,transcribed from the #aijg ,society for ,promoting ,christian ,knowledge edition by ,david ,price1 email ccx#jgdpglaf4org ,,multiplied ,,blessings ,,eighteen ,,short ,,readings 99 99 99 99 99 ,,by ,,the ,,late ,,rev4 ,,canon ,,hoare ,,vicar ,,of ,,holy ,,trinity1 ,,tunbridge ,,wells 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 ,,published ,,under ,,the ,,direction ,,of ,,the ,,tract ,,committee 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 ,,london ,,society ,,for ,,promoting ,,christian ,,knowledge ,,northumberland ,,avenue1 ,w4,c4 #dc1 ,,queen ,,victoria ,,street1 ,e4,c4 ,,brighton3 #abi1 ,,north ,,street ,,new ,,york3 ,e4 ,s4 ,,gorham #aijg ,,preface ,,these short readings1 now published for the first time1 are extracts from the written sermons of the late ,rev4 ,e4 ,hoare1 ,vicar of ,holy ,trinity1 ,tunbridge ,wells from #ahec to #ahid1 and ,hon4 ,canon of ,canterbury4 ,they are taken1 word for word1 from his original ,,mss41 and have been selected with a view to giving practical help in the ,christian life4 ,many of them were written long ago1 but the hindrances and difficulties that meet the ,christian continue much the same1 and it is hoped that the following pages may be used of ,god to bring before the reader the ,lord ,jesus ,christ as the ,saviour1 ,guide1 and ,helper4 ,k4 ,a4 ,h4 ,,contents ,,page ,,multiplied ,,blessings #e ,,the ,,saviour ,,seeking ,,the ,,sinner #ab ,a ,,divine ,,salvation #ag ,,feelings #bd ,a ,,peaceful ,,death-,,bed #bh ,a ,,peaceful ,,life #cc ,,the ,,indwelling ,,of ,,the ,,holy ,,spirit #ch ,,the ,,witness--,,the ,,leader--,,the ,,commander #dc ,,faith ,,and ,,effort #di ,,the ,,joy ,,of ,,the ,,lord #ed ,,the ,,work ,,of ,,the ,,lord #eh ,,christian ,,experience ,,in ,,the ,,confirmation ,,of ,,faith #fb ,,the ,,coming ,,of ,,the ,,lord #ff 8,,with0 ,,and 8,,by0 #ga ,,the ,,stirring ,,of ,,the ,,spirit #gf ,a ,,willing ,,service #ha ,,fear ,,not #hf ,,the ,,present ,,and ,,the ,,future #ia ,,multiplied ,,blessings 8,thou art my hiding-place2 ,thou shalt preserve me from trouble2 ,thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance4 8,i will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go3 ,i will guide thee with mine eye40--,ps4 xxxii4 #g1 #h4 ,,well1 indeed1 may the ,psalmist say1 8,blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven10 for every blessing flows into the soul as the consequence of divine forgiveness4 ,the word in the ,hebrew rendered 8,blessed0 is in the plural number1 to show that there is not one blessing only1 but multiplied blessings and multiplied mercies1 all springing from this one source1 the forgiveness of sin4 ,when ,david wrote these words he felt the truth of them4 ,he spoke of a gift which he had himself experienced4 ,he had found mercy1 so he proclaimed its richness4 ,we know how grievously he fell in the matter of ,bathsheba and ,uriah1 and we remember ,nathan's visit4 ,it was after that visit that1 according to the general belief1 this ,psalm was written4 ,he had struggled with the agonies of unforgiven sin1 till at length the message was delivered to him by the prophet1 8,the ,lord1 also1 hath put away thy sin40 #e ,no wonder1 then1 that he poured out his heart in this hymn of thanksgiving1 commencing with the words1 8,blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven1 whose sin is covered40 ,but it is not merely a ,psalm of thanksgiving1 for according to the title it was a ,maschil1 a ,psalm giving instruction4 ,when ,david was pleading for mercy in ,psalm li41 he said that when he had found forgiveness himself1 he would make it known for the good of others1 8,then will ,i teach transgressors ,thy ways40 #f ,so now1 having been forgiven1 he wrote this ,psalm of instruction for others4 8,blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven1 whose sin is covered40 ,these were the words with which ,david commenced his ,psalm1 and in these words he said that to which every forgiven soul will most heartily add1 8,amen40 ,what was the peculiar character of that blessedness8 ,we learn from verses #c and #d the awful misery of sin unrepented and unforgiven4 ,we find how ,david's tears were dried up by the burning heat of a guilty conscience1 and how the dreadful burden weighed day and night upon his soul4 ,then in the next verse we are taught the secret of the great transition from misery to peace4 ,we find how he made up his mind to make no further efforts to conceal his guilt4 ,he resolved to confess it before ,god1 and no longer attempt to hide it from man4 ,the result was a complete1 assured1 and most merciful forgiveness4 8,thou forgavest10 he said1 8the iniquity of my sin40 ,he was assured of the gift1 but what was the unspeakable blessedness to which1 when forgiven1 he was admitted8 ,this we learn from the words of our text in which we find the peaceful intercourse of the forgiven soul with ,god4 ,it is that peaceful intercourse which constitutes the real test of forgiveness1 ,christ died1 the just for the unjust1 to bring us to ,god3 so those who are made partakers of that atoning work are actually brought to ,god and made what the ,psalmist calls 8a people near unto ,him40 #g ,so it was in the case of ,david4 ,there was nothing to keep him any longer at a distance1 and in the full peace of complete reconciliation he enjoyed the unspeakable privilege of communion with ,god4 ,the account of this communion is given us in the verses of our text1 in the first of which we have the language of the forgiven sinner to ,god1 in the second the reply from ,god ,himself4 ,i4 ,,the ,,language ,,of ,,the ,,forgiven ,,soul ,,addressing ,,god4 ,he that was afar off without any shelter from the rough storm of an accusing conscience1 is now able to look up to the ,god who has forgiven him and say1 8,thou art my hiding-place40 ,he finds his shelter and his safety in the presence of that very ,god whose law he had broken4 ,he does not say1 8,thou hast provided a hiding-place10 but 8,thou art my hiding-place40 ,he who had been exposed without protection to the sore buffetings of his own conscience1 confirmed as it was by the just sentence of ,god's holy law1 had been so completely restored that he had found in ,god ,himself a hiding-place4 ,in that sacred hiding-place he realized two results1 safety and praise4 ,when hidden there he was safe1 just as our own life is safe when hidden with ,christ in ,god1 and therefore he could say1 8,thou shalt preserve me10 and when hidden there he would live in the very atmosphere of thanksgiving1 so he said1 8,thou shalt compass me about 7or surround me7 with songs of deliverance40 ,a song of deliverance is a song of praise from one that has been delivered4 ,the ,song of ,moses was a song of deliverance when he stood on the shores of the ,red ,sea after he had seen the hosts of ,egypt overwhelmed in the flood4 #h;a ,david's was a song of deliverance when ,god had brought him up out of the horrible pit and established his goings1 and had put a new song in his mouth4 #h;b ,the song of the great multitude before the throne is a song of deliverance1 when1 brought out of great tribulation1 clothed with white robes and palms in their hands1 they sing1 8,salvation to our ,god which sitteth upon the throne1 and unto the ,lamb40 #h;c ,observe the connection between this safety and these songs of deliverance4 ,the songs are not merely the consequence of the safety1 but a part of it4 ,hidden in the ,lord1 we are compassed1 or surrounded1 by them4 ,whichever way we look1 whether forward in hope1 or backward in memory1 or upwards in trust1 there is in every direction something to call forth the praise1 and the spirit of thanksgiving is in itself a protection against assault4 ,there is just the same connection between praise and safety in the description of the restored ,zion3 8,thou shalt call thy walls ,salvation1 and thy gates ,praise40 #h;d ,praise is there represented as part of the defence4 ,the enemy cannot enter because the gateway is filled by praise4 ,the song of deliverance is so hearty and so loud that the voice of the tempter is not heard4 ,and thus it is that the forgiven man1 hidden in ,christ ,jesus1 praises ,god1 because he has been saved1 and confirms his safety by the very act of praising ,him4 ,does not this teach us a lesson as to our own communion with ,god8 ,whatever it is that weighs on the heart and disturbs the spirit1 whatever the storm be that beats upon us1 whether it be care from without or conscience within1 whether it be the pain of trouble or the still greater pain of the sense of sin1 the forgiven man may go straight to ,him and say1 8,i flee unto ,thee to hide me40 #i;a ,and if hidden in ,him1 can anything really hurt us8 ,is not ,his salvation a sufficient wall8 ,shall anything that can really hurt us enter in by those gates which ,he has closed with praise8 ,in holy peace1 then let the songs of deliverance rise before ,him4 ,let the unspeakable blessedness of the divine safety call forth the notes of thanksgiving4 ,if the sweet note of praise was heard by the prisoners from the inner dungeon at ,philippi1 #i;b shall it not be heard by the whole church of ,god from those who have found a hiding-place in their ,lord8 ,,ii4 ,,the ,,lord',s ,,reply ,,to ,,the ,,forgiven ,,man4 ,such1 then1 was the language of the forgiven man to the ,god who had forgiven him4 ,what reply did he receive8 8,i will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go3 ,i will guide thee with ,mine eye40 ,you will observe that what is here promised is ,his own divine guidance and instruction1 and you will see at once how appropriate such a promise was under the peculiar circumstances of the case4 ,david had grievously fallen4 ,he had been walking1 in former times1 in ,god's way1 but had turned aside in a most awful manner4 ,we do not know what was the preparatory process in his mind4 ,perhaps he had forgotten his weakness2 perhaps he had grown self-confident and fell4 ,but we see what ,god promised now that he was restored4 ,he undertook in future to keep him ,himself1 by ,his own instruction and ,his own guidance4 ,the ,lord ,himself undertook to guide him1 and so keep him safe from the danger of another fall4 ,there are two points in this promise4 ,it was in the way1 not about the way1 that ,god promised to guide him4 ,when he was walking in the narrow way ,god under took to walk with him there1 and to hold him fast in ,his own right hand till the journey should be complete1 and the rest reached at the end4 ,let us all learn the lesson that ,god's teaching is only found in the path of ,god's commandments4 ,if we choose to walk in some way of our own choosing1 we must not expect the guidance of the ,lord4 ,observe also what ,i may term the delicacy of the promise and the intimacy of the relationship4 ,god says1 8,i will guide thee with ,mine eye40 ,when ,david was living in a state of impenitence1 the strong hand of ,god was upon him day and night4 ,but now a look is enough4 ,no force is needed4 ,the heart is tender1 the ear is open1 the eye is fixed on the ,lord ,jesus1 and the least intimation of ,his will is sufficient4 ,the passage seems to describe the eye of the ,lord watching over ,his children1 and the eyes of ,his children fixed on the ,lord4 ,when the ,lord ,jesus looked on ,peter1 ,peter must have been looking on ,him1 and one look melted his heart4 ,and so when the ,lord is guiding us1 there is no need of strong or violent discipline1 of the wind1 the storm1 or the earthquake1 for the still small voice is enough4 ,what is needed is that we should be living looking unto ,jesus1 the ,author and ,finisher of our faith1 seeking to know ,his will1 drinking in ,his word1 watching the guidance of ,his providence1 applying the principles of ,scripture to common life1 and so not waiting till conviction is forced upon us1 but1 with a tender heart and a ready mind1 seeking hour by hour to do ,his will4 ,it is in such an attitude of mind that we can realize the sacred promise1 8,i will guide thee with ,mine eye40 ,such1 then1 was the intercourse of this forgiven man with ,god4 ,how close1 how intimate1 how sacred1 how blessed1 the communion6 ,and how complete must have been the forgiveness that prepared the way for it4 ,it seems almost impossible to believe that this was the same man on whom ,god's hand had been heavy day and night1 the same whose bones had waxed old through his roaring all the day long1 now forgiven1 now brought into happy intercourse with ,god4 ,does not the passage teach a wonderful lesson to every soul that has been mercifully forgiven in ,christ ,jesus8 ,when we think of the precious blood of ,christ1 and how the ,lord laid on ,him the iniquity of us all1 can we suppose for a moment that the forgiveness bestowed on us is less complete1 or the restoration less perfect1 than that of ,david8 ,since1 then1 in his case1 the insuperable barrier of his guilt was so completely broken down that he was admitted to this sacred and intimate fellowship1 why should any one of us remain at a distance8 ,why should not we1 even we1 go before the same ,father to find in ,him our hiding-place1 and receive from ,him the same blessed assurance1 8,i will guide thee with ,mine eye08 ,may ,he accompany us through life with that loving guidance and watch over every step we take till1 by ,his great grace1 we are safe from danger4 ,,the ,,saviour ,,seeking ,,the ,,sinner 8,what man of you1 having an hundred sheep1 if he lose one of them1 doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness1 and go after that which is lost1 until he find it80--,,st4 ,,luke xv4 #d4 ,,there are many amongst us truly and conscientiously seeking the ,lord whose souls are ill at ease1 and whose hearts are far from peace4 ,they are feeling after ,him1 if haply they may find ,him2 but they are like blind men groping for the wall1 for they have not found ,him1 and they have no firm resting-place for their faith4 ,they have been reading many passages about seeking the ,lord1 and have endeavoured to seek ,him1 but they are sorely discouraged4 ,let us1 therefore1 change the subject1 and instead of considering how they are to seek the ,lord1 let us see how the ,lord seeks them4 ,let us look at the ,divine side of the transaction1 and instead of being absorbed by the subject of the sinner seeking the ,saviour1 let us look at the boundless grace of ,god which is shown by the ,saviour seeking the sinner4 ,it is the great subject of this chapter1 which contains three illustrations of the one subject1 and thus forms an illustrated comment on ,his words1 8,the ,son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost40 #ac ,according to those words ,he came for the lost1 and came not only to save them when they should succeed in finding ,him1 but to seek them in order that ,he may save4 ,he does not save without seeking1 nor does ,he seek without saving4 ,let us glean some lessons1 from the combination of the three illustrations1 as to the loss of the sinner1 and the seeking of the ,saviour4 ,,the ,,loss4 ,in all three cases the recovered one is said to have been lost4 ,the sheep was lost4 ,the coin was lost4 ,the son was lost4 ,if we study the illustrations in detail we shall see that there are three ways described in the chapter in which this loss is brought about4 ,it is brought about1 in the case of the lost sheep1 through simple ignorance and the folly of pursuing each passing object of attraction4 ,the wandering sheep has no particular intention of going wrong4 ,it does not set off with a deliberate wish to run away2 it is simply led on step by step by any attraction that lies beside its path4 ,and is not this the case with thousands of those who have wandered from the ,shepherd's care8 ,in the second parable the loss is occasioned by the neglect of others4 ,the piece of money is lost through carelessness1 without any fault of its own4 ,the person who had the charge of it took no heed to be sure that it was safe4 ,how many are there in exactly that position8 ,they have been lost1 humanly speaking1 through want of care4 ,but the third character is quite distinct from both the others4 ,the ,prodigal ,son was lost because he deliberately and determinately left his father's home4 ,he was totally unlike the wandering sheep led on from step to step without a plan1 for he had a plan1 and he deliberately carried it out4 ,this1 then1 is far the worst of the three4 ,it represents one living in the midst of privileges1 but deliberately casting away his faith4 ,he has life and death brought before him1 and he chooses death1 or1 at all events1 he chooses that which leads to death4 ,oh6 how marvellous is the boundless grace and mercy of our ,god1 that ,he should go out of ,his way to seek and to save any one so unthankful and so guilty6 ,,the ,,seeking ,,of ,,the ,,saviour4 ,he seeks by coming ,himself as the ,son of ,man4 ,the ,shepherd leaving the fold and going forth into the wilderness to seek the wanderer1 is a picture of the ,son of ,god leaving the glory which ,he had with the ,father before the world was1 and visiting this fallen world as the ,son of man1 in order that ,he might seek1 and1 by ,his atoning blood1 might save the sinner4 ,we shall never understand ,his grace in seeking us if we do not realize that great act of ,his already complete4 ,this great finished work of ,his is the foundation of all that follows1 and if we want to understand the mystery of ,his love in seeking us we must begin with the two great facts1 ,incarnation and ,atonement4 ,why did ,he become man8 ,why was ,he born at ,bethlehem8 ,was it not because ,he came on a divine mission to seek the sinner8 ,why did ,he die8 ,why did ,he utter that bitter cry upon the cross8 ,was it not that ,he might remove the curse by bearing it1 and having broken down every barrier1 might have the joy of bringing the lost one to the ,father's home8 ,you1 then1 who are anxious about your souls1 and whose earnest desire it is to be sought out and saved1 remember what the ,son of man has already done2 fall back on the finished fact2 and never forget that however doubtful you may be as to your own position1 there is no doubt whatever as to the fact that the ,son of ,god has come to seek the lost one and to save him by ,his blood4 ,,he ,,seeks ,,through ,,human ,,agency4 ,i cannot think that the woman lighting a candle and sweeping the house represents the ,saviour4 ,she is generally1 and ,i think correctly1 thought to represent the ,church4 ,if this be the case it may serve to teach how the whole ,church of ,christ ought to be entirely engaged in carrying out the sacred mission of our ,blessed ,lord4 ,it is not the ,spirit alone that is to say 8,come10 #ae but the ,bride and all that hear the message4 ,he has become man and died for us1 but we are to light the candle1 sweep the house1 and seek diligently till we find the lost ones4 ,we are to spare no effort for their recovery3 we are to search them out2 we are to let them know that there is a ,christian friend anxious for their safety1 and that there will not only be joy amongst the angels of ,god1 but a hearty welcome amongst ,his people on earth for any poor lost one brought in lowly repentance to the feet of the ,blessed ,saviour1 there to find pardon and recovery4 ,and what are we to say of the third parable1 for we find no mention of the seeking there4 ,but we find the divine act most remarkably represented1 for there we may see how ,god ,himself seeks the wanderer4 ,we do not see the father doing it in the parable1 but we do see how ,god ,himself does it in fact4 ,we there see the work both of ,his providence and of ,his ,spirit4 ,of ,his providence1 for the ,father in heaven both sought and found him1 just as ,he is doing with thousands now4 ,he took from him one thing after another till all hope was gone1 and he envied even the swine their meal4 ,god was seeking him1 so ,he broke him down and crushed him on purpose that ,he might save4 ,but ,god did much more than bring him into trouble1 for trouble very often does nothing but harden4 ,but in this case the ,spirit of ,god was seeking him1 so that it was a trouble blessed by the ,spirit1 and he was led with a broken heart to say1 8,father1 ,i have sinned40 ,see how ,god ,himself sought him and brought him to true repentance4 ,he was far away from the hand of man4 ,he was lost to his father's home4 ,but he was never lost sight of by ,god4 ,there was a loving eye watching him1 and a loving care seeking him1 so that though lost to man he was not lost to ,god1 and his father with a full heart was able at length to say1 8,this my son was dead and is alive again2 he was lost and is found40 ,a ,,divine ,,salvation 8,salvation is of the ,lord40--,,jonah ii4 #i4 8,according as ,his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain onto life and godliness1 through the knowledge of ,him that hath called us to glory and virtue40--#b ,,st4 ,,peter i4 #c4 ,,no one can read his ,bible without being convinced that it is full of practical exhortations as to human conduct and human effort4 ,those who are seeking the ,lord ,jesus ,christ are exhorted to repent1 to believe1 to be converted1 to seek1 to come1 and to follow on to know the ,lord4 ,hence it follows that as we are very apt to see only one side of anything at a time1 there is a great tendency to dwell exclusively on human action1 and to exhort1 and to persuade1 as if everything was in our own hands1 so that we may do just what we please1 and when we please1 in the great matter of our soul's salvation4 ,people are apt to write and speak about coming to ,jesus as if it all rested with the sinner himself4 ,but this1 though deduced from a truth1 is not the whole truth of ,scripture4 ,we find there beyond all doubt the warning1 the offer and the invitation2 but we find also the clear description of a divine salvation1 the plan of divine wisdom1 and the gift of divine grace4 ,accordingly in this passage when ,st4 ,peter #ag is addressing those who had obtained like precious faith with himself1 he makes it perfectly clear at the very outset of his letter that they had obtained it1 not by the power of their own energy1 or the determination of their own will1 but through the power of ,god1 the gift of ,god1 and the call of ,god1 8whereby were given unto them exceeding great and precious promises40 #ah;a ,let us1 therefore1 turn our attention to the divine side of the great transaction1 and trace through four successive steps1 the divine ,saviour1 the divine salvation1 the divine revelation1 and the divine application4 ,i4 ,a ,,divine ,,saviour4 ,it is not my business now to make any attempt to prove the divinity of our ,blessed ,redeemer1 for ,i take it for granted that we all admit the great truths of ,christianity4 ,what ,i desire now to do is to point out that1 if saved at all1 we are saved by a ,person1 and that that ,person is divine4 ,the ,lord ,jesus ,christ is a personal ,saviour1 and as a personal ,saviour1 saves us from the death of sin4 ,it is as much a personal act as when a bold swimmer leaps into the ocean and saves a drowning man4 ,now it is plain that everything depends on the nature and power of the person who saves us4 ,if ,he be only man1 then we can hope for nothing more than a man-made salvation4 ,the salvation will not rise above the ,saviour2 but if ,he is divine1 then we may rest on ,his divine omnipotence1 and look for the power of ,god unto salvation4 ,thus the divinity of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ is a matter of life and death to us4 ,the question is whether we are to save ourselves or be saved by our ,god4 ,and this is the issue which ,he ,himself raised when ,he said1 8,i give unto them eternal life40 #ah;b ,the statement of that passage is that ,he1 as a ,person1 holds ,his people in ,his own hand1 and holds them with omnipotent strength because ,he is divine1 for ,he and the ,father are one4 ,there1 then1 is both the foundation and the keystone of our trust4 ,we may see all kinds of difficulties2 there may be confusion1 perplexity1 and the cry of distress in every direction1 but according to ,his divine power ,god has provided a divine ,saviour1 and in that ,saviour we may rest1 for ,he is the ,son of ,god4 ,,ii4 ,a ,,divine ,,salvation4 ,the whole plan from first to last is divine4 ,the world is full of human plans1 some of which are successful and some total failures4 ,one man contrives one thing and one another1 but ,god alone planned the great salvation4 ,it was not in the power of ruined nature to restore itself1 so in boundless mercy and in ,his own divine omnipotence ,he provided a plan of restoration4 ,thus the purpose is divine1 ,his own eternal purpose before the world was2 the mode of reconciliation is divine1 the release of the sinner through the imputation of sin to the sin-bearer4 ,the propitiation was divine1 8,whom ,god hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in ,his blood40 #bj;a ,the imputation of righteousness is divine1 8,for ,god hath made ,him to be sin for us1 who knew no sin2 that we might be made the righteousness of ,god in ,him40 #bj;b ,the work of sanctification is divine1 8,of ,him are ye in ,christ ,jesus1 who of ,god is made unto us 4 4 4 sanctification20 #bj;c and the final gathering of ,god's elect will be divine for 8all that are in the graves shall hear ,his voice1 and shall come forth40 #bj;d ,it is most important to bear this well in mind1 for it places the subject beyond the sphere of human speculation4 ,if a man starts a new system of philosophy1 or if people advocate any particular system in politics1 we are perfectly at liberty to criticise it4 ,what one man does1 another man may criticise4 ,but it is a very different thing with the salvation of ,god4 ,once admit that it is a divine plan1 arranged in divine wisdom and carried out in divine power1 and it is then manifestly beyond the reach of human intellect4 ,there may be things in it which seem to us very mysterious2 but what else can we expect when the infinite and divine arrangements of ,god are subjected to the speculations of the finite mind of man8 ,if the whole salvation were of such a character as to present no points of difficulty to the human inquirer1 we might almost doubt its divinity1 and believe that as it is within the range of man's mind1 so it had its origin in man's ingenuity4 ,but when we see it beyond the reach of man1 then we are taught by our own inability to fathom it1 to regard it as a plan above ourselves1 for the simple reason that it is divine4 ,,iii4 ,,divine ,,revelation4 ,but when we have acknowledged that the ,saviour and the salvation are divine1 there remains a further question of the utmost possible importance4 ,it is this4 ,in what way is this divine salvation made known to mankind8 ,is it known by human discovery or divine communication8 ,do we know it by thinking out the subject1 or by receiving a revelation from ,god8 ,surely the answer to this question is obvious1 that a divine salvation can only be known by a divine communication4 ,the eternal purpose of ,god can only be known by divine communication from ,himself4 ,a supernatural salvation requires in the very nature of things a supernatural communication from ,god4 ,thus an ,apostle describes #ba the faith1 not as having been discovered by the saints1 but as having been delivered to the saints1 delivered to them1 that is1 in ,god's own inspired ,word4 ,as ,god has planned a complete salvation1 so ,he has given a complete revelation of that salvation4 ,he has not left us to grope for it as blind men feeling for the wall2 but has revealed ,his plan in ,his own word1 and taught us to rest in the scripture of truth as ,his own revelation of ,his purpose of grace4 ,,iv4 ,,the ,,divine ,,application4 ,to many this is the most difficult of the four points mentioned at the outset4 ,they are perfectly satisfied as to the divine ,saviour1 the divine salvation1 and the divine revelation in the ,word of ,god1 but have found no little difficulty in the application of it to themselves4 ,they can see the chain with its three links hanging down from heaven over their heads1 but it is just out of their own reach1 and as a poor dying sailor once said to me1 8,i see the rope1 but ,i cannot get hold of it40 ,so they see the salvation1 but cannot get hold of it as their own4 ,if there are any anxious on the subject1 and earnestly desiring 8to get hold0 on the great salvation1 let them remember that what they really want is for the ,saviour to lay hold on them1 and this is what ,he practically does by the power of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,it is the peculiar office of the ,holy ,ghost to take of the things of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ and apply them unto us1 and without that act of ,his we may struggle in vain to reach the blessing4 ,it is not enough for us to be told that ,god has provided a perfect ,saviour1 that that ,saviour has made a perfect propitiation1 and that by virtue of that propitiation the great salvation is offered to us as a gift4 ,we may be assured of all that and yet live on without it1 for we want in addition that which the human heart cannot find in itself1 the power to receive the gift and1 receiving it1 to live4 ,it is by this mighty power that those who sleep are awakened2 those far off are brought nigh2 the bondsmen are set free2 the dead made alive1 and those who are strangers and outcasts are made heirs of ,god through the blood of ,christ4 ,there is no case too hopeless for the ,lord's salvation4 ,there are many who have been so utterly unsuccessful in their efforts to rise that they begin to think there is something peculiar in themselves which makes them an exception to the general offer of life and pardon4 ,and there are others who are longing for the salvation of some stubborn1 unbroken heart1 but who have sought so long and so hopelessly that they almost begin to despair4 ,now whether your anxiety be for yourself or others1 remember the divinity of the great salvation4 ,if the whole is divine1 why should it not be sufficient8 ,you say you are dead1 but cannot the divine power raise the dead8 ,you say your sins are too great for pardon1 but is not the divine propitiation sufficient for them all8 ,you say you cannot produce even a good prayer1 but does not the divine revelation assure you that the salvation is a free gift even for those who have nothing8 ,give up1 then1 all thought of working yourself up to salvation1 for that is a mere human process1 and is certain to fail1 but throw yourself before you are saved right away on the ,saviour for ,his great gift of salvation4 ,remember that the whole thing from first to last is divine1 and1 because it is divine1 as a little child trust it without the slightest qualification1 trust the promise1 accept the gift1 and may ,god grant that you may be able to use as your own the words of the text1 8,according as ,his divine power hath given unto me all things that pertain unto life and godliness1 through the knowledge of ,him who hath called me to glory and virtue40 ,,feelings 8,love1 joy1 peace40--,,gal4 v4 #bb4 ,,feelings clearly have their place in the things of ,god4 ,our ,christianity is based on principles1 but still it calls forth the feelings4 ,now there are two great extremes into which we are apt to fall with reference to ,christian feeling4 ,there are some whose religion seems to consist in feeling only4 ,they look for warm1 bright emotions1 they bring everything to the standard of their feelings1 and if they feel as they wish to do they are satisfied4 ,their hearts are warmed by the things of ,god1 and many a cold1 phlegmatic theologian would be a different being if he could but catch something of their feeling4 ,but still we must put in a caution1 for feelings1 however bright1 are not to be trusted unless they rise out of principle and end in practice4 ,if you have feeling only--a feeling not based on solid acquaintance with ,scriptural truth1 it will rise like a bubble1 and look as beautiful in its colours1 but it will burst as easily as the bubble does1 and even at its best estate can never bear the slightest pressure4 ,here1 then1 is one extreme--the religion of feeling1 of emotion1 of impression1 taking the place of the religion of conviction1 of principle1 of faith4 ,but there is another extreme3 ,i mean the religion without feeling4 ,some seem to think all emotion1 or warmth1 or fervour is enthusiasm1 and settle down satisfied with a cold reception of ,christian truth4 ,they may be quite correct in their creed1 and may really believe all the great truths of the ,gospel1 but their system is to give no expression to ,christian emotion1 and this has a wonderful power of chilling all around them4 ,we must not rest satisfied with an unfeeling consent to ,christian truth4 ,we want to feel as well as to know1 and to have the heart really warmed by the tender love of our gracious ,saviour4 ,but here ,i suspect that ,i shall be met by a great difficulty on the part of many of you1 for this feeling is exactly that which many cannot find4 ,you can understand1 but you cannot feel4 ,your great trouble is1 that there is such a dreadful apathy over your whole soul that nothing seems to rouse it4 ,if this is the case consider-- ,i4 ,,the ,,feelings1 ,,however ,,warm1 ,,can ,,never ,,justify1 ,,and ,,the ,,want ,,of ,,feeling ,,does ,,not ,,prevent ,,justification4 ,i have known persons who have long since given up all idea of being justified by works1 who still have a secret clinging to some idea of being justified by feelings4 ,if they could but feel more--more love1 more repentance1 more warmth--then they think they could trust ,christ for their acceptance4 ,they have learned1 they think1 to trust ,him if they have the feelings1 but they would not venture to do so without them4 ,now1 before they can be happy in ,christ they will have to go a step deeper1 and learn to trust ,him when they have not the feelings as well as when they have4 ,they must remember that our justification is entirely dependent on ,his atonement and ,his righteousness1 and so it is ,his free gift1 freely given to those that are dead in sin4 ,now a dead man has no feelings4 ,if1 therefore1 we wait for our justification until we have the feelings we must wait till we are alive4 ,but the language of ,scripture is1 8,god1 who is rich in mercy1 for ,his great love wherewith ,he loved us1 even when we were dead in sins1 hath quickened us together with ,christ40 #bf ,your only hope1 therefore1 is to trust ,him as you are1 without waiting till you are one atom warmer than you are at this present moment4 ,with your heart as cold as you now feel it to be1 you must throw yourself at once before ,his feet1 and cry1 8,lord1 save me1 ,i perish40 ,closely connected with this suggestion is another1 namely this-- ,,ii4 ,,if ,,you ,,want ,,to ,,be ,,made ,,to ,,feel1 ,,you ,,must ,,lose ,,no ,,time ,,in ,,going ,,near ,,to ,a ,,father',s ,,throne4 ,you will never feel warm while you stand shivering outside the city4 ,you must go inside1 even while you are cold1 and there have your heart warmed by the ,lord ,himself4 ,remember that the great heart-warming subject is the tender love of ,god as displayed in ,christ ,jesus4 ,if the love of ,christ does not make you feel1 nothing else will4 ,do