BY OVEDIENCE OF ONE....

 

SEPTEMBER 20.
 
By the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Romans 5:17

 
ADAM sinned, and we are guilty, for he represented us;
  and we are suffering the effects of his sin every day.
 
Jesus obeyed the law, and we are justified,
  for he also represented us; and
  we are enjoying the blessed results of 

    his obedience every day.
 
Our first federal head involved us in guilt, disgrace, and ruin;
  our second federal head bestows on us 

    righteousness, honor, and salvation.
 
Whatever we are either as sinners or saints,
  flows from connections.
 
God never justifies without a righteousness;
  but as we have not one, and
  cannot produce one,
  in order that he may justify us,
  he sent his own Son into the world,
  who did all the law commanded, and
  suffered all the law threatened, as a public person,
  and his perfect obedience is placed to the account
    of everyone at believes on his name.
 
By his one obedience many have been made righteous,
  and by his one obedience many will
    obtain justification, peace, and everlasting life.
 
My soul, look to Jesus as thy Substitute, and Representative!
 

Then let my Lord impute to me

His own obedience full and free,

As title to his bless;

And let his Spirit too implant

All Christian grace which I want,

As pledge of happiness.

 

James Smith 1849

BE STRONG IN THE GRAE THAT IS IN CHRIST JESUS.

 
 

Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
II Timothy 2:1

 
WE want to be strong in ourselves, or
  if we may not have confidence in ourselves,
  to have some fellow creature on whom we can rely.
 
But God will have us confide only in Jesus.
 
God would trust no one but Jesus, and
  we should not even wish to do so.
 
There is grace in Jesus.
All grace is in Jesus.
 
He says,
  “All things are delivered unto me of my Father.”
 
And the apostle says, “It pleased the Father,
  that in him should all fulness dwell.”
 
He is the fountain of grace, and
  we are to look to him at all times,
  and for all the grace we need.
 
He giveth liberally and upbraideth not.
 
Let us not fancy ourselves strong because
  of any grace we have received,
  or on account of the grace possessed by any one we love;
  but let us exercise confidence in Jesus alone,
  who giveth more grace.
 
We are as our faith is;
  if therefore our faith is fixed on Jesus,
  if we exercise steady confidence on his veracity,
  word, and love, we are strong.
 
But it is only as we feel weak in ourselves that we shall do so.
 

O may my soul on Jesus rest,

And with his comforts be supplied

And while his love constrains my breast,

Lean on the man that loved and died;

Not resting on a creature prop,

But on the Lord my strength and hope.

 
James Smith 1849

AWAKE, O SWORD, AGAIST MY SHEPHERD.

 

Awake, O sword, against my shepherd.
Zechariah 13:7

 
JESUS is Jehovah's shepherd.
 
He is entrusted with all the Lord's sheep.
 
They were committed to him, and
  he became responsible for them.
 
They sinned, and he was held accountable.
Their guilt was transferred to him.
 
He stood before God charged with their transgressions.
 
Therefore, though he was God's fellow,
  the sword of justice is called upon
  to awake and smite him.
 
And it did, for God “spared not his own son,
  but delivered him up for us all.”
 
And when the servants of justice were sent to apprehend him,
  he presented himself and said, “Whom seek ye?”
 
They said “Jesus of Nazareth.”
 
Then he said, “I am he.”
 
But pointing to his disciples who represented his flock,
  he said, “If ye seek me, let these go their way.”
 
And they were permitted to depart.
 
Beloved, if Jesus is our shepherd,
  he will preserve us from the sword of justice,
  the desert of sin, and
  will present us without fault
    before his Father in heaven.
 
O to see Jesus as wounded for our transgressions,
  as bruised for our iniquities!
 

O Lord of Host, and God of love!

We bless thee for this act of grace:

Amazing mercy sure we prove

Towards a lost rebellions race,

Which bid the sword awake and smite

Thine only Son, thy hearts delight!

