. God bless Her Majesty the Queen, with every mercy and blessing. Grant that there may be, in Your infinite wisdom, a change in the state of trade and commerce, that there may be no complaint and distress. Oh, let the people see Your hand, and understand why it is laid upon them, that they may turn from wrong-doing, and seek righteousness and follow peace. The Lord hear us as, in secret, we often cry to You on behalf of our beloved land: the Lord lift up the light of His countenance upon it yet again, for Jesus' sake. Amen
SERMON: No. 1499. (October 12, 1879.)
THE LIFE LOOK!
"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up; that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life."—John 3:14, 15.
OUR Father, we wish this morning to come to You anew in Christ Jesus. Many of us can look back to the happy moment when first we saw the law fulfilled in Christ, wrath appeased, death destroyed, sin forgiven, and our souls saved. Oh it was a happy morning—a blessed time. Never did the sun seem to shine so brightly as then, when we beheld the Sun of Righteousness, and basked in His light. Many days have passed since then with some of us, and every day we have had proofs of the faithfulness of God to the gospel of His Son. We have proved the power of Jesus' blood for daily cleansing; we have proved the power of His Divine Spirit for daily teaching, guidance, and sanctification; and now we want no other rock to build upon, than that which we have built upon; we desire no other hope, nor even to dream of any other, but that hope which You have set before us in the Gospel, to which hope we have fled for refuge, and which hope we still have, as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast.
But Lord, we would still begin again this morning by looking unto Jesus Christ anew—whatever may be our sin, whatever Your pure and holy eye can see amiss in us, which we cannot see: we desire to come to Jesus as sinners, guilty, lost, ruined by nature, and again to give the faith look, and to behold Him hanging on the cross for us.
You know with what heartiness, and depths of truthfulness, we can say, "Lord, I believe, help You mine unbelief." We again declare that all our hope is centered in the atoning Sacrifice, and in the risen Savior, who has gone into the glory as the testimony of our justification, and of our acceptance in Him. Oh, dear Savior, if in the course of years we have tried to add anything to the one foundation, if unconsciously we are relying now upon our knowledge, our experience, our Christian effort, we desire to clear away all this heap of rags and get down on the foundation again. None but Jesus! None but Jesus! Our soul rests in none but Jesus; and we hate and loathe, with our inmost nature, the very idea of adding anything to what He has finished, or attempting to complete what is perfect in Him.
Oh, this morning let Your people feel that there is now no condemnation to them. Let them feel the completeness of the washing Christ has given, the blessed fullness of the righteousness which Christ has imputed, the eternal vitality of that life with which Christ has endowed us, the indissoluble character of that union by which we are knit to Christ by ties that never can be broken; and may we today rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh; and do You write upon our hearts these blessed words, "Filled with all the fullness of God," and may we know it is so; that we have all that we can hold; and may we be praying to be enlarged, that we may take in even more of Christ than we have as yet received; for He is all ours, altogether ours, and ours world without end.
And now, Lord, we beseech You to help all in this house to look to Jesus Christ alone. Perhaps some backsliders here, are questioning whether they ever did believe in Jesus. May they leave that question alone and believe in Him now. May they be content to let the past go by the wall, and once for all come, if they never did come, and embrace the Savior whom You, great God, have set forth as all-sufficient to save. Let Peter weep bitterly, but let him come to his Master again. Oh, let the most wandering, cry to You; and may they look to Your holy temple; and as they look, let the eternal life stream into them again, by the energy of the Eternal Spirit; and may they feel that whatever may have been the past, they are restored like prodigal children to a feast of love, restored forever to the Father's house.
There may be some here that are so tossed about mentally, that are so dismayed with inward temptation, so out of their wits by the assaults of Satan, that they know not what to do. Lord when they have no wit, give them wit enough to trust Christ; and when they can do nothing else, may they faint away upon the bosom of Eternal Love. The Lord help His servants, when they are in extremity, to feel that now is the time for God to begin; and when they are driven over the very verge of hope, and the precipice of despair is before them, oh grant them grace to fall into the arms of Jesus, and there shall they find life from the dead.
But oh, look in great mercy upon the many that may be here, who never have believed in Jesus. O Strong Son of God, Immortal Love—whom, though we have not seen Your face, we do believe in, and rely upon—ride forth this morning with Your arrows dipped in Your own blood, and shoot them out among this audience, that the people may fall under them, wounded with the sense of sin, smitten even to self-despair with a consciousness of guilt: and oh, that they might get healing from the hands that wound them, may they get life from the hand that kills their hope. May they look to You, anointed of the Lord, ennobled in the highest Heaven, who once received the sinner here below in Your own Person, and who still receives sinners: oh, that they might come to You and live. There are many that are now joining us, great God, in this prayer, that we may have many conversions this very morning. We mean to look, and wait, and watch for it. We ask that this very morning, while Jesus Christ is lifted up, many may look unto Him and be cured of the serpent's bite forever. You have promised to hear Your people's prayer, and this is a prayer that must be according to Your mind; and it is for the honor of Your dear Son; and it is put up in faith, put up in faith in Jesus; therefore You can not run back from it, but You must keep that word to which in humble, but adoring faith, we hold Thee—"My word shall not return unto me void." Give us then a great increase to the church, by the preaching of the gospel this morning.
The like blessing we ask for all churches, and for all ministers of the gospel of Jesus. We ask for a revival of true godliness all over the world. We pray You to grant that these disastrous times may drive Your children nearer to You; may deliver many of them from a worldly spirit; and may it come to pass that, while they grow poor one way, they may grow rich in another, by the sanctification of their losses and afflictions.
God be gracious to this land. Send us, we pray You, the Holy Spirit more abundantly than ever; and may there be myriads born to Christ in these latter days. So do You with all the nations, until all lands shall bow before You, and all generations shall call You blessed.
We offer special prayers this morning for the rising generation. The Lord bless our Sabbath schools. Teach the teachers, bless and superintend the superintendents; and let the schools be more than ever, a place where the lambs are cared for and tended, that they may grow up as sheep of the fold of Jesus. Many prayers have been offered already today for this end: we pray You hear them all, and let the richest benisons of Heaven rest on those devoted men and women, who deny themselves many privileges that they may have the greater privilege of feeding the lambs of Christ. The Lord hear us, and do for us, exceeding abundantly above what we ask, or even think, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
SERMON: No. 1500. (October 19, 1879.)
ALONE WITH YOU
ALONE with You, alone with You,
Now through my breast
There steals a breath, like breath of balm,
That healing brings, and holy calm,
That soothes like chanted song or psalm,
And makes me blessed.
Alone with You, alone with You,
In Your pure light
The splendid pomps and shows of time,
The tempting steeps that pride would climb,
The peaks where glory rests sublime,
Pale on my sight.
Alone with You, alone with You,
My softened heart
Floats on the flood of love divine,
Feels all its wishes drowned in Your;
Content that every good is mine
You can impart.
Alone with You, alone with You,
I want no more
To make my earthly bliss complete,
Than oft my Lord unseen to meet:
For "sight" I wait, until tread my feet
Yon glistening shore. RAY PALMER.
REFUGES OF LIES
"Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding-place."—Isaiah 28:17.
O LORD, how shall we speak with you, for we are dust and ashes! May Your Spirit speak in us, that we may speak unto Your Spirit. And how shall we draw near to You, for we have no merits? Let the merits of Jesus stand for us, that we may acceptably approach our God, being "accepted in the Beloved." Lord, we are full of infirmities, and full of wants, and full of sin; and we come and cast ourselves at Your feet. Being nothing, we would ask to receive everything of You; and being altogether undeserving, we would look to Your loving-kindness and tender mercy, and expect much from that divine source, through Jesus Christ Your Son.
Help Your servant now to pray for all this people, and may there be a voice in our prayer for every man's want before You. At the same time, help all this company to be instant in prayer; and may there not be a prayerless heart in the whole building, but may every man, and every woman too, come with his own request and burden, and may it be done unto him according to Your grace.
First, we would lie humbly before You, confessing our sin, our frequent sin, our willful sin; our sin against light and knowledge; sins of heart and thought, sins of word, and sins of action. There is no power of body, or of the will, which has not been defiled with sin; and we confess this before You with much shame. So great has been the stream, that we are sure there must be a deep and large fount of pollution within our nature; and You have made some of us to know that it is so. You have taken us into the chambers of imagery, that are within our spirit, and we have dug through the wall, and have gone from one chamber to another; and the deeper we search, the more we are shocked; and the further we have pried into the secrets of our being, the more are we utterly ashamed that we should be such creatures as we are by nature.
