THE GOOD THAT I WOULD I DO NOT.

 

JUNE 30.

The good that I would I do not.
Romans 7:19

 

THE heart of the unconverted sinner is never set up on doing good.
 
He may have some faint desires and
  feeble wishes, but his will is not renewed.
 
The believer would do good, he desires it,
  his heart is set upon it.
 
He would love God with all his
  heart, mine, soul, and strength.
He would believe in Jesus without wavering,
  and obey him without ceasing.
He would be just what God requires him to be, and
  he would do all that the Savior commands him to do;
  but he is weak, he has a body of sinful principles
  within him, and he finds that they often
  frustrate his purposes and spoil his best formed plans.
 
He cannot do the things that he would, and
  he will not do the things that he could.
 
The sin that dwells in him prevents the one, and
  the Spirit that dwells in him forbids the other.
 
The conflict in his bosom is constant,
  and often sharp.
 
It is for life; for until death there is
  no discharge in that war.
 
The flesh will lust against the spirit, and
  the spirit against the flesh,
  so that we cannot do the things that we would.
 
O for more grace to resist evil,
  to do good,
  to honor God,
  to exalt Christ, and
  to prepare for his Kingdom!
 
 
But if indeed I would,
Though I can nothing do;
Yet the desire is something good,
For which my praise is due.
 
James Smith 1849

THE LORD OF HOST IS WITH US.

 

JUNE 29.
 
The Lord of host is with us.
Psalm 46:7

 

IF the God of armies,
  who has all creatures at his command,
  and under his control, be with us,
    what shall we fear?
 
But the Lord of host is with us,
  and he is for us.
 
He is with us to defend us from every foe,
  to give us courage in every conflict,
  to keep us in the hour of temptation, and
  to preserve us unto his Kingdom and glory.
 
But his presence is not intended
  to be a substitute for our efforts, or
  to excuse our negligence.
 
He will be honored by our confidence,
  obedience, and daring in his cause.
 
He will not defend the coward or protect the idle.
 
He says, “Fight the good fight of faith.”
 
Face your folds,
  use your weapons,
  watch your opportunities,
  obey your captain’s orders,
  be faithful under death, and
  I will give thee a crown of life.
 
Beloved, let us ever remember,
  that the Lord's presence is to give us courage,
  and to stimulate us to war a good warfare.
 
Here we must fight.
We must not put off our armor
  until we put on our shroud.
We must not quit the field,
  until our captain, to promote us,
   shall say, “Come up higher.”
 
He says also, “Work while it is called today,
  for the night cometh wherein no man can work.”
 
 

Our Lord is for us, sin, devils and men,

With malice oppose, with violence vain;

Howe’er they alarm us who evil intend,

They never can harm us, while God is our Friend.

 
James Smith 1849

WILL GOD INDEED DWELL ON THE EARTH?

 

JUNE 28.

Will God indeed dwell on the earth?
I Kings 8:27

 

WHEN we think of his greatness, and our insignificance;
  of his holiness, and our impurity;
  of his righteousness, and our perverseness;
  we may well ask this question.
 
Behold, the heaven, and
  the heaven of heavens cannot contain him,
  and yet he says,
   “I will dwell in the high and holy place,
    with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit,
    to revive the spirit of the humble, and
    revive the heart of the contrite ones.”
 
O Lord, produce in us that humility 

  which attracts thee to its professor,
  and give us true contrition of soul!
 
But, God dwell on the earth as one of the creatures.
He took our nature, and dwelt in that nature as in a tabernacle.
 
He dwelt on earth for more than thirty years, and
  did so that we might dwell with him in heaven for ever.
 
Our God became a servant,
  that we might become his sons.
 
Our God obeyed the law,
  that we might be justified at his bar.
 
Our God purchased us with his own blood, and
  now dwells in us by his own Spirit.
 
O wonder of wonders!
 
 

He did: the King invisible,

Jehovah once on earth did dwell,

And laid his majesty aside:

Whom all his heavens cannot contain,

For us he liv’d, a mournful man,

For us a painful death he died!

 
James Smith 1849

PURE RELIGION

 

JUNE 27.

Pure religion
James 1:27

 

RELIGION is devotedness to God, and
  supposes reconciliation to God,
  fellowship with God,
  coming under the yoke of God, and
    being of one mind and spirit with God.
 
Many profess religion who do not understand its nature,
  possess its principles, or
  practice its precepts.
 
They are not enlightened.
They are not sincere.
They are not devout.
 
Pure religion flows from pure principles,
  runs in a pure channel, and
   aims at pure ends.
Pure religion is humble, laborious, self denying.
 
The truly religious man not only embraces
  the doctrines of the gospel,
   but practices its precepts;
  not only worships God,
   but benefits his fellow men;
  is not only devout,
    but devoted.
 