 
James Smith 1849

THERE SHALL BE A FOUNTAIN OPENED.

 

There shall be a fountain opened.
Zechariah 13:1

 
AND blessed be God there has been.
 
A fountain to cleanse from all sin.
  A fountain open to all sinners.
  A fountain to which we can repair at all times.
 
Grace opened it, and grace keeps it open.
 
The precious blood of Jesus is that fountain.
  It was shed for sinners.
  It was shed for sin.
  Its efficacy is infinite and eternal.
  It has cleansed the vilest, and cleanses such still.
  Its virtue may be proved a thousand times.
  It not only suits the sinner, but the saint.
  It is just what the backslider wants.
 
Beloved, it is open this morning.
  It is open for us.
  Let us repair to it.
  Let us step into it.
 
Its virtues far exceed the famed Bethesda,
  it will heal more perfectly than did Siloam once.
 
O what a mercy that God should keep this fountain open!
What shall we do without it?
 
We could we have no peace,
  we could never obtain pardon,
  our case would be desperate.
 
But now there is ground for the strongest confidence.
 
We may exercise the liveliest hope.
 
This fountain not only cleanses, but it supplies us.
 
It opens heaven, and it brings down into
  our possessions all the riches of grace, and
  promises all the blessings of glory.
 

Come hither soul, defiled with sin,

And wash thy heart, and make it clean;

Oh! do not, do not pass it by.

For you must wash, or you must die.

 
James Smith 1849
 

BUY AND EAT WITHOUT MONEY

 

 

Buy and eat without money.
Isaiah 55:1

 
JESUS has every thing we do or can want and he has it to dispose of.
 
He invites us to come and buy,
  but he bids us come without money,
  for his blessings have no price.
 
They are all invaluable.
 
They are all free.
 
But we must come with the spirit of a buyer,
  of one who goes to market determined to purchase,
  let the price be what it may.
 
We are to procure necessities yea, luxuries.
 
Not only bread, but wine and milk.
 
All the fruits of the celestial Canaan
  are presented to us by Jesus,
  and we are invited to receive them,
   we are exhorted to process them.
 
Beloved, have you any taste for the spiritual provisions?
 
Have you any desire for the blessings of grace and glory?
 
If so, Jesus calls you to him,
  he wishes to confer them upon you;
  he is willing, yea, desirous that you should be happy.
 
Stand no longer at a distance.
 
Delay not, but this morning go to Jesus;
  go and tell him that you are come to obtain pardon,
  peace, righteousness, holiness, and eternal life.
 
Take your sins, your guilt, your trials, your rags;
  and exchange them for pardon, righteousness, peace,
    holiness, and a title to endless glory.
 
Go and say, ---
 

Take my burdens for thy rest,

Take my death for the life given,

Take my rags for thy rich vest,

Take my hell for thy sweet heaven.

 
James Smith 1849

BEHOLD ME, BEHOLD ME.

 
SEPTEMBER 13.
 

Behold me, behold me.
Isaiah 65:1

 
THESE are the words of Jesus.
 
His words to the gentile sinners.
He calls for our attention.
 
He says, “Behold me.”
 
Let us direct our attention to him.
 
He is worthy of it.
 
He is the author of creation,
  the preserver of men,
  the Saviour of sinners.
 
Let us behold him in his true character 

  as revealed in his word;
  in his absolute dominion over all flesh;
  as having made provision for our deliverance from sin,
  Satan, death, and hell; and
   as ready to receive, pardon, and bless us.
 
Let us behold him cradled in the manger,
  baptized in the Jordan,
  transfigured on the mount,
  working in the streets of Judah,
  agonizing in Gethsemane,
  standing before Pilate and Caiaphas,
  but especially let us behold him dying on the cross.
 
Here justice appears satisfied.
 
Here his mercy is exalted.
 
Here his wisdom is displayed.
 
Here his love is glorified.
 