not1 therefore1 stand afar off gazing on your own coldness1 but turn at once to the ,cross of ,christ4 ,study ,him in the garden bowed down under the heavy burden of sin2 study ,him on the cross forsaken even of the ,father1 and remember that all that was borne for you1 even for you4 ,remember there was a personal connection between ,him and you in the whole of that great transaction1 and so abide1 as it were1 gazing on the ,lord ,jesus1 on ,his life1 on ,his meekness1 on ,his burden1 on ,his cry4 ,pray ,god that you may realize your part in the whole matter4 ,confess before ,him your own cold1 dead1 lifeless condition4 ,trust ,him1 as ,he died for you1 to save you from it2 and so you may hope that1 though you feel so cold as you approach ,him1 you may experience something of ,his love when you gaze on ,him1 and know something even of ,his joy when you go on your way justified through ,his grace4 ,,iii4 ,,remember ,,well ,,that ,,feeling ,,is ,,the ,,gift ,,of ,,the ,,holy ,,spirit1 ,,and ,,that ,,you ,,cannot ,,work ,,yourself ,,up ,,to ,,it4 ,it is very clearly the work of the ,holy ,spirit to call forth feeling4 ,he does not act on the head only1 but on the heart also4 ,he opens the understanding1 but ,his great office is to make ,his people feel what they already know4 ,thus of the nine fruits of the ,spirit #bg;a the first three are all emotions4 ,their seat is neither in the head nor in the practice1 but they are all feelings of the heart1 8,love1 joy1 peace40 ,they all lead to practice1 and all are founded on principle1 but all three are sacred emotions implanted there by the ,holy ,ghost ,himself4 ,if1 therefore1 your cold1 unfeeling heart is a real sorrow to you2 if the trouble of your heart is that your sins trouble you so little1 and that you feel so coldly towards that ,blessed ,saviour who has felt for you so deeply1 rest not content1 but throw yourself before ,god that the ,spirit of grace and of supplication may enable you to look upon ,him whom you have pierced1 that ,he may take of the things of ,jesus and show them unto you2 that ,he may call forth in your soul ,his own fruits of love1 joy1 and peace1 and that so ,he may answer you the ,apostle's prayer--8,the ,god of ,hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing40 #bg;b ,a ,,peaceful ,,death-,,bed 8,lord1 now lettest ,thou ,thy servant depart in peace1 according to ,thy word3 8,for mine eyes have seen ,thy salvation40--,,st4 ,,luke ii4 #bi1 #cj4 ,,our thoughts are often directed to the blessed prospect of our ,lord's return1 and there cannot be a doubt that ,his personal coming is the crowning hope of the ,church of ,god4 ,at the same time1 it is most important for us to be1 if ,i may so express it1 familiar with the thought of the present heaven4 ,the youngest amongst us may be cut down at any moment1 and the old amongst us must be convinced that our time is short1 and that our places must soon be filled by others4 ,we ought1 therefore1 to know where we are going1 and what it is that awaits us when 8the earthly house of this tabernacle shall be dissolved40 #bh;a ,the words of our text1 so often chanted in our churches1 express a sentiment to which1 ,i fear1 many who chant them are entire strangers1 for they express the peaceful readiness with which ,simeon was looking forward to his death4 ,it had been 8revealed unto him by the ,holy ,ghost1 that he should not see death1 before he had seen the ,lord's ,christ40 #bh;b ,he had1 therefore1 spent his latter days waiting and watching for the promised ,christ1 and at length1 when the ,child was presented in the ,temple1 he saw in that ,child the ,messiah for whom he had been waiting1 and then it was that1 his hope being fulfilled1 he could bless ,god and say1 8,lord1 now lettest ,thou ,thy servant depart in peace40 ,there are three subjects suggested by his words4 ,i4 ,,the ,,view ,,which ,,is ,,here ,,given ,,of ,,death4 ,he does not speak of it as annihilation1 destruction1 or stupefaction1 but as a departure or removal from one place to another4 ,if a person were to depart from this place and go elsewhere1 he would simply change his home4 ,until he departs his home is here1 but when he departs his home is elsewhere4 ,is it not exactly the same when the spirit departs from its present home and removes to the building of ,god1 the house not made with hands1 eternal in the heavens8 ,in this case1 as in an earthly removal1 departure implies the continuance of life4 ,thus ,i rejoice in the many passages in which death is spoken of as a departure4 ,it was clearly the idea in the mind of ,st4 ,paul1 as when he said1 8having a desire to depart10 #bi;a and again1 8,the time of my departure is at hand40 #bi;b ,when those we love are in far distant lands we see them not1 but they are there2 our eyes cannot behold them1 nor our ears hear their pleasant voices1 for they are far away1 but that does not lead us to doubt either their life1 their intelligence1 or their affection4 ,just so it is with those that are gone4 ,we no longer hear the voice1 or look on the loved countenance1 but we are fully persuaded that1 as spirits1 they are living elsewhere1 that separation is not destruction1 and that removal does not involve the diminution of the intelligent powers of the living mind4 ,but if death is thus a departure1 where is the place to which the spirit goes8 ,over this point there is a veil thrown in ,scripture4 ,if we were to know all about it there would be nothing in the knowledge to affect our practical conduct1 so there is no knowledge given4 ,nor do we require it1 for one thing is told us1 and that one thing is enough4 ,if assured of that one thing we want no more4 ,what1 then1 is that one thing so clearly revealed to us in ,god's holy ,word8 ,where shall we find an account of it8 ,let us turn to the language of the ,apostle ,paul3 8,i am in a strait betwixt two1 having a desire to depart1 and to be with ,christ40 #cj;a ,he knew1 therefore1 that in his departure he should depart to be with ,christ1 in the conscious enjoyment of ,his perceptible and never-ceasing love4 ,,ii4 ,,the ,,spirit ,,in ,,which ,,the ,,believer ,,may ,,die4 ,this is described in the words of ,simeon1 8,let thy servant depart in peace40 ,simeon could look forward to his dying hour in a tranquil spirit of calm1 resting peace4 ,how often is there care on the heart of the dying believer4 ,a father may be leaving his wife and family1 who have been dependent on him for support2 or a mother her children1 with the strong conviction that there is no substitute for a mother's love4 ,let no one suppose that there is no trial of faith in such a separation1 and that it is not1 in many cases1 very hard to trust4 ,but in ,christ ,jesus there may be peace even in such a parting1 and the dying mother1 if she knows her ,saviour1 may trust her all into ,his loving hands1 and say1 8,i know whom ,i have believed1 and am persuaded that ,he is able to keep that which ,i have committed unto ,him40 #cj;b ,she has committed her children into ,his care4 ,they are her deposit with ,god1 and she may be at perfect peace in the assurance that1 though she is departing1 ,he is remaining1 and will remain a faithful ,saviour till every one of those dear children is presented safe before ,his throne4 ,let no one suppose that it is not a very solemn thing to die1 to be suddenly cut off from everything of which we have ever had any experience1 and to launch out alone into an invisible world4 ,it cannot1 therefore1 be an easy thing to die in peace4 ,but1 thanks be to ,god1 we believe that the departing spirit passes at once into the loving presence of our ,redeemer1 and why should there not be peace8 ,i believe it is the forgetfulness of this personal entrance into the personal presence of a personal ,saviour that sometimes seems to darken the dying hour4 ,people forget those few words1 8,thou art with me10 #ca;a and then they are afraid4 ,but when we rest on those words1 and combine them with our assured hope1 knowing that ,he is now with us invisibly1 and that we are going to be with ,him visibly1 then we shall be able to say1 as ,simeon did1 8,lord1 now lettest ,thou ,thy servant depart in peace40 ,,iii4 ,,the ,,great ,,foundation ,,of ,,simeon',s ,,peaceful ,,trust4 ,his eyes had seen the salvation of ,god4 ,what he had really seen was the promised ,messiah1 that is1 the ,lord's ,christ4 ,the little child was the promised ,saviour1 and to him the ,saviour was salvation4 ,the ,person and the ,gift were so bound together that they were as one4 ,he could not know the ,person without the ,gift1 or enjoy the ,gift except through the ,person4 ,thus our ,lord1 more than thirty years afterwards1 spoke of ,himself as 8the ,salvation10 #ca;b when ,he said1 as ,he entered into the house of ,zacchus1 8,this day is salvation come to this house40 ,simeon had what we cannot have1 something material that he could handle and look upon4 ,his hand could handle and his eye could see the little child2 and there cannot be a doubt that there is in the human mind a craving after something visible1 tangible1 and material4 ,but we have nothing of the kind2 we cannot hold our salvation in our hands4 ,neither do we want it there4 ,it is safer in the hands of our ,lord ,himself4 ,but though we cannot say1 8,mine eyes have seen10 we can say1 thanks be to ,god1 8,mine heart hath seen10 and we can understand the words1 8,whom having not seen1 ye love40 #cb;a ,there is exactly the same union in that passage between the ,saviour and the salvation4 ,receiving ,him we receive salvation1 and beholding ,him with the eye of faith we behold1 as it were1 our names written in the ,book of ,life4 ,to behold the ,saviour is a very personal matter4 ,it is not merely to behold ,him like a monument on a distant hill1 which we can admire1 but never enter2 or as a harbour of refuge which we cannot reach4 ,it must not be with us as it was with ,balaam when he said1 8,i shall behold ,him1 but not nigh10 #cb;b for the invitation to us is to draw near1 and our privilege is in our inmost soul to pour out our heart before ,him1 as before ,one who knows all its secrets1 and through ,his own most precious blood has blotted out all its guilt4 ,this has thrown a gleam of sacred light into many a death-chamber4 ,may ,god grant that it may be the same with each of us4 ,let none of us rest until we can say1 8,mine eyes have seen ,thy salvation10 till we not merely know that there is a ,saviour1 but can rest assured that ,he has saved us1 and has made us--even us--heirs of ,god and joint-heirs with ,himself in ,his kingdom4 ,a ,,peaceful ,,life 8,to me to live is ,christ40--,,phil4 i4 #ba4 ,,we have studied the subject of a peaceful death-bed and ,i hope we learned how to die4 ,let us now turn our thoughts to a peaceful life and endeavour to learn how to live4 ,the two things are bound fast together4 ,let us study what ,st4 ,paul meant when he said1 8,to me to live is ,christ40 ,when there is any one object1 for which1 and in which1 a person lives1 it is not an uncommon thing to say it is his life4 ,to a certain extent this explains the expression1 8,to me to live is ,christ10 for the ,lord ,jesus ,christ was the one absorbing object of ,st4 ,paul's whole life4 ,he thought of ,him2 he leaned on ,him2 he trusted in ,him2 he loved ,him1 and he lived for ,him4 ,he could not do without ,him4 ,if we look at the subject more in detail we find three things very clearly taught us in ,scripture4 ,our life is hidden with ,him1 dependent on ,him1 and devoted to ,him4 ,,hidden ,,with ,,him ,in this stormy world we perpetually need a hiding-place1 a shelter from the storm1 and a covert from the blast4 ,and so in the great prophecy of our ,lord and ,saviour revealed in ,isaiah1 we read of ,him1 8,a man shall be as an hiding-place from the wind40 #cd;a ,but three centuries before ,isaiah uttered that prophecy ,david had learnt to hide under ,his care1 and said of ,him1 8,thou art my hiding-place40 #cd;b ,the trouble from which he was hiding was deep conviction of sin4 ,in consequence of his sin the hand of ,god had been heavy upon him day and night4 ,but at length the guilt of his great sin had been blotted out1 and as a forgiven man he could find shelter in the very ,god against whom he had transgressed4 ,he could hide himself in the love of ,him against whom he had sinned1 and instead of finding the ,lord's hand heavy upon him1 he could rejoice in the thought that there was a wall of praise around him4 ,now just in the same way our life is said to be hidden with ,christ4 8,your life is hid with ,christ in ,god40 #cd;c ,it is not exposed to the rude shocks of the outer world1 but is hidden with ,him4 ,as ,he is unseen1 so it is unseen2 but as ,he is safe at the right hand of the ,father1 so is it safe1 being laid up in perfect safety as a sure deposit in the everlasting fidelity of ,god4 ,it is on the safety of this deposit that our whole life depends4 ,if there were the slightest doubt about it we should be like ships drifting on the wide ocean without either chart1 compass1 or anchorage4 ,but now we are safe because indissolubly bound up with the ,saviour1 and so completely is our life identified with ,him that in the next verse ,he is described as 8,christ our life40 ,he holds our life in ,his right hand4 ,he is the source1 the fountain1 and the main spring of it all1 so that we can well understand the words of ,st4 ,john1 8,he that hath the ,son hath life40 #cd;d ,,dependent ,,on ,,him ,there is a struggle in the human heart for independence4 ,the tendency of the day is to throw off all dependence1 and1 with it1 all submission4 8,i will10 8,i choose10 8,i think10 8,i determine10 8,i am resolved10 is the self-sufficient language of these latter days4 ,now such an one can never say1 8,to me to live is ,christ40 ,if he say anything it should be1 8,to me to live is self60 ,but see what a contrast there is in the life of the believer4 ,turn only to one passage in ,galatians4 ,there you find the 8,i0 crucified2 8,i am crucified with ,christ40 #ce ,but though the 8,i0 is crucified1 there is a life that remains for 8,nevertheless ,i live40 ,and now what is the character of this abiding life8 ,the latter part of the verse describes it1 8,yet not ,i1 but ,christ liveth in me40 ,these words tell of a life of habitual dependence4 ,it all depends on the in-dwelling ,saviour4 ,his in-dwelling1 that is life1 that is the secret of everything4 ,but how is this indwelling realized8 ,how is it appropriated or experienced8 ,it is clear that it cannot be known by the senses4 ,we cannot see1 hear1 or handle ,him4 ,we must not look for anything material4 ,nor is it connected here with anything ,sacramental2 but it is described as the unspeakable blessing of an abiding faith1 8,the life which ,i now live in the flesh1 ,i live by the faith of the ,son of ,god1 who loved me1 and gave ,himself for me40 ,we must not leave the passage without remarking two facts respecting that love4 7#a7 ,it was shown in propitiation4 ,st4 ,paul did not merely say1 8,who loved me10 but adds1 8,who gave ,himself for me40 ,there are many proofs of ,his love1 but the crowning act of all is propitiation4 ,it is the ransom paid in full that is the one hope for the captive1 and the supreme evidence of the ,redeemer's love4 7#b7 ,the love was not merely for all1 but according to that passage1 8for me40 ,one individual is a mere unit in a crowd1 no more than a grain of sand in an ,egyptian desert2 so that it seems a very easy thing for any one person to be lost in the multitude4 ,but it is the office of ,god the ,holy ,ghost to apply the work wrought out for all to the special need of each one4 ,,devoted ,,to ,,him ,st4 ,paul could say1 8,to me to live is ,christ10 for he could also say without hesitation that the one thought of his life was his ,saviour's glory4 ,he lived for one object1 and that one object is described as his life4 ,now we hear a great deal of consecration in these days1 and we cannot hear too much1 if only it is kept in its right place1 for there is far too little consecration to ,god amongst us4 ,consecration is the surrender of the whole life to the ,lord4 ,it is the setting the ,lord always before us in all that ,he calls us to do4 ,we have been loved by ,him1 redeemed by ,him1 called by ,him1 and saved by ,him2 so now we are ,his4 ,we belong to ,him altogether4 ,our powers are no longer our own1 but our ,lord's2 our lives should be no longer occupied for ourselves1 but for our ,lord2 so that in us may be carried out the purpose of redeeming love as described by ,st4 ,paul4 8,he died for all1 that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves1 but unto ,him which died for them1 and rose again40 #cg ,shall we live for ourselves or for ,his glory8 ,for the gratification of self1 or for the happy1 holy1 sacred service of ,him to whom we owe all that we have1 and all that we hope for1 our ,blessed ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ8 ,,the ,,indwelling ,,of ,,the ,,holy ,,spirit 8,ye know ,him2 for ,he dwelleth with you1 and shall be in you40--,,st4 ,,john xiv4 #ag4 ,,in this verse our ,blessed ,lord spoke of the knowledge enjoyed by ,his people4 ,he spoke of the present1 and the future2 of that which they had then at the time that ,he was with them1 and of that which they were about to enjoy after the ,day of ,pentecost1 when ,he would be taken away from them4 ,with reference to the present ,he says 8,he dwelleth0 7or1 is dwelling7 with you1 or amongst you2 with reference to the future ,he says 8,he shall be in you40 ,there are clearly1 therefore1 two great subjects to be considered1 the knowledge enjoyed by the disciples