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 Spurgeon, C. H. 1834-1892. 
 Evening by evening 
 
EVENING BT EVENING, 
 
EVENING BY EVENING; 
 
 READINGS AT EVENTIDE. 
 
 Jfor tlje J^aiuiig qx the Closd 
 
 (♦ MAR 13 1^52 
 C. H. SPUBOEON. ^<i^6lCAL - 
 
 •AUTHOR OF "MORNING BY MORNING, ' ^'.SERMONS," &c. 
 
 *'My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fetnese ; and my mouth 
 shall praise thee with joyful lips; when I remember thea upon loy bod 
 and meditate on thee in the night watches." 
 
 Psalm bdJi.'^ \ 
 
 NEW YORK : 
 
 ROBERT CARTER & BROTHERS 
 
 B30 BROADWA'f, 
 
PREFACE 
 
 ^|iWHEN the noise and turmoil of the day are over, 
 WH^ it is sweet to commune with God : the cool and 
 calm of eventide agree most delightfully witli 
 prayer and praise. Tlie hours of the declining sun are 
 so many quiet alleys in the garden of time wherein man 
 may find his Maker waiting to commune with him, even 
 as of old the Lord God walked with Adam in Paradise 
 in the cool of the day. It is meet that we should set 
 ajiart a peaceful season ere tl)e day has quite departed, 
 a season of thanksgiving for grace abounding, of re- 
 pentance for follies multiplied, of self-examination for 
 evils insinu:iting. To leap from day to day like a mad 
 hunter scouring the fields, is an omen of being delivered 
 over to destruction ; but the solemn pause, the deliberate 
 consideration — these are means of grace and ensigns of 
 an indwelling life. The tide of ocean stays a while at 
 ebb before it resolves to flood again ; the moon some- 
 times lingers at the full ; there are distinct hedges in 
 nature set betweou the acres of time — even the strik(3 
 of the bell is a little mound of warning: men should 
 not remove landmarks, but beat the bounds frequently 
 a* (») 
 
VI PREFACE. 
 
 and keep up w.th due interval and solemnity the remem- 
 brance of the passing away of days, and montlis, and 
 years: each evening it were well to traverse the bounda- 
 ries of the day, and take note of all it has brought and 
 all it has seen. 
 
 The drops of the night come from the same fount as the 
 dew of the morning : he who met Abraham at break of 
 day communed with Isaac in the field at eventide. He 
 who opens the doors of the day with the hand of mere} 
 draws around His people the curtains of the night, and 
 by His shining presence makes the outgoings of the 
 morning and of the evening to rejoice. A promise at 
 dawn, and a sure word at sunset, crown the brow of 
 day with light, and sandal its feet with love. To break- 
 fast with Jesus and to sup with him also, is to enjoy 
 the days of heaven upon the earth. It is dangerous to 
 fall a.sleep till the head is leaned on Jesus' bosom. When 
 divine love puts its finger on the weary eyelids, it is brave 
 sleeping; but that the Lord's beloved may have such 
 sleep given to him, it is needful that he should make a 
 near approach to the throne, and unburden his soul be- 
 fore the great Preserver of men. To enter into the blaze 
 of Jehovah's presence by the way of the atoning blood 
 is the sure method to i-efine ourselves of earthly dross, 
 and to renew the soul after exhausting service. The read- 
 ing of the word, and prayer, are as gates of carbuncle 
 to admit us into the presence chamber of T!ie August 
 Majesty, and he is most blessed who most frequently 
 swings those gates upon their sapphire hinges. When 
 the stars are revealed, and all the hosts of heaven walk 
 
PREFACE. Vii 
 
 in golden glory, tl en surely is the time when the solemn 
 temple is lit up, and the worshipper is bidden to enter. 
 If one hour can be endowed with a sacredness above 
 its fellows, it must be the hour when the Lord looseth 
 the bnnds of Orion, and leadcth forth Arcturus and his 
 sons : then voices from worlds afar call us to contem- 
 plation and adoration, and the stillness of the lower worlc 
 prepares an oratory for the devout soul. He surely nevei 
 prays at all who does not end the day as all men wish 
 to end their lives — in prayer. 
 
 In many households the gathering of the family for 
 evening prayer is more easy than the morning oppor- 
 tunity, and in all the tents of our Israel the evening 
 sacrifice should be solemnly remembered. Ere we cower 
 down beneath the wings of the Eternal, let us entreat 
 Him to deliver us from the terror by night, and give us 
 safe dwelling in His secret place. It is blessed work to 
 set the night warders in their posts by supplication, and 
 then commit ourselves without fear to the embraces of 
 divine love. 
 
 Having had the seal of our Master's blessing set upon 
 our former volume, entitled " Morning by Morning," we 
 have felt encouraged to give our best attention to the 
 present series of brief meditations, and we send them 
 forth with importunate prayer for a blessing to rest 
 upon every reader. Already more than twenty thousand 
 readers are among our morning fellow-worshippers. Oh 
 that all may receive grace from the Lord by means of 
 the portion read; and when a similai- number shall bo 
 gathered to read the even'ng selection, may the Father'a 
 
Vm PREFACE. 
 
 Binile be their benison. We have striven to keep oat. of 
 the common track, and hence we have used unusual texts, 
 and have brought forward neglected subjects. The vice 
 of many religions works is their dulness — from this we 
 have striven to be free : our friends must judge how far 
 successfully. Out of our own experience we have drawn 
 much of our matter, and we have always felt assured 
 that a truth which has been sanctified to our own good 
 will not be without an unction for others. If we may 
 lead one heart upward which otherwise had drooped, or 
 sow in a single mind a holy purpose which else had 
 never been conceived, we shall be grateful. The Lord 
 send us such results in thousands of instances, and His 
 shall be all the praise. The longer we live, the more 
 deeply are we conscious that the Holy Spirit alone can 
 make truth profitable to the heart; and therefore in. ear- 
 nest prayer we commit this volume and its companion to 
 His care. 
 
 C. H. SpusaBON. 
 Mat, 18S8. 
 
Jan. 1. ETENINO BEADINGS. 
 
 " We will he glad and rg'oice in thee." — Canticles i. 4. 
 
 ^I<|:^,E will be glad and rejoice in Thee. ^We will not 
 Ml m/i open the gates of the year to the dolorous notes of 
 *^^^ the sackbut, but to the sweet strains of the harp 
 of joy, and the high sounding cymbals of gladness. " 
 come, let us sing unto the Lord : let us make a joyful noise 
 unto the rock of our salvation." We, the called, and faith- 
 ful, and chosen, tue will drive away our griefs, and set up 
 our banners of confidence in the name of God. Let others 
 lament over their troubles, we who have the sweetening tree 
 to cast into Marah's bitter pool, with joy will magnify the 
 Lord. Eternal Spirit, our effectual Comforter, we who are 
 the temples in which Thou dwellest, will never cease from 
 adoring and blessing the name of Jesus. We will ; we are 
 resolved about it ; Jesus must have the crown of our heart's 
 delight; we will not dishonor our Bridegroom by mourning 
 in His presence. We are ordained to be the minstrels of 
 the skies ; let us rehearse our everlasting anthem before we 
 sinor it in the halls of the New Jerusalem. We will be 
 GLAD AND REJOICE : two words with one sense, double joy, 
 blessedness upon blessedness. Need there be any limit to 
 our rejoicing in the Lord even now ? Do not men of grace 
 find their Lord to be camphire and spikenard, calamus and 
 cinnamon, even now, and what better fragrance have they in 
 -heaven itself? We will be glad and rejoice in Thee. That 
 last word is the meat in the dish, the kernel of the nut, tho 
 soul of the text. What heavens are. laid up in Jesus ! 
 What rivers of infinite bliss have their scurce, ay, and 
 every drop of their fulness in Him ! Since, sweet Lord 
 Jesus, Thou art the present portion of Thy people, favor us 
 this year with such a sense of Thy precioasness, that from 
 its first to its last day, we may be glad and rejoice in Thee. 
 Let January open with joy in the Lord, and December close 
 with gladness in Jesus. 
 
EVENING READINGS. Jan. 2 
 
 " Let the people renew their strength.' — Isaiah xli. 1. 
 
 P^LL things on earth need to be renewed. No created 
 thing continueth by itself. " Thou renewest the 
 face of the year," was the Psalmist's utterance. 
 Even the trees, which wear noc themselves with care, nor 
 shorten their lives with labor, must drink of the rain of 
 heaven, and suck from the hidden treasures of the soil. The 
 cedars of Lebanon, which God has planted, only live because 
 day by day they are full of sap fresh drawn from the earth. 
 Neither can man's life be sustained without renewal from 
 God. As it is necessary to repair the waste of the body by 
 the frequent meal, so we must repair the waste of the soul 
 by feeding upon the Book of God, or by listening to the 
 preached Word, or by the soul-fattening table of the ordi- 
 nances. IIow depressed are our graces when means are 
 neglected ! What poor starvelings some saints are who live 
 without the diligent use of the Word of God, and secret 
 prayer ! If our piety can live without God, it is not of 
 divine creating ; it is but a dream ; for if God had begot- 
 ten it, it would wait upon Him as the flowers wait upon the 
 dew. Without constant restoration we are not ready for the 
 perpetual assaults of hell, or the stern afflictions of heaven, 
 or even for the strifes within. When the whirlwind shall be 
 loosed, woe to the tree that hath not sucked up fresh sap, 
 and grasped the rock with many intertwisted roots. When 
 tempests arise, woe to the mariners that have not strength- 
 ened their mast, nor cast their anchor, nor sought the haven. 
 If we suffer the good to grow weaker, the evil will surely 
 gather strength and struggle desperately for the mastery 
 over us ; and so, mayhap, a painful desolation, and a lament- 
 able disgrace may follow. Let us draw near to the footstool 
 of divine m^rcy in humble entreaty, and we shall realize the 
 fulfilment of tlie promise, " They that wait on the Lord shall 
 ronew their strength.'' 
 
/an. 8. EVENING READINGS. 
 
 " The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way 
 of the Lord, make his paths straight." — Luke iii. 4. 
 
 ^^I^^HE voice crying in the wilderness demanded a way 
 ^riKJ*^ f^^ '^'^ ^^^'^1 ^ '^'^^y prepared, and a tvay prepared in 
 '^~^ the wilderness. I w(5uld be attentive to the Master's 
 proclamation, and give Him a road into ray heart, cast up by 
 gracious operations, through the desert of my nature. The 
 four directions in the text must have my serious attention. 
 
 Every valley must be exalted. Low and grovelling thoughts 
 of God must be given up ; doubting and despairing must be 
 removed ; and self-seeking and carnal delights must be for- 
 saken. Across these deep valleys a glorious causeway of 
 grace must be raised. 
 
 Every mountain and hill shall be laid low. Proud creature - 
 sufficiency, and boastful self-righteousness, must be levelled, 
 to make a highway for the King of kings. Divine fellowship 
 is never vouchsafed to haughty, high-minded sinners. The 
 Lord hath respect unto the lowly, and visits the contrite in 
 heart, but the lofty are an abomination unto Him. My soul, 
 beseech the Holy Spirit to set thee right in this respect. 
 
 The crooked shall be made straight. The wavering heart 
 must have a straight path of decision for God and holiness 
 marked out for it. Double-minded men are strangers to the 
 God of truth. My soul, take heed that thou be in all things 
 honest and true, as in the sight of the heart-searching God. 
 
 The rough places shall be made smooth. Stumbling-blocks 
 of sin must be removed, and thorns and briers of rebellion 
 must be uprooted. So great a visitor must not find miry 
 ways and stony places when He comes to honor His favored 
 ones with His company. Oh that this evening the Lord may 
 find in my heart a higliway made ready by His grace, that He 
 may make a triumphal progress through the utmost bouuds of 
 my soul, from the beginning of this year even to the end of it 
 
i EVENING READINGS. Jan. 4 
 
 " Joseph Imew his brethren, but they Jcneio not him." — Gen. xlii. 8. 
 
 i^\IIIS morning our desires went forth for growth in oui 
 ll acquaintance with the Lord Jesus ; it may be well to 
 night to consider a kindred topic, namely, our heav- 
 enli) Joseph's knowledge of us. This was most blessedly 
 jierfect long before we had the slightest knowledge of Him. 
 " His eyes beheld our substance, yet being imperfect, and in 
 His book all our members were written, when as yet there 
 was none of them." Before we had a being in the world we 
 had a being in His heart. When we were enemies to Him, 
 He knew us, our misery, our madness, and our wickedness. 
 When we wept bitterly in despairing repentance, and viewed 
 him only as a >udge and a ruler. He viewed us as His breth- 
 ren well beloved, and His bowels yearned towards us. He 
 never mistook His chosen, but always beheld them as objects 
 of His infinite aifection. " The Lord knoweth them that are 
 His," is as true of the prodigals who are feeding swine as of 
 the children who sit at the table. 
 
 But, alas ! we knew not our royal Brother., and out of thi.' 
 Ignorance grew a host of sins. We withheld our hearts fron 
 Him, and allowed Him no entrance to our love. We mis • 
 trusted Him, and gave no credit to His words. We rebellec^i 
 against Him, and paid Him no loving homage. The Sun 
 of Righteousness shone forth, and we could not see Him. 
 Heaven came down to earth, and earth perceived it not. Le^ 
 God be praised, those days are over with us ; yet even noT 
 it is but little that we know of Jesus compared with what H ^ 
 knows of us. We hav^ but begun to study Him, but H t 
 knoweth us altogether. It is a blessed circumstance that the 
 ignorance is not on [lis side, for then it would be a hopele 13 
 case for us. He will not say to us, " I never knew you," \ it 
 He will coniess our names in the day of His appearing, a h1 
 meanwhile will manifest Himself to us as He doth not u/ ^'\ 
 ihe world. 
 
Jan 5. EVENixo readinos. 
 
 ' And God saw the ligld." — Genesis i. 4. 
 
 ^Ij^aHIS morning we noticed tlic goodness of the light. 
 irr 7K ^^^ *'^^ Lord's dividing it from the darkness ; we now 
 '^^^''^ note tlie special eye which the Lord had for tlie light. 
 "God saw the light" — He looked at it with coni])lacency, 
 gazed upon it with pleasure, saw that it " was good." If the 
 Lord has given you light, dear reader, He looks on that light, 
 with peculiar interest; for not only is it dear to Ilim as Ilia 
 own handiwork, but because it is like Himself, for " He is 
 light." Pleasant it is to the believer to know that God's eye 
 is thus tenderly observant of that work of grace which lie 
 has begun. He never loses sight of the treasure which He 
 has placed in our earthen vessels. Sometimes xoe cannot see 
 the light, but God always sees the liglit, and that is much 
 better than our seeing it. Better for the. judge to see my 
 innocence than for me to think I see it. It is very comforta- 
 ble for me to krow that I am one of God's people — but 
 whether / know it or not, if the Lord knows it, I am still 
 safe. This is the foundation, " The Lord knoweth them that 
 are His." You may be sighing aud groaning because of in- 
 bred sin, and mourning over your darkness, yet the Lord sees 
 "light" in your heart, for He has put it there, aud all the 
 cloudiness aud gloom of your soul cannot conceal your light 
 from His gracious eye. You may have sunk low in despon- 
 dency, and even despair ; but if your soul has any longing 
 towards Christ, and if you are seeking to rest in His finished 
 work, God sees the " light." He not only sees it, but He also 
 preserves it in you. " I, the Lord, do keep it." This is a 
 precious thought to those who, after anxious watching and 
 guarding of themselves, feel their own powerlessncss to do 
 so. The liglit thus preserved by His grace. He will one day 
 develop into the splendor of noonday, aud the fulness of 
 glory. The light within is tlie dawn of the eternal day. • 
 1* 
 
EVENING HEADINGS. Jan. 6. 
 
 ' Now the Jiand of the Lord was npon me in the evening." 
 Ezek. xxxiii. 22. 
 
 T]tN the way of judgment this may be the case, and, if 
 1':^ so, be it mine to consider the reason of such a visita- 
 tion, and hear the rod and Him that hath appointed 
 I am n:t the only one who is chastened in the night sea- 
 ; let me cheerfully submit to the affliction, and carefully 
 endeavor to be profited thereby. But the hand of the Lord 
 may also be felt in another manner, strengthening the soul and 
 lifting the spirit upward towards eternal things. Oh that I 
 may in this sense feel the Lord dealing with me ! A sense of 
 the divine presence and indwelling bears the soul towards 
 heaven as upon the wings of eagles. At such times we are 
 full to the brim with spiritual joy, and forget the cares and 
 sorrows of earth ; the invisible is near, and the visible loses 
 its power over us ; the servant-body waits at the foot of the 
 hrll, and the master-spirit worships upon the summit in the 
 presence of the Lord. Oh, that a hallowed season of divine 
 communion may be vouchsafed to me this evening ! The 
 Lord knows that I need it very greatly. My graces languish, 
 my corruptions rage, my faith is weak, my devotion is cold : 
 all these are reasons why His healing hand should be laid 
 upon me. His hand can cool the heat of my burning brow, 
 and stay the tumult of my palpitating heart. That glorious 
 right hand which moulded the world can new-create my mmd ; 
 the unwearied hand which bears the earth's huge pillars up 
 t^an sustain my spirit ; the loving hand which encloses all the 
 saints can cherish me ; and the mighty hand which breaketh 
 in pieces the enemy can subdue my sins. Why should I not 
 leel that hand touching me this evening ? Come, my sf il, 
 address thy God with the potent plea, that Jesu's hands were 
 pierced for thy redemption, and thou shalt surely feel that 
 same hand upon ihec which once touched Daniel and set hinj 
 upon his knees tl.at he might see visions of God. 
 
Jan. 7. EVENING BEADIN08. 
 
 "My sister, my spotise." — Canticles iv. 12. 
 
 ,]|?!|j'^BSKllVE the sweet titles with which the heavenly 
 Solomon, with intense affection, addresses his bride, 
 *-^^ the church. My sister, one near to me by ties of 
 nature, partaker of the same sympathies. Afy spouse, near- 
 est and dearest, united to me by the tondcrest bands of love ; 
 my sweet companion, part of my own self. Jify sister, by my 
 Incarnation, which makes me bone of thy bone and flesh of 
 thy flesh ; my spouse, by heavenly betrothal, in which I have 
 espoused thee unto myself in righteousness. Jify sister, whom 
 I knew of old, and over whom I watched from her earliest 
 infancy ; my spouse, taken from among the daughters, em- 
 braced by arms of love, and affianced unto me forever. See 
 how true it is that our royal Kinsman is not ashamed of us, 
 for He dwells with manifest delight upon this two-fold rela- 
 tionship. We have the word "my" twice in our version ; 
 as if Christ dwelt with rapture on His possession of His 
 church. "His delights were with the sons of men," because 
 those sons of men were His own chosen ones. He, the Shep- 
 herd, sought the sheep, because they were His sheep ; He 
 has gone about " to seek and to save that which was lost," 
 because that which was lost vras His long before it was lost 
 to itself or lost to Him. The church is the exclusive portion 
 of her Lord; none else may claim a partnership, or pretend 
 to share her love. Jesus, thy church delights to have it so I 
 Let every believing soul drink solace out of these wells. 
 Soul ! Christ is near to thee in ties of relationship ; Christ is 
 dear to thee in bonds of marriage union, and thou art dear 
 to Him ; behold. He grasps both of thy hands with both His 
 own, saying, " My sister, my spouse." Mark the two sacred 
 holdfa.sts by which thy Lord gets such a double hold of thee 
 that He neither can nor will ever let thee go. lie not, 
 beloved, slow to return the hallowed flume of His love. 
 
EVENING BEADINGS. Jan. 8. 
 
 Thy love is better than wine." — Canticles i. 2. 
 
 4 
 
 
 'OTHING gives the believer so much joy as fellowshtp 
 with Christ. He has enjoyment as others have in 
 the connuon mercies of life, he can be jilivd both in 
 God's gifts and God's works ; but in all these separately, yea, 
 and in all of them added together, he doth not find such sub- 
 stantial delight as in the matchless person of his Lord Jesus. 
 He has wine which no vineyard on earth ever yielded; he has 
 bread wiiich all the cornfields of I'^gypt could never bring 
 forth. Where can such sweetness be found as we have tasted 
 in communion with our Beloved ? In our esteem, the joys 
 of earth are little better than husks for swine compared with 
 Jesus, the -heavenly manna. We would rather have one 
 mouthful of Christ's love, and a sip of His fellowship, than a 
 whole world full of carnal delights. What is the chaff to the 
 wheat? What is the sparkling paste to the true diamond? 
 What is a dream to the glorious reality? What is time's 
 mirth, in its best trim, compared to our Lord Jesus in His 
 most despised estate ? If you know anything of the inner 
 life, you will confess that our highest, purest, and most en- 
 during joys must be the fruit of the tree of life which is in 
 the midst of the Paradise of God. No spring yields such 
 sweet water as that well of God which was digged with the sol- 
 dier's spear. All earthly bliss is of the earth earthy, but the 
 comforts of Christ's presence are like Himself, heavenly. We 
 can review our communion with Jesus, and find no regrets of 
 emptiness therein ; there are no dregs in this wine, no dead 
 flies in this ointment. The joy of the Lord is solid and en- 
 during. Vanity hath not looked upon it, but discretion and 
 prudence testify that it abideth the test of years, and is in time 
 and in eternity worthy to be called " the only true delight." 
 For nourishment, consolation, exhilaration, and refreshment, 
 no wine can rival the love of Jesus. Let us drink to the full 
 this evening. 
 
Jan. 9. ETENINO RRADIN08. B 
 
 " Serve the Lord with gladness." — Psalm c. 2. 
 
 g^SS^^ELIGHT in divine service is a token of acceptance. 
 • ^^[^^ Those who serve God with a sad countenance, be- 
 ^^''^ cause they do what is unpleasant to them, are not 
 serving Ilim at all ; they bring the form of homage, but the 
 life is absent. Our God requires no slaves to grace Ilia 
 throne ; He is the Lord of the empire of love, and would 
 have His sorvants dressed in the livery of joy. The angels of 
 God serve Him with songs, not with groans ; a murmur or a 
 sigh would be a mutiny in their ranks. That obedience which 
 is not voluntary is disobedience, for the Lord looketh at the 
 heart, and if He seeth that we serve Him from force, and not 
 because we love Him, He will reject our offering. Service 
 coupled with cheerfulness is heart-service, and therefore true. 
 Take away joyful willingness from the Christian, and you have 
 removed the test of his sincerity. If a man be driven to bat- 
 tle, he is no patriot ; but he who marches into the fray with 
 flashing eye and beaming face, singing, " It is sweet for one's 
 country to die," proves himself to be sincere in his patriot- 
 ism. Cheerfulness is the support of our strength; in the joy 
 of the Lord are we strong. It acts as the remover of difficul- 
 ties. It is to our service what oil is to the wheels of a rail 
 way carriage. Without oil the axle soon grows hot, and ac- 
 cidents occur ; and if there be not a holy cheerfulness to oil 
 our wheels, our spirits will be clogged with weariness. The 
 man who is cheerful in his service of God, proves that obe- 
 dience is his element ; he can sing, — 
 
 " Make me to walk in Thy commandB, 
 'Tia a delightful road." 
 
 Reader, let us put this qiies*;ion — Do you serve the Lord xoith 
 gladness ? Let us show to the people of the world, who thluk 
 our religion to be slavery, ^hat it is to us a delight and a joy t 
 Let our gladness proclaim th** we serve a good Master. 
 
10 ETENING READINGS. J 30. 10 
 
 "In my flesh shall I see Ood." — Job xix. 26. 
 
 S^¥?P)ARK the subject of Job's devout anticipation — "I 
 QJr)|||| sball see God." He does not say, " I shall see the 
 ^^ r saints," — though doubtless that will be untold felici- 
 ty, — but "I shall see God." It is not, "I shall see the 
 pearly gates, I shall behold the walls of jasper, I shall gaze 
 upon the crcwns of gold," but " I shall see God." This is 
 the sum and substance of heaven, this is the joyful hope of 
 all believers. It is their delight to see Him now in the ordi- 
 nances by faith. They love to behold Him in communion and 
 in prayer; but there in heaven they shall have an open and 
 unclouded vision, and thus seeing " Him as He is," shall be 
 made completely like Him. Liheness to God — what can we 
 wish for more ? And a sight of God — what can we desire 
 better ? Some read the passage, " Yet, I shall see God in 
 my flesh," and find here an allusion to Christ, as the " Word 
 made flesh," and that glorious beholding of Him which shall 
 be the splendor of the latter days. Whether so or not, it is 
 certain that Christ shall be the object of our eternal vision ; 
 Dor shall we ever want any joy beyond that of seeing Him. 
 Think not that this will be a narrow sphere for the mind to 
 dwell in. It is but one source of delight, but that source is 
 infinite. All His attributes shall be subjects for contempla- 
 tion, and as He is infinite under each aspect, there is no fear 
 of exhaustion. His works. His gifts. His love to us, and His 
 glory in all His purposes, and in all His actions, these shall 
 make a theme which will be ever new. The patriarch looked 
 forward to this sight of God as a personal enjoyment. " Whom 
 mine eyes shall behold, and not another." Take realizing 
 views of heaven's bliss ; think what it will be to you. '■'■Tliim 
 eyes shall see the King in His beauty." All earthly bright- 
 ness fades and darkens as we gaze upon it, but here is a 
 brightness which can never dim, a glory which cau nevei 
 fade — " / shall see God.'' 
 
Jan. 11. ETENTNO HEADINGS. 11 
 
 " 1 have -prayed for thee." — Luke xxii. 32. 
 
 jI^I^OW encouraging is the thought of the Redeemer's 
 ^'^ never-ceasing intercession for us. When wc pray, 
 He pleads for us ; and when we arc not praying, He is 
 advocating our cause, and by His supplications shielding ua 
 from flnseen dangers. Notice the word of comfort addressed 
 t^P«ter — " Simon, Simon, Satan bath desired to have you 
 that he may sift you as wheat ; but " — what ? " But go and 
 pray for yourself." That would be good advice, but it is not 
 so written. Neither does He say, " But I will keep you 
 watchful, and so you shall be preserved." That were a great 
 blessing. No, it is, " But I have sprayed for thee, that thy 
 faith fail not." We little know what we owe to our Saviour's 
 prayers. When we reach the hill-tops of heaven, and look 
 back upon all the way whereby the Lord our God hath led 
 us, how we shall praise Him who, before the eternal throne, 
 undid the mischief which Satan was doing upon earth. How 
 shall we thank Him because He never held His peace, but 
 day and night pointed to the wounds upon His hands, and 
 carried our names upon His breastplate ! Even before Sa- 
 tan had begun to tempt, Jesus had forestalled him and en- 
 tered a plea in heaven. Mercy outruns malice. Mark, He 
 does not say, " Satan hath sifted you, and therefore I will 
 pray," but " Satan hath desired to have you." He checks 
 Satan even in his very desire, and nips it in the bud. He 
 does not say, " But I have desired to pray for you." No, 
 but " I have prayed for you ; I have done it already ; I 
 have gone to court and entered a counterplea even before 
 an accusation is made." Jesus, what a comfort it ia 
 that Thou hast pleaded our cause against our unseen ene- 
 mies ; countermined their mines, and unmasked their am- 
 bushes. Here is matter for joy, gratitude, hope, and 
 confidence. 
 
12 EVENING READINGS. Jan. 12, 
 
 '* I have yet to speak on Ood's behalf." — Job xxxvi. 2. 
 
 ^(E ought not to court publicity for our virtue, or noto- 
 riety for our zeal ; but, at the same time, it is a sin 
 to be always seeking to hide that which God has be- 
 stowed upon us for the good of others. A Christian is not 
 to be a village in a valley, but " a city set upon a hid ; " he 
 is not to be a candle under a bushel, but a candle in a ca^ 
 dlestick, giving light to all. Retirement may be lovely in 
 its season, and to hide one's self is doubtless modest, but the 
 hiding of Christ in us can never be justified, and the keeping 
 back of truth which is precious to ourselves, is a sin against 
 others and an offence against God. If you are of a nervous 
 temperament and of retiring disposition, take care that you 
 do not too much indulge this trembling propensity, lest you 
 should be useless to the church. Seek in the name of Him 
 who was not ashamed of you to do some little violence to 
 your feelings, and tell to others what Christ has told to you. 
 If thou canst not speak with trumpet tongue, use the still, 
 small voice. If the pulpit must not be thy tribune, if the 
 press may not carry on its wings thy words, yet say with 
 Peter and John, " Silver and gold have I none, but such as 
 I have give I unto thee." By Sychar's well talk to the Sa- 
 maritan woman, if thou canst not on the mountain preach a 
 sermon ; utter the praises of Jesus in the house, if not in the 
 temple ; in the field, if not upon the exchange ; in the midst 
 of thine own household, if thou canst not in the midst of the 
 great family of man. From the nidden springs within let 
 sweetly flowing rivulets of testimony flow forth, giving drink 
 to ev^ery passer by. Hide not thy talent; trade with it; and 
 thou shalt bring in good interest to thy Lord and Master. To 
 speak for God will be refreshing to ourselves, cheering to 
 saints, useful to skinners, and honoring to the Saviour. Dumb 
 children are an afHiction to their parents. Lord, unloose all 
 'Ihy children's tongues. 
 
Jan. 13. EVENING HEADINGS. 1? 
 
 " The iron did S2vim." — 2 Kings vi 9. 
 
 n 
 
 HE axe-bead seemed hopelessly lost, and as it wag 
 ^ borrowed, tbe honor of the prophetic band was likely 
 
 to be imperilled, and so the name of their God to be 
 compromised. Contrary to all expectation, the iron was made 
 to mount from the depth of the stream and to swim ; for things 
 impossible with man are possible with God. I knew a man 
 in Christ but a few years ago who was called to undertake a 
 work far exceeding his strength. It appeared so difficult as 
 to involve absurdity in the bare idea of attempting it. Yet 
 he was called thereto, and his faith rose with the occasion ; 
 God honored his faith, unlooked-for aid was sent, and the iron 
 did swim. Another of the Lord's family was in grievous 
 financial straits ; he was able to meet all claims, and much 
 more, if he could have realized a certain portion of his estate, 
 but he was overtaken with a sudden pressure ; he sought for 
 friends in vain, but faith led him to the unfailing Helper, and 
 lo ! the trouble was averted, his footsteps were enlarged, and 
 the iron did swim. A third had a sorrowful case of deprav- 
 ity to deal with. He had taught, reproved, warned, invited, 
 and interceded, but all in vain. Old Adam was too strong 
 for young Melancthon ; the stubborn spirit would not relent. 
 Then came an agony of prayer, and before long a blessed an- 
 swer was sent from heaven. The hard heart was broken, the 
 iron did swim. 
 
 Beloved reader, what is thy desperate case ? What heavy 
 matter hast thou in hand this evening ? Bring it hither. The 
 God of the prophets lives, and lives to help His saints. He 
 will not sufter thee to lack any good thing. Believe thou in 
 the Lord of Hosts ! Approach Him pleading the name of 
 Jesus, and the iron shall swim ; thou too ehalt see the finger 
 of God working marvels for His peojle. According to thy 
 faith be it unto thee, and yet again tte iron shall swim. 
 2 
 
14 ETENING KEADING8. Jan. 14, 
 
 " Beginning to sink, he cried, saying. Lord, save me." — Matt. xiv. 30, 
 
 ^^j^^INKING times are fraying times with the Lord's ser- 
 ^^^ vants. Peter neglected prayer at starting upon hia 
 ^*^^^ venturous journey, but when he began to sink his 
 danger made him a suppliant, and his cry, though late, was not 
 too late. In our hours of bodily pain and mental anguish, 
 we find ourselves as naturally driven to prayer as the wreck 
 is driven upon the shore by the waves. The fox hies to its 
 hole for protection ; the bird flies to the wood for shelter ; and 
 even so the tried believer hastens to the mercy-seat for safe- 
 ty. Heaven's great harbor of refuge is All-prayer ; thou- 
 sands of weather-beaten vessels have found a haven there, 
 and the moment a storm comes on, it is wise for us to make 
 for it with all sail. 
 
 Short prayers are long enough. There were but three words 
 in the petition which Peter gasped out, but they were suffi- 
 cient for his purpose. Not length but strength is desirable. 
 A sense of need is a mighty teacher of brevity. If our 
 prayers had less of the tail feathers of pride and more wing, 
 they would be all the better. Verbiage is to devotion as 
 chafi" to the wheat. Precious things lie in small compass, 
 and all that is real prayer in many a long address might have 
 been uttered in a petition as short as that of Peter. 
 
 Our extremities are the Lord's opportunities. Immediately 
 a keen sense of danger forces an anxious cry from us the ear 
 of Jesus hears, and with Him ear and heart go together, and 
 the hand does not long linger. At the last moment we ap- 
 peal to our Master, but His swift hand makes up for our de- 
 lays by instant and effectual action. Are we nearly ingulfed 
 by the boisterous waters of affliction ? let us then lift up our 
 souls unto our Saviour, and we may rest assured that He will 
 not suffer us to perish. When we can do nothing Jesus can 
 do all things ; let us enlist His powerful aid upon our side, 
 and all will be well. 
 
Jan 15. EYENINO BEADIN08. 15 
 
 ♦' But I give mysdf unto prayer." — Psalm cix. 4. 
 
 • ^(^iiYlNG tongues were busy against the reputation of 
 \^M David, but he did not defend himself; he moved the 
 ■'^--^^ case into a higher court, and pleaded before the great 
 King Himself. Prayer is the safest method of replying to 
 words of hatred. The Psalmist prayed in no cold-hearted 
 manner; he gave himself to the exercise, — threw his whole 
 soul and heart into it, — straining every sinew and muscle, aa 
 Jacob did when wrestling with the angel. Thus, and thus 
 only, shall any of us speed at the throne of grace. As a 
 shadow has no power because there is no substance in it, even 
 so that supplication, in which a man's proper self is not thor- 
 oughly present in agonizing earnestness and vehement de- 
 sire, is utterly ineflfectual, for it lacks that which would give 
 it force. " Fervent prayer," says an old divine, " like a can- 
 non planted at the gates of heaven, makes them fly open." 
 The common fault with the most of us is our readiness to 
 yield to distractions. Our thoughts go roving hither and 
 thither, and we make little progress towards our desired end. 
 Like quicksilver, our mind will not hold together, but rolls off 
 this way and that. How great an evil this is ! It injures us, 
 and, what is worse, it insults our God. What should we think 
 of a petitioner, if, while having an audience with a prince, he 
 should be playing with a feather or catching a fly ? 
 
 Continuance and perseverance are intended iu the expres- 
 sion of our text. David did not cry once, and then relapse 
 into [silence ; his holy clamor was continued till it brought 
 down the blessing. Prayer must not be our chance work, but 
 our daily business, our habit, and vocation. As artists give 
 themselves to their models, and poets to their classical pur- 
 suits, so must we addict ourselves to prayer. We must be 
 immersed in prayer as in our element, and so pray without 
 ceasing. Lord, teach us so to pray that we may bo more and 
 more prevalent in supplication. 
 
16 EVENING READINGS Jan. 16 
 
 " T}fe Messiah shall be cut off, bid not for Ilimself." — Daniel ix. 26 
 
 I^LESSED be His L-^iue, there was no cause of deatli in 
 Him. Neither original nor actual sin had defiled Him, 
 *'^ and therefore death had no claim upon Him. No man 
 could have taken His life from Him justly, for He had done 
 no man wrong, and no man could even have slain Him by 
 force unless He had been pleased to yield Himself to die. 
 But lo ! one sins and another suffers. Justice was offended 
 by us, but found its satisfaction in Him. Rivers of tears, 
 mountains of offerings, seas of the blood of bullocks, and 
 hills of frankincense, could not have availed for the removal 
 of sin ; but Jesus was cut off for us, and the cause of wrath 
 was cut off at once, for sin was put away forever. Herein is 
 wisdom, whereby substitution, the sure and speedy way of 
 atonement, was devised ! Herein is condescension, which 
 brought Messiah, the Prince, to wear a, crown of thorns, and 
 die upon the cross ! Herein is love, which led the Redeemer 
 to lay down His life for His enemies ! 
 
 It is not enough, however, to admire the spectacle of the 
 innocent bleeding for the guilty ; we must make sure of our 
 interest therein. The special object of the Messiah's death 
 was the salvation of His church ; have we a part and lot 
 among those for whom He gave His life a ransom ? Did the 
 Lord Jesus stand as our representative ? Are we healed by 
 his stripes ? It will be a terrible thing indeed if we should 
 come short of a portion in His sacrifice ; it were better for us 
 that we had never been born. Solemn as the question is, it is 
 a joyful circumstance that it is one which may be answered 
 clearly and without mistake. To all who believe on Him the 
 Lord Jesus is a present Saviour, and upon them all the blood 
 of reconciliation has been sprinkled. Let all who trust in the 
 merit of Messiah's death be joyful at every remembrance 
 of Him, and let their holy gratitude lead them to the fullest 
 oonsecration to His cause. 
 
Jan. 17. EVENING UEAUINGS. 
 
 " And it came to pass in an evening-tide that David arose from oj^ 
 his bed, and walked upon the roof rf the king'a house." — 2 
 Samuel xi. 2. 
 
 that hour David saw IJathsheba. We are never out 
 of the reach of temptation. Both at home and abroad, 
 we are liable to meet with allurements to evil ; the 
 morning opens with peril, and the shades of evening find ua 
 still in jeopardy. They are well kept whom God keeps, but 
 woe unto those who go forth into the world, or even dare to 
 walk their own house unarmed. Those who think themselves 
 secure, are more exposed to danger than any others. The 
 armor-bearer of Sin is Self-confidence, David should have 
 been engaged in fighting the Lord'.s battles ; instead of which 
 he tarried at Jerusalem, and gave himself up to luxurious re- 
 pose, for he arose from his bed at even-tide. Idleness and 
 luxurj' are the devil's jackals, and find him abundant prey. 
 In stagnant waters noxious creatures swarm, and neglected soil 
 soon yields a dense tangle of weeds and briers. Oh, for the 
 constraining love of Jesus to keep us active and useful ! When 
 [ see the King of Israel sluggishly leaving his couch at the 
 close of the day, and falling at once into temptation, let me 
 take warning, and set holy watchfulness to guard the door. 
 
 Is it possible that the king had mounted hiy housetop for 
 retirement and devotion ? if so, what a caution is given 
 us to count no place, however secret, a sanctuary from sin \ 
 While our hearts are so like a tinder-box, and sparks so plen- 
 tiful, we had need use all diligence in all places to prevent a 
 blaze. Satan can climb house-tops, and enter closets, and 
 even if we could shut out that foul fiend, our own corruptions 
 arc enough to work our ruin unless grace prevent. Reader, 
 beware of evening temptations. Be not secure. The sun is 
 down but sin is up. We need a A'atchman for the night, as 
 well as a guardian for the day. Oh blessed Spirit, keep lu 
 from all evil this night. Amen. 
 2* 
 
18 EVENING READINGS. JaU. 18. 
 
 " He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concern- 
 ing Himself." — Luke xxiv. 27. 
 
 p'T^-|HE two disciples on the road to Emmaus had a most 
 ^Tirll profitable journey. Their companion and teacher was 
 **^^*^ the best of tutors ; the interpreter one of a thousand, 
 in whonr. are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 
 The Lord Jesus condescended to become a preacher of the 
 gospel, and He was not ashamed to exercise His calling be- 
 fore an audience of two persons ; neither does He now refuse 
 to become the teacher of even one. Let us court the com- 
 pany of so excellent an Instructor, for till He is made unto 
 us wisdom, we shall never be wise unto salvation. 
 
 This unrivalled tutor used as His class-book the best of 
 books. Although able to reveal fresh truth, He preferred to 
 expound the old. He knew by His omniscience what was the 
 most instructive way of teaching, and by turning at once to 
 Moses and the prophets. He showed us that the surest road 
 to wisdom is not speculation, reasoning, or reading human 
 books, but meditation upon the Word of God. The readiest 
 way to be spiritually rich in heavenly knowledge is to dig in 
 this mine of diamonds, to gather pearls from this heavenly 
 Bea. When Jesus Himself sought to enrich others, He 
 wrought in the quarry of Holy Scripture. 
 
 The favored pair were led to consider the best of subjects^ 
 for Jesus spake of Jesus, and expounded the things concern- 
 ing Himself. Here the diamond cut the diamond, and what 
 could be more admirable ? The Master of the House un- 
 locked His own doors, conducted the guests to His table, and 
 placed His own dainties upon it. He who hid the treasure 
 in the field. Himself guided the searchers to it. Our Lord 
 would naturally discourse upon the sweetest of topics, and 
 He could find none sweeter than His own person and work : 
 with an eye to these we should always search the Word. Oh, 
 for grace to study the Bible with Jesus as both our teachei 
 and our lesson ! 
 
Jan. 19. ETENINO READINGS. 19 
 
 " Then open<!d He their understanding, that they might understand 
 the Sa-iptures." — Luke xxiv. 45. 
 
 ?^E whom we viewed last evening as opening Scripture, 
 Yi we here perceive opening the understanding. In the 
 '^'*^ first work He has many fellow-laborers, but in the 
 second He stands alone ; many can bring the Scriptures to 
 the mind, but the Lord alone can prepare the mind to re- 
 ceive the Scriptures. Our Lord Jesus differs from all other 
 teachers ; they reach the ear, but He instructs the heart ; 
 they deal with the outward letter, but He imparts an inward 
 taste for the truth, by which we perceive its savor and spirit. 
 The most unlearned of men become ripe scholars in the 
 school of grace when the Lord Jesus by His Holy Spirit un- 
 folds the mysteries of the kingdom to them, and grants the 
 divine anointing by which they are enabled to behold the in- 
 visible. Happy are we if we have had our understandings 
 cleared and strengthened by the Master ! How many men 
 of profound learning are ignorant of eternal things ! They 
 know the killing letter of revelation, but its living spirit they 
 cannot discern ; they have a veil upon their hearts which the 
 eyes of carnal reason cannot penetrate. Such was our case 
 a little time ago ; we who now see, were once utterly blind: 
 truth was to us as beauty in the dark, a thing unnoticed and 
 neglected. Had it not been for the love of Jesus we should 
 have remained to this moment in utter ignorance, for with- 
 out His gracious opening of our understanding, we could no 
 more have attained to spiritual knowledge than an infant 
 can climb the pyramids, or an ostrich fly up to the stars. 
 Jesus' College is the only one in which God's truth can be 
 really learned ; other schools may teach us what is to be be- 
 lieved, but Christ's alone can show us how to believe it. Let 
 ns sit at the feet of Jesus, and by earnest prayer call in His 
 61essed aid, that our dull wits may grow brighter, and our 
 feeble understandings may receive heavenly things. 
 
20 ETENING HEADINGS. Jan. 20 
 
 *' Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity ; and quicken Thou 
 me in I'hy way.'" — Psalm cxix. 37. 
 
 i?^'f*^HERE are divers kinds of vanity. The cap and bells 
 "-I^^^S of the fool, the mirth of the world, the dance, the 
 ^^*^ lyre, and the cup of the dissolute, all these, men know 
 to be vanities ; they wear upon their fore front their proper 
 name and title. Far more treacherous are those equally vain 
 things, the eares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches. 
 A man may follow vanity as truly in the couuting-housc aa 
 in the theatre. If he be spending his life in amassing wealth, 
 he passes his days in a vain show. Unless we follow Christ, 
 and make our God the great object of life, we only differ in 
 appearance from the most frivolous. It is clear, that there 
 is much need of the first prayer of our text. 
 
 " Quicken Thou me in Thy way." The Psalmist confesses 
 that he is dull, heavy, lumpy, all but dead. Perhaps, dear 
 reader, you feel the same. We are so sluggish, that the best 
 motives cannot quicken us, apart from the Lord Himself. 
 What ! will not hell quicken me ? Shall I think of sinners 
 perishing, and yet not be awakened ? Will not heaven quick- 
 en me ? Can I think of the reward that awaiteth the right- 
 eous, and yet be cold ? Will not death quicken me ? Can I 
 think of dying, and standing before my God, and yet be 
 slothful in my Master's service ? Will not Christ's love con- 
 strain me ? Can I think of His dear wounds, can I sit at the 
 foot of His cross, and not be stirred with fervency and zeal ? 
 It seems so. No mere consideration can quicken us to zeal, 
 but God Himself must do it ; hence the cry, " Quicken Thou 
 me ! " The Psalmist breathes out his whole soul in vehe- 
 ment pleadings. His body and his soul unite in prayer. 
 " Turn away mine eyes," says the body ; " Quicken Thou 
 tne," cries the soul. This is a fit prayer for every day Ch 
 Lord, hear it in my case this night. 
 
Jan. 21. EVENii^o beadings. 21 
 
 " He was sore aiJnrst, and called on the Lord, and said, Thou hast 
 ffirai this great deliverance into the hand of Thy servant : and 
 now shall I die for thirst?" — Judges xv. 18. 
 
 ^i^^^'AMSON was thirsty and ready to die. The difficulty 
 ^-%Sl A ^^^ totally different from any which the hero had 
 '^^^'^ met before. Merely to get thirst assuaged is noth- 
 ing like so great a matter as to be delivered from a thousand 
 Philistines ! but when the thirst was upon him, Samson felt 
 that little present difficulty more weighty than the great past 
 difficulty out of which he had so specially been delivered. It 
 is very usual for God's people, when they have enjoyed a 
 great deliverance, to find a little trouble too much for them. 
 Samson slays a thousand Philistines, and piles them up in 
 heaps, and then faints for a little water ! Jacob wrestles 
 with God at Peniel, and overcomes Omnipotence itself, and 
 then goes " halting on his thigh ! " Strange that there ynust 
 oe a shrinking of the sinew whenever we win the day. As 
 if the Lord must teach us our littleness, our nothingness, in 
 order to keep us within bounds. Samson boasted right loudly 
 when he said, " I have slain a thousand men." His boastful 
 throat soon grew hoarse with thirst, and he betook himself 
 to prayer. God has many ways of humbling his people. 
 Dear child of God, if after great mercy you are laid very 
 low, your case is not an unusual one. When David had 
 mounted the throne of Israel, he said, " I am this day weak, 
 though anointed king." You must expect to feel weakest 
 when you are enjoying your greatest triumph. 
 
 If God has wrought for you great deliverances in the past, 
 your present difficulty is only like Samson's thirst, and the 
 ]iOrd will not let you faint, nor suffer the daughter of the un- 
 circumcised to triumph over you. The road of sorrow is the 
 road to heaven, but there are wells of refreshing water all along 
 the route. So, tried brother, cheer your heart with Samson's 
 words, and rest assured that G(d will deliver you ere long. 
 
23 XTENiNO READIK08. Jau. 22, 
 
 " Loth Job fear Oodfor nought '?"— J oh i. 9. 
 
 M 
 
 ^HIS was the wicked question of Satan concerning that 
 upright man of old ; but there are many in the present 
 day concerning whom it might be asked with justice, 
 for they love Grod after a fashion, because He prospers them ; 
 but if things went ill with them, they would give up all their 
 boasted faith in God. If they can clearly see that since the 
 time of their supposed conversion the world has gone pros- 
 perously with them, then they will love God in their poor 
 carnal way ; but if they endure adversity, they rebel agaiust 
 the Lord. Their love is the love of the table, not of the 
 host ; a love to the cupboard, not to the master of the house 
 As for the true Christian, he expects to have his reward in 
 the next life, and to endure hardness in this. The promise of 
 the old covenant was prosperity, but the promise of the new 
 covenant is adversity. Remember Christ's words : " Every 
 branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away, and ev- 
 , ery branch that beareth fruit " — What ? "^e furgeth it, thai 
 it may bring forth more fruit." If you bring forth fruit, you 
 will have to endure affliction. "Alas ! " you say, " that is a 
 terrible prospect." But this affliction works out such pre- 
 cious results, that the Christian who is the subject of it must 
 learn to rejoice in tribulations, because as his tribulations 
 abound, so his consolations abound by Christ Jesus. Rest 
 assured, if you are a child of God, you will be no stranger 
 to the rod. Sooner or later every bar of gold must pass 
 through the fire. Fear not, but rather rejoice that such fruit- 
 ful times are in store for you, for in them you will be weaned 
 from earth and made meet for heaven ; you will be delivered 
 from clinging to the present, and made to long for those eter. 
 nal things which are so soon to be revealed to you. When 
 you feel that as regards the present you do serve God for 
 nought, you will then rijoice in the infinite reward of th» 
 future. 
 
Jan. 23. evening readings. 23 
 
 " We will remember Tliy love more than wine." — Sol. Song i. 4. 
 
 ^SUS will not let His people forget His love. If all 
 the love they have enjoyed should be forgotten, Ho 
 will visit them with fresh love. " Do you forget My 
 cross ? " says He ; " I "will cause you to remember it ; for at 
 My table I will manifest Myself anew to you. Do you forget 
 what I did for you in the council-chamber of eternity ? I 
 will remind you of it, for you shall need a counsellor, and 
 shall find Me ready at your call." Mothers do not let their 
 children forget them. If the boy has gone to Australia, and 
 does not write home, his mother writes, " Has John for- 
 gotten his mother ? " Then there comes back a sweet epis- 
 tle, which proves that the gentle reminder was not in vain. 
 So is it with Jesus. He says to us, " Remember Me ; " and 
 our response is, " We will remember Thy love." We will 
 remember Thy love and its matchless history. It is ancient 
 as the glory which Thou hadst with the Father before the 
 world was. We remember, Jesus, Thine eternal love 
 when Thou didst become our Surety, and espouse us as Thy 
 betrothed. We remember the love which suggested the sac- 
 rifice of Thyself, the love which, until the fulness of time, 
 mused over that sacrifice, and longed for the hour whereof 
 in the volume of the book it was written of Thee, " Lo, I 
 come." We remember Thy love, Jesus I as it was mani- 
 fest to us in Thy holy life, from the manger of Bethlehem 
 to the garden of Gethsemane. We track Thee from the 
 cradle to the grave, — for every word and deed of Thine was 
 love, — and we rejoice in Thy love, which death did not ex- 
 haust ; Thy love which shone resplendent in Thy resurrec- 
 tion. We lemember that burning fire of love which will 
 never let Thee hold Thy peace until Thy chosen ones be 
 all safely boused, until Zion be glorified, and Jerusalem 
 settled 0^ her everlasting foundations of light and love Id 
 heaven. 
 
24 EVENING READINGS. Jan. 24 
 
 " Martha was cumbered about much serving." — Luke x. 40. 
 pER fault was not that she served : the condition of a 
 
 servant well becomes every Christian. " I serve,'' 
 ^ should be the motto of all the princes of the royal 
 family of heaven. Nor was it her fault that she had " much 
 serving." We cannot do too much. Let us do all that we 
 possibly can ; let head, and heart, and hands be engaged in 
 the Master's service. It was no fault of hers that she was 
 busy preparing a feast for the Master. Happy Martha, to 
 have an opportunity of entertaining so blessed a guest ; and 
 happy, too, to have the spirit to throw her whole soul so 
 heartily into the engagement. Her fault was that she grew 
 " cumbered with much serving," so that she forgot Him, and 
 only remembered the service. She allowed service to over- 
 ride communion, and so presented one duty stained with the 
 blood of another. We ought to be Martha and Mary in one ; 
 we should do much service, and have much communion at 
 the same time. For this we need great grace. It is easier 
 to serve than to commune. Joshua never grew weary in 
 fighting with the Amalekites ; but Moses, on the top of the 
 mountain in prayer, needed two helpers to sustain his hands. 
 The more spiritual the exercise, the sooner we tire in it. 
 The choicest fruits are the hardest to rear ; the most heav- 
 enly graces are the most diflBcult to cultivate. Beloved, 
 while we do not neglect external things, which are good 
 enough in themselves, we ought also to see to it that we en- 
 joy living, personal fellowship with Jesus. See to it that 
 sitting at the Saviour's feet is not neglected, even though it 
 be under the specious pretext of doing Him service. The 
 first thing for our soul's health, the first thing for His glory, 
 and the first thing for our own usefulness, is to keep our- 
 selves in perpetual communion with the Lord Jesus, and to 
 see that the vital spirituality of our religion is maintained 
 over and above everything else in the world. 
 
Jan. 25. etenino readikos. 25 
 
 ** Do tee then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, 
 tee establish the law" — Romans iii. 31. 
 
 PHEN the believer is adopted into the Lord's family, his 
 relationship to old Adam and the law ceases at once ; 
 but then he is under a new rule, and a new covenant 
 Believer, you are God's child ; it is your first duty to obey 
 your heavenly Father. A servile spirit you have nothing to 
 do with ; you are not a slave, but a child ; and noiK» inasmuch 
 as you are a beloved child, you are bound to obey your Fa- 
 ther's faintest wish, the least intimation of His will. Does 
 He bid you fulfil a sacred ordinance ? It is at your peril that 
 you neglect it, for you will be disobeying your Father. Does 
 He command you to seek the image of Jesus ? Is it not your 
 joy to do so ? Does Jesus tell you, " Be ye perfect, even as 
 your Father which is in heaven is perfect" ? Then not be- 
 cause the law commands, but because your Saviour enjoins, 
 you will labor to be perfect in holiness. Does He bid His 
 saints love one another ? Do it, not because the law says, 
 *' Love thy neighbor," but because Jesus says, " If ye love 
 Me, keep My commandments ; " and this is the commandment 
 that He has given unto you, " that ye love one another." 
 Are you told to distribute to the poor ? Do it, not because 
 charity is a burden which you dare not shirk, but because 
 Jesus teaches, " Give to him that asketh of thee." Does the 
 Word say, " Love God with all your heart" } Look at the 
 commandment and reply, "Ah! commandment, Christ hath 
 fulfilled thee already ; I have no need, therefore, to fulfil 
 thee for my salvation, but I rejoice to yield obedience to thee 
 because God is my Father now, and He has a claim upon me, 
 which I would not dispute." May the Holy Ghost make your 
 heart obedient to the constraining power of Christ's love, that 
 your prayer may be, " Make nie to go in the path of Thy com- 
 mandments ; for therein do I delight." Grace is the mother 
 ■nd nurse of holiness, and not the apologist of sin. 
 3 
 
26 EVENING READINGS. Jan. 26. 
 
 "All they that heard it wondered at those things." — Luke ii. 18. 
 
 m 
 
 ^^'T^^E must not cease to wonder at the great marvels of our 
 God. It would be very difficult to draw a line be- 
 tween holy wonder and real worship ; for when the 
 soul is overwhelmed with the majesty of God's glory, though' 
 it may not express itself in song, or even utter its voice with 
 bowed head in humble pra3^er, yet it silently adores. Our in- 
 carnate Qad is to be worshipped as " the Wonderful." That 
 God should consider His fallen creature, man, and instead 
 of sweeping him away with the besom of destruction, should 
 Himself undertake to be man's Redeemer, and to pay his 
 ransom price, is, indeed, marvellous ! But to each believer 
 redemption is most marvellous as he views it in relation to 
 himself. It is a miracle of grace indeed, that Jesus should 
 forsake the thrones and royalties above, to suffer ignomini- 
 ously below for you. Let your soul lose itself in wonder, 
 for wonder is in this way a very practical emotion. Holy 
 wonder will lead you to grateful worship and heartfelt thanks- 
 giving. It will cause within you godly watchfulness ; you will 
 be afraid to sin against such a love as this. Feeling the 
 presence of the mighty God in the gift of His dear Son, you 
 will put off your shoes from off your feet, because the place 
 whereon you stand is holy ground. You will be moved at 
 the same time to glorious hope. If Jesus has done such mar- 
 vellous things on your behalf, you will feel that heaven itself 
 is not too great for your expectation. Who can be aston- 
 ished at anything, when he has once been astonished at the 
 manger and the cross ? What is there wonderful left after 
 one has seen the Saviour ? Dear reader, it may be that from 
 the quietness and solitariness of your life, you are scarcely 
 able to imitate the shepherds of Bethlehem, who told what 
 they had seen and heard, but you can. at least, fill un the 
 circle of the worshippers before inn inrone, oy wonaering ai 
 what God has done. 
 
Jan. 27. EVENING EEXDIN08. 27 
 
 " But Mary kejjt all these things, and pondered them in her heart* 
 Luke ii. 19. 
 
 IJSs^^^HERE was an exercise, on the part of this blessed 
 L^^ woman, of three powers of her being : her memory 
 — she kept all these tilings; her affections — sho 
 kept them in her heart; her intellect — she pondered them; 
 so that memory, affection, and understanding were all exer- 
 cised about the things which she bad heard. Beloved, re- 
 member what you have heard of your Lord Jesus, and what 
 He has done for you ; make your heart the golden pot of 
 manna to preserve the memorial of the heavenly bread where- 
 on you have fed in days gone by. Let your memory treasure 
 up everything about Christ which you have either felt, or 
 known, or believed, and then let your fond affections hold 
 Him fast forevermore. Love the person of your Lord .' 
 Bring forth the alabaster box of your heart, even though it 
 be broken, and let all the precious ointment of your affection 
 come streaming on His pierced feet. Let your intellect be 
 exercised concerning the Lord Jesus. Meditate upon what 
 you read : stop not at the surface ; dive into the depths. Be 
 not as the swallow which toucheth the brook with her wing, 
 but as the fish which penetrates the lowest wave. Abide with 
 your Lord : let Him not be to you as a wayfaring man, 
 that tarrieth for a night, but constrain Him, saying, " Abide 
 with us, for the day is far spent." Hold Him, and do not let 
 Him go. The word " ponder " means to weigh. Make ready 
 the balances of judgment. Oh, but where are the scales that 
 can weigh the Lord Christ ? " He taketh up the isles as a 
 very little thing " — who shall take Him up ? " He weigheth 
 the mountains in scales " — in what scales shall we weigh 
 Him f Be it so, if your understanding cannot coraprcbend, 
 lei your affections apprehend ; and if your spirit cannot cora- 
 nass the Lord Jesus in thft trrasD of understanding, let it 
 euiorace Him in the arms of attcciiou. 
 
E8 EVENING READINGS. Jan. 28. 
 
 " And the sheplierds returned, glorifying and praising Ood fof 
 all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto 
 them:' — Luke ii. 20. 
 
 
 [^JIAT was the subject of their praise ? They praised 
 God for what they had heard — for the good tidinga 
 of great joy that a Saviour was born unto them. Let 
 us copy them ; let us also raise a song of thanksgiving that 
 we have heard of Jesus and His salvation. They also praised 
 God for what they had seen. There is the sweetest music — 
 what we have experienced, what we have felt within, what we 
 have made our own — "the things which we have made 
 touching the King." It is not enough to hear about Jesus : 
 mere hearing may tune the harp, but the fingers of living 
 faith must create the music. If you have seen Jesus with 
 the God-given sight of faith, suffer no cobwebs to linger 
 among the harpstrings, but loud to the praise of sovereign 
 grace, awake your psaltery and harp. One point for which 
 they praised God was the agreement between what they had 
 heard and ivhat they had seen. Observe the last sentence — 
 " As it was told unto them." Have you not found the gos- 
 pel to be in yourselves just what the Bible said it would be ? 
 Jesus said He would give you rest — have you not enjoyed 
 the sweetest peace in Him? He said you should have joy, 
 and comfort, and life through believing in Him — have you 
 not received all these ? Are not his ways ways of pleasant- 
 ness, and his paths paths of peace ? Surely you can say 
 with the queen of Sheba, " The half has not been told me." 
 I have found Christ more sweet than His servants ever said 
 He was. I looked upon His likeness as they painted it, but 
 it was a mere daub compared with Himself; for the King 
 in His beauty outshines all imaginable loveliness. Surely 
 ^hat we have " see?i " keeps pace with, nay, far exceeds 
 vhat we have " heard." Let us, then, glorify and praise God 
 iov a Saviour so precious, aud so satisfying. 
 
Jan. 29. etenixo beadinos. 29 
 
 " Tlie dove came in to him in the evening." — Genesis viiL 11. 
 
 i'^^'^^fcLESSED be the Lord for another day of mercy, even 
 ;S5 though I am now weary with its toils. Unto the pie- 
 eerver of men lift I my song of gratitude. The dovo 
 found no rest out of the ark, and therefore returned to it; 
 and iny soul has learned yet more fully than ever, this day, 
 that there is no satisfaction to be found in earthly things — 
 God alone can give rest to my spirit. As to my business, my 
 possessions, ray family, my attainments, these are all well 
 enough in their way, but they cannot fulfil the desires of my 
 immortal nature. " Return unto thy rest, my soul, for the 
 Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee." It was at the still 
 hour, when the gates of the day were closing, that with weary 
 wing the dove came back to her master : Lord, enable 
 me this evening thus to return to Jesus. She could not en- 
 dure to spend a night hovering over the restless waste, nor 
 can I bear to be even for another hour away from Jesus, the 
 rest of my heart, the home of my spirit. She did not mere- 
 ly alight upon the roof of the ark, she '* came in to him ; " 
 even so would my longing spirit look into the secret of the 
 Lord, pierce to the interior of truth, enter into that which is 
 within the veil, and reach to my Beloved in very deed. To 
 Jesus must I come : short of the nearest and dearest inter- 
 course with Him my panting spirit cannot stay. Blessed 
 Lord Jesus, be with me, reveal Thyself, and abide with me all 
 night, so that when I awake, I may be still with Thee. I note 
 that the dove brought in her mouth an olive branch plucked 
 off, the memorial of the past day, and a prophecy of the fu- 
 ture. Have I no pleasing record to bring home ? No pledge 
 and earnest of loving-kindness yet to come ? Yes, my Lord, 
 I present Thee my grateful acknowledgments for tender mer- 
 cies which have been new every morning and fresh f very 
 evening ; and now, I pray Thee, put forth Thy hand and 
 take Thy dove into Thy bosom. 
 3* 
 
30 ETENiKO HEADINGS. Jan. 30. 
 
 " In whom also we have obtained an inheritance" — Er>h. i. 11. 
 
 ,^^HEN Jesus gave Himself for us, He gave us all the 
 rights and privileges which went with Himself; so 
 that now, although as eternal God, He has essential 
 rights to which no creature may venture to pretend, yet as 
 Jesus, the Mediator, the federal Head of the covenant of 
 grace, He has no heritage apart from us. All the glorious 
 consequences of His obedience unto death are the joint rich- 
 es of all who are in Him, and on whose behalf He accom- 
 plished the divine will. See, He enters into glory, but not 
 for Himself alone, for it is written, " Whither the Forerunner 
 is for us entered." Heb. vi. 20. Does He stand in the 
 presence of God ? " He appears in the presence of God 
 for us." Heb. ix. 24. Consider this, believer. You have 
 no right to heaven in yourself: your right lies in Christ. If 
 you are pardoned, it is through His blood ; if you are justi- 
 fied, it is through His righteousness ; if you are sanctified, 
 \t is because He is made of God unto you sanctification ; if 
 you shall be kept from falling, it will be because you are pre- 
 served in Christ Jesus ; and if you are perfected at the last, 
 it will be because you are complete in Him. Thus Jesus is 
 magnified — for all is in Him and by Him ; thus the inheri- 
 tance is made certain to us — for it is obtained in Him ; thus 
 each blessing is the sweeter, and even heaven itself the 
 brighter, because it is Jesus our Beloved "in whom" we 
 have obtained all. W^iere is the man who shall estimate our 
 divine portion ? Weigh the riches of Christ in scales, and 
 His treasures in balances, and then think to count the treas- 
 ures which belong to the saints. Reach the bottom of Christ's 
 sea of joy, and then hope to understand the bliss which God 
 hath prepared for them that love Him. Overleap the boun» 
 djiries of Christ's possessions, and then dream of a limit fcj 
 the fair inheritance of the elect. " All things aro yours, foi 
 ye are Chrifit's, and Christ is God's." 
 
Jan. 31. EVENING READINGS. 81 
 
 " Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and overran Cushi* 
 2 Samuel xviii. 23. 
 
 ^'Y^TJNNTNO is not everything ; there is much in the way 
 [^1 \'\ which we select : a swift foot over hill and down dale 
 **^ will not keep pace with a slower traveller upon level 
 groand. How is it with my spiritual journey ? Am I labor- 
 ing up the hill of my own works and down into the ravines 
 of my own humiliations and resolutions, or do I run by the 
 plain way of " Believe and live " ? How blessed is it to wait 
 upon the Lord by faith ! The soul runs without weariness, 
 and walks without fainting, in the way of believing. Christ 
 Jesus is the way of life, and He is a plain way, a pleasant 
 way, a way suitable for the tottering feet and feeble knees 
 of trembling sinners : am I found in this way, or am I hunt- 
 ing after another track such as priestcraft or metaphysics 
 may promise me ? I read of the way of holiness, that the 
 wayfaring man, though a fool, shall not err therein ; have I 
 been delivered from proud reason, and been brought as a lit- 
 tle child to rest in Jesus' love and blood ? If so, by God's 
 grace, I shall outrun the strongest runner who chooses any 
 other path. This truth I may remember to my profit in my 
 daily cares and needs. It will be my wisest course to go at 
 once to my God, and not to wander in a roundabout manner 
 to this friend and that. He knows my wants and can relieve 
 them ; to whom should I repair but to Himself by the direct 
 appeal of prayer, and the plain argument of the promise ? 
 " Straightforward makes the best runner." I will not parley 
 with the servants, but hasten to their Master. 
 
 In reading this passage, it strikes me that if men vie with 
 each other in common matters, and one outruns the other, I 
 ought to be in solemn earnestuesf so to run that I may ob- 
 tain. Lord, help me to gird up the loins of my mind, and 
 may I press forward towards the mark for the prize of raj 
 high calling of God iu Christ Jesus. 
 
