“I will fear no evil: for thou art with me.” Psalm 23:4Behold, how independent of outward circumstances the Holy Ghost can make the Christian! What a bright light may shine within us when it is all dark without! How firm, how happy, how calm, how peaceful we may be, when the world shakes to and fro,
“If they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?” Luke 23:31Among other interpretations of this suggestive question, the following is full of teaching: “If the innocent substitute for sinners, suffer thus, what will be done when the sinner himself -the dry tree-shall fall int
“Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation; and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.” Psalm 51:14In this SOLEMN CONFESSION, it is pleasing to observe that David plainly names his sin. He does not call it manslaughter, nor speak of it as an imprudence by which an un
“In the name of the Lord I will destroy them.” Psalm 118:12Our Lord Jesus, by his death, did not purchase a right to a part of us only, but to the entire man. He contemplated in his passion the sanctification of us wholly, spirit, soul, and body; that in this triple kingdom he himself might reign su
“O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame?” Psalm 4:2An instructive writer has made a mournful list of the honours which the blinded people of Israel awarded to their long expected King.They gave him a procession of honour, in which Roman legionaries, Jewish priests, men and women
“Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp.” Hebrews 13:13Jesus, bearing his cross, went forth to suffer without the gate. The Christian’s reason for leaving the camp of the world’s sin and religion is not because he loves to be singular, but because Jesus did so; and the disciple must fol
“Before honour is humility.” Proverbs 15:33Humiliation of soul always brings a positive blessing with it. If we empty our hearts of self God will fill them with his love. He who desires close communion with Christ should remember the word of the Lord, “To this man will I look, even to him that is po
“On him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus.” Luke 23:26We see in Simon’s carrying the cross a picture of the work of the Church throughout all generations; she is the cross-bearer after Jesus. Mark then, Christian, Jesus does not suffer so as to exclude your suffering. He bears a
“Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord.” Isaiah 2:3It is exceedingly beneficial to our souls to mount above this present evil world to something nobler and better. The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches are apt to choke everything good within us, and we grow fretful,
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21Mourning Christian! why weepest thou? Art thou mourning over thine own corruptions? Look to thy perfect Lord, and remember, thou art complete in him; thou art in God’s s
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:6Here a confession of sin common to all the elect people of God. They have all fallen, and therefore, in common chorus, they all say, from the first who ente
“They took Jesus, and led him away.” John 19:16He had been all night in agony, he had spent the early morning at the hall of Caiaphas, he had been hurried from Caiaphas to Pilate, from Pilate to Herod, and from Herod back again to Pilate; he had, therefore, but little strength left, and yet neither
“He shall see his seed; he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.” Isaiah 53:10Plead for the speedy fulfilment of this promise, all ye who love the Lord. It is easy work to pray when we are grounded and bottomed, as to our desires, upon God’s own promise. How
“He answered him to never a word.” Matthew 27:14He had never been slow of speech when he could bless the sons of men, but he would not say a single word for himself. “Never man spake like this man,” and never man was silent like him. Was this singular silence the index of his perfect self- sacrifice
“It is time to seek the Lord.” Hosea 10:12This month of April is said to derive its name from the Latin verb aperio, which signifies to open, because all the buds and blossoms are now opening, and we have arrived at the gates of the flowery year. Reader, if you are yet unsaved, may your heart, in ac