We have been saying to You this morning, as we marked the leaves falling from the trees, "We are altogether as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags." "We all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." As the wind strips the leaves from the trees and leaves them bare, so we stand before You this morning. We have not by nature one green shoot, or anything like fruit: we are unprofitable altogether, and only fit to be "hewn down and cast into the fire:" for what fruit we have borne, if it has been the fruit of our nature, has been more the fruit of thorns and thistles, than of figs and grapes.
Lord God, we wonder You did ever have any mercy on us at all; for in justice and judgment, if we were set upon the Throne, we could do no other than condemn ourselves, for there is no plea against Your justice that can be found within our lives or nature.
Yet, Lord, we thank You that You have saved many of us, and we would this morning exult in that salvation, and pray that all the rest here assembled might be saved also!
O God, You have smitten a heavy blow at our proud self; You have made us lie broken in pieces before You. You have set up another in the place of the false God that ruled us. We do not live for self, nor even for self-salvation. Jesus Christ has become the Lord and Master of our spirit, and He has delivered us from the dominion of self and sin, and helped us to be obedient unto You. Now, henceforth, the strongest portion of our will is towards holiness. Oh, that we could be perfectly holy! we sigh after it and cry after it: we think we could bear all trials, we feel persuaded we could give up all pleasures, if we might but win the pleasure of complete obedience to God. This, indeed, is the target towards which, like arrows shot from an archer's bow, our lives are speeding. Though rough winds turn us aside, yet shall we strike the target by Your grace.
The Lord be pleased to help us every day to put down sin. O Lord, whenever pride arises, may we be more than ever humbled in Your sight. Whenever self comes up, may we be determined it shall not live, but flee to the precious blood, that we may slay it. Lord, save us from self; save us from the love of the world; save us from the pride of the eye, and the pride of life; save us, we beseech You, from everything that is natural to fallen man, and let the new nature which You have planted manifest itself day by day, until we shall be made like unto Christ, "whom having not seen we love," but to whom we shall be conformed, for we shall "see Him as He is."
Look with great grace, we pray You, O Lord, upon the slaves of sin that are present here this morning: break their fetters. Oh, save this people. We know there are some in this house that are, as yet, in the "gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity." Move, O Divine Spirit, over this audience, and fetch out from among us those that know not God, that they may know themselves and their God this day. Oh make this to be a profitable, soul-winning Sabbath, one of the high days on which Heaven's bells shall ring out more sweetly than ever, because many and many a prodigal child has come back to the Father's house, to make the Father glad.
Save souls, we pray You, all over the world. Wherever Jesus Christ is lifted up, may He "draw all men to Him;" and may a great multitude look to Him and be lightened, that their faces may no more be ashamed!
And now, Lord, look upon this people for good. You know the troubles of every burdened spirit. You know how some whom You love are sick; how others have to watch over their dearest ones fading away, and withering like flowers. Lord, send comfort to the saints in trouble.
Oh, grant us grace to bear whatever Your righteous will puts upon us, without repining; and if business is going amiss, and if many things are cross to the desires of nature, may we feel it is Your will, and, therefore joyfully yield to that will; nay, more, may we take a delight in being stripped, if God strip us; take a delight in smarting, if it be God who makes us smart. When You do use the chisel upon these blocks of stone, that are to be built upon the Living Stone, Lord, do not only square us, and fashion us, but separate us from the old rock to which we have been wedded so long: set us free from that hole of the pit, and let us be brought into the upper air, and built upon Christ, to lie there forever.
Bless this our beloved church, and its officers. We thank You for Your mercy, that many of us are spared to do service for You, notwithstanding many infirmities. We bless You for others who, having gone from us, have been brought back again; for the many Sunday School teachers among us; and ask, that all may be anointed with fresh oil, that every working or suffering brother and sister may receive fresh grace this day; that this may be a time of the trimming of lamps, that all may shine brightly to the praise of Your grace.
Bless our country. The Lord in mercy avert the horrors of war from us. Grant that, by some means, peace may be continued, and war come to an end where it still rages; and oh, that the policy of truth and righteousness may once more be taken up in this land, and our nation be forgiven its great national crimes.
Bless the Queen with every blessing; and all peoples that dwell on the face of the earth, visit with the splendor of Your love. "Let the people praise You, O God; yes, let all the people praise You: then shall the earth yield her increase, and God, even our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him."
Forgive the weakness of our prayer, forgive the wandering of our heart: but through the Well-Beloved, who stands before You now in all His beauty, as risen from the dead; through Him whom our soul loves, even as You love Him; through Him whom we adore as "God over all, blessed forever," though bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh—through Him and for His sake, look kindly on us now! Amen and Amen.
SERMON: No. 1501. (October 26, 1879.)
"YOUR ADVERSARY"
"Therefore rejoice, you heavens, and you that dwell in them. Woe to the inhibitors of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has but a short time."—Rev. 12:12.
GREAT God, we bless You that the battle, between Yourself and the powers of darkness, has never been uncertain. We praise Your name, that now it is forever sure to end in victory. Our hearts this morning, amidst the struggles of the present day, would look back to the conflicts of Calvary, and see how our Lord forever there broke the dragon's head. Oh, that Your people this morning might know that they are contending with a vanquished enemy, that they go forth to fight against one who, with all his subtlety and all his strength, has already been overthrown by Him who is our Covenant Head, our Leader, our Husband, our All.
Grant to Your dear children, who are by any means depressed because they feel the serpent at their heel, that they may bless the dear name of Him whose heel was bruised before, but who in the very bruising broke the serpent's head. Our souls with songs of inward joy extol the mighty Conqueror. All honor and glory be unto Him who stood foot to foot with the Arch-Enemy, but who was never wounded by him: the prince of this world came, but there was nothing in You, O Jesus, no tendency to sin, no turning aside; but You did win from the first, even to the last, a glorious victory over this dread adversary of mankind. We see You now arrayed in Your vesture dipped with blood, victorious over all Your foes. Our spirit triumphs in the anticipation of the time, when all your enemies shall be destroyed, and death and Hell shall be cast into the lake of fire, and God shall be all in all.
Oh that the time were come, set for Your advent, when the hidden shall be revealed, and the church of God shall no longer need her wings with which to fly, but shall come forth in all the glory with which Your love arrays her, clothed with the sun and with the moon beneath her feet. Glory, and honor, and majesty, and power, and dominion, and might, be unto Him that sits upon the throne and unto the Lamb forever and ever!
And now, we present ourselves before the throne of the great King to pay our reverence and homage there; for the Lord is God alone, and our heart does worship Him intensely, reverently bowing unto the very dust before the Lord; for we are less than nothing, and Jehovah is all in all.
We would confess our many sins, with great self abhorrence and detestation of them. The Lord be pleased to forgive his servants in this thing, and let us each this morning feel the application of the precious "blood which speaks better things than that of Abel." May every child of God know now, that he is clean through the washing of the blood. Oh, that we might be certain that no guilt is recorded against us now, for it is blotted out forever and the record is destroyed. Being justified by faith may we have peace, deep, lasting peace with God, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
And Lord, will You be pleased to heal us of any wounds that we have received in the great conflict. You know that during the week some of us have been in the thick of the battle, and manifold temptations have gathered about us. If we have gathered anything of defilement, be pleased to put it away. If in converse with the world we have mired or dusted our feet, wash them, blessed Master, this morning, that we may be clean every whit. If our faith has suffered any damage, or our hope is not so bright as it was, or if our love to You be not as fervent as at one time it was; if the soul be sinking under the pressure of the fight in any degree, oh You, whose every word is music, whose every promise is balm, whose every touch is life, draw near to the weary warrior now, and refresh us, that we may rise again to the conflict, and never tire until the last enemy shall be beneath our feet, as beneath our Master's feet.
And O Lord, if it may please You, look upon any of Your servants who are more than ordinarily tried, or who by reason of bodily weakness or the stress of severe trial, may specially need consolation; put under such the everlasting arms. So let the whole host be refreshed. Let those that lie in hospital, be brought out of it and made whole; and as it is said of the host when You did bring it out of Egypt, "there was not one feeble person in all their tribes," so may it be with us; may the weakest become as David, and David as the Angel of the Lord. Great Captain of the host, we ask this high favor of You on this Your day, when Your own are gathered together. Deny us not we beseech You.
And now, we ask You to give victory to Your church all over the world. Oh look, You Mighty One, look down upon the heathen, and see how their gods stand riveted to their thrones. Cast them down, O Christ! You who have cast out the dragon, cast down these inferior powers of darkness until not an idol God shall be left.
You see, also, how the harlot of Babylon still sits upon her seven hills, and the multitudes wander after her. Oh that You would cast her like a mill-stone in the flood, and end her power forever. And the "false prophet," too, whose power is waning, let it be utterly eclipsed; and oh, that Christ might reign! The Lord grant it!
