Saturday, November 30, 2024

REMEMBER HOW HE SPAKE UNTO YOU.


Remember how he spake unto you.
Luke 24:6

 
SO said the angels to the women at the sepulchre,
  on the resurrection morning: and
  the words are applicable to us,
  for we are apt to forget his words.
 
The words of Jesus ought to have the best place
  in our memories,
  on account of their intrinsic value,
  no words like the words of Jesus,
  which exhibit the nature, will, and promises of God.
 
On account of their veracity,
  they are truth, the truth itself.
On account of their suitability to check sin,
  control fears, produce confidence,
  inspired with gratitude, and fill us with love.
 
Also on account of the use they will be to us for daily trials,
  on the bed of sickness, and at the hour of death.
 
Let us treasure up the words of Jesus carefully,
  diligently, and with much prayer.
 
The word of Jesus should be remembered,
  to direct our way,
  to rule our expectations,
  to comfort our hearts,
  to answer our enemies,
  to regulate our zeal,
  to feed and support our faith,
    and to inflame our love.
 
Are our memories stored with Christ words?
 
Do we meditate upon them?
 
Do we walk by them?
 
Remember how he spoke against sin, to the sinner,
  and on behalf of holiness.
 
O may these heavenly pages be
   My ever dear delight;
And still now beauties may I see
  And still increasing light!
 
James Smith 1849

Friday, November 29, 2024

TO BE WITH CHRIST IS FAR BETTER.

 

To be with Christ is far better.
Philippians 1:23

 
THE presence of Christ here, is our chief joy,
  but we only enjoy it occasionally,
  and for a short season.
 
Something soon interferes and disturbs our enjoyment,
  but in heaven we shall enjoy his face continually.
 
We all acknowledge that to be with Christ in glory,
  is far better than to be toiling, sorrowing,
  and conflicting here below;
  but when we think of departing,
  the doubt creeps over the mind, and
  the suggestion is thrown in,
“If you should find yourself mistaken.
If you should have been deceived.
If instead of ascending to heaven,
  you should be thrust down to hell.”
 
This is painful,
  because there is generally a disposition to encourage fear,
  yield to gloom, and indulge suspicion.
 
But can the word of God fail?
 
Can the God of truth lie?
 
It is impossible!
 
And is it not said, “He that believeth shall be saved?
 
Do we not believe?
 
Have we not renounced everything within us,
  and without us, to trust to the Lord Jesus Christ alone?
 
How then can we be deceived?
 
Let us resist Satan.
Let us reject such insinuations.
Let us encourage hope, and
  look forward to the death as simply
  as departing to be with Christ, which is far better.
 
Where Jesus dwells my soul would be,
I long my much loved Lord to see;
Earth twine no more about my heart!
For ‘tis far better to depart.
 
James Smith 1849

Thursday, November 28, 2024

I WILL GO UNTO GOD MY EXCEEDING JOY.

 
 

I will go unto God my exceeding joy.
Psalm 43:4
 

THE presence of God is terrible to the sinner,
  but it is the joy and delight of the Saint.
 
When our minds are renewed,
  when our hearts are regenerated,
  when we behold the glory of God
    in the face of Jesus Christ,
  he becomes our exceeding joy.
 
Then we see the beauty of his perfections,
  the excellency of his character, and
  the glory of his salvation.
 
We perceive that he is at peace with us,
  that his heart glows with love to us,
  that he rejoices to confer favours upon us, and
  that he will withhold no good thing from us.
 
The pardon he imparts,
  the righteousness he bestows,
  the peace he confers, and
  the prospects he unfolds,
  unite to fill our hearts with love to him, and
  cause our heart to overflow with joy.
 
He is seen to be the source of all real good,
  the centre of all that is admirable and excellent, and
  we rejoice in him with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
 
Beloved, is God your joy, your exceeding joy?
 
Can you go to him as such, and
  ask him to make you happy in his love?
 
In all times of gloom,
  in all seasons of sorrow,
  in all circumstances of trial,
  let us bear in mind that our God is our exceeding joy.
 
He shines, and I am all delight,
He hides, and all is pain;
When will he fix me in his sight
And never depart again.
 
James Smith 1849

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

REDEEMING THE TIME.

 

Redeeming the time.
Ephesians 5;16

 
TIME is short, and our continuance here is very uncertain.
 
We have a work to perform, and
  we should attend to it at once.
We have blessings to secure, and
  we should never rest until we possess them.
 
But the apostle has his eye on usefulness.
 
He refers to opportunities for doing good,
  which in persecuting times and
  under heathen governors,
  were comparatively few.
 
He says therefore, “Buy up the opportunity.”
It may cost much, but buy it.
 
Purchase it for God's work,
  then consecrate it to God's service.
Use it to God's glory.
 
There will be many temptations to let it slip, or
  to waste it, but improve it for important purposes.
 
Use time, so that you can reflect upon it with pleasure.
Use it, as an introduction to, and preparation for, eternity.
Use it as you will wish you had, when you come upon 
   your dying pillow.
 
Brethren, the time is short.
 
Our opportunities for doing good are fast passing away.
The grave will soon close upon us, and
  eternity reveal all it wonders.
 
Unless we work now,
  we never can, for the night cometh.
 
Let us therefore redeem the time, and
  let us approach our God, saying,--
 
Thanks for mercies past receive,
Pardon of our sins renew;
Teach us henceforth how to live
With eternity in view.
 
James Smith 1849


Monday, November 25, 2024

I WILL NOT LET THEE GO,

 
NOVEMBER 24.
 

