“Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.” Psalm 25:18It is well for us when prayers about our sorrows are linked with pleas concerning our sins-when, being under God’s hand, we are not wholly taken up with our pain, but remember our offences against God. It is well, also, to
“I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint.” Psalm 22:14Did earth or heaven ever behold a sadder spectacle of woe! In soul and body, our Lord felt himself to be weak as water poured upon the ground. The placing of the cross in its socket had shaken him with great violence, had st
“For there stood by me this night the angel of God.” Acts 27:23Tempest and long darkness, coupled with imminent risk of shipwreck, had brought the crew of the vessel into a sad case; one man alone among them remained perfectly calm, and by his word the rest were reassured. Paul was the only man who
“The place which is called Calvary.” Luke 23:33The hill of comfort is the hill of Calvary; the house of consolation is built with the wood of the cross; the temple of heavenly blessing is founded upon the riven rock-riven by the spear which pierced his side. No scene in sacred history ever gladdens
“thy gentleness hath made me great.” Psalm 18:35The words are capable of being translated, “thy goodness hath made me great.” David gratefully ascribed all his greatness not to his own goodness, but the goodness of God. “Thy providence,” is another reading; and providence is nothing more than goodne
“And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him.” Luke 23:27Amid the rabble rout which hounded the Redeemer to his doom, there were some gracious souls whose bitter anguish sought vent in wailing and lamentations-fit music to accompany that march
“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,