But sometimes we feel half staggered by the prayer; because our own dear land, and other lands where Christ is preached, are still so dark. Lord, look on countries where the gospel is proclaimed, and yet men live in sin, and the policy of many a state is unchristian, if not anti-Christian. Oh, look You on the nations; gather out the remnant of the woman's seed, even from among them; and let the light of Your chosen shine forth, that it may be seen that Your saints are not only lights to themselves but lights of the world, lights of the nations wherein they dwell.
Lord remember our great city: Oh, be not wroth very sore with it. Behold this day the gospel is preached, but the many turn their backs upon it. They might hear it, and they will not, and many that do hear it, reject it. The Lord raise up many voices yet that will be heard, that must be heard; and open men's ears; compel them to hear; yes, compel them to come into Your marriage banquet, that Your Son may have guests at His great feast of mercy.
The Lord bless us this day. Help us to be voices for God. Make this church to be full of such voices. May there be no silent member among us concerning the things of Christ; but may each one overcome through the blood of the Lamb and the word of His testimony.
O God, will You bless the various agencies carried on by us, that we may, as a church, help and do our part in the evangelization of the world. We remember the many men who have been trained at our side, and are preaching today: the Lord speak through them. We remember the many brethren and sisters, that will spend the great part of this day in endeavoring to bring others to Christ: the Lord prosper them all. Oh, make us to be more and more a living church, a church in which God shall show forth the glory of His power. Oh, how we long for this! May all ministries among us be living ministries, Holy Spirit ministries; and so may it be in all the churches, that every golden candlestick may have a candle well lit; and may it come to pass that from the olive trees there shall pass into the golden pipes always sufficient of the sacred oil to keep the lights well burning, to the glory of our God.
We cast ourselves upon You, and ask You to make us all useful today in our families, in our classes, in the church, in the world: and when You shall have used us here, permit us the great joy of serving You day and night in Your temple above.
One more prayer: it is, convert those who sit with us from Sunday to Sunday and are unconverted. Lord have mercy upon some that once were professors of religion, but continue to come in and out among us without repentance, without turning back to Him whom once they professed to know. Lord have mercy upon others that are hearers but hearers only, attentive hearers too, but not doers of the word. Oh save them speedily, bring them to Jesus at once. We ask it for His dear name's sake. Amen.
SERMON: No. 1502. (November 2, 1879.)
RISEN WITH CHRIST
"If you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth."—Colossians 3:1, 2.
OUR Father, we dare call You by that blessed name, for we feel the spirit of children. We have an earnest love to You, and an implicit trust in You; and we desire in all things to be obedient to Your will, and to seek Your honor. All our dependence is placed on You, since the day when You did teach us to believe in Jesus Christ: and now, You are all in all to us, You are our fullness, and we lose ourselves and find ourselves completely in You.
We would come to You this morning by the way which You have appointed; and enabled by the Spirit whom You have given, we would speak with You. Father, we are always grieving if more or less we offend against Your holy mind; and we grieve ourselves, to think that we should grieve You. Our innermost desire is to be absolutely perfect. Oh, how we wish we were! We hate every false way, and every sin; and we desire, with all the power of our mind, to be delivered from the dominion of any sin, and to be led into the blessed freedom of complete obedience to God.
You know, Lord, for You search the heart and You try the reins of the children of men—You know we can truly say, unless indeed we be under a very deep delusion, that we do wish to promote Your glory among the sons of men; and that we count nothing to be riches, but that which makes us rich towards God; nothing to be health, but that which is sanity before the most High—holiness in Your sight; and we reckon nothing to be pure, but what You have cleansed; and nothing to be good, but that upon which Your blessing rests. Yet Lord, though it be so, though our mind has been by Your Spirit set towards holiness, there is a death within us; the old nature which strives against our life, and the members of the body, often join with the corrupt nature within, to lead us astray. We swing towards holiness, and then we seem like the pendulum, to swing the other way. We are wretched, because of this, and we cry out to You to deliver us. Oh that You would deliver us!
We do thank You, that Jesus gives us the victory; but we long to have that victory in ourselves more constantly realized—more perfectly enjoyed. We would lie in the very dust before You because of sin; and yet, at the same time, rejoice in the great Sin-bearer, that the sin is not imputed to us, that it is put away by His precious blood, that we are accepted in the Beloved. But even this does not content us; we are crying after the work of the Holy Spirit within, until Satan shall be bruised under our feet, and sin shall be utterly destroyed.
Lord, You know the groanings of our heart; our prayers cannot express them: but we bless You that there is One who makes intercession for us, with groanings that cannot be uttered, who is with us, and dwells in us, and is promised to be with us forever. We shall overcome, we shall win the victory, we shall rise superior to depression of spirit, we shall overcome the doubts, and fears, and tribulations of our inward heart—we shall overcome, for Christ does lead the way and victory lies in His cross; and we are sure of it, and therefore would we begin to sing the hymn of victory even now, saying—"thanks be unto God who causes us always to triumph in every place, by Jesus Christ His Son."
At this time, we would entreat You to visit us with Your salvation. Lord we all want renewing, refreshing, reviving; but there are some of Your people that sink very low, by reason of physical infirmity and mental suffering; they lie in the very dust. But Lord, when our soul cleaves to the dust, You can still quicken us, according to Your word; and we ask You to make this a red-letter day in our experience. May we renew our youth: may the love of our espousals come back to us: may the joy of our first days be restored: may the childlike faith of the first steps we ever took towards Christ, be given to us now; and may we learn to rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.
O Lord our God, we do beseech You look upon the faint hearted and such as are swooning through affliction. Bring again from Bashan, yes bring up Your people from the depths of the sea. Take away our mourning and give us music: remove our sackcloth and give us beauty: take away our sighs and fill our mouths with songs; and let this be a radiant day of gladness, and a time of feasting from the Bridegroom's own hand; and may our own spirits rejoice in Him, with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
At this time also, great Father, will You visit this church with Your great favor; and as You have abounded toward us these many years in blessing, so give us now some new token, some fresh visitation for good. Lord You have not always given summer weather to the field of nature, but spring comes on and summer returns. Oh give us summer weather as a church. May there be a great revival of religion in all the members, and especially in the minds of such as are growing cold or indifferent to holy things. Wherever there is any laxity of life, any slight holding of precious truth; wherever the world is creeping in with its corroding influences; wherever there is anything of sin, which our eye sees not, but which Your eye detects, be pleased to put it away. Fill the whole church with unity, with love, with life, with power.
We thank You, for the many that are coming in among us fresh from the world. God be thanked for new converts; may they be like fresh blood in the veins of the church, keeping her alive and keeping her active; and may the spirit of the Lord come down upon pastors, and elders and deacons; Sunday School teachers and workers and sufferers; and let the whole church be quickened. Yes, and not this church only, but all the little hills of Zion, do You water with showers from on high. Let the country churches receive a blessed visitation. Let all the churches in foreign lands also be visited by the self-same Comforter; and may there come to Your church in these dark and dreary days, bright shining after the rain. May the time of the singing of birds come, and the voice of the turtle be heard in our land!
And oh, while You are doing this, look on sinners! Oh look on sinners! When You bless Your people, You do make them blessings. When the church is vigorous, when the people praise You, then shall the earth yield her increase, then shall all the nations praise You too; for the joy of Zion is the joy of the whole earth. When the Lord makes glad His people then He makes the earth sit still and rest, or even if it rages, yet still there is a time of salvation, a time of the ingathering of the hidden ones, and Christ's name is glorious. But Lord there is a great tumult in the world just now: we pray You overrule it for Your glory. Grant that the best ends of progress, of truth and righteousness may be subserved; and may it be seen still, that the Lord reigns. Even though the people should riot and rebel against the truth, yet do You advance Your cause; even by disaster and defeat, if so it must be, or by success and prosperity. Let Your kingdom come, good Lord; let Your kingdom come and let Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven, and our hearts shall sing with the angel choir, and be glad with all the ransomed before the throne, because God is glorified. This is our soul's grandest object, that Jesus' name be lifted high, and His throne be set up among the people, to the praise of the glory of His grace. And now unto the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, be glory, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
SERMON: No. 1530. (March 28, 1880.)
INTERCESSION FOR THE SAINTS
"Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he who searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God."—Romans 8:26, 27.
OUR Father, we bless You that we dare use that name without a question; for many of us feel the Holy Spirit bearing witness with our spirits that we are the children of God. We thank You that we have passed from death unto life, and have been begotten again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. He who sits on the throne, and makes all things new, has made us new, and called us into newness of life, and made us to feel a life within us which must outlast the ages, for it is the life of God.