32 EVENING READINGS. Feb. 1. 
 
 " Thy love to me was wonderful" — 2 Samuel i. 26. 
 
 |OME, dear readers, let each one of us speak for him- 
 self of the wonderful love, not of Jonathan, but of 
 Jesus. We will not relate what we have been told, 
 but the things which we have tasted and handled — of the 
 love of Christ. Thy love to me, Jesus, was wonderful 
 when I was a stranger wandering far from Thee, fulfilling the 
 desires of the flesh and of the mind. Thy love restrained me 
 from committing the sin which is unto death, and withheld 
 me from self-destruction. Thy love held back the axe when 
 Justice said, " Cut it down ! why cumbereth it the ground ?" 
 Thy love drew me into the wilderness, stripped me there, and 
 made me feel the guilt of my sin, and the burden of mine 
 iniquity. Thy love spake thus comfortably to me when I was 
 sore dismayed : " Come unto Me, and I will give thee rest." 
 Oh, how matchless Thy love when, in a moment. Thou didst 
 wash my sins away, and make my polluted soul, which was 
 crimson with the blood of my nativity, and black with the 
 grime of my transgressions, to be white as the driven snow, 
 and pure as the finest wool. How Thou didst commend Thy 
 love when Thou didst whisper in my ears, " I am thine and 
 thou art Mine." Kind were those accents when Thou saidst, 
 " The Father Himself loveth you." And sweet the moments, 
 passing sweet, when Thou declaredst to me " the love of th« 
 Spirit." Never shall my soul forget those chambers of fel- 
 lowship where Thou hast unveiled Thyself to me. Had Mo- 
 ses his cleft in the rock, where he saw the train, the back 
 parts of his God ? We, too, have had our clefts in the rock, 
 where we have seen the full splendors of the Godhead in the 
 persou of Christ. Did David remember the tracks of the 
 wild goat, the land of Jordan and the Hermonites ? We, too, 
 can remember spots to memory dear, equal to these in bless- 
 edness. Precious Lord Jesus, give us a fresh draught of Thj 
 wondrous love to begin the month with. Amen. 
 
Feb. 2. EVENING HEADINGS. 33 
 
 "And the»e are ancient things." — 1 Chronicles iv. 22. 
 
 IS^iZ^ET not 80 ancient as those precious things which are 
 the delight of our souls. Let us for a moment re- 
 y^ count them, telling them over as misers count their 
 gold. The sovereign choice of the Father, by which 
 He elected us unto eternal life, or ever the earth was, is a 
 matter of vast antiquity, since no date can be conceived for 
 it by the mind of man. We were chosen from before the 
 foundations of the world. Everlasting love went with the 
 choice, for it was not a bare act of divine will by which we 
 were set apart, but the divine affections were concerned. 
 The Father loved us in and from the beginning. Here is a 
 theme for daily contemplation. The eternal purpose to re- 
 deem us from our foreseen ruin, to cleanse and sanctify us, 
 and at last to glorify us, was of infinite antiquity, and runs 
 Bide by side with immutable love and absolute sovereignty. 
 The covenant is always described as being everlasting, and 
 Jesus, the second party in it, had His goings forth of old ; 
 He struck hands in sacred suretyship long ere the first of the 
 stars began to shine, and it was in Him that the elect were 
 ordained unto eternal life. Thus in the divine purpose a 
 most blessed covenant union was established between the 
 Son of God and His elect people, which will remain as the 
 foundation of their safety when time shall be no more. Is it 
 not well to be conversant with these ancient things ? Is it 
 not shameful that they should be so much neglected and even 
 rejected by the bulk of professors ? If they knew more of 
 their own sin, would they not be more ready to adore distin- 
 guishing grace ? Let us both admire and adore to-night, ai 
 we sing, — 
 
 " A monument of grace, 
 
 A sinner saved by blood ! 
 The streams of love I trace 
 
 Up to the Fountain, God, 
 And in His sacred bosom see 
 Eternal thoughts of lore to me." 
 
84 EVENING READINGS. Feb. 3 
 
 " Tell me . . . where Thou feedest, where Thou makest Thy flock t« 
 rest at noon." — Canticles i. 7. 
 
 ^HESE words express the desire of the believer after 
 Christ, and his longing for present communion with 
 Him. " Where dost Thou feed Thy flock ? " In Thy 
 house f I will go, if I may find Thee there. In private 
 prayer f Then I will pray without ceasing. In the Word f 
 Then I will read it diligently. In thine ordinances ? Then 
 T will walk in them with all my heart. Tell me where Thou 
 • feedest, for wherever Thou standest as the Shepherd, there 
 will I lie down as a sheep ; for none but Thyself can supply 
 my need. I cannot be satisfied to be apart from Thee. My 
 soul hungers and thirsts for the refreshment of Thy presence. 
 " Where dost Thou make Thy flock to rest at noon ? " for 
 whether at dawn or noon, my only rest must be where Thou 
 art and Thy beloved flock. My soul's rest must be a grace- 
 given rest, and can only be found in Thee. Where is the 
 shadow of that rock ? Why should I not repose beneath it ? 
 ♦' Why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks 
 of thy companions ? " Thou hast companions — why should 
 I not be one ? Satan tells me I am unworthy ; but I always 
 was unworthy, and yet Thou hast long loved me ; and there- 
 fore my unworthiness cannot be a bar to my having fellow- 
 ship with Thee now. It is true I am weak in faith, and prone 
 to fall, but my very feebleness is the reason why I should 
 always be where Thou feedest Thy flock, that I may be 
 strengthened, and preserved in safety beside the still waters. 
 Why should I turn aside ? There is no reason why I should, 
 but there are a thousand reasons why I should not, for Jesus 
 beckons me to come. If He withdraw Himself a little, it is 
 but to make me prize His presence more. Now that I am 
 grieved and distressed at being away from Him, He will lead 
 me yet again to that sheltered nook where the lambs of Hii 
 fold are sheltered from the burning sun. • 
 
Feb. 4. ETBNINO REAJ)IN08. Si 
 
 "Your refuge from the avenger of blood." — Joshua xx. 3. 
 
 ^2^]J?T is said that in the land of Canaan, cities of refuge 
 2^1 '^ were so arranged, that any man might reach one of 
 P/^ky them within half a day at the utmost. Even so thf 
 word of our salvation is near to us ; Jesus is a present Sav- 
 iour, and the way to Him is short ; it is but a simple renun- 
 ciation of our own merit, and a laying hold of Jesus, to be 
 our all in all. With regard to the roads to the city of ref- 
 uge, we are told that they were strictly preserved, every river 
 was bridged, and every obstruction removed, so that the man 
 who fled might find an easy passage to the city. Once a year 
 the elders went along the roads and saw to their order, so 
 that nothing might impede the flight of any one, and cause 
 him, through delay, to be overtaken and slain. How gra- 
 ciously do the promises of the gospel remove stumbling- 
 blocks from the way ! Wherever there were by-roads and 
 turnings, there were fixed up hand-posts, with this inscription 
 upon them : " To the city of refuge ! " This is a picture of 
 the road to Christ Jesus. It is no roundabout road of the 
 law ; it is no obeying this, that, and the other ; it is a straight 
 road : " Believe, and live." It is a road so hard, that no 
 self-righteous man can ever tread it; but so easy, that every 
 sinner, who knows himself to be a sinner, may by it find his 
 way to heaven. No sooner did the man-slayer reach the out- 
 works of the city than he was safe ; it was not necessary for 
 him to pass far within the walls, but the suburbs themselves 
 were suflScient protection. Learn hence, that if you do but 
 touch the hem of Christ's garment, you shall be made whole; 
 if you do but lay hold upon him with " faith as a grain of 
 mustard seed," you are safe. 
 
 " A little genuine grace Ineurca 
 The death of all our sins." 
 
 Only waste no time, loiter not by the way, for the avenger 
 of blood is swift of foot ; and it may be he is at your heela 
 at this still hour of eventide. 
 
36 EVENING READINGS. Feb. 5 
 
 "At thai time Jesus answered." — Matthew xi. 25. 
 
 SHIS is a singular way in which to commence a verse : 
 ll " At that time Jesus answered." If you will look at 
 the context you will not perceive that any person had 
 asked Him a question, or that He was in conversation with 
 any human being. Yet it is written, " Jesus answered and 
 said, I thank Thee, Father." When a man answers, he 
 answers a person who has been speaking to him. Who, then, 
 had spoken to Christ ? His Father. Yet there is no record 
 of it ; and this should teach us that Jesus had constant fel- 
 lowship with His Father, and that God spake into His heart 
 so often, so continually, that it was not a circumstance sin- 
 gular enough to be recorded. It was the habit and life of 
 Jesus to talk with God. Even as Jesus was, in this world, 
 so are we ; let us, therefore, learn the lesson which this sim- 
 ple statement concerning Him teaches us. May we likewise 
 have silent fellowship with the Father, so that often we may 
 answer Him, and though the world wotteth not to whom we 
 speak, may we be responding to that secret voice unheard 
 of any other ear, which our own ear, opened by the Spirit of 
 God, recognizes with joy. God has spoken to us ; let us 
 speak to God — either to set to our seal that God is true and 
 faithful to His promise, or to confess the sin of which the 
 Spirit of.God has convinced us, or to acknowledge the mercy 
 which God's providence has given, or to express assent to 
 the great truths which God the Holy Ghost has opened to 
 our understanding. What a privilege is intimate communion 
 with the Father of our spirits ! It is a secret hidden from 
 the world, a joy with which even the nearest friend inter- 
 meddleth not. If we would hear the whispers of God's love, 
 our ear must be purged and fitted to listen to His voice. 
 This very •evening may our hearts be in such a state, that 
 when God speaks to us, we, like Jesus, may be prepared a( 
 ODce to answer Him. 
 
Feb. 6. EVENING HEADINGS. 87 
 
 " Pray one for another." — James v. 16. 
 
 •S an encouragement cheerfully to offer intercessory 
 j '^ prayer, remember that such, prayer is the stueetest God 
 *^ ever hears, for the prayer of Christ is of this charac- 
 ter. In all the incense which our Great High Priest now 
 puts into the golden censer, there is not a single grain for 
 Himself. His intercession must be the most acceptable of 
 all supplications — and the more like our prayer is to Christ's, 
 the sweeter it will be ; thus while petitions for ourselves will 
 be accepted, our pleadings for others, having in them more 
 of the fruits of the Spirit, more love, more faith, more broth- 
 erly kindness, will be, through the precious merits of Jesus, 
 the sweetest oblation that we can offer to God, the very fat 
 of our sacrifice. Remember, again, that intercessory prayer 
 is exceedingly prevalent. What wonders it has wrought ! 
 The Word of God teems with its marvellous deeds. Be- 
 liever, thou hast a mighty engine in thy hand, use it well, 
 use it constantly, use it with faith, and thou shall surely be a 
 benefactor to thy brethren. When thou hast the King's ear, 
 speak to Him for the suffering members of His body. When 
 thou art favored to draw very near to His throne, and tho 
 King saith to thee, " Ask, and I will give thee what thou 
 wilt," let thy petitions be, not for thyself alone, but for tho 
 many who need His aid. If thou hast grace at all, and art 
 not an intercessor, that grace must be small as a grain of 
 mustard seed. Thou hast just enough grace to float thy soul 
 clear from the quicksand, but thou hast no deep floods of 
 grace, or else thou wouldst carry in thy joyous bark a weighty 
 cargo of the wants of others, and thou wouldst bring back 
 from thy Lord, for them, rich blessings, which but for thed 
 they might not have obtained. 
 
 " O, let my hands forp^et their skill, 
 My tongue be bilent, cold, and still, 
 This bounding heart forget to beat. 
 If I [oTg«t the mercy-seat ! " 
 
 4 
 
S8 ETENING READINGS. FeLi. 7. 
 
 "And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come 
 tip hither." — Revelation xi. 12. 
 
 ^|i|jl^ITHOUT considering these words in their prophetical 
 Wiwh connection, let us regard them as the invitation of 
 *^^^ our great Forerunner to His sanctified people. In 
 due time there shall be heard " a great voice from heaven" 
 to every believer, saving " Come up hither." This should 
 be to the saints the subject of joyful anticipation. Instead 
 of dreading the time when we shall leave this world to go 
 unto the Father, we should be panting for the hour of our 
 emancipation. Our song should be — 
 
 " My heart is with Him on His throne, 
 And ill can brook delay; 
 Each moment listening for the voice, 
 ' Kise up, and come away.' " 
 
 We are not called doivn to the grave, but tip to the skies. 
 Our heaven-born spirits should long for their native air. 
 Yet, should the celestial summons be the object of patient 
 waiting. Our God knows best when to bid us " Come up 
 hither." We must not wish to antedate the period of our 
 departure. I know that strong love will make us cry, 
 
 " O Lord of Hosts, the waves divide, 
 And laud us all in heaven ; " 
 
 but patience must have her perfect work. God ordains with 
 accurate wisdom the most fitting time for the redeemed to 
 abide below. Surely, if there could be regrets in heaven, 
 the saints might mourn that they did not live longer here to 
 do more good. Oh, for more sheaves for my Lord's garner ! 
 more jewels for His crown ! But how, unless there be more 
 work ? True, there is the other side of it, that, living so 
 briefly, oui sins are tht fewer ; but oh ! when we are fully 
 serving God, and He is giving us to scatter precious seed, 
 and reap a hundred fold, we would even say it is well for ua 
 to abide where we are. Whether our Master shall say " go," 
 or " stay," let us be equally well pleased, so long as He in« 
 dulges us with His presence. 
 
Feb. 8. EVENING READINGS. 39 
 
 " He shall save His people from their sins." — Matthew i. 21. 
 
 I'jPI^ANY persons, if they are asked what they understand 
 W^fll by salvation, will reply, " Being saved from hell and 
 *^*-V taken to heaven." This is one result of salvation, 
 but it is not one tithe of what is contained in that boon. It 
 is true our Lord Jesus Christ does redeem all Uis people 
 ^rom the wrath to come ; He saves them from the fearful 
 condemnation which their sins had brought upon them ; but 
 His triumph is far n\ore complete than this. He saves His 
 people " from their sins." Oh ! sweet deliverance from our 
 worst foes. Where Christ works a saving work. He casts 
 Satan from his throne, and will not let him be master any 
 longer. No man is a true Christian if sin reigns in his mor- 
 tal body. Sin will be in us — it will never be utterly ex- 
 pelled till the spirit enters glory ; but it will never have 
 dominion. Thore will be a striving for dominion — a lusting 
 against the no"? law and the new spirit which God has im- 
 planted — bvt sin will never get the upper hand so as to be 
 absolute monarch of our nature. Christ will be Master of 
 the heart, and sin must be mortified. The Lion of the tribe 
 of Judah shall prevail, and the dragon shall be cast out. 
 Professor ! is sin subdued in you ? If your life is unholy 
 your heart is unchanged ; and if your heart is unchanged you 
 are an unsaved person. If the Saviour has not sanctified 
 you, renewed you, given you a hatred of sin and a love of 
 holiness. He has done nothing in you of a saving character. 
 The grace which does not make a man better than others is 
 a worthless counterfeit. Christ saves His people not in their 
 sins, hat/rom them. "Without holiness no man shall see 
 the Lord." " Let every one that nameth the name of Christ 
 depart from iniquity." If not saved from sin, how shall we 
 hope to be counted among His people. Lord, save me even 
 now from all evil, and enable me to honor my Saviour. 
 
40 EVENING EEADIN08. Feb. 9. 
 
 " Lead us not into temptation ; but deliver us from evil [or the crtl 
 one]." — Luke xi. 4. 
 
 ^M^HAT we are taught to seek or shun in prayer, wo 
 Wv3/'i ^^^"^^ equally pursue or avoid in action. Very 
 ^'*^*^ earnestly, therefore, should we avoid temptation, 
 seeking to walk so guardedly in the path of obedience, that 
 wc may never tempt the devil to tempt us. We are not t« 
 enter the thicket in search of the lion. Dearly might we 
 pay for such presumption. This lion may cross our path, or 
 leap upon us from the thicket, but we have nothing to do 
 with hunting him. He that meeteth with him, even though 
 he winneth the day, will find it a stern struggle. Let the 
 Christian pray that he may be spared the encounter. Our 
 Saviour, who had experience of what temptation meant, 
 thus earnestly admonished His disciples — " Pray that ye 
 enter not into temptation." 
 
 But let us do as we will, we shall be tempted ; hence the 
 prayer " deliver us from evil." God had one Son without 
 sin ; but He has no son without temptation. The natural 
 man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upwards, and the 
 Christian man is born to temptation just as certainly. We 
 must be always on our watch against Satan, because, like a 
 thief, he gives no intimation of his approach. Believers 
 who have had experience of the ways of Satan, know that 
 there are certain seasons when he will most probably make 
 an attack, just as at certain seasons bleak winds may be ex- 
 pected ; thus the Christian is put on a double guard by fear 
 of danger, and the danger is averted by preparing to meet 
 it. Prevention is better than cure : it is better to be so well 
 armed that the devil will not attack you, than to endure the 
 perils of the fight, even though you come off a conqueror. 
 Pray this evening first that you may not be tempted, and 
 next, that if temptation be permitted, you may be delivered 
 from the evil oue. 
 
Fob. 10. EVENING READINGS. 41 
 
 "/ haee blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a 
 cloud, thy sins : return unto Me ; for I have redeemed thee." — 
 Isaiah xliv. 22. 
 
 OTTENTIVELY observe the instbuctive simili- 
 tude : our sins are like a cloud. As clouds are of 
 many shapes and shades, so are our transgressions. 
 As clouds obscure the light of the sun, and darken the land- 
 scape beneath, so do our sins hide from us the light of Je- 
 hovah's face, and cause us to sit in the shadow of death. 
 They are earth-born things, and rise from the miry places 
 of our nature ; and when so collected that their measure is 
 full, they threaten us with storm and tempest. Alas ! that, 
 unlike clouds, our sins yield us no genial showers, but rather 
 threaten to deluge us with a fiery flood of destruction. 
 ye black clouds of sin, how can it be fair weather with our 
 souls while ye remain ? 
 
 Let our joyful eye dwell upon the notable act of divine 
 mercy — " blotting out." God Himself appears upon the 
 scene, and in divine benignity, instead of manifesting His 
 anger, reveals His grace : He at once and forever eflfectu- 
 ally removes the mischief, not by blowing away the cloud, 
 but by blotting it out from existence once for all. Against 
 the justified man no sin remains ; the great transaction of 
 the cross has eternally removed His transgressions from Him, 
 On Calvary's summit the great deed by which the sin of all 
 the chosen was forever put away, was completely and effectu- 
 ally performed. 
 
 Practically let us obey the gkacious commakd, '* return 
 unto me." Why should pardoned sinners live at a distance 
 from their God ? If we have been forgiven all our sins, let 
 no legal fear withhold us from the boldest access to our 
 Lord. Let baekslidings be bemoaned, but let us not perse- 
 vere in them. To the greatest possible nearness of com- 
 munion with the Lord, let us, in the power of the Holy Spirit, 
 strive mightily to return. Lord, this night restore us ! 
 4* 
 
42 EVENING KEADINGS. F^b. 11 
 
 " Thou hast left thy first love." — Revelation ii 4. 
 
 ^^i^VER to be remembered is that best and brightest oi 
 flt^fem hours when first we saw the Lord, lost our burden.j 
 ^— -^^ received the roll of promise, rejoiced in full salva 
 tion, and went on our way in peace. It was spring time ii 
 the soul ; the winter was past ; the mutterings of SinaiV 
 tdunders were hushed ; the flaf hings of its lightnings were 
 no more perceived ; God was beheld as reconciled ; the law 
 threatened no vengeance, justice demanded no punishment. 
 Then the flowers appeared in our heart ; hope, love, peace, 
 and patience sprung from the sod ; the hyacinth of repent- 
 ance, the snowdrop of pure holiness, the crocus of golden 
 faith, the daffodil of early love, all decked the garden of the 
 soul. The time of the singing of birds was come, and we 
 rejoiced with thanksgiving ; we magnified the holy name of 
 our forgiving God, and our resolve was, " Lord, I am Thine, 
 wholly Thine ; all I am, and all I have, I would devote to 
 Thee. Thou hast bought me with Thy blood — let me spend 
 myself and be spent in thy service. In life and in death let 
 me be consecrated to Thee." now have we kept this resolve f 
 Our espousal love burned with a holy flame of dcvotedness 
 to Jesus — is it the same 7iow f Might not Jesus well say 
 to us, " I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left 
 thy first love " ? Alas ! it is but little we have done for our 
 Master's glory. Our winter has lasted all too long. We 
 are as cold as ice when we should feel a summer's glow, and 
 bloom with sacred flowers. We give to God pence when He 
 deserveth pounds, nay, deserveth our heart's blood to be 
 coined in the service of His church and of His truth. But 
 shall we continue thus ? Lord, after Thou hast so richly 
 blessed us, shall we be ungrateful, and become indifferent to 
 Thy good cause and work ? quicken us that we may re- 
 turn to our first love, and do our first works ! Send us a 
 genial spring, Sun of Bighteousness. 
 
Feb. 12. EVENING HEADINGS. 43 
 
 " He shall abide with yoti forever." — Psalm Ixi. 7. 
 
 ■q^TIE Great Father revealed Himself to believers of old 
 l^ljt^ before the coming of His Son, and was known to 
 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as the God Almighty. 
 Then Jesus came, and the ever-blessed Son in His own prop- 
 er person, was the delight of His people's eyes. At the time 
 of the Kedeemcr's ascension, the Holy Spirit became the 
 head of the present dispensation, and His power was glori- 
 ously manifested on and after Pentecost. He remains at this 
 hour the present Immanuel — God with us, dwelling in and 
 with His people, quickening, guiding, and ruling in their 
 midst. Is His presence recognized as it ought to be ? We 
 cannot control His working ; He is most sovereign in^all His 
 operations, but are we suflSiciently anxious to obtain His help, 
 or sufficiently watchful lest we provoke Him to withdraw His 
 aid ? Without him we can do nothing, but by His almighty 
 energy the most extraordinary results can be produced : ev- 
 erything depends upon His manifesting or concealing His 
 power. Do we always look up to Him both for our inner life 
 and our outward service with the respectful dependence which 
 is fitting ? Do we not too often run before His call and act 
 independently of His aid. Let us humble ourselves this 
 evening for past neglects, and now entreat the heavenly dew 
 to rest upon us, the sacred oil to anoint us, the celestial 
 flame to burn within us. The Holy Ghost is no temporary 
 gift. He abides with the saints. We have but to seek Him 
 aright, and He will be found of us. He is jealous, but He 
 is pitiful ; if He leaves in anger, He returns in mercy. Con- 
 descending and tender, He does not weary of us, but waits 
 to be gracious still. 
 
 Sin has been hammering' mj bouI 
 Unto a hardness, roid of h've. 
 Let grace work too, and Ohiny MMil 
 Drop from above. 
 
44 EVENING KEADING8. Feb. 13. 
 
 " There is therefore now no condemnation." — Romans viii. 1. 
 
 ^OME, my soul, think thou of this. Believing in 
 'i^-^ Jesu?, thou art actually and effectually cleared from 
 guilt; thou art led out of thy prison. Thou art no 
 more in fetters as a bond-slave ; thou art delivered now from 
 tlie bondage of the law; thou art freed from sin, and canst 
 walk at large as a freeman ; thy Saviour's blood has procured 
 thy full discharge. Thou hast a right now to approach thy 
 Father's throne. No flames of vengeance are there to scare 
 thee now; no fiery, sword ; justice cannot. smite the inno- 
 cent. Thy disabilities are taken away : thou wast once una- 
 ble to see thy Father's face ; thou canst see it now. Thou 
 couldst not speak with Him ; but now thou hast access with 
 boldness. Once there was a fear of hell upon thee ; but thou 
 hast no fear of it now, for how can there be punishment for 
 the guiltless ? He who believeth is not condemned, and can- 
 not be punished. And more than all, the privileges thou 
 mightst have enjoyed, if thou hadst never sinned, are thine 
 now thou art justified. All the blessings which thou wouldst 
 have had if thou hadst kept the law, and more, are thine, be- 
 cause Christ has kept it for thee. All the love and the ac- 
 ceptance which perfect obedience could have obtained of God, 
 belong to thee, because Christ was perfectly obedient on thy 
 behalf, and hath imputed all His merits to thy account, that 
 thou mightst be exceeding rich through Him, who for thy sakrf 
 became exceeding poor. Oh ! how great the debt of love 
 and gratitude thou owest to thy Saviour ! 
 
 " A debtor to mercy alone. 
 
 Of covenant mercy I sing; 
 Nor fear with Thy righteousnesB on, 
 
 My person and oflerings to bring : 
 The terrors of law and of God, 
 
 With me can have nothing to do ; 
 My Saviour's obedience and blood 
 
 Hide all my transgreesiena from riew." 
 
Peb. 14. EVENING READINGS. 45 
 
 ' She was healed immediately" — Luke viii. 47. 
 
 j^NE of the most touching and teaching of the Saviour's 
 i\/i^ niir.acles is before us to-night. The woman was very 
 f^^^-^^ ignorant. She imagined that virtue came out of 
 Christ by a law of necessity, without His knowledge or direct 
 will. Moreover, she was a stranger to the generosity of Je- 
 sus' character, or she would not have gone behind to steal 
 the cure which He was so ready to bestow. Misery should 
 always place itself right in the face of mercy. Had she 
 known the love, of Jesus' heart, she would have said, " I 
 have but to put myself where He can see me — His omnis- 
 cience will teach Him my case, and His love at once will work 
 my cure." We admire her faith, but we marvel at her igno- 
 rance. After she had obtained the cure, she rejoiced with 
 trembling : glad was she that the divine virtue had wrought 
 a marvel in her ; but she feared lest Christ should retract the 
 blessing, and put a negative upon the grant of His grace : 
 little did she comprehend the fulness of His love ! We have 
 not so clear a view of Him as we could wish ; we know not the 
 heights and depths of His love ; but we know of a surety that 
 He is too good to withdraw from a trembling soul the gift 
 which it has been able to obtain. But here is the marvel of 
 it : little as was her knowledge, her faith, because it was real 
 faith, saved her, and saved her at once. There was no tedious 
 delay — faith's miracle was instantaneous. If we have faith 
 as a grain of mustard seed, salvation is our present and eter- 
 nal possession. If in the list of the Lord's children we are 
 written as the feeblest of the family, yet, being heirs through 
 faith, no power, human or devilish, can eject us from salva- 
 tion. If we cannot clasp the Lord in our hands with Simeon, 
 if we dare nt lean our heads upon His bosom with John, 
 yet if we can venture in the press behind Him, and touch the 
 hem of His garment, we are made whole. Courage, timid 
 one! thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace. '■'■Being justi- 
 fied by faith, we have peace with God." 
 
46 ETENING HEADINGS. Feb. 15> 
 
 " Whereby they have made Thee glad" — Psalm xlv. 8. 
 
 JND who are thus privileged to make the Saviour glad ? 
 His church — His people. But is it possible ? He 
 makes v^ glad, but how can we make Him glad? By 
 our love. Ah ! we think it so cold, so faint ; and so, indeed, 
 we must sorrowfully confess it to be, but it is very sweet to 
 Christ. Hear His own eulogy of that love in the golden 
 Canticle : " How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse ! how 
 much better is thy love than wine ! " See, loving heart, how 
 He delights in you. When you lean your head on His bosom, 
 you not only receive, but you give Him joy ; when you gaze 
 with love upon His all-glorious face, you not only obtain com- 
 fort, but impart delight. Our ]3 rat se, too, gives Hira joy — 
 not the song of the lips alone, but the melody of the heart's 
 deep gratitude. Our gifts, too, are very pleasant to Him ; 
 He loves to see us lay our time, our talents, our substance 
 upon His altar, not for the value of what we give, but for the 
 sake of the motive from which the gift springs. T6 Him the 
 lowly offerings of His saints are more acceptable than thou- 
 sands of gold and silver. Soilness is like frankincense and 
 myrrh to Him. Forgive your enemy, and you make Christ 
 glad ; distribute of your substance to the poor, and He re- 
 ioices ; be the means of saving souls, and you give Him to 
 see of the travail of His soul ; proclaim His gospel, and you 
 are a sweet savor unto Him ; go among the ignorant and lift 
 up the cross, and you have given Him honor. It is in your 
 power even now to break the alabaster bos, and pour the 
 precious oil of joy upon His head, as did the woman of old, 
 whose nieaiorial is to this day set forth wherever the gospel 
 e preached. Will you be backward then ? Will you not 
 perfume your beloved Lord with the myrrh, and aloes, and 
 cassia of your heart's praise ? Yes, ye ivory palaces, ye 
 shall hear the songs of the saints 1 
 
Feb. 16. ETENINO READINGS. 47 
 
 " Thy good /Sip/ri^." — Nehemiah ix. 20. 
 
 ^OMMON, too common is the sin of forgetting the Holy 
 Spirit. Tbi? is folly and ingratitude. He deserve! 
 well at our hands, for He is good, supremely good. 
 As God, He is good essentially. He shares in the threefold 
 ascription of Holy, holy, holy, which ascends to the Triune 
 Jehovah. Unmixed purity, and truth, and grace is He. He 
 is good benevolently, tenderly bearing with our waywardness, 
 striving with our rebellious wills ; quickening us from our 
 death in sin, and then training us for the skies as a loving 
 nurse fosters her child. How generous, forgiving, and ten- 
 der is this patient Spirit of God. He is good operatively. 
 All His works are good in the most eminent degree : He 
 suggests good thoughts, prompts good actions, reveals good 
 truths, applies good promises, assists in good attainments, 
 and leads to good results. There is no spiritual good in all 
 the world of which He is not the author and sustainer, and 
 heaven itself will owe the perfect character of its redeemed 
 inhabitants to His work. He is good officially ; whether as 
 Comforter, Instructor, Guide, Sanctifier, Quickener, or In- 
 tercessor, He fulfils His office well, and each work is fraught 
 with the highest good to the church of God. They who yield 
 to His influences become good, they who obey his impulses 
 do good, they who live under His power receive good. Let 
 us then act towards so good a person according to the dic- 
 tates of gratitude. Let us revere His person, and adore 
 Him as God over all, blessed forever ; let us own His power, 
 and our need of Him, by waiting upon Him in all our holy 
 enterprises; let us hourly seek His aid, and never grieve 
 Him; and let us speak to His praise whenever o(;casion oc- 
 curs. The church will never prosper until more reverently 
 it believes in the Holy Ghost. He is so good and kind, that 
 it is sad indeed that He should be grieved by slights aud 
 negligences. 
 
48 EVENING KEADINGS. Feb. 17 
 
 "Whereas the Lord was there" — Ezekiel xxxv. 10. 
 
 ^DOM'S princes saw the whole country left desolate, 
 W^m and counted upon its easy conquest ; but there vsas 
 one great difficulty in their way — quite unknown to 
 them — " The Lord was there ; " and in His presence lay the 
 special security of the chosen land. Whatever may be the 
 machinations and devices of the enemies of God's people, 
 there is still the same eflfectual barrier to thwart their design. 
 The saints are God's heritage, and He is in the midst of them, 
 and will protect His own. What comfort this assurance 
 yields us in our troubles and spiritual conflicts ! We are 
 constantly opposed, and yet perpetually preserved ! How 
 often Satan shoots his arrows against our faith, but our faith 
 defies the power of hell's fiery darts ; they are not only turned 
 aside, but they are quenched upon its shield, for " the Lord 
 is there." Our good tvorks are the subjects of Satan's at- 
 tacks. A saint never yet had a virtue or a grace which was 
 not tne target for hellish bullets : whether it was hope bright 
 and sparkling, or love warm and fervent, or patience all- 
 enduring, or zeal flaming like coals of fire, the old enemy of 
 everything that is good has tried to destroy it. The only 
 reason why anything virtuous or lovely survives in us is this, 
 " the Lord is there." 
 
 If the Lord be with us through life, we need not fear for 
 our dying confidence ; for when we come to die, we shall find 
 that " the Lord is there ; " where the billows are most tempes- 
 tuous, and the water is most chill, we shall feel the bottom, 
 and know that it is good : our feet shall stand upon the Rock 
 of Ages when time is passing away. Beloved, from the first 
 of a Christian's life to the last, the only reason why he does 
 not perish is because " the Lord is there." When the God of 
 everlasting love shall change and leave His elect to perish, 
 then may the Church of God be destroyed ; but not till then, 
 because it is written, Jehovah Shammah. " the Lord i$ 
 there." 
 
Keb. 18. EVENING EEADINGS. 49 
 
 " Father, I have sinned." — Luke xv. 18. 
 
 MfT is quite certain that those whom Christ has washed 
 »'^ in His precious blood need not make a confession of 
 sin, as culprits or criminals, before God the Judge, 
 for Christ has forever taken away all their sins in a legal 
 sense, so that they no longer stand where they can be con- 
 demned, but are once for all accepted in the Beloved ; but 
 having become children, and offending as children, ought 
 they not every day to go before their heavenly Father and 
 confess their sin, and acknowledge their iniquity in that char- 
 acter ? Nature teaches that it is the duty of erring children 
 to make a confession \o their earthly father, and the grace of 
 God in the heart teaches us that we, as Christians, owe the 
 same duty to our heavenly Father. We daily offend, and 
 ought not to rest without daily pardon. For, supposing that 
 my trespasses against my Father are not at once taken to 
 Him to be washed away by the cleansing power of the Lord 
 Jesus, what will be the consequence ? If I have not sought 
 forgiveness and been washed from these offences against my 
 Father, I shall feel at a distance from Him ; I shall doubt 
 His love to me ; I shall tremble at Him ; I shall be afraid to 
 pray to Him ; I shall grow like the prodigal, who, although 
 still a child, was yet far off from his father. But if, with a 
 child's sorrow at offending so gracious and loving a Parent, 
 I go to Him and tell Him all, and rest not till I realize that 
 I am forgiven, then I shall feel a holy love to my Father, 
 and shall go through my Christian career, not only as saved, 
 but as one enjoying present peace in God through Jesus 
 Christ my Lord. There is a wide distinction between con- 
 fessing sin as a culprit^ and confessing sin as a child. The 
 Father's bosom is the place for penitent confessions. We 
 have been cleansed once for all, but our feet still need to be 
 washed from the defilement of onr daily walk as children of 
 God. 
 
 S 
 
dO EVENING HEADINGS. Feb. 19 
 
 " Eejirgtjindeth his own brother Simon." — John i. 41. 
 
 ^HIS case is an excellent pattern of all cases where 
 spiritual life is vigorous. As soon as a man has found 
 Christ, he begins to find others. I will not believe 
 that thou hast tasted of the honey of the gospel if thou canst 
 eat it all thyself. True grace puts an end to all spiritual 
 monopoly. Andrew ^rs^ found his own brother Simon, and 
 then others. Relationship has a very strong demand upon out 
 first individual efforts. Andrew, thou didst well to begin 
 with Simon. I doubt whether there are not some ChristiariS 
 giving away tracts at other people's houses who would do 
 well to give away a tract at their own — whether thnre are 
 not some engaged in works of usefulness abroad, who are 
 neglecting their special sphere of usefulness at home. Thou 
 mayst or thou mayst not be called to evangelize the people in 
 any particular locality, but certainly thou art called to see 
 after thine own servants, thine own kinsfolk and acquaint- 
 ance. Let thy religion begin at home. Many tradesmen 
 export their best commodities ; the Christian should not. 
 He should have all his conversation everywhere of the best 
 savor ; but let him have a care to put forth the sweetest fruit 
 of spiritual life and testimony in his own family. When An- 
 drew went to find his brother, he little imagined how emi- 
 nent Simon would become. Simon Peter was worth ten An- 
 drews, so far as we can gather from sacred history, and yet 
 Andrew was instrumental in bringing him to Jesus. You 
 may be very deficient in talent yourself, and yet you may be 
 the means of drawing to Christ one who shall become emi- 
 nent in grace and service. Ah ! dear friend, you little know 
 the possibilities which are in you. You may but speak a 
 word to a child, and in that child there may be slumbering a 
 noble heart which shall stir the Christian church in years to 
 come. Andrew has only two talents, but he finds Petei. Go 
 ibou and do likewise. 
 
Feb. 20. EVENING REAPINOS. 51 
 
 " Then was Jesris led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to bt 
 tenipted of the devil." — Matthew iv. 1. 
 
 IKc^ HOLY character does not avert temptation — Jcsua 
 ll;^ was tenipted. When Satan tempts us, his sparks fall 
 ^^ upon tinder ; but in Christ's case, it was like striking 
 sparks on water ; yet the enemy continued his evil work. 
 Now if the devil goes on striking when there is no result, 
 how much more will he do it when he knows what inflamma- 
 ble stuff" our hearts are made of! Though you become 
 greatly sancti6ed by the Holy Ghost, expect that the great 
 dog of hell will bark at you still. In the haunts of men we 
 expect to be tempted, but even seclusion will not guard us 
 from the same trial. Jesus Christ was led away from human 
 society into the wilderness, and was lempted of the devil. 
 Solitude has its charms and its benefits, and may be useful 
 in checking the lust of the eye and the pride of life ; but the 
 devil will follow us into the most lovely retreats. Do not 
 suppose that it is only the worldly-minded who have dread- 
 ful thoughts and blasphemous temptations, for even spiritual- 
 minded persons endure the same ; and in the holiest position 
 we may sufi'er the darkest temptation. The utmost consecra- 
 tion of spirit will not insure you against Satanic temptation. 
 Christ was consecrated through and through. It was His 
 meat and drink to do the will of Him that sent Him ; and 
 yet He was tempted ! Your hearts may glow with a ser£.phic 
 flame of love to Jesus, and yet the devil will try to bring 
 you down to Laodicean lukewarmness. If you will tell mo 
 when God permits a Christian to lay aside his armor, I will 
 tell you when Satan has left off" temptation. Like the old 
 knights in war time, we must sleep with helmet and breaat- 
 plate buckled on, for the arch-deceiver will seize our first 
 unguarded hour to make us his prey. The Lord keep us. 
 watchful in all seasons, and give us a final escape fiom im 
 jaw of the lion and the paw of the hear. 
 
32 EVENING KEADING9. Feb. 21 
 
 " Understandest thou what thou readest?" — Acts viii. 30. 
 
 ^;E should be abler teachers of others, and less liable to 
 fiifi be carried about by every wind of doctrine, if we 
 ~ sought to have a more intelligent understanding of 
 the Word of God. As the Holy Ghost, the Author of the 
 Scriptures, is He who alone can enlighten us rightly to un- 
 derstand them, we should constantly ask His teaching, and 
 His guidance into all truth. When the prophet Daniel would 
 interpret Nebuchadnezzar's dream, what did he do ? He set 
 himself to earnest prayer that God would open up the vision. 
 The apostle John, in his vision at Patmos, saw a book sealed 
 with seven seals which none was found worthy to open, or so 
 much as to look upon. The book was afterwards opened by 
 the Lion of the tribe of Judah, who had prevailed to open it ; 
 but it is written first, " I wept much." The tears of John, 
 which were his liquid prayers, were, so far as he was con- 
 cerned, the sacred keys by which the folded book was opened. 
 Therefore if, for your own and others' profiting, you desire to 
 be " filled with the knowledge of God's will in all wisdom and 
 spiritual understanding," remember that prayer is your best 
 means of study : like Daniel, you shall understand the dream, 
 and the interpretation thereof, when you have sought unto 
 God ; and like John, you shall see the seven seals of precious 
 truth unloosed, after you have wept much. Stones are not 
 broken, except by an earnest use of the hammer ; and the 
 stone-breaker mtast go down on his knees. Use the hammer 
 of diligence, and let the knee of prayer be exercised, and there 
 is not a stony doctrine in Revelation which is useful for you to 
 understand, which will not fly into shivers under the exercise of 
 prayer and faith. You may force your way through anything 
 with the leverage of prayer. Thoughts and reasonings are like 
 the steel wedges which give a hold upon truth ; but prayer ia 
 the lever, the prise which forces open the iron chest of sacred 
 mystery, that we may get the treasure hidden within. 
 
Feb 22. EVENING readings. 5S 
 
 " TTie Lord is alow to anger, and great in power.'* — Nahum i. 3. 
 
 ©1 
 
 JEHOVAH " is sJoiu to anger" "When merry cometh 
 >! into the world she driveth winged steeds; the axles 
 '-''' of her chariot-wheels are red hot with speed; but 
 when wrath goeth forth, it toilcth on with tardy footsteps, 
 for God taketh no pleasure in the sinner's death. God's rod 
 of mercy is ever in Ilis hands outstretched ; His sword of 
 justice in its scabbard, held down by that pierced hand of 
 love which bled for the sins of men. " The Lord is slow to 
 anger," because He is gbeat in power. He is truly great 
 in power who hath power over himself. When God's power 
 doth restrain Himself, then it is power indeed : the power 
 that binds omnipotence is omnipotence surpassed. A man 
 who has a strong mind can bear to be insulted long, and only 
 resents the wrong when a sense of right demands his action. 
 The weak mind is Iiritated at a little ; the strong mind bears 
 it like a rock which moveth not, though a thousand breakers 
 dash upon it, and cast their pitiful malice in spray upon its 
 summit, God marketh his enemies, and yet He bestirs not 
 Himself, but holdeth in His anger. If He were less divine 
 than He is, He would long ere this have sent forth the whole 
 of His thunders, and emptied the magazines of heaven ; He 
 would long ere this have blasted the earth with the wondrous 
 fires of its lower regions, and man would have been utterly 
 destroyed ; but the greatness of His power brings us mercy. 
 Dear reader, what is your state this evening ? Can you by 
 humble faith look to* Jesus and say, " My substitute, Thou 
 art my rock, my trust " ? Then, beloved, be not afraid of 
 God's power ; for now that you are forgiven and accepted, 
 now that by faith you have fled to Christ for refuge, the 
 power of God need no more terrify you, than the shield and 
 Bword of the warrior need terrify those whom he kves. 
 Rather rejoice that He who is "great in power" is youi 
 Father and Friend. 
 
54 EVENING READINGS. Fcb. 23 
 
 " Take up the cross, and follow Me." — Mark x. 21. 
 
 w 
 
 -'^OU have not the making of your own cross, although 
 unbelief is a master-carpenter at cross-making ; nei- 
 ► ° ther are you permitted to choose your own cross, 
 although self-will would fain be lord and master ; but 
 your cross is prepared and appointed for you by divine love, 
 and you are cheerfully to accept it ; you are to take up the 
 cross as your chosen badge and burden, and not to stand 
 cavilling at it. This night Jesus bids you submit your 
 shoulder to His easy yoke. Do not kick at it in petulance,, 
 or trample on it in vain-glory, or fall under it in despair, or 
 run away from it in fear, but take it up like a true follower 
 of Jesus. Jesus was a cross-bearer ; He leads the way iu 
 the path of sorrow. Surely you could not desire a better 
 guide ! And if He carries a cross, what nobler burden would 
 you desire ? The Via Grucis is the way of safety ; fear not 
 to tread its thorny paths. 
 
 Beloved, the cross is not made of feathers, or lined with 
 velvet ; it is heavy and galling to disobedient shoulders ; but 
 it is not an iron cross, though your fears have painted it with 
 iron colors ; it is a wooden cross, and a man can carry it, 
 for the Man of Sorrows tried the load. Take up jour cross, 
 and by the power of the Spirit of God you will soon be so 
 in love with it, that, like Moses, you would not exchange the 
 reproach of Christ for all the treasures of Egypt. Remem- 
 ber that Jesus carried it, and it will smell sweetly ; remem- 
 ber that it will soon be followed by the crown, and the 
 thought of the coming weight of glory will greatly lighten 
 the present heaviness of trouble. The Lord help you to 
 bow your spirit in submission to the divine will ere you 
 fall asleep this night, that waking with to-morrow's sun, 
 you may go forth to the day's cross with the hdly and 
 Bubmissive spirit which becomes a follower of the Cruci 
 fied. 
 
Feb. 24. EVENING READINGS. 55 
 
 " O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy upon JerU' 
 saleni'i . . . And the Lord answered the angel . . . with good 
 words and comfortable words." — Zechariah i. 12, 13. 
 
 ^HAT a sweet answer to an anxious inquiry! Tliis 
 'mi ni/^^ht let us rejoice in it. Zion, there are gooiJ 
 things in store for thee ; thy time of travail shall soon 
 be over ; thy children shall be brought forth ; thy captivity 
 shall end. Bear patiently the rod for a season, and under the 
 darkness still trust in God, for His love burneth towards thee. 
 God loves the church with a love too deep for human imagi- 
 nation : He loves her with all His infinite heart. Therefore 
 let her sons be of good courage ; she cannot be far from pros- 
 perity to whom God speaketh " good words and comfortable 
 words." What these comfortable words are the prophet goes 
 on to tell us : "I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with 
 a great jealousy." The Lord loves His church so much that 
 He cannot bear that she should go astray to others ; and when 
 she has done so. He cannot endure that she should suflfer too 
 much or too heavily. He will not have his enemies afflict hei • 
 He is displeased with them because they increase her misery 
 When God seems most to leave His church. His heart is warm 
 towards her. History shows us that whenever God uses a rod 
 to chasten His servants. He always breaks it afterwards, as if 
 He loathed the rod which gave His children pain. He feels 
 the smart far more than His people. " Like as a father piti- 
 eth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him." God 
 bath not forgotten us because He smites — His blows are no 
 evidences of want of love. If this is true of His church col- 
 lectively, it is of necessity true also of each individual mem' 
 her. You may fear that the Lord has passed you by, but it is 
 not so : He who counts the stars, and calls them by their 
 names, is in no danger of forgetting His own children. He 
 knows your case as thoroughly as if you were the only crea- 
 ture He ever made, or the only saint He ever loved. Ap- 
 proach Him and be at peace. 
 
56 EVENING READINGS. Feb. 2.') 
 
 " BtU Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of thi 
 Lord, and went dovm to Joppa." — Jonah i. 3. 
 
 ^^^NSTEAD of going to Nineveh to preach the word, as 
 ^^1^ God bade him, Jonah disliked the work, and went 
 y/^te3< (Jq^q jq Joppa to escape from it. There are occa- 
 sions when God's servants shrink from duty. But what is the 
 consequence? What did Jonah lose by his conduct? He 
 lost the presence and comfortable enjoyment of God^s love. 
 When we serve our Lord Jesus as believers should do, our 
 God is with us ; and though we have the whole world against 
 us, if we have God with us, what does it matter ? But the 
 moment we start back, and seek our own inventions, we are 
 at sea without a pilot. Then may we bitterly lament and 
 groan out, " my God, where hast Thou gone ? How could 
 I have been so foolish as to shun Thy service, and in this 
 way to lose all the bright shinings of Thy face ? This is a 
 price too high. Let me retifrn to my allegiance, that I may 
 rejoice in Thy presence." In the next place, Jonah lost all 
 peace of mind. Sin soon destroys a believer's comfort. It 
 is the poisonous upas tree, from whose leaves distil deadly 
 drops which destroy the life of joy and peace. Jonah lost 
 everything upon which he might have drawn for comfort in any 
 other case. He could not plead the promise of divine pro- 
 tection, for he was not in God's ways; he could not say, 
 " Lord, I meet with these difficulties in the discharge of my 
 duty, therefore help me through them." He was reaping his 
 own deeds ; he was filled with his own ways. Christian, do 
 not play the Jonah, unless you wish to have all the waves 
 and the billows rolling over your head. You will find in the 
 long run that it is far harder to shun the work and will of 
 God than to at once yield yourself to it. Jonah lost his time, 
 for he had to go to Tarshish after all. It is hard to contend 
 with God ; let us yield ourselves at once. 
 
Feb. 26. EVENING HEADINGS. 57 
 
 •• Behold, if the leprosy have covered all his fliih, he shall pro- 
 nounce him clean that hath the plague." — Lev. xiii. 13. 
 
 ^^i^tSTRANGE enough this regulation appears, yet there 
 ^NX-^ was wisdom in it, for the throwing out of the disease 
 ^^^^ proved that the constitution was sound. This even- 
 ing it may be well for us to see the typical teaching of so sin- 
 gular a rule. We, too, are lepers, and may read the law of 
 the leper as applicable to ourselves. When a man sees him- 
 self to be altogether lost and ruined, covered all over with 
 the defilement of sin, and in no part free from pollution ; 
 when he disclaims all righteousness of his own, and pleads 
 guilty before the Lord, then is he clean through the blood of 
 Jesus, and the grace of God. Hidden, unfelt, unconfessed 
 iniquity is the true leprosy ; but when sin is seen and felt, it 
 has received its death blow, and the Lord looks with eyes of 
 mercy upon the soul afflicted with it. Nothing is more deadly 
 than self-righteousness, or more hopeful than contrition. We 
 must confess that we are " nothing else but sin," for no con- 
 fession short of this will be the whole truth ; and if the Holy 
 Spirit be at work with us, convincing us of sin, there will be 
 uo difficulty about making such an acknowledgment — it will 
 spring spontaneously from our lips. What comfort does the 
 text afford to truly awakened sinners : the very circumstance 
 which so grievously discouraged them is here turned into a 
 sign and symptom of a hopeful state ! Stripping comes be- 
 fore clothing ; digging out the foundation is the first thing in 
 building — and a thorough sense of sin is one of the earliest 
 works of grace in the heart. Oh, thou poor leprous sinner, 
 Qtterly destitute of a sound spot, take heart from the text, 
 ftod come as thou art to Jesus — 
 
 " For let our debts be wbat they may, however great or amnll, 
 As ioon as we have noufjht to pay, our Lord forsjives us all. 
 'Tis perfect poverty alone that sots the soul at large: 
 Wtiile we can call cue mite our own, we have no lull discharg*.'^ 
 
58 ETENING HEADINGS. Feb. 27, 
 
 *^ Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." 
 Micah V. 2. 
 
 ^HE Lord Jesua had goings forth for His people, oi 
 
 IN 
 
 their representative hefore the throne, long before they 
 appeared upon the stage of time. It was " from ever- 
 lasting " that He signed the compact with His Father, that 
 He would pay blood for blood, suffering for suffering, agony 
 for agony, and death for death, in the behalf of His people ; 
 it was " from everlasting " that He gave Himself up, without 
 a murmuring word, that from the crown of His head to the 
 sole of His foot He might sweat great drops of blood, that 
 He might be spit upon, pierced, mocked, rent asunder, and 
 crushed beneath the pains of death. His goings forth as our 
 Surety were from everlasting. Pause, my soul, and wonder ! 
 Thou hadst goings forth in the person of Jesus " from ever- 
 lasting." Not only when thou wast born into the world did 
 Christ love thee, but His delights were with the sons of men 
 before there were any sons of men. Often did He think of 
 them ; from everlasting to everlasting He had set His affec- 
 tion upon them. What ! my soul, has He been so long about 
 thy salvation, and will not He accomplish it ? Has He from 
 everlasting been going forth to save me, and will He lose me 
 now ? What ! has He carried me in His hand, as His pre- 
 cious jewel, and will He now let me slip from between His 
 fingers ? Did He choose me before the mountains were 
 brought forth, or the channels of the deep were digged, and 
 will he reject me now? Impossible ! I am sure He would 
 not have loved me so long if He had not been a changeless 
 Lover. If He could grow weary of me, He would have been 
 iired of me long before now. If He had not loved me with 
 a love as deep as hell, and as strong as death. He would have 
 turned from me long ago. Oh, joy above all joys, to know 
 that I am His everlasting and inalienable inheritance, given 
 to Him by His Father or ever the earth was ! Everlasiing 
 love shall be the pillow for my head this night. 
 
Feb. 28. EVENING nEADINGS. 5» 
 
 * The barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, 
 accyrding to the wora of the Lord, which lie spake by Elijah" 
 — 1 Kings xvii. 16. 
 
 ^^^1^EE the faithfulness of divine love. You observe that 
 LS^3) this woman had daily necessities. She had herself 
 '***^^^ and her son to feed in a time of famine ; and now, 
 in addition, the prophet Elijah was to be fed too. But 
 though the need was threefold, yet the supply of meal wasted 
 not, fur she had a constant supply. Each day she made calls 
 upon the barrel, but yet each day it remained the same. You, 
 dear reader, have daily necessities, and because they come 
 80 frequently, you are apt to fear that the barrel of meal will 
 one day be empty, and the cruse of oil will fail you. Rest 
 assured that, according to the Word of God, this shall not 
 be the case. Each day, though it bring its trouble, shall 
 bring its help ; and though you should live to outnumber the 
 years of Methuselah, and though your needs should be as 
 many as the sands of the sea-shore, yet shall God's grace and 
 mercy lust through all your necessities, and you shall nevei 
 know a real lack. For three long years, in this widow's days, 
 the heavens never saw a cloud, and the stars never wept a 
 holy tear of dew upon the wicked earth : famine, and deso- 
 lation, and death made the land a howling wilderness, but this 
 woman never was hungry, but always joyful in abundance. 
 So shall it be with you. You shall see the sinner's hope per- 
 ish, for he trusts his native strength ; you shall see the proud 
 Pharisee's confidence totter, for he builds his hope upon the 
 sand ; you shall see even your own schemes blasted and with- 
 ered, but you yourself shall find that your place of defence 
 shall be the munition of rocks. " Your bread shall be given 
 you, and your water shall be sure." Better have God for 
 your guardian, than the Bank of England for your posses- 
 sion. You might spend the wealth of the Indies, but th« 
 infinite riches of God you can never exhaust. 
 
60 EVENING READINGS. ^ Feb. 29. 
 
 " Now we have received . . , the Spirit which is of Ood ; that wt 
 might know the things that are freely given to us of Ood." 
 — 1 Corinthians ii. 12. 
 
 n 
 
 ^EAR. reader, have you received the spirit which is of 
 God, wrought by the Holy Ghost in your soul ? The 
 necessity of the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart 
 may be clearly seen from this fact, that all which has been 
 done by God the Father, and by God the Son, must be inef- 
 fectual to us, unless the Spirit shall reveal these things to our 
 sauls. What effect does the doctrine of election have upon 
 any man until the Spirit of God enters into him ? Election 
 is a dead letter in my consciDusness until the Spirit of God 
 calls me out of darkness into marvellous light. Then, through 
 my calling, I see my election, and knowing myself to be called 
 of God, I know myself to have been chosen in the eternal 
 purpose. A covenant was made with the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 by His Father ; but what avails that covenant to us until the 
 Holy Spirit brings us its blessings, and opens our hearts to 
 receive them ? There hang the blessings on the nail — Christ 
 Jesus ; but being short of stature, we cannot reach them ; 
 the Spirit of God takes them down and hands them to us, and 
 thus they become actually ours. Covenant blessings in them- 
 selves are like the manna in the skies, far out of mortal reach, 
 but the Spirit of God opens the windows of heaven, and scat- 
 ters the living bread around the camp of the spiritual Israel. 
 Christ's finished work is like wine stored in the wine-vat ; 
 through unbelief we can neither draw nor drink. The Holy 
 Spirit dips our vessel into this precious wine, and then we 
 drink ; but without the Spirit we are as truly dead in sin as 
 though the Father never had elected, and though the Son had 
 never bought us with His blood. The Holy Spirit is abso- 
 lutely necessaiy to our well-being. Let us walk lovinglj 
 towards Him, and tremble at the thought of grieving Him. 
 
March 1. evening readings. 61 
 
 •* Hi is precious." — 1 Peter ii. 7. 
 
 H'^ in 
 
 If'^S all the rivers run into the sea, so all delights centre 
 our Beloved. The glances of His eyes outshine 
 le sun : the beauties of His face are fairer than the 
 choicest flowers : no fragrance is like the breath of His 
 mouth. Gems of the mine, and pearls from the sea, are 
 \Torthless things when measured by His preciousness. Peter 
 tells us that Jesus is precious, but he did not and could not 
 tell us hew precious, nor could any of us compute the value 
 of God's unspeakable gift. "Words cannot set forth the 
 preciousness of the Lord Jesus to His people, nor fully tell 
 how essential He is to their satisfaction and happiness. Be- 
 liever, have you not found in the midst of plenty a sore fam- 
 ine if your Lord has been absent ? The sun was shining, 
 but Christ had hidden Himself, and all the world was black 
 to you ; or it was night, and since the bright and morning 
 star was gone, no other star could yield you so much as a 
 ray of light. What a howling wilderness is this world with- 
 out our Lord ! If once He hideth Himself from us, with- 
 ered are the flowers of our garden ; our pleasant fruits decay ; 
 the birds suspend their songs, and a tempest overturns our 
 hopes. All earth's candles cannot make daylight if the Sun 
 of Righteousness be eclipsed. He is the soul of our soul, 
 the light of our light, the life of our life. Dear reader, 
 what wouldst thou do in the world without Him, in the midst 
 of its temptations and its cares ? What wouldst thou do in 
 the morning without Him, when thou wakest up and lookest 
 forward to the day's battle ? What wouldst thou do at night, 
 when thou comest home jaded and weary, if there w^ere no 
 door of fellowship between thee and Christ ? Blessed be 
 Hi J name. He will not suffer us to try our lot without Him, 
 for Jesus never forsakes His own. Yet, let the thought of 
 what life toould be without Him, enhance His preciousnesa. 
 6 
 
62 EVENiKG READINGS. March 2. 
 
 " Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace 
 given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable 
 riches of Christ." — Ephesians iii. 8. 
 
 SHE apostle Paul felt it a great privilege to be allowed 
 to preach the gospel. He did not look upon his 
 calling as a drudgery, but he entered upon it with 
 intense delight. Yet while Paul was thus thankful for hia 
 office, his success in it greatly humbled him. The fuller a 
 vessel becomes, the deeper it sinks in the water. Idlers may 
 indulge a fond conceit of their abilities, because they are 
 untried ; but the earnest worker soon learns his own weak- 
 ness. If you seek humility, try hard work ; if you would 
 know your nothingness, attempt some great thing for Jesus. 
 If you would feel how utterly powerless you are apart from 
 the living God, attempt especially the great work of pro- 
 claiming the unsearchable riches of Christ, and you will 
 know, as you never knew before, what a weak, unworthy 
 thing you are. Although the apostle thus knew and con- 
 fessed his weakness, he was never perplexed as to the sub- 
 ject of his ministry. From his first sermon to his last, Paul 
 preached Christ, and nothing but Christ. He lifted up the 
 cross, and extolled the Son of God who bled thereon. Fol- 
 low his example in all your personal eflforts to spread the 
 glad tidings of salvation, and let " Christ and Him crucified " 
 be your ever recurring theme. The Christian should be like 
 those lovely spring flowers which, when the sun is shining, 
 open their golden cups, as if saying, " Fill us with thy 
 beams !" but when the sun is hidden behind a cloud, they 
 close their cups and droop their heads. So should the 
 Christian feel the sweet influence of Jesus ; Jesus must be 
 his sun, and he must be the flower which yields itself to the 
 Sun cf Righteousness. Oh ! to speak of Christ alone, this 
 is the subject which is both " seed for the sower, and bread 
 for the eater." This is the live coal for the lip of the 
 Bpeakcr, and the master-key te the heart of the hearer. 
 
March 3. evening readings. 68 
 
 " lie saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove." 
 Matthew iii. 16. 
 
 ^*||'?S the Spirit of God descended upon the Lord Jesus, 
 ^Jl v^ the head, so He also, in measure, descends upon the 
 '^^^^^ members of the mystical body. His descent is to 
 U£ after the same fashion as that in which it fell upon our 
 Lord. There is often a singular rapidity about it ; or ever 
 we are aware, we are impelled onward and heavenward be- 
 yond all expectation. Yet is there none of the hurry of 
 earthly haste, for the wings of the dove are as soft as they 
 are swift. Quietness seems essential to many spiritual oper- 
 ations ; the Lord is in the still small voice, and like the 
 dew, His grace is distilled in silence. The dove has ever 
 been the chosen type of purity, and the Holy Spirit is holi- 
 ness itself. Where He cometh, everything that m pure and 
 lovely, and of good report, is made to abound, and sin and 
 uncleanuess depart. Peace reigns also where the Holy Dove 
 comes with power ; He bears the olive branch which shows 
 that the waters of divine wrath are assuaged. Gentleness is 
 a sure result of the Sacred Dove's transforming power : 
 hearts touched by His benign influence are meek and lowly 
 henceforth and forever. Harmlessness follows, as a matter 
 of course ; eagles and ravens may hunt their prey — the 
 turtle-dove can endure wrong, but cannot inflict it. We must 
 be harmless as doves. The dove is an apt picture of love, 
 the voice of the turtle is full of aflfection ; and so, the soul 
 visited by the blessed Spirit abounds in love to God, in 
 love to the brethren, and in love to sinners ; and, above all, 
 in love to Jesus. The brooding of the Spirit of God upon 
 the face of the deep, first produced order and life, and in 
 our hearts He causes and fosters new life and light. 
 Blessed Spirit, as Thou didst rest upon our dear Redeemer, 
 even so rest thou upon us from this time forward and for* 
 Bver. 
 
64 EVENING READINGS. March 4 
 
 " They shaU be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of TJiy house/ 
 Psalm xxxvi. 8. 
 
 (lUEBA'S (^ueen was amazed at the sumptuousuesf? of 
 '^■il Solomon's table. She lost all heart when she saw 
 the provision of a single day ; and she raarvelk J 
 equally' at the corvpany of servants who were feasted at the 
 royal board. But what is this to the hospitalities of the God 
 of grace } Ten thousand thousand of his people are daily 
 fed ; hungry and thirsty, they bring large appetites with 
 them to the banquet, but not one of them returns unsatisfied ; 
 there is enough for each, enough for all, enough for ever- 
 more. Though the host that feed at Jehovah's table is 
 countless as the stars of heaven, yet each one has his por- 
 tion of meat. Think how much grace one saint requires; so 
 much that jiothing but the Infinite could supply him for one 
 day ; and yet the Lord spreads His table, not for one, but 
 many saints ; not for one day, but for many years ; not for 
 many years only, but for generation after generation. Ob- 
 serve the full feasting spoken of in the text ; the guests at 
 mercy's banquet are satisfied, nay, more " abundantly satis- 
 fied ; " and that not with ordinary fare, but with fatness, the 
 peculiar fatness of God's own house ; and such feasting is 
 guaranteed by a faithful promise to all those children of men 
 who put their trust under the shadow of Jehovah's wings. 
 I once thought if I might but get the broken meat at God's 
 back door of grace I should be satisfied ; like the woman 
 who aaid, " The dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from the 
 master's table ; " but no child of God is ever served with 
 scraps and leavings ; like Mephibosheth, they all eat from 
 the king's own table. In matters of grace, we all have Ben- 
 jamin's mess — we all have ten times more than we could 
 have expected ; and though our necessities are great, yet are 
 we often amazed at the marvellous plenty of grace which 
 God gives us experimentally to enjoy. 
 
March 5. etenino headings. 6i 
 
 *' Say unto my sotil, I am thy salvation." — Psalm xxxv. 3. 
 
 J^HAT does this sweet prayer teach me ? It shall be 
 my evening's petition ; but first let it yield mc an 
 
 *^ instructive meditation. The text informii mc first of 
 all that David had his doubts ; for why should he pray, " 8ay 
 unto My soul, I am thy salvation," if he were not sometinieg 
 exercised with doubts and fears ? Let me, then, be of good 
 cheer, for I am not the only saint who has to complain of 
 weakness of faith. If David doubted, I need not conclude 
 that / am no Christian, because I have doubts. The text 
 reminds me that David was not content while he had donhts 
 and fears, but he repaired at once to the mercy-seat to pray 
 for assurance ; for he valued it as much fine gold. I, too, 
 must labor after an abiding sense of my acceptance in the 
 Beloved, and must have no joy when His love is not shed 
 ibroad in my soul. When my Bridegroom is gone from me, 
 my soul must and will fast. I learn also that David knew 
 where to obtain full assurance. He went to his God in 
 prayer, crying, " Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation." I 
 must be much alone with God if I would have a clear sense 
 of Jesus's love. Let my prayers cease, and my eye of faith 
 will grow dim. Much in prayer, much in heaven ; slow in 
 prayer, slow in progress. I notice that David would not be 
 satisfied unless his assurance had a divine source. " Sat/ unto 
 my soul." Lord, do Thou say it ! Nothing short of a di- 
 vine testimony in the soul will ever content the true Chris- 
 tian. Moreover, David could not rest unless his assurance 
 had a vivid personality about it. " Say unto my soul, I am 
 thy salvation." Lord, if Thou shouldst say this to all the 
 saints, it were nothing, unless Thou shouldst say it to mc. 
 Lord, I have sinned ; I deserve not Thy smile ; I scarcely 
 dare to ask it ; but oh ! say to my soul, even to my soul, " I am 
 thy salvation." Let mc have a present, personal, infallible, 
 indisputable sense that I am Thine, and that Thou art mine. 
 6* 
 
66 EVENING HEADINGS. March 6 
 
 " Before destruction the heart of man is haughty" 
 Proverbs xviii. 12. 
 
 jf^T is an old and common saying, that " coming events 
 heVj cast their shadows before them;" the wise man 
 teaches us that a haughty heart is the propheti*; 
 prelude of evil. Pride is as safely the sign of destruction, 
 as the change of mercury in the weather-glass is the sign 
 of rain ; and far more infallibly so than that. When men 
 have ridden the high horse, destruction has always overtaken 
 them. Let David's aching heart show that there is an eclipse 
 of a man's glory when he dotes upon his own grfiatness. 
 2 Sara. xxiv. 10. See Nebuchadnezzar, the mighty builder 
 of Babylon, creeping on the earth, devouring grass lik.i oxen, 
 until his nails had grown like birds' claws, and his hair like 
 eagles' feathers. Dan. iv. 33. Pride made the boaster a 
 beast, as once before it made an angel a devil. Grod hates 
 high looks, and never fails to bring them down. All the 
 arrows of God are aimed at proud hearts. Christian, is 
 thine heart haughty this evening ? For pride can get into 
 the Christian's heart as well as into the sinner's ; it can de- 
 lude him into dreaming that he is "rich and increased in 
 goods, and hath need of nothing." Art thou glorying in 
 thy graces or thy talents ? Art thou proud of thyself, that 
 thou hast had holy frames and sweet experiences ? Mark 
 thee, reader : there is a destruction coming to thee also. 
 Thy flaunting poppies of self-conceit will be pulled up by 
 ihe roots, thy mushroom graces will wither in the burning 
 heat, and thy self-sufficiency shall become as straw for the 
 dunghill. If we forget to live at the foot of the cross in 
 deepest lowliness of spirit, God will not forget to make us 
 smart under His rod. A destruction will come to thee, 
 unduly exalted believer, the destruction of thy joys and of 
 thy comforts, though there can be no destruction of thy soul 
 Wherefore, ■' He that glorieth, let him glory m the Lord." 
 