Let us behold him in his word,
  he points to it and says
   “Behold my power engaged for you,
     my promise pledge to you,
     my arms open to receive you,
     my witnesses testifying to encourage you.”
 
Let us behold him and exercise faith in him,
  address our prayers to him, and
  pour out our gratitude before him.
 

Behold the man! his wounds, his smart!

See how he loved and died!

The sight will melt thy stony heart;

And crucify thy pride.

 
James Smith 1849
 

THOU DIDST HIDE THY FACE, AND I WAS TROUBLED.

 
SEPTEMBER 12.
 

Thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.
Psalm 30:7

 
THE believer can find no substitute

  for the presence of his God;
  and having once enjoyed it,
  he cannot be happy or satisfied without it.
 
The presence of God weans him from the world,
  gives him victory over his foes,
  sweetens all the sorrows,
  sanctifies all his afflictions,
  brightens all his evidences, and
  strips death and the grave of all their terrors.
 
When he has the presence of his God,
  he can work in God's vineyard,
  walk in God's way, and
  fight the good fight of faith.
 
Nothing daunts him. Nothing is too hard for him.
 
But when the Lord hides his face, then he is troubled.
 
Satan renews his attacks.
 
Corruption within revive and gather strength.
 
Ordinances become unsavory.
 
Closet duties are dull and lifeless.
 
His prospects are dreary and discouraging.
 
Nothing is right, for he frets, finds fault, sighs, groans, 

  and cries out from the depths of his soul,
    “O when wilt thou come unto me!”
    “Wilt thou not revive me again,
      that my soul may give thanks unto thee.”
 
Reader, have you ever enjoyed the light of God's countenance?
 
Have you ever mourned under the hiding of his face?
 
Can your heart say, --
 

Thou art the life of all my joys,

Thy presence makes my heaven;

Whatever else my Lord denies,

Thy presence, Lord, be given?

 
James Smith 1849

I WILL DWELL IN THEM.

 
SEPTEMBER 11.
 

I will dwell in them.
II Corinthians 6:16

 
EVERY saint is God's temple.
 
He is set apart and consecrated
  to God’s worship and praise.
 
In him God dwells.
 
The affections are his throne.
 
The heart is his altar.
 
The whole man is sacred to him.
 
If God does not dwell in us,
  our religion is not genuine.
 
If God does dwell in us,
  we shall be sure to discover it.
 
There will be a dignity about us,
  a concern for God’s honor, and
  a tenderness of the conscience which others do not possess.
 
If God dwells in us as his temple,
  assuredly he will take care of his own.
 
He will cleanse us.
  He will adore us.
    He will defend us.
      He will expect constant worship from us.
 
The fire on the altar should never go out.
 
Our prayers should be set before him as incense, and
  the lifting up of our hands as the evening sacrifice.
 
Beloved, let us carefully examine whether God dwells in us.
 
Let us daily seek to enjoy his presence,
  the light of his countenance,
  the proofs of his acceptance.
 
God in us is our honorable distinction,
  special privilege, and everlasting security.
 
This thought should make us careful, watch full, and
  desirous to realize that God is in us.
 

There he reveals his secrets deep,

And sheds his love abroad,

And there he teaches us to keep

Sweet fellowship with God.

 
James Smith 1849
 

THOU SHATL SEE GREATER ABOMINATIONS THAN THESE.

 
SEPTEMBER 10.
 

Thou shalt see greater abominations than these.
Ezekial 8:15

 
THE prophet had no idea of the extent of Israel’s wickedness,
  nor have we any adequate idea of the depravity of our hearts.
 
We may have discovered much,
  but there is more concealed than has been discovered yet.
 
The work of the Holy Spirit is to discover to us these abominations,
  to humble us on account of them,
  to lead us to the blood of Jesus to be cleansed from them,
  and to set our hearts against them.
 