Our Father, we would not crouch before You, like slaves before a tyrant, but feel the spirit of adoption, which shall draw us into familiar fellowship with You; though still with holy trembling, for You are God in Heaven, and we are still but men upon the earth, and at the very sight of You we feel a trembling coming over us; yet is there joy with it; and You have taught us to rejoice with trembling.
We would in spirit now pass into that inner place, into which the High Priest of Israel dared not come but once a year, and then not without blood. We bless You that the veil is rent; and now every believer is made a priest, and permitted to come into the Holy of Holies, and to draw near unto the mercy-seat, all blood-besprinkled, without fear of being regarded as an intruder, or smitten down like Nadab and Abihu.
O God, we stand, therefore, now in Your immediate presence, and our very heart speaks to You, and we rejoice that You who search the heart, know what our heart would say; and if these lips should fail to speak out the heart's utterances, You will interpret what is written in every bosom; and if no lip this morning should express the desire of certain of Your saints, because their groanings are such that they cannot utter them themselves, and, therefore, cannot expect anyone else to do it, yet You will read every heart; for every heart is open before You as a book, and You read the thoughts and intents of the heart.
And first, our Father, we would earnestly ask that every believer here may feel the power of the sprinkled blood most vividly and consciously. May we hear Jesus say by it, "Y e are clean, clean every whit"; and may we have a sense of entire security, because You have Yourself said it—"When I see the blood I will pass over you." This is the blood, of our Passover, and no destroying angel can touch us.
Now, Lord, next to this, give each one of Your children power to become the sons of God in their actions. May we become more and more like the Firstborn; may we begin to exercise our sonship by conquering ourselves. Help us to put down sin. May every sinful thought be driven out, and every thought be brought into captivity to the Spirit of God. Oh help us to be perfectly consecrated to Your service, because we are the children of God. May we not live like children of the devil, neither serve him, nor serve our affections and lusts.
And, oh, grant us also to become sons by reason of the spirit of boldness that we shall feel. Give us not again the spirit of bondage that we may fear; but give us, we pray You, more and more of the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba, Father.
Lord, purify us! You have pardoned; now purify, until every sin shall be destroyed within our hearts. We pray You, hear the prayers of Your children who also ask for strength and support in their time of need. O Spirit of God help our infirmities. If we be pressed down with a load of sorrow; if we are in perplexity and know not what to do; if we are slandered and persecuted; if we in any way are made to feel the weight of the cross, help us, we pray You. Let not our weakness be staggered by that portion of our estate which comes under the head of tribulation. May we rather rejoice in infirmities, because the power of God does rest upon us; and may we glory in tribulations also, because these work in us, by Your good Spirit, all manner of holy graces to Your glory.
The Lord deliver His people from carking care; and, indeed, from caring about themselves! Oh, for power to roll our burden upon our God, and to sing all day long because we are the Lord's, and He is ours. "The Lord is our Shepherd: we shall not want. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our life, and we shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever."
O Lord, make us a holy and a happy people. Help us to live the separated life, and to tread it with firm and brave step. Help us, while we wrestle not with flesh and blood, to fight with principalities, and powers, and spiritual wickednesses in high places; and may it be ours to be made, by Your Spirit, to triumph in every place, being led in triumph by You from strength to strength, from time to time, from age to age, until the history of Your whole church shall be one long triumph for the conquering Lord. Glorify Yourself in us, we pray You, even in these mortal bodies, and in our spirits which are Your.
Now would we put up most fervent and earnest prayer for such who, as yet, do not know You. O Spirit of God, convince men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment to come; and especially convince the human heart of the sin of not believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, make this to be very clear to the heart, that not believing in Jesus is the highest act of enmity against God. The rejection of God, when He becomes man and dies, out of infinite love—surely this is the highest crime and misdemeanor against the great King. Oh that this might strike, like an arrow, into the heart of some. If they cannot accuse themselves of any gross sin of the body, yet may this grossest of all sins be laid, like a millstone, upon their conscience, that they have refused the Son of God and done despite to His precious blood: and how shall they escape if they neglect so great salvation!
O Spirit of God, lay this home; and then convince them of righteousness. Let them see where righteousness is to be had, even in Christ! Let them know that righteousness is demanded of them; and, if they have it not from Christ, they will never have it, and they must perish in their sins.
And oh, Divine Spirit, set before them judgment to come. Let them tremble at the thought that You will come, that the great assize shall be held, and rebels against God and His Christ must be punished, with eternal destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.
Thus bring the sinner to his knees; thus bring the conscience to tenderness; and then, sweet Spirit, reveal Jesus Christ to the troubled heart, and let there be the peace of God through faith. We have many things to pray for this morning, but, Lord, You know them all.
We specially pray for our country that God would bless it; and oh, that we might have a season of revival of pure and undefiled religion in the land. We perceive that You can turn the hearts of the people, as the trees of the wood are moved in the wind. Oh that there might come a deep searching of heart, great thoughtfulness of the Scriptures, reverence of God and the principles of justice and peace: and may this land make another stride in onward progress, and out of it may there be gathered a people whom You have chosen, who shall show forth Your praise.
With equal affection do we pray for all countries and lands; and especially for that kindred nation where our own tongue is spoken, and our own God is worshiped. Oh Lord, grant that these two great lands may go hand in hand together in the propagation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Lord, put down all false doctrine, all Popery, Mohammedanism and idolatry; and may the day come, in which Christ Himself shall be King among the nations, and His reign shall be inaugurated by the manifestation of His redeemed; and unto Him be glory forever and ever. Glory be unto 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.
SERMON: No. 1532. (April 11, 1880.)
THE SENTENCE OF DEATH IN OURSELVES
"But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raises the dead."—2 Corinthians 1:9.
OUR Father, blessed be Your name forever and ever. Oh that we praised You more! We must confess we never bless You as we ought, and our life is far too full of murmuring, or at the best too full of self-seeking, for even in prayer we may do this; and there is too little of lauding, and adoring, and praising, and magnifying, and singing the high praises of Jehovah.
Oh God, will You teach us to begin the music of Heaven! Grant us grace to have many rehearsals of the eternal Hallelujah. "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name." Grant us grace that we may not bring You blessings, merely because You do feed us, and clothe us, and because we receive so many mercies at Your hand; but may we learn to praise You even when You do put us under the rod, and when the heart is heavy, and when mercies seem but scant. Oh, that when the flocks are cut off from the stall, and there is no harvest, we may nevertheless rejoice in God.
Oh Lord, teach us this very morning the art of praise. Let our soul take fire, and like a censer full of frankincense, may our whole nature send forth a delicious perfume of praiseful gratitude unto the ever blessed One, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Oh Lord, our chief desire this morning before You is to be right with You. Oh make us right with You, great Father. There are some in Your presence who are not right with You at all; Your countenance they cannot behold, and You can not accept their offering; for it is true of them, as of Cain, "sin lies at the door." Oh God roll every sin away; but we know they must first feel the burden of it, they must come to You and confess it, they must accept the great Substitute and rest in Jesus. And our prayer shall be, Father, if our sin be not forgiven, we would put our head into Your bosom and sob out, "Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before You, and am no more worthy to be called Your son." Grant the kiss of forgiveness to each of Your children this morning, and may we feel that You are faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness; and in the joy of this, may we feel peace with You.
But Lord, many of us have been forgiven, years ago. We have walked with You now, with holy joy and confidence, some of us for a quarter of a century, and others for more; yet Lord there may be something between us and You even now, and if there be, "show me wherefore You contend with me." If You see in Your servants any wrong thing encouraged, any evil desire cherished; if there be anything that we delight in that You do not delight in; if we have any habit which grieves You; if in anything we vex Your Holy Spirit—our Father, forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us; and then point out to us the trespass, and teach our feet to keep the ways of Your commandments, and to trespass no more; for our heart is right towards Your statutes and we desire holiness.
Oh we desire perfection. We know what it is to make a conscience of our every thought. We have looked upon every act of our lives, and desired that in all things we might be conformed to Your will; and You know this makes us walk very tenderly at times, and with much brokenness of spirit before You, because the more we look into our lives, the more we see to lament; and in proportion as You do make us holy, in that very proportion do we spy out our unholiness, and find nests of sin where we never dreamt that the loathsome things had been. Father, cleanse us from secret faults. Purge us! You have purged us with hyssop once, and we are clean; now wash us with water, even as You, blessed Jesus, did wash Your disciples' feet, and make us clean every whit, that we may be Your priests and kings, sanctified wholly; and make us a people zealous of good works.
Bless, Lord, this our church, and let nothing spring up in this church that would grieve Your Holy Spirit. We know that there are some among us that walk not after Your commandments, some that grow cold, some that are negligent in prayer, some that add nothing to the strength of Your service. But Lord, is it not so with all the churches? Oh, will You not still continue to look upon the faithful, and to make them yet more faithful; and to look upon the wandering, and the backsliding, and to restore them, lest they be an occasion of grief unto Your Israel, as Achan was who had hidden away the goodly Babylonish garment, and the wedge of gold in his tent.