March 7. evening beadings. 67 
 
 * It is better to trust in the Lord, than to put confidence in man.' 
 Psalm cxviii. 8. 
 
 IC? 
 
 giOUBTLESS the reader has been tried with the temp- 
 p' tation to rely upon things which are seen, instead of 
 
 '^ resting alone upon the invisible God. Christiana 
 often look to man for help and counsel, and mar the noble 
 simplicity of their reliance upon their God. Does this even- 
 ing's portion meet the eye of a child of God anxious about 
 temporals, then would we reason with him a while. You trust 
 in Jesus, and only in Jesus, for your salvation ; then why are 
 you troubled ? " Because of my great care." Is it not writ- 
 ten, " Cast thy burden upon the Lord" ? " Be careful for 
 nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication make 
 known your wants unto God." Cannot you trust God for 
 temporals ? " Ah I I wish I could." If you cannot trust 
 God for temporals, how dare you trust Him for spirituals r 
 Can you trust Him for your soul's redemption, and not rely 
 upon Him for a few lesser mercies ? Is not God enough for 
 thy need, or is His all-sufficiency too narrow for thy wants : 
 Dost thou want another eye besides that of Him who seefi 
 every secret thing ? Is His heart faint ? Is His arm weary ? 
 If so, seek another God ; but if He be infinite, omnipotent, 
 faithful, true, and all-wise, why gaddest thou abroad so much 
 to seek another confidence ? Why dost thou rake the earth 
 to find another foundation, when this is strong enough to 
 bear all the weight which thou canst ever build thereon ? 
 Christian, mix not thy wine with water ; do not alloy thy 
 gold of faith with the dross of human confidence. Wait 
 thou only upon God, and let thine expectation be from 
 Him. Covet not Jonah's gourd, but rest in Jonah's God. 
 Let the sandy foundations of terrestrial trust be the choice 
 of fools ; but do thou, like one who foresees the storm, build 
 ()T thyself an abiding place upon the Rock of Ages. 
 
68 EVENING READINGS. March 8. 
 
 " She called his name Ben-oni {son of sorrow), but his father called 
 him Benjamin {son of my right hand)." — Genesis xxxv. 18. 
 
 ^0 every matter there is a bright as well as a dark 
 side. Rachel was overwhelmed with the sorrow of 
 her own travail and death ; Jacob, though weeping 
 the mother's loss, could see the mercy of the child's birth. 
 It is well for us if, while the flesh mourns over trials, out 
 faith triumphs in divine faithfulness. Samson's lion yielded 
 honey, and so will our adversities, if rightly considered. 
 The stormy sea feeds multitudes with its fishes ; the wild 
 wood blooms with beauteous flowerets ; the stormy wind 
 sweeps away the pestilence, and the biting frost loosens the 
 soil. Dark clouds distil bright drops, and black earth grows 
 gay flowers. A vein of good is to be found in every mine 
 of evil. Sad hearts have peculiar skill in discovering the 
 most disadvantageous point of view from which to gaze 
 upon a trial ; if there were only one slough in the world, 
 they would soon be up to their necks in it, and if there were 
 only one lion in the desert, they would hear it roar. About 
 us all there is a tinge of this wretched folly, and we are apt, 
 at times, like Jacob, to cry, " All these things are against 
 me." Faith's way of walking is to cast all care upon the 
 Lord, and then to anticipate good results from the worst ca- 
 lamities. Like Grideon's men, she does no^ fret over the 
 broken pitcher, but rejoices that the lamp t)laze£ forth the 
 more. Out of the rough oyster-shell of difficulty she ex- 
 tracts the rare pearl of honor, and from the deep ocean- 
 caves of distress she uplifts the priceless coral of expe- 
 rience. When her flood of prosperity ebbs, she finds 
 treasures hid in the sands ; and when her sun of delight 
 goes down, she turns her telescope of hope to the starry 
 promises of heaven. When death itself appears, faith pointa 
 to the light of resurrection beyond the grave, thus making 
 our dying Ben-oni to be '"ir living Benjamin. 
 
March 9. evening readinob. M 
 
 "Abide in Me." — John xv. 4. 
 
 jR^^c'OMMUNION with Christ is a certain cure for every 
 -Cif"^^^ ill. Whether it be the wormwood of woe, or the 
 '^ ' cloying surfeit of earthly delight, close fellowship 
 with the Lord Jesus will take bitterness from the one, and 
 satiety from the other. Live near to Jesus, Christian, and 
 it is matter of secondary importance whether thou livest 
 on the mountain of honor or in the valley of humiliation. 
 Living near to Jesus, thou art covered with the wings of 
 God, and underneath thee are the everlasting arms. Let 
 nothing keep thee from that hallowed intercourse, which is 
 the choice privilege of a soul wedded to the well-beloved. 
 Be not content with an interview now and then, but seek 
 always to retain His company, for only in His presence hast 
 thou either comfort or safety. Jesus should not be unto us 
 a friend who calls upon us now and then, but one with whom 
 we walk evermore. Thou hast a difficult road before thee ; 
 see, traveller to heaven, that thou go not without thy 
 guide. Thou hast to pass through the fiery furnace ; enter 
 it not, unless, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abeduego, thou 
 hast the Son of God to be thy companion. Thou hast to 
 storm the Jericho of thine own corruptions ; attempt not the 
 warfare until, like Joshua, thou hast seen the Captain of the 
 Lord's host, with His sword drawn in His hand. Thou art 
 to meet the Esau of thy many temptations ; meet him not 
 uutil at Jabbok's brook thou hast laid hold upon the angel, 
 and prevailed. In every case, in every condition, thou wilt 
 need Jesus; but most of all, when the iron gates of death 
 shall open to thee. Keep thou close to thy soul's Husband, 
 lean thy head upon His bosom, ask to be refreshed with the 
 spiced wine of His pomegranate, and thou shall be found of 
 Him at the last, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. 
 Seeing thou hast lived with Him, and lived in Him here, 
 ihou shalt abide with him forever. 
 
70 ETENiNG READINGS. March 10. 
 
 " Man , ... is of few days, and full of trouble." — Job xiv. 1. 
 
 fT may be of great service to tis, before we fall asleep, 
 I ^ to remember this mournful fact, for it may lead us to 
 ^ set loose by earthly things. There is nothing very 
 pleasant in the recollection that we are not above the shafts 
 of adversity, but it may humble us and prevent our boasting 
 like the Psalmist in our morning's portion, " My mountain 
 standeth firm : I shall never be moved." It may stay us 
 from making too deep root in this soil from which we are so 
 soon to be transplanted into the heavenly garden. Let us 
 recollect the frail tenure upon which we hold our temporal 
 mercies. If we would remember that all the trees of earth 
 are marked for the woodman's axe, we should not be so 
 ready to build our nests in them. We should love, but we 
 should love with the love which expects death, and which 
 reckons upon separations. Our dear relations are but loaned 
 to us, and the hour when we must return them to the lend- 
 er's hand may be even at the door. The like is certainly 
 true of our worldly goods. Do not riches take to themselves 
 wings and fly away ? Our health is equally precarious. 
 Frail flowers of the field, we must not reckon upon blooming 
 forever. There is a time appointed for weakness and sick- 
 ness, when we shall have to glorify God by suffering, and 
 not by earnest activity. There is nO single point in which 
 we can hope to escape from the sharp arrows of affliction ; 
 out of our few days there is not one secure from sorrow. 
 Man's life is a cask full of bitter wine ; he who looks for joy 
 in it had better seek for honey in an ocean of brine. Be- 
 loved reader, set not your aff'ections upon things of earth ; 
 but seek those things which are above, for here the moth de- 
 voureth, and the thief breaketh through, but there all joys 
 are perpetual and eternal. The path of trouble is the way 
 home. Lord, make this thought a pillow for many a wearj 
 bead I 
 
March 11. EViNiNO beadinos. 71 
 
 " Thoti shall be called, Sought out." — Isaiah Ixii. 12. 
 
 ^f^^HE surpassing grace of God is seen very clearly in 
 irkj^ that we were not only sought, but sought out. Men 
 "^^"^ seek for a thing which is lost upon the floor of the 
 house, but in such a case there is only seeking, not seeking 
 out. The loss is more perplexing, and the search more per- 
 severing, when a thing is sought out. We were mingled with 
 the mire ; we were as when some precious piece of gold falls 
 into the sewer, and men gather out and carefully inspect a 
 mass of abominable filth, and continue to stir and rake, and 
 search among the heap until the treasure is found. Or, to 
 use another figure, we were lost in a labyrinth ; we wandered 
 hither and thither, and when mercy came after us with the 
 gospel, it did not find us at the first coming ; it had to search 
 for us and seek us out ; for we as lost sheep were so desper- 
 ately lost, and had wandered into such a strange country, 
 that it did not seem possible that even the Good Shepherd 
 should track our devious roamings. Glory be to unconquer- 
 able grace, we were sought out ! No gloom could hide us, no 
 filthiness could conceal us; we were found and brought home. 
 Glory be to infinite love, God the Holy Spirit restored us ! 
 
 The lives of some of God's people, if they could be written 
 would fill us with holy astonishment. Strange and mar 
 vellous are the ways which God used in their case to find Hisi 
 own. Blessed be His name, He never relinquishes the search 
 until the chosen are sought out effectually. They are not 
 a people sought to-day and cast away to-morrow. Almighti- 
 ness and wisdom combined will make no failures ; they shall 
 bo called, '•'■Sought out!" That anrj should be sought out, is 
 matchless grace, but that we should be sought out is grace 
 beyond degree! We can find no reason for it but God's own 
 sovereign love, and can only lift up our heart in wonder 
 and praise the Lord that this nif ht we wear the name of 
 ^'SouglU out." 
 
72 EVENING READINGS. March 12. 
 
 " To whom belongest thou'?" — 1 Samuel xxx. 13. 
 
 jO neutralities can exist in religion. We are either 
 7f^ ranked under the banner of Prince Iramanuel, to 
 serve and fight His battles, or we are vassals of the 
 black prince, Satan. "To whom belongest thou ?" 
 
 Reader, let me assist you in your response. Have you 
 been " born again" f If you have, you belong to Christ; but 
 without the new birth you cannot be His. In whom do you 
 trust f For those who believe in Jesus are the sons of Grod. 
 Whose work are you doing ? You are sure to serve your 
 master, for he whom you serve is thereby owned to be your 
 lord. What company do you keep f If you belong to Jesus, 
 you will fraternize with those who wear the livery of the 
 cross. " Birds of a feather flock together." What is your 
 conversation? Is it heavenly, or is it earthly? What have 
 you learned of your blaster ? ~ — for servants learn much from 
 their masters to whom they are apprenticed. If you have 
 served your time with Jesus, it will be said of you, as it was 
 of Peter and John, " They took knowledge of them that 
 they had been with Jesus." 
 
 We press the question, " To whom belongest thou ?" An- 
 swer honestly before you give sleep to your eyes. If you are 
 not Christ's you are in a hard service. Run axoay from your 
 cruel master ! Enter into the service of the Lord of Love, 
 and you shall enjoy a life of blessedness. If you are Christ's, 
 let me advise you to do four things. You belong to Jesus — 
 obey Him; let His word be your law; let His wish be your 
 will. You belong to the Beloved; then love Him; let your 
 heart embrace Him ; let your whole soul be filled with 
 Him. You belong to the Son of God; then trust Him; 
 rest nowhere but on Him. You belong to the King of 
 kings ; then he decided for Him. Thus, without your 
 being branded upon the brow, all will know to whom yoii 
 belong. 
 
March 13. eteninq readings. 73 
 
 "Tlien he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled Ht in unto 
 him into the ark." — Genesis viii. 9. 
 
 ,EARTED out with her wanderings, the dove returns at 
 v,^ length to the ark as her only resting-place. How 
 *^ heavily she flies — she will drop — she will never 
 reach the ark ! But she struggles on. Noah has been look- 
 ing out for his dove all day long, and is ready to receive her. 
 She has just strength to reach the edge of the ark; she can 
 hardly alight upon it, and is ready to drop, when Noah puts 
 forth his hand and pulls her in unto him. Mark that : " pulled 
 her in unto hi7n." She did not fly right in herself, but was too 
 fearful, or too weary, to do so. She flew as far ar she could, 
 and then he put forth his hand and pulled her ir unto him. 
 This act of mercy was shown to the wandering doT c, and she 
 was not chidden for her wanderings. Just as she wti she was 
 pulled into the ark. So you, seeking sinner, with oil your 
 sin, will be received. " Only return " — these are God'^x two 
 gracious words — " only return." What ! nothing else ? No, 
 " only return." She had no olive branch in her mouth this 
 time, nothing at all but just herself and her wanderings ; but 
 it is " only return," and she does return, and Noah pulls her 
 in. Fly, thou wanderer ; fly, thou fainting one, dove as thou 
 art, though thouthinkest thyself to be black as the raven with 
 the mire of sin, back, back to the Saviour. Every moment 
 thou waitest does but increase thy misery ; thine attempts to 
 plume thyself and make thyself fit for Jesus are all vanity. 
 Come thou to Him just as thou art. " Return, thou back- 
 sliding Israel." He does not say, "Return, thou repenting 
 Israel " (there is such an invitation, doubtless), but " thou 
 backsliding one," as a backslider with all thy backslidings 
 about thee. Return, return, return ! Jesus is waiting for 
 thee ! He will stretch forth His hand and " pull thee in " — 
 in to Himself, thy heart's true home. 
 7 
 
74 EVENING READINGS. March 14. 
 
 " I will take heed to my ways." — Psalm xxxix. 1. 
 
 I^I^ELLOW-PILGRIM, say not in your heart, " I will go 
 hither and thither, and I shall not sin ; " for you are 
 never so out of danger of sinning as to boast of se- 
 curity. The road is very miry ; it will be hard to pick 
 your path so as not to soil your garments. This is a world 
 of pitch ; you will need to watch often, if in handling it you 
 are to keep your hands clean. There is a robber at every 
 turn of the road to rob you of your jewels ; there is a temp- 
 tation in every mercy ; there is a snare in every joy ; and if 
 you ever reach heaven, it will be a miracle of divine grace to 
 be ascribed entirely to your Father's power. Be on your 
 guard. When a man carries a bomb-shell in his hand, he 
 should mind that he does not go near a candle ; and you too 
 must take care that you enter not into temptation. Even 
 your common actions are edged tools ; you must mind how 
 you handle them. There is nothing in this world to foster 
 a Christian's piety, but everything to destroy it. How anx- 
 ious should you be to look up to God, that He may keep you 
 Your prayer should be, " Hold thou me up, and I shall be 
 safe." Having prayed, you must also watch ; guarding every 
 thought, word, and action with holy jealousy. Do not expose 
 yourself unnecessarily ; but if called to exposure, if you are 
 bidden to go where the darts are flying, never venture forth 
 without your shield ; for if once the devil finds you without 
 your buckler, he will rejoice that his hour of triumph is come, 
 and will soon make you fall down wounded by his arrows. 
 Though slain you cannot be, wounded you may be. " Be 
 sober, be vigilant ; danger may be in an hour when all seem- 
 eth securest to thee." Therefore take heed to thy ways, and 
 watch unto prayer. No man ever fell into error through be- 
 ing too watchful. May the Holy Spirit guide us in all oui 
 ways ; so shall they always please the Lord. , 
 
March 15. evening rkadings. 75 
 
 " Ue did it with all his heart and prospered." — 2 Chron. xxxi. 21, 
 
 ^HIS is no unusual occurrence ; it is the general rule 
 of the moral universe that those men prosper who dc 
 their work with all their hearts, while those are almost 
 certain to fail who go to their labor leaving half their hearts 
 behind them. God does not give harvests to idle men, ex- 
 cept harvests of thistles, nor is He plca«ed to send wealth to 
 those who will not dig in the field to find its hid treasure. It 
 is universally confessed that if a man would prosper, he must 
 be diligent in business. It is the same in religion as it is 
 in other things. If you would prosper in your work for Je- 
 sus, let it be heart work, and let it be done with all your heart. 
 Put as much force, energy, heartiness, and earnestness into 
 religion as ever you do into business, for it deserves far more. 
 The Holy Spirit helps our infirmities, but He does not en- 
 courage our idleness ; He loves active believers. Who are 
 the most useful men in the Christian church ? The men who 
 do what they undertake for God with all their hearts. Who 
 are the most successful Sabbath-school teachers ? The most 
 talented ? No ; the most zealous ; the men whose hearts are 
 on fire, those are the men who see their Lord riding forth 
 prosperously in the majesty of His salvation. Whole-heart- 
 edness shows itself in perseverance; there may be failure at 
 first, but the earnest worker will say, " It is the Lord's work, 
 and it must be done ; my Lord has bidden me do it, and 
 in His strength I will accomplish it." Christian, art thou 
 thus " with all thine heart" serving thy Master ? Remember 
 the earnestness of Jesus ! Think what heart-work was His ! 
 He could say, "■ The zeal of Thine house hath eaten Me up." 
 When He sweat great drops of blood, it was no light burden 
 He kad to carry upon those blessed shoulders ; and when He 
 poured out His heart, it was no weak eff"ort He was making 
 for the salvation of His people. Was Jesus in earnest, and 
 are we lukewarm ? 
 
76 EVENi>G READINGS. March 16, 
 
 " Keep back Thy servant also from presumptuous sins." 
 Psalm xix. 13. 
 
 ^i^ijJ^^UCH was the prayer of the " maji after God^t own 
 ^V»^ heart" Did holy David need to pray thus ? How 
 needful, then, must such a prayer be for us babes in 
 grace ! It is as if he said, " Keep nie back, or I shall rush 
 headlong over the precipice of sin." Our evil nature, like 
 an ill-tempered horse, is apt to run away. May the grace of 
 God put the bridle upon it, and hold it in, that it rush not 
 into mischief. What might not the best of us do if it were 
 not for the checks which the Lord sets upon us both in prov- 
 idence and in grace ! The psalmist's prayer is directed 
 against the worst form of sin — that which is done with de- 
 liberation and wilfulness. Even the holiest need to be " kept 
 back" from the vilest transgressions. It is a solemn thing 
 to find the apostle Paul warning saints against the most loath- 
 some sins. " Mortify therefore your members which are upon 
 the earth ; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil 
 concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry." What ! 
 do saints want warning against such sins as these ? Yes. 
 they do. The whitest robes, unless their purity be preserved 
 by divine grace, will be defiled by the blackest spots. Ex- 
 perienced Christian, boast not in your experience ; you will 
 trip yet if you look away from Him who is able to keep you 
 from falling. Ye whose love is fervent, whose faith is con- 
 stant, whose hopes are bright, say not, " We shall never 
 sin," but rather cry, " Lead us not into temptation." There 
 is enough tinder in the heart of the best of men to light a 
 fire that shall burn to the lowest hell, unless God shall quench 
 the sparks as ihey fall. Who would have dreamed that right- 
 eous Lot could be found drunken, and committing unclean- 
 ness ? Hazael said, " Is thy servant a dog, that he should 
 do this thing ? " and we are very apt to use the same self- 
 righteous question. May infinite wisdom cure us of th# 
 madness of self-6onfidence. 
 
March 17. EVENING READINGS. 71 
 
 " Blessed are the peacemakers : for they shall be called the children 
 of Ood." — Matthew v. 9. 
 
 JUTS is the seventh of the beatitudes : and seven was 
 M the number of perfection among the Hebrews. It 
 may be that the Saviour placed the peacemaker the 
 seventh upon the list because he most nearly approaches the 
 perfect man in Christ Jesus. He who would have perfect 
 blessedness, so far as it can be enjoyed on earth, must attain 
 to this seventh benediction, and become a peacemaker. There 
 is a significance also in the position of the text. The verse 
 which precedes it speaks of the blessedness of " the pure in 
 heart : for they shall see God." It is well to understand that 
 we are to be " first pure, then peaceable." Our peaceableness 
 is never to be a compact with sin, or toleration of evil. We 
 must set our faces like flints against everything which is con- 
 trary to God and His holiness : purity being in our souls a 
 settled matter, we can go on to peaceableness. Not less does 
 the verse that follows seem to have been put there on pur- 
 pose. However peaceable we may be in this world, yet we 
 shall be misrepresented and misunderstood ; and no marvel, 
 for even the Prince of peace by His very peacefulness brought 
 fire upon the earth. He Himself, though He loved mankind, 
 and did no ill, was " despised and rejected of men ; a man of 
 sorrows, and acquainted with grief." Lest, therefore, the 
 peaceable in heart should be surprised when they meet with 
 enemies, it is added in the following verse, " Blessed are they 
 which are persecuted for righteousness' sake : for theirs is the 
 kingdom of heaven." Thus the peacemakers are not only 
 pronounced to be blessed, but they are compassed about with 
 blessings. Lord, give us grace to climb to this seventh be- 
 atitude ! Purify our minds that we may be " first pure, then 
 peaceable," and fortify our souls, that our peaceableness 
 may not lead us into cowardice and despair, when for Thj 
 sake we are persecuted. 
 7* 
 
78 rvENiNO UEADiNGS. March 18. 
 
 *As the Father hath loved Me, so have Iloved you." — John xv. 9 
 
 ll'r^S the Father loves the Son, in the same manner Jesus 
 J (^ loves His people. What is that divine method ? He 
 .^rn-mM loved Him without beginning, and thus Jesus love? 
 His members. ' " / have loved thee with an everlasting love.'' 
 You can trace the beginning of human affection ; you can 
 easily find the beginning of your love to Christ, but His love 
 to us is a stream whose source is hidden in eternity. God 
 the Father loves Jesus tvithout any change. Christian, take 
 this for your comfort, that there is no change in Jesus Christ's 
 love to those who rest in Him. Yesterday you were on Ta- 
 bor's top, and you said, " He loves me : " to-day you are in 
 the valley of humiliation, but He loves you still the same. 
 On the hill Mizar, and among the Hermons, you heard His 
 voice which spake so sweetly with the turtle-notes of love ; 
 and now on the sea, or even in the sea, when all His waves 
 and billows go over you. His heart is faithful to His ancient 
 choice. The Father loves the Son without any end, and thus 
 does the Son love His people. Saint, thou needest not fear 
 the loosing of the silver cord, for His love for thee will 
 never cease. Rest confident that even down to the grave 
 Christ will go with you, and that up again from it He will 
 be your guide to the celestial hills. Moreover, the Father 
 loves the Son without any measure, and the same immeasu- 
 rable love the Son bestows upon His chosen ones. The 
 whole heart of Christ is dedicated to His people. He 
 " loved us and gave Himself for us." His is a love which 
 passeth knowledge. Ah ! we have indeed an immutablrs 
 Saviour, a precious Saviour, one who loves without measure, 
 without change, without beginning, and without end, even 
 as the Father loves Him ! There is much food here for 
 those who know how to digest it. May the Holy Ghost lead 
 us into its marrow and fatness ! 
 
Marcb IS. even tNO readings. 79 
 
 "And she did eat, and was sufficed, and left." — Ruth ii. 14. 
 
 ^|S|^HENEVER we are privileged to eat of the bread 
 WH^/'i ^hi*^^ Jesus gives, we are, like Ruth, satisfied with 
 ^'**^ the full and sweet repast. When Jesus is the host, 
 no guest goes empty from the table. Our head is satisfied 
 with the precious truth which Christ reveals ; our heart is 
 content with Jesus, as the altogether lovely object of afi'ec- 
 tion ; our hope is satisfied, for whom have we in heaven but 
 Jesus ? and our desire is satiated, for what can we wish for 
 more than " to know Christ and to be found in Him" ? Je- 
 sus fills our conscience, till it is at perfect peace ; our judg- 
 ment with persuasion of the certainty of His teachings ; oui 
 memory with recollections of what He has done, and our iw 
 agination with the prospects of what He is yet to do. As 
 Ruth was '* sufiiced, and left" so it is with us. We '•have 
 had deep draughts ; we have thought that we could take in 
 all of Christ ; but when we have done our best, we have had 
 to leave a vast remainder. We have sat at the table of the 
 Lord's love, and said, " Nothing but the infinite can ever 
 satisfy me ; I am such a great sinner that I must have infi- 
 nite merit to wash my sin away ; " but we have had our sin 
 removed, and Tound that there was merit to spare ; we have 
 had our hunger relieved at the feast of sacred love, and 
 found that there was a redundance of spiritual meat remain- 
 ing. There are certain sweet things in the word of God 
 which we have not enjoyed yet, and which we are obliged to 
 leave for a while ; for we are like the disciples to whom Jesus 
 said, " I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye can- 
 not bear them now." Yes, there are graces to which we 
 have not attained ; places of fellowship nearer to Christ 
 which we have not reached ; and heights cf communion 
 which our feet have not climbed. At every banquet of love 
 there are many baskets of fragments left. Let ua magnify 
 the liberality of our glorious Boaz. 
 
80 EVENING KEADiNGS. March 20 
 
 *' Husbands., love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church." 
 Ephesians v. 25. 
 
 ^I^I^HAT a golden example Christ gives to His disciples 1 
 mfMh Vew masters could venture to say, " If you would 
 *^^^^ practise ray teaching, imitate my life ; " but as the 
 life of Jesus is the exact transcript of perfect virtue, He can 
 point to Himself as the paragon of holiness, as well as the 
 teacher of it. The Christian should take nothing short of 
 Christ for his model. Under no circumstances ought we to 
 be content unless we reflect the grace which was in Him. 
 As a husband, the Christian is to look upon the portrait of 
 Christ Jesus, and he is to paint according to that copy. 
 The true Christian is to be such a husband as Christ was to 
 His church. The love of a husband is special. The Lord 
 Jesus cherishes for the church a peculiar affection, which is 
 set upon her above the rest of mankind : " 1 pray for them, 
 I pray not for the world." The elect church is the favorite 
 of heaven, the treasure of Christ, the crown of His head, 
 the bracelet of His arm, the breastplate of His heart, the 
 very centre and core of His love. A husband should love 
 his wife with a constant love, for thus Jesus loves His church. 
 He does not vary in His affection. He may change in His 
 display of affection, but the affection itself is still the same. 
 A husband should love his wife with an enduring love, for 
 nothing " shall be able to separate us from the love of God, 
 which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." A true husband loves 
 his wife with a hearty love, fervent and intense. It is not 
 mere lip-service. Ah ! beloved, what more could Christ 
 have done in proof of His love than He has done ? Jesus 
 has a delighted love towards His spouse ; He prizes her affec- 
 tion, and delights in her with sweet complacence. Believer, 
 you wonder at Jesus' love; you admire it — are you imi- 
 tating it ? In your domestic relationships is the rule and 
 measure of your love — " even as Christ loved the church" f 
 
March 21. evening readings. 8i 
 
 •* Carist thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the hawli 
 of Orion ? " — Job xxxviii. 31. 
 
 'm 
 
 •?;F inclined to boast of our abilities, the grandeur of 
 ',^] nature may soon show us how puny we are. We 
 ^ cannot move the least of all the twinkling stars, or 
 quench so much as one of the beams of the morning. Wc 
 speak of power, but the heavens laugh us to scorn. \v'^hen 
 the Pleiades shine forth in spring with vernal joy we c^lnnot 
 restrain their influences ; and when Orion reigns aloft, and 
 the year is bound in winter's fetters, we cannot relax the icy 
 bands. The seasons revolve according to the divine ap- 
 pointment, neither can the whole race of men eflfect a change 
 therein. Lord, what is man ? 
 
 In the spiritual, as in the natural world, man's power is 
 limited on all hands. When the Holy Spirit sheds abroad 
 His delights in the soul, none can disturb ; all the cunning 
 and malice of men are ineffectual to stay the genial quicken- 
 ing power of the Comforter. When He deigns to visit a 
 church and revive it, the most inveterate enemies cannot re- 
 sist the good work ; they may ridicule it, but they can no 
 more restrain it than they can push back the spring when the 
 Pleiades rule the hour. God wills it, and so it must be. On 
 the other hand, if the Lord in sovereignty, or in justice, oind 
 up a man so that he is in soul bondage, who can give him 
 liberty? He alone can remove the winter of spiritual death 
 from an individual or a people. He looses the bands of 
 Orion, and none but He. What a blessing it is that He can 
 doit! O that He would perform the wonder to-night ! Lord, 
 end my winter, and let my spring begin. I cannot, with all 
 ray longings, raise my soul out of her death and dulness, but 
 all things are possible with Thee. I need celestial iuflucnccs, 
 the clear shinings of Thy love, the beams of Thy grace, the light 
 of Thy countenance ; these are the Pleiades to me. I suffof 
 much from sin and temptation ; these are my wintry signs, n\\ 
 terrible Orion. Lord, work wonders in me. and for me. Amcb 
 
82 ETENiNG KEADiKGS March 22. 
 
 " Father, I will that they also, whom lliou hast given Me, he with 
 Me where I am." — John xvii. 24. 
 
 Sj§ DEATH ! why dost thou touch the tree beneath 
 7^ whose spreading branches weariness hath rest ? 
 '^ Why dost thou snatch away the excellent of the 
 earth, in whom is all our delight ? If thou must use thine 
 axe, use it upon the trees which yield no fruit ; thou mightsl 
 be thanked then. But why wilt thou fell the goodly cedars 
 of Lebanon ? Oh, stay thine axe, and spare the righteous. 
 But no, it must not be ; death smites the goodliest of our 
 friends ; the most generous, the most prayerful, the most 
 holy, the most devoted must die. And why ? It is through 
 Jesus' prevailing prayer — " Father, I will that they also, 
 whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am," It is 
 that which bears them on eagles' wings to heaven. Every 
 time a believer mounts from this earth to paradise, it is an 
 answer to Christ's prayer. A good old divine remarks, 
 " Many times Jesus and His people pull against one another 
 in prayer. You bend your knee in prayer and say, ' Father, 
 I will that Thy saints be with me where / am ; ' Christ says, 
 ' Father, I will that they also whom Thou hast given Me, be 
 with Me where / am.' " Thus the disciple is at cross-pur- 
 poses with his Lord. The soul cannot be in both places : 
 the beloved one cannot be with Christ and with you too. 
 Now, which pleader shall win the day ? If you had your 
 choice ; if the King should step from His throne, and say, 
 " Here are two supplicants praying in opposition to one 
 another ; which shall be answered ? " Oh ! I am sure, though 
 it were agony, you would start from your feet, and say, 
 " Jesus, not my will, but Thine be done." You would give 
 up your prayer for your loved one's life, if you could realize 
 the thought that Christ is praying in the opposite direction 
 — " Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, 
 be witli Me where I am." Lord, Thou shalt have them. Bj 
 faith wo let them go. 
 
March 23. bvenino eeadings. 8S 
 
 " / tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would 
 immediately cry out." — Luke xix. 40. 
 
 l^tlJT could the stones cry out ? Assuredly they couM ; 
 
 j^ if He who opens the mouth of the dumb should bid 
 them lift up their voice. Certainly if they were to 
 apeak, they would have much to testify in praise of Hira who 
 created them by the word of His power ; they could extol 
 the wisdom and power of their Maker, who called them into 
 being. Shall not we speak well of Hira who made us anew, 
 and out of stones raised up children unto Abraham ? The 
 old rocks could tell of chaos and order, and the handiwork 
 of God in successive stages of creation's drama ; and cannot 
 we talk of God's decrees, of God's great work in ancient 
 times, and all that He did for His church in the days of old ? 
 If the stones were to speak, they could tell of their hreahei, 
 how he took them from the quarry, and made them fit for 
 the temple ; and cannot we tell of our glorious Breaker, who 
 broke our hearts with the hammer of His word, that He 
 might build us into His temple ? If the stones should cry 
 out they would magnify their builder, who polished them and 
 fashioned them after the similitude of a palace ; and shall 
 not we talk of our Architect and Builder, who has put us in 
 our place in the temple of the living God ? If the stones 
 could cry out, they might have a long, long story to tell by 
 way of memorial, for many a time hath a great stone been 
 rolled as a memorial before the Lord ; and we, too, can tes- 
 tify of Ebenezers, stones of help, pillars of remembrance. 
 The broken stones of the law cry out against us, but Christ 
 Himself, who has rolled away the stone from the door of the 
 sepulchre, speaks for us. Stones might well cry out, but 
 we will not let them : we will hush their noise with ours ; we 
 will break forth into sacred song, and bless the majesty of 
 the Most High, all our days glorifying Him who is called bj 
 Jacob the Shepherd and Stone of Israel. 
 
84 EVENING READINGS. March 24L 
 
 "/« that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit." — Luke x. 21. 
 
 ^, ^HE Saviour was " a man of sorrows," but every 
 M\i thoughtful mind has discovered the fact that down 
 deep in His innermost soul He carried an inexhaust 
 ibie treasury of refined and heavenly joy. Of all the human 
 race, there was never a man who had a deeper, purer, or 
 more abiding peace than our Lord Jesus Christ. " He was 
 anointed with the oil of gladness above His fellows." His 
 vast benevolence must, from the very nature of things, have 
 afforded Him the deepest possible delight, for benevolence 
 is joy. There were a few remarkable seasons when this joy 
 manifested itself. " At that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, 
 and said, I thank Thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth." 
 Christ had his songs, though it was night with Him ; though 
 His face was marred, and His countenance had lost the lustre 
 of earthly happiness, yet sometimes it was lit up with a 
 matchless splendor of unparalleled satisfaction, as He thought 
 upon the recompense of the reward, and in the midst of the 
 congregation sang His praise unto God. In this the Lord 
 Jesus is a blessed picture of His church on earth. At this 
 hour the church expects to walk in sympathy with her Lord 
 along a thorny road ; through much tribulation she is forcing 
 her way to the crown. To bear the cross is her office, and 
 to be scorned and counted an alien by her mother's children 
 is her lot ; and yet the church has a deep well of joy, of 
 which none can drink but her own children. There are 
 stores of wine, and oil, and corn, hidden in the midst of our 
 Jerusalem, upon which the saints of God are- evermore sus- 
 tained and nurtured ; and sometimes, as in our Saviour's 
 case, we have our seasons of intense delight, for " There is 
 a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of our 
 God." Exiles though we be, ve rejoice in our lung ; yea, 
 in Him we exceedingly rejoice, while in His name we set up 
 our banners. 
 
March 25. evening readings. B5 
 
 " The Son of mail." — John iii. 13. 
 
 ^OW constantly our Master used the title, the " Son 
 i'j of man " ! If He had chosen, He might always have 
 spoken of Himself as the Son of God, the Everlast- 
 ing Father, the Wonderful, the Counsellor, the Prince of 
 Peace ; but behold the lowliness of Jesus ! He prefers to 
 call Himself the Son of man. Let us learn a lesson of hu- 
 mility from our Saviour ; let us never court great titles nor 
 proud degrees. There is here, however, a far sweeter 
 thought. Jesus loved manhood so much, that He delighted 
 to honor it ; an<l since it is a high honor, and, indeed, the 
 greatest dignity of manhood, that Jesus is the Son of man, 
 He is wont to display this name, that He may, as it were, 
 hang royal stars upon the breast of manhood, and show forth 
 the love of God to Abraham's seed. Son of man — when- 
 ever He said that word. He shed a halo round the head of 
 Adam's children. Yet there is perhaps a more precious 
 thought still. Jesus Christ called Himself the Son of man 
 to express His oneness and sympathy with His people. He 
 thus reminds us that He is one whom we may approach with- 
 out fear. As a man, we may take to Him all our griefs and 
 troubles, for He knows them by experience ; in that He Him- 
 self hath suffered as the " Son of man," He is able to suoenr 
 and comfort us. All hail. Thou blessed Jesus ! inasmuch as 
 Thou art evermore using the sweet name which acknowledges 
 that Thou art a brother and a near kinsman, it is to us a 
 dear token of Thy grace. Thy humility. Thy love. 
 
 ' Oh, see how Jesus trusts Himself 
 
 Unto our childish love, 
 As thou<;Ii by Ilis free ways with a>, 
 Our earnestness to prove ! 
 
 His sacred name a common word 
 
 On earth He loves to hear, 
 There is no mi^esty in Him 
 
 Which lure may not come Bear." 
 
 • 
 
86 EVENING READINGS. Marcli 26. 
 
 " Whim He Cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels* 
 Mark viii. 38. 
 
 m 
 
 []|fRF we have been partakers with Jesus in His shame, 
 we shall be sharers with Him in the lustre which 
 shall surround Him when He appears again in glory. 
 Art thou, beloved one, with Christ Jesus ? Does a vital union 
 knit thee to Him ? Then thou art to-day with Him in His 
 ehame ; thou hast taken up His cross, and gone with Hira 
 without the camp bearing His reproach ; thou shalt doubt- 
 less be with Him when the cross is exchanged for the crown. 
 But judge thyself this evening ; for if thou art not with Him 
 in the regeneration, neither shalt thou be with Him when He 
 shall come in His glory. If thou start back from the black 
 side of communion, thou shalt not understand its bright, its 
 happy period, when the King shall come, and all His holy 
 angels with Him. What ! are angels with Him f And yet 
 He took not up angels — He took up the seed of Abraham. 
 Are the holy angels with Him f Come, my soul, if thou art 
 indeed His own beloved, thou canst not be far from Him. 
 If His friends and His neighbors are called together to see 
 His glory, what thinkest thou if thou art married to Him ? 
 Shalt thou be distant ? Though it be a day of judgment, 
 yet thou canst not be far from that heart which, having ad- 
 mitted angels into intimacy, has admitted thee into union. 
 Has He not said to thee, my soul, " I will betroth thee 
 unto Me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving- " 
 kindness" ? Have not His own lips said it, "I am married 
 unto thee, and My delight is in thee " ? If the angels, who 
 are but friends and neighbors, shall be with Him, it is abun- 
 dantly certain that His own beloved Hephzibah, in whom is 
 all His delight, shall be near to Him, and sit at His right 
 hand Here is a morning star of hope for thee, of such ex- 
 ceeding brilliancy, that it may well light up the darkeot and 
 most desolate experience. 
 
March 27. evening beadinos. 87 
 
 ''And she said, Tr^dh, Lord : yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which 
 fall from their masters' table." — Matthew xv. 27. 
 
 ^HIS woman gained comfort in her misery by tliinking 
 % GREAT THOUGHTS OF Chkist. The Master had 
 talked about the children's bread : " Now," argued 
 she, " since Thou art the Master of the table of grace, I 
 know that Thou art a generous housekeeper, and there is 
 sure to be abundance of bread on Thy table ; there will be 
 such an abundance for the children that there will be crumbs 
 to throw on the floor for the dogs, and the children will fare 
 none the worse because the dogs are fed." She thought Him 
 one who kept so good a table that all that she needed would 
 only be a crumb in comparison ; yet remember, what she 
 wanted was to have the devil cast out of her daughter. It 
 was a very great thing to her, but she had such a high es- 
 teem of Christ, that she said, " It is nothing to Him, it is 
 but a crumb for Christ to give." This is the royal road to 
 comfort. Great thoughts of your sin alone will drive you to 
 despair ; but great thoughts of Christ will pilot you into the 
 haven of peace. My sins are many, but oh ! it is nothing to 
 Jesus to take them all away. The weight of my guilt presses 
 me down as a giant's foot would crush a worm, but it is no 
 more thau a grain of dust to Him, because He has already 
 borne its curse in his own body on the tree. " It will be but 
 a small thing /or Him to give me full remission, although it 
 will be an infinite blessing /or me to receive it." The woman 
 opens her soul's mouth very wide, expecting great things of 
 Jesus, and He fills it with His love. Dear reader, do the 
 same. She confessed what Christ laid at her door, but she 
 laid fast hold upon Him, and drew arguments even out of 
 His hard words ; she believed great things of Him, and she 
 thus overcame Him. She won the victory by believing 
 IN Him. Her case is an instance of prevailing faith; and if 
 we would conquer like her, we must imitate her tactics. 
 
88 EVENI^G HEADINGS. March 28, 
 
 " / tcill accept you tvith your sweet savor." — Ezekiel xx. 41. 
 
 ^^HE merits of our great Redeemer are as sweet savor 
 to the Most High. Whether we speak of the active 
 or passive righteousness of Christ, there is an equal 
 fragrance. There was a sweet savor in His active life by 
 which He honored the law of God, and made every precept 
 to glitte" like a precious jewel in the pure setting of IJis own 
 person. Such, too, was his passive obedience, when He en- 
 dured, with unmurmuring submission, hunger and thirst, cold 
 and nakedness, and at length sweat great drops of blood in 
 Gethsemane, gave His back to the smiters, and His cheeks 
 to them that plucked out the hair, and was fastened to the 
 cruel wood, that He might suffer the wrath of God in our 
 behalf. These two things are sweet before the Most High ; 
 and for the sake of His doing and His dying, Hi.s substitu- 
 tionary sufferings and His vicarious obedience, the Lord our 
 God accepts us. What a preciousness must there be in Him 
 to overcome our want of preciousness ! What a sweet savor 
 to put away our ill savor ! What a cleansing power in Hia 
 blood to take away sin such as ours ! and what glory in His 
 righteousnesss to make such unacceptable creatures to be 
 accepted in the Beloved ! Mark, believer, how sure and un- 
 changing must be our acceptance, since it is in Him I Take 
 care that you never doubt your acceptance in Jesus. You 
 cannot be accepted without Christ; but when you have re-» 
 ceived His merit, you cannot be unaccepted. Notwithstand- 
 ing all your doubts, and fears, and sins, Jehovah's gracious 
 eye never looks upon you in anger; though He sees sin in 
 you, in yourself, yet when He looks at you through Christ, 
 He sees no sin. You are always accepted in Christ, are al- 
 ways blessed and dear to the Father's heart. Therefore lift 
 ap a song, and as you see the smoking incense of the merit 
 of the Saviour coming up, this evening, before the sapphirfl 
 thione, let the incense of your praise go up also. 
 
March 29. evening headings. 89 
 
 " / called Him, bvt He gave me no answer." — Canticle* v. 6. 
 
 P^RAYER sometimes tarrieth like a petitioner at the 
 gate, until the King cometh forth to fill her bosom 
 with the blessings which she sceketh. The Lord, 
 when He hath given great faith, has been known to try it by 
 long delayings. He has suffered His servants' voices to echo 
 in their ears as from a brazen sky. They have knocked at 
 the golden gate, but it has remained immovable, as though 
 it were rusted upon its hinges. Like Jeremiah, they have 
 cried, *' Thou hast covered Thyself with a cloud, that our 
 prayer should not pass through." Thus have true saints 
 continued long in patient waiting without reply, not because 
 their prayers were not vehement, nor because they were un- 
 accepted, but because so it pleased Him who is a Sovereign, 
 and who gives according to His own pleasure. If it pleases 
 Him to bid our patience exercise itself, shall He not do as 
 He wills with His own ! Beggars must not be choosers 
 either as to time, place, or form. But we must be careful 
 not to take delays in prayer for denials ; God's long-dated 
 bills will be punctually honored ; we must not suffer Satan 
 to shake our confidence in the God of truth by pointing to 
 our unanswered prayers. Unanswered petitions are not 
 unheard. God keeps a file for our prayers — they are not 
 blown away by the wind ; they are treasured in the King's 
 archives. There is a registry in the court of heaven wherein 
 every prayer is recorded. Tried believer, thy Lord hath a 
 tear-bottle in which the costly drops of sacred grief are put 
 away, and a book in which thy hoi}' groanings are numbered. 
 By and by thy suit shall prevail. Canst thou not be content 
 to wait a little ? Will not thy Lord's time be better than 
 thy time ? By and by He will comfortably appear, to thy 
 soul's joy, and make thee put away the sackcloth and ashts 
 of long waiting, and pet on the scarlet and fine linen of fuli 
 fruition. 
 
 8* 
 
90 EVENING READINGS. March 30 
 
 "* Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord." 
 Lamentations iii. 40. 
 
 ^5P^^HE spouse who fondly loves her absent husband longs 
 ^L^)!^ for his return ; a long protracted separation from her 
 ^^ lord is a semi-death to her spirit : and so with souls 
 who love the Saviour much, they must see His face, they 
 cannot bear that He should be away upon the mountains of 
 Cether, and no more hold communion with them. A re- 
 proaching glance, an uplifted finger, will be grievous to lov- 
 ing children, who fear to offend their tender father, and are 
 only happy in his smile. Beloved, it was so once with you. 
 A text of Scripture, a threatening, a touch of the rod of afflic- 
 tion, and you went to your Father's feet, crying, " Show me 
 wherefore Thou contendest with me." Is it so now ? Are 
 you content to follow Jesus afar off? Can you contemplate 
 suspended communion with Christ without alarm ? Can you 
 bear to have your Beloved walking contrary to you, because 
 you walk contrary to Him ? Have your sins separated be- 
 tween you and your God, and is your heart at rest ? Oh, let 
 me affectionately warn you, for it is a grievous thing when 
 we can live contentedly without the present enjoyment of the 
 Saviour's face. Let us labor to feel what an evil thing this is 
 — little love to our own dying Saviour, little joy in our pre- 
 cious Jesus, little fellowship with the Beloved ! Hold a true 
 Lent in your souls, while you sorrow over your hardness of 
 heart. Do not stop at sorrow ! Remember where you first 
 received salvation. Go at once to the cross. There, and there 
 only, can you get your spirit quickened. No matter how 
 hard, how insensible, how dead we may have become, let ua 
 go again in all the rags, and poverty, and defilement of our 
 natural condition. Let us clasp that cross, let us look into 
 those languid eyes, let us bathe in that fountain filled with 
 blood : this will bring back to us our first love ; this will rectora 
 the simplicity of our faith, and the tenderness of our heart I 
 
March 31. evening readings. 91 
 
 **And Bizpah, the daughter of Aiah, took sackcloth, and spread U 
 for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water 
 dropped upon them out of heaven, and sufered neither the birds 
 of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by 
 night." — 2 Samuel xxi. 10. 
 
 MI'J^fF the love of a woman to her slain sons could make 
 ! ^<1 her prolong her mournful vigil for so long a period, 
 ^ shall we weary of considering the suflPerings of our 
 blessed Lord ? She drove away the birds of prey, and shall 
 not we chase from our meditations those worldly and sinful 
 thoughts which defile both our minds and the sacred themes 
 upou which we are occupied ? Away, ye birds of evil wing ' 
 Leave ye the sacrifice alone ! She bore the heats of summer 
 the night dews and the rains, unsheltered and alone. Sleep 
 was chased from her weeping eyes: her heart was too full 
 for slumber. Behold how she loved her children ! Shall 
 Rizpah thus endure, and shall we start at the first little in- 
 convenience or trial ? Are we such cowards that we cannot 
 bear to suffer with our Lord ? She chased away even the 
 wild beasts, with courage unusual in her sex, and will not we 
 be ready to encounter every foe for Jesus' sake ? These her 
 children were slain by other hands than hers, and yet she 
 wept and watched : what ought we to do who have by our 
 sins crucified our Lord ? Our obligations are boundless, our 
 love should be fervent, and our repentance thorough. To 
 watch with Jesus should be our business, to protect Hia 
 honor our occupation, to abide by His cross our solace. 
 Those ghastly corpses might well have affrighted Rizpah, 
 especially by night ; but in our Lord, at whose cross-foot we 
 are sitting, there is nothing revolting, but everything attrac- 
 tive. Never was living beauty so enchanting as a dying 
 Saviour. Jesus, we will watch with Thee yet a while, and 
 do Thou graciously unveil Thyself to us ; then shall we not 
 sit beneath sackcloth, but in a royal pavilion. 
 
92 EVENING READINGS. April ^. 
 
 " It is time to seek the Lord." — Hosea y. 12. 
 
 ^HIS month of April is said to derive its name from 
 the Latin verb aperio, which signifies to open, because 
 all the buds and blossoms are now opening, and we 
 have arrived at the gates of the flowery year. Reader, if 
 you are yet unsaved, may your heart, in accord with the uni- 
 versal awakening of nature, be opened to receive the Lord. 
 Every blossoming flower warns you that it is time to seek the 
 Lord ; be not out of tune with nature, but let your heart bud 
 and bloom with holy desires. Do you tell me that the warm 
 blood of youth leaps in your veins ? then, I entreat you, 
 give your vigor to the Lord. It was my unspeakable hap- 
 piness to be called in early youth, and I could fain praise 
 the Lord every day for it. Salvation is priceless, let it come 
 when it may ; but oh, an early salvation has a double value 
 in it. Young men and maidens, since you may perish ere 
 you reach your prime, " It is time to seek the Lord'." Ye 
 who feel the first signs of decay, quicken your pace : that 
 hollow cough, that hectic flush, are warnings which you must 
 not trifle with ; with you it is indeed time to seek the Lord. 
 Did I observe a little gray mingled with your once luxuriant 
 tresses ? Years are stealing on apace, and death is drawing 
 nearer by hasty marches ; let each return of spring arouse 
 you to set your house in order. Dear reader, if you are 
 now advanced in life, let me entreat and implore you, de- 
 lay no longer. There is a day of grace for you now — be 
 thankful for that, but it is a limited season, and grows 
 shorter every time that clock ticks. Here in this silent 
 chamber, on this first night of another month, I speak to 
 you as best I can by paper and ink, and from my inmost 
 soul, as God's servant, I lay before you this warning, " It it 
 time to seek the Lord." Slight not that word ; it may be youi 
 last call from destruction, the final syllable from the lip of 
 graco. 
 
Aoril 2. EVENING KEADING8. 93 
 
 ' lie shall see His seed ; lie shall prolong His days, and the pleas- 
 ure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand." — Isaiah liii. 10. 
 
 I^IjEAD for the speedy fulfilment of this promise, all 
 1^] ye who love the Lord. It is easy work to pray when 
 
 ■*^- we are grounded and bottomed, as to our desires, 
 upon Grod's own promise. How can He that gave the word 
 refuse to keep it ? Immutable veracity cannot demean it- 
 self by a lie, and eternal faithfulness cannot degrade itself 
 by neglect. God must bless His Son, His covenant binds 
 Him to it. That which the Spirit prompts us to ask for Je- 
 sus, is that which God decrees to give Him. Whenever you 
 are praying for the kingdom of Christ, let your eyes behold 
 the dawning of the blessed day which draweth near, when 
 the Crucified shall receive His coronation in the place where 
 men rejected Him. Courage, you that prayerfully work and 
 toil for Christ with success of the very smallest kind, it shall 
 not be so always ; better times are before you. Your eyes 
 cannot see the blissful future : borrow the telescope of faith ; 
 wipe the misty breath of your doubts from the glass ; look 
 through it and behold the coming glory. Reader, let us a.sk, 
 do you make this your constant prayer ? Remember that the 
 same Christ who tells us to say, " Give us this day our daily 
 bread," had first given us this petition, " Hallowed be Thy 
 name ; Thy kingdom come ; Thy will be done in earth as it 
 is in heaven." Let not your prayers be all concerning your 
 own sins, your own wants, your own imperfections, your own 
 trials, but let them climb the starry ladder, and get up to 
 Christ Himself, and then, as you draw nigh to the blood- 
 bcsprinklcd mercy-seat, offer this prayer continually, " Lord, 
 extend the kingdom of Thy dear Son." Such a petition, 
 fervently presented, will elevate the spirit of all your devo- 
 tions. Mind that you prove the sincerity of your prayer Ly 
 laboring to promote the Lord's glory. 
 
94 ETENING KEADITTGS. April 8. 
 
 " All we like sheep have gone astray ; we have Untied every one to 
 his own ti'ay ; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of ua 
 all." — Isaiah liii. 6. 
 
 9ERE is a confession of sin common to all the elect 
 
 i 
 
 people of God. They have all fallen, and there- 
 ^^^"^^ fore, in common chorus, they all say, from the first 
 ^ho entered heaven to the last who shall enter there, " All 
 Tve like sheep have gone astray." The confession, while 
 thus unanimous, is also special and particular : " We have 
 turned every one to his own way." There js a peculiar sin- 
 fulness about every one of the individuals ; all are sinful, 
 bat each one with some special aggravation not found in hiii 
 ftllow. It is the mark of genuine repentance, that while it 
 naturally associates itself with other penitents, it also takes 
 up a position of loneliness. " We have turned every one to 
 hi& own way," is a confession that each man had sinned 
 against light peculiar to himself, or sinned with an aggrava- 
 tion which he could not perceive in others. This confession 
 is unreserved ; there is not a word to detract from its force, 
 nor a syllable by way of excuse. The confession is a giving 
 up of all pleas of self-righteousness. It is the declaration 
 of men who are consciously guilty — guilty with aggrava- 
 tions, guilty without excuse : they stand with their weapons 
 of rebellion broken in pieces, and cry, " All we like sheep 
 have gone astray ; we have turned every one to his own 
 way.' Yet we hear no dolorous wailings attending this con- 
 fession of sin ; for the next sentence makes it almost a song, 
 " The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all." It is 
 the most grievous sentence of the three, but it overflows 
 with comfort. Strange is it that where misery was con;jen- 
 trated, mercy reigned ; where sorrow reached her climax, 
 weary souls find rest. The Saviour bruised is the healing of 
 bruised hearts. See how the lowliest penitence gives place to 
 assured confidence through simply gazing at Christ on th« 
 cross ! 
 
April 4. EVENING TIEAPING8. 9b 
 
 " Come ye, and let us go tip to the mountain of tJie Lord." 
 Isaitih ii. 3. 
 
 [iSfsT is exceedingly beneficial to our souls to mount above 
 |(^ this present evil world to something nobler and bet- 
 "'^ ter. The cares of this world, and the deceitfulness 
 of riches, are apt to choke everything good within us, and 
 we grow fretful, desponding, perhaps proud and carnal. It 
 is well for us to cut down these thorns and briers, for heav- 
 enly seed sown among them is not likely to yield a harvest ; 
 and where shall y.'c find a better sickle with which to cut 
 them down than communion with God and the things of the 
 kingdom ? In the valleys of Switzerland, many of the in- 
 habitants are deformed, and all wear a sickly appearance, 
 for the atmosphere is charged with miasma, and is close and 
 stagnant ; but up yonder, on the mountain, you find a hardy 
 race, who breathe the clear fresh air as it blows from the 
 virgin snows of tlie Alpine summits. It would be well if 
 the dwellers in the valley could frequently leave their abodes 
 among the marshes and the fever mists, and inhale the bra- 
 cing element upon the hills. It is to such an exploit of climb- 
 ing that I invite you this evening. May the Spirit of God 
 assist us to leave the mists of fear and the fevers of anxiety, 
 and all the ills which gather in this valley of earth, and to 
 ascend the mountains of anticipated joy and blessedness. 
 May God the Holy Spirit cut the cords that keep us here 
 below, and assist us to mount ! We sit too often like chained 
 eagles fastened to the rock, only that, unlike the eagle, we 
 begin to love our chain, and would, perhaps, if it came really 
 to the test, be loath to have it snapped. JMay God now grant 
 us grace, if we cannot escape from the chain as to our flesh, 
 yet to do so as to our spirits ; and leaving the body, like a 
 servant, at the foot of the hill, may our soul, like Abraham^ 
 attain the top of the mountain, there to indulge in commun 
 ion with the Most High. 
 
1 
 
 96 EVENING KEADINGS. April 5, 
 
 " Before honor is humility." — Proverbs xv. 33. 
 
 lUMILIATION of soul always brings a positive hlese- 
 \j ing ivith it. If we empty our hearts of self, G-od 
 will fill them with His love. He who desires close 
 communion with Christ, should remember the word of the 
 Lord, " To this man will I look, even to him that is poor 
 and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word." Stoop 
 if you would climb to heaven. Do we not say of Jesus, 
 " He descended that He might ascend ? " so must you. You 
 must grow downwards, that you may grow upwards ; fo'* the 
 sweetest fellowship with heaven is to be had by humble souls, 
 and by them alone. God will deny no blessing to a thor- 
 oughly humbled spirit. " Blessed are the poor in spirit : 
 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," with all its riches and 
 treasures. The whole exchequer of God shall be made over 
 by deed of gift to the soul which is humble enough to be 
 able to receive it without growing proud because of it. God 
 blesses us all up to the full measure and extremity of what 
 it is safe for Him to do. If you do not get a blessing, it is 
 because it is not safe for you to have one. If our heavenly 
 Father were to let your unhumbled spirit win a victory in 
 His holy war, you would pilfer the crown for yourself, and 
 meeting with a fresh enemy you would fall a victim ; so that 
 you are kept low for your own safety. When a man is sin- 
 cerely humble, and never ventures to touch so much as a 
 grain of the praise, there is scarcely any limit to what God 
 will do for him. Humility makes us ready to be blessed by 
 the God of all grace, and fits us to deal efficiently with our 
 fellow-men. True humility is a flower which will adorn any 
 garden. This is a sauce with which you may season every 
 dish of life, and you will find an improvement in every 
 case. Whether it be prayer or praise, whether it be work 
 or suffering, the genuine salt of humility cannot be used 
 in excess. 
 
April 6. EVENING READINGS. ^ 9? 
 
 " In the name of the Lord I will destroy them." — Psalm cxviii. 12. 
 
 ?TTR Lord Jesus, by His death, did not purchase a right 
 to a part of us only, but to the entire man. He con- 
 templated in His passion the sanctification of ua 
 wholly, spirit, soul, and body ; that in this triple kingdom He 
 Himself might reign supreme without a rival. It is the busi- 
 ness of the new-born nature which God has given to the re- 
 generate to assert the rights of the Lord Jesus Christ. My 
 soul, so far as thou art a child of God, thou must conquer all 
 the rest of thyself which yet remains unblest ; thou must sub- 
 due all thy powers and passions to the silver sceptre of J*. 
 BUS* gracious reign, and thou must never be satisfied till Ho 
 who is King by purchase becomes also King by gracious cor- 
 onation, and reigns in thee supreme. Seeing, then, that sin 
 has no right to any part of us, we go about a good and law- 
 ful warfare when we seek, in the name of God, to drive it 
 out. my body, thou art a member of Christ : shall I toler- 
 ate thy subjection to the prince of darkness ? my soul, 
 Christ has suffered for thy sins, and redeemed thee with His 
 most precious blood : shall I suffer thy memory to become a 
 storehouse of evil, or thy passions to be firebrands of in- 
 iquity ? Shall I surrender my judgment to be perverted by 
 error, or my will to be led in fetters of iniquity ? No, my 
 soul, thou art Christ's, and sin hath no right to thee. 
 
 Be courageous concerning this, Christian ! be not dis- 
 pirited, as though your spiritual enemies could never be de- 
 stroyed. You are able to overcome them — not in your own 
 strength — the weakest of them would be too much for you 
 in that ; but you can and shall overcome them through the 
 blood of the Lamb. Do not ask, " How shall I dispossess 
 them, for they are greater and mightier than I ? " but go to 
 the strong for strength, wait humbly upon God, and the 
 mighty God of Jacob will surely come to the rescue, and 
 you shall sing of victory through His grace. 
 9 
 
98 EVENING READINGS. April 7. 
 
 " Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, God, Thou God of my sal' 
 vaiion ; and my tongue shall sing aloud of Thy righteous' 
 ness." — Psalm li. 14. 
 
 ^^^N this SOLEMN CONFESSION, it is pleasing to observe 
 ^ i ^ that David plainly names his sin. He does not call 
 y/^r\^ it manslaughter, nor speak of it as an imprudence by 
 which an unfortunate accident occurred to a worthy man, but 
 he calls it by its true name, bloodguiltiness. He did not 
 actually kill the husband of Bathsheba ; but still it was planned 
 in David's heart that Uriah should be slain, and he was be- 
 fore the Lord his murderer. Learn in confession to be hon- 
 est with God. Do not give fair names to foul sins ; call 
 them what you will, they will smell no sweeter. What God 
 sees them to be, that do you labor to feel them to be ; and 
 with all openness of heart acknowledge their real character. 
 Observe, that David was evidently oppressed with the hei- 
 nousness of his sin. It is easy to use words, but it is difficult 
 to feel their meaning. The fifty-first Psalm is the photograph 
 of a contrite spirit. Let us seek after the like brokenness of 
 heart ; for however excellent our words may be, if our heart 
 is not conscious of the hell-deservingness of sin, we cannot 
 expect to find forgiveness. 
 
 Our text has in it an earnest peayer — it is addressed 
 to the God oi salvation. It is His prerogative to forgive ; it 
 '8 His very name and office to save those who seek His face, 
 better still, the text calls Him the God of my salvation. Yes, 
 blessed be His name, while I am yet going to Him through 
 Jesus' blood, I can rejoice in the God of my salvation. 
 
 The psalmist ends with a commendable vow : if God will 
 deliver him he will sing, nay, more, he will " sing aloud." 
 Who can sing in any other style of such a mercy as this ! 
 But note the subject of the song — " Thy RionTEOtTSNfiss." 
 We must sing of the finished work of a precious Saviour ; 
 and he who knows most of forgiving love will sing thi 
 luudest. 
 
April 8. EVENING READINGS. 99 
 
 " / voillfear no evil : for thou art with me." — Psalm xxiii. 4. 
 
 CtEHOLD, how independent of outward circumstances 
 jS'i' the Holy Ghost can make the Christian ! What a 
 bright light may shine within us when it is all dark 
 without ! How firm, how happy, how calm, how peaceful we 
 may be, when the world shakes to and fro, and the pillars of 
 the earth are removed ! Even death itself, with all its terri- 
 ble influences, has no power to suspend the music of a Chris- 
 tian's lieart, but rather makes that music become more sweet, 
 more clear, more heavenly, till the last kind act which death 
 can do is to let the earthly strain melt into the heavenly 
 chorus, the temporal joy into the eternal bliss ! Let us liavo 
 confidence, then, in the blessed Spirit's power to comfort us. 
 Dear reader, are you looking forward to poverty ? Fear not ; 
 the divine Spirit can give you, in your want, a greater plenty 
 than the rich have in their abundance. You know not what 
 joys may be stored up for you in the cottage around which 
 grace will plant the roses of content. Are you conscious of 
 a growing failure of your bodily powers? Do you expect to 
 suffer long nights of languishing and days of pain ? Oh, 
 be not sad I That bed may become a throne to you. You 
 little know how every pang that shoots through your body 
 may be a refining fire to consume your dross — a beam of 
 glory to light up the secret parts of yoi^r soul. Are the eyes 
 growing dim ? Jesus will be your light. Do the ears fail 
 you ? Jesus' name will be your soul's b-^st music, and His 
 person your dear delight. Socrates used to say, " Philoso-. 
 phers can be happy without music ; " and Christians can be 
 happier than philosophers when all outward causes of re- 
 joicing are withdrawn. In thee, my God, my heart shall 
 triumph, come wjiat may of ills without! By thy power. 
 blessed Spirit, my heart shall bo exceeding glad, though all 
 things should fail me here below. 
 
100 EVENING READINGS. April 9. 
 
 " Thy gentleness hath made me great." — Psalm xviii. 35 
 
 "SHE words are capable of being translated, " Thy good- 
 ness hath made me great." David gratefully ascribed 
 all his greatness not to his own goodness, but to the 
 goodness of God. " Thy providence,^'' is another reading ; 
 and providence is nothing more than goodness in action. 
 Goodness is the bud of which providence is the flower, or 
 goodness is the seed of which providence is the harvest. 
 Some render it, " Thy help" which is but another word for 
 providence ; providence being the firm ally of the saints, aid- 
 ing them in the service of their Lord. Or again, " Thy humility 
 bath made mo great." " Thy condescension,'^ may, perhaps, 
 serve as a comprehensive reading, combining the ideas men- 
 tioned, including that of humility. It is God's making Him- 
 self little which is the cause of our being made great. We 
 are so little, that if God should manifest His greatness with- 
 out condescension, we should be trampled under His feet ; 
 but God, who must stoop to view the skies, and bow to see 
 what angels do, turns His eye yet lower, and looks to the 
 lowly and contrite, and makes them great. There are yet other 
 readings, as for instance, the Septuagint, which reads, " Thy 
 discipline" — Thy fatherly correction — "hath made me 
 great ; " while the Chaldee paraphrase reads, " Thy word hath 
 increased me." Still the idea is the same. David ascribes 
 all his own greatness to the condescending goodness of his 
 Father in heaven. May this sentiment be echoed in our 
 hearts this evening while we cast our crowns at Jesus' feet, 
 and cry, " Thy gentleness hath made me great." How mar- 
 vellous has been our experience of God's gentleness ! How 
 gentle have been His corrections ! How gentle His forbear- 
 ance ! How gentle His teachings ! How gentle His draw- 
 ings ! Meditate upon this theme, believer. Let gratitude 
 be awakened ; let humility be deepened ; let love be quick' 
 ened ere thou fallest asleep'to-night. 
 
