I SOUGHT THE LORD AND HE HEARD ME.

 

I sought the Lord, and he heard me.
Psalm 34:4

 
THE Lord will teach us our dependence on himself.
 
He will show us that we cannot possibly do without him.
 
We too often try to manage our trials ourselves,
  instead of taking them to the Lord at once;
  this accounts for our little troubles paining and
   perplexing us at times, more than our great ones.
 
The Psalmist was deeply tried;
  his trouble had been brought on by his sin;
  but he sought the Lord, and he heard him,
   and delivered him from all his fears.
 
Let us endeavour to learn to take every thing to the Lord.
 
Let us seek to the Lord for wisdom to guide us,
  for strength to sustain us,
  for grace to sanctify us,
  for comfort to cheer us, and
    for deliverance from every fear and foe.
 
David’s God is our God, and
  he has covenanted to give us “the sure mercies of David.”
 
O for a spirit of prayer to God !
O for a spirit of dependence on God !
 
He loves to be trusted.
He loves to be sought.
He loves to be believed.
 
Friend, have you ever sought the Lord?
 
If not, seek him at once, and
  he will be found of you,
  he will hear you, and
   deliver you from all your fears.
 

The trust him, and fear not; thy life is secure;

His wisdom is perfect, supreme is his power;

In love he corrects thee, thy soul to refine,

To make thee at length in his likeness to shine.

 
James Smith 1849

I AM WITH THEE TO DELIVER THEE.

 
DECEMBER 17.
 

I am with thee to deliver thee.
Jeremiah 1:8

 
THUS spake Jehovah to Jeremiah; and
  the privilege of the prophet is our privilege too.
 
The Lord is with us, even as he was with him.
 
But if you read his book,
  you will find that God's presence did not preserve him
  from troubles, sorrows, or foes;
  for a few men suffered more than he did.
 
Nor did he always realize God's presence with him, and
  yet the Lord never withdrew for one moment.
 
Beloved, though God be with us,
  we shall suffer from many sources,
  we shall be tried in many ways,
  we shall be troubled with many things, and
  we may conclude that even our God is turned against us;
  and yet he will be true to his word,
    and will ultimately deliver us.
 
If God is with us,
  we shall go wherever he pleases to send us.
 
We should do whatever he bids us.
 
We should expect whatever he has promised us.
 
Men may hate us.
 
Providence may try us.
 
Our hearts may sink and misgive us.
 
All things may seem to conspire against us.
 
Yet the Lord who is with us,
  is pledged to deliver us, and
  he will redeem his pledge,
    to our joy and his own glory.
 
The Lord will be with us this day to deliver us,
  here is our safety and comfort.
 

I can forward now with joy,

Though in myself a feeble worm;

For Jesus will his power employ,

And save my soul in every storm.

 
James Smith 1849

CHILDREN THAT WILL NOT LIE.

 
DECEMBER 16.
 

Children that will not lie.
Isaiah 63:8

 
THUS God describes his own,
  those whom he saves, and
   with whom he sympathizes.
 
The God of truth must hate a liar.
 
The true God must hate falsehood and pretense.
 
Lying is especially condemned in God's word, and
  all liars are excluded from the new Jerusalem.
 
It is impossible for God to lie, and
  it is equally impossible for God
  to sanction, tolerate, or allow lying in any of his own children.
 
To lie is to deceive, or to attempt to deceive,
  by word or deed.
 
The practice springs from the depravity of the heart, and
  where persevered in, or excused, is a proof that the heart
   has never been renewed by divine grace.
 
“Lying lips are an abomination unto the Lord.”
 
“All liars shall have their portion in the lake which burneth
  with brimstone and with fire;
    which is the second death.”
 
“He that speaketh lies shall not escape.”
 
“He that speaketh lies shall perish.”
 
These are very fearful passages;
  they are the true sayings of God.
 
Let us carefully examine ourselves.
 
Are we in the habit of practicing deception in word or deed?
 