when the ,lord ,jesus was still upon earth1 and the knowledge enjoyed by all ,his people ever since the ,day of ,pentecost4 ,i4 ,,when ,,he ,,was ,,on ,,earth4 8,ye know ,him for ,he dwelleth with you40 ,the expression does not describe an internal union within the soul1 but an external companionship4 ,the meaning is the same as when ,st4 ,john said1 8,there standeth one among you1 whom ye know not40 #ch ,there they were1 a little company of disciples1 and amongst them in the midst of their society1 in the room where they were assembled1 was abiding1 or dwelling1 the ,spirit of ,truth4 ,now what was the meaning of this declaration8 ,was it not this8 ,that the ,holy ,spirit was at that time dwelling amongst them as embodied and manifested in the ,person of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,of ,him it was said by ,john the ,baptist 8,god giveth not the ,spirit by measure unto ,him40 #ci;a ,so it was said by ,st4 ,paul1 8,in ,him dwelleth all the fulness of the ,godhead bodily40 #ci;b ,and by ,st4 ,peter we are taught that ,he was anointed with the ,holy ,ghost1 and ,god was with ,him4 #ci;c ,consider1 then1 the ,lord ,jesus ,christ as ,god manifest in the flesh1 as the human manifestation of the mind and power of the ,holy ,ghost1 and you will see in a moment that while ,he was on earth the ,spirit of ,truth was dwelling amongst the disciples4 ,where the ,lord ,jesus was1 there was the ,spirit2 where ,he dwelt1 there the ,spirit dwelt2 and when ,he and those twelve disciples sat together at the ,last ,supper1 ,he could say of the ,spirit of ,truth1 8,ye know ,him for ,he dwelleth with1 or among1 you40 ,,ii4 ,,the ,,knowledge ,,enjoyed ,,by ,,all ,,his ,,people ,,after ,,his ,,departure4 ,it was to be very different afterwards4 ,there is an immense change when our ,lord speaks of what should take place after ,his departure4 ,it is no longer 8with10 but 8in40 ,he would be not merely present in their company1 but abiding in their souls4 ,in this promise1 there are three things requiring our careful notice4 7#a7 ,the promise applies not to a company1 to a society1 to a ,church1 or to any body of men1 but to each individual4 ,the ,holy ,spirit will not be merely in the midst of a congregation1 but a sacred guest in each soul4 ,you see this very clearly in the history of the ,day of ,pentecost4 #dj ,the ,holy ,spirit came on the company1 on the ,church1 for ,he filled all the house where they were sitting4 ,but besides that there was a separate personal gift to each person present1 for 8it sat upon each of them and they were all filled with the ,holy ,ghost40 7#b7 ,the sacred gift is no longer localized or specially enjoyed in one place4 ,so long as the ,lord ,jesus was amongst them where ,he was1 there was the ,gift4 ,but now1 wherever the believer is1 there is the ,gift4 ,see the unspeakable blessedness of this sacred promise4 ,the gift of the ,spirit is not confined to this place or that4 ,it is the inestimable privilege of each individual believer wherever he is1 and in whatever position it may please ,god to cast his lot4 ,you may be cut off from the means of grace in which you have delighted1 but wherever you are1 you are not cut off from the ,spirit of ,truth1 from the indwelling of the ,holy ,ghost1 for ,he is not limited to time1 or place1 or circumstance1 and wherever you go at the ,lord's command1 there you will carry ,his presence with you4 7#c7 ,he dwells within the soul4 ,there is this great difference between ,his presence and that of the most faithful and loving of friends4 ,the friend can only judge by the outside2 the anxious look1 the tear in the eye1 or the words of sorrow4 ,but the ,spirit of ,truth is within1 and ,he takes note of the inner secrets of the soul4 ,he does not wait for any external evidence of what is passing4 ,the hidden springs of thought are all open to ,his eye3 the secret pain that is never breathed to any one2 the hidden hope that smoulders in the heart2 the subtle temptation that is beginning to grow up unperceived1 and the yearning of soul after a higher life1--all these things are open to ,him1 and ,he1 dwelling within and knowing all that is passing within1 can check1 can guide1 can heal1 can help1 can supply any possible need 8according to ,his riches in glory by ,christ ,jesus40 #da;a ,there is no telling1 then1 the unspeakable blessing of the ,pentecostal gift1 and we can perfectly understand why it was that our ,lord said 8,it is expedient for you that ,i go away40 ,but do we all desire it8 8,of course we do10 say some4 ,but it is not at all a matter of course4 ,there was no room for ,christ in the inn at ,bethlehem1 and there is no room for the ,spirit of ,truth in many hearts4 ,if ,he dwells within your soul ,he will humble you and make you to 8abhor yourself and repent in dust and ashes40 #da;b ,do you desire that8 ,if ,he dwells within you1 ,he will wean you from the world and teach you to live as one looking for the ,kingdom4 ,do you desire that8 ,if ,he dwells within you ,he will teach you to give up your own will4 ,do you desire that8 ,do you desire really to be led by the ,spirit1 taught by the ,spirit to become a humble1 gentle1 and submissive child of ,god8 ,i fear there are many who1 when the whole subject is considered1 are not prepared to give ,him an unreserved welcome1 and would be tempted to close the door of their hearts against ,his entrance4 ,if the door is opened by them at all1 it is only set ajar1 and not thrown wide open that the ,king of ,glory may enter in1 in the fulness of ,his power1 and turn out everything that is at variance with ,his will4 ,but ,i believe there are many who would hold nothing back and who long above all things that the ,spirit of ,truth may take full possession of their souls4 ,their difficulty is not that they do not wish it1 but that they can scarcely believe it possible that ,he should ever dwell in such a heart as theirs4 ,they find so much sin there that they can scarcely imagine it possible that the ,holy ,comforter should not be driven from them by all that ,he sees within4 ,no doubt there is quite sufficient to drive ,him grieved and displeased from ,his resting-place1 and if it were not for the everlasting covenant of ,god1 and the precious blood of ,christ1 ,i can perfectly understand the impossibility of ,his making such a heart ,his dwelling-place4 ,but the atoning blood alters the whole case4 ,the blood of ,christ breaks down every barrier4 ,it is a new and living way #db by which not only may you enter boldly into the presence of ,god1 but through which the ,spirit of ,god may enter your heart and take full possession of it as ,his own abiding-place4 ,if you are longing to be filled with the ,spirit1 you must look straight to that cross of ,christ4 ,you must remember the fulness of the pardon4 ,you must trust to that ,atonement as breaking down even the barrier raised by your own dark corruption1 and1 pleading that precious blood1 must open every avenue of your soul to the ,spirit of ,truth1 that ,he may enter in and there reign supreme4 ,,the ,,witness--,,the ,,leader--,,the ,,commander 8,behold1 ,i have given ,him for a witness to the people1 a leader and commander to the people40--,,isa4 lv4 #d4 ,,it is often said that a living head is essential to the well-being of a living ,church4 ,nothing can be clearer than the teaching of ,scripture that our ,living ,head is in heaven now1 seated at the right hand of ,god4 ,it is as a ,living ,head that our ,blessed ,saviour is here predicted4 ,three rich promises are made by ,god to every hungering and thirsting heart--,life1 a ,covenant1 and a living ,head4 ,life1 for ,he says1 8,hear1 and your soul shall live40 ,a covenant1 for ,he says1 8,i will make an everlasting covenant with you20 and a ,head1 for ,he adds1 in the words of our text1 8,behold ,i have given ,him for a witness to the people1 a leader and commander to the people40 ,the question may arise1 8,who is it that is thus given for a witness8 ,who is the person that the people are to recognize as their leader and commander80 ,the prophecy says ,david4 ,but ,david1 we know1 was a typical character4 ,he was not merely a king1 but a type2 a type of ,him who was to be both his son and his ,lord4 ,accordingly we are taught that the name ,david was applied to the ,lord ,jesus1 for we find the words applied by ,st4 ,paul to ,christ and ,his resurrection4 #dd;a ,we are there taught that when ,god raised up ,christ from the dead1 ,he gave us the sure mercies of ,david4 ,the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 therefore1 is the ,witness1 ,he is the ,leader1 and ,he the ,commander of ,his people4 ,in other words the risen ,redeemer is our ,living ,head4 ,the text1 therefore1 directs us to ,his present action1 not to ,his death or even to ,his life before ,his death1 but to ,his present ,headship at the right hand of ,god4 ,he is ,a ,,witness ,one who bears a true and faithful testimony4 ,this ,he did in ,his life on earth1 as we learn from ,his own words when ,he stood before ,pilate4 8,to this end was ,i born1 and for this cause came ,i into the world1 that ,i should bear witness into the truth40 #dd;b ,and this same character ,he maintains in heaven1 for at the opening of the ,book of ,revelation we are taught to look for grace and peace 8from ,jesus ,christ the faithful witness1 the first-begotten from the dead1 and the ,prince of the kings of the earth40 #dd;c ,it is clear that as the 8first-begotten10 that is1 as the risen ,saviour1 ,he now acts as a witness4 ,this is done in two ways4 ,he is a witness to the world1 bearing witness to ,god's great plan of salvation4 ,but more than that ,he witnesses to the heart of each of ,his own children1 assuring them of ,his faithfulness1 confirming them in ,his truth1 and doing what ,david prayed ,him to do1 8,say unto my soul1 ,i am thy salvation40 #dd;d ,there is an outer and an inner witness2 an outer witness in the power of ,his ,spirit accompanying ,his word1 and an inner witness within the souls of ,his own people2 hidden from the world and known only to those who enjoy it1 that witness of which ,st4 ,john spoke when he said1 8,he that believeth on the ,son of ,god hath the witness in himself40 #de;a ,and this may teach us an important lesson respecting the true nature of faith4 ,it is faith when we receive the testimony of the ,lord ,jesus as an undoubted truth1 and1 without questioning1 simply believe ,him4 ,there are difficult truths taught in ,his word1 and some strangely at variance with human opinion2 but true faith gives up all and trusts4 ,it makes a complete surrender to ,jesus ,christ1 the faithful witness4 ,,he ,,is ,a ,,leader ,and when we speak of ,him as a ,leader1 we must not connect ,his office merely with the idea of war1 for it is the office of peace also4 ,when our ,lord compares ,himself to the ,shepherd ,he says ,he 8leadeth them out40 #de;b ,nor is ,his office of a leader given up even in the peaceful rest of ,heaven4 ,there is a leading ,hand even there1 for when ,st4 ,john was permitted to look in and to see the great multitude before the ,throne1 the ,angel referred him to words from the blessed promise in ,isaiah4 #de;c ,in heaven1 therefore1 the promise is both fulfilled and known4 ,it is fulfilled1 for there the saints of ,god are refreshed by the living waters2 and it is known1 for the ,angel himself1 while describing the joys of heaven1 calls attention to the ancient prophecy1 and shows how in the peaceful scene around him it was receiving its complete fulfilment4 ,now what is implied when we are taught that the ,lord ,jesus is a ,leader for ,his people8 ,it implies much more than teaching1 and therefore the office of the leader is far beyond that of witness4 ,it would be of but little use to explain to a blind man the windings of some narrow path4 ,but it would be an act of great kindness to take him by the hand and lead him4 ,and this is what our ,leader does for us1 for ,he says1 8,i will bring the blind by a way they knew not40 #df;a ,our proud hearts may dislike the dependent position of either the feeble or the blind2 but1 whether we like it or no1 we are both blind and feeble1 unable to trace our path amidst the perplexities of life1 and equally unable to move safely alone even when the path may be discovered4 ,it is1 therefore1 in mercy and in tender love that ,god has given ,him to be a ,leader1 and our part is to accept the gift and trust ,him4 ,when we are brought into perplexity1 into one of those positions of life where two ways seem to meet1 we may fall down before ,him as our great ,leader1 and say1 8,for thy name's sake1 lead me and guide me40 #df;b ,when we find ourselves in slippery places and scarcely know how to stand1 we may come into ,his presence and cry1 8,hold ,thou me up1 and ,i shall be safe40 #df;c ,when perplexing doctrine is presented to us1 and false teaching abounds around us1 we may spread out ,his word which contains ,his testimony1 and say1 8,shew me ,thy ways1 ,o ,lord40 #df;d ,and when we come to the valley of the shadow of death1 when no human hand can help us1 and no human sympathy reach our necessities1 even then we may be perfectly sure that our great ,leader will never leave us2 but as we part from all friends here on earth1 and as all earthly helps fade away1 we may lean more simply and more heavily than ever on ,him and say1 8,though ,i walk through the valley of the shadow of death1 ,i will fear no evil3 for ,thou art with me40 #dg;a ,so again for the ,church of ,christ4 ,our lot is cast in very perplexing times1 and those who really care for the ,church of ,god must often have their hearts filled with deep anxiety4 ,it is a happy thing to know that ,god has given him to be a ,leader of the people1 and 8,head over all things to the ,church40 #dg;b ,we may trust ,him1 therefore1 to take care of ,his own truth1 and rest assured that amidst all the perplexities of these latter days ,he will guide ,his own people safe to the end1 until every one of them appeareth before ,god4 ,,he ,,is ,a ,,commander ,we cannot say of this office1 as we did of the last1 that it belongs to peace1 for it is one peculiar to war4 ,the commander is for the battle-field1 and still more for the well-arranged campaign4 ,thus our ,lord is presented to us as a ,commander in the book of ,revelation4 #dg;c ,he then appears in ,his royal character1 and at the same time heading ,his army4 ,he encounters all the powers of the world1 but he is surrounded by a little company of faithful followers1 and ,he leads them on to victory4 ,the ,church of ,god must be prepared for conflict4 ,till the ,lord comes sin will give the ,church no peace4 ,till ,satan is trampled down under ,his feet1 he will never rest in his deadly warfare against the ,lord ,jesus and ,his little flock4 ,the soldier of ,christ must be a man of war4 ,the great ,commander will have ,his own chosen and faithful followers--8they that are with ,him are called1 and chosen1 and faithful40 #dh;a ,they are marked from the world by a clear line of separation4 ,they bear ,his name2 they wear ,his uniform2 they rally round ,his banner2 they are not ashamed of ,his reproach2 and wheresoever ,he goeth there it is their joy to follow ,him4 ,there is no service like ,his1 no commander so perfect1 no struggle so noble1 no victory so certain and so glorious4 ,if we really be amongst the chosen band of faithful followers1 our one standard in life must be the will of our great ,commander4 ,we must be watching each signal from ,him1 and owning no authority but ,his4 ,from first to last our spirit must be that of ,saul of ,tarsus1 8,lord1 what wilt ,thou have me to do80 #dh;b ,this may sometimes imply a painful surrender1 a surrender of ease1 and inclination1 and1 hardest of all1 of pride4 ,but the soldier in the earthly army yields at once to his commanding officer1 and how much more should we1 when ,he has chosen us to be ,his people1 blotted out our sins by ,his blood1 called us into ,his own fellowship1 sealed us with ,his seal1 and made us heirs of ,his ,kingdom8 ,,faith ,,and ,,effort 8,our ,god shall fight for us40--,,neh4 iv4 #bj4 ,i ,,can imagine nothing better calculated to make a people calm1 peaceful1 and courageous1 than to be able to say in faith1 8,our ,god shall fight for us40 ,if we can say this1 we may think on our country and rest assured that1 whatever happens1 all is safe4 ,if we can say this1 we may look upon ,god's people struggling for ,his truth1 sometimes sorely pressed and sometimes quite disheartened2 but when we look on ,him whom ,god has given to be a ,leader and ,commander of the people1 we may take courage that all will be well1 for ,he is our ,god1 and ,he will fight for us4 ,or1 we may look at our own personal difficulties1 at the temptation without by which we are surrounded1 and the proneness to yield within1 which renders us perpetually liable to its power2 and sometimes we may be ready to ask the question1 ,can such as we are ever gain the victory8 ,but1 if we can but say in faith1 8,our ,god shall fight for us10 then1 weak as we are1 we may look forward to a triumph1 and say even beforehand1 8,thanks be to ,god which giveth us the victory40 ,but there are few cases in which this language of faith was more appropriate than when originally spoken by ,nehemiah4 ,nehemiah was one of the most beautiful characters to be met with in all history4 ,i know of no one in whom there was a greater combination of practical1 business-like habits1 with true1 simple-minded1 childlike faith4 ,when acting as cup-bearer to the ,king of ,babylon1 he heard of the desolation of ,jerusalem1 and obtained permission to return thither