There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Why should my passions mix with earth, I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. Job xlii. 6. I am meek and lowly in heart. Matt. xi. 29. Behold thy thee; he is just and lowly. King cometh unto My dear reader, reflect a moment who it was that made this confession, and consider the many excellencies that he had. See Job xxxi. Doubtless you will be ready to ask, Why this self-abhorrence? What did this man want?-Let me give the answer for you: before his eyes were opened, he wanted humility, or the knowledge of his own vileness, the very thing that you need, if not deeply humbled, and the want of which makes every man vile in the eyes of God. Elihu charges Job with an undue opinion of his own righteousness; and God, who, by stroke upon stroke, and not one too much, had brought him to the dunghill, is represented as carrying on the same accusation against him. The whole issues in Job's humiliation, and conveys a most important lesson of instruction to all mankind; never to stand upon their vindication with God. The book, in this view of it, is preparatory to the Gospel, and a striking comment upon those words of St. Paul and the Psalmist, "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. In thy sight shall no man living be justified."-" God be merciful to me a sinner," is a prayer easy to be said, but hard to be felt. One eye upon the perfection of God's laws, and another upon your own heart, may bring you up to it. But the Spirit's light is also needful, for which you must pray earnestly. A sinner vile I am, O Lord, A sinner day by day: Much cause I have to loathe myself, And for thy mercy pray. Y And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof; for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood. Rev. v. 9. IN heaven the saints have a full sense of their great deliverance, together with a perfect know-. ledge of sin, far beyond anything we now conceive of it; and the glory of redeeming grace will be the eternal ground of their love and adoration. On earth, it is the great exercise and difficult work of faith, to see sin and CHRIST at the same time, or be penetrated with a lively sense of our desert, and absolute freedom from condemnation. But the more we know of both, the nearer approach we make to heaven; and we are our own greatest enemies, if, together with the fullest comprehension of sin, and the deepest humiliation for it, we do not look stedfastly unto Jesus, and see it taken away by the Lamb of God. This, though continually repeated by the heavenly choir, is called their New Song; because it is always matter of as great joy to them, as if they had never sung it before; and because the love of God and of CHRIST in their redemption, is always opening upon them with new and increasing wonders. O my soul, let nothing, let not thy sin, hinder thee from beginning it now! Saints cannot do less, Follow me. Luke v. 27. And endure hardness as a good soldier of Christ. 2 Tim. ii. 3. WOULD you follow CHRIST? Then follow him in self-denial, in humility, in patience, and in readiness for every good work. Follow him with a daily cross upon your back, and look to his cross to make your burden light. Follow him as your guide and guard, and learn to see with his eyes, and to trust in his arm for defence. Follow him as the Friend of sinners, who healeth the broken in heart, and giveth rest to weary souls, and casteth out none that come unto him. Follow him with faith, resting your whole acceptance with God and your title to heaven on his meritorious blood and righteousness. Lastly, Follow him with much prayer; for though he is full of compassion, he loves to be much entreated; and when he is determined to give a blessing, you must yet wrestle with him for it. Thus follow Jesus, and he will lead you to glory. Jesus, I my cross have taken, All to love and follow thee; Thou from hence my all shalt be. All I've sought, or hoped, or known, God and heaven are still my own. The Lord is not far from every one of us; for in him we live, and move, and have our being. Acts xvii. 27, 28. Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Luke xii. 7. OH! the close and tender love of the Lord over his people! Nothing is so mean, but it is under the providence of God, since even the least things can either hurt or profit the soul. And how sweet is it to observe his footsteeps even in the minutest things, and to be satisfied that we may trust our greater and lesser concerns to his care! O Lord, grant that I may never swerve from, nor do anything without thee, but that my goings in and goings out may be always done in thy presence, as if I had to do with none but thee; nay, as if we both lived together in the world. O that I could transact all my affairs with thee alone, and in all places look upon thee as if thou wast only a God for me. Let me carefully mark the inward workings of thy grace, and the outward tokens of thy providence, so as daily to have a true sense of thy gracious presence in everything, more or less important; and thereby to be ever strengthened in faith, and kept in a composed state of mind; considering that nothing happens by mere chance, but all is wisely ordered by thy providential care to our good; firmly believing, if anything goes contrary to expectation, that something better will follow in its stead, if we only can be quiet, and wait the time. God, that must stoop to view the skies, And manages our mean affairs; Bestows his counsels and his cares. |