A Goodly Heritage

J. H. Cooke. Whatever may have been the period when this psalm was written, it is a remarkable fact that it has been suitable for every age, from the days of the Judges until now, and been found expressive of the prayer and outlook of the people of the Lord. Failure has ever attended the ecclesiastical systems of earth. The theocracy which Joshua left was soon in ruins. The magnificent and well-ordered temple ritual organized by David and established by Solomon did not continue in its glory for one generation. Again and again it was restored by reforms, but grew worse and worse till the Lord Christ came. Then followed the Christian Church; but as that slowly rose into power it became a degenerate vine, and Catholicism grew to be such a curse that one-third of the Christian world rose in open protest, and the revolt of another third was stifled with blood. Then came the Reformed Churches. For a while they flourish, but full soon when the Master looks for fruit they bring forth wild grap

 We must pray with attention. God listens to the voice of the heart, not to that of the lips. Our whole heart must be engaged in prayer. It must be concentrated upon what it prays for; and every human object must disappear from our minds. To whom should we speak with attention, if not to God? Can He demand less of us than that we should think of what we say to Him? Dare we hope that He will listen to us and think of us, when we forget ourselves in the midst of our prayers? This attention to prayer, which it is so just to exact from Christians, may be practised with less difficulty than we imagine. It is true that the most faithful souls suffer from occasional involuntary distractions. They cannot always control their imaginations, and, in the silence of their spirits, enter into the presence of God. But these unbidden wanderings of the mind ought not to trouble us; and they may conduce to our perfection even more than the most sublime and affecting prayers, if we earnestly strive to ov

  1.   What friend can we find so disinterested as Christ? Without disinterestedness, friendship is a mockery. The man who loves me for some selfish end is not my friend — he is his own. A friend is one who loves my soul, loves me for myself, and would love me forever! He does not love me for what I have, but for what I am. So Jesus loves us. He came to demonstrate His friendship towards us when we were enemies. 2.  When shall we find a friend so able as Christ? The love of an earthly friend, however sincere, is often impotent; but there is a Friend sticking closer than a brother," who knows no perplexity of ours which He cannot resolve — no conflict which He cannot comprehend and sustain under — no tempestuous surges to which He cannot speak the word — "Peace be still" — no extremity of poverty, or desolation, or bereavement, to which He cannot say, "Weep not," and the tear shall be staunched. With Christ. as my Friend, if I have the universe for my foes, I sm

God is the author of righteousness, and Jesus is the Son of God, because He gives the method and secret by which alone righteousness is possible, And that He does give this, we can verify from experience. It is so I try, and you will find it to be so! Try all the ways to righteousness you can think of, and you will find no way brings you to it except the way of Jesus, but that this way does bring you to it. This is a thing that can prove itself, if it is so; and it will prove itself, because it is so. ( Matthew Arnold. )

I.  THERE IS NO MERIT FOR OUR ACCEPTANCE WITH GOD. "There is none righteous, no, not one." "By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight." But in Christ there is all-sufficient merit. Believing in Him, we are justified and accepted. Not through His merit together with what we ourselves can do. Dr. Chalmers', when awakened to his condition as a sinner, for a time "repaired to the atonement to eke out his deficiencies, and as the ground of assurance that God would look upon him with a propitious eye." But the conviction was at length "wrought in him that he had been attempting an impossibility...that it must be either on his own merits wholly, or on Christ's merits wholly, that he must lean; and that, by introducing his own righteousness into the ground of his meritorious acceptance with God, 'he had been inserting a flaw, he had been importing a falsehood into the very principle of his justification.'" II.

 Use and improve this representation of God in Christ. It is our greatest privilege to have it; and our greatest care and diligence should be used in the improvement of it; and our greatest profit comes to us by that improvement. This I would insist upon in these particulars :— 1. Improve this representation of God in Christ for fixing and determining your spirits, in all your thoughts of God. There must be thoughts of God. His people are called thinkers on his name, Mai. iii. 16. On the contrary, of the wicked it is said, Psalm x. 4. God is not in all his thoughts. There are two thoughts about God in Christ, that I am afraid some deceive themselves by. 1. Some think that they do know God in Christ, when they know that Christ is God. This is indeed absolutely needful to salvation. But it is not all. A notional assent unto this truth, that shine so brightly in every page of the New Testament, may be in an ungodly man. The devil knows, and believes it, Mark v. 7.; and he only puts a wick

 When our first parents had sinned, and were ashamed of themselves, and afraid of God, and ignorantly thought to hide themselves from him, he calls them to his bar, arraigns them for their sin; and when they had no reason to expect any thing but present judgment and execution, instead of that, the Lord, in a threatening against the serpent, brings forth the first promise of salvation by Jesus Christ, called there the seed of the woman; who, though he should suffer by the serpent, should yet bruise his head, Gen. iii. IS. In the faith of this, and it may be of other explanations of it not recorded, the believing fathers before the flood lived and died. And Abel and Enoch are noted, Heb. xi. 4, 5. the one a martyr, the other translated to heaven. And Noah, before, in, and after the flood, vet. 7. is called an heir of the righteousness which is by faith: which none but a believer is. Robert Traill

