A Goodly Heritage

 When we see a people enjoy the frequent cultivations of the gospel, and the means of spiritual fruitfulness, and yet few new trees of righteousness planted, and those that have been planted seemingly withering and unfruitful, we cannot but conclude that something is wanting: without which all the means they enjoy will be of no service. We should naturally turn our thoughts to an inquiry, what was wanting, had we tilled our lands from year to year without a crop. And since we find at present, that notwithstanding all the labours bestowed upon us, we lie in a deep sleep, and hardly know what it is of late to be animated with the news of some careless sinner here and there awakened to serious concern about his eternal state, it is high time to inquire what is wanting? There is certainly something wanting, which is of greater consequence than anything we have. Here are the gospel, and its ordinances, which at times have done great things, and sinners have yielded to their resistless energ

  2 Corinthians 12:15 E. Hurndall I.  A SPLENDID ILLUSTRATION OF CHRISTIAN SERVICE. The apostle is carried beyond the thought of giving some time, or strength, or property, for his beloved Corinthians; he expresses his perfect willingness  to give himself . He will not count it a grief, but a gladness, to  expend himself  for them. Whilst many find great difficulty in giving a little for others, the apostle seems to find none in giving all. Here we have: 1.   Whole-souled devotion . Nothing can transcend the apostle's offer. And the voluntariness and the joy of the devotion place it in the first rank of excellence. 2.   Earnest desire for welfare . The love of Paul for the Corinthians could not have been more forcibly expressed. Men gauge our love for them by what we are willing to give up for them; when we are willing  to give up ourselves  for them, they cannot but be convinced of our sincerity. 3.   Indication of the importance of Christian work . For nothing else in the world w

 Man, having lost his way through the fall, is now stumbling upon the dark mountains of vanity, in search of that treasure, which he never can find in earthly things. He needs to be happy. To obtain this blessing, he is willing to forego many present enjoyments. Some brave the billows of the ocean; others dare the cannon's mouth; multitudes rise early, and late take rest, and eat the bread of carefulness, in order to accumulate those golden stores, which they fondly hope will purchase happiness. Riches perchance increase, but cares and vexatious anxieties grow up together with them. Happiness, like a flying phantom, still eludes their eager grasp, until, compelled at length to give up the chase, they exclaim with Solomon, "All is vanity and vexation of spirit." Here we may ask, why is man thus restless after an imaginary good? why does every possession lose its value, and every enjoyment its zest, while that certain something, still desired, yet unpossessed, fastens on th

 ON THE TWO WAYS "Unto this people you shall say, thus says the Lord: behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death." (Jer. xxi, 8.) These important words were spoken to the Jews, when the king of Babylon was drawing near to besiege the city of Jerusalem. Those who went to the Chaldeansshould find the way of life; while those who remained in the city should be in the way of death. But these expressive words may be addressed to all, in every age; and more especially to those who live in Gospel times. The commission given by our Lord to his apostles, just before his ascension into heaven, speaks the same language: "Go into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature; he that believes, and isbaptized, shall be saved; and he that believes not, shall be damned." Thus, faith in Jesus is the way of life; rejection of him is the way of death. The Gospel, therefore, sets before us life and death. Hence, John says, "he that has the Son, has lif

 "I will give thee the treasures of darkness." Isaiah 45:3 Is not this a strange expression? "Treasures of darkness!" How can there be darkness in the City of Salvation of which the Lord the Lamb is the eternal light? The expression does not mean that the treasures themselves are darkness, but that they were hidden in darkness till they were brought to light. The treasures of Belshazzar, like the Bank bullion, were buried in darkness till they were broken up and given to Cyrus. It is so in a spiritual sense. Are there not treasures in the Lord Jesus? Oh! what treasures of grace in his glorious Person! What treasures of pardon in his precious blood! What treasures of righteousness in his perfect obedience! What treasures of salvation in all that he is and has as the great High Priest over the house of God! Yet, all these treasures are "treasures of darkness," so far as they are hidden from our eyes and hearts, till we are brought by his special power into t