He pities the fatherless,
  sympathizes with the widow, and
  keeps himself unspotted from the world.
 
If he can dry an orphan's tears,
  if he can minister to widows wants,
  if he can bring a soul to God, or
  in any way promote the holiness and
  happiness of his fellow men, 

    he is happy.
 
Is this the nature of our religion?
 
If not, it must be spurious.
 
Let us examine ourselves by this test.
 
 

Father, on me the grace be stowed,

Unblameable before thy sight,

Whence all the streams of mercy flow;

Mercy, thine own supreme delight,

To me, for Jesus’ sake impart,

And plant thy nature in my heart.

 
James Smith 1849

TURN THOU TO THY GOD.

 

JUNE 26.
Turn thou to thy God
Hosea 12:6
 

ISRAEL had wandered from the Lord.
 
They had turned to him the back and not the face.
 
This was most ungrateful and insulting.
 
But have not we done the same?
 
Can we not read our own conduct
  in that of God’s ancient people?
 
Surely we may.
 
Let us then listen to the word which
  the Lord addressed to them.
 
It is a word full of love.
 
It is the Father, calling the prodigal child back
  to his home and to his bosom.
He says, “Turn,” you are in the wrong path.
You are pursuing an improper course.
You are following a false guide.
 
“Turn thou to thy God.”
 
He longed to receive thee back.
He longs to bless thee with a sense of his pardoning love.
He waits to be gracious unto thee.
 
Turn to him as thy father Jacob did.
Plead with him as he did on the plains of Peniel.
Wrestle until thou shall prevail, and
  carry away his blessing in thy bosom.
 
Beloved, let us turn to our God this morning.
 
Let us confess our sins,
  crave his pardon,
    acknowledge his forbearance and mercy, and
      seek deep repentance and his Holy Spirit.
 
 

Fountain of unexhausted love,

Of infinite compassion, here;

My Saviour and my Prince above,

Once more in my behalf appear!

Repentance, faith, and pardon give,

O let me turn again, and live!

 

James Smith 1849

I WILL COME TO YOU.

 

JUNE 25.
 
I will come to you.
John 14:18
 

THE presence of Jesus is the delight of his people.
 
When he told his disciples that he must leave them,
  it filled their hearts with sorrow.
 
But he assured them that he would not leave them as orphans,
  without the comfort of a Father's presence, care, 

  and protection, but that he would come unto them.
 
When he arose from the dead,
  he visited them in person; and
when he ascended into heaven,
  he visited them by his Spirit.
 
Jesus still visits his people.
 
He comes to us in the closet,
  in the sanctuary,
  in the business, and
  in the solitary walk.
 
He loves to meet us, be
  manifest himself unto us, and
  make our hearts burn within us.
 
He meets us in trouble, to cheer us;
  in sickness, to comfort us; and
  in death, to give us victory over the last foe.
 
But he loves to be invited by his people,
  let us invite him to meet us today.
 
The place is not particular;
  for he looks at the person, not the place;
  at the state of the heart, and
  not the circumstances in which we are placed.
 
If he comes to us,
  he will bring a blessing with him,
  for he never comes empty handed.

 

Saviour, I languish at thy stay!

I pine for thee with longing smart!

Weary and faint through long delay;

When wilt thou come into my heart?

From sin and sorrow set me free,

And swallow up my soul in thee!

 

James Smith 1849

 

JUNE 24.
 
Good news from a far country.
Proverbs 25:25
 

WE are all fond of hearing news, and
  especially news from a distance.
 
But if we have friends in the distant land,
  that causes us to feel a special interest in it.
 
The gospel is good news from heaven.
 
It comes to tell us that God is love;
  that peace is made;
  that Jesus has all power in heaven and in earth;
  and that we are invited to receive and
  enjoy all the blessings of life and salvation freely.
 
He tells us of acceptance with God,
  of access with confidence to God, and
  of interest in all the promises of God.
 
These tidings were sent direct from God, and
  that we might the more readily and
  confidently believe them,
  they were sent by the Son of God.
 
Heaven is our country.
It is far off.
But we have tidings respecting it, and
  a well executed map of the way to it.
 
There our brethren rest and rejoice;
  there a mansion is being fitted for our reception;
  there we shall be received when death has executed
   its commissions upon us.
 
Blessed be God for news from heaven,
  and especially for such good news!
 
 

O when shall we at once go up,

Nor this side of Jordan longer stop,

But the good land possess?

When shall we end our lingering years,

Our sorrows, sins, and doubts, and fears, -

A howling wilderness.

 
James Smith 1849

THAT YOUR JOY MIGHT BE FULL

 

JUNE 23.
 
