Billeder på siden
PDF
ePub

be my people, and I will be your God. Jer. xxx. 21, 22.

It is a sign of grace when we feel constrained to reflect upon God's infinite compassion in devising a way for our recovery from sin in this life, and from eternal condemnation in the life to come. When the light of the Spirit helps us to look far back upon his providential guidance and inward and tender persuasion to us to return to Him, and He would not leave us, nor withdraw his blessed Spirit, that it should strive no more with us. When we see how love wrought in all his dealings with us, even at the time when we had hard thoughts of Him, and said with Zion, "The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me "." And these remembrances of God's past grace and good

7 Isa. xlix. 14.

ness so dear, and so admonitory of our own shameful unworthiness, will affect the heart with a deeper love towards God, and with a penitential when the Lord

sorrow.

It was

turned and looked upon Peter, that he went out and wept bitterly.

IX.

It is also a sign of God's grace when his word so abideth in our soul, that it overcometh the wicked one, and when the Spirit that now animates our hopes and endeavours, strengthens us against every fear, and supports us under every affliction, and bears us up even in those dark passages of Providence which have provoked us to doubt of God's love and tenderness towards us. When we are become conscious that in our conflict with each successive sin we have

lost only the shreds and relics of an inward corruption, and gained ground of our sinful affections, our pride, our murmuring, our love of the world, our overmuch sorrow for its disappointments, of which we were told before they came to pass, that when they came to pass we might believe.

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom. viii. 37-39.

X.

It is a sign of grace when the testi

monies of God's Holy Spirit within us lay powerful engagement upon the heart to purify itself from all iniquity. "Every man that hath this hope purifieth himself even as he is pure "." It is an inward token of mercy and everlasting salvation, when we have a persuasion wrought deep in the soul that God will afford suitable provision for us at all times and in all conditions; that He will vouchsafe us protecting grace under all perils, supporting grace under all sufferings, and persevering grace under all our trials. Let not our fear run before our perils, nor our mistrust come even before our necessity; but let our faith anticipate every eventful change, whilst we say, I shall not want; not only I do not want, but I shall not want, though I be tempted, afflicted, for

8 1 John iii. 3.

saken. He that spared not his own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not also with Him freely give me all things.

For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord, that hath mercy on thee. Isa. liv. 10.

PRAYER FOR FRIDAY NIGHT.

O most gracious God, who receivest me as a lost child from my wanderings, and like as a Father hast pity on me; I confess that I have yet sinned against Thee, and deserved thy just displeasure; I come before Thee, humbly acknowledging that all which

« ForrigeFortsæt »