 Man, in his ignorance and sinfulness, first thinks that God is such an one as himself, Psal. l. 21.; and then thinks any representation of God may serve. And indeed the meanest creeping thing is an image too good for such a god. A god altogether like a sinner, is no other than the god of this world, the devil, 2 Cor. iv. 4. See the first gross idolatry among Israel in the wilderness, Exodus. xxxii. They had heard the fiery law proclaimed dreadfully, but about forty days before; and idolatry specially prohibited and threatened in that law: yet they had hardly the dread of that voice out of their ears, before their hearts are turned aside, their hands busied in making an idol, and they on their knees worshipping it. In vet. 1. they say, Up, and make us gods to go before us. What a poor god is he that is of man's making? Robert Traill

 Christ's presence, and his people's beholding of his glory, go still together. So it is on earth, so it is in heaven. When is it that a man begins to see any of Christ's glory, but when he is drawn to Christ? when Christ draws near to him, and manifests himself to him? Time was when Paul saw nothing of Christ's glory; he heard of him, and hated him, and persecuted him: but all this was from his ignorance and unbelief, I Tim. i. 13. When he was first charged by 'Christ for his evil way, Acts ix. 4, 5. no wonder that his first word was, Who art thou, Lord? "I do not know thee, "I never knew that I did thee any wrong." But when once Christ reveals himself unto him, immediately he saw Christ's glory, and made it his all. So it is with all natural men, till Christ draw near to them, and bring them near to him saving: Christ hath no form nor comeliness; and when they see (or hear of) him, there is no beauty that they should desire him} Isa. l iii. 2. T

 Take heed unto thyself. Wouldst thou be a saved and - successful minister? Take heed unto thyself. Such warnings imply always a case of difficulty and danger wherein he is that gets them. Take heed unto thyself in these things: 1st, Take heed that thou be a sound and sincere believer. The importance of sincere godliness in a minister, is written in the deep wounds that the church of,Christ hath received by the hands of ungodly ministers. It hath been made a question, "Whether an ungodly man can be a minister? but it is none, that, such men are in a most desperate condition: Matt h. vii, 22, 23. Depart from me; not because you ran unsent, or preached error instead of truth, or preached poorly and meanly, (all great sins in themselves); but because you work iniquity; the usual expression of entire ungodliness. What use the Lord may make of the gifts (for great gifts he gives to the worst of men) of ungodly men, even in the ministry of the gospel, is one of his deep paths. But no ma

sickness helps  to try men’s religion , of what sort it is.  There are not many on earth who have no religion at all. Yet few have a religion that will bear inspection. Most are content with traditions received from their fathers, and can render no reason of the hope that is in them. Now disease is sometimes most useful to a man in exposing the utter worthlessness of his soul’s foundation. It often shows him that he has nothing solid under his feet, and nothing firm under his hand. It makes him find out that, although he may have had a form of religion, he has been all his life worshipping "an unknown God." Many a creed looks well on the smooth waters of health, which turns out utterly unsound and useless on the rough waves of the sick bed. The storms of winter often bring out the defects in a man’s dwelling, and sickness often exposes the gracelessness of a man’s soul. Surely anything that makes us find out the real character of our faith is a good. I do not say that sicknes

  Abundant mercy." Everything must start from that. Our first cry must be, "God be merciful to me, a sinner." God's mercy is abundant wherever you see it. You see mercy in nature and in providence, but in Christ it seems to overflow its banks. 2.  The new birth. If we are to enjoy heaven we must be born again, have new tastes. 3.  A living hope. This irradiates all the future. Earthly hopes are dying hopes. The most that the worldly man can say is, "while I breathe I hope." But the Christian's hope is not crushed by death; it is a living hope in that He gives me life. See yonder swimmer tossed about by the waves; he is sinking, but at last they see him; a boat puts off; the cry is raised from the pier head; the rescuers are on their way; he lifts himself once more, he sees the boat sweeping towards him; he has a living hope; he struggles a little longer, until the rescuers are able to pull him into the boat. So it is with our hope; living hope inspires

1.  There was blood in Christ; He took the true nature of His brethren that He might serve and satisfy God in the same nature that had offended. 2.  This blood was shed. If you ask, who shed it? I answer, Judas by selling it; the priests by advising it; the people by consenting to it; Pilate by decreeing it; the soldiers by effecting it; Christ Himself by permitting it, and after presenting it to God ( Hebrews 9:14 ), our sins, that chiefly caused it. 3.  It is not enough that the blood of Christ be shed unless it be applied also, which the word "sprinkling" notes. 4.  This effusion of blood was solemnly pre figured or foretold by the sacrifices of the law. For this word "sprinkled" is a metaphor borrowed from the legal sprinkling, which shows us two things.(1) The great account that God and good men make of it in that it was so solemnly and anciently typed out.(2) That the ceremonies of that Law are now abolished, seeing we have the true sprinkling of the blood. 5.