To see all the evils that are in our nature at once,
  would plunge us into black despair, and
  therefore it is only by little and little,
  that the great deep of depravity is open to us.
 
Herein we see God's mercy; and
  hereby we should be kept humble,
  watchful, prayerful, and daily exercising faith
    in the precious blood of the Lord Jesus.
 
No one knows the depths of depravity,
  or variety of abominations that are in our hearts,
  but God:
  if any creature did,
  he must hate us on account of it;
   but God knows all, and yet loves us.
 
This is Godlike.
 
This is being full of compassion,
  abundant in goodness, and
  plenteous in mercy.
 
May we be humble before God, hoping in his mercy.
 

May Jesus Christ disclose

The plagues within my heart,

And as my soul more humbled grows,

A brighter faith impart.

 
James Smith 1849

WE CRY, ABBA, FATHER.

 
SEPTEMBER 9.
 

We cry, Abba, Father.             Romans 8:15

 
THIS no one can do from the heart, and
  with confidence, but a real Christian.
 
Nor can he do so always.
Doubts will creep in.
Fears will spring up.
Unbelief will work.
Satan will tempt.
 
It is only as the blessed Spirit works,
  as we walk closely with God,
  as we perceive the freeness of his grace, and
  as we embrace and rest upon the finished work of Jesus,
    that we can do so.
 
But it is the privilege of the believer,
  whenever anything alarms him,
  whenever any foes assail him,
  when any circumstances perplexes him,
  to cry, “Father Father.’
 
The Lord loves to hear us call him Father,
  therefore when Jesus taught his disciples to pray,
  he said, “When ye pray, say, Our Father.”
 
God is the Father of every believer in Jesus, and
  as a Father he cares for us,
  provides for us,
  sympathizes with us, and
    loves to be addressed by us.
 
Beloved, is God your father?
 
Do you call him so?
 
Have you felt the Holy Spirit in your heart,
  prompting you to do so?
 
Paul said to the Galatians,
  “Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth
    the Spirit of his Son into your hearts,
      crying, ABBA, Father.”
 
Holy Spirit, witness to our adoption, and
  help us to cry, “My Father!”
 

Adopted sons perceive,

Their kindred to the sky;

The Father’s pardoning love receive,

And, ABBA, Father, cry.

 

James Smith 1849

THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IS LOVE.

 
 
SEPTEMBER 8.
 

The fruit of the Spirit is love.
Galatians 5:22

 
ENMITY is the effect of sin, and
  the proof of depravity.
 
Every sinner is by nature enmity against God,
  not subject to his law,
  neither indeed can he be.
 
Where sin reigns without control,
  Men are said to be,
    “Hateful, and hating one another.”
 
Hell is full of enmity.
 
Enmity against God, and
  against each other.
 
Heaven is full of love,
  all love God, and
  all love each other.
 
The Spirit, wherever he dwells in the heart,
  subdues our enmity,
  humbles our pride,
  breaks down our unbelief, and
    produces love.
 
We love God supremely,
  love the saints with complacency, and
  love the whole world with the love of pity and compassion.
 
We hate nothing but sin,  and
  while we hate sin in the sinner,
  we pity and pray for his person.
 
O if we were full of the Spirit,
  we should be full of love!
 
There would be no strife,
  no envyings, no hatred or malice,
  but all would be love and peace.
 
If we have no love to God, as revealed in Jesus;
  if we have no love to saints, because like Jesus; and
  if we have no love for sinners, for the sake of Jesus,
    we are destitute of the Spirit.
 

Oh, that most precious love,

Which saints and angels know

It makes their heaven above,

And makes our heaven below;

If sparkles in the Saviour’s face,

And clasps his heart with keen embrace.

 
James Smith 1849
 

THOU ART MY PORTION, O LORD.

 

SEPTEMBER 7.
 
Thou art my portion, O Lord.
Psalm 119:57

 
CAN we honestly say this?
 
Could we be satisfied with the Lord
   in the absence of every thing else?
 
