A Goodly Heritage

"Hezekiah the king , and the prophet Isaiah , prayed and cried to heaven" (2Chron. 32  20) It was the indignity done to Jehovah that stirred these two holy men to the heart . Not that their lives , and the lives of their people , and the beautiful holy city , were in danger ; but that Sennacherib  spoke against the God of Jerusalem , as against the gods of the people of the earth , which were the works of the hands of man . Oh that we were possessed with a similar zeal  for God , so that we might look at sin as it affects Him , and lament over the awful wrongs which are continually being perpetrated against his holy nature ! What an argument this would give us in prayer!   This constitutes a special reason why we should plead for a revival of religion throughout our land . Men speak and act so shamelessly , as though God had abdicated his throne , and was hardly to be taken account of . They sin against Him , with so high a hand , and treat his laws with so much contumely .

"The King and all the people came weary , and refreshed themselves there" . 2 Samuel 16:14. A great weariness often falls on our souls . We are wearied because of the greatness of our way, and inclined to say that there is no hope . Memory tires us ,perpetually casting up the record of past unfaithfulness and transgressions . The bitter way of the natural consequences of sin is toilsome and difficult to the feet . We faint before the averted eye of former friends and the pitiless criticism of foes . Longings for a vanished past , for life and love , for purity and peace , grind heavily in the soul . Our King has known something of human weariness , though not from all the sources that cause it in his subjects .   But amidst our weariness the voice of God may be heard saying , "This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest, and this is the refreshing ,"  There is rest for weary souls beneath the shadow of the cross , in the sight of which the burden roll

All true believers are priests to God ; all having an equal title to draw near . The Jewish priest and the Christian priest have each their sacrifice , sanctuary , and guide - book as to worship . Leviticus was the guide book of the Jewish worshipper ; while 1 Corrinthians 11-14 and Hebrews form the guide and directory to the Christian worshipper . Our sacrifices as priests , are praise to God - the fruit of the lips touched by the live coal of judgement  - and practicl benevolence to man . (Heb13 . 15,16).  The former is referred to by Peter when he styles us a "holy priesthood "and the latter , when he regards us as a "royal priesthood "(1Peter 2 . 5-9)It is interesting to observe , that when the priesthood of all believers is directly reffered to , the high priesthood of our Lord is not mentioned at all as in 1 Peter and the Revelation . Judaism sent the worshipper of old to the priest ; Christianity reveals direct approach to God by Him i.e. the ever living prie

There is a fulness and a narrowness in the things of God which we do well to mark . The Gospel of the grace of God is for the world , and the gate is wide enough for all . The privileges and blessings of the House of God are only for the saints , and the door is therefore narrow . Let us remember this . It is an inversion of God's order , to restrict the Gospel to a few , and to admit the world to fill the children's place . There ought to be a distinctive line drawn in preaching the Word  between the children of God and the unconverted , and a right dividing of the word of truth , giving to each his portion . This has been fearfully set aside in Christendom . Mixed congregations of saints and sinners are frequently addressed and prayed for as "beloved brethren ,"and the "children's bread" is dealt out to all and several alike . The ungodly are made to believe that they are "inheritors of the Kingdom of God ,"and are thus hgardened in their gui

O for such a look of Christ as will scatter sin . O for such a discovery of His glory as will draw forth love to Him ! O for such a sight of Him as will never let the eye off from Him again  -  such a sight as would make us follow Him through good report and through bad report , through life and through death -  such a sight of Him as would as would lead us to seek to be with Him where He is , that we may behold His glory ! O for such a sight of the Lamb of God as would make it the soul's perpetual exercise ever to look ! O to have our sins washed away in His precious blood , our crimson stains that we may be whiter than the snow ! He took away sin  -  He died once for the expiation , but Oh ! the accomplishment is going on through ages of time , rolling on , the accomplishment of what He did , the application of it , the communication of pardon and purity and peace . Once for all He took away sins by expiation , but He is for ever taking away sins by the application . Look now , b

It is still true that many pass by the cross. To some it might be said , the cross is not your station ; it is only that which , being lifted up in public proclamation , you just glance at it and pass by . On Sunday you pass by it on the way to Monday. Your magnet is where business is done , not where Christ is exalted . You say that you "have no time for abstractions "that you are " men of common sense ,"that you must "attend the main chance ", that "you must live. "" I am not so sure of that "said Luther , when this last sentence was spoken to him , "but I am sure that you must die. " You poor man , at this moment making even Christ give way to some consideration that you regard as more pressing , Christ is at this moment saying to you , is My sorrow for you "nothing to you"?Is pardon nothing to you ? Is strength , is peace , is heaven , is eternity nothing to you? Scoffer , is Christ nothing to you? Backslider , n