April 10. EVENING READINGS. 101 
 
 " For there itood by me this night the angel of Ood." 
 Acts xxvli. 23. 
 
 ^^I^^EMPEST and long darkness, coupled with imminent 
 ■"I r 7^ risk of shipwreck, had brought the crew of the vessel 
 '^^^^'^ into a sad case ; one man alone among them remained 
 perfectly calm, and by his word the rest were reassured. 
 Paul was the only man who had heart enough to say, " Sirs, 
 be of good cheer." There were veteran Roman legionaries 
 on board, and brave old mariners, and yet their poor Jewish 
 prisoner had more spirit than they all. He had a secret 
 Friend who kept his courage up. The Lord Jesus despatched 
 a heavenly messenger to whisper words of consolation in the 
 ear of His faithful servant ; therefore he wore a shininjr coun- 
 tenance, and spake like a man at ease. If we fear the Lord, 
 we may look for tiinely interpositions when our case is at ita 
 worst. Angels are not kept from us by storms, or hindered 
 by darkness. Seraphs think it no humiliation to visit the 
 poorest of the heavenly family. If angels' visits are few and 
 far between at ordinary times, they shall be frequent in our 
 nights of tempest and tossing. Friends may drop from us 
 when we are under pressure, but our intercourse with the in- 
 habitants of the angelic world shall be more abundant ; and 
 in the strength of love-words, brought to us from the throne 
 by the way of Jacob's ladder, we shall be strong to do ex- 
 ploits. Dear reader, is this an hour of distress with you ? 
 then ask for peculiar help. Jesus is the angel of the cov- 
 enant, and if His presence be now earnestly sought, it will 
 not be denied. What that presence brings in heart-cheer 
 those remember who, like Paul, have had the angel of God 
 standing by them in a night of storm, when anchors would 
 BO longer hold, and rorks wer3 nigh. 
 
 " O anfjcl of my God, be near; 
 Amid the liarkiiess hush my fear : 
 Loud roars the w.ld, tctnpeutuoua sea; 
 Thy presence, Loi i, shall comfort me." 
 9* 
 
102 EVEifING PEADTNGS. April 11. 
 
 " Look upon mine affliction and my pain ; and forgive all my sins* 
 Psalm XXV. 18. 
 
 ^?1[^T is well for us when prayers about our sorrows arc 
 c^l w linked with pleas concerning our sins — when, being 
 V/^^i^hi uu^er God's hand, we are not wholly taken up with 
 our pain, but remember our offences against God. It is well, 
 also, to take both sorrow and sin to the same place. It was 
 to God that David carried his sorrow : it was to God that 
 David confessed his sin. Observe, then, we must take our 
 sorrows to God. Even your little sorrows you may roll upon 
 God, for He counteth the hairs of your head ; and your great 
 sorrows you may commit to Him, for He holdeth the ocean 
 in tlie hollow of His hand. Go to Him, whatever your pres- 
 ent trouble may be, and you shall find Him able and willing 
 to relieve you. But toe must take our sins' to God too. We 
 must carry them to the cross, that the blood may fall upon 
 them, to purge away their guilt, and to destroy their defiling 
 power. 
 
 The special lesson of the text is this : That we are to go 
 to the Lord with sorrows and with sins in the right spirit. Note 
 that all David asks concerning his sorrow is, " Look upon 
 mine affliction and my pain ; " but the next petition is vastly 
 more express, definite, decided, plain — " Forgive all my 
 sins." Many sufferers would have put it, " Remove my af- 
 fliction and my pain, and look at my sins." But David does 
 not say so ; he cries, " Lord, as for my aflliction and my pain, 
 I will not dictate to thy wisdom. Lord, look at them ; I will 
 leave them to Thee ; I should be glad to have my pain re-, 
 moved, but do as Thou wilt ; but as for my sins. Lord, I know 
 what I want with them ; I must have them forgiven ; I can- 
 not endure to lie under their curse for a moment." A Chris- 
 tian counts sorrow lighter in the scale than sin ; he can bear 
 that his troubles should continue, but lie cannot support the 
 burden of his transgressions. 
 
April 12. EVENING READINGS. 103 
 
 " Tlie king's garden". — ^ Nehemiah iii, 15. 
 
 ^^PI^ENTION of the king's garden by Nehemiah brings 
 to mind the paradise which the King of kings pre- 
 pared for Adam. Sin has utterly ruined that fair 
 abode of all delights, and driven forth the children ©f men 
 to till the ground, which yields thorns and briers unto them. 
 My soul, remember the fall, for it was thy fall. Weep much, 
 because the Lord of love was so shamefully ill-treated by the 
 head of the human race, of which thou art a member, as un- 
 deserving as any. Behold how dragons and demons dwell 
 on this fair earth, which once was a garden of delights. 
 
 See yonder another King's garden, which the King waters 
 with His bloody sweat — Gcthseniane, whose bitter herbs are 
 sweeter far to renewed souls than even Eden's luscious fruits. 
 There *he mischief of the serpent in the first garden was 
 undone ; there the curse is^as lifted from earth, and borne 
 by the woman's promised seed. My soul, bethink thee 
 much of the agony and the passion ; resort to the garden 
 of the olive-press, and view thy great Redeemer rescuing 
 thee from thy lost estate. This is the garden of gardens 
 indeed, wherein the soul may see the guilt of sin and the 
 power of love, two sights which surpass all others. 
 
 Is there no other King's garden ? Yes, my heart, thou 
 art, or shouldst be such. How do the flowers flourish ? Do 
 any choice fruits appear ? Does the King walk within, and 
 r<»st in the bowers of my spirit ? Let me see that the plants 
 are trimmed and watered, and the mischievous foxes hunted 
 out. Come, Lord, and let the heavenly wind blow at Thy 
 coming, that the spices of Thy garden may flow abroad. 
 Nor must I forget the King's garden of the church. 
 Lord, cend prosperity unto it. Rebuild her walls, nourish 
 her plants, ripen her fruits, aud from the huge wilderness, 
 reclaim the barren waste, and n-ake thereof '* a King's 
 garden ," 
 
104 EVENING READINGS. April 13 
 
 " And he shall put his hand upon the head of the bumt-ojfering 
 and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him." — 
 Leviticus i. 4. 
 
 ^^TJH Lord's being made " sin for us " is set forth here 
 ^/k by the very significant transfer of sin to the bullock, 
 which was made by the elders of the people. The 
 laying of the hand was not a mere touch of contact, for iu 
 some other places of Scripture the original word has the 
 meaning of leaning heavily, as in the expression, " Thy 
 wrath lieth hard upon me." Psalm Ixxxviii. 7. Surely 
 this is the very essence and nature of faith, which doth not 
 only bring us into contact with the great Substitute, but 
 teaches us to lean upon Him with all the burden of our guilt. 
 Jehovah made to meet upon the head of the Substitute all 
 the offences of His covenant people, but each one of the 
 chosen is brought personally to ratify this solemn covenant 
 act, when by grace he is enabled by faith to lay his hand 
 upon the head of the " Lamb slain from before the founda- 
 tion of the world." Believer, do you remember that rap- 
 turous day when you first realized pardon through Jesus the 
 sin-bearer ? Can you not make glad confession, and join 
 with the writer in saying, " My soul recalls her day of deliv- 
 erance with delight. Laden with guilt and full of fears, I 
 saw my Saviour as my Substitute, and I laid my hand upon 
 Him ; oh ! how timidly at first, but courage grew, and confi- 
 dence was confirmed, until I leaned ray soul entirely upon 
 Him ; and now it is my unceasing joy to know that my sius 
 are no longer imputed to me, but laid on Him, and like the 
 debts of the wounded traveller, Jesus, like the good Samari- 
 tan, has said of all my future sinfulness, ' Set that to My ac- 
 count ' " ? Blessed discovery ! Eternal solace of a gratefuJ 
 heart ! 
 
 " My numerous sins transferred to Ilim, 
 Sliall never more be found, 
 Lost iu His blood's atouiug stream, 
 Where every crime is drowned ! " 
 
A.Dnl 14. EVENING READINGS. lOd 
 
 ^ 
 
 ' Sax ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him." 
 Isaiuh iii. 10. 
 
 sT is well with the righteous always. If it had said 
 ||(^ *♦ Say ye to the righteous, that it is well with him in 
 -"^ his prosperity," we must have been thankful for so 
 great a boon, for prosperity is an hour of peril, and it is a 
 gift from heaven to be secured from its snares : or if it h-ad 
 been written, " It is well with him when under persecution," 
 we must have been thankful for so sustaining an assurance, 
 for persecution is hard to bear ; but when no time is men- 
 tioned, all time is included. God's " shalls" must be under- 
 stood always in their largest sense. From the beginning of 
 the year to the end of the year, from the first gathering of 
 evening shadows until the day-star shines, in all conditions, 
 and under all circumstances, it shall be well with the right- 
 eous. It is so well with him that we could not imagine it to 
 be better, for he is well fed, he feeds upon the flesh and blood 
 of Jesus ; he is well clothed, he wears the imputed righteous- 
 ness of Christ ; he is well housed, he dwells in God ; he is 
 well married, his soul is knit in bonds of marriage union to 
 Christ ; he is well provided for, for the Lord is his Shepherd ; 
 he is well endowed, for heaven is his inheritance. It is well 
 with the righteous — well upon divine authority ; the mouth 
 of God speaks the comforting assurance. beloved, if God 
 declares that all is well, ten thousand devils may declare it 
 to be ill, but we laugh them all to scorn. Blessed be God 
 for a faith which enables us to- believe God when the crea- 
 tures contradict Ilim. It is, says the word, at all times well 
 with thee, thou righteous one ; then, beloved, if thou canst 
 not see it, let God's word .<:tand thee in stead of sight ; yea, 
 believe it on diviue authority more confidently than if thiue 
 eyes and thy feelings told it to thee. Whom God blesses is 
 blest indeed, and what His lip declares is truth most sura 
 and steadfast. 
 
106 ETENING READINGS. April 15 
 
 "Lift them up forever ." — Psalm xxviii. 9. 
 
 i2i.<* 
 
 SOD'S people need lifting up. They are very heavy 
 by nature. They have no wings, or, if they have, 
 they are like the dove of old which lay among 
 the pots ; and they need divine grace to make them mount 
 on wings covered with silver, and with feathers of yellow 
 gold. By nature sparks fly upward, but the sinful souls of 
 men fall downward. Lord, " lift them up forever ! " 
 David himself said, " Unto Thee, God, do I lift up my 
 soul," and he here feels the necessity that other men's souls 
 should be lifted up as well as his own. When you ask this 
 blessing for yourself, forget not to seek it for others also. 
 Tliere are three ways in which God's people require to be 
 lifted up. They require to be elevated in character. Lift 
 them up, Lord ; do not sufi"er Thy people to be like the 
 world's people ! The world lieth in the wicked one ; lift 
 them out of it ! The world's people are looking after silver 
 and gold, seeking their own pleasures, and the gratification 
 of their lusts ; but. Lord, lift Thy people up above all this ; 
 keep them from being " muck-rakers," as John Bunyan calls 
 the man who was always scraping after gold ! Set thou their 
 hearts upon their risen Lord and the heavenly heritage ! 
 Moreover, believers need to be prospered in conflict. In the 
 battle, if they seem to fall, Lord, be pleased to give them 
 the victory. If the foot of the foe be upon their necks for 
 a moment, help them to grasp the sword of the Spirit, and 
 eventually to win the battle. Lord, lift up Thy children's 
 spirits in the day of conflict ; let them not sit in the dust, 
 mourning forever. Suff'er not the adversary to vex them sore, 
 and make them fret; but if they have been, like Hannah, 
 persecuted, let them sing of the mercy of a delivering God. 
 We may also ask our Lord to lift them up at the last I Lift 
 them up by taking them home ; lift their bodies from the tomb, 
 and raise their souls to Thine eternal kingdom in glory. 
 
April 16. EVENING READINGS. 107 
 
 " And Ids hands were steady until the going down of the sun." 
 Exodus xvii. 12. 
 
 ^. iO mighty was the prayer of Moses, that all depended 
 ^) upon it. The petitions of Moses discomfited the 
 enemy more than the fighting of Joshua. Yet, both 
 were needed. So, in the soul's conflict, force and fervor, 
 decision and devotion, valor and vehemence, must join their 
 forces, and all will be well. You must wrestle with your 
 Bin, but the major part of the wrestling must be done alone 
 in private with God. Prayer, like Moses, holds up the token 
 of the covenant before the Lord. The rod was the emblem 
 of God's working with Moses, the symbol of God's govern- 
 ment in Israel. Learn, pleading saint, to hold up the 
 promise and the oath of God before Him. The Lord can* 
 not deny His own declarations. Hold up the rod of prom- 
 ise, and have what you will. 
 
 Moses grew weary, and then his friends assisted him. 
 When at any time your prayer flags, let faith support one 
 hand, and let holy hope uplift the other, and prayer seating 
 itself upon the stone of Israel, the rock of our salvation, 
 will persevere and prevail. Beware of faintness in devotion ; 
 if Moses felt it, who can escape ? It is far easier to fight 
 with sin in public, than to pray against it in private. It is re- 
 marked that Joshua never grew weary in the fighting, but 
 Moses did grow weary in the praying ; the more spiritual an 
 exercise, the more diflScult it is for flesh and blood to main- 
 tain it. Let us cry, then, for special strength, and may the 
 Spirit of God, who helpeth our infirmities, as He allowed 
 help to Moses, enable us, like him, to continue with our hands 
 steady " until the going down of the sun." Intermittent 
 Bupplication avails but little, we must wrestle all night, and 
 hold up our hands, " until the going down of the sun ; " till 
 the evening of life is over ; till we shall come to the rising 
 of a better sun in the land where prayer is swallowed up in 
 praise. 
 
108 EVENING KEADINGS. April 17. 
 
 " We would see Jesus." — John xii. 21. 
 
 ^^VERMORE the worldling's cry is, " Who will sho\t 
 us any good ?" He seeks satisfaction in earthly 
 comforts, enjoyments, and riches. But the qui»k- 
 ened sinner knows of only one good. " that I knew where 
 I miglit find Him ! " When he is truly awakened to feel his 
 guilt, if you could pour the gold of India at his feet, he 
 would say, " Take it away : I want to find Him." It is a 
 blessed thing for a man, when he has brought his desires into 
 a focus, so that they all centre in one object. When he has 
 fifty different desires, his heart resembles a mere of stag- 
 nant water, spread out into a marsh, breeding miasma and 
 pestilence ; but when all his desires are brought into one 
 channel, his heart becomes like a river of pure water, run- 
 ning swiftly to fertilize the fields. Happy is he who hath one 
 desire, if that one desire be set on Christ, though it may not 
 yet have been realized. If Jesus be a soul's desire, it is a 
 blessed sign of divine work within. Such a man will never 
 be content with mere ordinances. He will say, " I want 
 Christ ; I must have Him — mere ordinances are of no use 
 to me ; I want Himself ; do not offer me these ; you ofi"er 
 me the empty pitcher, while I am dying of thirst ; give me 
 water, or I die. Jesus is my soul's desire. I would see 
 Jesus ! " 
 
 Is this thy condition, my reader, at this moment ? Hast 
 thou but one desire, and is that after Christ ? Then thou art 
 not far from the kingdom of heaven. Hast thou but one 
 wish in thy heart, and that one wish that thou mayst be 
 washed from all thy sins in Jesus' blood ? Canst thou really 
 eay, " I would give all I have to be a Christian ; I would 
 give up everything I have and hope for, if I might but feel 
 that I have an interest in Christ" ? Then, despite all thy 
 fears, be of good cheer, the Lord loveth thee, and thou shah 
 come out into daylight soon, and rejoice in the liberty where- 
 with Christ makes men free. 
 
April 18. EVENING READINGS. 109 
 
 "And Thou saidst, I mill surely do thee good." — Gen. xxxiL 12. 
 
 PFij^nEN Jacob was on the other side of the brook Jab- 
 hwh bok, and Esau wa& cominfj with armed men, he ear- 
 --*^*^^ nestly sought God's protection, and as a master reason 
 he pleaded, " And Thou saidst, I will surely do thee good." 
 Oh, the force of that plea ! He was holding God to His word 
 — " Thou saidst." The attribute of God's faithfulness is a 
 splendid horn of the altar to lay hold upon ; but the promise, 
 which has in it the attribute and something more, is a yet 
 mightier holdfast — " Thou saidst, I will surely do thee good." 
 And has He said, and shall He not do it ? " Let God be 
 true, and every man a liar." Shall not He be true ? Shall 
 He not keep His word ? Shall not every word that comcth 
 out of His lips stand fast and be fulfilled ? Solomon, at the 
 opening of the temple, used this same mighty plea. He 
 pleaded with God to remember the word which He had spo- 
 ken to his father David, and to bless that place. When a man 
 gives a promissory note, his honor is engaged ; he signs his 
 hand, and he must discharge it when the due time comes, or 
 else he loses credit. It shall never be said that God dis- 
 honors His bills. The credit of the Most High never was 
 impeached, and never shall be. He is punctual to the mo- 
 ment : He never is before His time, but He never is behind 
 it. Search God's word through, and compare it with the 
 experience of God's people, and you shall find the two tally 
 from the first to the last. Many a hoary patriarch has said 
 with Joshua, " Not one thing hath failed of all the good things 
 which the Lord your God spake concerning you ; all are come 
 to pass." If you have a divine promise, you need not plead 
 it with an " if," you may urge it with certainty. The Lord 
 meant to fulfil the promise, or He would not have given it. 
 God does not give His words merely to quiet us, and to keep 
 us hopeful for a while, with the intention of putting us oflF at 
 last ; but when He speaks, it is because He means to do as 
 
 He has said. 
 
 10 
 
ilO EVENING READINGS, April 19 
 
 " Tlie Amen" — Revelation iii. 14. 
 
 *SHE word Amen solemnly confirms that which went be 
 fore ; and Jesus is the great Confirmer ; immutable, 
 forever is " the Amen " in all His promises. Sinner, 
 I would comfort thee with this reflection. Jesus Christ said, 
 " Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and 
 I will give you rest." If you come to Him, He will say 
 ■' Amen " in your soul ; His promise shall be true to you. He 
 said in the days of his flesh, " The bruised reed I will not 
 break." thou poor, broken, bruised heart, if thou comest 
 to Him He will say " Amen " to thee, and that shall be true 
 in thy soul as in hundreds of cases in bygone years. Chris- 
 tian, is not this very comforting to thee also, that there is not 
 a word which has gone out of the Saviour's lips which He has 
 ever retracted ? The words of Jesus shall stand when heav- 
 en and earth shall pass away. If thou gettest a hold of but 
 half a promise, thou shalt find it true. Beware of him who 
 is called " Clip-promise," who will destroy much of the com- 
 fort of God's word. Jesus is Yea and Amen in all his offices. 
 He was a Priest to pardon and cleanse once. He is Amen aa 
 Priest still. He was a King to rule and reign for His peo- 
 ple, and to defend them with His mighty arm. He is an Amen 
 King, the same still. He was a Prophet of old, to foretell 
 good things to come, His lips are most sweet, and drop with 
 honey still — He is an Amen Prophet. He is Amen as to 
 the merit of His blood ; He is Amen as to His righteousness. 
 That sacred robe shall remain most fair and glorious when 
 nature shall decay. He is Amen in every single title which 
 He bears ; your Husband, never seeking a divorce ; your 
 Friend, sticking closer than a brother ; your Shepherd, with 
 you in death's dark vale ; your Help and your Deliverer ; 
 your Castle and your High Tower ; the Horn of your strength, 
 your confidence, your joy, your all in all, and your Yea and 
 Amen in all. 
 
April 20 EVENING READINGS. HI 
 
 " Fight the Lord's battles." — 1 Samuel xviii. 17. 
 
 F^HE sacramental host of God's elect is warring still on 
 ,^^ earth, Jesus Christ being the Captain of their salva- 
 tion. He has said, " Lo ! I am with you alway, even 
 unto the end of the world." Hark to the shouts of war ! 
 Now let the people of God stand fast in their ranks, and let 
 no man's heart fail him. It is true that just now in England 
 the battle is turned against us, and unless the Lord Jesus 
 shall lift His sword, we know not what may become of the 
 church of God in this land; but let us be of good courage, 
 and play the man. There never was a day when Protestant 
 ism seemed to tremble more in the scales than now that a 
 fieice effort is making to restore the Romish antichrist to his 
 ancient seat. We greatly want a bold voice and a strong 
 hand to preach and publish the old gospel for wliich martyrs 
 bled and confessors died. The Saviour is, by His Spirit, still 
 on earth ; let this cheer us. He is ever in the midst of the 
 fight, and therefore the battle is not doubtful. And as the 
 conflict rages, what a sweet satisfaction it is to know that the 
 Lord Jesus, in His oflSce as our great Intercessor, is prev- 
 alently pleading for His people ! O anxious gazer, look not 
 so much at the battle below, for there thou shalt be enshroud- 
 ed in smoke, and amazed with garments rolled in blood; but 
 lift thine eyes yonder where thy Saviour lives and pleads, for 
 while He intercedes, the cause of God is safe. Let us fight 
 as if it all depended upon us, but let us look up and know 
 that all depends upon Hira. 
 
 Now, by the lilies of Christian purity, and by the roses of 
 the Saviour's atonement, by the roes and by the hinds of the 
 field, we charge you who are lovers of Jesus, to do valiantly 
 in the Holy War, for truth and righteousness, for the king- 
 dom and crown jewels of your Master. Onward I " for tb« 
 battle is not yours, but God's." 
 
112 EVEMNO HEADINGS. April 21. 
 
 Who is even at the right hand of God." — Romans viii. 34. 
 
 ^lE who was once despised and rejected of n:5n, novi 
 \i occupies the honorable position ofa beloved and hou- 
 ^^^^^^ ored Son. The right hand of God is the place of 
 majesty and favor. Our Lord Jesus is His people's repre- 
 Bentative. When He died for them, they had rest ; when He 
 rose again for them, they had liberty ; when He sat down at 
 His Father's right hand, they had favor, and honor, and dig- 
 nity. The raising and elevation of Christ is the elevation, 
 the acceptance, the enshrinement, the glorifying of all His 
 people, for He is their Head and Representative. This sit- 
 ting at the right hand of God, then, is to be viewed as the 
 acceptance of the person of the Surety, the reception of the 
 Representative, and therefore, the acceptance of our souls. 
 saint, see in this thy sure freedom from condemnation. 
 " Who is he that condemneth ? " W^ho shall condemn the 
 men who are in Jesus at the right hand of God ? 
 
 The right hand is the place of power. Christ at the right 
 hand of God hath all power in heaven and in earth. Who 
 shall fight against the people who have such power vested in 
 their Captain * my soul, what can destroy thee if Omnip- 
 otence be thy helper ? K the aegis of the Almighty cover 
 thee, what sword can smite thee ? Rest thou secure. If 
 Jesus is thine all-prevailing King, and hath trodden thine 
 enemies beneath His feet ; if sin, death, and hell are all 
 vanquished by Him, and thou art represented in Hiit., by no 
 possibility canst thou be destroyed. 
 
 «' Jesu's tremendous name 
 Puts all our foes to flight : 
 Jesus, the meek, the angry Lamb, 
 A Lion is in tight. 
 
 •* By all hell's host withstood ; 
 We all hell's host o'erthrow; 
 And conquering them, tlirougb JeBU's blood 
 We atill to conquer go." 
 
April 22. EVENING readimjs. 113 
 
 " Thou shall not hz afraid for the terror by nigJit.*' — Psalm xci. 5. 
 
 ^\|jii|^HAT is this terror ? It may be the cry of tire, or the 
 $i/flm °°i^® of thieves, or fancied appearances, or the shrink 
 ^***^ of sudden sickness or death. We liva in the world 
 of death and sorrow, we may therefore look for ills as well 
 in the night-watches as beneath the glare of the broiling sun. 
 Nor should this alarm us, for be the terror what it may, the 
 promise is that the believer shall not be afraid. Why should 
 he ? Let us put it more closely, why should we? God our 
 Father is here, and will be here all through the lonely hours ; 
 He is an almighty Watcher, a sleepless Guardian, a faithful 
 Friend. Nothing can happen without His direction, for even 
 hell itself is under His control. Darkness is not dark to 
 Him. He has promised to be a wall of fire around His peo- 
 ple — and who can break through such a barrier ? World- 
 lings may well be afraid, for they have an angry God above 
 them, a guilty conscience within them, and a yawning hell 
 beneath them ; but we who rest in Jesus are saved from all 
 these through rich mercy. If we give way to foolish fear, 
 we shall dishonor our profession, and lead others to doubt 
 the reality of godliness. We ought to be afraid of being 
 afraid, lest we should vex the Holy Spirit by foolish distrust. 
 Down, then, ye dismal forebodings and groundless appre- 
 liensions, God has not forgotten to be gracious, nor shut up 
 His tender mercies; it may be night in the soul, but there 
 need be no terror, for the God of love changes not. Chil- 
 dren of light may walk in darkness, but they are not there- 
 fore cast away, nay, they are now enabled to prove their 
 adoption by trustiug in their heavenly Father ai\ hypocritea 
 cannot do. 
 
 " Though the night be dark and dreary, 
 Diirkness cannot hide from Thee ; 
 Thou nit Ue, who, never weary, 
 Watchtst where Thy people be." 
 
 30* 
 
114 ' EVENING HEADINGS. April 23 
 
 "Lo, in the midst of the throne . . . stood a Lamb as it had been 
 slain." — Revelation v. 6. 
 
 I^^HY should our exalted Lord appear in His wounds in 
 / %i} S^^^y ^ "^^^ wounds of Jesus are His glories, His 
 *^^ jewels, His sacred ornaments. To the eye of the 
 fceliever, Jesus is passing fair because He is " white and 
 ruddy : " white with innocence, and ruddy with His own 
 blood. We see Him as the lily of matchless purity, and as 
 the rose crimsoned with His own gore. Christ is lovely upon 
 Olivet and Tabor, and by the sea, but oh ! there never was 
 such a matchless Christ as He that did hang upon the cross. 
 There we behold all His beauties in perfection, all His at- 
 tributes developed, all His love drawn out, all His character 
 expressed. Beloved, the wounds of Jesus are far more fair 
 in our eyes than all th'^ splendor and pomp of kings. The 
 thorny crown is more than an imperial diadem. It is true 
 that He bears not now the sceptre of reed, but there was a 
 glory in it that nMVcr flashed from sceptre of gold. Jesus 
 wears the appearitu.-e of a slain lamb as His court dress in 
 which He wooed c*" souls, and redeemed them by His com- 
 plete atonement. Nor are these only the ornaments of 
 Christ : they are the trophies of His love and of His victory. 
 He has divided ^>»e spoil with the strong. He has redeemed 
 for Himself a g/'^at multitude whom no man can number, and 
 these scars a? e the memorials of the fight. Ah ! if Christ 
 thus loves to retain the thought of His sufferings for His 
 people, ho'j *~ecious should His wounds he to us I 
 
 • "^ehold how every wound of His 
 A precious balm distils, 
 ATiich heals the scnrs that sin had made, 
 And cures all mortal ills. 
 
 rhose wounds are mouths that preach Hii grarw | 
 
 The ensigns of His love ; 
 The seals of our expected blisa 
 
 In Daradisc abo"»e." 
 
April 24. EVENING readings 115 
 
 •• The flowers appear on the earth ; the time of the singing of birds 
 ts come, and the voice oj" the turtle is heard in our land." — Can- 
 ticles ii. 12. 
 
 lP'7(4i?-iT Buasou oi spring; ine loiig auu ureary 
 
 ^^^Sj-J/ winter helps us to appreciate its genial warmth, and 
 '^^*'-^ its promise of summer enhances its present delights. 
 After periods of depression of spirit, it is delightful to behold 
 again the light of the Sun of Righteousness ; then our slum- 
 bering graces rise from their lethargy, like the crocus and 
 the daffodil from their beds of earth ; then is our heart made 
 merry with delicious notes of gratitude, far more melodious 
 than the warbling of birds ; and the comforting assurance of 
 peace, infinitely more delightful than the turtle's note, is heard 
 within the soul. Now is the time for the soul to seek com- 
 munion with her Beloved ; now must she rise from her native 
 sordidness, and come away froni her old associations. If we 
 do not hoist the sail when the breeze is favorable, we shall be 
 blameworthy ; times of refreshing ought not to pass over us 
 unimproved. When Jesus Himself visits us iu tenderness, 
 and entreats us to arise, can we be so base as to refuse His 
 request ? He has Himself risen that He may draw us after 
 Him ; He now, by His Holy Spirit, has revived us, that we 
 may, in newness of life, ascend into the hcavenlies, and hold 
 communion with Himself. Let our wintry state suffice us for 
 coldness and indifi"erence ; when the Lord creates a spring 
 within, let our sap flow with vigor, and our branch blossom 
 with high resolve. Lord, if it be not spring time in my 
 chilly heart, I pray Thee make it so, for I am heartily weary 
 of living at a distance from Thee. Oh ! the long and dreary 
 winter, when wilt thou bring it to an end ? Come, Holy Spirit, 
 and renew my soul ! quicken Thou me ! restore me, and have 
 mercy upon me ! This very night, I would earnestly implore 
 the Lord to take pity upon His servant, and send me a happj 
 revival of spiritual life * 
 
116 ETENINO READINGS. April 25. 
 
 " If any man hear My voice, and open tin door, I will come in to 
 him." — Revelation iii. 20. 
 
 ;HAT is your desire this evening ? Is it set upou 
 heavenly things ? Do you long to enjoy the high doc- 
 trine of eternal love ? Do you desire liberty in very 
 close communion with God ? Do you aspire to know the 
 heights, and depths, and lengths, and breadths ? Then you 
 must draw near to Jesus ; you must get a clear sight of Him 
 in His preciousness and completeness ; you must view Him 
 in His work, in His oflSces, in His person. He who under- 
 stands Christ, receives an anointing from the Holy One, by 
 which He knows all things. Christ is the great master-key 
 of all the chambers of God ; there is no treasure-house of 
 God which will not open and yield up all its wealth to the 
 soul that lives near to Jesus. Are you saying, " that He 
 would dwell in my bosom" ? " Would that He would make 
 my heart His dwelling-place forever" ? Open the door, be- 
 loved, and he will come into your souls. He has long been 
 knocking, and all with this object, that He may sup with you, 
 and you with Him. He sups ivith you because you find the 
 house or the heart, and you with Him because He brings the 
 provision. He could not sup with you if it were not in your 
 heart, you finding the house ; nor could you sup with Him, 
 for you have a bare cupboard, if He did not bring the pro- 
 vision with Him. Fling wide, then, the portals of your soul. 
 He will come with that love which you long to feel ; He will 
 come with that joy into which you cannot work your poor 
 depressed spirit ; He will bring the peace which now you have 
 not ; He will come with His flagons of wine and sweet applea 
 of love, and cheer you till you have no other sickness but that 
 of " love o'erpowering, love divine." Only open the door to 
 Him, drive out His enemies, give Him the keys of your heart, 
 and He will dwell there forever. Oh, wondrous love, that 
 brings such a guest to dwell in such a heart ! 
 
April 26. ET-ENINO READINGS. 117 
 
 " Blessed is he that watcheth." — Revelation xvi. 16. 
 
 ~^',^[:\^,E die daily," said the apostle. This was the life of 
 W'hh the early Christians ; they went everywhere with 
 ' their lives in their hands. We are not in this day 
 called to pass through the same fearful persecutions ; if wo 
 were, the Lord would give us grace to bear the test; but the 
 tests of Christian life, at the present moment, though out- 
 wardly not so terrible, are yet more likely to overcome us 
 than even those of the fiery age. We have to bear the sneer 
 of the world — that is little ; its blandishments, its soft words, 
 its oily speeches, its fawning, its hypocrisy, are far worse. 
 Our danger is lest we grow rich and become proud, lest we 
 give ourselves up to the fashions of this present evil world, 
 and lose our faith. Or if wealth be not the trial, worldly 
 care is quite as mischievous. If we cannot be torn in pieces 
 by the roaring lion, if we may be hugged to death by the 
 bear, the devil little cares which it is, so long as he destroys 
 our love to Christ, and our confidence in Him. I fear me 
 that the Christian church is far more likely to lose her integ- 
 rity in these soft and silken days than in those rougher times. 
 Ke must be awake now, for we traverse the enchanted 
 ground, and are most likely to fall asleep to our own undo- 
 ing, unless our faith in Jesus be a reality, and our love to 
 Jesus a vehement flame. Many in these days of easy pro- 
 fession are likely to prove tares, and not wheat, hypocrites 
 with fair masks on their faces, but not the true-born chil- 
 dren of the living God. Christian, do not think that these 
 are times in which you can dispense with watchfulness or 
 with holy ardor ; you need these things more than ever, and 
 may God the eternal Spirit display Ilis omnipotence in you, 
 that you may be able to say, in all these softer things, as 
 well as in the rougher, " Wc are more than conqueror* 
 through Him that loved us." 
 
118 ETBNING READINGS. April 27 
 
 " The Lord is King forever and ever." — Psalm x. 16. 
 
 2^SUS CHRIST is no despotic claimant of divih* 
 right, but He is really and truly the Lord's anointed '• 
 " It hath pleased the Father that in Him should all 
 fulness dwell." God hath given to Him all power and all 
 authority. As the Son of man. He is now head over all 
 things to His church, and He reigns over heaven, and earth, 
 and hell, with the keys of life and death at His girdle. Cer- 
 tain princes have delighted to call themselves kings by the 
 popular will, and certainly our Lord Jesus Christ is such in 
 His church. If it could be put to the vote whether He 
 should be King in the church, every believing heart would 
 crown Hira. that we could crown Him more gloriously 
 than we do ! We would count no expense to be wasted that 
 could glorify Christ. Suffering would be pleasure, and loss 
 would be gain, if thereby we could surround His brow with 
 brighter crowns, and make Him more glorious in the eyes 
 of men and angels. Yes, He shall reign ! Long live the 
 King ! All hail to Thee, King Jesus ! Go forth, ye virgin 
 Bouls who love your Lord, bow at His feet, strew His way 
 with the lilies of your love, and the roses of your gratitude : 
 " Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Hira Lord of all." 
 Moreover, our Lord Jesus is King in Zion by right of con- 
 quest. He has taken and carried by storm the hearts of His 
 people, and has slain their enemies who held them in cruel 
 bondage. In the Red Sea of His own blood, our Redeemer 
 has drowned the Pharaoh of our sins ; shall He not be King 
 in Jeshurun ? He has delivered us from the iron yoke and 
 heavy curse of the law : shall not the Liberator be crowned ? 
 We are His portion, whom He has taken out of the hand of 
 the Amorite with His sword and with His bow : who shall 
 enatch His conquest from His hand ? All hail. King Jesus I 
 we gladly own Thy gentle sway ! Rule in our hearts for- 
 ever. Thou lovely Prince of Peace. 
 
April 28. EVEiiNG readings. 119 
 
 "All the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted." 
 Ezekiel iii. 7. 
 
 ^^I^RE there no exceptions? No, not one. Even the fa- 
 tv^ v^ vored race are thus described. Are the best so bad ? 
 '^■^^ — then what must the worst be ? Come, my heart, 
 insider how far thou hast a share in this universal accusa- 
 tion, and while considering, be ready to take shame unto thy- 
 self wherein thou mayst have been guilty. The first charge ia 
 impude}ice, or hardness of forehead, a want of holy shame, an 
 unhallowed boldness in evil. Before my conversion, I could 
 sin and feel no compunction, hear of my guilt and yet remain 
 unhumbled, and even confess my iniquity and manifest no in- 
 ward humiliation on account of it. For a sinner to go to God's 
 house and pretend to pray to Him and praise Him, argues a 
 brazen-facedness of the worst kind ! Alas ! since the day of 
 my new birth I have doubted my Lord to His face, murmured 
 unblushingly in His presence, worshipped before Him in a 
 slovenly manner, and sinned without bewailing myself con- 
 cerning it. If my forehead were not as an adamant, harder 
 than flint, I should have far more holy fear, and a far deeper 
 contrition of spirit. Woe is me, I am one of the impudent 
 house of Israel. The second charge is hardheartedness, and .1 
 must not venture to plead innocent here. Once I had nothing 
 but a heart of stone, and although through grace I now have? 
 a new and fleshy heart, much of my former obduracy remains 
 I am not afi'ected by the death of Jesus as 1 ought to be ; nei- 
 ther am I moved by the ruin of my fellow-men, the wickednes* 
 of the times, the chastisement of my heavenly Father, and mj 
 own failures, as I should be. that my heart would melt at thr 
 recital of my Saviour's sufi"erings and death. Would to God ] 
 were rid of this nether millstone within me, this hateful body 
 of death. Blessed be the name of the Lord, the disease is not 
 incurable, the Saviour's precious blood is the universal sol- 
 vent, and me, even me, it will eff^ectially soften, till my hetrt 
 melts as wax before the fire 
 
120 EVENING READINGS. April 29, 
 
 *' The Lord iaketh jyleasure in His people." — Psalm txHx. 4. 
 
 ^j^OW comprehensive is the love of Jesus ! There is no 
 ^ part of His people's interests which He does not con- 
 ■^^'^*^ sider, and there is nothing which concerns their wel- 
 fare which is not important to Him. Not merely does He 
 think of you, believer, as an immortal being, but as a mortal 
 being too. Do not deny it or doubt it. " The very hairs 
 of your head are all numbered." " The steps of a good man 
 are ordered by the Lord : and he delighteth in His way." It 
 were a sad thing for us if this mantle of love did not cover 
 all our concerns, for what mischief might be wrought to us 
 in that part of our business which did not come under oui 
 gracious Lord's inspection ! Believer, rest assured that the 
 heart of Jesus cares about your meaner affairs. The breadth 
 of His tender love is such that you may resort to Him in all 
 matters ; for in all your afflictions He is afflicted, and like as 
 a father pitieth his children, so doth He pity you. The 
 meanest interests of all His saints are all borne upon the 
 broad bosom of the Son of God. Oh, what a heart is His, 
 that doth not merely comprehend the persons of His people, 
 but comprehends also the diverse and innumerable concerns 
 of all those persons ! Dost thou think, Christian, that thou 
 canst measure the love of Christ ? Think of what His love 
 has brought thee — justification, adoption, sanctification, 
 eternal life ! The riches of His goodness are unsearchable; 
 thou shalt never be able to tell them out or even conceive 
 them. Oh, the breadth of the love of Christ ! Shall such a 
 love as this have half our hearts ? Shall it have a cold love 
 in return ? Shall Jesus' marvellous loving-kindness and 
 tender care meet with but faint response and tardy acknowU 
 edgment ? my soul, tune thy heart to a glad song of 
 thanksgiving ! Go to thy rest rejoicing, for thou art no 
 desolate wanderer, but a beloved child, watched over, cared 
 ^or, supplied, and defended by thy Lord. 
 
April 30 EVENING READINGS. 121 
 
 " How precious also are Tliy thoughts unto me, Ood." 
 Psalm cxxxix. 17. 
 
 gIfiSIiTVINE omniscience affords no comfort to the ungodly 
 tl^i^nS mind, but to the child of God it overflows with con- 
 ^'--*=^^ solation. God is always thinking upon ua, never 
 turns aside His mind from us, has us always before His eyes ; 
 and this is precisely as we would have it, for it would be 
 dreadful to exist for a moment beyond the observation of our 
 heavenly Father. His thoughts are always tender, loving, 
 wise, prudent, far-reaching, and they bring to us countless 
 benefits : hence it is a choice delight to remember them. 
 The Lord always did think upon His people : hence their 
 election and the covenant of grace by which their salvation 
 is secured ; He always will think upon them : hence the^r 
 final perseverance by which they shall be brought safely to 
 their final rest. In all our wanderings the watchful glance 
 of the Eternal Watcher is evermore fixed upon us — we 
 never roam beyond the Shepherd's eye. In our sorrows He 
 observes us incessantly, and not a pang escapes Him ; in our 
 toils He marks all our weariness, and writes in His book all 
 the struggles of His faithful ones. These thoughts of the 
 Lord encompass us in all our paths, and penetrate the inner- 
 most region of our being. Not a nerve or tissue, valve or 
 vessel, of our bodily organization is uncared for ; all the 
 littles of our little world are thought upon by the great God. 
 Dear reader, is this precious to you ? then hold to it. 
 Never be led astray by those philosophic fools who preach 
 up an impersonal God, and talk of self-existent, self-govern- 
 ing matter. The Lord liveth and thinketh upon us, this is 
 a truth far too precious for us to be lightly robbed of it. 
 The notice of a nobleman is valued so highly that he who 
 has it counts his fortune made ; but what is it to be thought 
 of by the King of kings ! If the Lord thinketh upon Ufl, 
 all is well, and we may rejoice evermore. 
 .1 
 
122 EVENING READINGS. May 1 
 
 " I am the rose of Sharon." — Solomon's Song ii. 1. 
 
 '^'^.^HATEVEE, there may be of beauty in the material 
 '^h world, Jesus Christ possesses all that in the spiritual 
 world in a tenfold degree. Amongst flowers the 
 rose is deemed the sweetest, but Jesus is infinitely more 
 beautiful in the garden of the soul than the rose can be in 
 the gardens of the earth. He takes the first place as the 
 fairest among ten thousand. He is the sun, and all others 
 are the stars ; the heavens and the day are dark in compari- 
 son with Him, for the King in His beauty transcends all. " I 
 am the rose of Sharon." This was the best and rarest of 
 roses. Jesus is not "the rose" alone. He is "the rose of 
 Sharon," just as He calls His righteousness " gold," and 
 then adds, " the gold of Ophir " — the best of the best. He 
 is positively lovely, and superlatively the loveliest. There 
 is variety in his charms. The rose is delightful to the eye, 
 and its scent is pleasant and refreshing ; so each of the 
 senses of the soul, vi^hether it be the taste or feeling, the 
 hearing, the sight, or the spiritual smell, finds appropriate 
 gratification in Jesus. Uven the recollection of His love is 
 sweet. Take the rose of Sharon, and pull it leaf from leaf, 
 and lay by the leaves in the jar of memory, and you shall 
 find each leaf fragrant long afterwards, filling the house with 
 perfume. Christ satisfies the highest taste of the most edu- 
 cated spirit to the very full. The greatest amateur in per- 
 fumes is quite satisfied with the rose ; and when the soul has 
 arrived at her highest pitch of true taste, she shall still bo 
 content with Christ, nay, she shall be the better able to ap- 
 preciate Him. Heaven itself possesses nothing which ex- 
 cells the rose of Sharon. What emblem can fully set forth 
 His beauty ? Human speech and earth-born things fail to 
 tell of Him. Earth's choicest charms commingled, feebly 
 picture His abounding preciousness. Blessed rose, blooni 
 in my heart forever ! 
 
May 2. etbnino headings. 123 
 
 " lliese all died in faith." — Hebrews xi. 13. 
 
 C16EHOLD the epitaph of all those blessed saints who 
 ;?l|^ fell asleep before the coming of our Lord ! It mat- 
 ters nothing how else they died, whether of old age, 
 or by violent means ; this one point, in which they all agree, 
 is the most worthy of record, " they all died in faith." In 
 faith they lived — it was their comfort, their guide, their 
 motive, and their support ; and in the same spiritual grace 
 they died, ending their life-song in the sweet strain in which 
 they had so long continued. They did not die resting in the 
 flesh or upon their own attainments ; they made no advance 
 from their first way of acceptance with God, but held to the 
 way of faith to the end. Faith is as precious to die by as 
 to live by. 
 
 Dying in faith has distinct reference to the past. They 
 believed the promises which had gone before, and were as- 
 sured that their sins were blotted out through the mercy of 
 God. Dying in faith has to do with tJie present. These 
 saints were confident of their acceptance with God, they en- 
 joyed the beams of His love, and rested in His faithfulness. 
 Dying in faith looks into the future. They fell asleep, affirm- 
 ing that the Messiah would surely come, and that when He 
 should in the last days appear upon the earth, they would 
 rise from their graves to behold Him. To them the pains 
 of death were but the birth-pangs of a better state. Take 
 courage, my soul, as thou readest this epitaph. Thy course, 
 through grace, is one of faith, and sight seldom cheers thee : 
 this has also been the pathway of the brightest and the best. 
 Faith was the orbit in which these stars of the first magni- 
 tude moved all the time of their shining here ; and happy 
 art thou that it is thine. Look anew to-night to Jesus, the 
 author and finisher of thy faith, and thank Him for giving 
 thee like precious faith with souls now in glory. 
 
124 ETENING KEADINGS. May 3. 
 
 "^ very present help." — Psalm xlvi. 1. 
 
 |)^^^S^^OVENANT blessings are not meant to be looked at 
 ifij^-ijil only, but to be appropriated. Even our Lord Jesus 
 "^^-'^ is given to us for our present use. Believer, thou 
 dost not make use of Christ as thou oughtest to do. When 
 thou art in trouble, why dost thou not tell Him all thy grief? 
 Has He not a sympathizing heart, and can He not comfort 
 and relieve thee ? No, thou art going about to all thy friends, 
 save thy best Friend, and telling thy tale everywhere, except 
 into the bosom of thy Lord. Art thou burdened with this 
 day's sins ? Here is a fountain filled with blood : use it, 
 saint, use it. Has a sense of guilt returned upon thee ? 
 The pardoning grace of Jesus may be proved again and 
 again. Come to Him at once for cleansing. Dost thou de- 
 plore thy weakness ? He is thy strength : why not lean upon 
 Him ? Dost thou feel naked ? Come hither, soul ; put on 
 the robe of Jesus' righteousness. Stand not looking at it, 
 but wear it. Strip off thine own righteousness, and thine 
 own fears too : put on the fair white linen, for it was meant 
 to wear. Dost thou feel thyself sick ? Pull the night-bell 
 of prayer, and call up the Beloved Physician ! He will give 
 the cordial that will revive thee. Thou art poor, but then 
 thou hast " a kinsman, a mighty man of wealth." What ! 
 wilt thou not go to Him, and ask Him to give thee of His 
 abundance, when He has given thee this promise, that thou 
 shalt be joint heir with Him, and has made over all that He 
 is, and all that He has, to be thine ? There is nothing Christ 
 dislikes more than for His people to make a show-thing of 
 Him, and not to use Him. He loves to be employed by us. 
 The more burdens we put on His shoiilders, the more 
 precious will He be to us. 
 
 '* Let us be simple with Him, then, 
 Not biickwaril, stilf, or cold, 
 As though our Bethlehem could be 
 What Sitiai was of old." 
 
May 4. evening readings. 121 
 
 " Being bom again, not of comtptible seed, but of incorrriptiOle." 
 1 Peter i. 23. 
 
 ^ETER most earnestly exhorted the scattered sainta 
 ypvl! to love each other " with a pure heart fervently," 
 [^ and he wisely fetched his argument, not from the 
 law, from nature, or frdm philosophy, but from that high and 
 divine nature which God hath implanted in His people. Just 
 as some judicious tutor of princes might labor to beget and 
 foster in them a kingly spirit and dignified behavior, finding 
 arguments in their position and descent, so, looking upon 
 God's people as heirs of glory, princes of the blood royal, 
 descendants of the King of kings, earth's truest and oldest 
 aristocracy, Peter saith to them, " See that ye love one 
 another, because of your noble birth, being born of incorrupt- 
 ible seed ; because of your pedigree, being descended from 
 God, the Creator of all things ; and because of your immor- 
 tal destiny, for you shall never pass away, though the glory 
 of flesh shall fade, and even its existence shall cease." It 
 would be well, if in the spirit of humility, we recognized the 
 true dignity of our regenerated nature, and lived up to it. 
 What is a Christian ? If you compare him with a king, he 
 adds priestly sanctity to royal dignity. The king's royalty 
 often lieth only in his crown, but with a Christian it is in- 
 fused into his inmost nature. He is as much above his fel- 
 lows through his new birth, as the man is above ihe beast 
 that perisheth. Surely he ought to carry himself, in all his 
 dealings, as one who is not of the multitude, but chosen out 
 of the world, distinguished by sovereign grace, written among 
 " the peculiar people," and who therefore cannot grovel in 
 the dust as others, nor live after the manner of the world's 
 citizens. Let the dignity of your nature, and the bright- 
 ness of your prospects, believers in Christ, constrain you 
 to cleave unto holiness, and *o avoid the very appearance 
 of evil. 
 
126 EVENING KEADINGS. Maj 5. 
 
 He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good : and whoso trust- 
 eth in the Lord, happy is he." — Proverbs xvi. 20. 
 
 ^ISDOM is man's true strength ; and, under its guid- 
 1^/^ ance, he best accomplishes the ends of his being. 
 ^ Wisely handling the matter of life, gives to man the 
 richest enjoyment, and presents the noblest occupation for 
 his powers ; hence by it he finds good in the fullest sense. 
 Without wisdom, man is as the wild ass's colt, running hither 
 and thither, wasting strength which might be profitably em- 
 ployed. Wisdom is the compass by which man is to steer 
 across the trackless waste of life ; without it he is a derelict 
 vessel, the sport of winds and waves. A man must be pru- 
 dent in such a world as this, or he will find no good, but be 
 betrayed into unnumbered ills. The pilgrim will sorely wound 
 his feet among the briers of the wood of life, if he do not 
 pick his steps with the utmost caution. He who is in a wil- 
 derness infested with robber bands, must handle matters 
 wisely if he would journey safely. If, trained by the Great 
 Teacher, we follow where He leads, we shall find good, even 
 while in this dark abode ; there are celestial fruits to be 
 gathered this side of Eden's bowers, and songs of paradise 
 to be sung amid the groves of earth. But where shall this 
 wisdom be found ? Many have dreamed of it, but have not 
 possessed it. Where shall we learn it ? Let us listen to the 
 voice of the Lord, for He hath declared the secret ; He hath 
 revealed to the sons of men wherein true wisdom lieth, and 
 we have it in the text, " Whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy 
 is he." 21ic true ivay to handle a matter wisely is to trust in 
 the Lord. This is the sure clew to the most intricate laby- 
 rinths of life ; follow it and find eternal bliss. He who trusts 
 in the Lord has a diploma for wisdom granted by inspiration : 
 happy is he now, and happier shall he be above. Lord, in 
 this sweet eventide walk with me in the garden, and teacb 
 me the wisdom of faith. 
 
May 6. EVENING READINGS. 121 
 
 "AH the days of my appointed time will I wait." — Job xiv. 14. 
 
 [ '^ LITTLE stay on earth will make heaven more heav- 
 enly. Nothing makes rest so sweet as toil; notliiiig 
 renders security so pleasant as exposure to alarms. 
 The bitter quassia cups of earth will give a relish to the new 
 wine which sparkles in the golden bowls of glory. Our bat- 
 tered armor and scarred countenances will render more illus- 
 trious our victory above, when we are welcomed to the seats 
 of those who have overcome the world. We should not have 
 full fellowship with Christ if we did not for a while sojourn 
 below, for He was baptized with a baptism of suffering among 
 men, and we must be baptized with the same if we would 
 share His kingdom. Fellowship with Christ is so honorable 
 that the sorest sorrow is a light price by which to procure it. 
 Another reason for our lingering here is /or the good of oth- 
 ers. We would not wish to enter heaven till our work is 
 done, and it may be that we are yet ordained to minister 
 light to souls benighted in the wilderness of sin. Our pro- 
 longed stay here is doubtless /or God's glory. A tried saint, 
 like a well-cut diamond, glitters much in the King's crown. 
 Nothing reflects so much honor on a workman as a protract- 
 ed and severe trial of his work, and its triumphant endurance 
 of the ordeal without giving way i.) any part. We are God's 
 workmanship in whom He will be glorified by our afflictions. 
 It is for the honor of Jesus that we endure the trial of our 
 faith with sacred joy. Let each man surrender his own long- 
 ings to the glory of Jesus, and feel, " If my lying in the dust 
 would elevate my Lord by so much as an inch, let me still 
 lie among the pots of earth. If to live on earth forever 
 would make my Lord more glorious, it should be my heaven 
 to be shut out of heaven." Our time is fixed and settled by 
 eternal decree. Let us not be anxious about it, but wait with 
 patience till the gates c( pearl shall open. 
 
128 EVENING READINGS. May 7 
 
 " Jesus saith unto him. Rise, take up thy bed, and walk." — John v. 8 
 
 ^iKE many others, the impotent man had been waiting 
 '^) for a wonder to bo wrought, and a sign to be given. 
 
 ^^^-^ Wearily did he watch the pool, but no angel came, 
 or came not for him ; yet, thioking it to be his only chance, 
 he waited still, and knew not that there was One near him 
 whose word could heal him in a moment. Many are in the 
 same plight : they are waiting for some singular emotion, 
 remarkable impression, or celestial vision ; they wait in vain 
 and watch for nought. Even supposing that, in a icyj cases, 
 remarkable signs are seen, yet these are rare, and no man 
 has a right to look for them in his own case ; no man espe- 
 cially who feels his irapotency to avail himself of the moving 
 of the water even if it came. It is a very sad reflection that 
 tens of thousands are now waiting in the use of means, and 
 ordinances, and vows, and resolutions, and have so waited 
 time out of mind, in vain, utterly in vain. Meanwhile these 
 poor souls forget the present Saviour, who bids them look 
 unto Him and be saved. He could heal them at once, but 
 they prefer to wait for an angel and a wonder. To trust 
 Him is a sure way to every blessing, and He is worthy of 
 the most implicit confidence ; but unbelief makes them pre- 
 fer the cold porches of Bethesda to the warm bosom of His 
 love. that the Lord may turn His eye upon the multi- 
 tudes who are in this case to-night ; may He forgive the 
 slights which they put upon His divine power, and call them 
 by that sweet constraining voice, to rise from the bed of 
 despair, and in the energy of faith take up their bed and 
 walk. Lord, hear our prayer for all such at this calm 
 hour of sunset, and ere the day breaketh may they look and 
 live. 
 
 Courteous reader, is there anything in this portion foi 
 you ? 
 
May 8. EVENING HEADINGS. 129 
 
 " Acquaint now thyself with Him." — Job xxii. 21. 
 
 ^F we would rightly " acquaint ourselves with God, and 
 c^ be at peace," we must knowllim as He has revealed 
 >ky JJiniself, not only in the unity of His essenc. and sub- 
 Btstence, but also in the plurality of His persons. God said, 
 '* Let vs make man in our oion image ; " let not man be con- 
 tent until he knows something of the " us " from whom hij 
 being was derived. Endeavor to know the Father; bury 
 your head in His bosom in deep repentance, and confess that 
 you are not worthy to be called His son ; receive the kiss of 
 His love ; let the ring which is the token of His eternal faith- 
 fulness be on your finger ; sit at His table and let your heart 
 make merry in His grace. Then press forward and seek to 
 know much of the Son of God, who is the brightness of His 
 Father's glory, and yet in unspeakable condescension of grace 
 became man for our sakes ; know Him in the singular com- 
 plexity of His nature : eternal God, and yet suifering, finite 
 man ; follow Him as He walks the waters with the tread of 
 deity, and as He sits upon the well in the weariness of hu- 
 manity. Be not satisfied unless you know much of Jesus 
 Christ as your Friend, your Brother, your Husband, your 
 all. Forget not the Holy Spirit; endeavor to obtain a clear 
 view of His nature and character. His attributes, and His 
 works. Behold that Spirit of the Lord, who first of all 
 moved upon chaos, and brought forth order ; who now visits 
 the chaos of your soul, and creates the order of holiness. 
 Behold Him as the Lord and Giver of spiritual life, the H- 
 luminator, the Instructor, the Comforter, and the Sanctifier. 
 Behold Him as, like holy unction. He descends upon the 
 head of Jesus, and then afterwards rests upon you who are 
 as the skirts of His garments. Such an intelligent, scrip- 
 tural, and experimental belief in the Trinity in Unity is 
 yours if you truly know God; and su5h knowledge bringi 
 feace indeed. 
 
130 EVENING EEADIN08. May 9 
 
 " Come, my beloved, let tis go forth into the field, . . .let us see ij 
 the vine flourish." — Canticles vii. 11, 12. 
 
 ^HE church was about to engage in earnest labor, and 
 desired her Lord's company in it. She does noi 
 say, " I will go ; " but " let us go." It is blessed 
 working when Jesus is at our side ! It is the business of 
 God's people to be trimmers of God's vines. Like our first 
 parents, we are put into the garden of the Lord for useful- 
 ness ; let us therefore go forth into the field. Observe that 
 the church, when she is in her right mind, in all her many 
 labors desires to enjoy communion with Christ. Some im- 
 agine that they cannot serve Christ actively, and yet have 
 fellowship with Him : they are mistaken. Doubtless it is 
 very easy to fritter away our inward life in outward exer- 
 cises, and come to complain with the spouse, " They made 
 me keeper of the vineyards ; but mine own vineyard have I 
 not kept ; " but there is no reason why this should be the 
 case except our own folly and neglect. Certain it is that a 
 professor may do nothing, and yet grow quite as lifeless in 
 spiritual things as those who are most busy. Mary was not 
 praised for sitting still, but for her sitting at Jesus' feet. 
 Even so, Christians are not to be praised for neglecting 
 duties under the pretence of having secret fellowship with 
 Jesus : it is not sitting, but sitting at Jesus' feet., which is com- 
 mendable. Do not think that activity is in itself an evil : 
 it is a great blessing, and a means of grace to us. Paul 
 called it a grace given to him to be allowed to preach ; and ev- 
 ery form of Christian service may become a personal blessing 
 to those engaged in it. Those who have most fellowship with 
 Christ are not recluses or hermits, who have much time to 
 spare, but indefatigable laborers who are toiling for Jesus 
 and who, in their toil, have Him side by side with them, so 
 that they are workers together with God. Let us remember 
 thuu, in anything we have to do for Jesus, that we can do 
 it. and should do it. in close communion with Him. 
 
May 10. EVKNINO EEADIXGS. 13 1 
 
 " TTie ojily begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." 
 John 1. 14. 
 
 ^^iELIEVER, you can bear your testimony that Christ i» 
 i) the only begotten of the Father, as well as the first be- 
 ^"^^ gotten from the dead. You can say, " He is divine. 
 to me, if He be human to all the world beside. He has done 
 that for me which none but a God could do. He has subdued 
 my stubborn will, melted a heart of adamant, opened gates 
 of brass, and snapped bars of iron. He hath turned for 
 me my mourning into laughter, and my desolation into joy ; 
 He hath led my captivity captive, and made my heart rejoice 
 with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Let others think aa 
 they will of Him, to me He must be the only begotten of the 
 Father : blessed be His name. And He is full of grace. 
 Ah ! had He not been, I should never have been saved. He 
 drew me when I struggled to escape from His grace ; and 
 when at last I came all trembling like a condemned culprit 
 to His mercy-seat. He said, * Thy sins, which are many, are 
 all forgiven thee : be of good cheer.' And He is full of 
 truth. True have His promises been ; not one has failed. 
 I bear witness that never servant had such a master as I 
 have ; never brother such a kinsman as He has been to me ; 
 never spouse such a husband as Christ has been to my soul ; 
 never sinner a better Saviour ; never mourner a better com- 
 forter than Christ hath been to my spirit. I want none be- 
 side Him. In life He is my life, and in death He shall be 
 the death of death; in poverty Christ is my riches; in sick- 
 ness He makes my bed ; in darkness He is my star, and in 
 brightness H-c is my sun ; He is the manna of the camp in 
 the wilderness, and He shall be the new corn of the host 
 when they come to Canaan. Jesus is to me all grace and no 
 wrath, all truth and no falsehood : and of truth and grace He 
 is full, infinitely full. My soul, this night, bless with all tbj 
 noight ' the only Begotten.' " 
 
132 EVENING READINGS. May H 
 
 " Only be thou strong and very courageous" — Joshua i. 7. 
 
 ^j^UR. God's tender love for His servants makes Hira 
 i concerned for the state of their inward feeliugs. He 
 
 *'^^^ desires them to be of good courage. Some esteea 
 it a small thing for a believer to be vexed with doubts and 
 fears, but God thinks not so. From this text it is plain that 
 our Master would not have us entangled with fears. He 
 would have us without carefulness, without doubt, without 
 cowardice. Our Master does not think so lightly of our un- 
 belief as we do. When we are desponding we are subject 
 to a grievous malady, not to be trifled with, but to be carried 
 at once to the beloved Physician. Our Lord loveth not to 
 see our countenance sad. It was a law of Ahasuerus, that 
 no one should come into the king's court dressed in mourn- 
 ing ; this is not the law of the King of kings, for we may 
 come mourning as we are ; but still He would have us put 
 off the spirit of heaviness, and put on the garment of praise, 
 for there is much reason to rejoice. The Christian man ought 
 to be of a courageous spirit, in order that he may glorify the 
 Lord by enduring trials in an heroic manner. If he be fear- 
 ful and fainthearted, it will dishonor his God, Besides, rohat 
 a bad example it is ! This disease of doubtfulness and dis- 
 couragement is an epidemic which soon spreads amongst the 
 Lord's flock. One downcast believer makes twenty souls 
 sad. Moreover, unless your courage is kept up, Satan will 
 be too much for you. Let your spirit be joyful in God your 
 Saviour, the joy of the Lord shall be your strength, and no 
 fiend of hell shall make headway against you ; but cowardice 
 throws down the banner. Moreover, labor is light to a man 
 of cheerful spirit ; and success ivaits upon cheerfulness. The 
 man who toils, rejoicing in His God, believing with all his 
 heart, has success guaranteed. He who sows in hope shall 
 reap in joy ; therefore, dear reader, " be thou strov .^ and 
 very courageous." 
 
May 12. evening keadinos. 133 
 
 Fear not to go down into Egypt ; for I will there make of thee a 
 great nation: I will go down with thee into Egypt ; and I will 
 also surely bring thee up again." — Genesis xlvi. 3, 4. 
 
 S^ACOB must have shuddered at the thought of leaving 
 the land of his father's sojourning, and dwelling 
 among heathen strangers. It was a neiu scene, aid 
 likely to be a trying one : who shall venture among courtiers 
 of a foreign monarch without anxiety ? Yet the way was 
 evidently appointed for him, and therefore he resolved to go. 
 This is frequently the position of believers now — they are 
 called to perils and temptations altogether untried ; at such 
 seasons let them imitate JacoVs example by offering sacrifices 
 of prayer unto God, and seeking His direction ; let them not 
 take a step until they have waited upon the Lord for His 
 blessing : then they will have Jacob's companion tp be their 
 friend and helper. How blessed to feel assured that the 
 Lord is with us in all our ways, and condescends to go down 
 into our humiliations and banishments with us ! Even be- 
 yond the ocean our Father's love beams like the sun in its 
 strength. We cannot hesitate to go where Jehovah prom- 
 ises His presence ; even the valley of deathshade grows 
 bright with the radiance of this assurance. Marching on- 
 wards with faith in their God, believers shall have Jacob's 
 promise. They shall be brought up again whether it be 
 from the troubles of life, or the chambers of death. Jacob's 
 seed came out of Egypt in due time, and so shall all the 
 faithful pass unscathed through the tribulation of life, and the 
 terror of death. Let us exercise Jacob's confidence. '■'■ Fear 
 not'' is the Lord's command and His divine encouragement 
 to those who at His bidding are launching upon new seas ; 
 the divine presence and preservation forbid so much as one 
 unbelieving fear. Without our God we should fear to move ; 
 but when He bids us go, it would be dangerous to tarry. 
 Reader, go forward, and fear not. 
 12 
 
134 ETENING HEADINGS. Majf 13 
 
 " TJlou art my portion, Lord." — Psalm cxix. 57. 
 
 ilS^OOK at thy possessions, O believer, and compare th^ 
 ^) portion with the lot of thy fellow-men. Some of 
 them have their portion in the field ; they are rich, 
 and their harvests yield them a golden increase ; but what 
 are harvests compared with thy God, who is the God of har 
 vests ? What are bursting granaries compared with Him, 
 who is the Husbandman, and feeds thee with the bread of 
 heaven ? Some have their portion in the city ; their wealth 
 is abundant, and flows to them in constant streams, until they 
 become a very reservoir of gold ; but what is gold compared 
 with thy God ? Thou couldst not live on it ; thy spiritual 
 life could not be sustained by it. Put it on a troubled con- 
 science, and could it allay its pangs ? Apply it to a do 
 spondiug- heart, and see if it could stay a solitary groan, or 
 give one grief the less ? But thou hast God, and in Him 
 thou hast more than gold or riches ever could buy. Some 
 have their portion in that which most men love — applause 
 and fame ; but ask thvself, is not thy God more to thee than 
 that ? What if a myriad clarions should be loud in thine 
 applause ; would this prepare thee to pass the Jordan, or 
 cheer thee in prospect of judgment ? No, there are griefs 
 in life which wealth cannot alleviate ; and there is the deep 
 need of a dying hour, for which no riches can provide. But 
 when thou hast God for thy portion, thou hast more than all 
 else put together. In Him every want is met, whether in 
 life or in death. With God for thy portion thou art rich in. 
 deed, for He will supply thy need, comfort thy heart, assuage 
 thy grief, guide thy steps, be with thee in the dark valley, 
 and then take thee home, to enjoy Him as thy portion for- 
 ever. " I have enough," said Esau ; this is the best thing 
 a worldly man can say ; but Jacob replies, " I have alJ 
 things," which is a note too high for carnal minds. 
 
