I AM MERCIFUL, SAITH THE LORD

 

I am merciful, saith the Lord.
Jeremiah 3:12

 
THIS is the encouragement given to backsliders to return.
 
They are invited and exhorted to come back, and
  lest guilt should discourage them,
  Satan tempt them, or
  their own hearts misgive them, and
  they conclude, “It is no use,” God says,
     “Return, for I am merciful.”
 
Our merciful God will glorify his mercy in our experience.
 
He will pardon our sins;
  break our hearts with a sense of his love;
  humble us in the dust before his throne;
  make us loathe ourselves on account of our iniquities;
  restore unto us the joy of his salvation,
    and give us peace.
 
Backslider, thy God calls thee to come back.
 
Do not hesitate or be afraid,
  for he is merciful.
He will lovingly receive you.
He will readily pardon you.
 
He will rejoice over you,
  as the shepherd over the sheep he had lost; or
  the parent over the prodigal,
  who has returned to his forsaken home.
 
Take with you words and return unto the Lord without delay.
 
And let us all take encouragement from this fact,
  and come to the Lord this day for all we want.
 
He is merciful and therefore he will receive us,
  listen to us, and confer blessings upon us.
 
He even delighteth in mercy.
 

Return, ye wandering souls, return;

The Lord your misery knows,

His mercy ever is the same -

A balm for all your woes.

 
James Smith 1849

JESUS THE MEDIATOR OF THE NEW COVNANT.

NOVEMBER 19.
 

Jesus the mediator of the new covenant.
 
Hebrew 12:24

 
THE mediator of the old covenant was Moses,
  he could officiate,
  but could not answer or be responsible for the people.
 
The mediator of the new covenant is Jesus,
  he appears before God for us, and
  before us for God.
 
He undertakes for us with God, and
  he deals with God for us.
 
He is able to do so, for he is divine;
  he is suited to do so, for he is human.
 
Other mediator we need not,
  another mediator there is none; for
    “There is one God, and one mediator
      between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
 
And it would be quite as consistent to speak
  of two Gods, as of two mediators.
 
If other were necessary, Jesus could not be sufficient;
  and if Jesus were not sufficient,
   no other could possibly be.
 
But Jesus is enough,
  he has to present to God for us,
  all that he can possibly require; and
  he has to present to us from God,
   all that we can constantly desire.
 
He is always before the throne.
 
He is always interceding for us.
 
Therefore we need not fear,
  but should go boldly to the throne of grace,
  that we may obtain mercy, and
  find grace to help us in every time of need.
 

Touched with a feeling of our woes,

Our Mediator stands;

All our infirmities he knows,

Our souls are in his hands.

 
James Smith 1849

IN ME IS THINE HELP.

 

In me is thine help.
Hosea 13:9

 
DESTRUCTION is of men,
  salvation is wholly of God.
 
We have destroyed ourselves,
  but God has become our Saviour.
 
As sinners, we saves us absolutely;
  as believers, he helps us in all our duties,
  and out of all troubles.
 
If God is our help, it will be sufficient;
  it will be prudently afforded;
  it will be suitably conveyed; and
  we shall always feel our need of it,
    before we enjoy it.
 
Our help is in God, in God alone,
  therefore let us not look to creatures;
  let us not trust in ourselves;
  but let us repair to the Lord
    in every difficulty, trial, and trouble.
 
The Lord has helped us in time past,
  he never was more disposed to help us then he is now,
  and he will help us to the end of our journey.
 
His help sustains us,
  when it does not deliver us;
  it enables us to hold on,
  when it does not bring us out of our troubles.
 
O thou help of Israel, help us this day!
 
Help us to resist Satan,
  overcome the world,
  to crucify the old man,
  to put on the new man,
  to do thy blessed will,
  to glorify thy holy name, and
    to walk with thee in peace.
 
Beloved, let us not droop or despond,
  but let us cry unto God for help, and
  expect him to make his strength perfect in our weakness.
 

In me, O Lord, exert thy power,

Make old things pass away;

Transform and draw my soul to thee

Still nearer every day.

 
James Smith 1849

NOT AS I WILL, BUT AS THOU WILT.

 
Not as I will, but as thou wilt.
Matthew 26:39
 
SO said Jesus, when in his agony in the garden.
 
His sufferings were tremendous,
  he appears to have apprehended immediate death,
  he was overwhelmed, he cried,
   “If it be possible, let this cup pass from me:”
  but his resignation,
  his unqualified acquiescence in his Father's will,
  immediately appears, for he adds
   “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.”
 
O for such meekness!
O for such entire resignation to God's will!
 
No one ever suffered like Jesus.
He suffered immediately from the hand of God,
  the stroke bruised and the mingled him,
  yet he kisses the hands that strikes.
 