If You have prospered any among us who may have grown rich, and have forgotten the God who gave them everything; or if You have brought any into poverty, and in their poverty they have not acted as they should; or if You have left any brother to his own heart, and he has found out that he is a fool; if any of us have grieved You; oh, lay not this sin to the charge of Your church, and lay it not to the charge of the offender either, but let a sweet forgiveness be bestowed, let a restoration be granted by Your Spirit, and let the church be right with God. Oh, how we pray for this!
Lord, You have not taken away Your blessing from us. We do rejoice in this: every day do You aid us, and this month You have sent us perhaps more than ever—glory be to Your name! And You do provide for all the work of the church, and send prosperity to it in every part and quarter of it; and therefore do we fear and tremble, because of all the goodness which You do make to pass before us; and our heart is jealous with a godly jealousy, lest in anything we should vex the Spirit of God. Oh Lord, grant us to be holy, grant us to be accepted in the Beloved, and You shall have all the praise.
Now we have but one other prayer; and that is, if we are right with You, help us to be right in all the transactions of daily life. Help us to be right with regard to Your providential dealings with us. Lord, give much patience to those that are tried. Give a holy resignation both to the sick and to the bereaved, and to such as are brought into poverty. Be very gracious to Your dear children, that they may never dishonor You when they are in affliction.
And will You keep Your people right with regard to the world? Oh, that the witness that we bear might be an unstained one. Oh, grant to us to be a light in the world, that we may never cast darkness instead of light over the minds of men. Help us to live out Christ's life. Oh Lord, help us to be so consumed with zeal, that it may eat us up; and may we be so full of love, that those who are round about us may know, that if we write a harsh letter, or say a strong word, love alone dictates it. May we in everything be Christly, Godly; for God is love. Conquer our tempers; subdue our passions; rule us in body, soul, and spirit. Make us so to live that, when death shall close our life on earth, Heaven itself shall be but a continuance of the same life, because even now we have the beginnings of Heaven in the earnest of the Spirit.
And now, Lord, bless Your universal church, and grant to it mercy and favor. Gather together Your elect from under all Heaven. Let the company of the faithful be accomplished, and the universal reign of Christ established.
Bless our own dear country. God save and bless the Queen with every mercy; and our rulers do You guide, uphold, sustain and direct. Let them be guilty of no folly; but the Lord teach our senators wisdom.
And may it please You, Lord, to bless other countries too; especially those lands which love our common Christ, and speak our mother tongue; and, indeed, all the nations where Jesus Christ is known, do You visit with a revival. And heathen, and Mohammedan, and Popish lands; Oh, let the light break in upon their midnight, let the day dawn and Christ be glorified.
What more can we ask: we ask all in His dear name, dear to us and dear to You, Oh our Father: and unto the Father, to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, be glory everlasting. Amen.
SERMON: No. 1536. (May 2, 1880.)
INTERCESSION FOR ONE ANOTHER
"Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way."—1 Samuel 12:23.
GOD of Israel, God of Jesus Christ, our God forever and ever; help us now by the sacred Spirit, to approach You aright, with deepest reverence, but not with servile fear; with holiest boldness, but not with presumption. Oh teach us as children to speak to the Father, and yet, as creatures to bow before our Maker.
Our Father, we would first ask You whether You have ought against us as Your children. Have we been asking somewhat of You amiss, and have You given us that which we have sought? We are not conscious of it, but it may be so; and now we are brought, as an answer to our presumptuous prayers, into a more difficult position than the one we occupied before. It may be that some creature comfort is nearer to us than our God. We had better have been without it, and have dwelt in God, and have found our joy in Him. But now, Lord, in these perilous circumstances, give us grace that we may not turn away from You. If our position now be not such as You would have allotted to us, had we been wiser, yet, nevertheless, grant that we may be taught to behave ourselves aright, even now, lest the mercies You have given should become a cause of stumbling, and the obtaining of our heart's desire should become a temptation to us.
Rather, this morning, do we feel inclined to bless You for the many occasions in which You have not answered our prayer; for You have said that we did ask amiss, and therefore we could not have; and we desire to register this prayer with You, that whensoever we do ask amiss You would in great wisdom and love be pleased to refuse us. O Lord, if we at any time press our suit, without a sufficiency of resignation, do not regard us we pray You; and though we cry unto You day and night, concerning anything, yet, if You see that herein we err, regard not the voice of our cry we pray You. It is our heart's desire in our coolest moments, that this prayer might stand on record as long as we live, "Not as I will, but as You will."
But, oh Lord, in looking back, we are obliged to remember with the greatest gratitude, the many occasions in which You have heard our cry. We have been brought into deep distress, and our heart has sunk within us, and then have we cried to You, and You have never refused to hear us. The prayers of our lusts You have rejected, but the prayers of our necessities You have granted; not one good thing has failed of all that You have promised. You have given us exceedingly abundantly above what we asked, or even thought; for there was a day when our present condition would have been regarded as much too high for us ever to reach; and, in looking back, we are surprised that those who did lie among the pots of Egypt, should now sit every man under his vine and fig tree; that those who wandered in the wilderness, in a solitary way, should now find a city to dwell in; that we who were prodigals in rags, should now be children in the Father's bosom; that we who were companions of swine, should now be made heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ.
Oh, what encouragement we have to pray to such a prayer-hearing God, who far exceeds the requests of His children! Blessed be the name of the Lord forever; our inmost heart is saying, Amen, blessed be His name! If it were only for answered prayer, or even for some unanswered prayers, we would continue to praise and bless You as long as we have any being.
And now, Lord, listen to the voice of Your children's cry this morning. Wherever there is a sincere heart seeking for greater holiness, answer You that request; or, wherever there is a broken spirit seeking for reconciliation with Yourself, be pleased to answer it now. You know where there is prayer, though it be unuttered, and even the lips do not move. Oh, hear the publican who dares not lift his eyes to Heaven; hear him while he cries, "God be merciful to me, a sinner." Hear such as seem to themselves to be appointed unto death. Let the sighing of the prisoner come before You. Oh, that You would grant peace and rest to every troubled spirit within this house; ay, and to all such all over the world, who now desire to turn their faces to the cross, and to see God in Christ Jesus reconciling them unto Himself.
O Lord, if there are any of Your servants exercised about the cases of others, we would thank You for them. Raise up in the church many intercessors, who shall plead for the prosperity of Zion, and give You no rest until You establish her, and make her a joy in the land.
There are some of us that cried to You about our country. You know how in secret, we groaned and sighed over evil times; and You have begun to hear us already, for which we desire to praise and bless Your name. But we would not cease to pray for this land, that You would roll away from it all its sin—that You would deliver it from the curse of drunkenness, from infidelity, from popery, from ritualism, from rationalism, and every form of evil; and that this land might become a holy land. O Lord, bring the multitudes of the working men to listen to the gospel. Break in, we pray You, upon their stolid indifference; for how many there are of them who have not yet risen from their beds this morning, who have not thought of coming up to any place of worship—Lord give them a love to Your house, a desire to hear Your gospel.
And then, will You look upon the poor rich who, so many of them, know nothing about You, and are worshiping their own wealth. The Lord grant that the many, for whom there is no special gospel service, but who are wrapped up in self-righteousness, might be brought to hear the gospel of Jesus, that they also, as well as the poor, might come to Christ. God bless this land with more of gospel light; with more of gospel life and love. You will hear us, O Lord!
Then would we pray for our children, that they might be saved. Some of us can no longer pray for our children's conversion: our prayers are heard already; but there are others who have children who vex them, and grieve their hearts. O God, save sons and daughters of godly people. Let them not have to sigh over their children as Eli did, and as Samuel did; and may they see their sons and daughters become the children of the living God.
We would pray for our servants, for our neighbors, for our kinsfolk of near or far degree, that all might be brought to Jesus. Do You this, O God, of Your infinite mercy!
And as we are now making intercession; we would, according to Your word, pray for all kings and such as are in authority, that we may lead quiet and peaceable lives. We pray for all nations also. O Lord bless and remember the lands that sit in darkness; and let them see a great light; and may missionary enterprise be abundantly successful.
And let the favored nations, where our God is known, especially this land, and the land across the mighty ocean, that love the same Savior and speak the same tongue, be always favored with the divine presence, and with abundant prosperity and blessing. O Lord, You have chosen this our race, and favored it and multiplied it on the face of the earth; and whereas with its staff it crossed this Jordan, it has now become two great nations.
Lord, be pleased to bless the whole of this race, and those absorbed into it; and then all other races; that in us may be fulfilled the blessing of Abraham—"I will bless you, and you shall be a blessing."