May 14. evening beadinob. ISd 
 
 " Et shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them, in Jlii 
 bosom." — Isaiah xl. 11. 
 
 ] VHO is He of whom such gracious words are spoken i 
 ji/i lie is THE Good Shepherd. Why doth lie carry 
 the lambs in Ilis bosom ? Because He hath a ttnder 
 heart, and avy weakness at once melts His heart. The siglis^ 
 the ignorance, the feebleness of the little ones of His flock 
 draw forth His compassion. It is His office, as a faithful 
 High Priest, to consider the weak. Besides, He purchased 
 them with hlood, they are His property : He must and will care 
 for that which cost Him so dear. Then He is responsible f 01 
 each lamb, bound by covenant engagements not to lose one. 
 Moreover, tJiey are all a part of His glory and reward. 
 
 But how may we understand the expression, '* He wiU 
 carry them " ? Sometimes He carries them by not permitting 
 them to endure much trial. Providence deals tenderly with 
 them. Often they are "carried" by being filled with an 
 unusual degree of love, so that they bear up and stand fast. 
 Though their knowledge may not be deep, they have great 
 sweetness in what they do know. Frequently He " carries" 
 them by giving them a very simple faith, which takes the 
 promise just as it stands, and believingly runs with every 
 trouble straight to Jesus. The simplicity of their faith gives 
 them an unusual degree of confidence, which carries them 
 above the world. 
 
 " He carries the lambs in His bosom." Here is boundless 
 affection. Would He put them in His bosom if He did not 
 love them much ? Here is tender nearness : so near are they, 
 that they could not possibly be nearer. Here is hallowed fa- 
 miliarity : there are precious love-passages between Christ 
 and His weak ones. Here is perfect safety : in His boson 
 whc can hurt them ? They must hurt the Shepherd first. 
 Here is perfect rest and sweetest comfort. Surely we are not 
 sufficiently sensible of the infinite tenderness of Jesus 1 
 
136 EVENING KEA.DINGS. May 15 
 
 " Made perfect." — Hebrews xii. 23. 
 
 i'^ECOLLECT that there are two kinds of perfection 
 y^ which the Christian needs — the perfection of justifi- 
 "^^^"^ cation in the person of Jesus, and the perfection of 
 Banctification wrought in him by the Holy Spirit. At present, 
 corruption yet remains even in the breasts of the regenerate 
 — experience soon teaches us this. Within us are still lusts 
 and evil imaginations. But I rejoice to know that the day 
 is coming when God shall finish the work which He has be- 
 gun ; and He shall present my soul, not only perfect in Christ, 
 but perfect through the Spirit, without spot or blemish, or 
 any such thing. Can it be true that this poor sinful heart 
 of mine is to become holy even as God is holy ? Can it be 
 that this spirit, which often cries, " Oh, wretched man that .' 
 am ! who shall deliver me from the body of this sin and 
 death?" shall get rid of sin and death — that I shall have 
 no evil things to vex my ears, and no unholy thoughts to 
 disturb my peace ? Oh, happy hour ! may it be hastened ! 
 When I cross the Jordan, the work of sanctification will be 
 finished ; but not till that moment shall I ever claim perfec- 
 tion in myself. Then my spirit shall have its last baptism in 
 the Holy Spirit's fire. Methinks I long to die to receive that 
 last and final purification which shall usher me into heaven. 
 Not an angel more pure than I shall be, for I shall be able 
 to say, in a double sense, " I am clean," through Jesus' 
 blood, and through the Spirit's work. Oh, how should we 
 extol the power of the Holy Ghost in thus making us fit to 
 stand before our Father in heaven ! Yet let not the hope of 
 perfection hereafter make us content with imperfection now. 
 If it does this, our hope cannot be genuine ; for a good hope 
 is a purifying thing, even now. The work of grace must be 
 ahiding in us now or it cannot be perfected then. Let us pray 
 to " be filled with the Spirit," that we may bring forth t»»- 
 ereasingly the fruits of righteousiiess. 
 
May 16. evening readings. i37 
 
 *'Anil he said, Thus saiih the Lord. Make this valley full of dTlches. 
 For tliiis staUh the Lord, Ye shall v,o' 'sc wind, neither shall ye see 
 rain ; yet that valley shall be filled u-ith water, that ye may drink, 
 both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts." — 2 Kings iii. IG, 17. 
 
 ^-^HE armies of the tliree kings were famishing for want 
 :?^^ of water : God was about to send it, and in these 
 words the prophet announced the coming blessing 
 Here was a case of human helpless7iess : not a drop of watei 
 could all the valiant men procure from the skies < r find in 
 the wells of earth. Thus often the people of the Lord are 
 at their wits' end ; they see the vanity of the creature, and 
 learn experimentally where their help is to be foun^. Still 
 the people were to make a helieving preparation for the divine 
 blessing ; they were to dig the trenches in which the precious 
 liquid would be held. The church must, by her varied agen- 
 cies, efi'orts, and prayers, make herself ready to be blessed 
 she must make the pools, and the Lord will fill them. Thia 
 must be done in faith, in the full assurance that the blessing 
 is about to descend. By and by there was a singular bestowal 
 of the needed boon. Not as in Elijah's case did the shower 
 pour from the clouds, but in a silent and mysterious- manner 
 the pools were filled. The Lord has His own sovereign 
 modes of action : He is not tied to manner and time as we 
 are, but doeth as He pleases among the sons of men. It is 
 ours thankfully to receive from Him, and not to dictate to 
 Him. We must also notice the remarkable abundance of the 
 supply — there was enough for the need of all. And so is it 
 in the gospel blessing; all the wants of the con;;rcgatiDn 
 and of the entire church shall be met by the divine power in 
 answer to prayer ; and above all this, victory shall lie speed- 
 ily given to the armies of the Lord. 
 
 What am I doing for Jesus ? What trenches am I dig- 
 ging r Lord, make me ready t( receive the blessing vzhich 
 Thou art so willing to bestow. 
 12* 
 
.38 EVENING READINGS. May 17. 
 
 " Thou art My servant ; I Tiave chosen thee." — Isaiah xli. 9. 
 
 frF we have received the grace of God in our hearts, ita 
 *^^^\ practical effect has been to make us God's servants. 
 ^^ We may be unfaithful servants, we certainly are un- 
 profitable ones, but yet, blessed be His name, we are His 
 servants, wearing His livery, feeding at His table, and obey- 
 ing His commands. We were once the servants of sin, but 
 He who made us free has now taken us into His family and 
 taught us obedience to His will. We do not serve our Mas- 
 ter perfectly, but we would if we could. As we hear God's 
 voice saying unto us, " Thou art My servant," we can an- 
 swer with David, " I am Thy servant ; Thou hast loosed my 
 bonds." But the Lord calls us not only His servants, but His 
 chosen ones — "I have chosen thee." We have not chosen 
 Him first, but He hath chosen us. If we be God's servants 
 we were not always so ; to sovereign grace the change must 
 be ascribed. The eye of sovereignty singled us out, and the 
 voice of unchanging grace declared, " I have loved thee with" 
 an everlasting love." Long ere time began, or space was 
 created, God had written upon His heart the names of His 
 elect people, had predestinated them to be conformed unto 
 the image of His Son, and ordained them heirs of all the ful- 
 ness of His love, His grace, and His glory. What comfort 
 is here ! Has the Lord loved us so long, and will He yet; 
 cast us away ? He knew how stififnecked we should be ; He 
 understood that our hearts were evil, and yet He made the 
 choice. Ah ! our Saviour is no fickle lover. He doth not 
 feel enchanted for a while with some gleams of beauty from 
 His church's eye, pnd then afterwards cast her off because 
 of her unfaithfulness. Nay, He married her in old eternity j 
 and it is written of Jehovah, "He hateth putting away." 
 The eternal choice is a bond upon our gratitude and upon 
 Hii faithfulness which neither can disown. 
 
MaV 18. EVENING READINGS. 139 
 
 " Jftertcard." — Hebrews xii. 11. 
 
 JOW happy are tried Christians, afterwards I No calm 
 \t more deep than that which succeeds a storm. Whc 
 '^*^**^ has not rejoiced in clear shinings after rain ? Vic- 
 torioin banquets are for well-exercised soldiers. After kill 
 ing the lion, we eat tho honey ; after climbing the Hill Diffi 
 culty, we sit down in the arbor to rtst ; after traversing the 
 Valley of Iluniiliation, after fighting with Apollyon, the 
 shining one appears, with the healing branch from the tree 
 of life. Our sorrows, like the passing keels of the vessels 
 upon the sea, leave a silver line of holy light behind them, 
 " afterward." It is peace, sweet, deep peace, which fol- 
 lows the horrible turmoil which once reigned in our torment- 
 ed, guilty souls. See, then, the happy estate of a Christian ! 
 He has his best things last, and he therefore in this world 
 receives his worst things fiirst. But even his worst things 
 are " afterward " good things, harsh ploughings yielding joy- 
 ful harvests. Even now he grows rich by his losses, he rises 
 by his falls, he lives by dying, and becomes full by being 
 emptied ; if, then, his grievous afflictions yield him so much 
 peaceable fruit in this life, what shall be the full vintage of 
 'oy " afterward " in heaven ? If his dark nights are as 
 bright as the world's days, what shall his days be ? If even 
 his starlight is more splendid than the sun, what must his 
 sunlight be ? If he can sing in a dungeon, how sweetly will 
 he sing in heaven ! If he can praise the Lord in the fires, 
 how will he extol Him before the eternal throne ! If eeil 
 be good to him now, what will the overflowing goodness of 
 G )d be to him then f Oh, blessed " afterward ! " Who 
 would not be a Christian ? Who would not bear the present 
 cross for the crown which cometh afterwards ? But herein 
 is work for patience, for the rest is not for to-day, nor the 
 triumph for the present, but " afterward." Wait, soul, 
 and 1ft patience have her perfect work. 
 
140 EVENING READINGS. May 19 
 
 " And he requested for himself thai he might die." 
 1 Kings xix. 4. 
 
 ^^5/rT was a remarkable thing that the man who was neve; 
 c^l ^i'"^ to die, for whom God had ordained an infinitely bet* 
 y/^fe' ^gj. Jqj^ jjjg jjjj^Q ^]jQ should be carried to heaven in 
 a chariot of fire, and be translate 1, that he should not sc« 
 death — should thus pray, " Let me die ; I am no better 
 than my fathers." We have here a memorable proof that 
 God does not always answer prayer in kind, though He al- 
 ways does in effect. He gave Elias something better than 
 that which he asked for, and thus really heard arid answered 
 him. Strange was it that the lion-hearted Elijah should be 
 so depressed by Jezebel's threat as to ask to die, and bless- 
 edly kind was it on the part of our heavenly Father that 
 He did not take His desponding servant at his word. There 
 Is a limit to the doctrine of the prayer of faith. We are not 
 to expect that God will give us everything we choose to ask 
 for. We know that we sometimes ask, and do not receive, 
 because we ask amiss. If we ask for that which is not 
 promised — if we run counter to the spirit which the Lord 
 would have us cultivate — if we ask contrary to His will, or 
 to the decrees of His providence — if we ask merely for the 
 gratification of our own ease, and without an eye to His 
 glory, we must not expect that we shall receive. Yet, when 
 we ask in faith, nothing doubting, if we receive not the pre- 
 cise thing asked for, we shall receive an equivalent, and 
 more than an equivalent, for it. As one remarks, '* If the 
 Lord does not pay in silver. He will in gold ; and if Ho 
 does not pay in gold, He will in diamonds." If He does not 
 give you precisely what you ask for, He will give you tbat 
 which is tantamount to it, and that which you will greatly 
 rejoice to receive in lieu thereof. Be then, dear reader, 
 much in prayer, and make this eveni ig a season of earnest 
 intercession, but take h-^ed what you ask. 
 
May 20. evening eeadings. 141 
 
 " I drew them with cords of a man, with bands oj love." 
 Hosea xi. 4. 
 
 Jif^Ull heavenly Father often draws us with the cords of 
 ^k love ; but ah ! how backward we are to run towards 
 *^^ Him ! How slowly do we respond to His gentle im- 
 pulses ! lie draws us to exercise a more simple faith in Him ; 
 but we have not yet attained to Abraham's confidence ; we 
 do not leave our worldly cares with God, but, like Martha, 
 we cumber ourselves with much serving. Our meagre faith 
 brings leanness into our souls ; we do not open our mouths 
 wide, though God has promised to fill them. Does He not 
 this evening draw us to trust Him ? Can we not hear Him 
 say, " Come, My child, and trust Me. The veil is rent ; en- 
 ter into My presence, and approach boldly to the throne of 
 My grace. I am worthy of thy fullest confidence ; cast thy 
 cares on Me. Shake thyself from the dust of thy cares, and 
 put on thy beautiful garments of joy." But, alas ! though 
 called with tones of love to the blessed exercise of this com- 
 forting grace, we will not come. At another time He draws 
 us to closer communion with Himself. We have been sitting 
 on the doorstep of God's house, and He bids us advance 
 into the banqueting hall and sup with Him, but we decline 
 the honor. There are secret rooms not yet opened to us ; 
 Jesus invites us to enter them, but we hold back. Shame on 
 our cold hearts ! We are but poor lovers of our sweet Lord 
 Jesus, not fit to be His servants, much less to be His brides, 
 and yet He hath exalted us to be bone of His bone, and flesh 
 of his flesh, married to Him by a glorious marriage-cove- 
 nant. Herein is love ! But it is love which takes no denial. 
 If we obey not the gentle drawings of His love. He will send 
 afiliction to drive us into closer intimacy with Himself. Have 
 us nearer He will. What foolish children wfi are to refuse 
 those bands oriovc, and so bring upon our backs that scourge 
 (tf small cords, which Jesus knows how to use i 
 
A2 EVENING KEADiNGs. May 21 
 
 ♦' There is com in Egypt." — Genesis xlii. 2. 
 
 <w^^|^AMINE pinched all the nations, and it seemed inev- 
 1^ itable that Jacob and his family should suffer greal 
 want ; but the God of providence, who never forget* 
 the objects of electing love, had stored a granary fo: 
 His people by giving the Egyptians warning of the scarcity, 
 and leading them to treasure up the grain of the years of 
 plenty. Little did Jacob expect deliverance from Egypt, bul 
 there was the corn in store for him. Believer, though all 
 things are apparently against thee, rest assured that God has 
 made a reservation on thy behalf; in the roll of thy griefs 
 there is a saving clause. Somehow He will deliver thee, and 
 somewhere He will provide for thee. The quarter from 
 which thy rescue shall arise may be a very unexpected one, 
 but help will assuredly come in thine extremity, and thou 
 shalt magnify the name of the Lord. If men do not feed 
 thee, ravens shall ; and if earth yield not wheat, heaven shall 
 drop with manna. Therefore be of good courage, and rest 
 quietly in the Lord. God can make the sun rise in the west 
 if He pleases, and make the source of distress the channel 
 of delight. The corn in Egypt was all in the hands of the 
 beloved Joseph ; he opened or closed the granaries at will. 
 And so the riches of providence are all in the absolute power 
 of our Lord Jesus, who will dispense them liberally to His 
 people. Joseph was abundantly ready to succor his own 
 family ; and Jesus is unceasing in His faithful care for His 
 brethren. Our business is to go after the help which is pro- 
 vided for us ; we must not sit still in despondency, but be- 
 stir ourselves. Prayer will bear us soon into the presence of 
 our royal Brother : once before His throne, we have only to 
 ask and have : His stores are not exhausted ; there is corn 
 still : His heart is not hard ; He will give the corn to us. 
 Lord, forgive our unbelief, and this evening constrain us to 
 draw largely from Thy fulness and receive grace for grace. 
 
May 22. evening eeadinos. H3 
 
 " Behold, Thou art fair, my Beloved." — Canticles i. IG. 
 
 <w^j3|^R0M every point our Well-Beloved is most fair. Our 
 various experiences are meant by our heavenly Father 
 to furnish fresh stand-points from which we may view 
 the loveliness of Jesus ; how amiable are our trials, 
 when they carry us aloft where we may gain clearer views of 
 Jesus than ordinary life could afford us ! We have seen 
 Him from the top of Araana, from the top of Shenir and 
 Hermon, and He has shone upon us as the sun in his strength ; 
 but we have seen Him also " from the lions' dens, from the 
 mountains of the leopards," and He has lost none of His 
 loveliness. From the languishing of a sick bed, from the 
 borders of the grave, have we turned our eyes to our soul's 
 Spouse, and He has never been otherwise than " all fair." 
 Many of His saints have looked upon Him from the gloom 
 of dungeons, and from the red flames of the stake, yet have 
 they never uttered an ill word of Him, but have died ex- 
 tolling His surpassing charms. Oh, noble and pleasant em- 
 ployment to be forever gazing at our sweet Lord Jesus ! Is 
 it not unspeakably delightful to view the Saviour in all His 
 offices, and to perceive Him matchless in each? — to shift 
 the kaleidoscope, as it were, and to find fresh combinations 
 of peerless graces ? In the manger and in eternity, on the 
 cross and on His throne, in the garden and in His kingdom, 
 among thieves or in the midst of cherubim, He is every- 
 where " altogether lovely." Examine carefully every little 
 ac; of His life, and every trait of His character, and He is 
 jid iovely in the minute as in the majestic. Judge Him aa 
 you will, you cannot censure ; weigh Him as you please, and 
 He will not be found wanting. Eternity shall not discover 
 the shadow of a spot in our Beloved, but rather, as ages 're- 
 volve. His hidden glories shall shine forth with yet more in- 
 conceivable splendor, and His unutterable loveliness shall 
 more and more ravish all celestial minds. 
 
144 EVENING READINGS. May 23 
 
 " Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money." 
 Isaiah xliii. 24. 
 
 IpORSHIPPERS at the temple were wont to bring 
 ^h presents of sweet perfumes to be burned upon the 
 ^^ altar of God ; but Israel, in the time of her back- 
 sliding, became ungenerous, and made but few votive offer- 
 ings to her Lord : this was an evidence of coldness of heart 
 towards God and His house. Reader, does this never occur 
 with you ? Might not the complaint of the text be occasion- 
 ally, if not frequently, brought against you ? Those who 
 are poor in pocket, if rich in faith, will be accepted none 
 the less because their gifts are small ; but, poor reader, do 
 you give in fair proportion to the Lord, or is the widow's mite 
 kept back from the sacred treasury ? The rich believer should 
 be thankful for the talent intrusted to him, but should not 
 forget his large responsibility, for where much is given much 
 will be required ; but, rich reader, are you mindful of your 
 obligations, and rendering to the Lord according to the ben- 
 efit received ? Jesus gave His blood for us ; what shall we 
 give to Him ? We are His, and all that we have, for He has 
 purchased us unto Himself — can we act as if we were our 
 own ? Oh for more consecration ! and to this end, oh for 
 more love ! Blessed Jesus, how good it is of Thee to ac- 
 cept our sweet cane bought with money ! nothing is too 
 costly as a tribute to Thine unrivalled love, and yet Thou 
 dost receive with favor the smallest sincere token of affec- 
 tion ! Thou dost receive our poor forget-me-nots and love- 
 tokens, as though they were intrinsically precious, though 
 iadeed they are but as the bunch of wild flowers which the 
 child brings to its mother. Never may we grow niggardly 
 towards Thee, and from this hour never may we hear Thee 
 complain of us again for withholding the gifts of our love 
 W e will give Thee the first fruits of our increase, and pay 
 Thee tithes of all, and then we will confess " of Thine own 
 have we given Thee." 
 
May 24. evening readings. 145 
 
 " Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ." 
 Philippians i. 27. 
 
 ^^HE word " conversation " does not merely mean our 
 talk and converse with one another, but the whole 
 coarse of our life and behavior in the world. The 
 Greek word signifies tfie actions and the privileges of citi- 
 zenship : and thus we are commanded to let our actions, as 
 citizens of the New Jerusalem, be such as becometh the 
 gospel of Christ. What sort of conversation is this ? In the 
 first place, the gospel is very simple. So Christians should be 
 simple and plain in their habits. There should be about our 
 manner, our speech, our dress, our whole behavior, that sim- 
 plicity which is the very soul of beauty. The gospel is pre- 
 eminently true, it is gold without dross ; and the Christian's 
 life will be lustreless and valueless without the jewel of 
 truth. The gospel is a very fearless gospel, it boldly pro- 
 claims the truth, whether men like it or not : we must be 
 equally faithful and unflinching. But the gospel is also very 
 gentle. Mark this spirit in i,ts Founder : " A bruised reed 
 He will not break." Some professors are sharper than a 
 thorn-hedge ; such men are not like Jesus. Let us seek to 
 win others by the gentleness of our words and acts. The 
 gospel is very loving. It is the message of the God of love 
 to a lost and fallen race. Christ's last command to His dis- 
 ciples was, " Love one another." for more real, hearty 
 mion and love to all the saints ; for more tender compassion 
 towards the souls of the worst and vilest of men ! We must 
 not forget that the gospel of Christ is holy. It never excuses 
 sin: it pardons it, but only through an atonement. If our 
 life is to resemble the gospel, we must shun not merely the 
 grosser vices, but everything that would hinder our perfect 
 conformity to Christ. For His sake, for our own sakes, and 
 for the sake of others, we must strive day by day to let our 
 conversation be more iu accordance with His gospel. 
 13 
 
146 EVENING KEADINGS. May 25 
 
 •' And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, . . . 
 and they told what things were done in the way, and how Hi 
 was known of them" — Luke xxiv. 33, 35. 
 
 L^HEN the two disciples had reached Emniaus, and were 
 refreshing themselves at the evening meal, the mys- 
 terious stranger who had so emchanted them upon the 
 road, took bread and brake it, made Himself known to them, 
 and then vanished out of their sight. They had constrained 
 Him to abide with them, because the day was far spent ; but 
 now, although it was much later, their love was a lamp to their 
 feet, yea, wings also ; they forgot the darkness, their weari- 
 ness was all gone, and forthwith they journeyed back the 
 threescore furlongs to tell the gladsome news of a risen Lord, 
 who had appeared to them by the way. They reached the 
 Christians in Jerusalem, and were received by a burst of joy- 
 ful news before they could tell their own tale. These early 
 Christians were all on fire to speak of Christ's resurrection, 
 and to proclaim what they knew of the Lord ; they made com- 
 mon property of their experiences. This evening let their 
 example impress us deeply. We too must bear our witness 
 concerning Jesus. John's account of the sepulchre needed to 
 be supplemented by Peter ; and Mary could speak of some- 
 thing further still ; combined, we have a full testimony from 
 which nothing can be spared. We have each of us peculiar 
 gifts and special manifestations ; but the one object God ha.-f 
 ia view is, the perfecting of the whole body of Christ. We 
 must, therefore, bring our spiritual possessions and lay them 
 at the apostles' feet, and make distribution unto all of what 
 God has given to us. Keep back no part of the precious truth, 
 but speak what you know, and testify what you have eeen. 
 Let not the toil, or darkness, or possible unbelief of your 
 friends, weigh one moment in the scale. Up, and be march- 
 ing to the place of duty, and there tell what great ihing* 
 God has shown to your soul. 
 
May 26. evening headings. 147 
 
 " Continue in the faith." — Acts xiv. 22. 
 
 Kjj5pERSEVp]RANCE is the badge of true saints. Tho 
 I ^i (^I'ristian life is not a hetjinning only in the ways of 
 r^^ Cod, but also a continuance in the same as long as 
 life lasts. It is with a Christian as it was with the 
 groat Napoleon : he said, " Conquest has raade me what I 
 am, and conquest must maintain me." So, under God, dear 
 brother in the Lord, conquest has made you what you are, 
 and conquest must sustain you. Your motto must be, " Ex- 
 celsior." He only is a true conqueror, and shall be crowned 
 at the last, who continueth till war's trumpet is blown no 
 more. Perseverance is, therefore, the target of all our spirit- 
 ual enemies. The world does not object to your being a 
 Christian for a time, if she can but tempt you to cease your 
 pilgrimage, and settle down to buy and sell with her in Van- 
 ity Fair. The flesh will seek to insnare you, and to prevent 
 your pressing on to glory. " It is weary work being a pil- 
 grim ; come, give it up. Am I always to be mortified ? 
 Am I never to be indulged ? Give me at least a fur- 
 lough from this constant warfare." Satan will make many 
 a fierce attack on your perseverance ; it will be the mark 
 for all his arrows. He will strive to hinder you in service : 
 he will insinuate that you are doing no good, and that you 
 want rest. He will endeavor to make you weary of suf- 
 firing. He will whisper, " Curse God, and die." Or he 
 will attack your steadfastness : " What is the good of being 
 80 zealous ? Be quiet, like the rest ; sleep as do others, and 
 let your lamp go out, as the other virgins do." Or he will 
 issail your doctrinal sentiments : " Why do you hold to these 
 denominational creeds ? Sensible men are getting more 
 liberal ; they are removing the old landmarks : fall in with 
 the times." Wear your shield, Christian, therefore, close 
 upon your armor, and cry mightily unto God, that by Hib 
 Spirit you may endure to the end. 
 
148 KVKNiNG READINGS. May 27. 
 
 " What is thy servant, that thou shoiddcst hok upon such a dead 
 dog as I ain9 " — 2 Samue. ix. 8. 
 
 f'j/fF Mepliibosheth was thus humbled by David's kind- 
 wj ness, what-shall we be in the presence of our gracious 
 ^ Lord? The more grace we have, the less we shall 
 think of ourselves, for grace, like light, reveals our impurity. 
 Eminent saints have scarcely known to what to compare 
 themselves, their sense of unworthiness has been so clear 
 and keen. " I am," says holy Rutherford, " a dry and with- 
 ered bran«li, a piece of dead carcass, dry bones, and not able 
 to step over a straw." In another place he writes, " Except 
 as to open outbreakings, I want nothing of what Judas and 
 Cain had." The meanest objects in nature appear to the 
 humble mind to have a preference above itself, because they 
 have never contracted sin : a dog may be greedy, fierce, or 
 filthy, but it has no conscience to violate, no Holy Spirit to 
 resist. A dog may be a worthless animal, and yet by a little 
 kindness it is soon won to love its master, and is faithful unto 
 death ; but we forget the goodness of the Lord, and follow 
 not at His call. The term " dead dog " is the most expres- 
 sive of all terms of contempt, but it is none too strong to 
 express the self-abhorrence of instructed believers. They 
 do not affect mock modesty ; they mean what they say ; they 
 have weighed themselves in the balances of the sanctuary, 
 and found out the vanity of their nature. At best, we are 
 but clay, animated dust, mere walking hillocks ; but viewed 
 as sinners, we are monsters indeed. Let it be published in 
 heaven as a wonder, that the Lord Jesus should set His 
 heart's love upon such as we are. Dust and ashes though 
 we be, we must and will " magnify the exceeding greatness 
 of His grace." Could not His heart find rest in heaven ? 
 Must He needs come to these tents of Kedar for a spouse. 
 and choose a bride upon whom the sun had looked ? 
 heavens and earth, brfak forth into a soug, and give aU 
 glory to oar sweet Lord Jesus. 
 
May 28 evening readings. 1 19 
 
 ** This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope." — Lam. iii. 21. 
 
 P|?R)EMORY is frequently the bond-slave of despondency. 
 Despairing minds call to remembrance every dark 
 foreboding in the past, and dilate upon every glooniv 
 feature in the present ; thus memory, clothed in sackcloth, 
 presents to the mind a cup of mingled gall and wormwood 
 There is, however, no necessity for this. Wisdom can readi- 
 ly transform memory into an angel of comfort. That same 
 recollection, which in its left hand brings so many gloom} 
 oraens, may be trained to bear in its right a wealth of hopeful 
 signs. She need not wear a crown of iron ; she may encircle 
 her brow with a fillet of gold, all spangled with stars. Thus 
 it was in Jeremiah's experience : in the previous verse mem- 
 ory had brought him to deep humiliation of soul : " My soul 
 hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me ; " and 
 now this same memory restored him to life and comfort. 
 " This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope." Like a 
 two-edged sword, his memory first killed his pride with one 
 edge, and then slew his despair with the other. As a general 
 principle, if we would exercise our memories more wisely, we 
 might, in our very darkest distress, strike a match which 
 would instantaneously kindle the lamp of comfort. There is 
 no need for God to create a new thing upon the earth in order 
 to restore believers to joy ; if they would prayerfully rake 
 the ashes of the past, they would find light for the present ; 
 and if they would turn to the book of truth and the throne of 
 grace, their candle would soon shine as aforetime. Be it ours to 
 remember the loving-kindnesses of the Lord, and to rehearse 
 His deeds of grace. Let us open the volume of recollection 
 which is so richly illuminated with memorials of mercy, and 
 we shall soon be happy. Thus memory may be, as Cole- 
 ridge calls it, "the bosom-spring of joy;" and when the 
 Divine Comforter beuds it to His service, it may be chief 
 among earthly comforters. 
 13* 
 
l&O EVENING READINGS. May 29. 
 
 . I , 
 
 " Cursed be the man before the Lord, that riseth up and buildeth 
 this city Jericho." — Joshua vi. 26. 
 
 ,,^ii^(i5INCE he was cursed who rebuilt Jericho, much more 
 
 the man who labors to restore Popery among us. In 
 our fathers' days the gigantic walls of Popery fell by 
 the power of their faith, the perseverance of their efiPorts, and 
 the blast of their gospel trumpets ; and now there are some 
 who would rebuild that accursed system upon its old founda- 
 tions. Lord, be pleased to thwart their unrighteous en- 
 deavors, and pull down every stone which they build. It 
 should be a serious business with us to be thoroughly purged 
 of every error which may have a tendency to foster the spirit 
 of Popery, and when we have made a clean sweep at home, 
 we should seek in every way to oppose its all too rapid spread 
 abroad in the church and in the world. This last can be done 
 in secret by fervent prayer, and in public by decided testi- 
 mony. We must warn with judicious boldness those who aro 
 inclined towards the errors of Rome ; we must instruct the 
 young in gospel truth, and tell them of the black doings of 
 Popery in the olden times. We must aid in spreading the 
 light more thoroughly through the land, for priests, like owls, 
 hate daylight. Are we doing all we can for Jesus and the 
 gospel ? If not, our negligence plays into the hands of 
 priestcraft. What are we doing to spread the Bible, which 
 i; the Pope's bane and poison ? Are we casting abroad 
 good, sound gospel writings ? Luther once said, " The 
 devil hates goose quills," and, doubtless, he has good reason, 
 for ready writers, by the Holy Spirit's blessing, have done 
 hia kingdom much damage. If the thousands who will read 
 .his short word this night will do all they can to hinder the 
 rebuilding of this accursed Jericho, the Lord's glory shall 
 speed among the sons of men. Reader, what can you do? 
 What will you do ? 
 
May 30. evening readings. 151 
 
 " That henceforth we should not serve sin." — Romans vi. 6. 
 
 ?«^,f,HRISTIAN, what hast thou to do with sin ? Hath it 
 i'yl not cost thee enntujh ahead ijf Burnt child, wilt thou 
 '^^^''^^ play with the fire ? What ! when thou hast already 
 been between the jaws of the lion, wilt thou step a second 
 time into his den ? Hast thou not had enough of the old ser- 
 pent ? Did he not poison all thy veins once, and wilt thou 
 play upon the hole of the asp, and put thy hand upon the 
 cockatrice' den a second time ? Oh, be not so mad ! so fool- 
 ish ! Did sin ever yield thee real pleasure ? Didst thou fi:id 
 solid satisfaction in it ? If so, go back to thine old drudgery, 
 and wear the chain again, if it delight thee. But inasmuch 
 as sin did never give thee what it promised to bestow, but 
 deluded thee with lies, be not a second time snared by the 
 old fowler — be free, and let the remembrance of thy ancient 
 bondage forbid thee to enter the net again ! It is contrary 
 to the designs of eternal love, which all have an eye to thy 
 purity and holiness ; therefore run not counter to the pur- 
 poses of thy Lord. Another thought should restrain thee 
 from sin. Christians can never sin cheaply ; they pay a heavy 
 price for iniquity. Transgression destroys peace of mind, 
 obscures fellowship with Jesus, hinders prayer, brings dark- 
 ness over the soul ; therefore be not the serf and bondman 
 of sin. There is yet a higher argument : each time you 
 " serve sin," you have " crucified the Lord afresh, and put 
 Him to an open shame." Can you bear that thought ? Oh, 
 if you have fallen into any special sin during this day, it may 
 be my Master has sent this admonition this evening to bring 
 you back before you have backslidden very far. Turn thee 
 to Jesus anew ; He has not forgotten His love to thee ; His 
 grace is still the same. With weeping and repentance, come 
 thou to His footstool, and thou shall be once more received 
 into His heart; thou shalt be set upon a rock again, and thj 
 goings shall ^e established. 
 
152 EVENING READINGS May 31. 
 
 " Who healeth all thy diseases." — Psaim ciii. 3. 
 
 p^^UMBLING as is the statement, yet the fact is certain, 
 kal^^ that we are all more or less suffering under the dis- 
 '^'*^ ease of sin. What a comfort to know that we have 
 a great Physician who is both able and willing to heal us ! 
 Let us think of Him a while to-night. His cures are very 
 tpeedy — there is life in a look at Him; His cures are radi- 
 cal — He strikes at the centre of the disease ; and hence. His 
 cures are sure and certain. He never fails, and the disease 
 never returns. There is no relapse where Christ heals ; no 
 fear that His patients should be merely patched up for a 
 season ; He makes new men of them : a new heart also does 
 He give them, and a right spirit does He put within them. 
 He is well skilled in all diseases. Physicians generally have 
 some specialite. Although they may know a little about al- 
 most all our pains and ills, there is usually one disease which 
 they have studied above all others ; but Jesus Christ is thor- 
 oughly acquainted with the whole of human nature. He is 
 as much at home with one sinner as with another, and never 
 yet did He meet with an out-of-the-way case that was difficult 
 to Him. He has had extraordinary complications of strange 
 diseases to deal with, but He has known exactly with one 
 glance of His eye how to treat the patient. He is the only 
 universal doctor ; and the medicine He gives is the only true 
 catholicon, healing in every instance. Whatever our spirit- 
 ual malady may be, we should apply at once to this Divine 
 Physician. There is no brokenness of heart which Jesus 
 cannot bind up. " His blood cleanseth from all sin." W^e 
 have but to think of the myriads who have been delivered 
 from all sorts of diseases through the power and virtue of 
 His touch, and we shall joyfully put ourselves in His hands. 
 We trust Him, and sin dies ; we love Him, and grace lives ; 
 we wait for him, and grace is strengthened; we see Him as 
 He is, and grace is perfected forever. 
 
June 1. EVENING EEADIN08. 153 
 
 " lie will viake Iter wilderness like Eden." — Isaiah li, 3. 
 
 6?^|?R)ETHINKS I see in vision a howling wilderness, a grea^ 
 qI1|;K and terrible desert, like to the Sahara. I perceive 
 ^^*^ nothing in it to relieve the eye ; all around I am wea- 
 ried with a vision of hot and arid sand, strewn with ten thou- 
 sand bleaching Siceletons of wretched men who have expired 
 in anguish, having lost their way in the pitiless waste. What 
 an appalling sight ! How horrible ! a sea of sand without a 
 bound, and without an oasis, a cheerless graveyard for a race 
 forlorn! But behold and wonder ! Upon a sudden, upspring- 
 ing from the scorching sand I see a plant of renown ; and as 
 it grows it buds, the bud expands — it is a rose, and at its 
 side a lily bows its modest head ; and, miracle of miracles ! 
 as the fragrance of those flowers is diff"used, the wilderness is 
 transformed into a fruitful field, and all around it blossoms 
 exceedingly, the glory of Lebanon is given unto it, the ex- 
 cellency of Carmel and Sharon. Call it not Sahara, call it 
 Paradise. Speak not of it any longer as the valley of death- 
 shade, for where the skeletons lay bleaching in the sun, be- 
 hold a resurrection is proclaimed, and up spring the dead, a 
 mighty army, full of life immortal. Jesus is that plant of 
 renown, and His presence makes all things new. Nor is the 
 wonder less in each individual's salvation. Yonder I behold 
 you, dear reader, cast out, an infant, unswathed, unwashed, 
 defiled with your own blood, left to be food for beasts of 
 prey. But lo, a jewel has been thrown into your bosom by a 
 divine hand, and for its sake you have been pitied and tend- 
 ed by divine providence, you are washed and cleansed from 
 your defilement, you are adopted into heaven's family, the 
 fair seal of love is upon your forehead, and the ring of faith- 
 fulness is on your hand — you are now a prince unto God, 
 though once an orphan, cast away. Oh, prize exceedingly thfl 
 matchless power and grace which changes deserts into gar* 
 dens, and makes the barren heart to sing for joy. 
 
154 EVENING HEADINGS. June 2 
 
 " Oood Master." — Matthew xix. 16. 
 
 ^^^F the young man in the gospel used this title in speak- 
 ^.1 CT^ ing to our Lord, how much more fitly may I thus ad- 
 y/^Rky dress Him! He is indeed my Master in both senses, 
 a ruling Master and a teaching Master. I delight to run upon 
 His errands, and to sit at His feet. I am both His servant 
 and His disciple, and count it my highest honor to own the 
 double character. If He should ask me why I call Him 
 " good" I should have a ready answer. It is true that 
 " there is none good but one, that is, God ; " but then He is 
 God, and all the goodness of Deity shines forth in Him. In 
 my experience, I have found Him good, so good, indeed, 
 that all the good I have has come to me through Him 
 He was good to me when I was dead in sin, for He raised 
 me by His Spirit's power ; He has been good to me in all 
 my needs, trials, struggles, and sorrows. Never could there 
 be a better Master, for His service is freedom. His rule is 
 love : I wish I were one thousandth part as good a servant. 
 When He teaches me as my Eabbi, He is unspeakably good, 
 His doctrine is divine. His manner is condescending, His 
 spirit is gentleness itself. No error mingles with His in- 
 struction — pure is the golden truth which He brings forth, 
 and all His teachings lead to goodness, sanctifying as well as 
 edifying the disciple. Angels find Him a good Master, and 
 delight to pay their homage at His footstool. The ancient 
 saints proved Him to be a good Master, and each of them 
 rejoiced to sing, " I am Thy servant, Lord! " My own 
 humble testimony must certainly be to the same efi"ect. 1 
 will bear this witness before my friends and neighbors, for 
 possibly they may be led by my testimony to seek my Lord 
 Jesus as their Master. Oh that they would do so ! They 
 would never repent so wise a deed. If they would but take 
 His easy yoke, they would find themselves in so royal > 
 Bcrvice that they would enlist in it forever. 
 
June 3 EVENING REAOINGS. 15J 
 
 ^ He humbled Ilimself" — Philippians ii. 8. 
 
 ^I'^'^ESUS is the great teacher of lowliness of heart. We 
 fell^l need daily to learn of Him. See the Master taking 
 ^^^"^ a towel and washing His disciples' feet ! Follower 
 of Christ, wilt thou not humble thyself? See Him as the 
 Servant of servants, and surely thou canst not be proud ! 
 Is not this sentence the compendium of His biography, " He 
 humbled Himself" ? Was He not on earth always stripping 
 off first one robe of honor, and then another, till, naked, He 
 was fastened to the cross ? and there did He not empty out His 
 inmost self, pouring out His life-blood, giving up for all of us, 
 till they laid Him penniless in a borrowed grave ? How low 
 was our dear Redeemer brought ! How, then, can we be 
 proud ? Stand at the foot of the cross, and count the purple 
 drops by which you have been cleansed ; see the thorn-crown ; 
 mark His scourged shoulders, still gushing with encrimsoned 
 rills ; see hands and feet given up to the rough iron, and His 
 whole self to mockery and scorn ; see the bitterness, and the 
 pangs, and the throes of inward grief, showing themselves in 
 His outward frame ; hear the thrilling shriek, " My God, my 
 God, why hast Thou forsaken me ? '• And if you do not lie 
 prostrate on the ground before that cross, you have never seen 
 it: if you are not humbled in the presence of Jesus, you do 
 not know Him. You were so lost that nothing could save you 
 but the sacrifice of God's only begotten. Think of that, and 
 as Jesus stooped for you, bow yourself in lowliness at His 
 feet. A sense of Christ's amazing love to us has a greater 
 tendency to humble us than even a consciousness of our own 
 guilt. May the Lord bring us in contemplation to Calvary, 
 then our position will no longer be that of the pompous man 
 of pride, but we shall take the humble place of one who loves 
 much because much has been forgiven him. Pride cannot 
 Hve beneath the cross. Let us sit there and learn our lessoik 
 And then rise and carry it into practice. 
 
156 EVENING READINGS. June 4 
 
 " Received up into glory." — 1 Timothy iii. 16. 
 
 |^|?|i|E have seen our well-beloved Lord, in the days of Hia 
 (mh flesh, humiliated and sore vexed ; for He was " de- 
 ^ spised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and 
 acquainted with grief." He whose brigntness is as the morn- 
 ing, wore the sackcloth of sorrow as His daily dress : shame 
 was His mantle, and reproach was His vesture. Yet now, 
 inasmuch as He has triumphed over all the powers of dark- 
 ness upon the bloody tree, our faith beholds our King re- 
 turning with dyed garments from Edom, robed in the splen- 
 dor of victory. How glorious must He have been in the eyes 
 of seraphs, when a cloud received Him out of mortal sight, 
 and He ascended up to heaven ! Now He wears the glory 
 which He had with God or ever the earth was, and yet an- 
 other glory above all — that which He has well earned in the 
 fight against sin, death, and hell. As victor He wears the 
 illustrious crown. Hark how the song swells high ! It is a 
 new and sweeter song : " Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, 
 for He hath redeemed us unto God by His blood ! " He 
 wears the glory of an Intercessor who can never fail, of a 
 Prince who can never be defeated, of a Conqueror who has 
 vanquished every foe, of a Lord who has the heart's alle- 
 giance of every subject. Jesus wears all the glory which the 
 pomp of heaven can bestow upon Him, which ten thousand 
 times ten thousand angels can minister to Him. You cannot 
 with your utmost stretch of imagination conceive His exceed- 
 ing greatness : yet there will be a further revelation of it 
 when He shall descend from heaven in great power, with all 
 the holy angels — " Then shall He sit upon the throne of His 
 glory." Oh, the splendor of that glory ! It will ravish Hia 
 people's hearts. Nor is this the close, for eternity shall 
 sound His praise, "Thy throne, God, is forever and 
 ever ! " Reader, if you would joy in Christ's glory hero- 
 after, He must be glorious in your sight now. Is he so ? 
 
June 5. EVENING readings. 157 
 
 " lie that loveth not, knoweih not God." — 1 John iv. 8. 
 
 ^IIE distinguishing mark of a Christian is his confi- 
 L'l)^ dence in the love of Christ, and the yielding of hia 
 ^"^ affections to Christ in return. First, faith sets her 
 seal upon the man by enabling the soul to say with the apos- 
 tle, " Christ loved me and gave Himself for me." Then love 
 gives the countersign, and stamps upon the heart gratitude 
 and love to Jesus in return. " We love Him because He first 
 loved us." In those grand old ages, which are the horoic 
 period of the Christian religion, this double mark was clearly 
 to be seen in all believers in Jesus ; they were men who 
 knew the love of Christ, and rested upon it as a man leaneth 
 upon a staff whose trustiness he has tried. The love which 
 they felt towards the Lord was not a quiet emotion which 
 they hid within themselves in the secret chamber of their 
 souls, and which they only spake of in their private assem- 
 blies when they met on the first day of the week, and sang 
 hymns in honor of Christ Jesus the crucified, but it was a pas- 
 sion with them of such a vehement and all-consuming energy, 
 that it was visible in their actions, spoke in their common 
 talk, and looked out of their eyes even in their commonest 
 glances. Love to Jesus was a flame which fed upon the core 
 and heart of their being ; and, therefore, from its own force 
 burned its way into the outer man, and shone there. Zeal for 
 the glory of King Jesus was the seal and mark of all genuine 
 Christians. Because of their dependence upon Christ's love 
 they dared much, and because of their love to Christ they did 
 much, and it is the same now. The children of God are ruled 
 in their inmost powers by love — the love of Christ constrain- 
 eth them ; they rejoice that divine love is set upon them, they 
 feel it shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is 
 given unto them, and then by force of gratitude they love the 
 Saviour with a pure heart, fervently. My reader, do you love 
 Him ? Ere you sleep give an honest answer to a weighty quea> 
 tion. 14 
 
158 ETENING READINGS. JuDC 6 
 
 "Jre they Israelites? so am I." — 2 Corinthians xi. 22. 
 
 isM 
 
 ^,E have here A tersonai claim, and one that needs 
 proof. The apostle knew that his claim was indis- 
 putable, but there are many persons who havo no 
 right to the title who y3t claim to belong to the Israel of God. 
 If we are with confidence declaring, " So am I alsc an Isia- 
 elite," let us only say it after having searched our heart aa 
 in the presence of God. But if we can give proof that we 
 are following Jesus, if we can from the heart say, " I trust 
 Him wholly, trust Him only, trust Him simply, trust Him 
 now, and trust Him ever," then the position which the saints 
 of God hold belongs to us — all their enjoyments are our 
 possessions ; we may be the very least in Israel, " less than 
 the least of all saints," yet since the mercies of God belong 
 to the saints as saints, and not as advanced saints, or well- 
 taught saints, we may put in our plea, and say, " Are they 
 Israelites ? so am I ; therefore the promises are mine, grace 
 is mine, glory will be mine." The claim, rightfully made, 
 is one which will yield untold comfort. When God's people 
 are rejoicing that they are His, what a happiness if I can 
 say, " So am I " ! When they speak of being pardoned 
 and justified, and accepted in the Beloved, how joyful t« 
 respond, " Through, the grace of God so am I"! But this 
 claim not only has its enjoyments and privileges, but also 
 its conditions and duties. We must share with God's peo- 
 ple in cloud as well as in sunshine. When we hear them 
 spoken of with contempt and ridicule for being Christians, 
 we must come boldly forward and say, " So am I." When 
 we see them working for Christ, giving their time, their 
 talent, their whole heart to Jesus, we must be able to 
 say, " So do I." Oh, let us prove our gratitude by our 
 devotion, and live as those who, having claimed a privi- 
 lege, are willing to take the responsibility connected with it 
 
June 7. EVENING READINGS. 159 
 
 *' Be zealous." — Kevelation iii. 19. 
 
 m 
 
 ^F you would see souls converted ; if you would hear 
 c^ the cry that ** the kingdoms of this world have be- 
 •^ come the kingdoms of our Lord ; " if you would 
 place crowns upon the head of the Saviour, and His throne 
 lifted high, then be filled with zeal. For under God, the 
 way of the world's conversion must be by the zeal of the 
 church. Every grace shall do exploits, but this shall be first ; 
 prudence, knowledge, patience, and courage, will follow in 
 their places, but zeal must lead the van. It is not the extent 
 of your knowledge, though that is useful ; it is not the extent 
 of your talent, though that is not to be despised ; it is your 
 zeal that shall do great exploits. This zeal is the fruit of the 
 Holy Spirit ; it draws its vital force from the continued opera- 
 tions of the Holy Ghost in the soul. If our inner life dwin- 
 dles, if our heart beats slowly before God, we shall not know 
 zeal ; but if all be strong and vigorous within, then we can- 
 not but feel a loving anxiety to see the kingdom of Christ 
 come, and His will done on earth, even as it is in heaven. 
 A deep sense of gratitude will nourish Christian zeal. Look- 
 ing to the hole of the pit whence we were digged, we find 
 abundant reason why we should spend and be spent for God. 
 And zeal is also stimulated by the thought of the eternal fu- 
 ture. It looks with tearful eyes down to the flames of hell, 
 and it cannot slumber : it looks up with anxious gaze to 
 the glories of heaven, and it cannot but bestir itself. It 
 feels that time is short compared with the work to be done, 
 and therefore it devotes all that it has to the cause of its 
 Lord. And it is ever strengthened by the remembrance of 
 ChrisVs example. He was clothed with zeal as with a cloak, 
 flow swift the chariot-wheels of duty went with Him ! He 
 knew no loitering by the way. Let us prove that we ar« 
 His disciples, by manifesting the same spirit of zeal. 
 
160 EVENING READINGS J UUC 8^ 
 
 " Thou slialt see now whether My word shall come to pass unto thee 
 or not." — Numbers xi. 23. 
 
 I^OD had made a positive promise to Moses that for the 
 space of a whole month He would feed the vast host 
 in the wilderness with flesh. Moses, being over- 
 taiien by a fit of unbelief, looks to the outward means, and 
 is at a loss to know how the promise can be fulfilled. He 
 looked to the creature instead of the Creator. But doth the 
 Creator expect the creature to fulfil His promise for Him ? 
 No ; He who makes the promise ever fulfils it by His own 
 unaided omnipotence. If He speaks, it is done — done by 
 Himself. His promises do not depend for their fulfilment 
 upon the cooperation of the puny strength of man. We can 
 at once perceive the mistake which Moses made. And yet 
 how commonly we do the same ! God has promised to sup- 
 ply our needs, and we look to the creature to do what God 
 has promised to do ; and then, because we perceive the crea- 
 ture to be weak and feeble, we indulge in unbelief. Why 
 look we to that quarter at all ? Will you look to the top of 
 the Alps for summer heat ? will you journey to the north 
 pole to gather fruits ripened in the sun ? Verily, you would 
 act no more foolishly if ye did this, than when you look to the 
 weak for strength, and to the creature to do the Creator's 
 work. Let us, then, put the question on the right footing. 
 The ground of faith is not the suflaciency of the visible means 
 for the performance of the promise, but the all-sufl5ciency 
 of the invisible God, who will most surely do as He hath said. 
 If, after clearly seeing that the onus lies with the Lord, and 
 not with the creature, we dare to indulge in mistrust, the 
 question of God comes home mightily to us : " Has the 
 Lord's hand waxed short ? " May it happen, too, in Hia 
 mercy, that with the question there may flash upon our souls 
 that blessed declaration, " Thou shalt see now whether Mj 
 (rord shall come to pass un^o thee or not." 
 
June 9. EVENING READINGS. 16 
 
 " Search the Scriptures." — John v. 39. 
 
 % 
 
 jUlE Greek word here rendered search signifies a strict, 
 ^ close, diligent, curious search, such as men make 
 when they are sseking gold, or hunters when they 
 arc in earnest after game. We must not rest content wtch 
 having given a superficial reading to a chapter or two, but 
 with the candle of the Spirit we must deliberately seek out 
 the hidden meaning of the word. Holy Scripturo requires 
 searching — much of it can only be learned by careful study. 
 There is milk for babes, but also meat for strong men. The 
 rabbis wisely say that a mountain of matter hangs upon every 
 word, yea, upon every tittle of Scripture. Tcrtullian ex- 
 claims, " I adore the fulness of the Scriptures." No man who 
 merely skims the book of God can profit thereby ; we must 
 dig and mine until we obtain the hid treasure. The door of 
 the word only opens to the key of diligence. The Scriptures 
 claim searching. They are the writings of God, bearing the 
 divine stamp and imprimatur — who shall dare to treat them 
 with levity ? He who despises them despises the God who 
 wrote them. God forbid that any of us should leave our Bi- 
 bles to become swift witnesses against us in the great day of 
 account. The word of God will repay searching. God does 
 not bid us sift a mountain of chaff with here and there a grain 
 of wheat in it, but the Bible is winnowed corn — we have but 
 to open the granary door and find it. Scripture grows upon 
 the student. It is full of surprises. Under the teaching of the 
 Holy Spirit, to the searching eye it glows with splendor of 
 revelation, like a vast temple paved with wrought jrold, ana 
 roofed with rubies, emeralds, and all manner of gems. No mer- 
 chandise like the merchandise of Scripture truth. Lastly, tht 
 Scriptures reveal Jesus : " They are they which testify of Me.' 
 No more powerful motive can be urged upon Bible readers 
 than this : He who finds Jesus finds life, heaven, all things. 
 Happy he who, searching his Bible, discovers his Saviour. 
 14* 
 
!62 EVENING READINGS. June 10 
 
 " They are they which testify (f Me." — John v. 39. 
 
 S;ESUS CHRIST is the Alpha and Omega of the Bible. 
 n;| He is the constant theme of its sacred pages ; from 
 •^ first to last they testify of Him. At the creation we 
 at once discern Him as one of the sacred Trinity; we catch 
 a glimpse of Him in the promise of the woman's seed ; we 
 see Him typified in the ark of Noah ; we walk with Abra- 
 ham, as he sees Messiah's day ; we dwell in the tents of 
 Isaac and Jacob, feeding upon the gracious promise; we 
 hear the venerable Israel talking of Shiloh ; and in the nu. 
 merous types of the law we find the Redeemer abundantly 
 foreshadowed. Prophets and kings, priests and preachers, 
 all look one way — they all stand as the cherubs did over the 
 ark, desiring to look within, and to read the mystery of God's 
 great propitiation. Still more manifestly in the New Testa- 
 ment we find our Lord the one pervading subject. It is nol 
 an ingot here and there, or dust of gold thinly scattered, but 
 here you stand upon a solid floor of gold ; for the whole sub- 
 stance of the New Testament is Jesus crucified, and even its 
 closing sentence is bejewelled with the Redeemer's name. 
 We should always read Scripture in this light ; we should 
 consider the word to be as a mirror into which Christ looks 
 down from heaven ; and then, we, looking into it, see His 
 face reflected as in a glass — darkly, it is true, but still in 
 6uch a way as to be a blessed preparation for seeing Him as 
 we shall see Him, face to face. This volume contains Jesus 
 Christ's letters to us, perfumed by His love. These pages 
 are the garments of our King, and they all smell of myrrh, 
 and aloes, and cassia. Scripture is the royal chariot in 
 which Jesus rides, and it is paved with love for the daugh- 
 ters of Jerusalem. The Scriptures are the swaddling 
 bands of the holy child Jesus ; unroll them and you find 
 your Saviour. The quintessence of the word of God M 
 'hrist. 
 
June 11. EVENING READINGS. 1 G3 
 
 " Tliere brake lie the arrows of the how, the shield, and the ncord, 
 and the battle." — Psalm Ixxvi. 3. 
 
 t^ip^l^TTR Ecdeemcr's glorious cry of "It is finished" wav 
 W-\W^ the death-knell of all the adversaries of His people, 
 ****^*^^ the breaking of " the arrows of the bow, the shield, 
 and the sword, and the battle." Behold the hero of Gol- 
 gotha using Ilis cross as an anvil, and his woes as a hammer, 
 dashing to shivers bundle after bundle of our sins, those 
 poisoned " arrows of the bow ; " trampling on every indict- 
 ment, and destroying every accusation. What glorious blows 
 the mighty Breaker gives with a hammer far more ponderous 
 than the fabled weapon of Thor ! How the diabolical darta 
 fly to fragments, and the infernal bucklers are broken like 
 potters* vessels ! Behold, He draws from its sheath of hell- 
 ish workmanship the dread sword of Satanic power ! He 
 snaps it across His knee, as a man breaks the dry wood of a 
 fagot, and casts it into the fire. Beloved, no sin of a be- 
 liever can now be an arrow mortally to wound him, no con- 
 demnation can now be a sword to kill him, for the punishment 
 of our sin was borne by Christ, a full atonement was made 
 for all our iniquities by our blessed Substitute and Surety. 
 Who now accuseth ? Who now condemneth ? Christ hath 
 died, yea, rather hath risen again. Jesus has emptied the 
 quivers of hell, has quenched every fiery dart, and broken 
 off the head of every arrow of wrath ; the ground is strewn 
 with the splinters and relics of the weapons of hell's war- 
 fare, which are only visible to us to remind us of our former 
 danger, and of our great deliverance. Sin hath no more 
 dominion over us.' Jesus has made an end of it, and put it 
 away forever. thou enemy, destructions are come to a 
 perpetual end. Talk ye of all the wondrous works of the 
 Lord, ye who nake mention of His name ; keep not silence, 
 neither by day, nor when the sun goeth to his rest. Blesf 
 the Lord, my soul. 
 
164 EVENING READINGS. June 12. 
 
 " Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling." 
 2 Timothy i, 9. 
 
 ^IIE apostle uses the perfect fejnse, and says, "Who 
 hath saved us." Believers in (Jhrist Jesus are saved. 
 They are not looked upon as persons who are in a 
 hopeful state, and may ultimately be saved, but they are al- 
 ready saved. Salvation is not a blessing to be enjoyed upon 
 the dying bed, and to be sung of in a future state above, but 
 a matter to be obtained, received, promised, and enjoyed 
 now. The Christian is perfectly saved in God's purpose ; 
 God has ordained him unto salvation, and that purpose ia 
 complete. He is saved also as to the pries which has been 
 paid for him : " It is finished " was the cry of the Saviour 
 ere he died. The believer is also perfectly saved in his 
 covenant head, for as he fell in Adam, so he lives in Christ. 
 This complete salvation is accompanied by a holy calling. 
 Those whom the Saviour saved upon the cross are in duo 
 time eflFectually called by the power of God the Holy Spirit 
 unto holiness ; they leave their sins ; they endeavor to be 
 like Christ ; they choose holiness, not out of any compul- 
 sion, but from the stress of a new nature, which leads them 
 to rejoice in holiness just as naturally as aforetime they de- 
 lighted in sin. God neither chose them nor called them be- 
 cause they were holy, but He called them that they might be 
 holy, and holiness is the beauty produced by His workman- 
 ship in them. The excellences which we see in a believer 
 are as much the work of God as the atonement itself. Thus 
 is brought out very sweetly the fulness of the grace of God. 
 Salvation must be of grace, because the Lord is the author 
 of it : and what motive but grace could move Him to save 
 the guilty ? Salvation must be of grace, because the Lord 
 works in such a manner that our righteousness is forever ex- 
 cluded. Such is the believer's privileg e — a present salvation ; 
 Buch is the evidence that he is called to it — o holy life. 
 
June 13. EVENiNO headings. 165 
 
 " Remove far from me vanity and lies." — Proverbs xxx. 8. 
 " my God, be not far from me." — Psalm xxxviii. 21. 
 
 JIORE we have two great lessons — what to deprecate 
 and what to sujiplicate. The happiest state of a 
 Christian is the holiest state. As there is the most 
 heat nearest to the sun, so there is the most happiness near- 
 est to Christ. No Christian enjoys comfort when his eyes 
 are fixed on vanity — he finds no satisfaction unless his soul 
 is quickened in the ways of God. The world may win hap- 
 piness elsewhere, but he cannot. I do not blame ungodly 
 men for rushing to their pleasures. Why should I ? Let 
 them have their fill. That is all they have to enjoy. A con- 
 verted wife who despaired of her husband was always very 
 kind to him, for she said, " I fear that this is the only world 
 in which he will be happy, and therefore I have made up my 
 mind to make him as happy as I can in it." Christians musi 
 seek their delights in a higher sphere than the insipid frivol- 
 ities or sinful enjoyments of the world. Vain pursuits are 
 dangerous to renewed souls. We have heard of a philoso- 
 pher who, while he looked up to the stars, fell into a pit ; 
 but how deeply do they fall who look down I Their fall is 
 fatal. No Christian is safe when his soul is slothful, and his 
 God is far from him. Every Christian is always safe as to 
 the great matter of his standing in Christ, but he is not safe 
 as regards his experience in holiness, and communion with 
 Jesus in this life. Satan does not often attack a Christian 
 who is living near to God. It is when the Christian departs 
 from his God, becomes spiritually starved, and endeavors to 
 feed on vanities, that the devil discovers his vantage hour. 
 He may sometimes stand foot to foot with the child of God 
 who is active in his Master's service, but the battle is gener- 
 ally short ; he who slips as he goes down into the Valley of 
 Humiliation, every time he takes a false step invites ApoUyon 
 to assail him. Oh for grace to walk humbly with our God ! 
 
166 EVENING HEADINGS. June li 
 
 ** Lord, to us bdongeth confusion of face . . . because we have 
 sinned against TJiee." — Daniel ix. 8. 
 
 j^ DEEP sense and clear sight, of sin, its heinousnesSj 
 and the punishment which it deserves, should make 
 us lie low before the throne. We have sinned as 
 Christians. Alas ! that it phould be so. Favored as we 
 have been, we have yet been ungrateful : privileged beyond 
 most, we have not brought forth fruit in proportion. Who 
 is there, although he may long have been engaged in the 
 Christian warfare, that will not blush when he looks back 
 upon the past ? As for our days before we were regenerate, 
 may they be forgiven and forgotten ; but since then, though 
 we have not sinned as before, yet we have sinned against 
 light and against love — light which has really penetrated 
 our minds, and love in which we have rejoiced. Oh the 
 atrocity of the sin of a pardoned soul ! An unpardoned 
 sinner sins cheaply compared with the sin of one of God's 
 own elect ones, who has had communion with Christ and 
 leaned his head upon Jesus' bosom. Look at David ! Many 
 will talk of his sin, but I pray you look at his repentance, 
 and hear his broken bones, as each one of them moans out 
 its dolorous confession ! Mark his tears, as they fall upon 
 the ground, and the deep sighs with which he accompanies 
 the softened music of his harp ! We have erred : let us, 
 therefore, seek the spirit of penitence. Look, again, at Pe- 
 ter ! We speak much of Peter's denying his Master. Re- 
 member, it is written, " He wept bitterly." Have we no de- 
 nials of our Lord to be lamented with tears ? Alas ! these 
 sins of ours, before and after conversion, would consign us 
 to the place of inextinguishable fire, if it were not for the 
 sovereign mercy which has made us to differ, snatching U3 
 like brands from the burning. My soul, bow down under a 
 sense of thy natural sinfulness, and worship thy God. Ad- 
 mire the grace which saves thee — the mercy which sparer 
 thee — the love which pardons thee 1 
 
June 15. EVENING HEADINGS. 167 
 
 " He openeth, and no man shutteth." — Revelation iii. 7. 
 
 ^^S^ESUS is the keeper of the gates of paradise, and be- 
 /K^l M fore every believing soul He ectteth an open doer, 
 /«4^'^ which no man or devil shall be able to close against it. 
 What joy it will be to find that faith in Ilim is the golden 
 key to the everlasting doors ! My soul, dost thou carry this 
 key in thy bosom, or art thou trusting to some deceitful pick- 
 lock, which will fail thee at last ? Hear this parable of the 
 preacher, and remember it. The great King has made a 
 banquet, and He has proclaimed to all the world that none 
 shall enter but those who bring with them the fairest flower 
 that blooms. The spirits of men advance to the gate by 
 thousands, and they bring each one the flower which he es- 
 teems the queen of the garden ; but in crowds they arc 
 driven from the royal presence, and enter not into the festive 
 balls. Some bear in their hand the deadly nightshade of su- 
 perstition, or the flaunting poppies of Rome, or the hemlock 
 of self-righteousness ; but these are not dear to the King, the ' 
 bearers are shut out of the pearly gates. My soul, hast thou 
 gathered the rose of Sharon ? Dost thou wear the lily of the 
 valley in thy bosom constantly ? If so, when thou comest 
 up to the gates of heaven, thou wilt know its value, for thou 
 hast only to show this choicest of flowers, and the Porter 
 will open : not for a moment will He deny thee admission, 
 for to thatr rose the Porter openeth ever. Thou shalt find 
 thy way, with the rose of Sharon in thy hand, up to the throne 
 of God Himself, for heaven itself possesses nothing that ex- 
 cels its radiant beauty ; and of all the flowers that bloom in 
 paradise there is none that can rival the lily of the valleys. 
 My soul, get Calvary's blood-red rose into thy hand by faith, 
 by love wear it, by communion preserve it, by daily watch- 
 fulness make it thine all in all, and thou shalt be blessed be- 
 yond all bliss, happy beyond a dream. Josun, be mine for- 
 ever, my God, my heaven, my all. 
 
168 EVENING READINGS. June 16. 
 
 •' The Lord is my light and my salvation ; whom shall 1 fear') the 
 Lord is the strength of my life ; of whom shall I be afraid ? " 
 — Psalm xxvii. 1. 
 
 If 
 
 ^^HE Lord is my light and my salvation.^' Here ia 
 personal interest, "my light,'" "my salvation;" 
 the soul is assured of it, and therefore declares if 
 boldly. Into the soul at the new birth divine light is poured 
 as the precursor of salvation ; where there is not enough 
 light to reveal our own darkness, and to make us long for the 
 Lord Jesus, there is no evidence of salvation. After con- 
 version our God is our joy, comfort, guide, teacher, and in 
 every sense our light : He is light within, light around, light, 
 reflected from us, and light to be revealed to no. Note, it is 
 not said merely that the Lord gives light, but that He is 
 light ; nor that He gives salvation, but that He is salvation ; 
 he, then, who by faith has laid hold upon God, has all cove- 
 nant blessings in his possession. This being made sure as a 
 fact, the argument drawn from it is put in the form of a ques- 
 tion, " W^Aom s/m?Z 7 /ear .^ " A question which is its own 
 answer. The powers of darkness are not to be feared, for 
 the Lord, our light, destroys them ; and the damnation of 
 hell is not to be dreaded by us, for the Lord is our salvation 
 This is a very different challenge from that of boastful Goli- 
 ath, for it rests not upon the conceited vigor of an arm of 
 flesh, but upon the real power of the omnipotejit I AM. 
 " The Lord is the strength of my life." Here is a third glow- 
 ing epithet, to show that the writer's hope was fastened with 
 a threefold cord which could not be broken. We may well 
 accumulate terms of praise where the Lord lavishes deeds 
 of grace. Our life derives all its strength from God ; and 
 if He deigns to make us strong, we cannot be weakened by 
 all the machinations of the adversary. "Ofivhom shall I be 
 afraid f " The bold question looks into the future as well 
 as the present. " If God be for us, who can be against us," 
 either now or in time to come ? 
 