Memory ! retain the fact,
“NO LIAR CAN ENTER HEAVEN !
  NO LIAR CAN ESCAPE HELL ! “
 
 

In vain we talk of Jesus’ blood,

And boast his name in vain,

If we can slight the laws of God,

And prove unjust to men.

 
James Smith 1849
 

MAKING HIMSELF EQUAL WITH GOD.

 
 
DECEMBER 15.
 

Making himself equal with God.
John 5:18
 

THIS charge was brought against our Lord by the Jews,
  and he did not deny it.
 
He spake, he wrought, he commanded,
  as one equal with God; and he was so.
 
Jesus, the son of Mary, was the son of God; and
  though, in his human nature,
  he was infinitely inferior to God, yet,
  in his divine nature, which was united to his humanity,
  he was equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
 
Jesus is truly, properly, and naturally, God.
 
He is the object of worship, trust, and love.
 
We cannot think too highly of him.
We cannot speak too highly of him.
 
As God, he is the rock on which we build;
  the Saviour in whom we trust;
  the Sovereign whom we obey; and
  the Source of all good, from which we expect our supplies.
 
Beware of low thoughts of Christ.
 
Honour him, even as you honour the Father.
 
Walk before him, and be sincere.
Walk with him, and be confident and happy.
Walk after him, and be consistent.
 
Jesus created all things.
Jesus upholds all things.
Jesus directs all things.
 
Jesus will be honoured by all things.
 
Jesus should be especially honoured by his disciples.
 

On him we’ll venture all we have,

Our bodies, souls, and spirits too;

He to the uttermost will save,

And he alone for us will do:

His Godhead and his death shall be

Our theme to all eternity.

 
James Smith 1849

THE SINNERS IN ZION ARE AFRAID.

 
DECEMBER 14
 

The sinners in Zion are afraid.
Isaiah 33:14

 
AND well they may be; for sinners in Zion,
  are sinners in the very worst place, and
   the most dangerous position.
 
Their sins are of a peculiarly aggravated character,
  being committed in the clearest light,
  amidst the displays of the most wonderful love.
 
They ought to be saints, or they ought not to be in Zion,
  or the Church of God.
 
Sinners in Zion,
  if allowed to partake of the gospel privileges,
  generally become hardened;
  their consciences become benumbed,
  their nourished presumptuous confidence, and
  the gospel passes through their mind
   without making any salutary impressions.
 
Nothing but some signal judgment, or
  some special display of the power
  of the Spirit will arouse them.
 
It is to be feared that when the day of the Lord arrives,
  there will be many such found in the church, and
  that his glorious appearing shall arouse them, and
    fill them with dreadful alarm.
 
Friend, where are you?
Are you in Zion?
What are you?
Are you a sinner in Zion?
 
If so, ask conscience,
  “Can you dwell with devouring fire?
  Can you dwell with everlasting burnings?”
 
 The wrath of God is most dreadful !
 
And wrath shall come upon sinners in Zion unto the uttermost.
 

This Sodom felt, and feels it still,

And groans beneath the dreadful load;

With endless burnings who can dwell ?

Or bear the fury of a God ?

 
James Smith 1849

BLESSED ARE THEY THAY DWELL IN THY HOUSE.

 
DECEMBER 13.
 

Blessed are they that dwell in thy house.
Psalm 84:4

 
GOD’S house is his church.
 
Wherever his people meet, there he finds a home.
 
This was typified of old by the tabernacle and the temple.
 
Those who dwell in God's church, and
  are at home there, know and love the Master,
  believe the promises made to all such,
  feel themselves to be part of the family,
  enjoy the subjects presented from time to time, and
  are at home in the various employments of the house.
 
Such are the blessed.
 
They are blessed with David’s blessings, who sung,
  “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
    and who sin is covered.”
 
They are blessed with Peter's blessings,
   “Bless art thou Simon Bar-Jona: for flesh and blood hath
    not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”
 
They are blessed with the blessings with John's blessings,
  “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and
  it doth not yet appear what we shall be;
  but we know that when he shall appear
  we shall be like him,
    for he we shall see him as he is.”
 