Job. 5.  18. "He maketh sore and bindeth up; he woundeth , and his hands make whole " Has this been your experience lately ? Have you been made sore by the heavy scourge of pain , and wounded by the nails of the cross? Do not look at second causes . Men may have been instruments , but God is the agent . The cup has been presented by a Judas , but the Father permitted it ; and it is therefore the cup that the Father has given you to drink . Shall you not drink it ? How much he must love you , to dare to inflict this awful discipline , which makes your love and trust , that he values so infitely , tremble in the scale ! "despise not thou the chastening of the Lord , nor faint when thou art rebuked of him , and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth ."       So when the heart seems bleeding its life away , God is at work binding up and healing . Think of those dear and tender hands , that fashioned the heavens , and touched the eyes of the blind , as laid upon you to

Is it not astonishing that wego on repeating periodically ,"Try me ,O God !" while we are yet neglecting to try ourselves ?Is there not something more like defiance than devotion to invite the inspection of Omniscience to that heart which we ourselves neglect to inspect ? How can a Christian solemnly cry out to the Almighty , " Seek the ground of my heart , prove me , and examine my thoughts , and see if there be any way of wickedness in me ,"while he himself neglects to "examine his heart" , is afraid of "proving his thoughts ,"and dreads to inquire if "there be any way of wickedness "in himself , knowing that the inquiry ought to lead to the expulsion?    That self knowledge which teaches us humility , teaches us compassion also .The sick pity the sick . They sympathize with the disorder of which they feel the symptoms in themselves . Self knowledge also checks injustice , by establishing the equitable principle of showing the kindne

It is a mistake to suppose that the worldly enjoy their portion here , and that the disciples of Christ permit their religion to imbitter all the sweets of earth , postponing the prospect of enjoyment until they pass through the gates of the grave into a future and distant heaven . This is a mischievous error . Those who hope in Christ for the world to come , enjoy the world that now is because of that hope . The society of friends , the shelter of home , the sleep of night , the dawn of morning , the daily bread , the draught of cool water in the noon-day toil, all these things are sweeter to the man who has a better portion behind them than they are to the man who has nothing else. The disciples of Christ enjoy this life , moreover , as a field of useful labour . Work may be done here which cannot be done beyond the boundary of the present life . They who are bought with a price delight to serve the Lord who bought them ; and this is the place where the work of the kingdom must be do

Wait on the Lord , in this time of deadness and desertion ; for , though multitudes are perishing , and though the world is fast asleep , yet there are some , if not many , precious souls quietly and silently creeping into the kingdom of God , by the strait gate .And though noisy professors may be abusing the present outward circumstances of the church , to their own hindrance , and though the crowd of worldly men may sink yet deeper in their forgetfulness of God , use this season lawfully , and do not make a curse of what God intends for a blessing ; hide for a little moment safe under his wings from the fear of evil . Seek righteousness , seek meekness : it may be you shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger .

To dare to believe less , or pretend to understand more than God has expressly revealed is equally profane presumption . We should study to be wise , not above scripture , but in scripture , not in the things which God has concealed but what He has revealed

Take heed of unbelief . Unbelief is a great hindrance , for it is discourageing .When a Christian is working for heaven , unbelief whispers thus ,"To what purpose are all these pains ? I mght as well sit still . I may pray and not be heard  ; I may work and have no reward ; I may come near to heaven and yet miss it ." " And they said , there is no hope ."(Isaiah 57:10) Unbelief destroys hope ; and if you cut this sinew of religion , all violence for heaven ceases. Unbelief raises a cloud of despondency in the heart . "Alas , "says unbelief , "you will never be able to go through the work of religion . There are so many precepts to obey ; so many temptations to resist ; so many afflictions to bear , that you will fall under the burden . You will tire in you march to heaven."