June 17. EVENING READINGS. 169 
 
 •* Then Israel sang this song : Spring up, well ; sing ye unto it." 
 Numbers xxi. 17. 
 
 <w^>3|>5AMOUS was the well of Beer in the wilderness, be- 
 cause it was the subject of a promise : " That is the 
 well whereof the Lord spake unto Moses, Gather the 
 people together, and I will give them water." The 
 people needed water, and it was promised by their gracious 
 God. We need fresh supplies of heavenly grace, and iil the 
 covenant the Lord has pledged Himself to give all we require. 
 The well next' became the cause of a song. Before the water 
 gushed forth, cheerful faith prompted the people to sing ; 
 and as they saw the crystal fount bubbling up, the music grew 
 yet more joyous. In like manner, we who believe the promise 
 of God should rejoice in the prospect of divine revivals in our 
 souls, and as we experience them, our holy joy should overflow. 
 Are we thirsting ? Let us not murmur, but sing. Spiritual 
 thirst is bitter to bear, but we need not bear it — the promise 
 indicates a well ; let us be of good heart, and look for it. More- 
 over, the well was the centre of prayer. " Spring up, well." 
 What God has engaged to give, we must inquire after, or we 
 manifest that we have neither desire nor faith. This evening 
 let us ask that the Scripture we have read, and our devotional 
 exercises, may not be an empty formality, but a channel of 
 grace to our souls. Oh that God, the Holy Spirit, would work 
 in us with all His mighty power, filling us with all the fulness 
 of God. Lastly, the well was the object of effort. " The nobles 
 of the people digged it with their staves." The Lord would 
 have us active in obtaining grace. Our staves are ill adapted 
 for digging in the sand, but we must use them to the utmost of 
 our ability. Prayer must not be neglected ; the assembling of 
 ourselves together must not be forsaken ; ordinances must not 
 be slighted. The Lord will give us His grace most plenteous- 
 ly, but not in a way of idleness. Let us, then, bestir our- 
 selves to seek Him in whom are all our fresh springs. 
 15 
 
170 EVENING HEADINGS. Juiie 18 
 
 " I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse." — Cant. v. 1. 
 
 |*^HE heart of the believer is Christ's garden. H« 
 bought it with His precious blood, and He enters it 
 and claims it as His own. A garden implies separa- 
 tion. It is not the open common ; it is not a wilderness ; it 
 is walled around, or hedged in. Would that we could see 
 the wall of separation between the church and the world 
 made broader and stronger. It makes one sad to hear Chris- 
 tians saying, " Well, there is no harm in this ; there is no 
 harm in that," thus getting as near to the world as possible. 
 Grace is at a low ebb in that soul which can even raise the 
 question of how far it may go in worldly conformity. A 
 garden is a place of beauty ; it far surpasses the wild, unculti- 
 vated lands. The genuine Christian must seek to be more 
 excellent in his life than the best moralist, because Christ's 
 garden ought to produce the best flowers in all the world. 
 Even the best is poor compared with Christ's deservings : 
 let us not put Him off with withering and dwarf plants. The 
 rarest, richest, choicest lilies and roses ought to bloom in the 
 place which Jesus calls His own. The garden is a place of 
 growth. The saints are not to remain undeveloped, always 
 mere buds and blossoms. We should grow in grace, and in 
 the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 
 Growth should be rapid where Jesus is the Husbandman, 
 and the Holy Spirit the dew from above. A garden is a 
 place of retirement. So the Lord Jesus Christ would have us 
 reserve our souls as a place in which He can manifest Him- 
 self, as He doth not unto the world. Oh that Christians were 
 more retired, that they kept their hearts more closely shut 
 up for Christ ! We often worry and trouble ourselves, like 
 Martha, with much serving, so that we have not the room 
 for Christ that Mary had, and do not sit at His feet as we 
 should. The Lord grant the sweet showers of Hia grace to 
 water His garden this day. 
 
June 19. EVENING READINGS. 171 
 
 " My Beloved is mine, arid I am Ilis : He feedcth among the lilies. 
 Until the day break, and the shadoics flee away, twii, my />e- 
 loved, and be Thou like a roe or a young hart upon the moun- 
 tains of Bether" — Solomon's Song ii. 16, 17. 
 
 k'URELY if there be a happy verse in the Bible, it ig 
 this — " My Beloved is mine, and I am His." So 
 peaceful, so full of assurance, so overrunning with 
 happiness and contentment is it, that it might well have been 
 written by the same hand which penned the twenty-third 
 Psalm. The verse savors of Him who, an hour before Ha 
 went to Gethsemane, said, " Peace I leave with you, My 
 peace I give unto you : not as the world giveth, give I unto 
 you." "In the. world ye shall have tribulation : but be of 
 good cheer ; I have overcome the world." Let us ring the 
 silver bell again, for its notes are exquisitely sweet : " My 
 Beloved is mine, and I am His : He feedeth among the 
 lilies." And yet there is a shadow. Though the prospect 
 is exceeding fair and lovely, — earth cannot show its supe- 
 rior, — it is not entirely a sunlit landscape. There is a cloud 
 in the sky which casts a shadow over the scene ; though it 
 does not dim it, for everything is clear, and stands out sharp- 
 ly and brightly — "My Beloved is mine, and I am His." 
 That is clear enough, yet it is not altogether sunlight. Lis- 
 ten : " Until the day break, and the shadows flee away." 
 
 There is a word, too, about the " mountains of Bether," 
 or " the mountains of division," and to our love anything 
 like division is bitterness. I see here a paschal lamb, but I 
 see bitter herbs with it : I see the lily, but I perceive that it 
 is still among the thorns. Beloved, this may be your pres- 
 ent state of mind ; you do not doubt your salvation ; you 
 know that He is yours, but you are not feasting with Him. 
 you understand your vital interest in Him, so that you have 
 no shadow of a doubt of your being His, and of His being 
 
172 EVENING IkEADINGS. JunC 19. 
 
 yours ; but still His left hand is not under your head, nor 
 doth His right hand embrace you. A shade of sadness is 
 cast over your heart, perhaps by affliction, certainly by the 
 temporary absence of your Lord ; so, even while exclaiming, 
 " I am His," you are forced to take to your knees, and to 
 pray, " Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, 
 my Beloved." 
 
 " Where is He ? " asks the soul. And the answer comes, 
 " He feedeth among the lilies." The worldling cares not 
 where Christ is, but that is the Christian's one subject of 
 thought. Jesus is gone among those snow-white lilies which 
 bloom in the pastures of heaven, those golden lilies which 
 are round about the throne. Oh, when shall we be with Him, 
 and partake of His glory ? Our impatient spirit yearns for 
 the hour when our marriage shall be consummated and our 
 bliss complete. He is among His lilies here below, those 
 virgin souls who, — 
 
 " Whithersoever the Lamb doth lead, 
 From His footsteps ne'er depart." 
 
 If we would find Christ, we must get into communion with 
 His people ; we must come to the ordinances with His saints. 
 Though He does not feed on the lilies. He feeds among 
 them, and there, mayhap, we may meet with Him. Oh for 
 an evening glimpse of Him ! Oh, to sup with Him to-night ! 
 My Lord, by all Thy love to me, deign at this hour to visit 
 me in Thy kindness, and give me the dawn of heaven in my 
 soul. How quickly can He come to me ! No feet of roe 
 are half so swift. In a moment He can cheer me with Hia 
 delightful presence. Come, Lord Jesus, and abide with in« 
 fo'-ever. 
 
 " When wilt Tliou come unto me, Lord * 
 Oh, corae, my Lord most dear ! 
 Come near, come nearer, nearer still; 
 I'm blest wlu'u Thou art near." 
 
June 20. evening headings. 173 
 
 " Straightway they forsook their nets, and followed Ilini." 
 Mark i. 18. 
 
 ^Fi|:f!jlIEN they heard the call of Jesus, Simon and Andrew 
 Ml'Jkh obeyed at once without demur. If we .would always, 
 -^'^*^ punctually and with resolute zeal, put in practice 
 what we hear upon the spot, or at the first fit occasion, our 
 attendance at the means of grace, and our reading of good 
 books, could not fail to enrich us spiritually. He will not 
 lose his loaf who has taken care a* once to eat it ; neither 
 can he be deprived of the benefit of the doctrine who has 
 already acted upon it. Most readers and hearers become 
 moved so far as to purpose to amend ; but, alas ! the propo- 
 sal is a blossom which has not been knit, and therefore no 
 fruit comes of it ; they wait, they waver, and then they for- 
 get, till, like the ponds in nights of frost, when the sun shines 
 by day, they are only thawed in time to be frozen again. 
 That fatal to-morroio is blood-red with the murder of fair 
 resolutions ; it is the slaughter-house of the innocents. We 
 are very concerned that our little book of " Evening Read- 
 ings" should not be fruitless, and therefore we pray that 
 readers may not be readers only, but doers of the word. The 
 ■practice of truth is the most profitable reading of it. Should 
 the reader be impressed with any duty while perusing these 
 pages, let him hasten to fulfil it before the holy glow has de- 
 parted from his soul, and let him leave his nets, and all that 
 he has, sooner than be found rebellious to the Master's call. 
 Do not give place to the devil by delay ! Haste while op- 
 portunity and quickening are in happy conjunction. Do not 
 be caught in your own nets, but break the meshes of world- 
 liness, and away where glory calls you. Happy is the writer 
 who shall meet with readers lesolved to carry out his teach- 
 .ngs : his harvest shall be a hundred fold, and his Master 
 shall have great honor. Would to God that such might be 
 our reward upon these brief meditations and hurried binta 
 Orant it, Lord, unto thy servant 1 
 15* 
 
174 EVENING READINGS. June 21, 
 
 " The foundation of Ood standeth sure." — 2 Timothy ii. 19. 
 
 'SHE foundation upon which our faith rests is this, that 
 " God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Him- 
 self, not imputing their trespasses unto them." The 
 great fact on which genuine faith relies is, that " the Word 
 was made flesh and dwelt among us," and that " Christ also 
 hath suffered for sin, the just for the unjust, that He might 
 bring us to God ;" "Who Himself bare our sins in His own 
 body on the tree ; " " For the chastisement of our peace was 
 upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed." In one word, 
 the great pillar of the Christian's hope is substitution. The 
 vicarious sacrifice of Christ for the guilty, Christ being made 
 sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God 
 in Him, Christ offering up a true and proper expiatory and 
 substitutionary sacrifice in the Toom, place, and stead of as 
 many as the Father gave Him, who are known to God by 
 name, and are recognized in their own hearts by their trust- 
 ing in Jesus — this is the cardinal fact of the gospel. It 
 this foundation were removed, what could we do ? But it 
 standeth firm as the throne of God. We know it ; we rest 
 on it ; we rejoice in it ; and our delight is to hold it, to med- 
 itate upon it, and to proclaim it, while we desire to be actu- 
 ated and moved by gratitude for it in every part of our life 
 and conversation. In these days a direct attack is made 
 upon the doctrine of the atonement. Men cannot bear sub- 
 stitution. They gnash their teeth at the thought of the Lamb 
 of God bearing the sin of man. But we, who know by ex- 
 perience the preciousness of this truth, will proclaim it, in 
 defiance of them, confidently and unceasingly. We will 
 neither dilute it, nor change it, nor fritter it away in any 
 shape or fashion. It shall still be Christ, a positive substitute 
 bearing human guilt and suffering in the stead of men. We 
 cannot, dare not, give it up, for it is our life ; and despite 
 every controversy, we feel that " nevertheless the foundatios 
 of God standeth sure." 
 
June 22. eveniwo keadings. 175 
 
 " 'Hull those things tchich cannot be shdken may remain." 
 Hebrews xii. 27. 
 
 il^'^<^ have many thinsrs in our posseission at the present 
 moment which cati be shaken, and it ill becoinos a 
 Christian man to set much store by them, for tlioro 
 is nothing stable beneath these rolling skies ; change is writ- 
 ten upon all things. Yet we have certain " things which 
 CJinnot be shaken," and I invite you this evening to think of 
 them, that if the things which can be shaken should all be 
 taken away, you may derive real comfort from the things 
 that cannot be shaken, which will remain. Whatever your 
 losses have been or may be, you enjoy present salvation. You 
 are standing at the foot of His cross, trusting alone in the 
 merit of Jesus' precious blood, and no rise or fall of the 
 markets can interfere with your salvation in Him ; no break- 
 ing of banks, no failures and bankruptcies, can touch that. 
 Then you are a child of God this evening. God is your Fa- 
 ther. No change of circumstances can ever rob you of that. 
 Although by losses brought to poverty, and stripped bare, 
 you can say, " He is my Father still. In my Father's house 
 are many mansions ; therefore will I not be troubled." You 
 have another permanent blessing, namely, the love qf Jesus 
 Christ. He who is God and Man loves you with all the 
 strength of His affectionate nature — nothing can affect that. 
 The fig tree may not blossom, and the flocks may cease from 
 the field ; it matters not to the man who can sing, " My Be- 
 loved is mine, and I am His." Our best portion and richest 
 heritage we cannot lose. Whatever troubles come, let us 
 play the man ; let us show that we are not such little chil- 
 dren as to be cast down by what may happen in th'^ poor 
 fleeting state of time. Our country is Immanuel's land, our 
 hope is above the sky, and therefore, calm as the summer's 
 ocean, we will see the wreck of everything earth-born, and 
 yet rejoice in the God of our salvation. 
 
176 EVENING READINGS. June 23, 
 
 " Waiting for the adoption." — Romans viii. 23. 
 
 t?aAT}N in this world saints are God's children, but men 
 f^m cannot disQover them to be so, except by certain 
 moral characteristics. The adoption is not manifest- 
 ed ; the children are not yet openly declared. Among the 
 Romans a man might adopt a child, and keep it private for a 
 long time ; but there was a second adoption in public ; when 
 the child was brought before the constituted authorities, its 
 former garments were taken off, and the father who took it 
 to be his child gave it raiment suitable to its new condition 
 of life. " Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it dolh 
 not yet appear what we shall be." We are not yet arrayed 
 in the apparel which befits the royal family of heaven ; we 
 are wearing in this flesh and blood just what we wore as the 
 sons of Adam ; but we know that " when He shall appear " 
 who is the " first born among many brethren," we shall be 
 like Him, we shall see Him as He is. Cannot you imagine 
 that a child taken from the lowest ranks of society, and 
 adopted by a Roman senator, would say to himself, " I long 
 for the day when I shall be publicly adopted. Then I shall 
 leave off these plebeian garments, and be robed as becomes 
 my senatorial rank " ? Happy in what he has received, for 
 that very reason he groans to get the fulness of what is prom- 
 ised him. So it is with us to-day. We are waiting till we 
 shall put on our proper garments, and shall be manifested 
 as the children of God. We are young nobles, and have not 
 yet worn our coronets. We are young brides, and the mar- 
 riage day is not yet come, and by the love our Spouse bears 
 us, we are led to long and sigh for the bridal morning. Our 
 very happiness makes us groan after more ; our joy, like a 
 swollen spring, longs to well up like an Iceland Geyser, 
 leaping to the skies, and it heaves and groans within our 
 spirit for want of space and room by which to manifest it* 
 self to men. 
 
June 24. evexinq readings. 177 
 
 " Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said, . . . Bt 
 it known unto thee, king, that we will not serve thy gods." -— 
 Daniel iii. 16, 18. 
 
 ^*^^HE narrative of the manly courage and marvellous de- 
 vlpifi liverance of the three holy children, or rather chara- 
 '^^^^ pions, is well calculated to excite in the minds of 
 believers firmness and steadfastness in upholding the truth in 
 the teeth of tyranny, and in the very jaws of death. Let 
 young Christians especially learn from their example, both in 
 matters of faith in religion, and matters of uprightness in 
 business, never to sacrifice their consciences. Lose all rather 
 than lose your integrity ; and when all else is gone, still hold 
 fast a clear conscience as the rarest jewel which can adorn 
 the bosom of a mortal. Be not guided by the will-o'-the- 
 Vrisp of policy, but by the pole-star of divine authority. Follow 
 the right at all hazards. When you see no present advan- 
 tage, walk by faith, and not by sight. Do God the honor to 
 trust Him when it comes to matters of loss for the sake of 
 principle. See whether He will be your debtor ! See if He 
 doth not even in this life prove His word that " godliness, 
 with contentment, is great gain," and that they who " seek 
 first the kingdom of God and His righteousness shall have 
 all these things added unto them." Should it happen that, 
 in the providence of God, you are a loser by conscience, you 
 shall find that if the Lord pays you not back in the silver of 
 sarthly prosperity, He will discharge His promise in the gold 
 of spiritual joy. Remember that a man's life consisteth not 
 m the abundance of that which he possesseth. To wear a 
 guileless spirit, to have a heart void of offence, to have the 
 favor and smile of God, is greater riches than the mines of 
 Ophir could yield, or the traffic of Tyre could win. " Bet- 
 ter is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and 
 inward contention therewith ' An ounct» of heart's-ease ia 
 worth a ton of gold. 
 
178 EVENING HEADINGS. June 25. 
 
 " The dove found no rest for the sole of her foot." — Gen. viii 9. 
 
 SI^'^EADER, can you find rest apart-from the ark, Christ 
 /^!jlV^ Jesus ? Then be assured that your religion is vain. 
 **''^^ Are you satisfied with anything short of a conscious 
 knowledge of your union and interest in Christ? Then woe 
 unto you. If you profess to be a Christian, yet find full sat- 
 isfaction in worldly pleasures ind pursuits, your profession is 
 false. If your soul can stretch herself at rest, and find the 
 bed long enough, and the coverlet broad enough to cover 
 her in the chambers of sin, then you are a hypocrite, and far 
 enough from any right thoughts of Christ or perception of 
 His preciousness. But if, on the other hand, you feel that if 
 you could indulge in sin without punishment, yet it would be 
 a punishment of itself ; and that if you could have the whole 
 world, and abide in it forever, it would be quite enough misery 
 not to be parted from it ; for your God — your God — is what 
 your soul craves after ; then be of good courage, thou art a 
 child of God. With all thy sins and imperfections, take this 
 to thy comfort : If thy soul has no rest in sin, thou art not as 
 the sinner is ! If thou art still crying after and craving after 
 something better, Christ has not forgotten thee, for thou hast 
 not quite forgotten Him. The believer cannot do without 
 his Lord ; words are inadequate to express his thoughts of 
 Him. We cannot live on the sand of the wilderness ; we 
 want the manna which drops from on high ; our skin bottles 
 of creature confidence cannot yield us a drop of moisture, 
 but we drink of the rock which follows us, and that rock is 
 Christ. When you feed on Him your soul can sing, " He 
 hath satisfied my mouth with good things, so that my youth 
 is renewed like the eagle's ; " but if you have Him not, your 
 bursting wine vat and well-filled barn can give you no sor< 
 of satisfaction: rather lament over them in the words of 
 wisdom, " Vanity of vanities, all is vanity ! " 
 
June 26. evening readings. 179 
 
 " Having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.^ 
 2 Peter i. 4. 
 
 1^6ANISn forever all thought of indulging the flesh if 
 \\l you would live in the power of your risen Lord. It 
 were ill that a man who is alive in Christ should dwell 
 in the corruption of sin. " Why seek ye the living among 
 the dead ? " said the angel to Magdalene. Should the living 
 dwell in the sepulchre ? Should divine life be immured ia 
 the charnel-house of fleshly lust ? How can we partake of 
 the cup of the Lord and yet drink the cup of Belial ? Sure- 
 ly, believer, from open lusts and sins you are delivered : have 
 you also escaped from the more secret and delusive lime- 
 twigs of the Satanic fowler ? Have you come forth from the 
 lust of pride ? Have you escaped from slothfulness ? Have 
 you clean escaped from carnal security r Are you seeking 
 day by day to live above worldliness, the pride of life, and 
 the insnaring vice of avarice ? Remember, it is for this that 
 you have been enriched with the treasures of God. If you 
 be indeed the chosen of God and beloved by Him, do not 
 sufi'er all the lavish treasure of grace to be wasted upon you. 
 Follow after holiness ; it is the Christian's crown and glory. 
 An unholy church ! it is useless to the world, and of no es- 
 teem among men. It is an abomination, hell's laughter, 
 heaven's abhorrence. The worst evils which have ever come 
 upon the world have been brought upon her by an unholy 
 church. Christian, the vows of God are upon yon. You 
 are God's priest : act as such. You are God's king : reign 
 over your lusts. You are God's chosen : do not associate 
 with Belial. Heaven is your portion : live like a heavenly 
 spirit, so shall you prove that you have true faith in Jesus, 
 for there cannot to faith in the heart unless there ^e hclinesj 
 ia the life. 
 
 •' Lord, I desire to live as one 
 
 Who bears a blood-boug^Iit name, 
 ▲b one who fears but grieving Thee, 
 And knows no other shame." 
 
180 EVENING EEADiNGS. Jun 3 27. 
 
 " Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called." 
 1 Corinthians vii. 20. 
 
 5J1<5^0ME persons have the foolish notion thai the only way 
 L. \ni jjj which they can live for God is by becoming min- 
 isters, missionaries, or Bible women. Alas ! hew 
 many would be shut out from any opportunity of magnify- 
 ing the Most High if this were the case ! Beloved, it is not 
 office, it is earnestness ; it is not position, it is grace which 
 will enable us to glorify God. God is most surely glorified 
 in that cobbler's stall, where the godly worker, as he plies 
 the awl, sings of the Saviour's love — ay, glorifled far more 
 than in many a prebendal stall where official religiousness 
 performs its scanty duties. The name of Jesus is glorified 
 by the poor unlearned carter as he drives his horse, and 
 blesses his God, or speaks to his fellow-laborer by the road- 
 side, as much as by the popular divine who, throughout the 
 country, like Boanerges, is thundering out the gospel. God 
 is glorified by our serving Him in our proper vocations.^ 
 Take care, dear reader, that you do not forsake the path of 
 duty by leaving your occupation, and take care you do not 
 dishonor your profession while in it. Think little of your- 
 selves, but do not think too little of your callings. Every 
 lawful trade may be sanctified by the gospel to noblest ends. 
 Turn to the Bible, and you will find the most menial forms 
 of labor connected eilher with most daring deeds of faith, or 
 with persons whose lives have been illustrious for holiness. 
 Therefore be not discontented with your calling. Whatever 
 God has made your position, or your work, abide in that, 
 unless you are quite sure that He calls you to something else. 
 Let your first care be to glorify God to the utmost of your 
 power where you are. Fill your present sphere to His 
 praise, and if He needs you in another He will show it 
 you. This evening lay aside vexatious ambition, and embrace 
 peaceful crntent. 
 
Jui«e 28. EVENING BiADINGS. 181 
 
 " But Aaron's rod swalloiced up their rods." ^ Exodu- vii. 12. 
 
 j^HIS incident is an instructive emblem of the sure 
 'jl] victory of the divine handiwork over all opposition. 
 Whenever a divine principle is cast into the heart, 
 though the devil may fashion a counterfeit, and produce 
 Bwarms of opponents, as sure as ever God is in the work, it 
 will swallow up all its foes. If God's grace takes possession 
 of a man, the world's magicians may throw down all their 
 rods ; and every rod may be as cunning and poisonous as a 
 serpent, but Aaron's rod will swallow up their rods. The 
 sweet attractions of the cross will woo and win the man's 
 heart, and he who lived only for this deceitful earth will 
 now have an eye for the upper spheres, and a wing to mount 
 into celestial heights. When grace has won the day, the 
 worldling seeks the world to come. The same fact is to be 
 observed in the life of the believer. What multitudes of 
 foes has our faith had to meet! Our old sins — the devil 
 threw them down before us, and they turned to serpents. 
 What hosts of them ! Ah, but the cross of Jesus destroys 
 them all. Faith in Christ makes short work of all our sins. 
 Then the devil has launched forth another host of serpents 
 in the form of worldly trials, temptations, unbelief; but faith 
 in Jesus is more than a match for them, and overcomes them 
 all. The same absorbing principle shines in the faithful ser- 
 vice of God ; with an enthusiastic love for Jesus, difficulties 
 are surmounted, sacrifices become pleasures, suflPerings are 
 honors. But if religion is thus a consuming passion in the 
 heart, then it follows that there are many persons who pro- 
 fess religion, but have it not; for what they have will not 
 bear this test. Examine yourself, my reader, on this point. 
 Aaron's rod proved its Heaven-given power. Is your religion 
 doing so? If Christ be anything, He must be evjrything. 
 Oh, rest not till love and faith in Jesus be the master passions 
 of your soul ! 
 
 16 
 
182 EVENING READINGS. June 29 
 
 " Howbeit, in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of 
 Babylon, who sent unto him to inquire of the wonder that was 
 done in the land, Ood left him, to try him, that He might know 
 all that was in his heart." — 2 Chronicles xxxii. 31. 
 
 ^EZEKIAH was growing so inwardly great, and prid- 
 Yi ing himself so much upon the favor of God, that 
 self-righteousness crept in, and through his carnal 
 security, the grace of God was for a time, in its more active 
 operations, withdrawn. Here is quite enough to account for 
 his folly with the Babylonians ; for if the grace of God should 
 leave the best Christian, there is enough of sin in his heart 
 to make him the worst of transgressors. If left to your- 
 selves, you who are warmest for Christ would cool down like 
 Laodicea into sickening lukewarniness ; you who are sound 
 in the faith would be white with the leprosy of false doctrine; 
 you who now walk before the Lord in excellency and integ- 
 rity would reel to and fro, and stagger with a drunkenness 
 of evil passion. Like the moon we borrow our light; bright 
 as we are when grace shines on us, we are darkness itself 
 when the Sun of Righteousness withdraws Himself. There' 
 fore let us cry to God never to leave us. " Lord, take not 
 Thy Holy Spirit from us ! withdraw not from us Thine in- 
 dwelling grace ! Hast Thou not said, ' I the Lord do keep 
 it ; I will water it every moment : lest any hurt it, I will keep 
 it night and day'? Lord, keep us everywhere. Keep us 
 when in the valley, that we murmur not against Thy hum- 
 bling hand ; keep us when on the mountain, that we wax not 
 giddy through being lifted up ; keep us in youth, when our 
 passions are strong; keep us in old age, when, becoming 
 conceited of our wisdom, we may therefore prove greater 
 fools than the young and giddy ; keep us when we come to 
 die, l?st, at the very last, we should deny Thee ! Keep us 
 living, keep us dying, keep us laboring, keep us sufiFering, 
 keep us fighting, keep us resting, keep us everywhere, fox 
 everywhere we need Thee, our God I " 
 
June 30. etening headings. 183 
 
 "Ah, Lord God, behold. Thou hast wade the heaven and the earth by 
 Thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too 
 hard for Thee." — Jeremiah xxxii. 17. 
 
 -,T the very time when the Chaldeans surrounded Jeru- 
 |{^ salcm, and when the sword, famine, and pestilence 
 had desolated the laud, Jeremiah was commanded bj 
 God to purchase a field, and have the deed of transfer legally 
 sealed and witnessed. This was a strange purchase for a 
 rational man to make. Prudence could not justify it, for it 
 was buying with scarcely a probability that the person pur- 
 chasing could ever enjoy the possession. But it was enough 
 for Jeremiah that his God Lad bidden him, for well he knew 
 that God will be justified of all His children. He reasoned 
 thus : " Ah, Lord God ! Thou canst make this plot of ground 
 of use to me ; Thou canst rid this land of these oppressors ; 
 Thou canst make me yet sit under my vine and my fig tree 
 in the heritage which I have bought; for Thou didst make 
 the heavens and the earth, and there is nothing too hard for 
 Thee." This gave a majesty to the early saints, that they 
 dared to do at God's command things which carnal reason 
 would condemn. Whether it be a Noah who is to build a 
 ship on dry land, an Abraham who is to offer up his only son, 
 or a Moses who is to despise the treasures of Egypt, or a 
 Joshua who is to besiege Jericho seven days, using no weap- 
 ons hut the blasts of rams' horns, they all act upon God's 
 command, contrary to the dictates of carnal reason ; and the 
 Lord gives them a rich reward as the result of their obedient 
 faith. Would to God we had in the religion of these mod- 
 ern times, a more potent infusion of this heroic faith in God. 
 If we would venture more upon the naked promise of God, 
 we should enter a world of wonders to which as yet we are 
 strangers. Let Jeremiah's place of confidence be ours — 
 nothing is too hard for the God that created the heavens and 
 the earth. 
 
184 EVENING aEADlNGS. Julj 1 
 
 •' The voice of the Lord Ood walking in the garden in the cool of 
 the day." — Genesis iii. 8, 
 
 I VI 
 
 I)Y soul, now that the cool of the day has come, retire 
 |^lf|| a while and hearken to the voice of thy God. He is 
 always ready to speak with thee when thou art pre- 
 pared to hear. If there be any slowness to commune, it is 
 not on His part, but altogether on thine own, for He stands 
 at the door and knocks, and if His people will but open, He 
 rejoices to enter. But in what state is my heart, which is 
 my Lord's garden ? May I venture to hope that it is well 
 trimmed and watered, and is bringing forth fruit fit for Him ? 
 If not. He will have much to reprove ; but still I pray Him to 
 come unto me, for nothing can so certainly bring my heart 
 into a right condition as the presence of the Sun of Right- 
 eousness, who brings healing in His wings. Come, there- 
 fore, Lord my God ; my soul invites Thee earnestly, and 
 waits for thee eagerly. Come to me, Jesus, my well- 
 beloved, and plant fresh flowers in my garden, such as I see 
 blooming in such perfection in Thy matchless character ! 
 Come, my Father, who art the Husbandman, and deal 
 with me in Thy tenderness and prudence ! Come, Holy 
 Spirit, and bedew my whole nature, as the herbs are now 
 moistened with the evening dews. Oh that God would speak 
 to me ! Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth. Oh that 
 He would walk with me ; I am ready to give up my whole 
 heart and mind to Him, and every other thought is hushed. 
 I am only asking what He delights to give. I am sure that 
 He will condescend to have fellowship with me, for He has 
 given me His Holy Spirit to abide with me forever. Sweet 
 is the cool twilight, when every star seems like the eye of 
 heaven, and the cool wind is as the breath of celestial love. 
 My Father, my elder Brother, my sweet Comforter, speak 
 now in loving-kindness, for Thou hast opened mine ear, and 
 I. am not rebellious. 
 
Jul}' 2. EVENING READI> -8. 186 
 
 "Unto Thee will I cry, Lord my rock; he not silent to me: lest, 
 if Thotc he silent to vie, I become like them that go down into the 
 pit." — Psalm xxviii. 1. 
 
 ^fl['^ CRY is the natural expression of sorrow, and a suit- 
 ^p|^ able utterance when all other modes of appeal fai\ 
 ^*^*^^ us ; but the cry must be alone directed to the Lord, 
 for to cry to man is to waste our entreaties upon the air. 
 "VMien we consider the readiness of the Lord to hear, and 
 His ability to aid, we shall see good reason for directing all 
 our appeals at once to the God of our salvation. It will be 
 in vain to call to the rocks in the day of judgment, but our 
 Rock attends to our cries. 
 
 " Be not silent to me." Mere formalists may be content 
 without answers to their prayers, but genuine suppliants can- 
 not ; they are not satisfied with the results of prayer itself 
 in calming the mind and subduing the will — they must go 
 further, and obtain actual replies from heaven, or they can- 
 not rest ; and those replies they long to receive at once ; they 
 dread even a little of God's silence. God's voice is often so 
 terrible that it shakes the wilderness ; but His silence is 
 equally full of awe to an eager suppliant. When God seema 
 to close His ear, we must not therefore close our mouths, but 
 rather cry with more earnestness ; for when our note grows 
 shrill with eagerness and grief. He will not long deny us a 
 hearing. What a dreadful case should we be in if the Lord 
 should become forever silent to our prayers ! "Lo.si, if Thou 
 he silent to me, I become like them that go down into tho. pit." 
 Deprived of the God who answers prayer, we should be in a 
 more pitiable plight than the dead in the grave, and should 
 soon sink to the same level as the lost in hell. W'j must 
 have answers to prayer : ours is an urgent case of dire ne- 
 cessity ; surely the Lord will speak peace to our agitated 
 minds, for He never can fi >d it in His heart tc permit His 
 own elect to perish. 
 16* 
 
188 EVENING READINGS. July 3. 
 
 " If we suffer we shall also reign with Eim." — 2 Timotly ii. 12. 
 
 M:^,E must not imagine that we are suffering for Christ, 
 and with Christ, if we are not in Christ. Beloved 
 friend, are you trusting to Jesus only ? If not> what- 
 ever you may have to mourn over on earth, you are not 
 " suffering with Christ," and have no hope of reigning with 
 Hiin in heaven. Neither are we to conclude that all a Chris- 
 tian's suflFerings are sufferings with Christ, for it is essential 
 that he be called by God to suffer. If we are rash and impru- 
 dent, and run into positions for which neither providence nor 
 grace has fitted us, we ought to question whether we are not 
 rather sinning than communing with Jesus. If we let pas- 
 uon take the place of judgment, and self-will reign instead 
 of scriptural authority, we shall fight the Lord's battles with 
 ihe devil's weapons, and if we cut our own fingers we must 
 act be surprised. Again, in troubles which come upon us as 
 ■he result of sin, we must tiot dream that we are suffering with 
 Christ. When Miriam spoke evil of Moses, and the leprosy 
 polluted her, she was not suffering for God. Moreover, suf- 
 fering which God accepts must have God's glory as its end. If 
 I suffer that I may earn a name, or win applause, I shall get 
 no other reward than that of the Pharisee. It is requisite, 
 also, that love to Jesus, and love to His elect, be ever the main- 
 spring of all our patience. We must manifest the spirit of 
 Christ in meekness, gentleness, and forgiveness. Let us 
 search and see if we truly suffer with Jesus. And if we do 
 thus suffer, what is our "light afiliction" compared with 
 reigning with Him? Oh, it is so blessed to be in the furnace 
 with Christ, and such an honor to stand in the pillory with 
 Him, that if there were no future reward, we might count 
 ourselves happy in present honor ; but when the recompense 
 is so eternal, so infinitely more than we had any right to ex- 
 pect, shall we not take up the cross with alacrity, and go OD 
 our way rejoicing ? 
 
July 4. EVENING READINGS. 18' 
 
 •* ne that hath clean hands, and a pure heart ; who hath not lifted 
 up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully." — Psalm xxiv. 4. 
 
 j?^UTWARD practical holiness is a very precious mark 
 m'k of grace. It is to be feared that many professors 
 have perverted the doctrine of justification by faith 
 in such a way as to treat gooc^ works with contempt ; if so, 
 they will receive everlasting contempt at the last great day. 
 If our hands are not clean, let us wash them in Jesus' pre- 
 cious blood, and so let us lift up pure hands unto God. But 
 ** clean hands" will not suffice, unless they are connected 
 with " a pure heart." True religion is heart-work. We may 
 wash the outside of the cup and the platter as long as we 
 please, but if the inward parts be filthy, we are filthy alto- 
 gether in the sight of God, for our hearts are more truly 
 ourselves than our hands are ; the very life of our being lies 
 in the inner nature, and hence the imperative need of purity 
 within. The pure in heart shall see God ; all others are but 
 blind bats. 
 
 The man who is born for heaven " hath not lifted up his 
 soul unto vanity." All men have their joys, by which their 
 souls are lifted up ; the worldling lifts up his soul in carnal 
 delights, which are mere empty vanities ; but the saint loves 
 more substantial things ; like Jehoshaphat, he is lifted up 
 in the ways of the Lord. He who is content with husks will 
 be reckoned with the swine. Does the world satisfy thee ? 
 Then thou hast thy reward and portion in this life ; make 
 much of it, for thou shalt know no other joy. 
 
 " Nor sworn deceitfully." The saints are men of honor 
 still. The Christian man's word is his only oath ; but that 
 is as good as twenty oaths of other men. False speaking 
 will shut any man out of heaven, for a liar shall not enter 
 into God's house, whatever may be his professions or doings. 
 Reader, does the text before us condemn thee, or dost thoa 
 kope to ascend into the hill of the Lord ? 
 
188 EVENING HEADINGS. Julj 5 
 
 " Trust ye in the Lord forever : for in the Lord Jehovah is ever- 
 lasting strength." — Isaiah xxvi. 4. 
 
 ^^ji^^^EEING that we have such a God to trust to, let us 
 ^5^^ rest upon Him with all our weight ; let us resolutely 
 ^^''^ drive out all unbelief, and endeavor to get rid of 
 doubts and fears, which so much mar our comfort ; since 
 there is no excuse for fear where God is the foundation of 
 our trust. A loving parent would be sorely grieved if hia 
 child could not trust him ; and how ungenerous, how unkind 
 is our conduct when we put so little confidence in our heav- 
 enly Father, who has never failed us, and who never will ! 
 It were well if doubting were banished from the household 
 of God ; but it is to be feared that old Unbelief is as nimble 
 nowadays as when the psalmist asked, " Is His mercy clean 
 gone forever ? Will He be favorable no more ? " David had 
 not made any very lengthy trial of the mighty sword of the 
 giant Goliath, and yet he said, " There is none like it." He 
 had tried it once in the hour of his youthful victory, and it 
 had proved itself to be of the right metal, and therefore f.e 
 praised it ever afterwards ; even so should we speak well 
 of our God ; there is none like unto Him in the heaven above 
 or the earth beneath : " To whom then will ye liken Me, or 
 shall I be equal? saith the Holy One." There is no rock like 
 unto the rock of Jacob, our enemies themselves being judg- 
 es. So far from suffering doubts to live in our hearts, we 
 will take the whole detestable crew, as Elijah did the proph- 
 ets of Baal, and slay them over the brook ; and for a stream 
 to kill them at, we will select the sacred torrent which wells 
 forth from our Saviour's wounded side. We have been in 
 many trials, but we have never yet been cast where we could 
 not find in our God all that we needed. Let us then be en- 
 couraged to trust in the Lord forever, assured that His 
 everlasting strength will be, as it has been, our f uccor and 
 Btaj. 
 
July 6. even:no beadinos. 189 
 
 " How many are vine iniquities and sins!" Job xiii. 23. 
 
 ^AVE you ever really weighed and considered how 
 ■^ gre.at the sin of God'a people is ? Think how hei- 
 nous is your own transgression, and you will find that 
 not only does a sin here and there tower up like an alp, but 
 that your iniquities are heaped upon each other, as in the old 
 fable of the giants who piled Pelion upon Ossa, mountain 
 upon mountain. What an aggregate of sin there is in the 
 life of one of the most sanctified of God's children ! Attempt 
 to multiply this, the sin of one only, by the multitude of the 
 redeemed, " a number which no man can number," and you 
 will have some conception of the great mass of the guilt of 
 the people for whom Jesus shed His blood. But we arrive 
 at a more adequate idea of the magnitude of sin, by the great- 
 ness of the remedy provided. It is the blood of Jesus Christ, 
 God's only and well-beloved Son. God's Son ! Angels cast 
 their crowns before Him ! All the choral symphonies of 
 heaven surround His glorious throne. " God over all, bless- 
 ed forever. Amen." And yet He takes upon Himself the 
 form of a servant, and is scourged and pierced, bruised and 
 torn, and at last slain ; since nothing but the blood of the 
 incarnate Son of God could make atonement for our offences. 
 No human mind can adequately estimate the infinite value 
 of the divine sacrifice, for great as is the sin of God's people, 
 the atonement which takes it away is immeasurably greater. 
 Therefore the believer, even when sin rolls like a black 
 flood, and the remembrance of the past is bitter, can yet 
 stand before the blazing throne of the great and holy God, 
 and cry, " Who is He that condemneth r It is Christ that 
 died ; yea, rather, that hath risen again." While the recol- 
 lection of his sin fills him with shame and sorrow, he at the 
 same time makes it a foil to show the brightness of mercy 
 — guilt is the dark night in which the fair star of divine lov« 
 ihines with serene splendor. 
 
190 EVENING KEADINGS. Julj 7 
 
 " When I passed by thee, I said unto thee, Live." — Ezek. x\i. 6. 
 
 j^^^AVED one, consider gratefully this mandate of mercy. 
 Note that this fiat of God is majestic. In our text, 
 ■we perceive a sinner with nothing in him but sin, ex- 
 pecting nothing but wrath ; but the eternal Lord passes by in 
 His glory ; He looks, He pauses, and He pronounces the soli- 
 tary but royal word, " Live." There speaks a God. Who 
 but He could venture thus to deal with life and dispense it 
 with a single syllable ? Again : this fiat is manifold. When 
 He saith, " Live," it includes many things. Here is judicial 
 life. The sinner is ready to be condemned, but the mighty 
 One saith, " Live," and he rises pardoned and absolved. It 
 is spiritual life. We knew not Jesus — our eyes could not 
 see Christ, our ears could not hear His voice — Jehovah said, 
 " Live," and we were quickened who were dead in trespasses 
 and sins. Moreover, it includes glory-life, which is the per- 
 fection of spiritual life. " I said unto thee. Live : " and that 
 word rolls on through all the years of time till death comes ; 
 and in the midst of the shadows of death, the Lord's voice is 
 still heard, " Live ! " In the morning of the resurrection it 
 is that self-same voice which is echoed by the archangel, 
 " Live," and as holy spirits rise to heaven to be blest forever 
 in the glory of their God, it is in the power of this same word, 
 " Live." Note again, that it is an irresistible mandate. Saul 
 of Tarsus is on the road to Damascus to arrest the saints of 
 the living God. A voice is heard from heaven, and a light 
 is seen above the brightness of the sun, and Saul is crying 
 out, " Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ? " This mandate 
 is a mandate oi free grace. When sinners are saved, it is 
 only and solely because God ivill do it to magnify His free, 
 unpurchased, unsought grace. Christians, see your posi- 
 tion — debtors to grace ; show your gratitude by earnest, 
 Christ-like lives, and as God has bidden you live, see to it 
 that jou live in earnest. 
 
July 8. EVENING HEADINGS. 191 
 
 •* Lead me in TJit/ truth, and teach me : for Thou art i le Ood of 
 my salvation; on Thee do I wait all the day." — Pa. xxv. 5. 
 
 $\Fi[^JIEN the believer has begun with trembling feet to 
 Mb.Hh walk in the way of the Lord, he asks to be still led 
 *^*^ onward like a little child upheld by its parent's help- 
 ing hand, and he craves to be further instructed in the alpha- 
 bet of truth. Experimental teaching is the burden of this 
 piayer. David knew much, but he felt his ignorance, and 
 desired to be still in the Lord's school : four times over in 
 two verses he applies for a scholarship in the college of 
 grace. It were well for many professors if, instead of fol- 
 lowing their own devices, and cutting out new paths of 
 thought for themselves, they would inquire for the good old 
 ways of God's own truth, and beseech the Holy Ghost to give 
 them sanctiBed understandings and teachable spirits. " For 
 Thou art the God of my salvation." The Three-One Jeho- 
 vah is the Author and Perfector of salvation to His people. 
 Reader, is He the God of your salvation ? Do you find in 
 the Father's election, in the Son's atonement, and in the 
 Spirit's quickening, all the grounds of your eternal hopes ? 
 If so, you may use this as an argument for obtaining further 
 blessings ; if the Lord has ordained to save you, surely He 
 will not refuse to instruct you in His ways. It is a happy 
 thing when we can address the Lord with the confidence which 
 David here manifests ; it gives us great power in prayer, and 
 comfort in trial. *' On Thee do I wait all the day." Patience 
 is the fair handmaid and daughter of faith ; we cheerfully 
 wait when we are certain that we shall not wait in vain. It 
 is our duty and our privilege to wait upon the Lord in ser- 
 vice, in worship, in expectancy, in trust, all the days of our 
 life. Our faith will be tried faith, »nd if it be of the true 
 kind, it will bear continued trial without yielding. We shall 
 not grow weary of waiting upon God if we remember hoN» 
 long and how graciously He once waited fo»' us. 
 
192 EVENING HEADINGS. Julj 9 
 
 "And Ood divided the light from the darkness." — Gen. i. 4. 
 
 j ^ BELIEVER has two principles at work within him. 
 In his natural estate he was subject to one principle 
 only, which was darkness ; now light has entered, 
 and the two principles disagree. Mark the apostle Paul's 
 vords in the seventh chapter of Romans : " I find then a law, 
 that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I 
 delight in the law of God after the inward man : but I see 
 another law in my members, warring against the law of my 
 mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin, which 
 is in my members." How is this state of things occasioned ? 
 " The Lord divided the light from the darkness." Dark- 
 ness, by itself, is quiet and undisturbed ; but when the Lord 
 sends in light, there is a conflict, for the one is in opposition 
 to the other : a conflict which will never cease till the be- 
 liever is altogether light in the Lord. If there be a division 
 toithin the individual Christian, there is certain to be a divis- 
 ion luithout. So soon as the Lord gives to any man light, he 
 proceeds to separate himself from the darkness around; he 
 secedes from a merely worldly religion of outward ceremo- 
 nial, for nothing short of the gospel of Christ will now sat- 
 isfy him, and he withdraws himself from worldly society and 
 frivolous amusements, and seeks the company of the saints, 
 for " we know we have passed from death unto life, because 
 we love the brethren." The light gathers to itself, and the 
 darkness to itself. What God has divided let us never try 
 to unite ; but as Christ went without the camp, bearing Hia 
 reproach, so let us come out from the ungodly, and be a 
 peculiar people. He was holy, harmless, uudetiled, separate 
 from sinners ; and, as He was, so we are to be nonconform- 
 ists to the world, dissenting from all sin, and distinguished 
 from the rest of mankind by our likeness to our Master, 
 
July 10. EVENING READINGS. 193 
 
 "And the evening and the morning were thejirst day." 
 Genesis i 5. 
 
 ^^*^HE evening was " darkness " and the morning was 
 ^ll[^| " ^'o'^^'*' ^^^ y®*' '^^ '*''<' together are called by the name 
 tJC*pcui fj^^f^ ^g given to the light alone I This is somewhat 
 remarkable, but it has an exact analogy in spiritual experi- 
 ence. In every believer there is darkness and light, and yet 
 he is not to be named a sinner because there is sin in him, 
 but he is to be named a saint because he possesses some de- 
 gree of holiness. This will be a most comforting thought 
 to those who are mourning their infirmities, and who ask, 
 " Can I be a child of God while there is so much darkness 
 in me ? " Yes ; for you, like the day, take not your name 
 from the evening, but from the morning ; and you are spoken 
 of in the word of God as if you were even now perfectly holy, 
 as you will be soon. You are called the child of light, though 
 there is darkness in you still. You are named after what is 
 the predominating quality in the sight of God, which will 
 one day be the only principle remaining. Observe that the 
 evening comes first. Naturally we are darkness first in order 
 of time, and the gloom is often first in our mournful appre- 
 hension, driving us to cry out in deep humiliation, " God be 
 merciful to me a sinner." The place of the morning is sec- 
 ond ; it dawns when grace overcomes nature. It is a blessed 
 aphorism of John Bunyan, " That which is last, lasts for- 
 ever." That which is first, yields in due season to the last ; 
 but nothing comes after the last. So that though you are 
 naturally darkness, when once you become light in the Lord, 
 there is no evening to follow ; " thy sun shall no more go 
 down." The first day in this life is an evening and a 
 morning ; but the second day, when we shall be with God 
 forever, shall bo a day with no evening, but one sacred, 
 high, eternal noon. 
 17 
 
194 BVKNING READINGS. July 11. 
 
 " Tdl ye your cldldren of it, and let your children tell their chiU 
 dren, and their children another generation." — Joel i. 3. 
 
 [j^fN this simple way, by God's grace, a living testimouy 
 ^1 for truth is always to be kept alive in the land — the 
 beloved of the Lord are to hand down their witness 
 for the gospel, and the covenant to their heirs, and these 
 again to their next descendants. This is our first duty ; we 
 &re to begin at the family hearth : he is a bad preacher who 
 does not commence his ministry at home. The heathen are 
 to be sought by all means, and the highways and hedges are 
 to be searched ; but home has a prior claim, and woe unto 
 those who reverse the order of the Lord's arrangements. 
 To teach our children is a personal duty ; we cannot dele- 
 gate it to Sunday School Teachers, or other friendly aids ; 
 these can assist us, but cannot deliver us from the sacred 
 obligation ; proxies and sponsors are wicked devices in this 
 case : mothers and fathers must, like Abraham, command 
 their households in the fear of God, and talk with their off- 
 spring concerning the wondrous works of the Most High. 
 Parental teaching is a natural duty — who so fit to look to 
 the child's well-being as those who are the authors of his 
 actual being ? To neglect the instruction of our offspring 
 is worse than brutish. Family religion is necessary for the 
 nation, for the family itself, and for the church of God. By 
 a thousand plots Popery is covertly advancing in our land, 
 and one of the most effectual means for resisting its inroads 
 is left almost neglected, namely, the instruction of children 
 in the faith. Would that parents would awaken to a sense 
 of the importance of this matter. It is a pleasant duty to 
 talk of Jesus to our sons and daughters, and the more so 
 because it has often proved to be an accepted work, for God 
 has saved the children through the parents' prayers and ad- 
 monitions. May every house into which this volume shaU 
 come, honor the Lord and receive His emile. 
 
July 12. EVENING READINGS. 19A 
 
 " His heavenly kingdom." — 2 Timothy iv. 18. 
 
 IW 
 
 i^ONDER city of the great King is a place of active 
 service. Ransomed spirits serve Him day and night 
 /" in his temple. They never cease to fulGl the gooi 
 pleasure of their King. They always " rest," so far 
 •3 ease and freedom from care is concerned ; and never 
 •' rest," in the sense of indolence or inactivity. Jerusalem 
 the golden is the place of communion with all the people of 
 God. We shall sit with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in eter- 
 nal fellowship. We shall hold high converse with the noble 
 host of the elect, all reigning with Him who by His love and 
 His potent arm has brought them safely home. We shall not 
 sing solos, but in chorus shall we praise our King. Heaven 
 is a place of victory realized. Whenever, Christian, thou 
 b«,st achieved a victory over thy lusts — whenever, after 
 hard struggling, thou hast laid a temptation dead at thy feet 
 — thou hast in that hour a foretaste of the joy that awaits 
 thee when the Lord shall shortly tread Satan under thy feet, 
 and thou shalt find thyself more than conqueror through Him 
 who hath loved thee. Paradise is a place of security. When 
 you enjoy the full assurance of faith, you have the pledge 
 of that glorious security which shall be yours when you are 
 a perfect citizen of the heavenly Jerusalem. my sweet 
 home, Jerusalem, thou happy harbor of my soul ! Thanks, 
 even now, to Him whose love hath taught me to long for 
 Thee ; but louder thanks in eternity, when I shall possesB 
 thee. 
 
 *' My Boul has tafitcd of the grapes. 
 And DOW it longs to go 
 Where my dear Lord Ills vineyard keep*, 
 And all tlic clusters grow. 
 
 *♦ Upon the true and living vine 
 My famished soul would feast. 
 And banquet on the fruit divine. 
 An evtirlaotiDY i^est. ' "'^' 
 
196 EVENING READINGS. Julj IS. 
 
 " When I cry unto Tliee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this 1 
 know ; for Ood is for me." — Psalm Ivi. 9. 
 
 ^S^I^T is impossible for any human speech to express the 
 •!§v I vjK full meaning of this delightful phrase, ^*God is for 
 y/^Rky „jg " jjg yyas " for us " before the worlds were 
 made ; He was " for us," or He would not have given His 
 well-beloved Son ; He was " for us " when He smote the 
 only-begotten, and laid the full weight of His wrath upon 
 Him — He was "for us," though He was against Him; He 
 jvas " for us " when we were ruined in the fall — He loved 
 as notwithstanding all ; He was " for us " when we were 
 rebels against Him, and with a high hand were bidding Him 
 defiance ; He was " for us," or He would not have brought 
 as humbly to seek His face. He has been " for us " in many 
 struggles ; we have been summoned to encounter hosts of 
 dangers ; we have been assailed by temptations from with- 
 out and within — how could we have remained unharmed to 
 this hour if He had not been "for us" ? He is "for us" 
 mih all the infinity of His being ; with all the omnipotence 
 df His love ; with all the infallibility of His wisdom ; ar- 
 rayed in all His divine attributes. He is " for us " — eter- 
 aally and immutably " for us ; " " for us " when yon blue 
 ikies shall be rolled up like a worn-out vesture ; " for us " 
 throughout eternity. And because He is " for us," the voice 
 of prayer will always insure His help. " When I cry unto 
 Thee, then shall mine enemies be turned back.'' This is no 
 ancertain hope, but a well-grounded assurance — " this 1 
 know." I will direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up 
 /or the answer, assured that it will come, and that mine ene- 
 mies shall be defeated, " for God is for me." believer, 
 how happy art thou with the King of kings on thy side 
 How safe with such a Protector ! How sure thy cause, 
 pleaded by such an Advocate ! If God be for thee, who can 
 be against thee ? 
 
July 14. BTICNINO KEADIN08. 197 
 
 ' As it hty;an to dawn, came Magdalene to see the sepulchre." 
 Mjitthew xxviii. 1. 
 
 IIS'^Si^T U3 learn from Mary Magdalene how to obtain fel- 
 lowship with the Lord Jesus. Notice how she sought. 
 She sought the Saviour very early in the morning. If 
 thou canst wait for Christ, and be patient in the hope of hav- 
 ing fellowship with Him at some distant season, thou wilt 
 never have fellowship at all ; for the heart that is fitted for 
 communion is a hungering and a thirsting heart. She sought 
 Him also with very great boldness. Other disciples fled from 
 the sepulchre, for they trembled and were amazed ; but Mary, 
 it is said, " stood " at the sepulchre. If you would have 
 Christ with you, seek Him boldly. Let nothing hold you 
 back. Defy the world. Press on where others flee. She 
 sought Christ faithfully — she stood at the sepulchre. Some 
 find it hard to stand by a living Saviour, but she stood by a 
 dead one. Let us seek Christ after this mode, cleaving to 
 the very least thing that has to do with Him, remaining faith- 
 ful though all others should forsake Him. Note further, she 
 Bought Jesus earnestly — she stood " iveeping." Those tear- 
 droppings were as spells that led the Saviour captive, and 
 made Him come forth and show Himself to her. If you de- 
 sire Jesus' presence, weep after it ! If you cannot be happy 
 unless He come and say to you, " Thou art My beloved," you 
 will soon hear His voice. Lastly, she sought the Saviour 
 only. What cared she for angels ; she turned herself back 
 from them ; her search was only for her Lord. If Christ be 
 your one and only love, if your heart has cast out all rivals, 
 you will not long lack the comfort of His presence. Mary 
 Magdalene sought thus because she loved much. Let ua 
 arouse ourselves to the same intensity of aff"ection ; let oui 
 heart, like Mary's, be fsll of Christ, and our love, like hers, 
 will be satisfied with nothing sho t of Himself. Lord, re 
 veal Thyself to us this evening I 
 17* 
 
198 EVENING HEADINGS. Jolj 15. 
 
 " He ippeared first to Mary Magdalene." — Mark xvi. 9. 
 
 S;!ESUS " appeared first to Mary Magdalene," probably 
 X' not only on account of her great love and persever- 
 '^' ing seeking, but because, as the context intimates, 
 »\e had been a special trophy of Christ's deliverinff poioer. 
 Learn from this, that the greatness of our sin before conver- 
 sion should not make us imagine that we may not be specially 
 favored with the very highest grade of fellowship. She was 
 one who had left all to become a constant attendant on the 
 Saviour. He was her first, her chief object. Many who 
 were on Christ's side did not take up Christ's cross ; she did. 
 She spent her substance in relieving His wants. If we would 
 see much of Christ, let us serve Him. Tell me who they are 
 that sit oftenest under the banner of His love, and drink 
 deepest draughts from the cup of communion, and I c>m sure 
 they will be those who give most, who serve best, and who 
 abide closest to the bleeding heart of their dear Lord. But 
 notice how Christ revealed Himself to this sorrowing one — 
 by o word, " Mary." It needed but one word in His voice., 
 and at once she knew Him, and her heart owned allegiance by 
 another ivord, her heart was too full to say more. That one 
 word would naturally be the most fitting for the occasion. 
 It implies obedience. She said, '^'^Master." There is no 
 state of mind in which this confession of allegiance will be 
 too cold. No, when your spirit glows most with the heavenly 
 fire, then you will say, " I am Thy servant. Thou hast loosed 
 my bonds." If you can say, " Master," if you feel that 
 His will is your will, then you stand in a happy, holy place. 
 He must have said, " Mary," or else you could not have 
 said, " Rabboni." See, then, from all this, how Christ hon- 
 ors those who honor Him, how love draws our Beloved, 
 how it needs but one word of His to turn our weeping tc 
 rejoicing, how His presence makes the heart's sunshine. 
 
July 16. EVENING READINGS. 199 
 
 •' Thou shall arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for ihe time to fa- 
 vor her, t/ea, the set time is come. For Thy servants take pleasure 
 in her stones, and favor the dust IhercoJ." — Psalm cii. 13, 14. 
 
 i 
 
 J[^ SELFISH man in trouble is exceedingly hard to 
 '1*' comfort, because the springs of his comfort lie entire- 
 ^ ly within himself, and when he is sad all his springs 
 are dry. But a large-hearted man, full of Christian philan 
 thropy, has other springs, from which to supply himself with 
 comfort, besides those which lie within. He can go to his 
 God first of all, and there find abundant help ; and he can 
 discover arguments for consolation in things relating to the 
 world at large, to his country, and above all, to the church, 
 David, in this Psalm, was exceedingly sorrowful ; he wrote, 
 " I am like an owl of the desert. I watch, and am as a spar- 
 row alone upon the house-top." The only way in which he 
 could comfort himself, was in the reflection that God would 
 arise, and have mercy upon Zion : though he was sad, yet 
 Zion should prosper ; however low his own estate, yet Zion 
 should arise. Christian man ! learn to comfort thyself in 
 God's gracious dealing towards the church. That which is 
 80 dear to thy Master, should it not be dear above all else 
 to thee ? What though thy way be dark, canst thou not 
 gladden thine heart with the triumphs of His cross and the 
 spread of His truth ? Our own personal troubles arc for- 
 gotten while we look, not only upon what God has done, and 
 is doing for Zion, but on the glorious things He will yet do 
 for His church. Try this receipt, believer, whenever 
 thou art sad of heart and in heaviness of spirit : Forget thy- 
 self and thy little concerns, and seek the welfare and pros- 
 perity of Zion. When thou beudest thy knee in prayer to 
 God, limit not thy petition to the narrow circle of thine own 
 life, tried though it be, but send out thy longing prayers for 
 the church's prosperity. " Pray for the peace of Jerusalem,' 
 »nd thine own soul shall be refreshed. 
 
200 ETENiNG HEADINGS. July 17. 
 
 " Let not one of them escape." — 1 Kings xviii. 40. 
 
 ;HEN the prophet Elijah had received the answer to 
 'KJk his prayer, and the fire from heaven had consumed 
 ^^ the sacrifice in the presence of all the people, he 
 called upon the assembled Israelites to take the priests of 
 Bfial, and sternly cried, " Let not one of them escape." He 
 took them all down to the brook Kishon, and slew them 
 there. So must it be with our sins — they are all doomed ; 
 not one must be preserved. Our darling sin must die. 
 Spare it not for its much crying. Strike, though it be aa 
 dear as an Isaac. Strike, for God struck at sin when it was 
 laid upon His own Son. With stern, unflinching purpose 
 must you condemn to death that sin which was once the idol 
 of your heart. Do you ask how you are to accomplish this ^ 
 Jesus will be your power. You have grace to overcome sin 
 given you in the covenant of grace ; you have strength to 
 win the victory in the crusade against inward lusts, because 
 Christ Jesus has promised to be with you even unto the end. 
 If you would triumph over darkness, set yourself in the pres- 
 snce of the Sun of Righteousness. There is no place so well 
 adapted for the discovery of sin, and recovery from its pow- 
 er and guilt, as the immediate presence of God. Job never 
 knew how to get rid of sin half so well as he did when his 
 eye of faith rested upon God ; and then he abhorred himself, 
 and repented in dust and ashes. The fine gold of the Chris- 
 tian is oft becoming dim. We need the sacred fire to con- 
 sume the dross. Let us fly to our God. He is a consuming 
 fire ; he will not consume our spirit, but our sins. Let the 
 goodness of God excite us to a sacred jealousy and to a 
 holy revenge against those iniquities which are hateful in 
 His sight. Go forth to battle with Amalek in His strength, 
 and utterly destroy the accursed crew: let not one of them 
 escape. 
 
July 18. BVEXING KEADINGS. 20 \ 
 
 •* NeitJier shall one thrust another ; they shall walk every one in hU 
 path:' — ioe\\\. 8. 
 
 \K5jOCUSTS always keep their rank, and although their 
 >f)l number is legion, they do not crowd upon each other, 
 so as to throw their columns into confusion. This 
 /smarkable fact in natural history shows how thoroughly the 
 Lord has infused the spirit of order into His universe, since 
 fhe smallest animate creatures are as much controlled by it 
 as are the rolling spheres or the seraphic messengers. It 
 would be wise for believers to be ruled by the same influ- 
 2n.ce, in all their spiritual life. In their Christian graces no 
 one virtue should usurp the sphere of another, or eat out the 
 vitals of the rest for its own support. Affection must not 
 smother honesty, courage must not elbow meekness out of 
 the field, modesty must not jostle energy, and patience must 
 not slaughter resolution. So also with our duties ; one must 
 not interfere with another; public usefulness must not injure 
 private piety ; church work must not push family worship 
 into a corner. It is ill to offer God one duty stained with 
 the blood of another. Each thing is beautiful in its season, 
 but not otherwise. It was to the Pharisee that Jesus said, 
 " This ought ye to have done, and not to have left the other 
 undone." The same rule applies to our personal position ; 
 we must take care to know our place, take it, and keep to it. 
 We must minister as the Spirit has given us ability, and not 
 intrude upon our fellow-servant's domain. Our Lord Jesus 
 taught us not to covet the high places, but to be willing to 
 be the least among the brethren. Far from us be an envi- 
 ous, ambitious spirit ; let us feel the force of the Master's 
 command, and do as He bids us, keeping rank with the rest 
 of the host. To-night let us see whether we are keeping the 
 unity of the Spirit in the bonds of peace, and let our prayer 
 be, that in all the churches of the Lord Jesi*" pea to and 
 order may preyail. 
 
202 ETENING HEADINGS. JuIy 19, 
 
 " A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall he noi 
 quench." — Matthew xii. 20. 
 
 I^HAT is weaker than the bruised reed or the smoking 
 flax ? A reed that groweth in the fen or marsh, let 
 but the wild duck light upon it, and it snaps ; let but 
 the foot of man brush against it, and it is bruised and broken ; 
 every wind that flits across the river moves it to and fro. 
 You can conceive of nothing more frail or brittle, or whose 
 existence is more in jeopardy, than a bruised reed. Then 
 look at the smoking flax — what is it ? It has a spark with- 
 in it, it is true, but it is almost smothered ; an infant's breath 
 might blow it out ; nothing has a more precarious existence 
 than its flame. Weak things are here described, yet Jesus 
 says of them, " The smoking flax I will not quench ; the 
 bruised reed I will not break." Some of God's children are 
 made strong to do mighty works for Him ; God has His 
 Samsons here and there, who can pull up Gaza's gates, and 
 carry them to the top of the hill ; He has a few mighties who 
 are lion-like men, but the majority of His people are a timid, 
 trembling race. They are like starlings, frightened at every 
 passer-by ; a little fearful flock. If temptation comes, they 
 are taken like birds in a snare ; if trial threatens, they are 
 ready to faint ; their frail skiff" is tossed up and down by 
 every wave, they are drifted along like a sea-bird on the 
 crest of the billows — weak things, without strength, without 
 wisdom, without foresight. Yet, weak as they are, and be- 
 cause they are so weak, they have this promise made special- 
 ly to them. Herein is grace and graciousness ! Herein is 
 love and loving-kindness ! How it opens to us the compas- 
 sion of Jesus — so gentle, tender, considerate ! We need 
 never shrink back from His touch. We need never fear a 
 harsh word from Him ; though he might well chide us for our 
 weakness. He rebuketh not. Bruised reeds shall have no 
 blows from Him, and the smoking flax no damping frowns. 
 
July 20. ETTSNING BEADING8. 203 
 
 "And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egyptf to drink tht 
 waters of Sihor9" — Jeremiah ii. 18. 
 