in order to rebuild the walls and restore the city4 ,the ,jews at the time were so exceedingly feeble1 that the onlookers laughed them to scorn4 ,but1 when once the work was begun1 contempt was exchanged for indignation1 and ,sanballat with others 8conspired all of them together to come and to fight against ,jerusalem1 and to hinder it40 ,then it was that ,nehemiah used these words for the great encouragement of all who were working with him1 and said1 8,our ,god shall fight for us40 ,but while he thus spoke with the full assurance of confiding faith1 he was not led by that faith to negligence4 ,true faith never leads to negligence4 ,it always stimulates exertion and rouses men to hopeful energy4 ,so it did in the case of ,nehemiah1 for the same verse which contains the assurance contains also the spirit of active preparation4 ,we will study the conduct of ,nehemiah as furnishing an illustration of the union of faith and effort1 examining first his effort1 then his faith4 ,i4 ,,the ,,effort ,,made4 ,it was made under very discouraging circumstances4 ,the city was in ruins1 the walls were in heaps1 and there were only a few restored captives to labour for their restoration4 ,now1 in what spirit did these feeble ,jews rise to their work8 7#a7 ,they all worked together4 ,there was just such an united and harmonious action as we long to witness in the ,church of ,god4 ,it is an old proverb that 8union is strength40 ,in this case the whole wall was portioned out and all classes united4 ,first came the ,high ,priest and his brethren1 next the men of ,jericho1 soon followed by the carpenters1 the goldsmiths1 and the apothecaries4 ,then came the ruler of the half part of ,jerusalem1 followed by ,shallum and his daughters2 further on we read of ,baruch1 who set an example to the whole company1 for he earnestly repaired the portion entrusted to his care1 till at length the circuit was complete4 7#b7 ,they worked with a will4 ,there is such a thing as work without a will4 ,there is the dull1 lazy work of the idle man1 and the mechanical work of those who take no interest in what they are about4 ,just as in religion1 there is the languid performance of a routine as different as possible to the real wrestling with ,god in faith4 ,there is no soul in it1 and who can wonder if there is no result8 ,in this case there was rapid result1 and they built the wall1 and the reason is given1 8for the people had a mind to work40 #ea ,an important lesson this for every ,christian effort4 7#c7 ,they made real sacrifices for their work4 ,it must have been a sore inconvenience to these men to leave their own occupations and to labour on the wall2 but they laboured night and day till the wall rose from its ruins4 ,oh1 that we had more of this spirit in the ,church of ,god6 ,would that we knew better how to give to ,him so as to pinch ourselves2 to give our time1 our money1 our painstaking1 our real self-denying work1 in order to glorify ,god1 and show that we live not unto ourselves1 but unto ,him that died for us and rose again4 ,,ii4 ,,their ,,faith4 ,this showed itself in three ways4 7#a7 ,in prayer4 ,nehemiah was a man of prayer4 ,when any trouble arose1 his heart turned as if by an holy instinct to ,god1 and so1 when ,tobiah mocked their efforts1 ,nehemiah gave no rough answer1 but he turned his heart upwards and said1 8,hear1 ,o our ,god1 for we are despised40 #eb;a ,how much bitter strife would be avoided in the world if men acted like ,nehemiah1 and1 instead of retorting1 spread out their provocations before ,god4 ,but the conduct of the opponents soon turned from mockery to war1 and there was a plan to attack the rising walls4 ,but the attack was met just in the same way as the insult4 ,in both cases he gave himself to prayer4 ,i cannot imagine a better illustration of the praying believer than the words in verse #i1 8,nevertheless we made our prayer unto our ,god1 and set a watch against them day and night40 ,they heard of the conspiracy1 and at once spread the intelligence before ,god2 but1 having done so1 they did not consider that prayer superseded effort1 but day and night they set their watch on the walls4 ,had they watched without praying1 they would have been trusting to their own forethought2 and had they prayed without watching1 they would have tempted ,god to leave them4 ,but they watched and they prayed1 and they prayed and they watched1 and so they acted in the spirit of the words in aftertimes spoken to us1 8,watch and ,pray40 #eb;b 7#b7 ,their faith showed itself also in the recognition of what ,god had done for them4 ,faith not only asks ,god's help1 but acknowledges it4 ,it gives ,him thanks for ,his action as well as asks ,him to act2 so when the danger was past we find ,nehemiah ascribing it all to the good hand of ,god on his efforts4 ,he did not say1 8,when we had defeated their plans10 but 8,when ,god had brought their counsel to nought40 #ec 7#c7 ,faith looks forward to the future4 ,when the workmen were all at their posts2 when the builders laboured1 every one having his sword girded by his side2 when the trumpeter stood by the chief1 ready at any moment to sound the alarm2 when the voice of prayer had been heard day and night all along the line of the rising walls2 when all had been done that man could do--then the heart rose high above all that man had done1 and in calm1 confident trust1 ,nehemiah assures the people1 saying1 8,our ,god shall fight for us40 ,he had made preparation1 but he trusted to ,god for victory4 ,he was at the head of a feeble people1 but he was the servant of the ,most ,high ,god4 ,he knew that the battle was not to the strong1 nor the race to the swift2 so he rested his hope on the strong hand of his ,god1 and in simple faith he trusted ,him to give the victory4 ,,the ,,joy ,,of ,,the ,,lord 8,by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand1 and rejoice in hope of the glory of ,god4 ,and not only so1 but we glory in tribulations also40--,,rom4 v4 #b1 #c4 ,,the joy of the ,lord is a subject that goes to the heart of many4 ,some are rejoicing in the ,lord1 while others are longing to be partakers of it2 it is a gift after which their heart is yearning4 ,let us consider the real foundation of true1 solid1 well-founded joy4 ,in these two verses there is a description of the joy and its power4 ,there is the joy1 for 8we rejoice in hope of the glory of ,god10 and there is the power of that joy1 for it rises above the troubles of life1 and we rejoice 8even in tribulation40 ,there is1 therefore1 such a bright hope of the coming glory1 that we may go on our way with a thankful heart1 rejoicing in the ,lord2 and there is such a manifestation of the love of ,christ in the soul by the power of the ,holy ,ghost1 that the distress of tribulation is overpowered1 and even in the midst of sorrow there may be an abiding joyfulness in ,christ ,jesus the ,lord4 ,observe the foundation of this joy1 and see how it is the consequence of our sure standing in ,christ ,jesus4 ,when we rejoice in hope of the glory of ,god1 and rejoice even in tribulation1 this joy is the consequence of a previous transaction1 and the result of our occupying a new position4 ,we have had access1 or admission1 and are now standing in ,his grace4 ,it is the standing in that grace that is the foundation of the joy of hope4 ,this leads us to the question1 8,what is the grace80 ,the word 8grace0 has different meanings in ,scripture4 ,sometimes it means the inward work of ,god the ,holy ,ghost in the soul1 as when it says1 8,grow in grace40 #ee;a ,but this cannot be our standing-ground1 for the simple reason that it is imperfect and variable4 ,but this is not the only meaning of the word1 or nearly so1 for it is used for any great gift of love and mercy bestowed in ,god's free favour on ,his people4 ,we have to consider what is the free gift or favour into which we have had access1 and which is now our standing-ground4 ,this question the context must decide2 and it seems to me impossible to study that context1 without coming to the conclusion that the grace here referred to is that which must ever be the real resting place for those who are convinced of sin1 a righteousness imputed in the free grace of ,god4 #ee;b ,this1 then1 is the grace in which we stand1 the grace of imputation1 the gracious gift of a righteousness reckoned1 counted1 or imputed to us when we do not deserve it2 the marvellous mercy through which we are accounted righteous1 accepted as righteous1 beloved as righteous1 and finally saved as righteous1 although we are not really so in fact1 and although we are conscious in our own hearts of matter for the most profound humiliation before ,god4 ,who can wonder that we rejoice in hope when we are placed in mercy on such a standing-ground as that8 ,this1 you observe1 is a work for us1 and not in us1 and therefore never varies4 ,the work in us is perpetually changing4 ,it is a progressive work1 and its progress is sometimes much more rapid than at others4 ,but the work for us does not go up and down with the work in us2 it is unchangeable1 like ,god ,himself4 ,the righteousness imputed is the righteousness of ,god1 and therefore perfect and unchangeable4 ,it changeth not for the simple reason that ,he changeth not1 and therefore always1 in cloud as well as sunshine1 in dark days as well as bright1 in the hour of tribulation as well as in the season of unmixed prosperity1 in the times of deepest humiliation as well as in those of emotion and encouragement1 the justified believer may rejoice in ,him1 and triumph in the ,god of his salvation4 ,it is this that gives its security to hope1 this that makes us sure of its never failing4 ,if we were relying on all the varied changes of our own feelings1 there might be joy one day and despair the next2 but while we stand in the grace of imputed righteousness1 our hope has a foundation that can never give way1 and therefore we may accept the joy without a fear1 and rejoice in hope of the glory of ,god4 ,what is the great principle within the soul which constitutes our standing in this grace8 ,to this question we shall find an answer in the words of ,st4 ,paul1 8,thou standest by faith40 #ef ,and this is exactly what is taught us in this passage4 ,in verse #a1 we are taught that it is by faith that we are justified2 and then1 in verse #b1 we learn that it is by faith that we have access into this grace wherein we stand4 ,from first to last1 therefore1 it is a matter of faith4 ,the whole secret of our standing1 and of the joy that follows from it1 is found in that one word 8trust40 ,trust the ,lord ,jesus ,christ as your finished ,sacrifice and your living ,lord1 and you stand on the rock4 ,let your trust rest on anything else1 on your feelings1 your thoughts1 your experience1 your intentions1 or your religious efforts1 and you will be no better than men endeavouring to walk steadily on the waves of the sea4 ,but trust ,christ as you are1 where you are1 and that without putting even your own trust between you and ,him1 and you may go on your way rejoicing in ,him1 and need never cease to give thanks for a foundation so solid and a grace so free4 ,,the ,,work ,,of ,,the ,,lord 8,be ye steadfast1 immovable1 always abounding in the work of the ,lord1 forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the ,lord40--#a ,,cor4 xv4 #eh4 ,,we have lately studied 8the joy of the ,lord10 and now ,i am anxious that our thoughts should be turned to another subject1 which is much more intimately connected with it than many seem to suppose1 that is1 the work of the ,lord4 ,the joy of the ,lord imparts strength for service1 and the service of the ,lord increases joy4 ,there is action and reaction between the two4 ,,what ,,is ,,meant ,,by ,,the ,,work ,,of ,,the ,,lord8 ,it is work--work with all the self-denial that accompanies steady work4 ,it is work for the ,lord4 ,when we say that a father works for his family1 or a servant for his master1 it does not mean that such an one simply goes about his own business1 but it does mean that he has a particular person in view1 and that he is working for him4 ,we are such poor1 frail creatures that there is a constant tendency to admit bye motives in our work4 ,i know how hard it is to preserve a single eye to the glory of ,god4 ,one's own reputation and the great pleasure of one's own success have a constant tendency to introduce false motives4 ,what we want is to lose sight of self altogether1 and to remember that if we are doing the work of the ,lord1 we are doing it for the ,lord4 ,it is work from the ,lord4 ,it is the work to which the ,lord has appointed each of us4 ,when ,god called ,barnabus and ,paul1 ,he said1 8,separate them for the work whereunto ,i have called them40 #ei;a ,now we are not called to the ,apostleship1 but ,i believe there is not an individual amongst us who is not called by ,god to a certain work in ,his service4 ,the ,church of ,god is said to be 8compacted by that which every joint supplieth40 #ei;b ,there is not1 therefore1 a joint in the whole body that is not to supply something4 ,all who are in ,christ ,jesus are the children of ,god1 and all are called to work in ,his service1 the strong man in the fulness of his strength1 or the suffering invalid laid low with broken health4 ,this1 then1 being the character of the work of the ,lord1 let us turn to the encouragement which ,god has given1 and the root from which it springs4 ,,the ,,encouragement4 ,there are some things in our ,christian life which we think1 some which we hope1 and some which we know4 ,we know some1 for they are assured to us in ,god's word1 and we are fully persuaded that ,his word is true4 ,now here is one of the things we know1 know as a matter of certainty without the possibility of doubt4 ,we know that our labour is not in vain in the ,lord4 ,it may often appear to us exceedingly feeble and defective3 we may be ashamed and humbled at its multiplied shortcomings3 we may look back upon it honeycombed1 as it were1 by mistakes3 we may be conscious that we have left undone those things that we ought to have done1 and we may be painfully aware that nothing has been done as it ought to have been done for ,god1 but still we are assured that it will not be in vain4 ,when ,samuel was but a child1 8the ,lord was with him1 and did let none of his words fall to the ground10 #fj;a and we may be sure that ,he will not let one word spoken in ,his name fall to the ground now4 ,if the ,lord is with you1 no one thing that you ever do for ,him will be in vain4 ,you may not see the fruit of it1 or if you do it may be after years of waiting1 but the ,lord knows all about it4 ,he sees exactly what you are doing1 or saying1 or giving1 or praying1 and the book of remembrance is written before ,him4 ,you yourself may be one of ,god's hidden ones1 and in the day when ,he makes up ,his jewels1 #fj;b you may meet then with others1 hidden like yourself1 to whom your labour1 however feeble1 has been blessed in ,his mercy4 ,cleave1 then1 to the work of the ,lord without wavering4 ,let no discouragements dishearten you1 hold steadily on your way1 faint yet pursuing1 being perfectly assured that what ,god has promised ,he is able also to perform1 and that even your poor service will not be in vain in the ,lord4 ,,the ,,root ,,from ,,which ,,all ,,such ,,work ,,must ,,spring4 ,it is not all kinds of labour to which the promise is attached1 for there is a great deal of labour that is altogether in vain4 8,except the ,lord build the house1 they labour in vain that build it40 #fj;c ,and the distinction is very clearly taught us here1 for the work here spoken of is a labour 8in the ,lord40 ,it teaches how work is the consequence of union2 that we do not do the work of the ,lord in order that by doing it we may attain to union1 but that the union comes first and the work of the ,lord follows as its result4 ,there will be no fruit on the branch if there is not first a union with the vine4 ,there is no hope1 therefore1 of any man winning to himself a union with ,christ by any amount of painstaking in work4 ,if your heart is yearning for that union1 you must accept it as a free gift because ,christ ,jesus1 the ,son of ,god1 has redeemed you by ,his own most precious blood1 and you must do so just as you are1 without waiting for even one more effort in ,his service4 ,you must be 8in the ,lord0 before you can 8labour in the ,lord10 and that union must be the free gift of ,his unmerited grace4 ,you must be created in ,him unto good works before you will do anything for ,his glory4 #fa ,,christian ,,experience ,,in ,,the ,,confirmation ,,of ,,faith 8,because ,thou hast been my help1 therefore in the shadow of ,thy wings will ,i rejoice40--,,psa4 lxiii4 #g4 ,i ,,wish to speak on the important use of ,christian experience in the confirmation of faith4 ,i say in the confirmation of faith1 for there is the widest possible difference between confirmation and commencement4 ,experience may confirm the faith when it already exists1 but the faith must obviously be there before there can be any experience of its result4 ,at the outset of our ,christian course we have nothing to do but throw ourselves absolutely in naked trust on the sure promises of the covenant of ,god1 and rest exclusively on what ,he has done and promised4 ,we have nothing then to do with our own history1 our own feelings1 or our own progress1 it is ,christ and ,christ alone on whom the soul must rest for life4 ,and so1 if we look to the real foundation of faith1 it must be to the last day of our pilgrimage4 ,it is a fatal-moment for us if we are led to look away for a single moment from ,him4 ,but at the same time we must