They are blessed with Paul's blessing,
  “A thorn in the flesh, and grace sufficient for them.”
 
They are all blessed as and
   with faithful Abraham.
 
Blessed are the souls that find a place
Within the temple of thy grace;
There they behold thy gentler rays,
And seek thy face, and learn thy praise.
 
James Smith 1849

THE GLORIOUS GOSPEL OF CHRIST.

 
DECEMBER 12.
 

The glorious gospel of Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:4
 

THAT is the glorious good news of Christ.
 
Never were there such tidings sent to our world before.
 
They are intended to fill us with joy and peace.
 
And the moment we truly believe them, we are happy.
 
The gospel assures us that Christ is God's only begotten Son;
  that he was anointed, appointed, and sent by the Father,
  to atone for, and put away our sins.
 
That he really came,
  open the way of salvation,
  secured the present and the everlasting
  welfare of every one that believes on his name;
  and that now every one that believeth
    in him is justified from all things.
 
That one single act of faith secures the pardon of all sin,
  the justification of our persons, and
  puts us in possession of all the promises;
    some of which will take eternity to fulfill.
 
It is the good news,
  that God is at peace with us, and
  that he is waiting to be glorious unto us,
  that he rejoices over us, and delights to bless us.
 
That Jesus is a perfect Saviour,
  that he can and will save to the very uttermost,
  and that he is now in heaven,
  pleading for all that that come unto God by him.
 
Glorious gospel !
 
Blessed news !
 
May we receive it, believe it, treasure it up, and
  rejoice in it from day to day.  Amen
 
 

O the grandeur of the gospel,

How it sounds the cleansing blood,

Shows the bowels of a Saviour,

Shows the tender heart of God.

 
James Smith 1849

I WILL REMEMBER THE YEARS

 
I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.
Psalm 77:10
 
THE Psalmist had read God’s word,
  he had stored his memory with an
  account of God’s wonderful works.
 
He had these things at hand in trouble, and
  he proposes to cause them to pass in review
  before his mind for his comfort and profit.
 
The years when God’s hand was stretched out,
  made bare, or remarkably displayed for Israel,
  to crush their foes;
  to control the elements;
  to deliver them from imminent danger; and
    raise them to peculiar honour.
 
What he had wrought in his church,
  for his church, by his church.
 
Let us remember what God has done for others
  and for ourselves in times past.
 
Let us do so to check our fears,
  to silence our unbelief,
  to strengthen our faith,
  to excite to prayer,
  to prevent murmuring,
  to produce hope,
  to increase patience, and
    to comfort us in sorrow.
 
Let us take up the purpose of the psalmist and say,
  I will pour out my misery;
  I will not envy my foes;
  I will not mistake the design of my trials;
  I will remember that God's hand is the same,
  whatever changes I may experience; and
    he who wrote for me before, will do so again.
 
Now I’ll oppose each gloomy thought,
Each dark despairing frame,
Remembering what thy hand hath wrought;
Thy hand is still the same.
 
James Smith 1849

WASH ME THOROUGHLT FROM MINE INIQUITY.

 
DECEMBER 9.
 

Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity.
Psalm 51:2

 
SIN is spiritual filthiness.
 
It defiles the conscience, corrupts the imagination, deprives the heart, perverts the will, pollutes the breath, sets the tongue on fire of hell, strains the life, and renders the man totally and eternally unfit for heaven.
 
It is God's work to cleanse a sinner.
 
No one else can.
 
The sinner cannot cleanse himself; he is without the means, the will, or the power.
 
But God in mercy does, and he does it by his Son, atoning; by his Spirit, renewing; by his providence, working; and by his truth, purifying.
 
He saves us by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost.
 
The passage contains the believer’s prayer.
 
“Wash me.”
 
“Wash me thoroughly.”
 
It is “my iniquity, my sin.”
 
Wash me, for I have discovered my filthiness; I loath myself on account of it; and I long to be delivered from it.
 
Wash me thoroughly, take out every stain, erase every impression, make me whiter than snow.
 