 KfcjH^Y sundry miracles, by divers mercies, by strange de- 
 "j^J iSfi liverances Jehovah had proved Himself to be worthy 
 ^^^**^ of Israel's trust. Yet they broke down the hedges 
 with which God had enclosed them as a sacred garden ; they 
 forsook their own true and living God, and followed after 
 false gods. Constantly did the Lord reprove them for this 
 infatuation, and our text contains one instance of God's ex- 
 postulating with them : " What hast thou to do in the way of 
 Egypt, to drink the waters of the muddy river ? " — for so it 
 may be translated. " Why dost thou wander afar, and leave 
 thine own cool stream from Lebanon ? Why dost thou for- 
 sake Jerusalem to turn aside to Noph and to Tahapanes ? 
 Why art thou so strangely set on mischief, that thou canst 
 not be content with the good and healthful, but wouldst fol- 
 low after that which is evil and deceitful ? " Is there not 
 here a word of expostulation and warning to the Christian ? 
 true believer, called by grace and washed in the precious 
 blood of Jesus, thou hast tasted of better drink than the 
 muddy river of this world's pleasure can give thee ; thou 
 hast had fellowship with Christ ; thou hast obtained the joy 
 of seeing Jesus, and leaning thine head upon His bosom. Do 
 the trifles, the songs, the honors the merriment of this earth 
 content thee after that ? Hast thou eaten the bread of angels, 
 and canst thou live on husks ? Good Rutherford once said, 
 *' I have tasted of Christ's own manna, and it hath put my 
 mouth out of taste for the brown bread of this world's joys." 
 Methinks it should be so with thee. If thou art wandering 
 after the waters of Egypt, oh, return quickly to the one liv- 
 ing fountain : the waters of Sihor may be sweet to the Egyp- 
 tians, but they will prove only bitterness to thee. What hast 
 thou to do with them : Jesus asks thee this question this 
 evening — what wilt thou answer Him ? 
 
204 B-VENiNG READINGS. July 21 
 
 " Why go I mourning ? " — Psalm xlii. 9. 
 
 'ANST thou answer this, believer ? Canst thou find 
 ^^ any reason why thou art so often mourning instead 
 of rejoicing ? Why yield to gloomy anticipations ? 
 Who told thee that the night would never end in day ? Whd 
 told thee that the sea of circumstances would ebb out till 
 there should be nothing left but long leagues of the mud of 
 horrible poverty ? Who told thee that the winter of thy dis- 
 content would proceed from frost to frost, from snow, and 
 ice, and hail, to deeper snow, and yet more heavy tempest 
 of despair ? Knowest thou not that day follows night, that 
 flood come? after ebb, that spring and summer succeed tp 
 winter ? Hope thou then ! Hope thou ever ! for God fails 
 thee not. Dost thou not know that thy God loves thee in 
 the midst of all this ? Mountains, when in darkness hidden, 
 are as real as in day, and God's love is as true to thee now 
 as it was in thy brightest moments. No father chastens al- 
 ways : thy Lord hates the rod as much as thou dost ; he only 
 cares to use it for that reason which should make thee willing 
 to receive it, namely, that it works thy lasting good. Thou 
 shalt yet climb Jacob's ladder with the angels, and behold 
 Him who sits at the top of it — thy covenant God. Thou 
 shalt yet, amidst the splendors of eternity, forget the trials 
 of time, or only remember them to bless the God who led 
 thee through them, and wrought thy lasting good by them. 
 Come, sing in the midst of tribulation. Rejoice even while 
 passing through the furnace. Make the wilderness to blos- 
 som like the rose ! Cause the desert to ring with thine ex- 
 ulting joya, for these light afflictions will soon be over, and 
 then, " forever with the Lord," thy bliss shall never wane. 
 
 ' Faiut not nor foar; His arms are near; 
 He changeth not, and thou art dear; 
 Only believe, and thou ehalt see 
 That Christ is all in all to thee." 
 
.Taly 22. evening readings. 20-5 
 
 " Behold the Man ! " — John xix. 5. 
 
 ^WP there be one place where our Lord Jesus most fully 
 ''^^ becomes the joy and comfort of His people, it is 
 •^ where He plunged deepest into the depths of woe. 
 Come hither, gracious souls, and behold the Man in the gar- 
 den of Gethsemane ; behold His heart so brimming with love 
 that He cannot hold it in — so full of sorrow that it must 
 find a vent. Behold the bloody sweat as it distils from every 
 pore of His body, and falls upon the ground. Behold the 
 Man as they drive the nails into His hands and feet. Look 
 up, repenting sinners, and see the sorrowful image of your 
 suffering Lord. Mark Him, as the ruby drops stand on the 
 thorn-crown, and adorn with priceless gems the diadem of the 
 King of Misery. Behold the Man when all His bones are 
 out of joint, and He is poured out like water and brought 
 into the dust of death ; God hath forsaken Him, and hell 
 compasseth Him about. Behold and see : was there ever 
 sorrow like unto His sorrow that is done unto Him ? All ye 
 that pass by, draw near and look upon fchis spectacle of grief, 
 unique, unparalleled, a wonder to men and angels, a prodigy 
 unmatched. Behold the Emperor of Woe, who had no equal 
 or rival in His agonies ! Gaze upon Him. ye mourners, for 
 if there be not consolation in a crucified Christ, there is no 
 joy in earth or heaven. If in the ransom price of His blood 
 there be not hope, ye harps of heaven, there is no joy in 
 you, and the right hand of God shall know no pleasures for- 
 evermore. We *have only to sit more continually at the 
 cross-foot to be less troubled with our doubts and woes. 
 We have but to see His sorrows, and our sorrowe we shall 
 be ashamed to mention ; we have but io gaze into His 
 wounds, and heal our own. If we would live aright, it must 
 be by the contemplation of His death ; if we would rise to 
 dignity, it must be by considering His humiliation and His 
 sorrow. 
 
 18 
 
206 EVENING READINGS. July 23, 
 
 ** The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." 
 1 John i. 7. 
 
 iEANSETH," says the text — not " shall cleanse." 
 ^^ There are multitudes who think that as a dying 
 hope they may look forward to pardon. Oh, how 
 infinitely better to have cleansing now than to depend on the 
 bare possibility of forgiveness when I come to die. Some 
 imagine that a sense of pardon is an attainment only obtain- 
 able after many years of Christian experience. But forgive- 
 ness of sin is a present thing — a privilege for this day, a joy 
 for this very hour. The moment a sinner trusts Jesus, he 
 is fully forgiven. The text, being written in the present 
 tense, also indicates continuance : ft was " cleanseth " yes- 
 terday, it is " cleanseth " to-day, it will be " cleanseth " to- 
 morrow : it will always be so with you. Christian, until you 
 cross the river ; every hour you may come to this fountain, 
 for it cleanseth still. Notice, likewise, the completeness of 
 the cleansing. " The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleans- 
 eth us from all sin" — not only from sin, but "from all sin." 
 Reader, I cannot tell you the exceeding sweetness of this 
 word, but I pray God the Holy Ghost to give you a taste of 
 it. Manifold are our sins against God. Whether the bill 
 be little or great, the same receipt can discharge one as the 
 other. The blood of Jesus Christ is as blessed and divine a 
 payment for the transgressions of blaspheming P«ter as for 
 the shortcomings of loving John ; our iniquity is gone, all 
 gone at once, and all gone forever. Blessed complete- 
 ness ! What a sweet theme to dwell upon as one givea 
 himself to sleep. 
 
 " Sins against a holy God ; 
 
 Sins against His righteous laws; 
 Sins against His love, His blood; 
 
 Sins against His name and caaae; 
 Sins immense as is the sea — 
 ITrom them all He cleanseth me.** 
 
July 24. EVENING EEADIN09. 207 
 
 •' Ilig caynp ix very great." — Juel ii. 11. 
 
 R^^^^ONSTDER, uiy soul, the mightiness of the Lord, who is 
 ^l^c-^J thy glory and defence. He is a man of war ; Jehovah 
 ^^ "^ is His name. All the forces of heaven are at His beck, 
 legions wait at His door, cherubim and seraphim, watchers 
 and holy ones, principalities and powers, all are attentive to 
 His will. If our eyes were not blinded by the ophthalmia of 
 the flesh, we should see horses of fire and chariots of fire 
 round about the Lord's beloved. The powers of nature are 
 all subject to the absolute control of the Creator : stormy 
 wind and tempest, lightning and rain, and snow and hail, and 
 the soft dews and cheering sunshine, come and go at His de- 
 cree. The bands of Orion He looseth, and bindeth the sweet 
 influences of the Pleiades. Earth, sea, and air, and the places 
 under the earth, are the barracks for Jehovah's great armies ; 
 space is His camping-ground, light is His banner, and flame 
 is His sword. When He goeth forth to war, famine ravages 
 the land, pestilence smites the nations, hurricane sweeps the 
 sea, tornado shakes the mountains, and earthquake makes the 
 solid world to tremble. As for animate creatures, they all own 
 His dominion, and from the great fish which swallowed the 
 prophet, down to " all manner of flies," which plagued the 
 field of Zoan, all are His servants, and like the palmer-worm, 
 the caterpillar, and the canker-worm, are squadrons of His 
 great army, for His camp is very great. My soul, see to it 
 that thou be at peace with this mighty King ; yea, more, be 
 sute to enlist under His banner, for to war against Him is 
 madness, and to serve Him is glory. Jesus, Immanuel, God 
 with us, is ready to receive recruits for the army of the Lord: 
 if I am not already enlisted, let me go to Him ere I sleep, 
 and beg to be accepted through His merits ; and if I be al- 
 ready, as I hope I am, a soldier of the cross, let me be of 
 good courage, for the enemy is powerless compared with mj 
 Lord, whose camp is very great. 
 
208 EVENING KEADiNGs. July 25, 
 
 " In their affliction they will seek Me early." — Hosea v. 15. 
 
 ^')S,,^OSSES and adversities are frequently the means which 
 W I ^1 *^^ great Shepherd uses to fetch home His wandering 
 '"■^^ sheep ; lilje fierce dogs they worry the wanderers back 
 to the fold. There is no making lions tame if they are too 
 well fed ; they must be brought down from their great 
 strength, and their stomachs must be lowered, and then they 
 will submit to the tamer's hand ; and often have we seen the 
 Christian rendered obedient to his Lord's will by straituess 
 of bread and hard labor. When rich and increased in goods, 
 many professors carry their heads much too loftily, and speak 
 exceeding boastfully. Like David, they flatter themselves, 
 " My mountain standeth fast ; I shall never be moved." 
 When the Christian groweth wealthy, is in good repute, hath 
 good health, and a happy family, he too often admits Mr. 
 Carnal Security to feast at his table ; and then, if he be a true 
 child of God, there is a rod preparing for him. Wait a 
 while, and it may be you will see his substance melt away as 
 a dream. There goes a portion of his estate — how soon the 
 acres change hands ! That debt, that dishonored bill — how 
 fast his losses roll in ! where will they end ? It is a blessed 
 sign of divine life if, when these embarrassments occur one 
 after another, he begins to be distressed about his backslid- 
 ings, and betakes himself to his God. Blessed are the waves 
 that wash the mariner upon the rock of salvation ! Losses 
 in business are often sanctified to our souls' enriching. If 
 the chosen soul will not come to the Lord full-handed, it 
 shall come empty. If God, in His grace, findeth no other 
 means of making us honor Him among men. He will cast us 
 into the deep ; if we fail to honor Him on the pinnacle of 
 riches, He will bring us into the valley of poverty. Yet faint 
 not, heir of sorrow, when thou art thus rebuked ; rather rec- 
 ognize the loving hand which chastens, and say, "I will arise 
 aad go unto my Father." 
 
July '26. ElENIMG BLADINGS. 209 
 
 •' That lie may set ?iim with princes." — Psalm cxiii. 8. 
 
 ^S^UIl spiritual privileges are of the highest order. 
 1^2] " Among princes " is the place of select socieli^- 
 *>-"*l (( Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and witt 
 Ilia Son Jesus Christ." Speak of select society, there is 
 none like this I " We are a chosen generation, a peculiar 
 people, a royal priesthood." " We are come unto the gen- 
 eral assembly and church of the first-born, whose names are 
 written in heaven." The saints have courtly audience : princes 
 have admittance to royalty when common people must stand 
 afar off. The child of God has free access to the inner courts 
 of heaven. " For through Him we both have access by one 
 Spirit unto the Father." " Let us come boldly," says the 
 apostle, " to the throne of the heavenly grace." Among 
 princes there is abundant wealth ; but what is the abundance 
 of princes compared with the riches of believers ? for " all 
 things are yours, and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's." 
 " He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for 
 us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all 
 things ?" Pnaces have peculiar power. A prince of heaven's 
 empire has great influence : he wields a sceptre in his own 
 domain ; he sits upon Jesus' throne, for " He hath made us 
 kings and priests unto God, and we shall reign forever and 
 ever." We reign over the united kingdom of time and eter- 
 nity. Princes, again, have special honor. We may looV 
 down upon all earth-born dignity from the eminence upon 
 which grace has placed us. For what is human grandeur to 
 this, " He hath raised us up together, and made us sit togeth- 
 er in heavenly places in Christ Jesus " ? We share .he honor 
 of Christ, and, compared with this, earthly splendors are not 
 wortli a thought. Communion with Jesus is a richer gem 
 than ever glittered in imperial diadem. Union with the Lord 
 is a coronet of beau'^y outshining all the blaze of imperial 
 pomp. 
 
 18* 
 
110 EVENING HEADINGS. July 27, 
 
 " Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect ? " 
 Romans viii. 33. 
 
 ^^f?R)OST blessed challenge ! How unanswerable it is ! 
 ^f^f 1^! ^'^^^ry sin of the elect was laid upon the great Cham- 
 "T* pion of our salvation, and by the atonement carried 
 away. There is no sin in God's book against His people : 
 He seeth no sin in Jacob, neither iniquity in Israel ; they 
 are justified in Christ forever. When the guilt of sin was 
 taken away, the punishment of sin was removed. For the 
 Christian there is no stroke from God's angry hand — nay, 
 not so much as a single frown of punitive justice. The 
 believer may be chastised by his Father, but God the Judge 
 has nothing to say to the Christian, except " I have absolved 
 thee : thou art acquitted." For the Christian there is no 
 penal death in this world, much less any second death. He 
 is completely freed from all the punishment as well as the 
 guilt of sin, and the power of sin is removed too. It may 
 stand in our way, and agitate us with perpetual warfare ; but 
 sin is a conquered foe to every soul in union with Jesus. 
 There is no sin which a Christian cannot overcome if he will 
 only rely upon his God to do it. They who wear the white 
 robe in heaven overcame through the blood of the Lamb, 
 and we may do the same. No lust is too mighty, no beset- 
 ting sin too strongly intrenched ; we can overcome through 
 the power of Christ. Do believe it. Christian, that thy sin 
 is a condemned thing. It may kick and struggle, but it is 
 doomed to die. God has written condemnation across its 
 brow. Christ has crucified it, " nailing it to His cross." Go 
 now and mortify it, and the Lord help you to live to H« 
 praise, for sin with all its guilt, shame, and fear, is gone. 
 
 " Here's pardon for transgressions past. 
 It matters not bow black their cast; 
 And, O my soul, with wonder view» 
 For siuB to rcime here's pardon too." 
 
July 28. EVENING READINGS. 211 
 
 " Who went about doing good." — Acts x. 38. 
 
 <^^^|>5EW words, but yet an exquisite miniature of the Lord 
 ^^ Jesus Christ. There are not many touches, but they 
 are the strokes of a master's pencil. Of the Saviour, 
 and only of the Saviour, is it true in the fullest, broadest, 
 and most unqualified sense. " He went about doing good. 
 From this description it is evident that He did good person' 
 ally. The evangelists constantly tell us that He touched the 
 leper with Plis own finger, that He anointed the eyes of the 
 blind, and that in cases where He was asked to speak the 
 word only at a distance, He did not usually comply, but went 
 Himself to the sick bed, and there personally wrought the 
 cure. A lesson to us, if we would do good, to do it our- 
 selves. Give alms with your own hand; a kind look, or 
 word, will enhance the value of the gift. Speak to a friend 
 about his soul ; your loving appeal will have more influence 
 than a whole library of tracts. Our Lord's mode of doing 
 good sets forth His incessant activity I He did not only the 
 good which came close to hand, but He " went about" on 
 His errands of mercy. Throughout the whole land of Judea 
 there was scarcely a village or a hamlet which was not glad- 
 dened by the sight of Him. How this reproves the creeping, 
 loitering manner in which many professors serve the Lord ! 
 Let us gird up the loins of our mind, and be not weary in 
 well doing. Does not the text imply that Jesus Christ went 
 out of His tvay to do good? " He went about doing good." 
 He was never deterred by danger or difficulty. He sought 
 out the objects of His gracious intentions. So must we. 
 If old plans will not answer, we must try new ones, for 
 fresh experiments sometimes achieve more than regular 
 methods. Christ's perseverance, and the unity of His pur- 
 pose, are also hinted at, and the practical application of 
 the subject may be summed up in the words, " He hath left 
 us an example that we should follow in His steos." 
 
212 EVENING READINGS. July 29. 
 
 " All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me." — John vi. 37. 
 
 '=^1118 declaration involves the doctrine of election : ihera 
 are some whom the Father gave to Christ. It in- 
 volves the doctrine of effectual calling : these who are 
 given must and shall come ; however stoutly they may set 
 themselves against it, yet they shall be brought out of dark- 
 ness into God's marvellous light. It teaches us the indispen- 
 sable necessity of faith ; for even those who are given to 
 Christ are not saved except they come to Jesus. Even they 
 must come, for there is no other way to heaven but by th( 
 door, Christ Jesus. All that the Father gives to our Re- 
 deemer must come to Him; therefore none can come to 
 heaven except they come to Christ. 
 
 Oh, the power and majesty which rest in the words " shall 
 come^^ ! He does not say they have power to come, nor they 
 may come if they will, but they " shall come.''' The Lord 
 Jesus doth by His messengers, His word, and His Spirit, 
 sweetly and graciously compel men to come in that they may 
 eat of His marriage supper ; and this He does, not by any 
 violation of the free agency of man, but by the power of His 
 grace. I may exercise power over another man's will, and 
 yet that other man's will may be perfectly free, because the 
 constraint is exercised in a manner accordant with the laws 
 of the human mind. Jehovah Jesus knows how, by irresist- 
 ible arguments addressed to the understanding, by mighty 
 reasons appealing to the affections, and by the mysterious 
 influence of His Holy Spirit operating upon all the powers 
 and passions of the soul, so to subdue the whole man, that 
 whereas he was once rebellious, he yields cheerfully to His 
 government, subdued by sovereign love. But how shall those 
 be known whom God hath chosen ? By this result : That 
 they do willingly and joyfully accept Christ, and come to 
 Him with simple and unfeigned faith, resting upon Him as 
 all their salvation and all their desire. Keader, have joa 
 thus oome to J* ~- ' ^ 
 
Ju'y 30. EVENING READINGS. 213 
 
 " nim that comet h to Me I will in no wise cast out." — John vi. 37. 
 
 ^^OjKO limit is set to the duration of this promise. It does 
 Qa U^^ not merely say, " I will not cast out a sinner at his 
 *^\'%^ first coming," but, " I will in no wise cast out." The 
 original reads, ** I will not, not cast out," or " I will never, 
 never cast out." The text means, that Christ will not at first 
 reject a believer ; and that as He will not do it at first, so 
 He will not to the last. 
 
 But suppose the believer sins after coming? "If any 
 man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ 
 the righteous." But suppose that believers backslide ? "I 
 will heal their backsliding ; I will love them freely : for Mine 
 anger is turned away from him." But believers may fall 
 under temptation ! " God is faithful, who will not suffer you 
 to be tempted above that ye are able ; but will with the temp- 
 tation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear 
 it." But the believer may fall into sin, as David did ! Yes, 
 but He will " purge them with hyssop, and they shall be 
 clean ; He will wash them, and they shall be whiter than 
 snow ; " " From all their iniquities will I cleans -? them." 
 
 "Once in Christ, in Clirist forever; 
 Nothing from HIb lore can sever." 
 
 •* I give unto My sheep," saith He, " eternal life ; and they 
 _hall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of 
 My hand." What sayest thou to this, trembling feeble 
 mind ? Is not this a precious mercy, that coming to Christ, 
 thou dost not come to one who will treat thee well for a little 
 wbile, and then send thee about thy business, but He will 
 ff-ceive thee and mak(! thee His bride, and thou shalt be His 
 forever. Receive no longer the spirit of bondage again to 
 fear, but the spirit of adoption whereby thou shalt cry, Ab- 
 ba, Father ! Oh, the grace of these words, " I will in no 
 wise cast out" ! 
 
214 EVENING HEADINGS. Julj 31. 
 
 '' And these are the singers . , . they we^e employed in that work 
 day and night." — 1 Chronicles ix. 33. 
 
 i 
 
 [|C;ELL was it so ordered in the temple that the sacred 
 ■jKh chant never ceased : forevermore did the singers 
 ■^^^ praise the Lord, whose mercy endureth forever. As 
 mercy did not cease to rule either by day or by night, so 
 neither did music hush its holy ministry. My heart, there 
 is a lesson sweetly taught to thee in the ceaseless song of 
 Zion's temple; thou too art a constant debtor, and see thou 
 to it that thy gratitude, like charity, never faileth. God's 
 praise is constant in heaven, which is to be thy final dwelling- 
 place ; learn thou to practise the eternal hallelujah. Around 
 the earth as the sun scatters his light, his beams awaken 
 grateful believers to tune their morning hymn, so that by the 
 priesthood of the saints perpetual praise is kept up at all 
 hours ; they swathe our globe in a mantle of thanksgiving, 
 and girdle it with a golden belt of song. 
 
 The Lord always deserves to be praised for what He is in 
 Himself, for His works of creation and providence, for His 
 goodness towards His creatures, and especially for the tran- 
 scendent act of redemption, and all the marvellous blessing 
 flowing therefrom. It is always beneficial to praise the Lord ; 
 it cheers the day and brightens the night ; it lightens toil 
 and softens sorrow ; and over earthly gladness it sheds a 
 sanctifying radiance which makes it less liable to blind us 
 with its glare. Have we not something to sing about at this 
 moment ? Can we not weave a song out of our present joys, 
 or our past deliverances, or our future hopes ? Earth yields 
 her summer fruits : the haj is housed, the golden grain in- 
 vites the sickle, and the sun tarrying long to shine upon a 
 fruitful earth, shortens the interval of shade that we may 
 lengthen the hours of devout worship. By the love of Je- 
 sus, let us be stirred up to close the day with a psalm of 
 sanctified gladness. 
 
August 1. EVENTNO READINGS. 215 
 
 " Thou croumest the year with Thy goodness." — Psalm Ixv. 11. 
 
 ■qLL the year round, every hour of every day, God is 
 richly blessing us ; both when we sleep and when we 
 wake His mercy waits upon us. The sun may leave 
 us a legacy of darkness, but our God never ceases to shine 
 upon His children with beams of love. Like a river. His 
 loving-kindness is always flowing with a fulness inexhaustible 
 as His own nature. Like the atmosphere which constantly 
 surrounds the earth, and is always ready to support the life 
 of man, the benevolence of God surrounds all His creatures ; 
 in it, as in their element, they live, and move, and have their 
 being. Yet as the sun on summer days gladdens us with 
 beams more warm and bright than at other times, and as 
 rivers are at certain seasons swollen by the rain, and as the 
 atmosphere itself is sometimes fraught with more fresh, more 
 bracing, or more balmy influences than heretofore, so is it 
 with the mercy of God ; it hath its golden hours, its days 
 of overflow, when the Lord magnifieth His grace before the 
 sons of men. Amongst the blessings of the nether springs, 
 the joyous days of harvest are a special season of excessive 
 favor. It is the glory of autumn that the ripe gifts of provi- 
 dence are then abundantly bestowed ; it is the mellow season 
 of realization, whereas all before was but hope and expecta- 
 tion. Great is the joy of harvest. Happy are the reapers 
 who fill their arms with the liberality of heaven. The psalm- 
 ist tells us that the harvest is the crowning of the year. 
 Surely these crowning mercies call for crowning thanksgiv- 
 ing ! Let us render it by the inioard emotions of gratitude. 
 Let our hearts be warmed ; let our spirits remember, medi- 
 tate, and think upon this goodness of the Lord. Then let 
 us praise Him with our lips, and laud and magnify His name 
 from whose bounty all this goodness flows. Let us glorify 
 God by yieldiug our gifts to His cause. A practical proof 
 of our gratitude is a, special thank-offering to the Lord of 
 the harvest. 
 
216 EVENING HEADINGS. AugUSt 2. 
 
 •' So she gleaned in the field until even." — Ruth ii. 17. 
 
 ^KCTET me learn from Kuth, the gleaner. As she went 
 (f/^1 out to gather the ears of corn, so must I go forth into 
 y/fsm^ the fields of prayer, meditation, the ordinances, and 
 hearing the word to gather spiritual food. The. gleaner gath,- 
 ers her portion ear by ear ; her gains are little by little : so 
 must I be content to search for single truths, if there be no 
 greater plenty of them. Every ear helps to make a bundle, 
 and every gospel lesson assists in making us wise unto sal- 
 vation. The gleaner keeps her eyes open : if she stumbled 
 among the stubble in a dream, she would have no load to 
 carry home rejoicingly at eventide. I must be watchful in 
 religious exercises lest thefy become unprofitable to me ; I 
 fear I have lost much already — Oh that I may rightly esti- 
 mate my opportunities, and glean with greater diligence ! 
 T]>e gleaner stoops for all she finds, and so must I. High 
 spirits criticise and object, but lowly minds glean and receive 
 benefit. A humble heart is a great help towards profitably 
 hearing the gospel. The ingrafted soul-saving word is not 
 received except with meekness. A stiff back makes a bad 
 gleaner ; down, master pride ; thou art a vile robber, not to 
 be endured for a moment. What the gleaner gathers she 
 holds : if she dropped one ear to find another, the result of 
 her day's work would be but scant ; she is as careful to retain 
 as to obtain, and so at last her gains are great. How often' 
 do I forget all that I hear ! the second truth pushes the first 
 out of my head, and so my reading and hearing end in much 
 ado about nothing ! Do I feel duly the importance of storing 
 up the truth ? A hungry belly makes the gleaner wise ; if 
 there be no corn in her hand, there will be no bread on her 
 table ; she labors under the sense of necessity, and hence 
 her tread is nimble and her grasp is firm ; I have even a 
 greater necessity ; Lord, help me to feel it, that it may urge 
 me onward to glean in fields which yield so plenteous a re- 
 ward to diligence. 
 
August 3. EVENING READINGS. 217 
 
 O 
 
 " But as He went." — Luke viii. 42. 
 
 ^ESUS is passing through the throng to the house of 
 ,v^ Jairus, to raise the ruler's dead daughter ; but He is 
 *^ so profuse in goodness that He works another miracle 
 rhile upon the road. While yet this rod of Aaron bears the 
 blossom of an unaccomplished wonder, it yields the ripe 
 almonds of a perfect work of mercy. It is enough for us, if 
 we have some one purpose, straightway to go and accomplish 
 it ; it were imprudent to expend our energies by the way. 
 Hastening to the rescue of a drowning friend, we cannot af- 
 ford to exhaust our strength upon another in like danger. It 
 is enough for a tree to yield one sort of fruit, and for a man 
 to fulfil his own peculiar calling. But our Master knows no 
 limit of power or boundary of mission. He is so prolific of 
 grace, that like the sun which shines as it rolls onward in its 
 orbit, His path is radiant with loving kindness. He is a swift 
 arrow of love, which not only reaches its ordained target, but 
 perfumes the air through which it flies. Virtue is evermore 
 going out of Jesus, as sweet odors exhale from flowers ; and 
 it always will be emanating from Him, as water from a spar- 
 kling fountain. What delightful encouragement this truth af- 
 fords us ! If our Lord is so ready to heal the sick and bless 
 the needy, then, my soul, be not thou slow to put thyself in 
 His way, that He may smile on thee. Be not slack in ask- 
 ing, if He be so abundant in bestowing. Give earnest heed 
 to His word now, and at all times, that Jesus may speak 
 through it to thy heart. Where He is to be found, there 
 make thy resort, that thou mayst obtain His blessing. When 
 He is present to heal, may He not heal thee ? But surely 
 He is present even now, for He always comes to hearts which 
 need Him. And dost not thou need Him ? Ah, He knows 
 how much ! Thou Son of David, turn Thine eye and look 
 upon the distress which is now before Thee, and make thy 
 iupplianfc whole. 
 
 19 
 
218 EVENING HEADINGS. AugUSt 4. 
 
 " I amote you with blasting, and with mildew, and with hail, in all 
 the labors of your hands." — Haggai ii. 17. 
 
 pOW destructive is the hail to the standing crops, beat 
 k|^ ing out the precious grain upon the ground ! How 
 grateful ought we to be when the corn is spared so 
 terrible a ruin ! Let us offer unto the Lord thanksgiving. 
 Even more to be dreaded are those mysterious destroyers, 
 smut, bunt, rust, and mildew. These turn the ear into a 
 mass of soot, or render it putrid, or dry up the grain, and 
 all in a manner so beyond all human control, that the farmer 
 is compelled to cry, " This is the finger of God." Innumer- 
 able minute fungi cause the mischief, and were it not for the 
 goodness of God, the rider on the black horse would soon 
 scatter famine over the land. Infinite mercy spares the food 
 of men, but in view of the active agents which are ready to 
 destroy the harvest, right wisely are we taught to pray, " Give 
 us this day our daily bread." The curse is abroad ; we have 
 constant need of the blessing. When blight and mildew 
 come, they are chastisements from heaven, and men must 
 learn to bear the rod, and Him that hath appointed it. 
 
 Spiritually, mildew is no uncommon evil. When our work 
 is most promising this blight appears. We hoped for many 
 conversions, and lo ! a general apathy, an abounding world- 
 liness, or a cruel hardness of heart ! There may be no open 
 sin in those for whom we are laboring, but there is a defi- 
 ciency of sincerity and decision sadly disappointing our de- 
 sires. We learn from this our dependence upon the Lord, 
 and the need of prayer that no blight may fall upon our work. 
 Spiritual pride or sloth will soon bring upon us the dreadful 
 evil, and only the Lord of the harvest can remove it. Mil- 
 dew may even attack our own hearts, and shrivel our prayera 
 and religious exercises. May it please the great Husband- 
 man to avert so serious a calamity. Shine, blessed Sun of 
 Righteousness, and drive the blights away. 
 
ALUgllet 5. EVEMINO READINGS. 219 
 
 " Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here ' " 
 Numbers xxxii. 6. 
 
 jfflfc>35INDRED has its obligations. The Keubcnites and 
 pJlY^ Gadites would have been most unbrotherly if they had 
 ^^*^ claimed the land which had been conquered, and had 
 left the rest of the people to fight for their portions alone. 
 We have received much by means of the efforts and auffer- 
 ings of the saints in years gone by, and if we do not make 
 some return to the church of Christ by giving her our best en- 
 ergies, we are unworthy to be enrolled in her ranks. Others 
 are combating the errors of the age manfully, or excavating 
 perishing ones from amid the ruins of the fall, and if we fold 
 our hands in idleness we had need be warned, lest the curse 
 of Meroz fall upon us. The Master of the vineyard saith, 
 " Why stand ye here all the day idle r " What is the idlers' 
 excuse ? Personal service of Jesus becomes all the more the 
 duty of all because it is cheerfully and abundantly rendered 
 by some. The toils of devoted missionaries and fervent min- 
 isters shame us if we sit still in indolence. Shrinking from 
 trial is the temptation of those who are at ease in Zion : they 
 would fain escape the cross, and yet wear the crown ; to them 
 the question for this evening's meditation is very applicable. 
 If the most precious are tried in the fire, are we to escape 
 the crucible ? If the diamond must be vexed upon the wheel, 
 are we to be made perfect without suffering ? Who hath 
 commanded the wind to cease from blowing because our bark 
 is on the deep ? Why and wherefore should we be treated 
 better than our Lord ? The First-born felt the rod, and why 
 not the younger brethren ? It is a cowardly pride which 
 would choose a downy pillow and a silken couch for a soldier 
 of the cross. Wiser far is he who, being first resigned to 
 the divine will, groweth by the energy of grace to be pleased 
 with it, and so learns to gather lilies at the cross-foot, and, 
 like Samson, to find honey iu the lion. 
 
220 EVENING READINGS AugUSt 6. 
 
 *^ Let the whole earth be filled ivith His glory ; Amen, and Amen." 
 Psalm Ixxii. 19. 
 
 ^^•^HIS is a large petition. To intercede for a whole city 
 •^rirfl needs a stretch of faith, and there are times when a 
 ^^***^ prayer for one man is enough to stagger us. But 
 how far-reaching was the psalmist's dying intercession ! How 
 comprehensive ! How sublime ! " Let the whole earth be 
 filled with His glory." It doth not exempt a single country, 
 however crushed by the foot of superstition ; it doth not ex- 
 clude a single nation, however barbarous. For the cannibal aa 
 well as for the civilized, for all climes and races, this prayer 
 is uttered : the whole circle of the earth it encompasses, and 
 omits no son of Adam. We must be up and doing for our 
 Master, or we cannot honestly offer such a prayer. The pe- 
 tition is not asked with a sincere heart unless we endeavor, 
 as God shall help us, to extend the kingdom of our Master. 
 Are there not some who neglect both to plead and to labor ? 
 Reader, is it your prayer ? Turn your eyes to Calvary. Be- 
 hold the Lord of Life nailed to a cross, with the thorn-crown 
 about His brow, with bleeding head, and hands, and feet. 
 What ! can you look upon this miracle of miracles, the death 
 of the Son of God, without feeling within your bosom a mar- 
 vellous adoration that language never can express ? And 
 when you feel the blood applied to your conscience, and 
 know that He has blotted out your sins, yoti are not a man 
 unless you start from your knees and cry, " Let the whole 
 earth be filled with His glory; Amen, and Amen." Can 
 you bow before the Crucified in loving homage, and not wish 
 to see your Monarch ma=tor of the world ? Out on you if 
 you can pretend to love your Prince, and' desire not to see 
 Him the universal ruler. Your piety is worthless unless it 
 leads you to wish that the same mercy Avhich has been ex- 
 tended to you may bless the whole world Lord, it ii 
 harvest-time ; put iu Thy sickle and reap. 
 
August 7. EVENING READINGS. 221 
 
 " Satan hindered us." — 1 Thessalonians ii. 18. 
 
 I 
 
 ^TNCE the first hour in which goodness came into con- 
 flict with evil, it has never ceased to be true in spir- 
 itual experience, that Satan hinders us. From all 
 points of the compass, all along the line of battle, in the 
 vanguard and in the rear, at the dawn of day and in the 
 midnight hour, Satan hinders us. If we toil in the field, he 
 seeks to break the ploughshare ; if we build the wall, he 
 labors to cast down the stones ; if we would serve God in 
 sufi"ering or in conflict, everywhere Satan hinders us. He 
 hinders us when we are first coming to Jesus Christ. Fierce 
 conflicts we had with Satan when we first looked to the cross 
 and lived. Now that we are saved, he endeavors to hinder 
 the completeness of our personal character. You may be 
 congratulating yourself, " I have hitherto walked consistent- 
 ly ; no man can challenge my integrity." Keware of boast- 
 ing, for your virtue will yet be tried ; Satan will direct his 
 engines against that very virtue for which you are the most 
 famous. If you have been hitherto a firm believer, your 
 faith will ere lonp, be attacked ; if you have been meek as 
 Moses, expect to Ve tempted to speak unadvisedly with your 
 lips. The birds wvU peck at your ripest fruit, and the wild 
 boar will dash his visks at your choicest vines. Satan ia 
 sure to hinder us when we are earnest in prayer. He checks 
 our importunity, acd wf>a!«eas our faith, in order that, if pos- 
 sible, we may miss the bl'^s^ing. Nor is Satan less vigilant 
 in obstructing Christian efi"orv There was never a revival 
 of religion without a revival ol his opposition. As soon as 
 Ezra and Nehemiah begin to labor, Sanballat and Tobiah 
 are stirred up to hinder tk^m. Whai then ? We are not 
 alarmed because Satan hindereth us, <'or it is a proof that 
 we are on the Lord's side, ani are doing tnc Lord's work, 
 and in His strength we shall win the ^'ctorj, and triumph 
 over our adversary. 
 19* 
 
222 EVENING BEADINGS. AugUSt 8. 
 
 " All things are possible to him that believeth." — Mark ix. 23. 
 
 p)ANY professed Christians are always doubting and 
 V}^i\k fearing, and they forlornly think that this is the 
 necessary state of believers. This is a mistake, for 
 " all things are possible to him that believeth ; " and it is 
 possible for us to mount into a state in which a doubt or a 
 fear shall be but as a bird of passage flitting across the soul, 
 but never lingering there. When you read of the high and 
 sweet communions enjoyed by favored saints, you sigh and 
 murmur in the chamber of your heart, " Alas ! these are not 
 for me." climber, if thou hast but faith, thou shalt yet 
 stand upon the sunny pinnacle of the temple, for " all things 
 are possible to him that believeth." You hear of exploits 
 which holy men have done for Jesus ; what they have enjoyed 
 of Him ; how much they have been like Him ; how they 
 have been able to endure great persecutions for His sake ; 
 and you say, " Ah ! as for me, I am but a worm ; I can never 
 attain to this," But there is nothing which one saint was, 
 that you may not be. There is no elevation of grace, no 
 attainment of spirituality, no clearness of assurance, no post 
 of duty, which is not open to you if you have but the power 
 to believe. Lay aside your sackcloth and ashes, and rise to 
 the dignity of your true position ; you are little in Israel be- 
 cause you will be so, not because there is any necessity for 
 it. It is not meet that thou shouldst grovel in the dust, 
 child of a King. Ascend ! The golden throne of assurance 
 is waiting for you ! The crown of communion with Jesus is 
 ready to bedeck your brow. Wrap yourself in scarlet and 
 fine linen, and fare snmptuously every day ; for, if thou be- 
 lievest, thou mayst eat the fat of kidneys of wheat ; thy 
 land shall flow with milk and honey, and thy soul shall be 
 satisfied as with marrow and fatness. Gather golden sheaves 
 of grace, for they await thee in the fields of faith. " All 
 things are possible to him that believeth." 
 
August 9. EVENING KEADING8. 22J 
 
 " He appeared Jirst to Mary Magdalene, out of whom lie had cast 
 sevett devils." — Mark. xvi. 9. 
 
 p|*)ARY of Magdala was the victim of a fearful evil. She 
 was possessed by not cne. devil only, but seven. 
 These dreadful inmates caused nuch pain and pollu- 
 tion to the poor frame in which they had found a lodging. 
 Hers was a hopeless, horrible case. She could not help 
 herself, neither could any human succor avail. But Jesua 
 passed that way, and unsought, and probably even resisted 
 by the poor demoniac. He uttered the word of power, and 
 Mary of Magdala became a trophi/ of the healing potver of Je- 
 stis. All the seven demons left her, left her never to return, 
 forcibly ejected by the Lord of all. What a blessed deliver- 
 ance ! What a happy change ! From delirium to delight, 
 from despair to peace, from hell to heaven ! Straightway 
 she became a const a7it follower of Jesus, catching His every 
 word, following His devious steps, sharing His toilsome life ; 
 and withal she became His generous helper, first among that 
 band of healed and grateful women who ministered unto 
 Him of their substance. When Jesus was lifted up in cruci- 
 fixion, Mary remained the sharer of His shame : we find her 
 first beholding from afar, and then drawing near to the foot 
 of the cross. She could not die on the cross with Jesus, but 
 Bhe stood as near it as she could, and when His blessed body 
 was taken down, she watched to see how and where it was 
 laid. She was the faithful and watchful believer, last at the 
 sepulchre where Jesus slept, firfit at the grave whence he 
 arose. Her holy fidelity made h;r a favored beholder of her 
 beloved Rabboni, who deigned to call her by her name, and 
 to make her His viesseyiger of good news to the trembling 
 disciples and Peter. Thus grace found her a maniac and 
 made her a minister, cast out devils and gave her to behold 
 angels, delivered her from Satan and united her forever to 
 the Lord Jesus. May I also be such a miracle of grace ! 
 
224 EVENING READINGS. AugUSt 10. 
 
 " Tlie Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins." 
 Matthew ix. 6. 
 
 ^fcj^R(^EHOLD one of the great Physician's mightiest arts : 
 %]\'^ He has power to forgive sin ! While here He lived 
 '^^^^"'^^ below, before the ransom had been paid, before the 
 Hood had been literally sprinkled on the mercy-seat, He had 
 power to forgive sin. Hath He not power to do it now that 
 He hath died ? What power must dwell in Him who to the 
 utmost farthing has faithfully discharged the debts of His 
 people ! He has boundless power now that He has finished 
 transgression and made an end of sin. If ye doubt it, see 
 Him rising from the dead ! Behold Him in ascending splen- 
 dor raised to the right hand of God ! Hear Him pleading 
 before the eternal Father, pointing to His wounds, urging 
 the merit of his sacred passion ! What power to forgive 
 is here ! " He hath ascended on high, and received gifts 
 for men." " He is exalted on high to give repentance 
 and remission of sins," The most crimson sins are re- 
 moved by the crimson of His blood. At this moment, 
 dear reader, whatever thy sinfulness, Christ has power to 
 pardon — power to pardon thee, and millions such as thou 
 art. A word will speak it. He has nothing more to do to 
 win thy pardon ; all the atoning work is done. He can, in 
 answer to thy tears, forgive thy sins to-day, and make thee 
 know it. He can breathe into thy soul at this very mo- 
 ment a peace with God which passeth all understanding, 
 which shall spring from perfect remission of thy manifold 
 iniquities. Dost thou believe that ? I trust thou believ- 
 est it. Mayst thou experience now the power of Jesus tc 
 forgive sin ! Waste no time in applying to the Physiciao 
 of souls, but hasten to Him with words like these : — 
 
 •' Jesus ' Master, hear my cry; 
 Save me, liciil me with a word; 
 Fainting at Tliy feet I lie, 
 Thou my whispered plaint baat heard." 
 
JillgUSt 11. EVENINO READINGS. 22A 
 
 " Everlasiing consolation." — 2 Thessalonians ii. 16. 
 
 'ONSOLATION." There is music in the word: 
 ^^W lil^e David's harp, it charms away the evil spirit 
 "^^of melancholy. It was a distinguished honor to 
 Barnabas to be called " the son of consolation ;" nay, it if 
 one of the illustrious names of a greater than Barnabas, foi 
 the Lord Jesus is " the consolation of Israel." " Everlast- 
 ing consolation " — here is the cream of all, the " spikenard 
 very precious," for the eternity of comfort is the crown and 
 glory of it. This makes an estate worth the having when a 
 man may hold its fee simple in perpetuity forever. A man 
 works to make money, and after toiling hard he finds himself 
 the owner of it, and it is a consolation to him, but it is not 
 an " everlasting consolation," for he may spend or he may 
 lose all his treasure ; or he may be compelled by death to 
 leave it — it cannot be, at the best, more than a temporary 
 consolation. A man toils hard for knowledge, he acquires 
 it, he becomes an eminent scholar ; his name is famous ; 
 this is a consolation to him for all his toil, but it cannot last 
 long ; for when he feels the headache, or the heartache, his 
 degrees and his diplomas cannot cheer him ; or should his 
 soul become a prey to despondency, he may turn over many 
 a learned tome before he will find a balm for a broken heart. 
 All earth-born consolations are in their essence fleeting, and 
 in their txisii-uce short-lived; they are as brilliant and as 
 evanescent sis the rainbow hues of a soap-bubble ; but as for 
 the consolations which God gives to His people, they fade 
 no', neither do they lose their freshness. They can stand 
 all tests — the shock of trial, the flame of persecution, the 
 lapse of years ; nay, they can even endure death itself. What 
 is this " everlasting consolation " ? It includes a sense of 
 pardoned sin. A Christian man has received in his hcurl 
 the witness of the Spirit that his iniquities are put away like 
 a cloud, and his transgressions like a thick cloud. If sin ha 
 
226 EVENING READINGS. AugUSt 11. 
 
 pardoned, is not that an everlasting consolation ? Next the 
 Lord gives his people an abiding sense of acceptance in 
 Christ. The Christian knows that God looks upon him as 
 standing in union with Jesus. Now, it is a sweet thing to 
 know that God accepts us, and to be able to sing with Hart, — 
 
 " With my Saviour's vesture on, 
 Holy as the Holy One." 
 
 Union to the risen Lord is a consolation of the most abiding 
 order ; it is, in fact, everlasting. Let sickness prostrate us, 
 have we not seen hundreds of believers as happy in the 
 weakness of disease as they would have been in the strength 
 of hale and blooming health r Let death's arrows pierce ua 
 to the heart, our comfort dies not, for have not our ears full 
 often heard the songs of saints as they have rejoiced because 
 the living love of God was shed abroad in their hearts in 
 dying moments ? Yes, a sense of acceptance in the Be- 
 loved is an everlasting consolation. Moreover, the Christian 
 has a conviction of his security. God has promised to save 
 those who trust in Christ : the Christian does trust in Christ, 
 and he believes that God will be as good as His word, and 
 will save him. He feels, therefore, that whatever may occur 
 in providence, whatever onslaughts there may be of inward 
 corruption, or of outward temptation, he is safe by virtue 
 of his being bound up with the person and work of Jesus. 
 Is not this a source of consolation overflowing and delight- 
 ful r Why, the richest and greatest of men might freely 
 give their eyes to know that they are saved, and their loss 
 would be their gain. It were a cheap bargain for men to 
 enter into life halt or maimed, if they did but enter into life 
 it all. That we have this life, and cannot be robbed of it, is 
 our everlasting consolation. 
 
 How now, reader, are you pining and refusing to be com- 
 forted r Is this honorable to God ? Will it make others 
 long to know Jesus ? Cheer up, man ! When Jesus gives 
 eternal consolation, it is a sin to murmur. 
 
August 12. EVENING READINGS. 227 
 
 " The bow shall be seen in the cloud." — Genesis ix. 14. 
 
 "SHE rainbow, the symbol of the covenant with Noah, 
 , j^j^ is typical of our Lord Jesus, who is tlie Lord's wit- 
 ness to the people. When may we expect to see the 
 token of the covenant f The rainbow is only to be seen paint- 
 ed upon a cloud. When the sinner's conscience is dark with 
 clouds, when he remembers his past sin, and mourneth and 
 lamenieth before God, Jesus Christ is revealed to him as the 
 covenant Rainbow, displaying all the glorious hues of the 
 divine character and betokening peace. To the believer, 
 when his trials and temptations surround him, it is sweet to 
 behold the person of our Lord Jesus Christ — to see Ilim 
 bleeding, living, rising, and pleading for us. God's rainbow 
 is hung over the cloud of our sins, our sorrows, and our 
 woes, to prophesy deliverance. Nor docs a cloud alone give 
 a rainbow ; there must be the crystcd drops to reflect the 
 light of the sun. So our sorrows must not only threaten, 
 but they must really fall upon us. There had been no Christ 
 for us if the vengeance of God had been merely a threaten 
 ing cloud : punishment must fall in terrible drops upon the 
 Surety. Until there is a real anguish in the sinner's eon- 
 science, there is no Christ for him ; until the chastisement 
 which he feels becomes grievous, he cannot see Jesus. But 
 there must also be a sun ; for clouds and drops of rain make 
 not rainbows unless the sun shineth. Beloved, our God, 
 who is as the sun to us, always shines, but we do not always 
 sec Him — clouds hide His face; but no matter what drops 
 may be falling, or what clouds may be threatening, if He 
 does but shine there will be a rainbow at once. It is said 
 that when we see the rainbow the shower is over. Certain 
 it is, that when Christ comes our troubles remove ; when 
 we behold Jesus our sins vanish, and o^r doubts and fears 
 subside. When Jesus walks the waters of the sea, ho\» 
 profound the calm ! 
 
228 EVENING HEADINGS. AugUSt 1 3. 
 
 " And I loill remember My covenant." — Genesis ix. 15 
 
 )ARK the form of the promise. God does not say, 
 K " And when ye shall look upon the bow, and ye shall 
 remember My covenant, then I will not destroy the 
 earth ; " but it is gloriously put, not upon our memory, which 
 is fickle and frail, but upon God's memory, which is infinite 
 and immutable. " The bow shall be in the cloud ; and I will 
 look upon it, that /may remember the everlasting covenant." 
 Oh, it is not my remembering God, it is God's remembering 
 me, which is the ground of my safety ; it is not my laying 
 hold of His covenant, but His covenant's laying hold on me. 
 Glory be to God ! the whole of the bulwarks of salvation are 
 secured by divine power, and even the minor towers, which 
 we may imagine might have been left to man, are guarded by 
 almighty strength. Even the remembrance of the covenant 
 is not left to our memories, for we might forget ; but our 
 Lord cannot forget the saints whom He has graven on the 
 palms of His hands. It is with us as with Israel in Egypt ; 
 the blood was upon the lintel and the two side-posts, but 
 the Lord did not say, " When you see the blood I will pass 
 over you," but, " When / see the blood I will pass over 
 you." My looking to Jesus brings me joy and peace, but it 
 is God's looking to Jesus which secures my salvation and 
 that of all his elect, since it is impossible for our God to look 
 at Christ, our bleeding Surety, and then to be angry with us 
 for sins already punished in Him. No, it is not left with us 
 even to be saved by remembering the covenant. There is 
 no linsey-woolsey here — not a single thread of the creature 
 mars the fabric. It is not of man, neither by man, but of 
 the Lord alone. We should remember the covenant, and we 
 shall do it, through divine grace ; but the hinge of our safety 
 does not hang there — it is God's remembering us, net our 
 remejabering him; and hence the covenant is <w» everlasting 
 covenant. 
 
AuCUSt 14. EVENING READINGS. 229 
 
 " I knotp t/ieir sojTotcs." — Exodus iii. 7. 
 
 9^IIE child is cheered as he sings, " This ray father 
 \> knows;" and shall not we be comforted as we dis. 
 
 corn that our dear Friend and tender soc'-husliani 
 knows all about us ? 
 
 1. He is ihe Physician, and if He knows all, there is no 
 need that the patient should know. Hush, thou silly, flut- 
 tering heart, prying, peeping, and suspecting ! What thou 
 knowest not now thou shall know hereafter ; and meanwhile, 
 Jesus, the beloved Physician, knows thy soul in adversities. 
 Why need the patient analyze all the medicine, or estimate 
 all the symptoms ? This is the physician's work, not mine ; 
 it is my business to trust, and his to prescribe. If he shall 
 write his prescription in uncouth characters which I cannot 
 read, I will not be uneasy on that account, but rely upon his 
 unfailing skill to make all plain in the result, however mys- 
 terious in the working. 
 
 2. He is the Master, and His knowledge is to serve us in- 
 stead of our own ; we are to obey, not to judge : " The ser- 
 vant knoweth not what his lord doeth." Shall the architect 
 explain his plans to every hodman on the works ? If he 
 knows hiij own intent, is it not enough ? The vessel on the 
 wheel cannot guess to what pattern it shall be conformed, 
 but if the potter understands his art, what matters the igno- 
 rance of the clay ? My Lord must not be cross-questioned 
 any more by one so ignorant as I am. 
 
 3. He is the Head. All understanding centres there. What 
 judgment has the arm ? What comprehension has the foot ? 
 All the power to know lies in the head. Why should the mem- 
 ber have a brain of its own when the head fulfils for it every 
 intellectual office ? Here, then, must the believer rest his 
 comfort in sickness, not that he himself can see the end, but 
 that Jesus knows all. Swee! Lord, be Thou forever eye, and 
 soul, and head for us, and let us be content to know only what 
 Thou choosest to reveal. 20 
 
230 EVENING READINGS. AugUSt 15. 
 
 ''And I will give you a heart of flesh." — Ezekie. xxxvi. 26. 
 
 [ '^ HEART of flesh is known by its tenderness concerning 
 '(S sin. To have indulged afoul imagination, or to ha\? 
 allowed a vile desire to tarry even for a momentj is 
 quite enough to make a heart of flesh grieve before the Lori. 
 The heart of stone calls a great iniquity nothing, but not so 
 the heart of flesh. 
 
 " If lo the right or left I stray, 
 That moment, Lord, reprove; 
 And let me weep my life away 
 For having grieved Tliy love." 
 
 The heart of flesh is tender of God's will. My Lord Will-be- 
 will is a great blusterer, and it is hard to subject him to God's 
 will; but when the heart of flesh is given, the will quivers 
 like an aspen leaf in every breath of heaven, and bows like 
 an osier in every breeze of God's Spirit. The natural will is 
 cold, hard iron, which is not to be hammered into form ; but 
 the renewed will, like molten metal, is soon moulded by the 
 hand of grace. In the fleshy heart there is a tenderness of 
 the affections. The hard heart does not love the Redeemer, 
 but the renewed heart burns with affection towards Him. 
 The hard heart is selfish, and coldly demands, " Why should 
 I weep for sin ? Why should I love the Lord ? " But the 
 heart of flesh says, " Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee ; 
 help me to love Thee more " ! Many are the privileges of 
 this renewed heart: '' 'Tis here the Spirit dwells, 'tis here 
 that Jesus rests." It is fitted to receive every spiritual bless- 
 ing, and every blessing comes to it. It is prepared to yield 
 every heavenly fruit to the honor and praise of God, and 
 therefore the Lord delights in it. A tender heart is the best 
 defence against sin, and the best preparation for heaven. 
 A renewed heart stands on its watch-tower looking toi 
 the coming of the Lord Jesus. Have you this heart of 
 flesh? 
 
August 16. EVENING READINGS. 231 
 
 " Ourselves also, which have the first fru^^' ofthf Spirit" 
 Konians viii. 23. 
 
 f^RPiSKNT possession is declared. At this present 
 ^' moment we have the first fruits of the Spirit. We 
 have repentance, tliat gera of the first water; faith, 
 tliat priceless pearl ; hope, the heavenly emerald ; and love. 
 the glorious ruby. We are already made " new creatures in 
 Christ Jesus," by the effectual working of God the Holy 
 Ghost. This is called the first fruit becau.se it comes first. 
 As the wave-sheaf was the first of the harvest, so the spirit- 
 ual life, and all the graces which adorn that life, are the first 
 operations of the Spirit of God in our souls. The first fruits 
 were the pledge of the harvest. As soon as the Israelite had 
 plucked the first handful of ripe ears, he looked forward with 
 glad anticipation to the time when the wain should creak be- 
 neath the sheaves. So, brethren, when God gives us things 
 which are pure, lovely, and of good report, as the work of 
 the Holy Spirit, these are to us the prognostics of the com- 
 ing glory. The first fruits were ahvays holy to the Lord, an(' 
 our new nature, with all its powers, is a consecrated thing 
 The new life is not ours, that we should ascribe its excellence 
 to our own merit : it is Christ's image and creation, and is 
 ordained for His glory. But the first fruits werenot the har- 
 vest, and the works of the Spirit in us at this moment are not 
 the consummation — the perfection is yet to come. We 
 must not boast that we have attained, and so reckon the 
 wave-sheaf to be all the produce of the year : we must 
 hunger and thirst after righteousness, and pant for the day 
 of full redemption. Dear reader, this evening open j«ur 
 mouth wide, and God will fill it. Let the boon in present 
 possession excite in you a sacred avarice for more grace. 
 Groan within yourself for higher degrees of consecration, 
 and your Lord will grant them to you, for He is able to do 
 exceeding abundantly above what we ask, or even think. 
 
232 EVENING READINGS. AugUSt 17 
 
 • This sickness is not unto death." — John xi. 4. 
 
 il^^ROM our Lord's words we learn that there is a limit 
 P^ to sickness. Here is an " unto " within which it.* 
 ultimate end is restrained, and beyond which it can- 
 not go. Lazarus might pass through death, but death wal 
 cot to 1)6 the ultimatum of his sickness. In all sickness, {hi 
 Lord saith to the waves of pain, " Hitherto lihall ye go. but 
 no farther." His fixed purpose is not the destruction, but 
 the instruction of His people. Wisdom hangs up the ther- 
 mometer at the furnace mouth, and regulates the heat. 
 
 1. The limit is encouragivgly comprelieiisive. The God of 
 providence has limited the time, manner, intensity, repeti 
 tion, and effects of all our sicknesses ; each throb is decreed, 
 each sleepless hour predestinated, each relapse ordained, each 
 depression of spirit foreknown, and each sanctifying result 
 eternally purposed. Nothing great or small escapes the or- 
 daining hand of Him who numbers the hairs of our head. 
 
 2. This limit is wisely adjusted to our strength, to the end 
 designed, and to the grace apportioned. Affliction comes not 
 at haphazard — the weight of every stroke of the rod is accu- 
 rately measured. He who made no mistakes in balancing the 
 clouds and meting out the heavens, commits no errors in meas- 
 uring out the ingredients which compose the medicine of souls. 
 We cannot Buffer too much, nor be relieved too late. 
 
 3. The limit is tenderly appointed. The knife of the heav- 
 enly Surgeon never cuts deeper than is absolutely necessary. 
 "He doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of 
 men." A mother's heart cries, " Spare my child ! " but no 
 mother is more compassionate than our gracious God. 
 When we consider how hard-mouthed we are, it is a won- 
 der that we are not driven with a sharper bit. The, thought 
 is full of consolation, that He who has fixed the bounds 
 of our habitation has also fixed the bounds of our tribu- 
 lation. 
 
August 18. EVENING BEAD1NG8. 233 
 
 "And they gave Jlim to drink wine viingled with myrrh : but Ht 
 received it not." — Mark xv. 23. 
 
 n!^|^ GOLDEN truth is couclied in the fact that the Sa- 
 Hf^ viour put the niyrrhed wine-cup from His lips. On 
 -"^^^ the heights of heaven the Son of God stood of old, 
 and as He looked down upon our globe He measured the 
 long descent to the utmost depths of human misery; He list 
 up the sum total of all the agonies which expiation would re- 
 quire, and abated not a jot. He solemnly determined that 
 to offer a suflBcient atoning sacrifice. He must go the whole 
 way, from the highest to the lowest, from the throne of high- 
 est glor}"^ to the cross of deepest woe. This myrrhed cup, 
 with its soporific influence, would have stayed Him within a 
 little of the utmost limit of misery, therefore He refused it. 
 He would not stop short of all He had undertaken to suffer 
 for His people. Ah, how many of us have pined after reliefs 
 to our grief which would have been injurious to us ! Reader, 
 did you never pray for a discharge from hard service or suf- 
 fering with a petulant and wilful eagerness ? Providence 
 has taken from you the desire of your eyes with a stroke. 
 Say, Christian, if it had been said, " If you so desire it, that 
 loved one of yours shall live, but God will be dishonored," 
 could you have put away the temptation, and said, " Thy 
 will be done"? Oh, it is sweet to be able to say, "My 
 Lord, if for other reasons I need not suffer, yet if I can 
 honor Thee more by suffering, and if the loss of my earthly 
 all will bring Thee glory, then so let it be. I refuse the 
 comfort, if it comes in the way of Thine honor." Oh that 
 we. thus walked more in the footsteps of our Lord, cheerfully 
 enduring trial for His sake, promptly and willingly putting 
 away the thought of seF and comfort when it would inter- 
 fere with our finishing the work which He has given us 
 to do. Great grace is needed, but great grace is pr.- 
 TiJed. 
 
 20* 
 
234 EVENING READINGS. AugUSt 19 
 
 " Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me :for Thou 
 art my strength." — Psalm xxxi. 4. 
 
 jUpjj^^UIl spiritual foes are of the serpent's brood, and seek 
 ^jli|r4f| to iusuare us by subtlety. The prayer before U3 
 ^^^ supposes the possibility of the believer being caught 
 like a bird. So deftly does the fowler do his work, that 
 eiuiple ones are soon surrounded by the net. The text 
 asks that even out of Satan's meshes the captive one may be 
 delivered ; this is a proper petition, and one which can be 
 granted : from between the jaws of the lion, and o-ut of the 
 belly of hell, can eternal love rescue the saint. It may need 
 a sharp pull to save a soul from the net of temptation, and a 
 mighty pull to extricate a man from the snares of malicious 
 cunning, but the Lord is equal to every emergency, and the 
 most skilfully placed nets of the hunter shall never be able 
 to hold His chosen ones. Woe unto those who are so clever 
 at net-laying ; they who tempt others shall be destroyed 
 themselves. 
 
 " For Thou art my strength." What an inexpressible 
 sweetness is to be found in these few words ! How joyfully 
 may we encounter toils, and how cheerfully may we endure 
 sufierings, when we can lay hold upon celestial strength. 
 Divine power will rend asunder all the toils of our enemies, 
 confound their politics, and frustrate their knavish tricks; 
 he is a happy man who has such matchless might engaged 
 upon bis side. Our own strength would be of little service 
 •when embarrassed in the nets of base cunning, but th) Lord's 
 strength is ever available ; we have but to invoke it, and we 
 shall find it near at hand. If by faith we are depending alone 
 upon the strength of the mighty God of Israel, we may use 
 our holy reliance as a plea in supplication. 
 
 " Lord, evermore Thy face we seek ; 
 Tempted we arc, and poor, and weak; 
 Keep us with lowly hearts, and meek. 
 Let U8 not fall. Let us not fall." 
 
August 20. EVENING HEADINGS. 235 
 
 " And thqj fortified Jerusalem unto the broad wall.'" 
 Nehemiah iii. 8. 
 
 ^^5^(^ITIES well fortified have broad wall.s, and so had 
 fC^iV= Jerusalem in her glory. The New Jerusalem must, 
 '^ in like manner, be surrounded and preserved by a 
 
 broad wall of non-conformity to the world, and separation 
 from its customs and spirit. The tendency of these days is 
 to break down the holy barrier, and make the distinction 
 between the church and tlie world merely nominal. Profess- 
 ors are no longer strict and Puritanical, questionable liter- 
 ature is read on all hands, frivolous pastimes are currently 
 indulged, and a general laxity threatens to deprive the Lord's 
 peculiar people of those sacred singularities which separate 
 them from sinners. It will be an ill day for the church and 
 the world when the proposed amalgamation shall be com- 
 plete, and the sons of God and the daughters of men shall 
 be as one : then shall another deluge of wrath be ushered in. 
 Beloved reader, be it your aim in heart, in word, in dress, 
 in action, to maintain the broad wall, remembering that the 
 friendship of this world is enmity against God. 
 
 The broad wall afforded a pleasant place of resort for the 
 inhabitants of Jerusalem, from which the}' could command 
 prospects of the surrounding country. This reminds us of 
 the Lord's exceeding broad commandments, in which we 
 walk at liberty in communion with Jesus, overlooking the 
 scenes of earth, and looking out towards the glories of 
 heaven. Separated from the world, and denying ourselves 
 all ungodliness and fleshly lusts, we are nevertheless not in 
 prison, nor restricted within narrow bounds ; nay, we walk 
 at liberty, because we keep Ilis precepts. Come, reader, 
 this evening walk with God in his statutes. As friend met 
 friend upon the city wall, so meet thou thy God in the way 
 of holy prayer and meditation. The bulwarks of salvation 
 thou hast a right to traverse, for thou art a freeman of tho 
 royal burgh, a citi;"^'- " ' ■' "^olis of the universe. 
 
236 ETENING KEADINGS. Au|:ust21. 
 
 " I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye Me in vain." 
 Isaiah xlv. 19. 
 
 ^^[Flt^E may gain much solace by considering what God has 
 W/\^lfm not said. What He has said is inexpressibly full of 
 "^^^^ comfort and delight ; what He has not said is scarce 
 ly less rich in consolation. It was one of these " said nots " 
 which preserved the kingdom of Israel in the days of Jero- 
 boam, the son of Joash, for " the Lord said not that JJe 
 would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven." 2 
 Kings siv. 27. In our test we have an assurance that God 
 tvill answer prayer, because He hath " not said unto the seed 
 of Israel, Seek ye Me in vain." You who write bitter things 
 against ^'ourselves, should remember that, let your doubts 
 and fears say what they will, if God has not cut you off from 
 mercy, there is no room for despair ; even the voice of con- 
 science is of little weight if it be not seconded by the voice 
 of God. What God has said, tremble at ! But suffer not 
 your vain imaginings to overwhelm you with despondency 
 and sinful despair. Many timid persons have been vexed by 
 the suspicion that there may be something in God's decree 
 which shuts them out from hope ; but here is a complete 
 refutation to that troublesome fear, for no true seeker can be 
 decreed to wrath. " I have not spoken in secret, in a dark 
 place of the earth ; I have not said," even in the secret of 
 my unsearchable decree, " Seek ye Me in vain." God has 
 clearly revealed that He will hear the prayer of those who 
 call upon Him, and that declaration cannot be contiavened 
 He has so firmly, sc truthfully, so righteously spoken, t-hat 
 there can be no roon for doubt. He does not reveal His 
 mind in unintelligible words, but He speaks plainly and pos- 
 itively, " Ask, and ye shall receive." Believe, trembler, 
 this sure truth — that prayer must and shall be heard, and 
 that never, even in the secrets of eternity, has the Lord said 
 unto any living soul, " Seek ye Me ic vain.' 
 