And now, Father, glorify Your Son! In scattering pardon through His precious blood, glorify Your Son! In sending forth the eternal Spirit to convince men, and bring them to His feet, Father, glorify Your Son! In enriching Your saints with gifts and graces, and building them up into His image, Father, glorify Your Son! In the gathering together of the whole company of His elect, and in the hastening of His kingdom, and His coming, Father, glorify Your Son! Beyond this prayer we cannot go. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You; and unto Father, Son, and Holy Spirit be glory forever and ever. Amen.
SERMON: No. 1537. (May 9, 1880.)
THE DISCIPLE WHOM JESUS LOVED
"Then Peter, turning about, sees the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he who betrays You?"—John 21:20.
OUR Father, which are in Heaven, You are infinitely beyond the grasp of our understanding; but in great condescension, You have brought Yourself very near to the grasp of our love, and we trust this morning many of us can say with all sincerity, "You know all things. You know that I love You."
O Lord, it has seemed to us impossible not to love You; for You are so supremely lovable, so full of goodness, so perfect. You have manifested Yourself to us as love, and shall not love go out towards love? Especially this morning do we feel our hearts warmed towards You, in the person of Your dear Son. Surely we cannot see Him made our brother, bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh, sympathizing with us, married to us, dead for us and risen again for us—we cannot gaze into His right royal face, without feeling our heart melt at the very sight of Him. Oh Jesus, we love Thee—we are Your; and You are ours. You have given Yourself to us, as well as for us; and now we cheerfully give ourselves back to You, feeling that we are never so much our own, as when we are Your; that indeed we are not ourselves, until we are lost in You; but that then have we found our truest manhood, when it and all else is surrendered to the all-conquering power of Jesus Christ our Lord.
We come a second time to You in public worship this morning, with the same prayer with which we commenced—it is the prayer for love. We have expressed our love, but we are ashamed when we have done so, because, after all, what is our love? it is so faint, so cold to You, compared with Your love to us. So we would adore You this morning for the love which You have manifested to us. You did love us before the foundation of the world: Your is no new compassion; for whom You did foreknow, You did predestine to be conformed unto the image of Your Son, out of Your own pure love to them: and because You have loved us with an everlasting love, therefore with loving-kindness have You drawn us, and we feel the drawings now.
You did first pluck us like brands out of the burning. We remember well when You did draw us from a corrupt world, and from our own self-righteousness, and we came to Jesus. But You are drawing still: we feel the sacred bands; we yield to them, glad to do so. Lord, draw us this morning upward to Yourself, nearer than ever. May we not be satisfied with those heights of devotion to which we have attained; but may we reach somewhat higher today. Oh that we might become more completely consecrated! May the image of Christ become more perfect upon us; stamp it deeper into our nature. We trust the image is there; but oh, that it set still deeper into our very selves, that all might see that the seal of the Holy Spirit was upon us, in the likeness of Christ our Lord.
Our Father, will You be pleased today to fill us with delight because of Your love. Are we heavy of heart—let Your sweet love lighten the burden; for what after all can there be to trouble the man whom God loves? Shall we not find even in Your rod a sweetness, as Jonathan did, when he dipped his rod in the honey? Have You not said, "as many as I love I rebuke and chasten," shall we not therefore take Your rebukes and chastenings, and even rejoice in them, because therein the love of God is manifested toward us.
Are Your dear children poor, or are they sick in body, or are they losing those they love, or is there yet a newly dug grave over which they could shed floods of tears? Oh, sweet love of God, comfort them. Cover all the rocks, O mighty tide of everlasting love, until not a rock is seen; and on that glassy sea may our spirits float above the rocks, which else had wrecked our lives. We do pray You give us comfort, but also give us strength as well as consolation.
Lord, we are very weak, and in ourselves we have no desire to be otherwise, because when we are weak, then are we strong; but we are very strong in You, and we do wish to have faith to perceive this. Lord, some of Your children think You weak, because they are; and suppose that grace will fail them, because the flesh does: but oh, teach them better, and may they know that it is just in the death of the creature, that they shall find the life of God revealed.
Oh that our spirit might be always subject to the Divine Spirit: may its earthiness and feebleness, only reveal the heavenliness, and the strength of the indwelling Spirit of God. And oh, grant us to feel that we have power to overcome sin; that we have power to resist the lusts of the flesh, and to despise the pomp of the world, and the lust of the eyes. Though we groan within ourselves concerning the body of this death, yet sing we also "thanks be unto—God that gives us the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord." Help Your children to take the victory, to rejoice that they do conquer; yes that we are more than conquerors, through Him who has loved us.
And now that we are asking You to let Your love be revealed to us, in all its sweet influences; and now that we ask also that our love to You may be fervent, we pray You make us useful to our brethren. O Lord, we would not live unto ourselves; make us serviceable in gathering in the lost sheep. Make us wise that we may go after them in their devious wanderings, and discover them.
Lord, help us to speak a word in season to him that is sad of heart. When Your arrows stick fast in the conscience, may we know how to apply the balm of Jesus' wounds. Make us ready to tell out the sweet gospel which has been so precious to our own souls; and as men that have newly come ourselves from the presence of a pardoning Savior—men but newly washed in that dear blood which makes white as snow, may we go and tell to our fellow men, all black as they are, how they also can be made whiter than snow.
Lord, make us useful to Your own children that have backslidden. May we be as Peter was, to whom You said, "when You are converted strengthen Your brethren." O Lord, make us useful among backsliders—this very day may some of us be enabled to do somewhat toward the fetching up of the rear guard, of those that loiter and linger, that the whole army of Christ may quicken its pace and march to victory.
And now, Lord Jesus, we have a thousand things to ask of You, and of Your Father; but You know what we have need of before we ask. Give to each one of Your own, that special gift most needed: we may not even know what it is, but according to Your own wisdom and prudence, deal out of Your treasury things new and old, for the enrichment and comfort of Your people.
Bless this our beloved church: keep them still in unity and earnestness of heart. In all fresh advances that we hope to make, be with us and help us.
Bless our dear orphan children, let them all be Your. Help us in the building of new houses for orphan girls, and provide for our necessities in that matter.
Bless the dear sons of this church, trained at our own side, who go forth to preach the gospel: whether they be in the College, or whether they are preaching outside of it, let the blessing of the Lord be with every one of them.
And all those who go from house to house with books, seeking to speak a word in season to the neglected; do You help them, and make this church still to be the fruitful mother of children. Yes, make every one of us useful to Your glory.
All other churches do You remember with even a greater blessing. Let all the churches of Jesus Christ on the continent, as well as in this island, and far away in America, and in all our distant colonies, all be revived and refreshed. Yes, and those that speak not our tongue—those advanced posts among the heathen; do You remember them favorably, and visit them graciously.
Oh, that the time were come when war shall cease, when drunkenness shall be put away, when all cruelty shall be abolished, when every superstition shall come to an end, and all oppression of man by man. When shall it be, save when He comes, whose right it is to reign? At the very thought of His coming our spirits begin to glow and burn with lofty hopes. Come quickly; even so, come quickly Lord Jesus. "Let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen."
SERMON: No. 1539. (May 23, 1880.)
FREE GRACE, AND FREE GIVING
"Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which has loved us, and has given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and establish you in every good word and work."—2 Thessalonians 2:16, 17.
GLORIOUS Lord God; our faith is fully assured of Your being, and our heart rejoices in Your infinite love. Blessed was the day when first we knew our God. We mourn and lament with deep penitence, that we should have lived so long strangers to our best friend, to Him in whose hand our breath is, and whose are all our ways. It is of Your grace that we were ever brought to know You. Had we been left to ourselves, we should have wandered on, and have remained in darkness until this day; but blessed be Your name, O You God of all grace, You have revealed Yourself to us, You have brought Your life to our death, and made us alive in You; You have brought Your light to our blindness, and made us to behold You; and now, You are not only the greatest source of joy to our spirit, but You are all our joy—we have none apart from You. Whatever of comfort we find in the creature, we know it is but fickle; and while it is there, it comes from You; for all these things are empty, and vain, and void without You. Whom have we in Heaven but You, and there is none upon earth that we desire beside You!
And Lord, we bless You forever teaching us the way of faith; for enabling us to cast our guilty souls upon the Divine atoning sacrifice , made in Christ Jesus; for peace, like a river, has streamed into our spirit ever since. We bless You for the power to trust You with everything else; for time, as well as for eternity. We are sure we never live except as we live by faith; that all else is but death, and the counterfeit of life. Lord God, You have written death before our eyes on all the creature; You have made us see the vanity of the most substantial things on earth. Behold we walk as in a vain show, and we disquiet ourselves in vain. All things are but shadows; but You, You are the eternal All. Casting our anchor upon You, we are steadfast, and fixed, and safe; but all things else are quicksands. We cannot—dare not—find comfort, nor make a hope of them. You, Lord, are all our expectation, all our salvation, and all our delight; and this morning, in the act of public devotion, we would cry, "Only my soul waits upon God, for my expectation is from Him."