Sin always pollutes us.
 
A believer cannot rest in pollution.
 
A backslider must be cleansed before he is restored.
 
God will have us smart for sin, before he cleanse us from sin.
 

O wash my soul from every stain,

And make my guilty conscience clean;

Here on my heart the burden lies,

And past offences pain my eyes.

 
James Smith 1849

A MAN OF GOD.

 

A man of God.
Jeremiah 35:4

 
A  MAN of God, is a godly man;
  one who is reconciled to God,
  acquainted with the mind of God,
  who walks in fellowship with God,
  obeys the commands of God,
  is zealous in the cause of God,
  jealous of the honor of God, and
    conformed to the image of God.
 
A godly man is set apart for God, for
“the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself.”
 
He obtains pardon from God, and
 “for this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee,
   in a time when thou mayest be found.”
 
He is entitled to all the promises of God, for
  “godliness is profitable unto all things,
  having promise of the life that now is, and
    of that which is to come.”
 
He will be delivered by God, for
  “the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation.”
 
Every blessing is secured to him by God, for God
  “hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness.”
 
His employment is always profitable, for
  “godliness with contentment is great gain.”
 
He will dwell eternally with God, for he is
  “made meet to be partaker of the inheritance
    of the saints in light.”
 
There are men of the world, and men of God;
  to which class do you belong?
 
A godly man is, -
 

The noblest creature seen below,

Ordained to fill a throne above,

God gives him all he can be bestow,

His kingdom of eternal love!

 
James Smith 1849

THE TRUE WORSHIPPERS

 

 
The true worshippers
John 4:23

 
MANY profess to worship God who never in reality do so.
 
They attend to a variety of forms,
  they perform many ceremonies,
  but they do not worship God.
 
They have no correct views of his spirituality,
  covenant character, or extensive requirements.
 
They fancy that he is pleased with
  show, parades, and outward forms;
  whereas “God is a spirit, and they that worship him,
        must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
 
The true worshipper is quickened by the Holy Spirit, and
  taught to see the glory of God in the person of Jesus Christ.
 
He is sincere in his service,
  simple in his language, and
  hearty in his petitions and adorations.
 
He only approaches God through Christ,
  he pleads the atonement for his acceptance,
  he throws his heart open before God, and
    means just what he says.
 
The greatness of God awes him;
  the goodness of God draws him;
  the mercy of God humbles him;
  the grace of God emboldens him; and
    he worships in faith, fear, and love.
 
He believes God's word,
  fears God's displeasure, and
    loves God's character.
 
There is no pretense about him,
  for he hates hypocrisy, and
   worships in sincerity and truth.
 

In spirit and truth alone

We must present our prayer,

The formal and the false are known

Through the disguise they wear.

 
James Smith 1849

PUT YE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.

 

Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 13:14

 
TO put on Christ,
  there must be faith in Christ,
  submission to Christ,
  the profession of Christ,
  conformity to Christ,
  a practical imitation of Christ, and
   an appropriating of Christ in all his offices and characters.
 
What clothing is to the body,
  Christ is to be put to the soul --
  its covering, comfort, and protection.
 
To put on Christ,
  we must put off everything that is opposed to Christ,
  even the old man with his deeds.
 
Christ ought to be seen in his people,
  as the clothing is seen on the person.
 
A consistent Christian, is Christ made visible.
 
Christ should be so put on, as never to be put off;
  he forms a clothing garment which will never be wear out,
  or go out of fashion, with the truly wise.
 
Beloved, men must see our religion as well as God.
 
Those only who put on Christ are truly happy;
  they wear white robes,
  the evidence of their acquittal at the bar of justice,
  their acceptance with God, and
   of they are enjoying the approbation of God.
 
Christ is not only our clothing but our defence;
  putting on Jesus, we put on the whole armor of God.
 
O for wisdom to wear Christ so,
  that God may accept us,
  angels admire us,
  devils flee from us, and
    the world be compelled to commend us!
 