He feels himself sinking in deep waters,
  pressed down by the wrath of God,
  yet he acquiesces.
 
His pains were agonizing,
  yet he was willing to endure them for us.
 
Blessed Redeemer, what love was thine!
 
What infinite, unparalleled mercy!
 
Beloved, if troubles burden to us,
  if sorrow presses us,
  if pain tortures us,
  if friends forsake us,
  if our hearts feel ready to fail us,
  let us repair to Gethsemane,
  let us take a place by the side of
    the suffering Son of God,
  let us compare our sorrows with his, and
  let us endeavour to say, “Not as I will, but as thou wilt.”
 

Come, ye saints, behold and wonder;

Come, behold what love could do;

Gaze upon the victim yonder;

Jesus suffered thus for you.

 
James Smith 1849
 

THY NAME IS AS OINTMENT POURED FORTH.

 
NOVEMBER 16.
 

Thy name is as ointment poured forth.
Song of Solomon 1:3

 
THE name of Jesus is incomparably sweet and precious.
 
There is no name in heaven like his,
  it is above every name.
 
It perfumes heaven above,
  and the church below.
 
Its fragrance is unequalled.
 
We are never weary of it, and we never shall be.
 
It comprises all we need; it contains all we desire.
 
Having Christ we have all things.
 
He is Christ, or God’s anointed;
  consecrated to be a Priest perpetually;
  sanctified to be God’s prophet and apostle;
  qualified to be God’s king,
    to reign on his holy hill of Zion.
 
He is Jesus, God’s Saviour,
  by whom God saves sinners,
  millions of sinners,
    the vilest sinners.
 
He is Lord, all power in heaven
  and on earth is given to him.
 
He is supreme, or head over all.
 
He is the Lord Jesus Christ.
 
Here is all God can give us.
 
All we can require or enjoy.
 
When the Holy Spirit opens up the
  meaning of his precious name, and
  gives us to realize our interest in it,
  it does appear divinely sweet and glorious.
 
Precious name!
 
May I know it more fully,
  enjoy it more powerfully,
  publish it more effectually, and
    praise it more frequently.
 
Name of Jesus, be thou my solace,
  my subject, and my song.
 

I’ll speak the honours of thy name,

With my last labouring breath;

And dying, clasp thee in my arms,

The antidote of death.

 
James Smith 1849

 

 
He led them on safely.
Psalm 78:53
 
AND yet people were never in greater danger.

Egypt was enraged at them,
  Pharoah was determined to bring them back,
  the sea rolled in majesty before them, and
  rocks and mountains seemed to enclose and
   shut them in.
 
But when God leads, difficulties vanish,
  and dangers are all overcome.
 
The sea retires;
  Israel passes over, and the Egyptians pursue;
  the one company is landed safe on the opposite side,
  and the other drowned in the deep.
 
He led them on safely out of Egypt, and
  they were equally safe in the wilderness.
 
Nothing could harm them but sin,
  if they had been willing simply
  to follow the Lord’s guidance,
  to believe the Lord's word, and
  to trust in the Lord's providence,
  every one of them must have arrived safely in Canaan.
 
Beloved, we have the same leader.
 
Jesus who was with the church in the wilderness,
  is to be a Leader to us, and
  he will lead us on safely.
 
He knows the way,
  he remembers our frames,
  he has provided for our wants,
  he has promised us all we need, and
  he only wishes us to believe in his word,
  trust in his power, and
  follow him in obedience and love.
 

Lead us on, Almighty victor,

Scatter every hostile band,

Be our guide in our protector

Till on Canaan’s shores we stand.

 
Jane Smith 1849

THE DESIRE OF ALL NATIONS SHALL COME.

 

 
The desire of all nations shall come.
Haggai 2:7
 
THERE is a desire in every human bosom for
  something which is has not got, and
  that something is only to be found in Christ.
 
It is a universal craving after an unknown good.
 
Perhaps there have always been some in all the nations,
  who have been really desiring the Lord Jesus.
 
However, wherever he is known he is desired.
 
All nations have desired him,
  or will desire him.
 
He possesses all they need.
He only can make them happy.
 
They want all he has,
  for less would not meet their case.
 
He came once and laid a solid foundation for hope,
  he will come again and satisfied the desires
   of all who love his appearing.
 
He will then be manifestly the desire of all nations,
  for “all kings shall fall down before him,
   all nations shall serve him.”
 
“All the earth shall worship thee, and
  shall sing unto thee;
  they shall sing to thy name.”
 
He will come and fill the earth with his knowledge,
  and perform the ancient predictions,
  “The whole earth shall be filled with my glory.”
 
May our desires centre in Jesus now.
 
May his truth beyond treasure;
  his love our delight;
  his salvation our theme;
  his glory our aim; and
    his presence our heaven.
 