Now this day, be pleased, in infinite mercy by Christ Jesus, to visit Your assembled people. Give us first a sense of perfect pardon. May there be nothing between any child of Your and Yourself, great Father, that could mar the perfection of communion. May we know that You have forgiven us for Jesus Christ's sake. And as for anything in us that would grieve Your Spirit, take it away at once, and then let Your Spirit bear witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. Oh, now give us the spirit of adoption. If indeed we be Your, by Your Fatherly love to us, we do beseech You breathe into every child of You're a sense of love, a sense of Your near presence.
And then, Lord, will You deal with us according to Your wisdom and prudence. Take out of us every evil and false way: anything wherein we have deceived ourselves, do You remove. Anything which looks like growth in grace, which is mere puffing up, do You take away; anything which we prize, which is but counterfeit, do You utterly destroy: and oh, bring us of Your great love to know Christ in truth, that what we know we may know, and not think we know. And oh, that there might be a deep reality about our Christian experience, and knowledge; that the truth of God may be incarnate in the truth which lives in us.
Dear Savior, You know the peculiar trials and conditions of all these Your people; and, we do pray You, now deal with each child of Your according to his special need. Great Physician, walk this hospital. Come and look on each special case; and may there be a masterpiece of Your heavenly surgery in the case of each one of us.
Many of us need comfort; our heart is cast down within us. There are many of Your saints, in whose soul deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterspouts. Command Your loving-kindness this morning, and let Your song be with us at this moment. Up from the shades may we ascend into the eternal light. Oh, that the sun of Your love might shine full on our brows, until our faces shall be bright like the face of Moses!
Oh, that we might have such fellowship with God this morning, that we might defy Satan, defy unbelief, defy the flesh, defy the world, with a holy joy which comes not of the creature, and which the creature cannot mar—a "joy unspeakable and full of glory," a draught out of the eternal fountains, which well up from the deep which lies under, in the immutable and everlasting love and decree of God. Oh, let it be so with every child of Your at this good hour.
Now we do, with all our hearts, pray You to gather in the rest of Your family who, as yet, are far off from You. O mighty grace, seek out the prodigal! O mighty love, receive the prodigals when they come back! O mighty grace, change their hearts and make them to love the great Father.
We do pray for all who are out of the way; for such in this congregation as remain unsaved. Lord, let them not die in their sins. Have mercy upon some that have had a godly training, but remain ungodly. Oh, condemn them not, we pray You, with such a mass of guilt upon them; but save them yet. Lord, have great mercy upon such as are ignorant of Christ, and therefore sin, but know not what they do. Let them become trophies of Your wondrous love. Gather them in; oh, gather them in today.
Now, Your servant, with a full heart, desires to bless You for the continual increase which You do make to this church. You have refreshed our soul by the testimonies of many that have lately found the Savior. Blessed be the Lord, the Holy Spirit, who has not suffered the word to fall to the ground; but who has added to the church daily of such as shall be saved. Lord, continue this great favor. Stir up our dear brethren and sisters to continual prayer for a blessing. May the fire on this altar never go out; but as we have enjoyed, these many years, an unexampled prosperity, oh, that we might continue to enjoy it still, unworthy though we be. Still, Lord, help us in every holy word and work.
Prosper us in the enterprises to which we set our hands. Bless our young men that go forth from us to preach the word. Blessed is the man that has his quiver full of them. May there be many such reared up in this church that shall preach Christ crucified. Give to the church more and more the spirit of evangelization; and may many young men in the church, that are now sitting still and quiet, be moved to preach even in the streets, the unsearchable riches of Christ.
Lord, renew the zeal of the church towards the Sabbath school. May there be more coming forward to give themselves to the training of the young for Christ. Oh say to many a Peter, "Feed My Iambs."
Revive the church of God in every place, we beseech You, in this dear isle of ours, so highly favored; and on the Continent, and among our beloved brethren in America and Australia. Let the kingdom of Jesus Christ spread in all countries. Let Your kingdom come, great God, ay, let it come speedily.
It does not trouble us to think that Christ shall come; it is indeed our joy. Make no tarrying, oh our Lord! But, meanwhile make us watchful, earnest, active; and may we be as good servants, whose loins are girt, and whose lamps are trimmed. May we wait for the Master until He comes.
Now give a blessing this morning: we come back to that prayer of ours—a blessing to each one. Bless me, even me, also, O my Father! The prayer is offered in the name of Jesus Christ the Mediator. Amen.
SERMON: No. 1542. (June 13, 1880.)
AN EVENING PRAYER
"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he who comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."—Hebrews 11:6.
OUR Father, our faith is in You; our expectation is from You; our love goes out towards You: we believe You; we accept every word of Your sacred revelation as being eternal verity and immutable truth. Sometimes we are troubled to know whether the promises are for us—whether we really have a share in covenant blessings; but we thank You that You have helped many of us to hold a trial in the court of conscience, and since our heart condemns us not we have confidence towards God. Let this be the portion of all Your children. May we come away from doubting and fearing and hesitating, and may we believe. Oh, for the faith which trusts the bare promise of God! Let us not be asking for signs and wonders, and withholding faith because these are not given to us; but whatever we find in Your word, may we believe it to be sure truth, and hang our souls upon it. Above all things, give us grace to trust in Jesus, in the full atonement made, and the utmost ransom paid. "He is all my salvation and all my desire:" may we each one be able to say this of Him, who "of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption."
"You, O Christ, are all we want;
More than all in You we find."
Oh, let us never mistrust You, You blessed Son of God. May we have no doubt about Your Father's love—no suspicion as to the love of the Spirit; but may we joy in God by Jesus Christ, through whom also we have received the atonement. May we come to anchor, and, casting anchor in the port of peace, may we never be troubled again about that question, but be able to say "My Father," with an unfaltering lip. The Lord grant, that we may all of us have not only faith in Christ, but full assurance of faith, whereby we shall trust, for the present and for the future, everything in those dear hands that were nailed to the cross for us. Help Your children to perform an act of faith tonight, by leaving all their troubles apart and coming close to their Lord. He has sweat great drops for us, and now You bid Your own children to cease therefrom, even as of old You bade the priests to wear no garment that caused sweat, because they were to find rest in Your service, and peace in the performance of their holy duties. Even so, may Your people do.
O Lord God, even while we have been reading that chapter, of which some are so much afraid, we have felt that we could well trust You with a boundless sovereignty, and we do. You are so good, so kind, so just, so holy, that no mistake is possible to You. You are the fountain and source of all law: what You command, it is ours to obey. We have heard the thunder of that sentence, "Nay, but O man, who are you that replies against God?"; and in meekness of heart and lowliness of spirit, we bow before the infinite glory of Your majesty, and it is to us the most joyful of all songs, "The Lord reigns: let the earth rejoice. Let the multitudes of the isles be glad thereof."
Lord, we yield up to Your sovereignty all that we are, and all that we have. Do as You will with us. Whenever our wishes grow into willings, and our willings become obtrusive fault-findings with Your providence; have mercy upon Your servants in this thing, and take away from us the evil heart of unbelief that dares to question You. Be this the finale of our every prayer, "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will;" and be this the great pleading of our heart every day, "Your kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven." O You who are God, we have heard You say, "Be still and know that I am God;" and what a silence have You made in our heart, where else there had been murmuring and complaint, when we have understood "The Lord has done it." Aaron held his peace when he knew this; and so would we. Nay, we would do more. We would speak out of our griefs and our down-castings, and say, "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him; for the Lord is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. Blessed be His name."
And now, our Father, hear the pleadings of Your children, as we thus bow before You and yield everything to Your parental will. Now bless Your children. Sanctify us, Lord, spirit, soul, and body. Cleanse us even as with hyssop. Cleanse us in our inward parts, and make us to know wisdom in the secret places of our spirit.
And, Lord, will You also help such of Your children as are very sorely burdened. When You lay on a burden, give strength equal to it; and if the burden should press heavier and heavier, hold the everlasting arms yet more consciously underneath us. Remember some present who have lately been bereaved. They lately had the sentence of death in themselves, by reason of sore disease of body. Help, strengthen, comfort, deliver. The widow and the fatherless are always Your care. Look, most tender and compassionate Lord, upon all such as are in any trouble of mind, or body, or estate; and let the rich comforts of the Comforter Himself be dispensed to them.