 How great a trust and charge lies upon them to whom the care of souls is committed, and from whom an account for other men's, as well as their own souls shall certainly be required? Ministers are appointed of God to watch for the souls of their people, and that as men that must give an account, Heb. xiii. 17. The word here translated watch, signifies such watchfulness as that of shepherds who keep their flocks by night in places infested by wolves, and watch whole nights together for their safety. If a man were a keeper only of sheep and swine, it were no great matter if the wolf now and then carried away one while he slept; but ministers have charge of souls, one of which, as Christ assures us in the text, is more worth than the whole world. Hear what one speaks upon this point. "God purchased the church with his own blood: O what an argument is here to quicken the negligent! And what an argument to condemn those that will not be quickened up to their duty by it! O, says one

Isaiah 40:31 W.M. Statham They that wait upon the Lord. Here we have revealed to us the secret of the soul's renewed energy. It is open to  all.  We are thus "changed men," for the Hebrew word here, "to renew," means "to change." Experiences like these alter alike character and countenance. God restores unto us the joy of his anointed. I.  A DIVINE PROMISE. Written in the book of inspiration? Yes; and embodied in the experience of a great multitude of souls. So attest the men of old, like Daniel and Nehemiah, who had each religious work to do in pagan courts. And s., also must we. No philosophy of prayer may be possible to us, save that best of all philosophies, the philosophy of experience. And this we cannot set aside. As the Bible is its own best evidence concerning its inspiration, so is prayer its own best argument. They that wait upon the Lord, in every age, whether in the patriarchy, the theocracy, or the Christian age,  have  renewed their stre

Psalm 147:3 R. Tuck It takes a brave soul to bear all this so grandly, said a tender-hearted doctor, stooping over his suffering patient. She lifted her heavy eyelids, and, looking into the doctor's face, replied, "It is not the brave soul at all; God does it all for me." "He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds." The second clause of this sentence may but repeat the first with a slight variety, according to the Hebrew fashion of composition which we have had several times to observe. But we may meditatively recognize a distinction between the clauses, referring the first to the heart-sphere, and the second to the bodily. I.  MAN'S SUFFERINGS BELONG TO TWO SPHERES. Answering to man as a dual being. He's a spirit. He  has  a body. So he has the possibility of suffering in the spirit that he  is  and in the body that he has. Bodily  wounds  bring before us the whole sphere of sufferings which relate to the bodily organization and relati

 How often is a people outwardly reformed! Instead of Sabbath breaking there is Sabbath observance; instead of drunkenness, sobriety; the form of godliness, but none of the power; the bones, and sinews, and flesh, and skin of godliness, but none of the living breath of godliness. Ah! my friends, is not this just the way with our congregations at this day; abundance of head knowledge, but, ah! where is the lowly heart that loves the Saviour? Abundance of orthodoxy and argument, but, ah! where is the simple faith in the Lord Jesus, and love to all the saints? Does not the Saviour say when he looks down on our Churches; "There is no breath in them f* Oh! then, brethren, let us one and all give heed to the second command to the prophet: "Prophesy unto the Spirit, son of man; say, Come from the four winds, O Spirit, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exce

 The perfect and everlasting happiness of heaven is an object of the righteous man's hope in death. He hopes to drop all his sins, and their attendant train of sorrows, behind him; and to be perfectly holy, and consequently happy, for ever. He hopes to see his God and Saviour, and to spend a happy eternity in society with him, and in his service. He hopes to join the company of angels, and of his fellow-saints of the human race. He hopes to improve in knowledge, in holiness, and in capacities for action and enjoyment, in an endless gradation. He hopes to see the face of his God in righteousness; and to be satisfied, when he awakes, with his image. Pf. xvii. 15. In short, he hopes to be as happy as his nature will possibly admit through an endless duration. Oh, what a glorious hope is this! This has made many a soul welcome death with open arms. This has made them desirous to be with Christ, which is far better. Phil. i. 23. And this has sweetly swallowed up the sensations of bodily

   THE CHURCH'S SAFETY HAS EVER BEEN, IS NOW, AND EVER WILL BE, IN CHRIST. This no believer will doubt. To all human appearance  asleep , he hastily responds to the cry of prayer, of fear, and desire. The Church to-day is as truly safe in the midst of her many dangers as in that night when the whole Church and the Lord thereof were in that one fishing-boat, when all seemed to be risked, and men accustomed to the sea cried, being fearful, "We perish." Up out of the evils of this stormy life will he lift his own by the miracles of his supremacy. His sweet, calm voice will yet be heard above "the raging of the sea and the tumult of the people," above strife and war and cruel hate, above ignorance, and sin, and sorrow, and pain. Even to evil he will say, "Peace, be still." So that unto him whom winds and seas obey shall be glory and honor from the quiet spirits of his whole Church for evermore. - R. Green