That your joy might be full.
I John 1:4

 

THE Lord loves to see his people happy,
  and therefore he has made full provision
   for them in his holy word.
 
He bids them cast all their cares upon him,
  to expect every necessary good thing from him,
  and to rejoice always in him.
 
John wrote to the brethren in his day;
  he told them that God was love;
  that Christ was their propitiation and advocate;
  that they were the sons of God;
  that God had given unto them eternal life, and
  had admitted them into union with himself; and
  all this that their joy might be full.
 
Beloved, all our sorrows spring from our sins,
  but our joys are the gifts of free grace.
 
There is enough in ourselves to make us miserable,
  but there is enough in Jesus to fill us with joy under
  the most miserable circumstances.
 
Let us endeavour to live out of self upon Christ,
  to make use of him for our present happiness,
   as well as our everlasting salvation.
 
Let us bear in mind today,
  that God's word is to make us happy, and
  at every doctrine, promise, and precept,
  rightly understood, is calculated to do so.
 
O Lord, thy saints are a happy people,
  may I share in their happiness,
   and so glorify thy name!
 
 

Their daily delight shall be in thy name,

They shall, as their right, thy righteousness claim;

Thy righteousness wearing, and cleans’d by the blood,

Bold shall they appear in the presence of God.

 
James Smith 1849

THE LORD HATH LAID ON HIM THE INIQUITY OF US ALL.

 

JUNE 22.
 
The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53:6

 

JESUS was the sin-bearer of his people.
 
All their sins were imputed to him;
  they met upon him,
  they were punished in him, and
  they were put away by him.
 
Let us view Jesus as our substitute,
  standing in our place,
  meeting our demands,
  bearing our desert, and
  securing our everlasting deliverance from sin
  and all its penal consequences.
 
The Father laid our sins upon Jesus;
  he took them for us and charged them on him.
 
This was according to the agreement in the everlasting covenant.
 
What a mystery is this!
 
The innocent is reputed guilty.
The Holy One is punished as a sinner.
The Just One is put to death for the unjust.
Jesus died because we had sinned, and
  rose again that we might be justified.
 
This truth ought to be kept constantly before the mind;
  it will preserve our peace,
  prevent our fears,
  strengthen our faith,
  enlarge our expectation,
  give fervour to our prayers,
   and zeal to our praises.
 
Behold the Lamb of God,
  who hath taken away the sin of the world.
 
We have redemption through his blood,
  even the forgiveness of our sins.
 

See all your sins on Jesus laid,

The Lamb of God was slain;

His soul was once an offering made

For fallen, sinful man.

 

James Smith 1849

THE LAST ENEMY.

 

JUNE 21.
 
The last enemy.
I Corinthians 15:26

 

THE Christian has many enemies,
  which shall all be subdued.
 
But there is one enemy that comes last,
  which is death.
 
This the Christian often dreads.
 
Sometimes he fears the pains of dying, and
  at other times the consequences of death.
 
He is haunted with so many temptations on the subject,
  and plied with such crafty suggestions.
 
“If you should be wrong!
  If you have been deceiving yourself!
  If you shall find all your expectations fancy!”
 
These, and many such like things,
  are thrown into the mind, and
  they harass, perplex, and trouble it.
 
The best way is, when such things exercise us,
  to look directly to Jesus,
  to call upon his dear name,
  to seek a smile from him, and
  this will drive away a thousand such thoughts as these.
 
Death is the last enemy that shall be destroyed;
  it will outlive all the rest.
 
But it must be destroyed,
  for Jesus will swallow up death in victory.
 
We shall see it chased from God's creation, and
  life in purity and perfection reigning.
 
We shall die but once; and
  then all will be happiness, and honor.
 
But will this be mine?
 

Yes, for my God has said the word,

The servant shall be with his Lord,

And see him face to face;

There shall I know as I am known,

Shine in the robe, and wear the crown,

Of Jesus’ righteousness.

 
James Smith 1849

THEY SHALL REJOICE IN THER PORTION.

 

JUNE 20.
 
They shall rejoice in their portion.
Isaiah 61:7

 

THE Lord's people often appear to have very little
  to rejoice in on earth,
  the ground of their joy is invisible.
 
The Lord is their portion now, and
  in possessing him they really possessed all things.
 
They are a kingdom of priests, and
  the Lord is their inheritance.
 
But they shall possess the glorious land also,
  as their portion by and by;
  a land where storms never rise,
  disease never come,
  sorrow is never known, and pain is never felt.
 
Where the lamb shall be their light, and
  a present of God their glory.
 
But they may and do rejoice on their way to it,
  though not so much as they should.
 