Do we think of the Lord as our portion?
 
Look to the Lord as our portion?
 
Live upon the Lord as our portion?
 
If God is our portion we shall be thinking frequently
  and with interests of what he is,
  what he has,
  what he has promised, and
   what we may expect to receive from him.
 
Every man is naturally desirous of knowing the nature,
  extent, and value of his portion; and
  so also is the Christian man.
 
If God is our portion,
  we see at once that it is spiritual, not carnal;
  eternal, not temporal;
  permanent, not evanescent;
  it infinite, not limited;
    valuable, not to be estimated.
 
If God is our portion,
  it is very probable that we shall have little beside God,
  for where God gives himself he does not usually give
    wealth, earthly honors, or temporal greatness.
 
Those who have God for their portion,
  are generally a poor and afflicted people,
  emptied from vessel to vessel,
  lightly esteem by the world,
    but who trust in the name of the Lord.
 
O Jesus --
 

Whate’er I wish or want,

Shall come from thee alone,

Thou canst my heart content,

And let thy grace be shown;

I choose thee for my portion, Lord,

Supply me well from mercy's board.

 
James Smith 1849
 

WHAT HAVE I TO DO WITH IDOLS?

 
SEPTEMBER 7.
 

What have I to do any more with idols?
Hosea 14:8

 
WHAT indeed!
 
What did idols ever do for you?
 
What can they do,
  but disappoint, vex, bewilder, and
  bring us under God's chastening rod?
 
And yet our hearts are naturally set upon idolatry.
 
If God gives us a special mercy,
  we are apt to place it on his throne; and
  in order to save us, it is often necessary to bereave us.
 
Whatever has the heart, is the idol.
 
This is God's claim.    This God will have.
 
If therefore we bestow it on any other,
  we shall surely smart for it.
 
One clause in the covenant is,
   “From all your idols will I cleanse you.”
 
This promise shall be sacredly kept.
 
God will sicken us of idolatry, and
  like Ephraim we shall turn our back upon it, and
  turning to God with all the heart and say,
 “What have I to do any more with idols?
 
Our God is a jealous God, and
  he will not give his glory to another,
  nor allow us to do it.
 
O that the Lord would wean us from all our idols, and
  cleanse the temple of our hearts of every image of jealousy,
  and consecrate it entirely to him yourself
    for his worship and praise.
 

Dear Saviour, thou art true,

Though false from thee I slide;

And wilt thou not subdue

And bind me to thy side?

I would give all my wanderings o’er

Speak Lord, and bid me stray no more.

 
James Smith 1849

HAVING A FORM OF GODLINESS.

 
SEPTEMBEER 5.
 

Having a form of godliness.
II Timothy 3:5
 

TRUE godliness is the life of God in the soul, and
  consequences of which the life is devoted to
    God's service and praise.
 
A godly man is a holy man.
 
A godly life is a useful life.
 
When the form of godliness clothes the power,
  it is both beautiful and useful;
  but the form without the power is a mere shadow,
    a deception, a snare.
 
But it is to be feared that many are satisfied with the form,
  they perform certain duties,
  avoid outward sins,
  associate with professors of religion,
  regularly attend the means of grace, and
    do so, they fancy all is right.
 
But this is a fearful delusion.
 
We must be born again.
 
Christ must be formed in us the hope of glory.
 
We must crucify the flesh with its affections and lust.
 
We must know God,
  feel the power of God, and
  walk in fellowship with God,   OR
  our religion is but a dream, a vein show.
 
Beloved, have you the power of godliness? Or,
  are you resting satisfied with the form?
 
Many, through this mistake,
  fancy they are going to heaven,
  while they are in the direct road to hell.
 
O search thy heart and pray --
 

May truth direct my tongue,

May grace my heart control,

And Jesus be my song,

While endless ages roll;

To please him well my single aim,

And all my trust in his dear name.

 

James Smith 1849