remember that we are not always at the beginning of our ,christian life4 ,one who has trusted the ,lord ,jesus ,christ and walked with ,him for many years is not in the same position as one who is to-day seeking ,him for the first time4 ,he has had the experience of the loving-kindness of the ,lord4 ,he has never found ,him to fail in any of the anxieties of his life1 and if he could trust many years ago when he had nothing but the bare promise1 how much more may he trust the ,saviour now when the truth of ,his word has been tried and tested in all the varied experiences of life8 ,the ,lord ,jesus ,christ is described as 8a sure foundation20 #fc;a sure1 because ,he is the foundation laid by ,god2 sure1 because of ,his own eternal ,godhead2 sure1 therefore1 as an object of simple trust before a person has had any experience of ,his grace4 ,to the trembling sinner who has hitherto been a total stranger to ,him1 and has never known anything of ,his love1 even to him ,he is a sure foundation1 and though knowing ,him only through the word1 that trembling sinner may come to ,him and trust4 ,but according to that same verse ,he is also a tried foundation4 ,he has been tried by the whole church of ,god for eighteen centuries and has never once been found to fail any one that has come to ,him in faith4 ,he has been tried by us who have known ,him for the greater part of our lives1 and we are not to ignore all ,he has done for us1 but say1 as ,st4 ,john did1 not merely that we have believed1 but that 8we have known and believed the love that ,god hath towards us40 #fc;b ,now this is the principle of the text4 ,the ,psalm was written when ,david was in great trouble1 having taken flight from ,saul in the wilderness of ,judah4 ,he was there hidden in such caves as ,adullam1 and cut off from the sanctuary of ,god4 ,but it is a very cheerful and thankful ,psalm4 ,he was not downhearted because of his troubles1 but he had such an assurance of the loving-kindness of the ,lord that his heart was full of praise4 ,he could praise ,him1 and that with joyful lips1 even in the wilderness4 ,the reason was that he could trust ,him1 and though he was only a young man his trust had been confirmed by experience4 ,he had been in difficulty almost the whole time since his call1 but he had found a strong arm with him all the way1 and therefore he said1 8,because thou has been my help1 therefore in the shadow of ,thy wings will ,i rejoice40 ,in this verse there are two things to be observed-- ,i4 ,,the ,,thankful ,,recognition ,,of ,,help ,,already ,,given4 ,the ,lord had helped him through many difficulties and he thankfully recognized the help4 ,we do not know to what particular act of help he referred4 ,it may have been to his victory over ,goliath1 or to the escape from the javelin of ,saul4 ,or it may be to the daily1 hourly help given to his own soul in all the difficulties of his situation2 to that help which finds no place in history1 but which is the unceasing source of life and strength to the child of ,god4 ,but whatever was the peculiar character of the help1 it is perfectly clear that it was accepted and recognized4 ,he asked for help1 he found it1 he acknowledged it1 and he was thankful for it4 ,let us learn the lesson that we should not be always praying for help1 and fearing to acknowledge it when given4 ,it is our privilege to ask for the gift1 but it is also both our privilege and duty to acknowledge it4 ,,ii4 ,,the ,,joyful ,,assurance ,,for ,,the ,,future4 ,he knew that he believed in a ,god that changeth not1 just as we believe that the ,lord ,jesus ,christ is 8the same yesterday1 to-day1 and for ever10 #fd and the result was the assurance that ,he who had helped him thus far would help him to the end4 ,he knew that his ,god would not change1 and therefore he was happy and confident though he was in 8a dry and thirsty land40 #fe;a ,his joy did not depend on circumstances1 but on ,god1 and being confident in ,his unchanging grace he could be happy anywhere4 ,he used to delight in the ,sanctuary1 and we read in verse #b how he had there seen in his own soul ,god's power and glory4 ,but the same ,lord who had helped him in the ,sanctuary would help him also in the cave1 and therefore he was not an unhappy man even in the wilderness1 but he said1 8,because ,thy loving-kindness is better than life1 my lips shall praise ,thee40 ,and this was no new principle in his mind1 for we find him acting on it when he was quite a youth4 ,it was the principle that carried him into the conflict with ,goliath1 for when ,saul dissuaded him from the attempt1 he said1 8,the ,lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion1 and out of the paw of the bear1 ,he will deliver me out of the hand of this ,philistine40 #fe;b ,thus the recognition of past help ought to lead to confident trust4 ,if we have found help actually given1 if we have reason to believe that ,god is helping now1 we may boldly look forward into the future1 and be perfectly confident that ,he will help to the end4 ,,the ,,coming ,,of ,,the ,,lord ,,the ,,practical ,,effect ,,of ,,this ,,blessed ,,hope ,,on ,,the ,,life ,,and ,,character 8,be ye also patient2 stablish your hearts3 for the coming of the ,lord draweth nigh40--,,st4 ,,james v4 #h4 ,,the hope of the near approach of the ,lord's coming should lead us to sit light to the world and the things of it4 ,there is no greater temptation besetting our path than that of becoming entangled in the things of the world4 ,we are for ever spinning cobwebs for our own bondage1 and being then caught in our own web4 ,hence the importance of the weaning power of the blessed hope of the near coming of our ,lord and ,saviour4 ,this applies in sorrow4 ,there were sorrows in the days of ,st4 ,paul1 just as there are now1 and he never taught us not to weep4 ,what he did teach was that we 8should not sorrow as those that have no hope40 ,the character of the sorrow may be changed4 ,and what was the power that should thus change the character of grief8 ,the next verse supplies the answer4 8,for if we believe that ,jesus died and rose again1 even so them also which sleep in ,jesus will ,god bring with ,him40 #ff ,we may look forward1 therefore1 to ,his speedy return1 when the graves of those who are in ,christ shall open1 and when all sorrow will be lost for eternity in the blessed privilege of being 8ever with the lord40 #fg;a ,is not such a hope enough to change the character of grief8 ,this blessed hope changes also the character of our joy4 ,just as it gives a tone to sorrow1 so also it does to joy4 ,it makes it sober and solid4 ,it gives it a quiet1 peaceful1 abiding character4 ,turn to the words of ,st4 ,paul4 8,rejoice in the ,lord always1 and again ,i say1 ,rejoice40 #fg;b ,and observe the verse that follows3 8,let your moderation be known unto all men4 ,the ,lord is at hand40 ,let your joy be the sober joy of men who believe that the coming of the ,lord is at hand2 the calm1 well-assured1 abiding joy of those who1 being in the ,lord1 are persuaded that they will be with the ,lord for ever4 ,and the same effect will follow with reference to all our possessions4 ,let no one suppose we are not to prize those precious gifts which ,god has given us4 ,ought we to think lightly of money1 time1 influence1 power8 ,by no means2 but if we believe that the coming of the ,lord is near we must sit light to it all1 for it will all soon give place to the glories of ,his kingdom4 ,remember ,st4 ,paul's thrilling words3 8,the time is short10 #fg;c and the exhortation that follows to 8use this world1 as not abusing it40 ,if we believe that the ,lord's coming is near we must wake up and trim our lamps4 ,we must never forget that real1 true believers may grow cold1 and dull1 and sleepy4 ,thus even the wise virgins were asleep when the ,bridegroom came4 ,but they were thoroughly prepared1 so they were up in a moment when they heard the cry1 and1 having trimmed their lamps1 were ready4 ,now1 the thought of ,his appearing should have this effect on ourselves4 ,who is there amongst us that does not want to be quickened2 to be aroused to fresh energy for ,god2 to have the soul filled with a holy fervour1 and the whole heart glowing with the love of ,christ8 ,who is there that should not desire to respond with every faculty he possesses to the stirring appeal of ,st4 ,paul3 8,and that1 knowing the time1 that now it is high time to awake out of sleep3 for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed4 ,the night is far spent1 the day is at hand40 #fh;a ,shall we sleep on as if the old world were going on for ever8 ,do we really believe that 8the ,bridegroom cometh10 #fh;b and shall we not trim our lamps without one moment's delay in order that when ,he comes ,he may find them burning brightly to ,his glory8 ,if we are looking for the speedy coming of the ,lord1 it should lead to a calm1 happy1 peaceful hope in the midst of the turmoils of the latter days4 ,there is nothing to lead us to expect a calm termination to the present state of things4 ,our ,lord when ,he comes will come riding1 as it were1 on the whirlwind and the storm4 ,it is a very common thing to find a bar with heavy breakers on it at the mouth of the finest harbours1 and so we must be prepared for a stormy sea as we enter the haven of rest4 ,our ,lord taught this very clearly when ,he said1 8,there shall be signs in the sun1 and in the moon1 and in the stars2 and upon the earth distress of nations1 with perplexity2 the sea and the waves roaring40 #fh;c ,and now observe the effect of these events on different characters4 ,through the world at large they produce what may be called a panic--8,men's hearts failing them for fear40 #fi;a ,but how is it to be with the people of ,god8 ,are their hearts to fail them for fear8 ,no1 for we read1 8,when these things begin to come to pass1 then look up1 and lift up your heads40 #fi;b ,they are not to be bowed down1 but to hold their head erect1 and with a confident spirit to look up full of hope4 ,and why8 ,what is it that is to make so vast a difference between the two characters8 ,how can we explain the contrast8 ,it is all explained in the latter part of that verse--8,for your redemption draweth nigh40 ,it is perfectly clear that by redemption is here meant the final deliverance1 for in the previous verse #fi;c we read of the final coming of the ,deliverer4 ,that calm peace1 therefore1 is the blessed result of a blessed hope4 ,god's people will know that the ,deliverer is at hand1 and therefore will not be afraid4 ,they will believe ,god's ,holy ,word1 and therefore what alarms others will cheer them4 ,the same storm which sinks the great ironclads outside will bring their little bark into harbour4 ,they will know what it all means1 and1 with ,god's ,word in their hand1 they will know who is reigning1 and will see in all that is frightening others the predicted signs of ,his near approach4 ,,one ,,word ,,in ,,conclusion4 ,the word 8redemption0 has a double sense in common use4 ,it is sometimes used for atonement or propitiation simply1 and sometimes for the great deliverance which is the consequence of the great propitiation4 ,it is clear that in this passage it is used for deliverance4 ,but another thing is equally clear1 namely1 this--that we shall never be able to rest in the hope of the deliverance unless we are first taught to rest for forgiveness on the completed propitiation4 ,redemption by power is the consequence of redemption by blood4 ,it is the redemption by power of which the ,lord said 8,he draweth nigh20 but we shall never be able to lift up our heads1 and look up in joy to the prospect1 unless we first know in our own souls the unspeakable blessing of that redemption by blood which has long since been completed for ever4 ,it is only when we know ,jesus ,christ and ,him crucified that we can look up in calm1 peaceful confidence to ,jesus ,christ and ,him glorified4 8,,with0 ,,and 8,,by0 8,and when they were come1 and had gathered the ,church together1 they rehearsed all that ,god had done with them1 and how ,he had opened the door of faith onto the ,gentiles40--,,acts xiv4 #bg4 ,,there are few institutions of greater antiquity than the missionary meeting4 ,it is truly apostolic in its origin4 ,the first such meeting of which we read was held at ,antioch after the return of ,st4 ,paul from his first missionary journey4 ,it was from ,antioch he set off1 having been commended by the brethren to the grace of ,god2 and it was at ,antioch1 after his return1 that he gathered together the ,church and rehearsed to them all that ,god had done with them in his journey4 ,this is the great subject of his address1 and will suggest three subjects of inquiry for ourselves4 ,i4 ,,what ,,had ,,been ,,done8 ,in the first place1 the door of faith had been opened to the ,gentiles4 ,surely by 8the door of faith0 we must understand that 8new and living way0 of which we read in ,hebrews4 #ga ,and what is that way8 ,is not this explained by the previous verse1 8,having1 therefore1 boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of ,jesus40 ,it is the free access to the throne of ,grace through the finished1 final propitiation1 there described as 8the blood of ,jesus40 ,when ,he died1 the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom1 and the mercy-seat was laid open to the sinner drawing near in faith1 and the invitation was proclaimed to all4 ,the throne of righteousness became the throne of mercy1 and the throne of judgment became approachable even to the sinner1 for it was transformed into a throne of grace4 ,this is the door of faith that had been opened to the ,gentiles1 and it is very difficult for us to realize all that was involved in such a fact4 ,there was a middle wall of partition between ,jew and ,gentile which kept them as wide asunder as if there had been no common ,saviour4 ,but now ,st4 ,paul reported that the middle wall had been broken down4 #gb;a ,every stone of it had been swept away1 and1 according to the covenant of ,god1 all were invited as one flock around one ,shepherd4 ,but this was not all that had been done4 ,the great work of that missionary journey was the turning of the hearts of both ,jews and ,gentiles to enter in by that open door4 ,it is one thing to set a door open before a person1 but often a much more difficult thing to induce him to enter in4 ,now the great result of this journey was that many precious souls were brought in through the open door1 and in ,christ ,jesus were saved4 ,this was the work of which ,st4 ,paul gave an account on his return to ,antioch4 ,if he mentioned individuals he doubtless told them of ,sergius ,paulus1 the ,roman pro-consul at ,paphos1 that 8prudent man10 #gb;b one of the first converts given to the ,apostle4 ,then1 again1 he doubtless told them of the great multitude both of the ,jews and also of the ,greeks in ,iconium who believed4 #gb;c ,and if he were asked as to the reality of the work in their souls1 he doubtless told them of the beautiful character of the ,christians in the other ,antioch1 ,antioch of ,pisidia1 of whom it is said1 8the disciples were filled with joy1 and with the ,holy ,ghost40 #gc ,they had1 indeed1 entered in by the open door4 ,they had tasted the joy of the living way1 they had been brought under the shadow of the mercy-seat4 ,they had sat down under ,his shadow with great delight1 and had found the fruit sweet to their taste4 ,so marvellous had been the change that the very men who before this memorable journey had been living1 some in ,jewish hostility1 and some in heathen abomination1 were now happy1 holy1 thankful believers1 and were actually filled with the ,holy ,ghost4 ,we see1 then1 what had been done4 ,the next question is-- ,,ii4 ,,who ,,was ,,the ,,doer8 ,st4 ,paul and ,st4 ,barnabas were the principal agents1 and of these ,st4 ,paul was the chief speaker1 but it was not he who changed the hearts or filled the disciples with joy and with the ,holy ,ghost4 ,so he did not tell what he had done1 but what ,god had done4 ,the drawing of the sinner1 whether ,jew or ,gentile1 into the new or living way was a ,divine act4 ,to open the heart required a ,divine power as much as to open the door4 ,it is important for us clearly to bear in mind this principle1 that the power to enter in is of itself the gift of ,god--that we must trust ,him not only to save us when we have entered in1 but to enable us to enter in2 not only to show mercy on us when we have come near to ,him1 but to draw us near by ,his own ,spirit4 ,,iii4 ,,in ,,what ,,way ,,did ,,the ,,lord ,,make ,,use ,,of ,,human ,,agency8 ,there are two expressions employed which throw great light on the subject4 ,in this verse we read of the things which ,god had done with them1 and the same expression occurs in ,acts xv4 #d4 ,but if we pass on to ,acts xv41 we find it stated that 8,god had wrought upon the ,gentiles by them40 #gd;a ,the one expression implies companionship1 the other instrumentality4 ,consider them separately4 7#a7 8,with40 ,the idea is that throughout the journey our ,lord was literally fulfilling ,his promise4 8,i am with you alway40 #gd;b ,they went out to preach in ,his name and ,he went with them1 as their constant1 never-failing1 though invisible1 companion and friend4 ,thus1 while they were acting1 ,he was acting also4 ,the two were acting together1 and so fulfilling the one purpose of ,god4 ,the action of the ,lord was giving effect to the action of the preacher1 though in some cases it was quite independent of it4 ,take the case of ,lydia as an illustration4 #gd;c ,st4 ,paul preached to that little company assembled at the place of prayer by the riverside at ,phillipi4 ,there was the action of the preacher4 ,but now look at the action of the ,lord working with him4 ,by ,his fore-seeing providence ,he had brought ,lydia from her home at ,thyatira1 and by ,his guiding ,spirit had brought ,st4 ,paul from his work in ,asia ,minor4 ,it was ,he that brought them both to the same spot on that ,sabbath morning4 ,then1 again1 while ,st4 ,paul was preaching the ,lord was acting1 for ,he was acting with ,his servant1 first by the preparatory leading of ,his providence1 and afterwards by the heart-opening movement of the ,holy ,ghost 7#b7 ,and this leads me to the other expression1 8by40 ,this expresses something different to companionship1 for it teaches that in thus drawing sinners to ,himself ,he makes use of men as instruments4 ,in the case of ,lydia the ,lord opened her heart1 but the things which were spoken by ,st4 ,paul were the instrument which ,god employed to lead her to the faith4 ,it was not without instrumentality1 but by it1 that ,god acted4 ,it is important to bear this in mind--that human instrumentality is not in antagonism to faith4 ,we must remember the 8by0 as well as the 8with10 and that when ,god has given means1 we do not honour ,him by neglecting or ignoring them4 ,st4 ,paul was most anxious to urge on the ,corinthians that it was ,god alone who gave the increase1 but while he did so he was not deterred from adding that he had planted and ,apollos watered4 #ge ,we know that ,god is a ,sovereign1 and that ,he1 if ,he pleased1 could gather in the whole company of ,his elect without the use of any one man to work for ,him2 but we know also that 8by us0 the preaching is to be fully known1 and we are fully persuaded that if we are to look for a harvest we must both plant and water4 ,,the ,,stirring ,,of ,,the ,,spirit 8,and the ,lord stirred up the spirit of ,zerubbabel the son of ,shealtiel1 governor of ,judah1 and the spirit of ,joshua the son of ,josedech1 the high priest1 and the spirit of all the remnant of the people2 and they came and did work in the house of the ,lord of ,hosts1 their ,god40--,,hag4 i4 #ad4 ,,let ,,us consider this stirring of the will1 and then the great need of it even amongst the faithful people of ,god4 ,i4 ,we read a great deal in ,scripture of a movement in the will1 as we know in practical life1 how we ourselves are moved1 or aroused on many occasions4 ,we know what it is to be like ,peter1 who was asleep in the prison till the ,angel of the ,lord 8smote him on the side1 and raised him up1 saying1 ,arise up quickly40 #gf;a ,we are often aroused to make an effort which we never thought of before1 and our whole soul is on fire to be working with a holy enthusiasm for ,god4 ,now this stirring of the spirit is the act of ,god ,himself4 ,i am quite aware that there are passages in which man is described as stirring himself1 as for example1 8,there is none that calleth upon ,thy name1 that stirreth up himself to take hold of ,thee40 #gf;b ,but such an expression is the description of the outward effect1 and not of the inward movement of the soul1 as is proved by that very text1 which gives us the reason for the absence of any such stirring1 8,thou hast hid ,thy face from us40 ,it was because ,he had hidden ,his face that no one was stirred to lay hold on ,his grace4 ,thus ,st4 ,paul teaches us that it is ,god ,himself who worketh on the will4 ,he urges the little flock at ,philippi to be more diligent in his absence than they were in his presence1 #gg;a and in the next verse he gives us the reason that 8,it is ,god who worketh in you both to will and to do of ,his good pleasure40 ,so in this passage1 when ,zerubbabel was aroused to a new action it was the ,lord who stirred his spirit1 and who produced such a strong1 deep feeling in his soul that he could not rest without making a fresh effort for the ,lord4 ,this stirring was the blessed result of the ,holy ,spirit's action4 ,oh1 that we had more of it amongst ourselves6 ,but while it is the work of the ,holy ,spirit1 we shall find that1 as a general rule1 ,he makes use of means4 ,of course1 if ,he pleases1 ,he may ,himself speak to the soul in the way of direct personal communication1 and so arouse the heart and conscience without the aid of any human instrumentality4 ,but in most cases ,he makes use of means4 ,sometimes men are stirred by the sight of evil1 as ,st4 ,paul was stirred in spirit by the sight of the idolatry at ,athens4 #gg;b ,and it does seem strange that ,god's faithful people can sit so still as they do1 and look on so quietly on the sin that abounds around them4 ,how is it that the whole soul does not burn within us with a longing desire to be at work for ,god8 ,sometimes it is through the power of the ministry4 ,it was so with ,zerubbabel1 of whom it is said that the ,lord stirred his spirit4 ,the means employed in his case was the preaching of the two prophets ,haggai and ,zechariah4 ,sometimes ,god raises up great preachers whose office it seems to be to awaken nations4 ,such were ,whitfield and the ,wesleys4 ,such was ,luther at the time of the ,reformation1 and such were ,haggai and ,zechariah after the return of the captives from ,babylon4 ,it was through them that the fire was lighted in the soul of ,zerubbabel4 ,their burning words stirred his spirit1 and he threw himself with a holy zeal into the service of the ,lord4 ,sometimes it is by the example and influence of others1 as 8iron sharpeneth iron40 #gh;a ,there is nothing more infectious than character4 ,there is a certain atmosphere surrounding each of us1 and it has its influence on all who come near us4 ,the idle man makes others idle1 the corrupt man makes others corrupt2 so the holy man wins others to holiness1 and the man of ,christian enthusiasm will warm up those who come in contact with him4 ,sometimes ,he does it by stirring our nest4 ,this is what ,he did for ,israel in ,egypt4 ,they had begun to settle down content with their captivity4 ,they had their flesh-pots1 their melons1 and their cucumbers1 and they did not care to be unsettled2 so ,god stirred them up by oppression4 ,this is the process described in ,moses' song1 8,as an eagle stirreth up her nest40 #gh;b ,the young eagles1 being comfortable in their nest1 have no desire to launch forth into the untried experiment of flight4 ,so the parent bird stirs up the nest1 and by means of that stirring compels them to a move4 ,is it not often just the same with us8 ,we are so fond of our nests1 so apt to settle down quietly1 forgetful of that which is to come4 ,so ,god in mercy stirs the nest4 ,the heart is saddened1 but the very stirring may be ,god's appointed instrument for waking up a new hope1 a new longing for the second advent1 and a dependence never known before on ,his own grace1 and love1 and perfect sufficiency4 ,by whatever means the ,lord does it1 we must never forget that it is ,his own divine act of mercy and grace4 ,no sight of evil1 no preaching1 no example1 no chastening can produce the result4 ,it is ,god the ,holy ,ghost that stirs the spirit4 ,,ii4 ,consider the need of this stirring amongst the faithful people of ,god4 ,it might be supposed that the true and faithful people of ,god would not require it1 and that they would be irresistibly drawn on by the constraining power of the love of ,christ4 ,but this is not the teaching of ,scripture1 and ,i am sure it is not the conclusion from experience4 ,we must never forget that the wise virgins went to sleep4 ,nor must we even lose sight of those thrilling words addressed by ,st4 ,paul to those in ,rome whom he describes as 8beloved of ,god1 and called to be saints10 #gi;a when in the prospect of the second ,advent he said to them1 8,now it is high time to awake out of sleep40 #gi;b ,had they not1 you may say1 been already aroused from sleep8 ,had they not been awakened from the sleep of death1 and brought into a new life in ,christ ,jesus8 ,how1 then1 should it be high time for them to awake out of sleep8 ,were they not already the 8beloved of ,god08 ,now1 this brings us exactly to the point2 to the great need of ,divine stirring1 even for those who have already been awakened into a new life in ,christ ,jesus4 ,turn to the ,song of ,solomon1 and you will find the whole thing explained4 ,in ch4 v4 the ,bridegroom is described as returning home at night1 and1 knocking at the door of his home1 calls to the ,bride within1 and says1 8,open to me40 #hj ,now what is her state of mind when she hears ,his knock and listens to ,his voice8 8,i sleep1 but my heart waketh40 ,have we not there the exact description of very common ,christian life8 ,how many are there still sleeping1 though they hear the knock and their heart waketh8 ,they are neither fully asleep nor fully awake4 ,they are awake enough to hear the voice1 but too sleepy to act on it4 ,but we cannot be satisfied with this half and half condition4 ,the ,bride in the ,song of ,solomon was so long in arousing herself1 that when at length she did so1 it was too late4 ,in ver4 #f she tells her sad1 sad story4 8,i opened to my ,beloved1 but my ,beloved had withdrawn ,himself and was gone40 ,should not such a description arouse us all8 ,most truly may it be said that ,he is standing at our own doors both knocking and calling4 ,sin is raging1 error is spreading1 misery is abounding1 hell is filling2 but1 thanks be to ,god1 ,christ ,jesus is saving1 and shall ,his own chosen people be sleeping quietly1 seeking their own ease1 and sitting down content if only they can entertain a well-grounded hope that the heavy burden of their own sin has been blotted out through ,his most precious blood4 8,stir up1 we beseech ,thee1 ,o ,lord1 the wills of ,thy faithful people40 ,a ,,willing ,,service 8,who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the ,lord80--#a ,,chron4 xxix4 #e4 ,,the occasion was a very solemn one4 ,it was the last act of ,david's reign4 ,he had long desired to build a temple for the glory of ,god1 but he was not allowed to carry out his wish4 ,so he collected the necessary materials1 and at length1 when he had decided to abdicate in favour of ,solomon1 he called an assembly and declared ,solomon1 who was still young and tender1 to be his successor1 then handed over to him the plans which he had prepared for the ,temple1 and concluded with a solemn charge4 #ha ,having thus ended what may be termed the official business of his life1 the aged king proceeded to address the congregation4 ,let us study four things in that address2 his question1 his thanksgiving1 his prayer1 and his final appeal4 ,,his ,,question ,he told them how he was passing away1 and how the work was great1 so he asked them a question which may be well put to every congregation in every age1 8,who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the ,lord80 ,now1 we hear a great deal in these days of consecration4 ,the idea of consecration is not a new thing in the ,church of ,god1 and ,i am sure that we want more of the true spirit of it in our own hearts4 ,there is such a thing as consecration of heart1 and consecration of service4 ,the consecration of heart is the surrender of the whole man with the affections1 the powers1 and the strong will to the ,lord4 ,the consecration of service is the dedication of all our active powers to his work4 ,when ,david said1 8,i am thine10 #hb;a it was the consecration of heart1 and when ,isaiah said1 8,here am ,i1 send me10 #hb;b it was the consecration of service4 ,now1 it was the consecration of service for which ,david appealed1 and it is this practical consecration of service on which we are dependent for the work in a parish4 ,who is willing to consecrate his service8 ,i cannot see into the secrets of the hearts1 but ,i know who ought to be willing--all those who believe in the words of our ,blessed ,saviour1 8,for their sakes ,i consecrate ,myself40 #hb;c ,did ,he1 the spotless ,son of ,god1 consecrate ,himself to be the atoning sacrifice for us8 ,and if we believe that1 can we doubt for one moment who it is that should be willing to consecrate his service to ,him8 ,redeemed sinner1 is it not you8 ,pardoned believer1 is it not you8 ,are you ready to fall at ,his feet and say1 8,here am ,i2 let me be ,thine4 ,here is my skill3 use it4 ,here is my intellect3 use it4 ,here is my power of speech3 use it4 ,here is my money3 use it4 ,here is all1 all ,i have and all ,i am3 let it all be ,thine own1 and help me to employ it for ,thy glory08 ,,his ,,praise ,david's question fell on willing hearts1 and there was a wonderful response to his appeal4 ,gold1 silver1 and precious stones were poured into the treasury1 and the willing heart with which all was done was beautiful4 ,it was not done grudgingly or of necessity1 but with a happy1 joyous1 thankful spirit1 so that the old man's heart was gladdened1 and 8,david the ,king rejoiced with great joy40 #hc;a ,it was this joyous spirit that called forth his praise4 ,when he saw the blessed result of his appeal he did not lay it down to his personal influence1 or to his own persuasive power1 but he stood up and blessed the ,lord4 ,he was too old for government1 but he was not too old for praise4 ,his last words from the throne were those of praise and prayer4 ,his joy ran straight into thanksgiving1 and in this thanksgiving two principles were conspicuous1 he gave all the glory to ,god1 and he acknowledged himself and his people to be utterly unworthy of the sacred privilege of this happy service4 ,this is the true view of service and of gifts4 ,when ,god calls us to work for ,him1 or to give for ,him1 we should not regard it as a burden laid upon us1 but as an honour to which we are invited1 an honour that angels themselves might covet4 ,this was the spirit of ,david when he said 8,what am ,i1 and what is my people1 that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort8 for all things come of ,thee1 and of ,thine own have we given ,thee40 #hc;b ,and this should be our own spirit in all service and all gifts for such a ,lord4 ,we do not want to regard it as a yoke1 a necessity1 a heavy task imposed on us by ,god2 but as an honour1 a privilege1 a happy1 loving service of the ,king of kings1 for which the best amongst us is utterly unworthy4 ,,his ,,prayer ,after a time his praise ran into prayer4 ,this is just as it ought to be1 for praise should encourage prayer1 as prayer should always lead to praise4 ,thus the loving heart should pass backwards and forwards from one to the other1 and the two should be so blended that when we are engaged by the one the other should never be out of sight4 ,observe the prayer in ver4 #ah1 and remember the circumstances4 ,it was a moment of wonderful national enthusiasm at the commencement of a great national work4 ,their hearts were filled with joy and they were ready for anything4 ,now1 what was the danger8 ,what would be the danger to ourselves in our own day8 ,would it not be decay1 a gradual dying off of our first zeal1 a chill in the first love as there was at ,ephesus8 #hd ,what ,david prayed for1 therefore1 was continuance1 or perseverance4 ,in short he prayed against declension from their first love1 for look at his words in ver4 #ah4 ,for 8prepare0 the marginal reading is 8stablish40 ,and now you see the point of the prayer1 8,keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of ,thy people1 and establish their heart unto ,thee40 ,what an insight it gives both as to our danger and our hope4 ,how it shows us our need of being kept alive in our first love1 and teaches us that we must not be trusting to the privileges of past experience1 or the fact of past consecration1 but that we need the perpetual action of the ,holy ,spirit in keeping ,his grace for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart4 ,and where are we to look for this preservation8 ,do we not learn that our hearts are like leaky vessels1 and the brightest1 holiest and most joyous of believers requires the daily power of the ,holy ,spirit1 not merely to stop the leak1 but to fill the vessel8 ,,the ,,final ,,appeal ,the old man finished his prayer4 ,in it he spoke alone4 ,he was1 as it were1 the mouthpiece of his people4 ,but that was not enough4 ,it was not sufficient that he should speak on their behalf1 but they must praise ,god for themselves4 ,so having been into the very presence chamber of ,god in prayer1 he came out1 as it were to the assembled multitude1 and said to the vast throng1 8,now bless the ,lord your ,god40 ,praise was the climax of the transaction1 and praise the last act of ,david's reign4 ,now may there be the spirit of that remarkable day amongst ourselves4 ,trace it all the way through1 remember the consecration1 the liberality1 the joy1 the praise1 the prayer1 and the final outburst of congregational worship4 ,may ,god breathe on us the same spirit4 ,may there be the same consecration of service1 the same willing offerings1 the same joyous praise1 and the same thankful prayer for a holy perseverance unto the end4 ,and1 in conclusion1 may ,i not say to you what ,david said to the congregation1 8,now bless the ,lord your ,god40 ,,fear ,,not 8,fear thou not2 for ,i am with thee3 be not dismayed2 for ,i am thy ,god3 ,i will strengthen thee2 yea1 ,i will help thee3 yea1 ,i will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness40--,,isa4 xli4 #aj4 ,,when we observe how frequently ,god says to us 8,fear not10 we may be quite sure that there is a great deal in common life to occasion fear4 ,the frequent recurrence of the exhortation in all parts of ,scripture teaches us1 that through the whole range of ,scriptural history there had been that all around ,god's people which1 without the ,lord's help1 must have been sure to