Let carnal minds for pleasure strive

And after wealth aspire;

Our choice is made, our hearts are fixed,

For Christ is our desire.

 
James Smith 1849

HE SHALL PRESERVE THY SOUL.

 
 

He shall preserve thy soul.
Psalm 121:7

 
NO being in creation needs such close
  and constant keeping as a saint.
 
If God was not our keeper,
  we could never arrive safe in heaven.
 
Our foes are so powerful;
  our mortal maladies so numerous;
  our danger so great;
  our depravity so deep.
 
O to keep this fact daily before the mind,
  that we may evermore cry unto the Lord to keep us!
 
He has promised to do so,
  but he will have us plead with him,
  and daily cry unto him.
 
We are never out of danger,
  while we are out of heaven.
 
If we are healthy this morning,
  we may be diseased before night.
 
If we are sound in the faith today,
  we may be led away by some pernicious error tomorrow.
 
If we are walking at liberty now,
  we may be entangled again with
    the yoke of bondage before long.
 
How kind, how gracious then,
  for our Lord to undertake to keep, and
  promise to preserve our souls.
 
He can, he has promised;
  if he we call upon him, he will.
 
Let us therefore, this day,
  feel that we are in danger,
  that we need an omnipotent preserver,
  that the Lord preserves through fellowship with himself,
  and let us endeavour to walk closely with God.
 
This will deepen our spirituality.
 

The word of God continues sure,

On which our hope is cast;

Thou shall my tempted soul secure

Till every storm is past.

 

James Smith 1849

GOD IS LOVE

 

 
God is love.
I John 4:8
 
THIS is a most beautiful representation of the Most High;
  and what is best of all, it is his own representation.
 
God is sometimes angry,
  but he is always love.
 
The opposite of love is not in him,
  nor could ever be displayed by him.
 
His love is a perfection;
  it appears in all he does, in all he says;
  it is the leading feature of his character.
 
If God is love,
  surely we shall not tremble and fear before him.
 
Can love harm us?
Can love spurn us from his throne?
Can love refuse us any really good thing?
 
It is impossible.
 
If God is love,
 let us expect all good things from him.
He will give them.
He will give them readily.
He will give them as often as we need them.
 
God is love, or else he had 

  never entered into covenant to secure our salvation.
 
God is love, or else he had 

  not given us his exceeding great and precious promises.
 
God is love or else he had 

  not sent his own dear Son to suffer and die for us.
 
God is love, or else he would 

  not have given us his Holy Spirit.
 
God is love to every penitent sinner,
  to every returning backslider,
  to every tired and tempted believer.
 
Better than this he cannot be;
  worse than this, he will not be.
 

Ye doubting souls, who full of fears,

The ways of God approve;

Dismiss your guilty fears and come,

Believe that God is love.

 
James Smith 1849

GOD IS THE STRENGTH OF MY HEART.

 

God is the strength of my heart.
Psalm 73:26

 
GOD in covenant - God in Christ - is the believers rock.
 
The rock on which he builds his hopes,
  he secures his treasures,
  where he finds safety, and
  on which he stands unmoved and firm,
    amidst storms and tempests.
 
God is the strength, or strengthener of his heart;
  which he does by the promises he has given,
  the prospects which he unfolds,
  the foretaste of glory which he imparts, and
  by the exercise of the graces which he produces.
 
Apart from God, the Christian is weakness itself;
  in union with God, he is stronger than all his foes.
 
If God is the strength of our hearts,
  we exercise confidence in him,
  renounce all dependence on any besides him, and
  go in all our weaknesses to him.
 
If God is our strength,
  we can have no ground for fear,
  no occasion for doubts,
  no reason to look into the future with foreboding.
 
If God is our strength,
  he will never fail us,
  Satan will never overcome us,
  the world will never conquer us,
  nor will any of the billows of affliction overwhelm us.

O to realize that God is our strength,
  the rock and refuge of our souls!
 

Then let me on his care rely,

He is a God for ever nigh,

To guard me by his power;

Though heart, and flesh, and friends shall fail,

While strong in God we must prevail,

In the most trying hour.

 
James Smith 1849

HOW SHORT MY TIME IS

 

How short my time is
Psalm 89:47

 
THEN it should be well improved.
 
Not an hour should be lost.
 
The brevity of time shows its value.
 
The view of time as introductory to eternity,
  makes it all important.
 
If our time is short,
  we ought to secure an interest in Christ at once,
  not delaying 1 moment.
 
If I our time is short,
  we are to profess Christ immediately,
  if we have not.
 
If our time is so short,
  we ought to work for God, and
  the good of the world we inhabit,
  while we can, for our opportunity
   of doing so will soon passed away.
 