 Sometimes the Lord manifests his glory to his people at their dying. And it is then very desire able. Old Simeon had a gracious promise, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. He ch used a sweet season of dying, when the promise was fulfilled, and when he had Christ in his arms, and faith and love in his heart bursting out into a song, Luke ii. 27,—29. The first martyr, Stephen, died happily; he died witnessing for Christ: and Christ witnessed for him, when the martyr said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God, Acts vii. 55, 56. This was better than Moses's dying, xxxii. 49, SO. and xxxiv. 1,-5. It was a strange journey and call, Go up and die, and only take a view of the land that he must not enter into. He saw the land of Canaan, and that was all: but he saw by faith the true Canaan, and entered into it; and there abide still; save one errand Moses was sent upon with Elias, to wait on their Master

Psalm 84:1 R. Tuck We may not find Davidic associations with this psalm. It was composed by one of the musically gifted family known as the "sons of Korah;" and may be compared with  Psalm 42 ., 44. They were a family of Levites whose inheritance lay on the eastern side of the Jordan. "Dwelling on the other side of Jordan, it was often impossible for them to reach Jerusalem. When the river swelled and rose with the melting snows of winter, or with the heavy tropical rains which fell on the northern hills and mountains, the fords of the Jordan became impassable; and the sons of Korah, even though their turn of duty had come round, were unable to go up to the house of the Lord. So, too, when the armies of Assyria, or some other foe, were encamped round the city, and no Hebrew was permitted to pass the line of siege, they were shut out from the worship of the temple through all the summer months. Many, if not most, of their psalms appear to have been composed at such times

W. Jay. I.  WHAT GOD IS. 1.  A "sun." His people are not strangers to happiness, and they derive it all from Him. 2.  A "shield" — always at hand, impenetrable by any weapons, capacious, encompassing, adequate. II.  WHAT GOD GIVES. 1.  Grace — Divine assistance and influence, springing from the free favour of God. It is often expressed plurally: we hear of the graces of the Holy Spirit. When it regards truth, we call it faith; — a future good, hope;-trouble, patience. 2.  Glory. This denotes splendour, fame, excellency displayed; and the sacred writers apply it by way of distinction to the transcendent dignity and sublime happiness reserved in heaven for the righteous. III.  And what does He WITHHOLD? "NO GOOD THING." — O how full and comprehensive is the language of promise! 1.  Behold in it the grandeur of His possessions. He who engages to withhold no good thing must have all good things at His disposal. 2.  Behold in this promise the wonders of His lib

 Our Saviour pronounceth a woe to the rich and full, 'to those that laugh now, for they shall weep and mourn :' their false deceitful felicity, will end in real misery. It is St. Austin's question, who would not prefer grief with a sober mind, before the jollity of a phrenzy ? Who would be a merry madman? for he is only happy in his fancy, and fancies himself so, only because he is distracted: and according to the rules of true wisdom, the worst estate of a saint, when lamenting and languishing under troubles, is more eligible than the best estate of a sinner, when triumphing in prosperity. William Bates

"A man's pride shall bring him low." Proverbs 29:23 Religious Pride.  Some are as blind as Laodicea, and know it not (Rev. 3:17). As ignorance blinds the mind, so pride is a blind before their ignorance, that they know it not. These have such a high opinion of themselves, that they take it ill that any should suspect them as such. These of all men, are most out of the way to knowledge; they are too good to learn from others, as they think, and too bad to be taught of God. The gate into Christ's school is low, and these cannot stoop. The Master Himself is so humble and lowly that He will not teach a  proud scholar . Ah, poor creatures, what a sad change have they made, to leave the word, which can no more deceive them than God Himself to trust the guidance of themselves to themselves.  "He who is his own teacher," says Bernard, "is sure to have a fool for a master." Never are you less holy, than when puffed up with the conceit of it. "Behold, h