make the heart afraid4 ,you will observe in our text that ,he does not bid us fear not because ,he undertakes to remove all danger4 ,what ,he says is1 that when things arise that may justly alarm us1 we need not fear4 8,fear not1 for ,i am with thee10 7observe the 8for074 ,if fear is to be really overcome1 it must be by the eye being kept fixed on ,god and ,his promises4 ,this verse contains two assurances and three promises2 assurances of what ,he is to us now1 and promises of what ,he undertakes to do for us4 ,,the ,,assurances 8,i am with thee40 8,i am thy ,god40 ,it is interesting to observe how the different portions of ,scripture correspond with one another4 ,they are all inspired by one ,spirit1 and all speak one truth4 ,so when ,i turn to the concluding description of the blessedness of the ,heavenly inheritance1 ,i find just the same assurance1 8,god ,himself shall be with them and be their ,god40 #hg ,he does not promise to be nearer to ,his people1 even in the heavenly rest1 than ,he declares ,himself to be now1 when we are in the midst of our struggle upon earth4 ,he promises then to be with us and to be our ,god1 and ,he assures us in the text that ,he is just the same now4 ,the words of the assurance1 8,i am with thee10 imply both reconciliation and companionship4 ,reconciliation1 for ,he is not against us1 but with us4 ,not separated by the barrier of unforgiven sin1 but so completely reconciled1 the law being satisfied that every barrier is broken down for ever1 and ,he is altogether on our side4 ,companionship1 for as a reconciled and loving ,father ,he never for a moment leaves ,his child1 by night or by day1 in joy or in sorrow2 in active work1 or in quiet submission2 in the ministry at home or in the distant work of missions4 ,wherever ,his people are1 and in whatever circumstances1 there is ,he with them as their ,father1 their ,friend1 their ,companion1 their ,helper1 their ,god4 ,for ,he also says1 8,i am thy ,god40 ,he is not merely with us1 but with us in all the omnipotence of ,godhead4 ,an earthly friend may fail in helping us2 but when ,he is with us as our ,god ,he will never fail4 ,when ,he says1 8,i am thy ,god10 ,he clearly means that ,he has chosen us to be ,his people1 a peculiar people unto ,himself2 and that1 having done so1 ,he acts as ,god1 on our behalf1 governing1 guiding1 preserving1 saving1 and finally gathering to ,his own presence in ,his kingdom4 ,,the ,,promises 7#a7 8,i will strengthen thee40 ,into whatever position ,he places us1 for that ,he undertakes to give us the needful strength4 ,if ,he calls us to be still and suffer1 ,he will give strength for suffering2 if to go forth in ,his name and labour in ,his service1 ,he will give strength for activity2 and in the holy warfare which we are all called to wage with indwelling sin1 strength to overcome4 ,and you must notice that1 when ,he promises to strengthen1 ,he describes an imparted power4 ,he does not speak of ,himself as acting for you externally1 as when ,he accounts you righteous2 but within you1 imparting power1 and so enabling you to act for ,him4 ,the promise of ,god in ,scripture is that ,he will strengthen us1 or1 in other words1 that ,he will impart a power of action in ,his service4 7#b7 8,i will help thee40 ,the same lesson respecting man's activity is taught when ,he promises to help4 ,there is a great difference between strengthening and helping4 ,to strengthen is an inward work1 the gift of an inward power4 ,to help is an external work4 ,i may help a lame man to walk1 though ,i cannot strengthen his limb4 ,but help implies activity on the part of those who receive it4 ,god does not help us to do nothing4 ,he helps us to be patient1 loving1 gentle1 sweet-tempered4 ,he helps us to be diligent and active in ,his service2 but ,he does not help us to sit still and be passive4 ,help implies exertion4 ,if ,he strengthens us by the ,holy ,ghost in the inner man1 and if ,he undertakes to help us in every struggle against sin1 it is our privilege to accept ,his promise1 and press on1 assured of victory4 7#c7 8,i will uphold thee40 ,these words appear to convey the idea of danger4 ,we are walking in slippery places1 and with fearful falls on every hand1 so that we require not merely a clear eye to guide us1 but a strong hand to hold us4 ,in every step of our way we require to be upheld4 ,in every moment of our lives we require to be held up by one who sees all our danger1 who knows the path perfectly well1 who can hold us with so strong a grasp that nothing can pluck us out of ,his hand1 and who1 according to the language of ,st4 ,jude1 is 8able to keep us from falling40 #hi;a ,it is this perpetual and final preservation that is secured to us in the third promise2 and ,i would have you most particularly observe that it is not with the right hand of ,his mercy1 or the right hand of ,his love1 or of ,his compassion1 or even of ,his power1 but the right hand of ,his righteousness4 ,and why is this8 ,because this grace is the result of the covenant4 ,by that covenant ,his people are given to the ,lord ,jesus that they may be saved4 ,in fulfilling that covenant ,he has shed ,his own most precious blood for us1 to make atonement for our sin4 ,and the result is1 that as1 according to ,st4 ,john1 8,he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins10 #hi;b so1 also1 is ,he faithful and just to uphold us against a fall4 ,but here1 ,i know1 a question will arise4 ,this is ,god's promise1 but is it ever realized8 ,it is very beautiful in ,scripture1 but do we meet with it in practical life8 ,are these gifts of ,god really given8 ,is this presence of ,god really displayed8 this upholding power really experienced8 ,let us consider these five points and see4 8,i am with thee40 ,has this been practically experienced8 ,look at the words of ,david in the prospect of his dying hour1 8,thou art with me10 #ij;a and1 again1 8,o ,god1 ,thou art my ,god40 #ij;b 8,i will strengthen thee40 ,remember how ,daniel realized its fulfilment when he said1 8,let my ,lord speak2 for ,thou hast strengthened me40 #ij;c 8,i will help thee40 ,remember ,david's words1 8,my heart trusted in ,him1 and ,i am helped40 #ij;d 8,i will uphold thee40 ,but will ,he really uphold us through trials and temptations8 ,will ,he really keep us fast in the right hand of ,his righteousness1 and that when our faith is weak8 ,turn to ,asaph's experience4 ,he says of himself1 8,as for me1 my feet were almost gone2 my steps had well-nigh slipped40 #ij;e ,but now look at the upholding arm4 8,nevertheless ,i am continually with thee3 thou hast holden me by my right hand40 #ij;f ,so1 then1 this promise has been practically fulfilled4 ,god has been true to ,his word1 and men have found ,him so4 ,his truth has never failed1 and will ,he fail us8 ,will he fail the weakest amongst us8 ,will ,he cease to uphold ,his people8 ,let us trust ,him4 ,we are not worthy to do so4 ,if ,he had treated us as we have deserved1 ,he would long since have cast us off4 ,but ,he has not treated us as we have deserved4 ,he has loved us and washed us from our sins in ,his own blood1 so we may trust ,him1 and leave all in ,his care2 and of this we may rest perfectly assured1 that the strong arm will never give way4 ,,the ,,present ,,and ,,the ,,future 8,thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies3 ,thou anointest my head with oil2 my cup runneth over4 8,surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life3 and ,i will dwell in the house of the ,lord for ever40--,,psa4 xxiii4 #e1 #f4 ,,it is a very delightful thing to be able to say 8,surely0 when we look forward4 ,now1 this sureness for the future depends on our present relationship to ,god1 and the confidence expressed in verse #f is the blessed result of the unspeakably precious gifts described in the earlier verses of the ,psalm4 ,it depends on the connection between the present and the future1 a connection resulting from the unchangeableness in the character of ,god4 ,in order1 therefore1 to understand the last verse which relates to the future1 let us study the one preceding it1 which describes the present4 ,we may thus combine the present and the future1 and ,i think the result will be what our ,church describes as a 8sure and certain hope40 ,,the ,,present ,as ,i have just said1 our confidence for the future depends on our present relationship to ,god2 and1 accordingly1 the ,psalm opens with the words1 8,the ,lord is my ,shepherd40 ,the holy relationship between the ,shepherd and the flock is described as being already established1 and by both parties recognized1 and all that follows is the result of that relationship4 ,we have not time to study the whole ,psalm2 but look at the three results taught us in verse #e4 ,i4 ,,all ,,wants ,,are ,,supplied4 ,even if there are enemies1 they cannot interfere with the full and sure supply which ,god has provided for ,his servant4 ,when he reaches the end of his journey1 he will find that the ,lord has prepared a place for his rest2 and now that he is in the midst of it1 he may rejoice in that the same most blessed ,saviour has prepared a table for his daily supply4 ,this refers1 doubtless1 to our daily wants1 and it describes ,his fulfilment of our supplication in the ,lord's ,prayer4 ,we pray day by day1 8,give us this day our daily bread20 and when we really enter into the spirit of this ,psalm1 we as much as say that the prayer is answered1 the bread provided1 and the table spread4 ,and may we not apply it still more to the bread of life8 ,is it not our sacred privilege1 when the soul is hungered1 to feed even on ,him2 when the soul is athirst1 to drink of the pure river of the water of life8 ,and are there not many amongst us who know1 by their own experience1 the truth of the promise1 8,they shall be abundantly satisfied80 #ib ,,ii4 ,,the ,,spirit ,,is ,,refreshed4 ,this is taught in the words1 8,thou anointest my head with oil40 ,the words refer to the custom of anointing the weary man with ointment or oil4 ,it was poured sometimes on the feet and sometimes on the head4 ,the object in both cases was the same1 namely1 refreshment2 and surely we must thankfully acknowledge that our ,heavenly ,father does not merely give us the bare necessities of existence1 but softens1 refreshes1 and cheers the spirit4 ,he prepares not the table only1 but the joy4 8,he giveth us richly all things to enjoy40 #ic;a ,,iii4 ,,the ,,cup ,,overflows4 ,the mercies are so rich1 the grace so abundant1 the loving-kindness so bountiful1 the living fountain so free1 that the little cup of human capacity cannot hold it all1 and it runneth over4 ,god describes ,his people as not merely satisfied1 but abundantly satisfied2 and speaks of the ,holy ,spirit as not merely bestowed1 but as 8shed on us abundantly40 #ic;b ,why1 then1 are we content with a little water hardly perceptible at the bottom of our little cup8 ,stephen was 8full of faith and of the ,holy ,ghost10 #ic;c and we are told to be 8filled with the ,spirit20 #ic;d why1 then1 rest content with only a few drops in our own soul while there is the deep1 broad river of the water of life able to fill1 to overflowing1 every vessel that can be found to receive the free supply8 ,why do we not realize more the truth of the promise1 8,open thy mouth wide1 and ,i will fill it08 #ic;e ,so much1 then1 for the present4 ,a table prepared1 a head anointed1 a cup running over4 ,these are present gifts--the present and indescribable privileges of those whose joy it is to be able to say1 8,the ,lord is my ,shepherd40 ,,the ,,future ,let us pass on to the future as taught in verse #f4 ,we may observe two things-- ,i4 ,,the ,,assurance4 8,surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life40 ,the idea seems to be that1 in the poetry of this beautiful ,psalm1 ,goodness and ,mercy are represented as two persons1 just as we find first ,mercy and ,truth as two persons meeting each other in ,christ ,jesus1 and then ,righteousness and ,peace1 two other persons1 kissing each other in ,him4 #id;a ,so here we have the two persons3 ,goodness1 the bearer of every gift that can possibly be required1 and ,mercy dealing most graciously even with sin2 the two following the servant of the ,lord1 and never leaving him all the way through4 ,and you may observe they follow him1 so that he does not always see them1 and may not even know they are there4 ,he may sometimes imagine that he is forsaken and alone1 but he is strangely mistaken1 for ,goodness and ,mercy are close behind1 the one to supply his need1 and the other to deal graciously even with his sin4 ,if we are in ,christ ,jesus1 we may be as sure of the future as of the past4 ,we may be perfectly certain of the truth of the words of the ,good ,shepherd1 8,they shall never perish1 neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand40 #id;b ,that promise is so sure that it can never fail1 that hand so strong that all the powers of hell cannot pluck the weakest little one from its grasp1 that heart so true that we may be perfectly certain ,he will never abandon one whom ,he has called by the ,holy ,ghost into fellowship with ,himself4 ,,ii4 ,,the ,,determination4 8,i will dwell in the house of the ,lord for ever40 ,david delighted in the house of ,god2 and clearly we must explain these words as referring to the holy worship of the sanctuary4 ,but in order to enter into the full spirit of the passage1 we must rise from the ,church on earth to the sanctuary in heaven2 to the heavenly home and the presence chamber of ,god4 ,there1 indeed1 is the table spread1 there is the anointing oil1 there the cup runneth over2 and now1 through the rest of our pilgrimage1 though the journey may possibly be through the ,vale of ,baca1 #ie;a though sometimes the soul may be bowed down1 and that even when the heart is fixed1 yet in the midst of it all1 and through it all1 we may live in a close intimacy with ,him4 ,we may quietly rest in ,his love1 we may dwell in ,him and ,he in us2 and while ,he gives the gracious promise1 8,him that cometh to ,me ,i will in no wise cast out10 #ie;b we may resolve1 ,god helping us1 that we will never go out1 and that1 to the last day of our lives1 we will hold fast by ,him1 till at length the veil shall be withdrawn1 and the heavenly home open before us1 and we realize what it is1 in the highest possible sense1 8to dwell in the house of the ,lord for ever40 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,end 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 ,,printed ,,by ,,william ,,clowes ,,and ,,sons1 ,,limited1 ,,london ,,and ,,beccles4 ,,footnotes #e #b ,sam4 xii4 #ac4 #f ,psa4 li4 #ac4 #g ,psa4 cxlviii4 #ad4 #h;a ,exod4 xv4 #a4 #h;b ,psa4 xl4 #b1 #c4 #h;c ,rev4 vii4 #aj1 #ad4 #h;d ,isa4 lx4 #ah4 #i;a ,psa4 cxliii4 #i4 #i;b ,acts xvi4 #be1 ,r4,v4 #ac ,st4 ,luke xix4 #aj4 #ae ,rev4 xxii4 #ag4 #ag #b ,peter i4 #c4 #ah;a #b ,peter i4 #c4 #ah;b ,st4 ,john x4 #bh4 #bj;a ,rom4 iii4 #be4 #bj;b #b ,cor4 v4 #ba4 #bj;c #a ,cor4 i4 #cj4 #bj;d ,st4 ,john v4 #bh4 #ba ,st4 ,jude #c4 #bf ,eph4 ii4 #d1 #e4 #bg;a ,gal4 v4 #bb4 #bg;b ,rom4 xv4 #ac4 #bh;a #b ,cor4 v4 #a4 #bh;b ,st4 ,luke ii4 #bf4 #bi;a ,phil4 i4 #bc4 #bi;b #b ,tim4 iv4 #f4 #cj;a ,phil4 i4 #bc4 #cj;b #b ,tim4 i4 #ab4 #ca;a ,psa4 xxiii4 #d4 #ca;b ,st4 ,luke xix4 #i4 #cb;a #a ,peter i4 #h4 #cb;b ,num4 xxiv4 #ag4 #cd;a ,isa4 xxxii4 #b4 #cd;b ,psa4 xxxii4 #g4 #cd;c ,col4 iii4 #c4 #cd;d #a ,john v4 #ab4 #ce ,gal4 ii4 #bj4 #cg #b ,cor4 v4 #ae4 #ch ,st4 ,john i4 #bf4 #ci;a ,st4 ,john iii4 #cd4 #ci;b ,col4 ii4 #i4 #ci;c ,acts x4 #ch4 #dj ,acts ii1 #c1 #d4 #da;a ,phil4 iv4 #ai4 #da;b ,job4 xlii4 #f4 #db ,heb4 x4 #bj4 #dd;a ,acts xiii4 #cd4 #dd;b ,st4 ,john xviii4 #cg4 #dd;c ,rev4 i4 #e4 #dd;d ,psa4 xxxv4 #c4 #de;a #a ,john v4 #aj4 #de;b ,st4 ,john x4 #c4 #de;c ,isa4 xliv4 #aj4 #df;a ,isa4 xlii4 #af4 #df;b ,psa4 xxxi4 #c4 #df;c ,psa4 cxix4 #aag4 #df;d ,psa4 xxv4 #d4 #dg;a ,psa4 xxiii #d4 #dg;b ,eph4 i4 #bb4 #dg;c ,rev4 xvii4 #ad4 #dh;a ,rev4 xvii4 #ad4 #dh;b ,acts ix4 #f4 #ea ,neh4 iv4 #f4 #eb;a ,neh4 iv4 #d4 #eb;b ,st4 ,matt4 xxvi4 #da4 #ec ,neh4 iv4 #ae4 #ee;a #b ,pet4 iii4 #ah4 #ee;b ,rom4 iv4 #bd1 #be4 #ef ,rom4 xi4 #bj4 #ei;a ,acts xiii4 #b4 #ei;b ,eph4 iv4 #af4 #fj;a #a ,sam4 iii4 #ai4 #fj;b ,mal4 iii4 #ag4 #fj;c ,ps4 cxxvii4 #a4 #fa ,eph4 ii4 #aj4 #fc;a ,isa4 xxviii4 #af4 #fc;b #a ,john iv4 #af4 #fd ,heb4 xiii4 #h4 #fe;a ,psa4 lxiii4 #a4 #fe;b ,sam4 xvii4 #cg4 #ff #a ,thess4 iv4 #ac1 #ad4 #fg;a #a ,thess4 iv4 #ag4 #fg;b ,phil4 iv4 #d1 #e4 #fg;c #a ,cor4 vii4 #bi4 #fh;a ,rom4 xiii4 #aa4 #fh;b ,st4 ,matt4 xxv4 #f4 #fh;c ,st4 ,luke xxi4 #be4 #fi;a ,st4 ,luke xxi4 #bf4 #fi;b ,st4 ,luke xxi4 #bh4 #fi;c ,st4 ,luke xxi4 #bg4 #ga ,heb4 x4 #bj4 #gb;a ,eph4 ii4 #ad4 #gb;b ,acts xiii4 #g4 #gb;c ,acts xiv4 #a4 #gc ,acts xiii4 #eb4 #gd;a ,acts xv4 #d-ab4 #gd;b ,st4 ,matt4 xxviii4 #bj4 #gd;c ,acts xvi4 #ad4 #ge #a ,cor4 iii4 #f4 #gf;a ,acts xii4 #g4 #gf;b ,isa4 lxiv4 #g4 #gg;a ,phil4 ii4 #ab4 #gg;b ,acts xvii4 #af4 #gh;a ,prov4 xxvii4 #ag4 #gh;b ,deut4 xxxii4 #aa4 #gi;a ,rom4 i4 #g4 #gi;b ,rom4 xiii4 #aa4 #hj ,cant v4 #b4 #ha #a ,chron4 xxviii4 #bj4 #hb;a ,psa4 cxix4 #id4 #hb;b ,isa vi4 #h4 #hb;c ,st4 ,john xvii4 #ai1 ,r4,v4 ,margin4 #hc;a #a ,chron4 xxix4 #i4 #hc;b #a ,chron4 xxix4 #ad4 #hd ,rev4 ii4 #d4 #hg ,rev4 xxi4 #c4 #hi;a ,st4 ,jude #bd4 #hi;b #a ,john i4 #i4 #ij;a ,psa4 xxiii4 #d4 #ij;b ,psa4 lxiii4 #a4 #ij;c ,dan4 x4 #ai4 #ij;d ,psa4 xxviii4 #g4 #ij;e ,psa4 lxxiii4 #b4 #ij;f ,psa4 lxxiii4 #bc4 #ib ,psa4 xxxvi4 #h4 #ic;a #a ,tim4 vi4 #ag4 #ic;b ,titus iii4 #f4 #ic;c ,acts vi4 #e4 #ic;d ,eph4 v4 #ah4 #ic;e ,psa4 lxxxi4 #aj4 #id;a ,psa4 lxxxv4 #aj4 #id;b ,st4 ,john x4 #bh4 #ie;a ,psa4 lxxxiv4 #f1 ,cp4 ,r4,v4 #ie;b ,st4 ,john vi4 #cg4