Make not provision for the flesh,

But modify its powers;

Put on the Saviour with his grace,

And victory shall be yours.

 
James Smith 1849

TO EVERY MAN HIS WORK.

 
 

To every man his work.
Mark 13:34

 
THE Lord Jesus is gone home to his Father for a time;
  he has assigned every believer his place in the world,
  and in the church;
  he has appointed to each one his work,
  for he never intended that a saint should be idle,
  or live and labour for himself.
 
Jesus is our master,
  as such he is present with us,
  his has power over us,
  is generous to us,
  but nevertheless jealous of us.
 
We are his servants, he engaged us to serve him,
  he supports us while employed by him,
  he directs us in all our efforts to serve him, and
  he holds us accountable for our time, and our talents.
 
There is work for every one of us,
  for some in the school with the young;
  for some in the world with the unconverted;
  and for some in the church with the saints.
 
He expects that everyone of us will be employed;
  this will prevent many evils,
  which results from idleness,
    to ourselves and others.
 
This will secure much good,
  as it will exercise our graces, spread the truth,
  bring souls to the Saviour, and prevent backsliding.
 
Beloved, that we may work we have talents given to us,
  opportunities afforded us, motives presented to us,
  pleasures is associated with employment, and
    a reward is promised us.
 

Not words alone it cost the Lord,

To purchase pardon for his own;

Nor will a soul by grace restored,

Return the Saviours words alone.

 
James Smith 1849

WILL YE ALSO BE HIS DISCIPLE?

 

Will ye also be his disciples?
John 9:27

 
JESUS has always had some disciples,
  he has some now, are you among them?
 
Will you be his disciple?
 
His resources are boundless;
  his beneficence is unparalleled;
  his wisdom is infinite;
  his disposition is loving and gentle;
  his honours are high and eternal.
 
What says you, will you be his disciple?
 
If so, you must surrender all to him.
 
You must be ready to suffer for him.

You must be willing to embrace
  the doctrines he's taught,
  to submit to the precepts he inculcated,
  to imitate the example he set, and
  to observe the institutions which he has appointed.
 
Will you be his disciple?
 
Consider, they are in general poor,
  despised of men, and often deeply afflicted; and
  if you join them, you must forsake your follies,
  your sinful companions, and your carnal pleasures.
 
You must publicly profess faith in Christ,
  and unite with his people.
 
You must attend on his ordinances and support his cause.
 
Will you be his disciple?
 
They are happy, holy, and safe.
 
The profession is honorable and will end gloriously.
 
If you will not profess him,
  can you expect to be saved by him?
 

Jesus, grant me thy salvation,

Let me now thy glories see;

In thy church appoint my station,

I would thy disciple be;

Send thy Spirit,

To confirm my soul to thee.

 

James Smith 1849

A REMNANT SHALL BE SAVED.

 

A remnant shall be saved.
 
Romans 9:27

 
This appears to have been God's purpose in all past times,
  there always have been a remnant, and
  never more than a remnant.
 
  A few out of many, of comparatively small number.
 
Not separated or saved, because they were the best,
  but many of them taken from among the worst.
 
Distinguished by the choice of God,
  who purchased them by the blood of his Son.
 
There is now a remnant according to the election of grace, and
  the whole remnant shall be saved from Satan, sin, and wrath.
 
They shall be saved, 

  for the purposes passed,
  the provision is made,
  the promise is given,
  the Saviour has appeared,
  the Spirit is sent, and
    the good news of salvation is proclaimed.
 
Do we belong to this remnant?
 
If so, Christ is precious to us.
 
We are but strangers and pilgrims upon the earth.
We often think of and speak for God.
We are a praying people.
We mourn over sin, and from sympathy with God.
We are a holy people, and would rather suffer than sin.
We cannot live without fellowship with God, or
  rest in any present attainments.
 
These are some of the characteristics of God's remnant,
  do we possess them?
 

Jesus, to thee we now would fly,

And on thy precious blood rely;

Find, through the conduct of thy grace,

That we’re among the chosen race.

 
James Smith 1849