By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. JOHN xiii. 35. Forbearing one another in love. Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Let not the sun go down upon your wrath; but be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. EPH. iv. 2, 3, 26, 32. EVERY member of the mystical body of CHRIST should labour for the comfort and edification of the whole, and the honour of the head. He that would live a quiet life and keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, must be as backward to take offence as to give it. He must live in love and full of love. Humble Christians never affect singularity, nor pretend to have the preference one of another; they rather study to be of one mind, and strive not about words, lest the general harmony subsisting between them, and the edification of souls shall be hindered. Whoever judges and blames everything, and can never agree in words and notions, or join in devotion with other experienced Christians, is puffed up with self-conceit, and is in the way to make a dangerous shipwreck; for "pride comes before a fall." Nor diff'rent food, nor diff'rent dress, When weaker Christians we despise, Let pride and wrath be banish'd hence, To saints, the Gentile, or the Jew. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. MAtt. xxv. 5. THAT I may be roused out of my slumber, and be watchful and ready against the coming of my Bridegroom! How many are there that set out in good earnest in their way to heaven, and run well for some time, but at last are lulled to rest, and are entangled again with a false notion of liberty! Even the wise virgins fell asleep. Let this be a warning to me, O LORD! Set thou a guard before my eyes, ears, and other faculties, lest the world should again enter through these avenues of the heart: if the spark be not speedily extinguished, it will soon break out into a flame; thus sin is of a progressive nature, and its venom spreads very quickly and very wide, unless it be stopped and opposed in time. Watch therefore over this unsteady heart of mine, O thou Keeper of Israel; that as soon as it begins to wander from thee, I may be alarmed to flee from sin as from a serpent. Give me grace to look upon every hour as my last, so that, being ever wisely upon my guard, I may meet thee with joy when my time is run out, whenever it shall please thee to call me hence. And let my going out and my coming in be guided by thy Spirit, so that every day may bring me nearer to thyself. The fearful soul that tires and faints, LORD, let not all my hopes be vain! But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat. MATT. xiii. 25. No wonder that Christians lose their power and strength, if the enemy of souls find them asleep. How soon may he gain an advantage from without, if a strict guard is not kept within! Though Satan seems to sleep sometimes, and we should by all appearance be in no great danger, it is only his stratagem to make us careless. He never fails to be vigilant, and watch his opportunity, that he may offer us battle with advantage; and who knows but he may gain the victory by those very sins, to which perhaps we, for many years, had hardly any temptation. O! how cunningly does he work! how enticing is the world! even in lawful things, very often, the most dangerous snares lie hidden. A single word that we hear may be able to disturb our peace. unguarded look is sometimes enough to infatuate our hearts. There is danger on all sides. Unless the LORD open our eyes, and preserve us on all occasions, each of us, even the best, may still be overcome and deadly hurt by sin and the world. Satan is particularly busy to sift, the godly most of all; and having catched them in his net, triumphs exceedingly over them.-O Lord, suffer me never to fall asleep again! Help me to watch and pray, And let me ne'er my trust betray, Quick as the apple of an eye, One The more they afflicted them, the more they multitiplied and grew. And the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried; and their cry came up to God, by reason of the bondage. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them. Exod. i. 12, and ii. 23, 25. THE more we are oppressed by our spiritual and temporal enemies, the more will the kingdom of GOD increase in and through us. And when distress and dangers oppress us most, GOD hastens to our aid, and makes our necessity itself the means of our relief; for the ways of GOD are always wonderful. It was an extreme distress when the children of the Israelites were cast into the river; but this was the means of preserving Moses, their intended deliverer. When Moses came, they were not relieved immediately, for their calamities increased. This is God's method. But they cried the more to GoD, and he relieved them by signs and wonders. After this, their distress was greater than ever at the Red Sea; for after GOD has shown his glory in assisting us, he can still send greater trials. But when they were beset on all sides by distress and death, then came the most glorious succour of all, and their enemies perished in the Red Sea. LORD, suffer us not to despair, in any extremity, but enable us to believe and experience that the greater our distress, the nearer and more glorious will be thy aid, and all our enemies will be consumed as stubble before the devouring flame. What sinners value, I resign; LORD, 'tis enough that thou art mine! Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. We love him, because he first "loved us. 1 JoпN iv. 10, 19. He that loveth me, shall be loved of my Father; and I will love him, and will manifest myself unto him. We will come unto him, and make our abode with him. JOHN xiv. 21, 23. O WHAT a glorious promise! what manner of love is this! LORD, I would not exchange my cross and sufferings, much less thy love, for the love and honours of the world. Only make it more known to me how great thy love is, and how much thou hast forgiven me, that I may love thee much again, and be thereby still better purged from the inordinate love of temporal things. It is my earnest desire that the gates of my heart should be opened to none but thee, that thou alone mayest dwell in me. Shed thy love abroad in my heart, quicken and renew all the faculties of my mind and body, and work everything in and for me, that thy love may be my life, and the keeping of thy law my joy. Love divine, all love excelling; Joy of heaven to earth come down; O! for this love, let rocks and hills Breathe, O breathe thy loving Spirit Let us all in thee inherit, Let us find thy promised rest. |