And, Lord, will You keep those that are not troubled. Let them rejoice with trembling. Will You preserve us all from any of the intoxication that comes of prosperity; and when our heart is glad, if it be not with the high joy that comes of God, let us always look to You to sober us in such moments. The Lord lead us safely on to His eternal kingdom. We will not ask whether the road will be rough or smooth. We leave that with You; only bring us to behold the face of Him we love. If You will give us bread to eat and clothing to put on, and bring us to our Father's house in peace, it is all we ask below. Whatever Your will ordains, only do bring us to our Father's house in peace. Grant us this.
Father, one other prayer: it is that You would bless those that do not know You. We pray You, that we may have in our own hearts much of the heaviness that Paul knew, when we think of the many ungodly ones, especially of those that are of our own kith and kin, such as have heard the gospel from their very childhood, in whose father's house there was a prophet's chamber, whose mother died with the name of Jesus on her lips, whose father, grown grey with age, is on the road to glory, and they are still unconverted. Oh, bring them in! Dear Father, there are many of us praying now from the bottom of our hearts, that all our children may be Your children, and that all related to us may be of the family of Christ. Then, Lord, we thank You for that blessed word, "The promise is unto you, and to your children;" but You did not stop there, for You have said, "and to them that are afar off, even to as many as the Lord our God shall call." Lord, bring in the far-off ones. Save poor fallen women: save the equally fallen men.
Oh God, have mercy upon heathen lands; upon Popish countries; upon those that sit in the Mohammedan moon-darkness. The Lord be pleased to let His light shine over all the sons of men, and accomplish the number of His redeemed; to the praise of the glory of His grace wherein He has made us accepted in the Beloved. And to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit be glory, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
SUNDAY EVENING, August 20, 1885. SCRIPTURE: Romans 9.
AN EVENING PRAYER
"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins."—1 John 4:10.
GLORIOUS God, there are many of us who can bless You that we know You. There was a time when we lived in Your world, but had never known the Creator. We were partakers of Your providence, but we did not know the Provider. We went up and down in the sunlight, but we were blind. There were voices all around us, but we were deaf to all things spiritual. And some of us lived in this way for years. Some in Your presence are in that way this evening. They know not God: neither do they desire the knowledge of Your ways. They can see and understand many things, but they do not desire to know Him in whom they live and move and have their being. It was a happy day for us when, in the infinite sovereignty of Your love, You did look upon us and call us by Your grace. Then did the dead heart begin to beat. Then did light enter the darkened eye, and then we turned to You. It was the best discovery we had ever made, when we found that there was, after all, a God, ready to hear us, willing to listen to our cries. But, Lord, at the first, this great discovery caused us much pain, for we found in our hearts an enmity to You, a natural alienation; and we found that we had grieved You, that we had vexed Your spirit by sin. We admire You all the more for this, for we would not care for a God who did not hate sin. Oh, with what reverence we fell at Your feet, even when we heard You speak in tones of thunder, and say, "The soul that sins, it shall die." When Your grace had really made us to know You, Your justice, terrible as it was, had our submissive reverence. We felt that, if our souls were sent to Hell, righteousness and justice would approve it well. O God, we remember how we lay at Your feet. Our thoughts were as a case of knives cutting our hearts; and then did You come to us, and You did make known Your love. O blessed day in which You did reveal Yourself dressed in the silken robes of love! When we saw, that Jesus died that we might live, that the cross was the best proof of divine affection, then we looked to Jesus suffering in our stead. We trusted in the great atonement, and we found a peace. Oh, what shall we say of it? Our very soul does sing at the remembrance of the peace which has never been taken from us. Many days have passed since first we knew it, and many changes we have seen, but we have never lost our hold on Christ; nor has He ever lost His hold of us; and here we are still, to weep to the praise of the mercy that we have found, and to tell to others, as we have breath to speak, that the Lord is a great sin-pardoning God. There is none like Him, passing by transgression, iniquity, and sin; and, for Jesus' sake, receiving the vilest of the vile to His bosom, and casting out none that come unto Him; taking up even the blasphemer and the drunkard, yes, the very worst, and washing even these from their crimson sins, and making them whiter than newly-fallen snow. O Lord, we sometimes wish that we could sing like cherubim and seraphim. Then would we praise You better. But as it is, human voices are all we have, but they shall be used to the praise of "free grace and dying love," to which we owe all that we have, and all we ever hope to have.
Now, Lord, tonight bless this people. O my Lord, bless these dear friends from whom I have been separated for a while. Bless and prosper them. Let those that fear Your name be happy in You while we are preaching tonight. May those who are truly your, have a joyous and happy season. May they rejoice in the great love of God, and feel their souls overflow with delight at their remembrance of it.
But, oh, we beseech You, especially, save souls tonight. Make up for our ten dumb Sabbaths. Give us tonight ten times as much—nay, it must be eleven times as much: we cannot afford to lose this one. Oh, give us eleven times as much blessing as we have ever had before. May many, many, many be brought out of darkness into marvelous light, and delivered from the prison-house into the liberty of Christ.
Lord, there are some here that have heard us many times, and yet You have not spoken to their hearts effectually. Oh, speak tonight. Take them in hand, great Lord. They shall be made willing in the day of Your power. Oh, that this might be the day of Your power! There are others who are quite strangers to this house, and perhaps to the gospel. May the new note strike them. From the silver cornet of the gospel may there come to them a sound unknown before, which shall reach their very soul; and may they answer to it. Bid them come to Christ and live tonight. O divine love, sweetly draw them. Cast the bands of love about them, and the cords of a man, and draw them to Yourself. Young men and young women, ay, and old men and old women—draw them to Yourself, most divine Lord; and may there be many trophies to the power of the gospel tonight. All our prayer is now before You. We wish everybody in the house to be saved. The Lord grant it, for Christ's sake. Amen.
SUNDAY EVENING, Jan. 30th, 1887. SCRIPTURE: Genesis 22.
SLEEP ON, BELOVED!
SLEEP on, beloved, sleep, and take your rest;
Lay down your head upon your Savior's breast;
We love you well; but Jesus loves you best—
Good-night!
Until the shadows from this earth are cast;
Until He gathers in His sheaves at last;
Until the twilight gloom is overpast—
Good-night!
Until the Easter glory lights the skies;
Until the dead in Jesus shall arise,
And He shall come; but not in lowly guise—
Good-night!
Only "good-night," belovèd—not "farewell!"
A little while, and all His saints shall dwell
In hallowed union, indivisible—
Good-night!
Until we meet again before His throne,
Clothed in the spotless robe He gives His own,
Until we know even as we are known—
Good-night!
KEEP IN MERCY'S WAY
Let sermons and prayers be your delight, because they are roads wherein the Savior walks. Let the righteous be your constant company, for such ever bring Him where they come. It is the least thing you can do to stand where grace usually dispenses its favor. Even the beggar writes his petition on the flagstone of a frequented thoroughfare, because he hopes that among the many passers, some few at least will give him charity; learn from him to offer your prayers where mercies are known to move in the greatest number, that amid them all there may be one for you. Keep your sail up when there is no wind, that when it blows you may not have need to prepare for it; use means when you see no grace attending them, for thus will you be in the way when grace comes. Better go fifty times and gain nothing, than lose one good opportunity. If the angel stir not the pool, yet lie there still, for it may be the moment when you leave, it will be the season of his descending.
Think it not possible to pray too frequently; but at morning, at noon, and at eventide lift up your soul unto God. Let not despondency stop the voice of your supplication, for He who hears the young ravens when they cry, will in due time listen to the trembling words of your desire. Give Him no rest until He hear you; like the importunate widow, be you always at the heels of the great One; give not up because the past has proved apparently fruitless; remember Jericho stood firm for six days, but yet when they gave an exceeding great shout, it fell flat to the ground. "Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord. Let tears run down like a river day and night: give yourself no rest; let not the apple of your eye cease." Let groans, and sighs, and vows keep up perpetual assault at Heaven's doors.
"Heaven's never deaf,
But when man's heart is dumb."
There is not a single promise which, if followed up, will not lead you to the Lord. He is the center of the circle, and the promises, like radii, all meet in Him, and thence become Yes and Amen. As the streams run to the ocean, so do all the sweet words of Jesus tend to Himself: launch your barque upon any one of them, and it shall bear you onward to the broad sea of His love.
The sure words of Scripture are the footsteps of Jesus imprinted on the soil of mercy—follow the track and find Him. The promises are cards of admission not only to the throne, the mercy-seat, and the audience-chamber, but to the very heart of Jesus. Look aloft to the sky of Revelation, and you will yet find a constellation of promises which shall guide your eyes to the Star of Bethlehem. Above all, cry aloud when you read a promise—"Remember Your word unto Your servant, on which You have caused me to hope."
From "The Saint and his Savior."