I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
Genesis 32:26

 
IMMINENT danger made Jacob importunate, he wrested,
  or wept and made supplication, until he prevailed.
He wanted a blessing.
He sought the blessing.
He could not be satisfied without the blessing.
He obtained the blessing.
 
Here is our example.
 
God is never backward to give,
  but he will try our sincerity.
 
He will prove if we are really in earnest.
 
He will have us persevere in prayer, and
  then he will grant our request.
 
Jacob’s name was changed,
  he was no longer to be called Jacob, or
  a supplanter; but Isreal, a mighty prince.
 
This was his memorial.
It was a token of approbation.
It was a mark of honour.
 
Beloved, is there not some blessing that we need,
  for ourselves, our families, or others?
 
Is the blessing promised, or
  is God in the habit of bestowing it?
 
If so, let us seek it.
 
Let us go to God first as Jacob did,
  let us wrestle as he did, and
  we shall prevail as he did,
  for our God is the same, and
  we have a greater encouragement that Jacob had.
 
True prayer will perform wonders.
 
The fervent effectual prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
 
Hence one has said, ==
 
I found to my experience glad,
That in the wrestling way,
The God of Jacob never said
The seed of Israel nay.
 
James Smith 1849

Sunday, November 24, 2024

THOU HAST LOVED THEM, AS THOU HAST LOVED ME

 

Thou hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
John 17:23
 

THUS pleaded Jesus with his Father,
  when praying for the perfect union of his church.
 
How truly wonderful !
 
The Father loves Jesus.
 
He ever loved him.
 
He ever will love him.
 
Because he loved him he gave all things into his hands,
  showed him all things which himself did, and
  glorified him with himself.
 
God loves us because he loved Jesus,
  who is our head and representative.
 
He loves us as he loves Jesus;
  not equally, but similarly.
 
His love to us was eternal, tender, and unchangeable;
  as his love to Jesus was.
 
He loves us as his children,
  as being his image.
 
He loves us, and therefore he bestows grace, gifts, and
  glory upon us.

He loves us, and therefore assist us, accepts us, and
  will reward us by and by.
 
Beloved, if God thus loved us,
  it calls upon us to be a patient under all his dealings,
  even as Jesus was patient;
  the very thought should impact and comfort under all
  our trials, toils, and sorrows;
  we are to exercise confidence in God at all seasons;
  for what can he deny us,
  if he loved us as he does his only begotten son.
 
He ever did love us freely, and
  nothing shall alienate his love from us.
 
Although the Lord of earth and sky
Knew what we all should prove,
He on the Saviors kept his eye,
And rested in his love.
 
James Smith 1849

Saturday, November 23, 2024

THOU HAST ALSO WROUGHT ALL OUR WORKS IN US.

 

 

Thou hast also wrought all our works in us.
Isaiah 26:12

 
ALL that is really good comes from God.
 
If we have a good desire, God produced it;
  if we have a good hope, God gave it;
  if we have a good work, God wrought it.
 
It is God that worketh in us to will and
  to do his own good pleasure.
 
What then have we to be proud of?
 
What ground have we to boast?
 
Surely of all creatures, believers ought
  to be the most humble.
They are clothed with another's robe;
  they live upon another’s bread;
  they dwell in another's house;
  they are guided by another's hand;
  they work in another’s strength; and
  if they would obtain any good thing from God,
    they must go in another's name.
 
Real religion is altogether divine.
 
God is it's author and the glory of God is its end.
 
This should not make us despond,
  but it should make us dependent.
 
It should not cast us down,
  but it should fill us with gratitude.
 
We as much need the constant work
  of the Holy Spirit within us,
  as we need the constant intercession
    of Jesus for us.
 
Let us therefore ascribe all the good
  that is in within us, or that is done by us,
  to God as its proper Author.
 
Good and gracious God! --
 
Thou all our works in us hath wrought;
Our good is all divine;
The praise of every holy thought
And righteous work is thine.
 
James Smith 1849

Friday, November 22, 2024

YE CANNOT DO THE THINGS THAT YE WOULD


Ye cannot do the things that ye would.
Galatians 5:17

 
HUMBLING consideration this!
 
But depravity has weakened,
  as well as perverted all our powers.
 
Once we had no will to do good;
  now we have the will, but often want the power.
 
The flesh lust, and strives against the spirit;
  Satan assists the flesh in the conflict,
  therefore we are often foiled, and
   fail to accomplish our object.
 
We would abstain from all sin,
  but we cannot.
We would bring every sinner to know Jesus,
  but we cannot.
We would daily repent, always believe, and
  invariably love, but we cannot.
 
This is our infirmity, but,
  as it was produced by sin,
  it ought to be our grief.
 
It is a mercy to have the will, for,
  if we have the will now,
  we shall have the power by and by.
 
Our weaknesses ought not to discourage us;
  nor ought we ever to plead our feebleness
  as an excuse for the neglect of, or failure in duty.
 
But we ought to cleave the more closely to Jesus,
  pray the more earnestly for the power of the Holy Spirit,
  mourn over our shortcomings before God, and
  long for the time when we shall be able and
  willing to do every thing which God requires of us.
 
O Lord, assist me through the fight,
My drooping spirits raise;
Make me triumphant in thy might,
And thine shall be the praise.
 
James Smith 1849

Thursday, November 21, 2024

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

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

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

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

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

Monday, November 18, 2024

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
 

Saturday, November 16, 2024

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

Friday, November 15, 2024

 

 
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