Lord, remember how short my time is,
  and give me special grace, heavenly wisdom,
  and real prudence,
  that I may buy up the opportunity,
   because the days are evil.
 
My soul, remember how short thy time is, and
  trifle no more, loiter no more, procrastinate no longer;
  but put thy hand to the plow,
  keep thy hand on the plow, and
   work while the day last.
 
The night cometh.
 
Working time will soon be over come.
 
O to make the most of the short day!
 
O to turn the little time that is left to the best account.
 
Beloved, what are you doing?
 
How are you living?
 
Are you affected with a sense of the shortness of time
  and the uncertainty of life?
 

This sole occasion then is ours,

This day we never again shall see;

O God, awaken all our powers

To spend it for eternity!

 
James Smith 1849

WHO WENT ABOUT DOING GOOD.

Who went about doing good.
Acts 10:38

 
SUCH was the conduct of the Lord Jesus Christ,
  when he was in our world.
 
His heart was full of compassion for suffering humanity.
 
He felt a deep concern for the welfare of men.
 
He sought thus to honor the Father,
  who had sent him.
And thus he confirmed his doctrine and mission.
 
He did good, only good.
 
He preached the gospel.
 
He instructed the ignorant.
 
He visited the sick.
 
He fed the hungry.
 
He relieved the poor.
 
He healed all manner of diseases.
 
He wrought out a righteousness for his people.
 
He went about doing good.
 
His diligence was remarkable.
 
He delighted to confer favours,
  impart blessings, and
   make all about him happy.
 
He did not stay for an application,
  he went without being requested.
 
He was not above visiting the meanest person,
  or the poorest dwelling.
 
He went about the cities, towns, and villages,
  but it was always doing good.
 
Thus he showed the tendency of his gospel.
 
He set forth the design of his incarnation.
 
He brought sinners to repentance.
 
He set us an example.
 
Beloved, do you admire the conduct of Jesus?
 
Are you prepared to imitate it?
 
Do you mourn that you have not?
 

O gracious Savior, let us be

In temper more conformed to thee;

And with benignity divine,

Let our whole lives resemble thine!

 
James Smith 1849

 

I WILL TALK OF THY DOINGS.

 

 
I will talk of thy doings.
Psalm 78:12

 
PROFITABLE conversation is not common.
 
Professors appear prepared to talk of anything,
  rather than what they ought.
 
How many talk of preachers, absent persons, and
  great societies, who seldom talk of God.
 
This shows a barren state of soul,
  for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
 
If in the heart there be an abundance of worldly subjects, or
  carnal projects, our conversation will be worldly and carnal.
 
But, if in the heart there is an abundance of truth and grace,
  then our conversations will savour of the truth, and
    be seasoned with grace.
 
Beloved, let us talk of God's doing.
 
Look at what he has done in nature, and
  talk of every thing that meets the eye as
    the production of your heavenly Father.
 
Look at what he has done and
  in his doing in providence, and talk of past, and
  present events, as if you saw God in them,
    working, directing, and controlling them.
 
Look at the mighty work of redemption, and
  talk of all its wonders;
  it occupies the mind and tongues of angels,
  and surely it ought to employ ours.
 
Look at the work of grace and the world around,
  in the church, and in your heart, and talk of his doings.
 

Talk of free and full salvation;

Spread the Savior’s fame abroad,

Till’tis known in every nation;

Great is your reward with God.

 
James Smith 1849

THE PROMISE OF THE HOLY GHOST

 
The promise of the Holy Ghost.
Acts 2:33

 
NOTHING is so necessary for us as the Holy Spirit.
 
If dead, he will quicken us.
If dull, he will enliven us.
If dark, he will enlighten us.
If cold, he will warm us.
If wavering, he will settle us.
If in doubt, he will satisfy us
If in perplexity, he will direct us.
If we have guilt in the conscience, he will purge it.
If we have burdens on the mind, he will remove them.
If questions, he will solve them.
 
He will do all that is necessary within us,
  as Jesus did all that is required without us.
 
This blessing Spirit is promised by the Father,
  to all who ask him.
 
He was given to Jesus for us, and
   he is imparted by Jesus to us.
 
The promise of the Holy Ghost is plain;
  we cannot well misunderstand it.
 
It is positive, and
  therefore we may plead it with all confidence.
 
It is to all who ask, or
  who go to Jesus that they may drink.
 
Lord fulfill this promise to us!
 
Give us the Spirit this morning,
  the fullness of the spirit;
  that we may walk in his light,
  act under his influence, and
  be sealed to the day of redemption.
 

Oh! that the Comforter would come!

Nor visit as a transient guest;

But fix in me his constant home,

And keep possessions of my breast;

And make my soul his loved abode,

The temple of indwelling God.

 
James Smith 1849