Man must give his exertion , no doubt, but he must never lean upon it ; for that would be leaning on the the staff of a bruised reed . Now , prayer is or should be , the expression of human dependence upon God , the throwing ourselves upon His protecting wisdom and power and love . And therefore when our Saviour counsels us to unite prayer with watching , He counsels us to throw ourselves upon God , under a sense of our own weakness and insufficiency . And there is enough known respecting the difficulty of keeping the heart , to engender such a sense of weakness. The throng of thoughts which is continually passing in and out , how shall we dream of examining , trying , judgeing them all , except by a special divine interference in our behalf  ? Divine power can qualify a man for anything ; but nothing short of divine power can qualify him for a task so onerous as this . To God , then let us commit the keeping of our souls , in the most absolute self - distrust . And if this self - dist

The call of the gospel derives its power , even as an external invitation , from it being the call of God Himself , and not merely of our fellow men . It comes to us indeed from our fellow men , and it is accompanied with their earnest advice and entreaty to comply with it ; but if it is to warrant and encourage us to come to God as penitent sinners , trusting His mercy , we must have the assurance that it really expresses the mind and will of God Himself . Now , that which gives this assurance in connection call , is that work of the Holy Spirit which ic commonly called inspiration , the effect of which is , that we can regard the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the word of God written , and our infallible rule of faith and life .

When the real life of God enters the soul , it persists there . Genuine religion is shown by its persistence . Anything short of a God given faith will sooner or later fail . It may run well for a time , but its pace will inevitably slacken till it comes to an end . The youths faint and are weary , and the young men utterly fall . The seed sown on the rock springs up quickly , and as quickly dies down and perishes . But where there is a rooting andd grounding in God , there is a perpetuity and persistence which outlives all storms and survives all resistance . You shall hold on your way because Jesus holds you in His strong hand . He is your shepherd ; he has vanquished all your foes , and you shall never perish . You shall hold your way because the Father has designed through you to glorify the Son ; and there must be no gaps in his crown where jewels ought to be .  You will hold on your way because the Holy Spirit has deigned to make you His residence and home , and He is within you

"From that hour that disciple took her unto his own home ." John 19 . What Christ told him to do he did at once . What He tells you to do , do it at once . If you would take your orders from Mary herself , she refers you to Him , and says , " Whatsoever He saith to you , do it ." HE is the lawgiver . No one may give an order in His Church after He has spoken on the thing in question , His word  is the law final and decisive ; and every commandment of His , is a commandment with promise . "Whatsoever He saith , " do it at once . Why wait ? The essential truth will never be more true , the right never more right . You may , if you will , have help at once , wisdom at once , courage at once to obey Him at once , as John did .

We learn in this text what must be in the great day . When you pass from life without any part in Christ , you are not saved according to the covenant of grace , and God will not come out of His covenant to save those who despised His warning all the day of grace . When His own well beloved was bearing wrath for sin , when His own beloved cried ,"My God , my God, why hast thou forsaken me ?" so firm and sure was the covenant for the redemption of Christ's people , that it would not , could not yield to save Christ from suffering what was due to sin . Oh ye who , in a life of worldly ambition , cherish a vague hope that Christ will in the end be tender , and not visit you with wrath , I bid you reflect . Christ did not , Christ could not , contrary to the provisions of his covenant , save himself ; and he will not , cannot , contrary to the provisions of the covenant ,save you .

Look to the cross , disappointed soul. Did not Christ suffer more than you have ever done ?Look to Him , the Author and Finisher of  Faith , who instead of the joy set before Him , endured the cross , despising the shame . Consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself , lest you be wearied and faint in your mind . Besides , the cross stands for self - denial , self - sacrifice , self - giving . Learn so to renounce and to give thyself , that the hard lessons acquired in the school of sorrow may pass into action , and so into the experience of others . In addition , the cross was the way to the fathers bosom . When the cup had been drained to the dregs , and the perfect obedience finished , the Father bade the crucified one to sit with Him by His side .

All things in God's covenant and in his providence work together for good to his people . His anger apprehended conspires with other forces to make me hide in his love ; and the love in which I hide tastes more sweetly when I hear the echo of a vengeance that is past , still grumbling through the distant sky. "I will sing of mercy and judgement , " said one who well understood both . But if there were no judgement , there would be no song about mercy  ; there would be no mercy to sing about .

The word used by the Saviour on the cross , is the word that is applied to the scapegoat being sent away(Leviticus16 :10 .Septuagint ) On Calvary the very Sin - Offering Himself prayed for sinners , and prayed that their sin might be forth- given , as the scapegoat was forth - given ; and the first sinners who were thus prayed for were His own crucifiers . Let a great prince die for his friends , and we could never say enough about it ; soon the sacrifice would glow on the canvas , gleam in the white moonlight of the marble, and live on the page of history ; but here is the Son of God , the sinless lover of souls dying for His enemies ; and while He is dying for them  He is praying for them . Love on the cross ,through the cross , had a new right ; and this is its first exercise . Jesus begins to use His own cross by saving those who had nailed Him to it . Let no one despair after this !