"O thou, my soul, forget no more But, O my soul, forget him not!" Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.-GAL. iii. 24. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.-Roм. x. 4. And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.-ACTS xiii. 39. May 2. THE FEEBLE SHOULD BE FELT FOR AND LOVINGLY HELPED. HERE are few large families that have not one or THERE more weak and sickly ones among them; and it is usually found that these, more than all the others, get the mother's tenderest sympathy and care. So in measure is it with the great family of the redeemed. With all its blessed oneness, there is yet, at the same time, marked diversity. There are, meanwhile, the strong in it and the weak, the bright and the desponding, babes in Christ and the full grown; and while none are overlooked by him, he is specially tender to the timid and feeble. "A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench"-" He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.” Again: "He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young." What tender sympathy, and wise yet gentle love, do these words reveal in our gracious Lord! Besides, this is not only his own blessed character, but he ever enjoins the closest imitation of it on the part of his servants; and therefore he gives the well-known counsel, "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people;" and this special one in particular, “ Comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak." The feeble-minded, here referred to as needing comfort, are not the intellectually feeble, but rather those who, by reason of persecution, or bereavement, or buffeting temptation, have become disheartened and desponding, and ready to say, "Will the Lord be favourable no more? is his mercy clean gone for ever?...hath he forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies ?" The very strongest sometimes have their seasons of feebleness and fainting, when a word of comfort even from humblest lips is peculiarly cheering. John Bunyan, in his inimitable allegory, thus beautifully sets forth the character and experience of these feeble ones:-"When I came," said Mr. Feeble-mind, "at the gate that is at the head of the way, the Lord of that place did entertain me freely; neither objected he against my weakly looks, nor against my feeble mind, but gave me such things as were necessary for my journey, and bid me hope to the end. When I came to the house of the Interpreter, I received much kindness there; and because the hill Difficulty was judged too hard for me, I was carried up that by one of his servants. Indeed, I have found much relief from pilgrims: though none was willing to go softly as I am forced to do, yet still, as they came on, they bade me be of good cheer, and said that it was the will of their Lord that comfort should be given to the feeble-minded; and so went on their own pace." Yes, this is the will of our blessed Lord and Master; and happy are they who, through grace, not only know but do it. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.-Gal. vi. 2. We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.-Roм. xv. 1. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak. -1 COR. ix. 22. I have shewed you all things how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.-ACTS xx. 35. May 3. AN ASSURED HOPE IS BOTH ATTAINABLE AND BLESSED. NOTW OTWITHSTANDING the express injunction," Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure," an apostate Church has authoritatively declared that "a believer's assurance of the pardon of his sins is a vain, ungodly confidence-a prime error of heretics." And, strange to say, there are not a few others who seem to cherish the depressing idea that no man, however anxious, can possibly know whether he is lost or saved till he has finally passed from time to eternity; and therefore they deem it presumptuous in any to profess assurance of salvation. They forget the words of the beloved apostle," We know that we are of God................ And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ;" and the testimony of Paul, "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day." These words clearly show that they at least had an assured hope; and it need not be otherwise with us. We would be far from saying that such an assurance is essential to salvation; for just as a child, without being aware of it, may be truly heir to a large inheritance, so. without being aware of it, a timid believer may be a partaker of grace and an heir of glory. Nevertheless, the want of assured hope is a great want, and injurious in many ways, for it is apt to induce a sadness and despondency that invariably enfeeble. "Peace," says one, “is a holy keeper of the heart and mind, and joy is a divine invigorator and refresher, for it is written, 'The joy of the Lord is your strength.' Usually, therefore, it is when our hope is most assured that we can do noblest things for the honour of our Lord and the saving good of others." Some years ago a miner was down with a brother miner sinking a shaft, and for this end they were blasting the solid rock. They had placed in the rock a large charge of gunpowder, and had so fixed their fuse that it could not be extricated. Through some mistake fire was struck, and the fuse began to hiss. On seeing this, both men dashed to the bucket and gave the signal. The man above attempted in vain to move the windlass. Only one could escape, and delay was death to both. One of the miners, a Christian man, looked for a moment at his comrade, and, slipping from the bucket, said, "Escape; I shall be in heaven in a minute." The bucket sped up the shaft, and the man was safe. Eager to watch the fate of his deliverer, he bent down to hear. rumbled below; a splinter came up the shaft and struck him on the brow, leaving a mark that would remind him Just then the explosion all his days of his rescue. They soon began to burrow among the fallen rock for the dead body. But to their surprise they heard a voice: their friend was yet alive; the piece of rock had roofed him over, and he was without injury or scratch of any kind. When asked what induced him to let the other escape, he made the memorable reply, "I knew my soul was safe. I was not so sure of his." Here was Christian heroism of the noblest kind, and it was a sweet assurance of his own safety that nerved him for it. We may well therefore give diligence to make our calling and election sure. We desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end.-HEB. vi. 11. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.-ROM. viii. 16. Our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world.-2 COR. i. 12. May 4. SUCCESSFUL WORKING MAY BE MOST PRIZED BY MAN, BUT FAITHFUL WORKING IS THE MAIN THING WITH GOD. IT T is right both to long and pray for success, but without watchfulness we may easily fall into a twofold error regarding it. We may overburden by making ourselves responsible for success as well as for duty, which our loving Lord never does; or we may unduly relax, by ceasing to work when we cease to succeed, as if the one might fairly be made conditional on the other. In all circumstances, however, with success or without it, the command remains equally binding, "Occupy till I come." |