They should rejoice that they have infallible directions,
  so that they can never miss their road,
  omnipotent protection,
    so that they shall safely arrive at the end;
  and failing supplies,
    so that they shall never be left to what;
  and in the glorious fact,
    that God overrules every thing for their good.
 
They shall rejoice in their portion,
  and it's greatness,
    for it is vast as infinity.
  and it's goodness,
    for it is the best in evidence;
  in its permanence,
    for it shall never pass into other hands;
  in its purity,
    for it is perfect holiness; and
  in its certainty,
    for it can never be forfeited or lost.
 
 

Happy Christian, fear not thou!

Triumph when thy Lord appears;

He who is thy portion now,

Will be thine through endless years.

 
James Smith 1849

LEARN OF ME.

 

JUNE 19.
 
Learn of me.
Matthew 11:29

 

JESUS is our great pattern and example,
  and every disciple should learn of him.
 
He goes before us through all the duties and trials of life,
  and shows us how they should be performed and borne.
 
He teaches us how to bear poverty without complaining,
  and popularity without pride.
 
How to endure contradiction with out resentment, and
  to bestow favours on the unthankful and unworthy.
 
Go, learn of Jesus to live by faith on thy Father’s word;
  to cultivate fellowship with thy Father in private;
  to do thy Father’s will in public;
  to suffer all thy Father has appointed thee;
  and to prefer his will before thy own.
 
Go. learn of him how to sympathize with the poor;
  to labour for the sick;
  and to pour benefits and blessings on all.
 
Go, learn of him, to be meek and lowly;
  patient and forgiving;
  industrious and devout: and
  to glorify God in thy body and spirit which are God’s.
 
Learn not of heathens, however virtuous;
  learn not of professors, however amiable;
  but learn of Jesus, for his motives were pure,
   and his conduct was perfect.
 

Lord, I fain would learn of thee

Meekness and humility;

In thy gentleness of mind,

In thy lowliness of heart,

Best mine inmost soul shall find;

Rest that never can depart.

 
James Smith 1849

SO SHALL THY GOD REJOICE OVER THEE.

 
JUNE 18.
 
So shall thy God rejoice over thee.
Isaiah 62:5

 

THAT God should save a sinner at all,
   is a surprising display of unmerited grace.
 
But that he should bring that sinner into the
   closest possible relation to himself, and
   rejoice over him, is indeed most wonderful.
 
And yet it is most true.
 
For our Maker becomes our Husband; and
   as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
   so our God rejoice over us.
 
He sets his heart upon us.
He encircled us with his infinite love.
He determined to raise us to his glorious throne.
He purposed to make us one with himself.
He sent his only begotten Son to redeem us.
He sent his Holy Spirit to regenerate us.
He intends to raise us from the dead,
   perfect in holiness, and robed with immortality.
He will present us before his glorious presence 

  with exceeding joy.
He will joy over us with singing.
 
What exquisite joy will this impart?
 
Jehovah singing with joy over his ransomed 

  and restored creatures,
  as though their salvation could increase
   or perfect his happiness.
 
Let us meditate on this glorious fact, and
  prepare for the stupendous event.
 
 

Thy God well pleased and satisfied,

Shall view his image in thy breast,

Shall glory o’er his spotless bride,

And in his love for ever rest;

The host of heaven for thee employ,

And condescend to sing for joy.

 
James Smith 1849

 

JUNE 17.
 
Is there no balm in Gilead?
Jeremiah 8:22
 

GILEAD of old was famous for its balm;
  and what Gilead was, the gospel is -- yea more.
 
The balm of Gilead would heal some wounds,
  the gospel will heal all.
 
Is thine heart wounded?
  It may be by the guilt of sin,
  the unkindness of a friends,
  the opposition of the world, or
  the false representations of Satan.
 
There is balm in our Gilead, and
  there is a Physician there.
 
Take thy wounded heart to the gospel -- take it to the Saviour.
  
Pray the Holy Spirit to apply one of the leaves of the tree of life,
  or the precious blood of the dear Redeemer.
Either of these would heal thee.
 
Jesus bindeth up the broken in heart, and healeth all their wounds.
 
Let not thy spirit droop, yield not to dreary despondency,
  but “Go up to Gilead and take balm”.
 
Lay hold on the promises and
  invitations of the gospel by faith,
  they will soothe, soften, cheer, and
  heal thy wounded soul.
The remedy is infallible,
  it never failed yet.
 
It is a universal medicine, and
  will suit all ages, cases, climates, and characters.
 
Pore not then on thy wounds,
  dwell not on thy sorrows,
  look not at thy griefs;
  but apply at once to Jesus,
  he will bring you health and cure,
  he will heal you.
 

By his sufferings, death, and merits,

By his Godhead, blood, and pain,

Broken hearts, or wounded spirits,

Are at once made whole again.

 
James Smith 1849