. When obedience to God is expressed by the simple absolute name of obedience, it teacheth us that to Him alone belongs unlimited obedience, all obedience by all creatures. It is the shame and misery of man that he hath departed from this obedience; but grace, renewing the hearts of believers, changeth their natures and so their names, and makes them "children of obedience." This obedience consists in receiving Christ as our Redeemer, Lord, and King. There is an entire rendering up of the whole man to his obedience. "By obedience" sanctification is here intimated. It signifies then both habitual and active obedience, renovation of heart, and conformity to the Divine will. This obedience, though imperfect, is universal in three ways — in the subject, in the object, in the duration, the whole man is subjected to the whole law, and that constantly and perseveringly. The first universality is the cause of the other. Because it is not in the tongue alone or in the hand,

  Jesus calls Himself first, "the Rose of Sharon," and then, "the Lily of the Valleys." Let us consider what He means. I.  THE ROSE OF SHARON. Of all the flowers that God has made, the rose, take it all in all, is the loveliest and the sweetest. It has three things in perfection — shape, colour, and fragrance. Indeed, we may call it the queen of flowers. Now, it is in its sweetness especially that the rose reminds me of the Lord Jesus Christ. His character was marked not only by manliness, but also with what we may call "sweetness," for he had all the firmness of a man and all the tenderness of a woman. I will give you another reason for the comparison of Christ to a rose. The rose is the most common as well as the most beautiful of all the flowers. You find it wherever you go, — in all countries and in all places. In fact, it is the universal flower: it belongs to everybody. And in this respect it resembles Christ, for Christ is the common property of all

R. M. McCheyne. I.  WHEN CHRIST IS AWAY FROM THE SOUL OF THE BELIEVER, HE SITS ALONE. Whatever he the mountains of Bether that have come between his soul and Christ — whether he hath been seduced into his old sins that "his iniquities have separated again between him and his God, and his sins have hid his face from Him, that He will not hear "for whether the Saviour hath withdrawn for a season the comfortable light of His presence for the mere trial of His servant's faith, to see if, when he "walketh in darkness and hath no light, he will still trust in the name of the Lord, and stay himself upon his God" — whatever the mountains of separation be, it is the sure mark of the believer that he sits desolate and alone. He cannot laugh away his heavy care, as worldly men can do. He cannot drown it in the bowl of intemperance, as poor blinded men can do. Even the innocent intercourse of human friendship brings no balm to his wound — nay, even fellowship with the child

  The bright side of a minister's life T. De Witt Talmage, D. D. A minister has many discouragements, disappointments and pains, as had Paul, but taking his work as a whole there is no profession that will bear comparison with it in bringing peace and joy. There is — I.  THE JOY OF INTERESTING WORK. 1.  His studies are interesting — his books and the literature of human life. 2.  So is his practical work. His heart and hand are ever appealed to for sympathy and help. There are the bereaved to be comforted, fallen to be uplifted, young to be counselled, and a thousand charities to be practised in the name of Christ. A man entering the ministry with the right spirit will find perpetual exhilaration in the work. To enter the harvest field where the grain is ripe, and the sheaves are coming towards the garner — that is life for the body, inspiration for the mind, rapture for the soul; and if there is an occupation that yields such mighty satisfaction in all the world I have never heard

 . (And it is a sad thing if people cannot their own name in no part of this prayer): And I have given unto them the words which thou gave st me. Search if Christ hath given you any of his words. He hath the tongue of the learned from the Father, Isa. 1. 4. and Set it on all he save. We are saved by words; not by the words which men speak, but which Christ speaks: John vi. 68. Lord, to .whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. So here Christ saith, "I have given them these words of love, and "life, and power." Hath Christ at no time spoke to your heart, so as you have been made to say, This is the voice of my beloved; as Cant. ii. 8.? Men must hear Christ's voice, before they open the door to him, Rev. iii. 20. His vo

  Rejoicing in God I.  GOD WHO REQUIRES HIS PEOPLE TO REJOICE AFFORDS THEM AMPLE REASON FOR DOING SO: HENCE THE REQUIREMENT IS REASONABLE AND PRACTICABLE. The Christian is not required to rejoice in nothing or in an inadequate cause: but in the Lord all-sufficient. II.  THERE EXISTS EQUAL REASON WHY THE CHRISTIAN SHOULD REJOICE IN GOD AT ALL TIMES AS AT ANY TIME. The cause is uniform, so should be the effect. If God ceased to be his friend then he might cease to rejoice, but not otherwise ( Habakkuk 3:17-18 ). III.  JOY AND SORROW IN THE SAME HEART AND AT THE SAME TIME ARE PERFECTLY COMPATIBLE. There may exist contemporaneously reasons for both sorrow and joy. "Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing." When we are commanded to rejoice always it is not meant that we should rejoice only. IV.  IN THE CASE OF THE CHRISTIAN THE CAUSES OF JOY ALWAYS PREDOMINATE OVER THOSE OF SORROW. Not so with the sinner. A saint may lose a part of his possessions: but the larger part he cannot lose. V.