August 22. EVENING HEADINGS. 237 
 
 ♦' The unsearchahle riches of Christ." — Ephesians iii. 8. 
 
 fi'VY^Y Master has riches beyond the couut of arithmetic, 
 ^f I jl the nieasuremcnt of reason, the dream of imagina- 
 'T tion, or the eloquence of words. Th^y are unsearrh- 
 abk I You may look, and study, and weigh, but Jesus is a 
 greater Saviour than you think Ilim to be when your thoughts 
 are at the greatest. My Lord is more ready to pardon than 
 you to sin, more able to forgive than you to transgress. My 
 Master is more willing to supply your wants than you are to 
 confess them. Never tolerate low thoughts of my Lord 
 Jesus. When you put the crown on His head, you will only 
 crown Him with silver when He deserves gold, lly blaster 
 has riches of happiness to hestoio upon you noin. He can make 
 you to lie down in green pastures, and lead you beside still 
 waters. There is no music like the niusic of His pipe, when 
 He is the Shepherd and you are the sheep, and you lie down 
 at His feet. There is no love like His ; neither earth nor 
 heaven can match it. To know Christ and to be found in 
 Him — oil, this is life, this is joy, this is marrow and fat- 
 ness, wine on the lees well refined. My Master does not 
 treat his servants churlishly ; He gives to them as a king 
 giveth to a king ; He gives them two heavens — a heaven 
 below in serving Him here, and a heaven above in delighting 
 in Him forever. His unsearchable riches ivill be best known 
 in eternit]]. He will give you, on the way to heaven, all you 
 need ; your place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks, 
 your bread shall be given you, and your waters shall be sure ; 
 but it is there, there, where you shall hear the song of them 
 that triumph, the shout of thorn that feast, and shall have a 
 face-to-face view of the glorious and beloved One. The un- 
 searchable riches of Christ! This is the tuuo for the min- 
 strels cf earth, and the song for tlic harpers of heaven. 
 Lord, teach us more and more of Jesus, and we will tell out 
 the good news to others. 
 
238 ETENING READINGS. Augtist 23 
 
 " That Christ may' dwell in your hearts by faith." 
 Ephesians iii. 17. 
 
 ^^EYOND measure it is desirable that we, as believers, 
 should have the person of Jesus constantly before us, 
 to inflame our love towards Him, and to increase our 
 knowledge of Him. I would to God that my readers were 
 all entered as diligent scholars in Jesus' college, students cf 
 Corpus Christi, or the body of Christ, resolved to attain unto 
 a good degree in the learning of the cross. But to have Je- 
 sus ever near, the heart must be full of Him, welling up with 
 His love, even to overruuning ; hence the apostle prays " that 
 Christ may divell in your hearts." Sec how near he would 
 have Jesus to be ! You cannot get a subject closer to you 
 than to have it in the heart itself. " That He mau dwell : " 
 not that He may call upon you sometimes, as a casual visitor 
 enters into a house and tarries for a night, but that He may 
 divell ; that Jesus may become the Lord and Tenant of your 
 inmost being, never more to go out. 
 
 Observe the words — that He may dwell in your heart, that 
 best room of the house of manhood ; not in your thoughts 
 alone, but in your affections ; not merely in the mind's med 
 itations, but in the heart's emotions. We should pant after 
 love to Christ of a most abiding character, not a love tha*^^ 
 flames up and then dies out into the darkness of a few em- 
 bers, but a constant flame, fed by sacred fuel, like the fire 
 upon the altar which never went out. This cannot be ac- 
 complished except by faith. Faith must be strong, or love 
 will not be fervent ; the root of the flower must be healthy, 
 or we cannot expect the bloom to be sweet. Faith is the 
 lily's root, and love is the lily's bloom. Now, reader, Jesus 
 cannot be in your heart's love except you have a firm hold 
 of Him by your heart's faith ; and, therefore, pray that you 
 may always trust Christ in order that you may always love 
 Him. If love be cold, be sure that faith is drooping. 
 
August 24. EVENIXG nEAllINGS. 239 
 
 " Iffi^^ break out, and catch in thoi-ns, so that the stacks of com, 
 or the standinij corn, or the field, be consumed thereicith, he that 
 kindled the fire shall surely make restilulion." — Exodus xxii. 6. 
 
 ^jjl^^UT what restitution can he make who casts abroad 
 ^'1 j'\i the firebrands of error, or the coals of lasciviouf-ness, 
 x^sS^b. gjj^^ gg|.g men's souls on a blaze with the fire of hell ? 
 The guilt is beyond estimate, and the result is irretrievable. 
 If such an offender be forgiven, what grief it will cause him 
 in the retrospect, since he cannot undo the mischief which he 
 has done ! An ill example may kindle a flame which years 
 of amended character cannot quench. To burn the food of 
 man is bad enough, but how much worse to destroy the soul ! 
 It may be useful to us to reflect how far we may have been 
 guilty in the past, and to inquire whether, even in the pres- 
 ent, there may not be evil in us which has a tendency to bring 
 damage to the souls of our relatives, friends, or neighbors. 
 
 The fire of strife is a terrible evil when it breaks out in a 
 Christian church. Where converts were multiplied and God 
 was glorified, jealousy and envy do the devil's work most 
 effectually. Where the golden grain was being housed, to 
 reward the toil of the great Boaz, the fire of enmity comes in 
 and leaves little else but smoke and a heap of blackness. 
 Woe unto those by whom oflences come. May they never 
 come through us, for although we cannot make restitution, 
 MC shall certainly be the chief sufferers if we are the chief 
 offenders. Those who feed the fire deserve just censure, but 
 he who first kindles it is most to blame. Discord usually takes 
 first hold upon the thorns ; it is i irtured among the hypo- 
 crites and base professors in the ihurch, and away it goes 
 among tbe righteous, blown by the winds of hell, and no ono 
 knows where it may end. Thou Lord and giver of peace, 
 make us peacemakers, and never let us aid and abet the 
 men of strife, or even unintentionally cause the least divisioQ 
 among Thy people. 
 
240 EVENING HEADINGS. AugUSt 25 
 
 " If thou believest with all thine heart, thou may est." — Acts viii. 37. 
 
 ^HESE words may answer your scruples, devout read- 
 ing er, concerning the ordinances. Perhaps you say, " I 
 should be afraid to be baptized ; it is such a solemn 
 Ihing to avow myself to be dead with Christ, and buried with 
 Him. I should not feel at liberty to come to the Master's 
 table ; I should be afraid of eating and drinking damnation 
 unto myself, not discerning the Lord's body." Ah ! poor 
 trembler, Jesus has given you liberty ; be not afraid. If a 
 stranger came to your house, he would stand at the door, or 
 wait in the hall ; he would not dream of intruding unbidden 
 into your parlor — he is not at home : but your child makes 
 himself very free about the house ; and so it is with the child 
 of God. A stranger may not intrude where a child may ven- 
 ture. When the Holy Ghost has given you to feel the spirit 
 of adoption, you may come to Christian ordinances without 
 fear. The same rule holds good of the Christian s imvarc' 
 privileges. You think, poor seeker, that you are not allowe(? 
 to rejoice with joy unspeakable and fall of glory ; if you are 
 permitted to get inside Christ's door, or sit at the bottom of 
 his table, you will be well content. Ah ! but you shall noi 
 have less privileges than the very greatest. God makes no 
 diiference in His love to His children. A child is a child to 
 Him ; He will not make him a hired servant ; but he shall 
 feast upon the fatted calf, and shall have the music and the 
 dancing as much as if he had never gone astray. When 
 Jesus comes into the heart, he issues a general license to be 
 glad in the Lord. No chains are worn in the court of King 
 Jesus. Our admission into full privileges may be gradual, 
 but it is sure. Perhaps our reader is saying, " I wish I 
 sould enjoy the promises, and walk at liberty in my Lord's 
 .commands." " If thou believest with all thine heart, thcu 
 mayest." Loose the chains of thy neck, captive daughttr, 
 for Jesus makes thee free. 
 
August 26. ETENINO READINGS. 241 
 
 " The people, when they beheld ITim, were greatly amaz'A, a'Ad r«n- 
 ning to Him saluted Him." — Mark ix. 15. 
 
 ^^i|-^OW groat the difference between Moses and Jesus ! 
 o|^\> When the prophet of Horcb had been forty daya 
 ''^^** upon the mountain, he underwent a kind of transfig- 
 uration, so that his countenance shone with exceeding bright- 
 ness, and he put a veil over his face, for the people could not 
 endure to look upon his glory. Not so our Saviour. He had 
 been transfigured with a greater glory than that of Moses, 
 and yet it is not written that the people were blinded by the 
 blaze of His countenance, but rather they were amazed, and 
 running to Him they saluted Him. The glory of the law re- 
 pels, but the greater glory of Jesus attracts. Though Jesus 
 is holy and just, yet blended with His purity there is so much 
 Df truth and grace, that sinners run to Him amazed at His 
 goodness, fascinated by His love ; they salute Him, become 
 His disciples, and take Him to be their Lord and Master. 
 Reader, it may be that just now you are blinded by the 
 dazzling brightness of the law of God. You feel its claims 
 on your conscience, but you cannot keep it in your life. Not 
 that you find fault with the law ; on the contrary, it com- 
 mands your profoundest esteem ; still you are in no wise drawn 
 by it to God ; you are rather hardened in heart, and are 
 verging towards desperation. Ah, poor heart ! turn thine 
 eye from Moses, with all his repelling splendor, and look to 
 Jesus, resplendent with milder glories. Behold His flowing 
 wounds and thorn-crowned head ! He is the Son of God, and 
 therein he is greater than Moses ; but He is the Lord of love, 
 and therein more tender than the lawgiver. He bore the 
 wrath of God, and in His death revealed more of God's jus- 
 tice than Sinai on a blaze ; but that justice is now vindicated, 
 and henceforth it is the guardian of believers in Jesus. Look, 
 Binncr, to the bleeding Saviour, and as thou feelest the at- 
 traction of His love, fly to His arms, and thou shalt be ?aved. 
 21 
 
242 EVENING KEADING8. AllgUSt 27. 
 
 "Into Tliine hand I commit my spirit: Thou hast redeemed me, 
 Lord Ood of truth." — Psalm xxxi. 5. 
 
 j*^HESE words have been frequently used by holy men 
 in their hour of departure. We may profitably con- 
 sider them this evening. The object of the faithful 
 man's solicitude in life and death is not his body or his 
 estate, but his spirit ; this is his choice treasure — if this 
 be safe, all is well. What is this mortal state compared with 
 the soul ? The believer commits his soul to the hand of his 
 Grod ; it came from Him, it is His own, He has aforetime 
 sustained it, He is able to keep it, and it is most fit that He 
 should receive it. All things are safe in Jehovah's hands ; 
 what we intrust to the Lord will be secure, both now and in 
 that day of days towards which we are hastening. It is 
 peaceful living and glorious dying to repose in the care of 
 Heaven. At all times we should commit our all to Jesus' 
 faithful hand ; then, though life may hang on a thread, and 
 adversities may multiply as the sands of the sea, our soul 
 shall dwell at ease, and delight itself in quiet resting-places. 
 " Thou hast redeemed me, Lord God of truth." Re- 
 demption is a solid basis for confidence. David had not 
 known Calvary as we have done, but temporal redemption 
 cheered him ; and shall not eternal redemption yet more 
 sweetly console us ? Past deliverances are strong pleas for 
 present assistance. What the Lord has done He will do 
 again, for He changes not. He is faithful to His promises, 
 tnd gracious to His saints ; He will not turn away from Hid 
 people. 
 
 " Though Thou slay me I will trust, 
 Praise Thee even from the dust, 
 Prove, and tell it as I prove, 
 Thine unutterable love. 
 
 " Thou mayst chasten and correct, 
 
 But Thou never canst neglect; 
 Since the ransom price is piiid, 
 On Tliy love my nope is stayed," 
 
August 28. EVENING BEADINOS. 24J» 
 
 " Sing, barren." — Isaiah liv. 1. 
 
 ^^■^^HOUGH we have brought forth some fruit unto Christ, 
 fl r 7^ and have a joyful hope that we are "plants of His 
 ^^^^^^^ own right hand planting," yet there arc times when 
 we feci very barren. Prayer is lifeless, love is cold, faith is 
 weak, each grace in the garden of our heart languishes and 
 droops. We are like flowers in the hot sun, requiring the 
 refreshing shower. In such a condition what are we to do ? 
 The text is addressed to us in just such a state. "Sing, 
 barren, break forth and cry aloud." But what can I sing 
 •bout ? I cannot talk about the present, and even the past 
 looks full of barrenness. Ah ! I can sing of Jesus Christ. 
 I can talk of visits which the Redeemer has aforetimes paid 
 to me ; or if not of these, I can magnify the great love 
 wherewith He loved His people when He came from the 
 heights of heaven for their redemption. I will go to the 
 cross again. Come, my soul, heavy laden thou wast once, 
 and thou didst lose thy burden there. Go to Calvary again. 
 Perhaps that very cross which gave thee life may give thee 
 fruitfulness. What is my barrenness ? It is the platform 
 for His fruit-creating power. What is my desolation r It 
 is the black setting for the sapphire of His everlasting love. 
 I will go in poverty, I will go in helplessness, I will go in all 
 my shame and backsliding, I will tell Him that I am still His 
 child, and in confidence in His faithful heart, even I, the 
 barren one, will sing and cry aloud. 
 
 Sing, believer, for it will cheer thine own heart, and the 
 hearts of other desolate ones. Sing on, for now that thou 
 art really ashamed of being barren, thou wilt be fruitful soon ; 
 now that God makes thee loath to be without fruit He will 
 eoon cover thee with clusters. The experience of our bar- 
 renness is painful, but the Lord's visitations are delightful. 
 A sense of our own poverty drives us to Christ, and that ii 
 where we need to be, ft»r in Him is our fruit found. 
 
244 EVENING KEADINGS. AugUSt 29. 
 
 " JU tlie days of his separation sJiall he eat nothing that is made of 
 the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk." — Numb. vi. 4. 
 
 !|6AZARITES had taken, amoDjc other vows, one whic'' 
 /f^j debarred them from the use of wine. In order thai 
 they might not violate the obligation, they were for- 
 ^idden to drink the vinegar of wine or strong liquors ; and, 
 to make the rule still more clear, they were not to touch the 
 uutermented juice of grapes, nor even to eat the fruit either 
 fresh or dried. In order, altogether, to secure the integrity 
 of the vow, they were not even allowed anything that had to 
 do with the vine ; they were, in fact, to avoid the appearance 
 of evil. Surely this is a lesson to the Lord's separated ones, 
 teaching them to come away from sin in every form ; to avoid 
 not merely its grosser shapes, but even its spirit and simili- 
 tude. Strict walking is much despised in these days, but 
 rest assured, dear reader, it is both the safest and the hap- 
 piest. He who yields a point or two to the world is in fear- 
 ful peril ; he who eats the grapes of Sodom will soon drink 
 the wine of Gomorrha. A little crevice in the sea-bank in 
 Holland lets in the sea, and the gap speedily swells till a 
 province is drowned. Worldly conformity, in any degree, is 
 a snare to the soul, and makes it more and more liable to 
 presumptuous sins. Moreover, as the Nazarite who drank 
 grape juice could not be quite sure whether it might not 
 hRve endured a degree of fermentation, and consequently 
 could not be clear in heart that his vow was intact, so the 
 yielding, temporizing Christian, cannot wear a conscience 
 void of offence, but must feci that the inward monitor is ia 
 doubt of him. Things doubtful we need not doubt about ; 
 they are wrong to us. Things tempting we must not dally 
 with, but flee from them with speed. Better be sneered at 
 as a Puritan than be despised as a hypocrite. Careful walk- 
 ing may involve much self-denial, but it has pleasures of i(« 
 own which are more tban a sufficient recompense. 
 
.\UgUSt 30. E\ENIXG HEADINGS. 245 
 
 '• Heal me, Lord, and I shall be healed.'' — Jer. xvii. 14. 
 '* / have seen his ways, and will heal him." — Isa. Iv'i. 18. 
 
 "jSClflvrT is the sole nrcrojrative of God to remove spiritual 
 ^li-?i ^i^f*^^*^- Natural disease may be instrumentally 
 y/^\m lie^lcd by men, but even then the honor is to be 
 given to God, who givcth virtue unto medicine, and bestow- 
 eth power unto the human frame to cast off disease. As for 
 spiritual sicknesses, these remain with the great Physician 
 alone ; He claims it as His prerogative, " I kill and I mako 
 alive, I wound and I heal ; " and one of the Lord's choice 
 titles is Jehovah-Rophi, the Lord that healeth thee. " I will 
 heal thee of thy wounds," is a promise which could not come 
 from the lip of man, but only from the mouth of the eternal 
 God. On this account the psalmist cried unto the Lord, " 
 Lord, heal me, for my bones are sore vexed ; " and again, 
 " Heal my soul, for I have sinned against Thee." For this 
 also the godly praise the name of the Lord, saying, " He 
 healeth all our diseases." He who made man can restore 
 man ; He who was at first the creator of our nature can new 
 create it. What a transcendent comfort it is that in the per- 
 son of Jesus " dwclleth all the fulness of the Godhead bod- 
 ily ! " My soul, whatever thy disease may be, this great Phy. 
 sician can heal thee. If He be God, there can be no limit 
 to His power. Come, then, with the blind eye of darkened 
 understanding, come with the limping foot of wasted energy, 
 come with the maimed hand of weak faith, the fever of an 
 angry temper, or the ague of shivering despondency, come 
 just as thou art, for He who is God can certainly restore thee 
 of thy plague. None shall restrain the healing virtue which 
 proceeds from Jesus our Lord. Legions of devils have been 
 made to own the power of the beloved Physician, and never 
 once has he been baffled. All His patients have been cured 
 in the past, and shall be in the future, aud thou shalt be one 
 among them, my friend if thou wilt but rest thyself in Hinc 
 this night. 21 * 
 
846 EVENING READINGS. AugUSt 31. 
 
 ''If toe walk in the lujM, as He is in the ligM" — 1 John i. 7. 
 
 ^S He is in the light ! Can we ever attaia to this ? 
 ,_i'^ Shall we ever be able to walk as clearly in the light 
 ^^^^*^ as He is whom we call " Our Father," of whom it is 
 written, " God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all" ? 
 Certainly, this is the model which is set before us, for the 
 Saviour Himself said, " Be ye perfect, even as your Father 
 who is in heaven is perfect ; " and although we may feel that 
 we can never rival the perfection of God, yet we are to seek 
 after it, and never to be satisfied until we attain to it. The 
 youthful artist, as he grasps his early pencil, can hardly hopo 
 to equal Raphael or Michael Angelo ; but still, if he did not 
 have a noble heau ideal before his mind, he would only at- 
 tain to something very mean and ordinary. But what is 
 meant by the expression that the Christian is to walk in light 
 as God is in the light ? We conceive it to import likeness, 
 but not degree. We are as truly in the light, we are as 
 heartily in the light, we are as sincerely in the light, as hon- 
 estly in the light, though we cannot be there in the same 
 measure. I cannot dwell in the sun ; it is too bright a place 
 for my residence ; but I can walk in the light of the sun ; and 
 so, though I cannot attain to that perfection of purity and 
 truth which belongs to the Lord of Hosts by nature as the 
 infinitely good, yet I can set the Lord always before me, and 
 strive, by the help of the indwelling Spirit, after conformity 
 to His image. That famous old commentator, John Trapp, 
 says, " We may be in the light as God is in the light for 
 quality, but not for equality" We are to have the same 
 light, and are as truly to have it and walk in it as God does, 
 though, as for equality with God in His holiness and purity, 
 that must be left until we cross the Jordan and enter into 
 the perfection of the Most High. Mark that the blessings 
 of sacred fellowship and perfect cleansing are bound up with 
 walking in the light. 
 
8opt. 1. EVENING EEADINOS. 247 
 
 " Trust in Ilim at all times." — Psalm Ixii. 8. 
 
 <w5;^'^^AITH is as much the rule of temporal as of spiritual 
 ^-^ll^-J life. We ought to have faith in God for our earthly 
 ^^'^^ affairs as well as for our heavenly business. It ia 
 only as we learn to trust in God for the supply of all our 
 daily need that we shall live above the world. We are not 
 to be idle ; that would show we did not trust in God, who 
 worlvcth hitherto, but in the devil, who is the father of idle- 
 ness. We are not to be imprudent or rash ; that were to 
 trust chance, and not the living God, who is a God of econ- 
 omy and order. Acting in all prudence and uprightness, we 
 are to rely simply and entirely upon the Lord at all times. 
 
 Let me commend to you a life of trust in God in temporal 
 things. Trusting in God, you will not be compelled to mourn 
 because you have used sinful means to grow rich. Serve God 
 with integrity, and if you achieve no success, at least no sin 
 will lie upon your conscience. Trusting God, you will not be 
 guilty of self-contradiction. He who trusts in craft sails this 
 way to-day, and that way the next, like a vessel tossed about 
 by the fickle wind ; but he that trusteth in the Lord is like a 
 vessel propelled by steam ; she cuts through the waves, defies 
 • the wind, and makes one bright, silvery, straightforward track 
 to her destined haven. Be you a man with living principles 
 within ; never bow to the varying customs of worldly wisdom. 
 Walk in your path of integrity with steadfast steps, and show 
 that you are invincibly strong in the strength which confi- 
 dence in God alone can confer. Thus you will be delivered 
 from carking care, you will not be troubled with evil tidings, 
 your heart will be fixed, trusting in the Lord. How pleasant 
 to float along the stream of providence ! There is no more 
 blessed way of living than a life of dependence upon a cove- 
 nant-keeping God. We have no care, for He careth for us ; 
 we have no troubles, because we cast our burdens upon th« 
 Lord. 
 
248 EVENING HEADINGS. Sept. 2. 
 
 " Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe." 
 John iv. 48. 
 
 ^^1 '^ CRAVING after marvels was a symptom of the sicklj 
 Wj\ \ state of men's minds in our Lord's day ; they refused 
 
 ?d 
 solid nourishment, and pined after mere wonder. 
 The gospel which they so greatly needed they would not 
 have ; the miracles which Jesus did not always choose to 
 give, they eagerly demanded. Many nowadays must see 
 signs and wonders, or they will not believe. Some have 
 said in their heart, " T must feel deep horror of soul, or I 
 never will believe in Jesus." But what if you never should 
 feel it, as probably you never may ? Will you go to hell out 
 of spite against God, because He will not treat you like an- 
 other r One has said to himself, " If I had a dream, or if I 
 could feel a sudden shock of I know not what, then I would 
 believe." Thus you undeserving mortals dream that my 
 Lord is to be dictated to by you ! You are beggars at His 
 gate, asking for mercy, and you must needs draw up rules 
 and regulations as to how He shall give that mercy. Think 
 you that He will submit to this ? My Master is of a gener- 
 ous spirit, but He has a right royal heart ; He spurns all dic- 
 tation, and maintains His sovereignty of action. Why, dear 
 reader, if such be your case, do you crave for signs and won- 
 ders ? Is not the gospel its own sign and wonder ? Is not 
 this a miracle of miracles, that " God so loved the world that 
 He gave His only begotten Son, tliat whosoever believeth in 
 Him might not perish " ? Surely that precious word, " Who- 
 soever will, let him come and take the water of life freel3%" 
 and that solemn promise, " Him that cometh unto Me, I will 
 in no wise cast out," are better than signs and wonders ! A 
 truthful Saviour ought to be believed. He is truth itself. 
 Why will you ask proof of the veracity of one who cannot 
 lie ? The devils themselves declared Him to be the Son of 
 God , will you mistrust Him ? 
 
Sept. 3. EVENING HEADINGS. 249 
 
 " The Lord trieth the righteotis." — Psalm xi. 5. 
 
 -LL events are under the control of Providence ; con- 
 }^ sequcntly all the trials of our outward life are trace- 
 ''^^ able at once to the great First Cause. Out of the 
 golden gate of God's ordinance the armies of trial march 
 forth in array, cl.»d in their iron armor, and armed with 
 ■weapons of war. All providences are doors to trial. Even 
 our mercies, like roses, have their thorns. Men may be 
 drowned in seas of prosperity as well as in rivers of affliction. 
 Our mountains are not too high, and our valleys are not too 
 low, for temptations : trials lurk on all roads. Everywhere, 
 above and beneath, we are beset and surrounded with dan- 
 gers. Yet no shower falls unpermitted from the threatening 
 cloud ; every drop has its order ere it hastens to the earth. 
 The trials which come from God are sent to prove and 
 strengthen our graces, and so at once to illustrate the power 
 of divine grace, to test the genuineness of our virtues, and 
 to add to their energy. Our Lord, in His inflnite wisdom and 
 superabundant love, sets so high a value upon Uis people's 
 faith, that He will not screen them from those trials by which 
 faith is strengthened. You would never have possessed the 
 precious faith which now supports you if the trial of your 
 faith had not been like unto fire. You are a tree that never 
 would have rooted so well if the wind had not rocked you to 
 and fro, and made you take firm hold upon the precious 
 truths of the covenant of grace. Worldly ease is a great foe 
 to faith; it loosens the joints of holy valor, and snaps the 
 sinews of sacred courage. The balloon never rises until the 
 cords are cut ; affliction doth this sharp service for believing 
 souls. While the wheat sleeps comfortably in the husk it is 
 useless to man ; it must be threshed out of its resting-place 
 before its value can be known. Thus it is well that Jehovah 
 trieth ths righteous, for it causes them to grow rich towar la 
 God. 
 
250 ETENING READINGS. Sept. 4, 
 
 "JuM balances, just weights, a jtist ephaJi, and a just kin, shall yt 
 have" — Leviticus xix. 36. 
 
 JI^JEIGHTS, and scales, and measures, were to be all ac- 
 !^izk/i cording to the standard of justice. Surely no Chris- 
 **^ tian man will need to be reminded of this in his busi- 
 ness, for if righteousness were banished from all the world 
 beside, it should find a shelter in believing hearts. There 
 are, however, other balances which weigh moral and spiritual 
 things, and these often need examining. We will call in the 
 officer to-night. 
 
 The balances in which we weigh our own and other men's 
 characters, are they quite accurate ? Do we not turn our own 
 ounces of goodness into pounds, and other persons' bushels 
 of excellence into pecks ? See to weights and measures here. 
 Christian. The scales in which we measure our trials and 
 troubles, are they according to standard ? Paul, who had 
 more to suffer than we have, called his afflictions light, and 
 yet we often consider ours to be heavy — surely something 
 must be amiss with the weights ! We must see to this mat- 
 ter, lest we get reported to the court above for unjust dealing. 
 Those weights with which we measure our doctrinal belief, 
 are they quite fair ? The doctrines of grace should have the 
 same weight with us as the precepts of the word, no more 
 and no less ; but it is to be feared that with many one scale 
 or the other is unfairly weighted. It is a grand matter to give 
 just measure in truth. Christian, be careful here. Those 
 measures in which we estimate our obligations and responsi- 
 bilities look rather small. When a rich man gives no more to 
 the cause of God than the poor contribute, is that a just ephah 
 and a just hin ? When ministers are half starved, is that hon- 
 est dealing ? When the poor are despised, while ungodly rich 
 men are held in admiration, is that a just balance ? Reader, 
 wo might lengthen the list, but we prefer to leave it as youi 
 evening's work to find out and destroy all unrighteous bal- 
 ances, weights, and '■measures. 
 
Sept. 5. EVENING READINGS. 251 
 
 " Ilast thou entered into the springs of the aea?" 
 Job XXXV iii. 16. 
 
 S^Ji^oJOME things in nature must remain a mystery to the 
 foSll'l nio'^t intelligent and enterprising investigators. Hu- 
 '^'^'"^ nian knowledge has bounds beyond which it cannot 
 pass. Universal knowledge is for God alone. If this be so 
 in the things which are seen and temporal, I may rest as. 
 sured that it is even more so in matters spiritual and eter- 
 nal. Why then have I been torturing my brain with specu- 
 lations as to destiny and will, fixed fate, and human responsi- 
 bility ? These deep and dark truths I am no more able to 
 comprehend than to find out the depth which coucheth be- 
 neath, from which old ocean draws her watery stores. Why 
 am I so curious to know the reason of my Lord's provi- 
 dences, the motive of His actions, the design of His visita- 
 tions ? Shall I ever be able to clasp the sun in my fist, and 
 hold the universe in my palm ? yet these are as a drop of a 
 bucket compared with the Lord my God. Let me not strive 
 to understand the infinite, but spend my strength in love. 
 What I cannot gain by intellect I can possess by aflection ; 
 and let that suflSce me. I cannot penetrate the heart of the 
 sea, but I can enjoy the healthful breezes wbich sweep over 
 its bosom, and I can sail over its blue waves with propitious 
 winds. If I could enter the springs of the sea, the feat 
 would serve no useful purpose either to myself or others ; it 
 wc'ild not save the sinking bark, or give back tht drowned 
 mariner to his weeping wife and children ; neither would 
 my solving deep mysteries avail me a single whii for the 
 least love to God, and the simplest act of obedienc \o Him, 
 are better than the profoundest knowledge. My T'ord, 1 
 leave the infinite to Thee, and pray Thee to put far frim ma 
 such a love for the tree of knowledge as might keep ma <Vnnj 
 the tree of life. 
 
2o2 EVENING READINGS. Sept. 6> 
 
 "7/' ye he led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law." 
 Galatians v. 18. 
 
 P^jpE who looks at his own character and position from 
 
 Vi a legal point of view, will not only despair when he 
 
 comes to the end of his reckoning, but if he be a 
 wise man he will despair at the beginning ; for if we are to 
 be judged on the footing of the law, there shall no flesh liv- 
 ing be justified. How blessed to know that we dwell in the 
 domains of grace, and not of law ! When thinking of my 
 state before God, the question is not, " Am I perfect in my- 
 self before the law ? " but, " Am I perfect in Christ Jesus ?" 
 That is a very different matter. We need not inquire, "Am 
 I without sin naturally ? " but, " Have I been washed in the 
 fountain opened for sin and for unclcanness ? " It is not, 
 " Am I in myself well-pleasing to God ? " but it is, " Am I 
 accepted in the Beloved ? " The Christian views his evi- 
 dences from the top of Sinai, and grows alarmed concerning 
 his salvation ; it were better far if he read his title by the 
 light of Calvary. " Why," saith he, " my faith has unbelief 
 in it; it is not able to save me." Suppose he had considered 
 the object of his faith instead of his faith, then he would have 
 said, " There is no failure in Him, and therefore I am safe." 
 He sighs over his hope : " Ah ! my hope is marred and 
 dimmed by an anxious carefulness about present things ; 
 how can I be accepted ? " Had he regarded the ground of 
 his hope, he would have seen that the promise of God stand- 
 eth sure, and that whatever our doubts may be, the oath and 
 promise never fail. Ah ! believer, it is safer always for you 
 lo be led of the Spirit into gospel liberty than to wear legal 
 fetters. Judge yourself at what Christ is rather than at what 
 you are. Satan will try to mar your peace by reminding you 
 of your sinfulness and imperfections : you can only meet his 
 accusations by faithfully adhering to the gospel and refusing 
 to wear the yoke of bondage. 
 
Sec*. 7. EVENINO READINGS. 253 
 
 " lliere is sorrow on the sea ; it cannot be quiet." — Jer xlix. 23. 
 
 3,^n^TTLE know we what sorrow inay be upon the sea at 
 '^1 tliis moment. We are safe in our quiet chamber, but 
 '■"^-^^^ far away on the salt sea the hurricane may be cruelly 
 Becking for the lives of men. Hear how the death fiends howl 
 among the cordage ; how every timber starts as the waves 
 beat like battering-rams upon the vessel ! God help you, 
 poor, drenched, and wearied ones ! My prayer goes up to 
 the great Lord of sea and land, that He will make the storm 
 a calm, and bring you to your desired haven ! Nor ought I 
 to oflFt-r prayer alone ; I should try to benefit those hardy men 
 who risk their lives so constantly. Have I ever done any- 
 thing for them ? What can I do ? How often does the bois- 
 terous sea swallow up the mariner ! Thousands of corpses 
 lie where pearls lie deep. There is death-sorrow on the sea, 
 which is echoed in the long wail of widows and orphans. 
 The salt of the sea is in many eyes of mothers and wives. 
 Remorseless billows, ye have devoured the love of women and 
 the stay of hou.seholds. What a resurrection shall there be 
 from the caverns of the deep when the sea gives up her dead ! 
 Till then there will be sorrow on the sea. As if in sympathy 
 with the woes of earth, the sea is forever fretting along a 
 thousand shores, wailing with a sorrowful cry like her own 
 birds, booming with a hollow crash of unrest, raving with up- 
 roarious discont'ent, chafing with hoarse wrath, or jangling 
 with the voices often thousand murmuring pebbles. The roar 
 of the sea may be joyous to a rejoicing spirit, but to the sou 
 of sorrow, the wide, wide ocean is even more forlorn than 
 the wide, wide world. This is not our rest, and the restless 
 billows tell us so. There is a land where there is no more 
 Sea — our faces are steadfastly set towards it; we are going 
 to the place of which the Lord hath spoken. Till then, we 
 cast our sorrows on the Lord, who trod the sea of old, and who 
 inaketh a way for His people through the depths thereof. 
 22 
 
254 EVENING EEADINGS. Sept. 8. 
 
 '' The exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward wTio believe, ac- 
 mording to the working of His mighty power, which He wrought 
 in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead." — Eph. i. 19, 20. 
 
 ^2^5JfN the resurrection of Christ, as in our salvation, therf 
 vv3^"' I »^ was put forth nothing short of a divine power. What 
 v/^^^ shall we say of t! ose who think that conversion ia 
 wrought by the free will of man, and is due to his own bet- 
 terness of disposition ? When we shall see the dead rise 
 from the grave by their own power, tlten may we expect to 
 see ungodly sinners of their own free will turning to Christ. 
 It is not the word preached, nor the word read in itself; all 
 quickening power proceeds from the Holy Ghost. This 
 power was irresistible. All the soldiers and the high priests 
 could not keep the body of Christ in the tomb; Death him- 
 self could not hold Jesus in his bonds : even thus irresistible 
 is the power put forth in the believer when he is raised to 
 newness of life. No sin, no corruption, no devils in hell, 
 nor sinners upon earth, can stay the hand of God's grace 
 when it intends to convert a man. If God omnipotently 
 says, "Thou shalt," man shall not say, "I will not." Ob- 
 serve that the power which raised Christ from the dead was 
 glorious. It reflected honor upon God, and wrought dismay 
 in the hosts of evil. So there is great glory to God in the 
 conversion of every sinner. It was everlasting power. " Christ, 
 being raised from the dead, dieth no more ; death hath n^ 
 more dominion over Him." So we, being raised from the 
 dead, go not back to our dead works, nor to our old corrup- 
 tions, but we live unto God. " Because He lives we live 
 also." " For we are dead, and our life is hid with Christ in 
 God " " Like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the 
 glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness 
 of life." Lastly, in the text mark the union of the new life to 
 Jesus. The same power which raised the Head works life in 
 the members. What a blessing to be quickened together 
 with Christ ! 
 
Sept. 9. EVENING READINGS. 255 
 
 " And round about the throne were four and ticenty seats : and upon 
 the seats T saw four and twenty elders sitting, clnthed in white 
 raiment." — Revelation iv. 4. 
 
 some render it " a round table." From this, some expositors, 
 I think, without straining the text, have said, " There is an 
 equality among the saints." That idea is conveyed by tbe 
 equal nearness of the four and twenty elders. The condition 
 of glorified spirits in heaven is that of nearness to Christ, 
 clear vision of His glory, constant access to His court, and 
 familial fellowship with His person : nor is there any differ- 
 ence in this respect between one saint and another, but all 
 the people of God, apostles, martyrs, ministers, or private 
 and obscure Christians, shall all be seated near the throne, 
 where they shall forever gaze upon their exalted Lord, and 
 bo satisfied with His love. They shall all be near to Christ, 
 all ravished with His love, all eating and drinking at the same 
 table with Him, all equally beloved as His favorites and 
 friends, even if not all equally rewarded as servants. 
 
 Let believers on earth imitate the saints in heaven in theii 
 nearness to Christ. Let us on earth be as the elders are in 
 heaven, sitting around the throne. May Christ be the object 
 of our thoughts, the centre of our lives. How can we endure 
 to live at such a distance from our Beloved ? Lord Jesu, 
 draw us nearer to Thyself! Say unto us, "Abide in Me, 
 ind I in you ; " and permit us to sing, " His left hand ig 
 inder my head, and His right hand doth embrace me." 
 
 Oh, lift me higher, nearer Thee, 
 
 And as I rise more pure and meet. 
 Oh, let my soul's humility 
 
 Make me lie lower at Thy feet; 
 Leas trustiug self, the more I prove 
 The blessed comfort of Thy lore. 
 
256 EVENING READINGS. Sept. 10. 
 
 " Evening wolves." — Hahakkuk i. 8. 
 
 il^HlLE preparing the present volume, this particular 
 '1'-.^ expression recurred to me so frequently, that in ordr.'" 
 to be rid of its constant importunity. I detcrmiDfl to 
 give a page to it. The evening wolf, infuriated by a day of 
 hunger, was fiercer and more ravenous than he would have 
 been in the morning. May not the furious creature represent 
 our doubts and fears after a day of distraction of mind, losses 
 in business, and perhaps ungenerous tauntings from our fel- 
 low-men ? How our thoughts howl in our ears, " Where ia 
 now thy God ?" How voracious and greedy they are, swal- 
 lowing up all suggestions of comfort, and remaining as hungry 
 as before ! Great Shepherd, slay these evening wolves, and 
 bid Thy sheep lie down in green pastures, undisturbed by 
 insatiable unbelief. How like are the fiends of hell to even- 
 ing wolves ! for when the flock of Christ are in a cloudy and 
 dark day,' and their sun seems going down, they hasten to 
 tear and to devour. They will scarcely attack the Christian 
 in the daylight of faith, but in the gloom of soul conflict they 
 fall upon him. Thou who hast laid down Thy life for the 
 riheep, preserve them from the fangs of the wolf. 
 
 False teachers who craftily and industriously hunt for the 
 precious life, devouring men by their falsehoods, are as 
 dangerous and detestable as evening wolves. Darkness is 
 ^lieir element, deceit is their character, destruction is their 
 end. We are most in danger from them when they wear the 
 sheep's skin. Blessed is he who is kept from them, for thou- 
 sands are made the prey of grievous wolves that enter within 
 the fold of the church. 
 
 What a wonder of grace it is when fierce persecutors are 
 converted ! for then the wolf dwells with the lamb, and men 
 of cruel, ungovernable dispositions become gentle and 
 teachable. Lord, convert many such : for such we will 
 pray to-night. 
 
Sept. 11. EVENING KJiAUINGS. 25 T 
 
 " Lead me, Lord, in Tliy righteousnesSi because of mine ene- 
 mics." — Psalm V. 8. 
 
 ^^|^£9ERY bitter is the enmity of the world against the peo- 
 ^/(y^ pie of Christ. Men will forgive a thousand faults iu 
 '*^'"^ others, but they will magnify the most trivial oflFeuco 
 in the follower of Jesus. Instead of vainly regretting this, 
 let us turn it to account, and since so many are watching for 
 our halting, let this be a special motive for walking very 
 carefully before God. If we live carelessly, the lynx-eyed 
 world will soon see it, and with its hundred tongues it will 
 spread the story, exaggerated and emblazoned by the zeal 
 of slander. They will shout triumphantly, " Aha ! So would 
 we have it ! See how these Christians act ! They are hypo- 
 crites, to a man ! " Thus will much damage be done to the 
 cause of Christ, and much insult offered to His name. The 
 cross of Christ is in itself an offence to the world ; let us take 
 heed that we add no offence of our own. It is " to the Jews 
 a stumbling-block : " let us mind that we put no stumbling- 
 blocks where there are enough already. " To the Greeks it 
 is foolishness : " let us not add our folly to give point to tlie 
 scorn with which the worldly-wise deride tie gospel. How 
 jealous should we be of ourselves ! How rif'id with our con- 
 sciences ! In the presence of adversaries who will misrepre- 
 sent our best deeds, and impugn our motives where they 
 cannot censure our actions, how circumspect should we be ! 
 Pilgrims travel as suspected portjoos through Vanity Fair. 
 Not only are we under surveillauce, but there are more spies 
 than we reck of. The espiouLge is everywhere, at home and 
 abroad. If we fall into the enemies' hands, we may sooner 
 expect generosity from a wolf, or mercy from a fiend, than 
 anything like patience with our infirmities from men who 
 epice tlicir infidelity towards God with scandals against His 
 people. Lord, lead us ever, lest our enemies trip us up j 
 22* 
 
258 EVENING READINGS. Sept. 12. 
 
 " I xoill sing of mercy and judgment." — Psalm ci. 1. 
 
 jf^^^AITH triumphs in trial. When Reason is thrust into 
 ''^ the inner prison, with her feet made fast in the stocks, 
 Faith makes the dungeon walls ring with her merry 
 notes as she cries, " I will sing of mercy and of judgment. 
 Unto Thee, Lord, will I sing." Faith pulls the hlack mask 
 from the face of trouble, and discovers the angel beneath. 
 Faith looks up at the cloud, and sees that 
 
 " 'Tis h\g with mercy and shall break 
 In blessings on ber head." 
 
 There is a subject for song even in the judgments of Go 1 
 towards us. For, first, the trial is not so heavy as it migl.t 
 have been ; next, the trouble is not so severe as we deserved to 
 have borne ; and our affliction is not so crushing as the burden 
 which others have to carry. Faith sees that in her worst sorrow 
 there is nothing penal ; there is not a drop of God's wrath 
 in it ; it is all sent in love. Faith discerns love gleaming like 
 a jewel on the breast of an angry God. Faith says of her 
 grief, " This is a badge of honor, for the child must feel the 
 rod ; " and then she sings of the sweet result of her sorrows, 
 because they work her spiritual good. Nay, more, says 
 Faith, " These light afflictions, which are but for a moment, 
 work out for me a far more exceeding and eternal weight of 
 glory." So Faith rides forth on the black horse, conquering 
 and to conquer, trampling down carnal reason and fleshly 
 sense, and chanting notes of victory amid the thickest of the 
 fray. 
 
 " All I meet I find assists me 
 In my path to heavenly joy, 
 Where, thoufjh trials now attend me, 
 Trials never more annoy. 
 
 " Blest there with a weight of glory, 
 Still the path I'll ne'er forget. 
 But, exulting, cry, it led me ^ 
 
 To my blessed Saviour's seat." 
 
Bent. 13. evenino reidixos. 259 
 
 " lliia Man receiveth sinners." — Luke xv. 2. 
 
 i^jJ^BSERVE the condescem'on of this fact. This Man 
 ' i who towers above all other men, holy, harmless, un- 
 deflled, and separate from sinners — this Man re- 
 ceiveth sinners. This Man, who is no other than the eternal 
 God, before whom angels veil their faces — this man receiv- 
 eth sinners. It needs an angel's tongue to describe such a 
 mighty stoop of love. That any of ns should be willing to seek 
 after the lost is nothing wonderful — they are of our own race ; 
 but that He, the offended God, against whom the transgres- 
 sion has been committed, should take upon Himself the form 
 of a servant, and bear the sin of many, and should then be 
 willing to receive the vilest of the vile, this is marvellous. 
 
 " This Man receiveth sinners ; " not, however, that they 
 may remain sinners, but He receives them that He may par- 
 don their sins, justify their persons, cleanse their hearts by 
 His purifying word, preserve their souls by the indwelling of 
 the Holy Ghost, and enable them to serve Him, to show forth 
 His praise, and to have communion with Him. Into His 
 heart's love He receives sinners, takes them from the dung- 
 hill, and wears them as jewels in His crown ; plucks them as 
 brands from the burning, and preserves them as costly mon- 
 uments of His mercy. None are so precious in Jesus' sight 
 as the sinners for whom He died. When Jesus receives sin- 
 ners. He has not some out-of-doors reception-place, no cas- 
 ual ward where He charitably entertains them as men do 
 passing beggars, but He opens the golden gates of His royal 
 heart, and receives the sinner right into Himself — yea. He 
 admits the humble penitent into personal union, and makes 
 him a member of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. 
 There was never such a reception as this ! This fact is still 
 most sure this evening. He is still receiving sinners : would 
 to God sinners would receive Him. 
 
^60 EVENING KEABINGS. Sept. 14. 
 
 '' / acknowledged my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity have I noi 
 hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord ; 
 and Thou for gav est the iniquity of my sin." — Psalm xxxii. 5. 
 
 k^lipi^^AVID'S giief for sin was bitter. Its effects were vis- 
 i^ %yi ible upon his outward frame : " his bones ^\axed 
 ^^^^ old ; " " his moisture was turned into the drought of 
 summer." No remedy could he find until he made a full con- 
 fession before the throne of the heavenly grace. He tells us, 
 that for a time he kept silence, and his heart became more 
 and more filled with grief: like a mountain tarn whose out- 
 let is blocked up, his soul was swollen with torrents of sor- 
 row. He fashioned excuses, he endeavored to divert his 
 thoughts, but it was all to no purpose ; like a festering sore 
 his anguish gathered, and as he would not use the lancet of 
 confession, his spirit was full of torment, and knew no rest. 
 At last it came to this, that he must return unto his God iu 
 humble penitence, or die outright ; so he hastened to the 
 mercy-seat, and there unrolled the volume of his iniquities 
 before the all-seeing One, acknowledging all the evil of his 
 ways in language such as you read in the fifty-first and other 
 penitential Psalms. Having done this, a work so simple and 
 yet so difficult to pride, he received at once the token of di- 
 vine forgiveness ; the bones which had been broken were 
 made to rejoice, and he came forth from his closet to sing 
 the blessedness of the man whose transgression is forgiven. 
 See the value of a grace-wrought confession of sin ! it is to 
 be prized above all price, for in every case where there is. a 
 genuine, gracious confession, mercy is freely given, not be- 
 cause the repentance and confession deserve mercy, but foi 
 Christ's sake. Blessed be God, there is always healing foi 
 the broken heart ; the fountain is ever flowing (c cleanse as 
 from our sins. Truly, Lord, Thou art a Gcd " ready t« 
 pardon." Therefore wiii we acknowledge our iniquities 
 
Sept. 15. EVENING EEADINWS. 261 
 
 " A people near unto Uim." — Psalm cxlviii. 14. 
 
 ^^■^IIE dispensation of the old covenant was that of dia- 
 ^|Ik^7^ tance. When God appeared even to His servant 
 ''^^*'*^ Moses, He said, " Draw not nigh hither : put off thy 
 shoes from oflF thy feet ; " and when He manifested Himself 
 npon Mount Sinai to his own chosen and separated people, 
 one of the first commands was, " Thou shalt set bounds about 
 the mount." Both in the sacred worship of the tabernacle 
 and the temple, the thought of distance was always promi- 
 nent. The mass of the people did not even enter the outer 
 court. Into the inner court none but the priests might dare 
 to intrude ; while into the innermost place, or the holy of 
 holies, the high priest entered but once in the year. It was 
 as if the Lord, in those early ages, would teach man that sin 
 was so utterly loathsome to Him, that He must treat men 
 as lepers put without the camp ; and when He came nearest 
 to them. He yet made them feel the width of the separation 
 between a holy God and an impure sinner. When the gospel 
 came, we were placed on quite another footing. The word 
 " Go " was exchanged for " Come ; " distance was made to 
 give place to nearness, and we who aforetime were afar oflF, 
 were made nigh by the blood of Jesus Christ. Incarnate 
 Deity has no wall of fire about it. " Come unto Me, all ye 
 that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest," is 
 the joyful proclamation of God as He appears in human flesh. 
 Not now does he teach the leper his leprosy by setting him 
 • at a distance, but by Himself suffering the penalty of his de- 
 filement. What a state of safety and privilege is this near- 
 ness to God through Jesus ! Do you know it by experi- 
 ence ? If you know it, are you living in the power of it ? 
 Marvellous is this nearness, yet it is to be followed by a dis- 
 pensation of greater nearness still, when it shall be said, 
 " The tabernacle of God is with men, and He doth dweli 
 among them." Hasten it, O Lord. 
 
262 ETENING EEADINOS. Sept. 1(J. 
 
 " Am I a sea, or a whale, that Tliou settest a watch over me ? " 
 Job vii. 12. 
 
 [■^HIS was a strange question for Job to ask of the 
 5^0 Lord. He felt himself to be too insignificant to be so 
 strictly watched and chastened, and he hoped that he 
 was not so unruly as to need to be so restrained. The in- 
 quiry was natural from one surrounded with such insupport- 
 able miseries ; but after all, it is capable of a very humbling 
 answer. It is true man is not the sea, but he is even more 
 troublesome and unruly. The sea obediently respects its 
 boundary, and though it be but a belt of sand, it does not 
 overleap the limit. Mighty as it is, it hears the divine hith- 
 erto, and when most raging with tempests, it respects the 
 word ; but self-willed man defies heaven and oppresses earth, 
 neither is there any end to his rebellious rage. The sea, 
 obedient to the moon, ebbs and flows with ceaseless regular- 
 ity, and thus renders an active as well as a passive obedi- 
 ence ; but man, restless beyond his sphere, sleeps within the 
 lines of duty, indolent where he should be active. He will 
 neither come nor go at the divine command, but sullenly pre- 
 fers to do what he should not, and to leave undone that 
 which is required of him. Every drop in the ocean, every 
 beaded bubble, and every yeasty foam-flake, every shell and 
 pebble, feel the power of law, and yield or move at once. Oh 
 that our nature were but one thousandth part as much con- 
 formed to the will of God ! We call the sea fickle and false, 
 but how constant it is ! Since our fathers' days, and the old 
 time before them, the sea is where it was, beating on the 
 same cliffs to the same tune ; we know where to find it ; it 
 forsakes not its bed, and changes not in its ceaseless boom ; 
 but where is man — vain, fickle man ? Can the wise man 
 guess by what folly he will next be seduced from his obedi- 
 ence ? We need more watching than the billowy sea, and are 
 far more rebellious. Lord, rule us for thine own glory. Ameo 
 
Sept. 17. EVEXINO HEADINGS. 263 
 
 " Encourage him." — Deuteronomy i. 38. 
 
 jOD employs His people to encourage one another. 
 He did not say to an angel, " Gabriel, my servant 
 Joshua is about to lead ray people into Canaan — go, 
 encourage him.". God never works needless miracles; if his 
 purposes can be accomplished by ordinary means, He will not 
 use miraculous agency. Gabriel would not have been half 
 so well fitted for the work as Moses. A brother's sympathy 
 is more precious than an angel's embassy. The angel, swift 
 of wing, had better known the Master's bidding than the 
 people's temper. An angel had never experienced the hard- 
 ness of the road, nor seen the fiery serpents, nor had he led 
 the stiff-necked multitude in the wilderness as Moses had 
 done. We should be glad that God usually works for man 
 by man. It forms a bond of brotherhood, and being mutu- 
 ally dependent on one another, we are fused more complete- 
 ly into one family. Brethren, take the text as God's mes- 
 sage to you. Labor to help others, and especially strive to 
 encourage them. Talk cheerily to the young and anxious 
 inquirer, lovingly try to remove stumbling-blocks out of his 
 way. When you find a spark of grace in the heart, kneel 
 down and blow it into a flame. Leave the young believer to 
 discover the roughness of the road by degrees, but tell him 
 of the strength which dwells in God, of the sureness of the 
 promise, and of the charms of communion with Christ. Aim 
 to comfort the sorrowful, and to animate the desponding. 
 Speak a word in season to him that is weary, and encourage 
 those who are fearful to go on their way with gladness. God 
 encourages you by His promises ; Christ encourages yoti as 
 He points to the heaven He has won for you, and the Spirit 
 encourages you as He works in ycu to will and to do of 
 His own will and pleasure. Imitate divine wisdom, and en- 
 eourage others, according to the word of this evening. 
 
264 EVENING READINGS, Sept. 1ft. 
 
 " A7id iliey follow .lie." — John x. 27. 
 
 ,|;S|jE should follow our Lord as unhesitatingly as sheep 
 Kji follow their shepherd, for He has a right to lead «» 
 *^ whei-ever He pleases. We are not our own. We are 
 bought with a price — let us recognize the eights of the re- 
 d^'eming blood. The soldier follows his captain, the servant 
 obeys his master ; much more must we follow our Redeem- 
 er, to whom we are a purchased possession. We are not 
 true to our profession of being Christians if we question the 
 bidding of our Leader and Commander. Submission is our 
 duty, cavilling is our folly. Often might our Lord say to us 
 as to Peter, " What is that to thee ? follow thou Me." 
 Wherever Jesus may lead us. He goes before ws. If we know 
 not where we go, we know with ivhom we go. With such a 
 companion, who will dread the perils of the road ? The jour- 
 ney may be long, but his everlasting arms will carry us to 
 the -end. The presence of Jesus is the assurance of eternal 
 salvation ; because he lives, we shall live also. We should 
 follow Christ in simplicity and faith, because the paths in 
 which He leads us all end in glonj and immortality. It is 
 ffrue they may not be smooth paths — they may be covered 
 with sharp, flinty trials ; but they lead to the " city which 
 hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." " All 
 the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep 
 His covenant." Let us put full trust in our Leader, since 
 we know that, come prosperity or adversity, sickness oi 
 health, popularity or contempt. His purpose shall be worked 
 out, and that purpose shall be pure, unmingled good to 
 every heir of mercy. We shall find it sweet to go up the 
 bleak side of the hill with Christ ; and when rain aud snow 
 blow into our faces. His dear love will make us far more 
 blest than those who sit at home and warm their hands at the 
 ■world's fire. To the top of Aniana, to the dens of lions, or to 
 the hills of leopards, we will follow our Beloved. Precious 
 Jesus, draw us, and we will run after Thee. 
 
Sept. 19. EVENING READINGS. 265 
 
 ■" For this child I prayed." — 1 Samuel i. 27. 
 
 ^Ijp^^EJVOUT souls delight to look upon those mercies 
 ^fwi ''^liich they have obtained in answer to supplication, 
 ^''^^ for they can see God's especial love in them. When 
 we can name our blessings Samuel, that is, " asked of God," 
 they will be as dear to us as her child was to Hannah. Pe- 
 niunah had many children, but they came as common bless- 
 ings unsought in prayer : Hannah's one heaven-given child 
 was dearer far, because he was the fruit of earnest pleadings. 
 How sweet was that water to Samson which he found at " the 
 well of him that prayed ! " Quassia cups turn all waters bit- 
 ter, but the cup of prayer puts a sweetness into the draughts 
 it brings. Did we pray for the conversion of our children ? 
 How doubly sweet, when they are saved, to see in them our 
 own petitions fulfilled ! Better to rejoice over them as the 
 fruit of our pleadings than as the fruit of our bodies. Have 
 we sought of the Lord some choice spiritual gift ? When it 
 comes to us it will be wrapped up in the gold cloth of God's 
 faithfulness and truth, and so be doubly precious. Have 
 we petitioned for success in the Lord's work ? How joyful 
 is the prosperity which comes flying upon the wings of 
 prayer ! It is always best to get blessings into our house in 
 the legitimate way — by the door of prayer ; then they are 
 blessings indeed, and not temptations. Even when prayer 
 speeds not, the blessings grow all the richer for the delay ; 
 the child Jesus was all the more lovely in the eyes of Mary 
 when she found Him, after having sought Him sorrowing. 
 That which we win by prayer we should dedicate to God, as 
 Hannah dedicated Samuel. The gift came from heaven, let 
 it go to heaven. Prayer brought it, gratitude sang over it, 
 let devotion consecrate it. Here will be a special occa- 
 sion for saying, " Of Thine own have I given unto Thee." 
 Reader, is prayer your element or your weariness ? 
 Which * 
 
 23 
 
266 EVENING HEADINGS. Sept. 20. 
 
 "7n the evening witlihold not thy hand." — Ecclesiastes xi. 6. 
 
 J?rN the evening of the day opportunities are plentiful ? 
 ^ men return from their labor, awd the zealous soul- 
 "^ winner finds time to tell abroad the love of Jesus. 
 Ilave I no evening work for Jesus ? If I have not, let me 
 no longer withhold my hand from a service which requires 
 abundant labor. Sinners are perishing for lack of knowledge ; 
 be who loiters may find his skirts crimson with the blood of 
 flouls. Jesus gave both His hands to the nails ; how can 1 
 keep back one of mine from His blessed work ? Night and 
 day He toiled and prayed for me ; how can I give a single 
 hour to the pampering of my flesh with luxurious ease ? Up, 
 idle heart ; stretch out thy hand to work, or uplift it to 
 pray : heaven and hell are in earnest ; let me be so, and this 
 evening sow good seed for the Lord my God. 
 
 The evening of life has also its calls. Life is so short that 
 a morning of manhood's vigor and an evening of decay make 
 the whole of it. To some it seems long, but a fourpence is 
 a great sum of money to a poor man. Life is so brief that 
 no man can aflford to lose a day. It has been well said, that 
 if a great king should bring us a great heap of gold, and 
 bid us take as much as we could count in a day, we should 
 make a long day of it ; we should begin early in the morn- 
 ing, and in the evening we should not withhold our hand ; 
 lut to win souls is far nobler work ; how is it that we so 
 ^oon withdraw from it ? Some are spared to a long evening 
 of green old age ; if such be my case, let me use such tal- 
 ents as I still retain, and to the last hour serve my blessed 
 and faithful Lord. By His grace I will die in harness, and 
 lay down my charge only when I lay down my body. Age 
 may instruct the young, cheer the faint, and encourage the 
 desponding ; if eventide has less of vigorous heat, it should 
 have more of calm wisdom ; therefore in the evening I wiU 
 not withhold my hand. 
 
Sept. 21 EVENING sADINdd. 2t>7 
 
 ^^— ^^— — ' ^ ' 
 
 " Oather not my soul with sinners." — Psalm xxvi. 9. 
 
 <^|^5EAR made David pray thus, for something whispered, 
 i JI^ " l^^rhaps, after all, thou mayst be gathered with the 
 '^^^^ wicked." That fear, although marred by unbelief, 
 springs, in the main, from holy anxiety, arising from the 
 recollection of past sin. Even the pardoned man will in- 
 quire, " What if at the end my sina should be remem- 
 bered, and I should be left out of the catalogue of the 
 saved ? " He recollects his present unfruitfulness — so little 
 grace, so little love, so little holiness, and, looking forward 
 to the future, he considers his weakness and the many temp- 
 tations which beset him, and he fears that he may fall, and 
 become a prey to the enemy. A sense of sin and present 
 evil, and his prevailing corruptions, compel him to pray, in 
 fear and trembling, " Gather not my soul with sinners." 
 Reader, if you have prayed this prayer, and if your charac- 
 ter be rightly described in the Psalm from which it is taken, 
 you need not be afraid that you shall be gathered with sin- 
 ners. Have you the two virtues which David had — the out- 
 ward walking in integrity, and the inward trusting in the 
 Lord ? Are you resting upon Christ's sacrifice, and can you 
 compass the altar of God with humble hope ? If so, rest 
 assured, with the wicked you never shall be gathered, for 
 that calamity is impossible. The gathering at the judgment 
 is like to like. " Gather ye together first the tares, and 
 bind them in bundles to burn them : but gather the wheat 
 into my barn." If, then, thou art like God's people, thou 
 shah be with God's people. You cannot be gathered with 
 the wicked, for you are too dearly bought. Redeemed by 
 the blood of Christ, you are His forever, and where He \h, 
 there mujt His people be. You are loved too much to bo 
 cast away with reprobates. Shall one dear to Christ perish ? 
 Impossible ! Hell cannot hold thee ! Heaven claims thee , 
 Trust in thy Surety and fear not ! 
 
268 EVENING EEADINGS. Sept. 22. 
 
 " When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Bock that is higher 
 than 7." — Psalm Ixi. 2. 
 
 6|^|^,0ST of us know what it is to be overwhelmed in heart ; 
 silbl M emptied as when a man wipeth a dish and turueth it 
 ^^^^^T^ upside down ; submerged and thrown on our beam 
 ends like a vessel mastered by the storm. Discoveries of 
 inward corruption will do this, if the Lord permits the great 
 deep of our depravity to become troubled and cast up mire 
 and dirt. Disappointments and heart-breaks will do this 
 when billow after billow rolls over us, and we are like a 
 broken shell hurled to and fro by the surf. Blessed be God, 
 at such seasons we are not without an all-sufficient solace ; 
 our God is the harbor of weather-beaten sails, the hospice 
 of forlorn pilgrims. Higher than we are is He, His mercy 
 higher than our sins, His love higher than our thoughts. It 
 is pitiful to see men putting their trust in something lower 
 than themselves ; but our confidence is fixed upon an ex- 
 ceeding high and glorious Lord. A Rock He is since He 
 changes not, and a high Rock, because the tempests which 
 overwhelm us roll far beneath at His feet ; He is not dis- 
 turbed by them, but rules them at His will. If we get under 
 the shelter of this lofty Rock, we may defy the hurricane ; 
 all is calm under the lee of that towering cliflf. Alas ! such 
 is the confusion in which the troubled mind is often cast, 
 that we need piloting to this divine shelter. Hence the 
 prayer of the text. Lord, our God, by Thy Holy Spirit, 
 teach us the way of faith, lead us into Thy rest. The wind 
 blows us out to sea, the helm answers not to our puny hand ; 
 Thou, Thou alone canst steer us over the bar between yon 
 sunken rocks, safe into the fair haven. How dependent we 
 are upon Thee ! Wc need Thee to bring us to Thee. To be 
 wisely directed and steered into safety and peace, is Thy 
 gift, and Thine alone. This night be pleased to deal weU 
 with Thy servants. 
 
Sept. 23, KVENINO READINGS. 269 
 
 "Jesjis said unto him, If thou canst believe." — Mark ix. 23. 
 
 ^*1!^ CERTAIN man had a demoniac son, who was af- 
 ^^11^ flicted with a dumb spirit. The father, having seen 
 e^:*3^ the futility of the endeavors of the disciples to heal 
 his child, had little or no faith in Christ, and therefore, when 
 he was bidden to bring his son to Hira, he said to Jesus, " If 
 Thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us.' 
 Now there was an " if" in the question, but the poor, trem- 
 bling father had put the "if" in the wrong place: Jesus 
 Christ, therefore, without commanding him to retract the 
 ' if," kindly puts it in its legitimate position. " Nay, verily," 
 lie seemed to say, " there should be no ' if ' about My power, 
 nor concerning My willingness — the 'if lies somewhere 
 else." " If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him 
 that believeth." The man's truslf was strengthened, he of- 
 fered a humble prayer for an increase of faith, and instantly 
 Jesus spoke the word, and the devil was cast out, with an 
 injunction never to return. There is a lesson here which we 
 need to learn. We, like this man, often see that there is an 
 "if" somewhere, but we are perpetually blundering by put- 
 ting it in the wrong place, i/ Jesus can help me — if Ha 
 can give me grace to overcome temptation — if He can give 
 me pardon — if He can make me successful ? Nay, if you 
 can believe. He both can and will. You have misplaced 
 your " if." If you can confidently trust, even as all things 
 kre possible to Christ, so shall all things be possible to you. 
 Faith standeth in God's power, and is robed in God's majes- 
 ty ; It weareth the royal apparel, and rideth on the King'ci 
 horse, for it is the grace which the King delighteth to honor. 
 Girding itself with the glorious might of the all-working 
 Spirit, it becomes, in the omnipotence of God, mighty to 
 do, to dare, and to suffer. All things, without limit, are 
 possible to him that believeth. My soul, canst thou believe 
 thy ]jord to-niglit } 
 23* 
 
270 EVENING READINGS. Sept. 24. 
 
 I sleep, f I my heart waketh." — Solomon's Song v. 2. 
 
 PARADOXES abound in Christian experience, and 
 11 here is one — the spouse was asleep, and yet she waa 
 f^^^ awake. He only can read the believer's riddle who 
 has ploughed with the heifer of his experience. The two 
 point* in this evening's text are — a mournful sleepiness and 
 '.hopeful wakefulness. I sleep. Through sin that dwelleth 
 n us we may become lax in holy duties, slothful in religious 
 exercises, dull in spiritual joys, and altogether supine and 
 careless. This is a shameful state for one in whom the quick- 
 ening Spirit dwells ; and it is dangerous to the highest de- 
 gree. Even wise virgins sometimes slumber, but it is high 
 time for all to shake off the bands of sloth. It is to be 
 feared that many believers lose their strength, as Samson 
 lost his locks, while sleeping on the lap of carnal security. 
 With a perishing world around us, to sleep is cruel ; with 
 eternity so near at hand, it is madness. Yet we are none 
 of us so much awake as we should be ; a few thunder-claps 
 would do us all good, and it may be, unless we soon bestir 
 ourselves, we shall have them, in the form of war, or pesti- 
 lence, or personal bereavements and losses. Oh that we may 
 leave forever the couch of fleshly ease, and go forth with 
 flaming torches to meet the coming Bridegroom ! My heart 
 waketh. This is a happy sign. Life is not extinct, though 
 sadly smothered. When our renewed heart struggles against 
 oui natural heaviness, we should be grateful to sovereign 
 grace for keeping a little vitality within the body of this 
 death. Jesus will hear our hearts, will help our hearts, will 
 visit our hearts ; for the voice of the wakeful heart is really 
 the voice of our Beloved, saying, " Open to me." Holy zeal 
 will surely unbar the door. 
 
 " Oh, lovely attitude ! He stands 
 VTith meltiiif? heart aud laden hands; 
 My Boul foreakeB her every sin, 
 And lets the heavenly stranger In." 
 
Sept. 25. EVEMNO READINGS. 271 
 
 "Who of Ond is made unto us wisdom." — 1 Cor. i. 30. 
 
 |-|> 
 
 ■jAN'S intellect seeks after rest, and by nature seeks it 
 j^lVlx apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. IMcn of education 
 are apt, even when converted, to look upon the sim- 
 plicities of the cross of Christ with an eye too little revercnl 
 and loving. They are snared in the old net in which the Gre- 
 cians wero taken, and have a hankering to mix philosophy 
 with revelation. The temptation with a man of refined thought 
 and high education is to depart from the simple truth of Christ 
 crucified, and to invent, as the term is, a more intellectual doc- 
 trine. This led the early Christian churches into Gnosticism, 
 and bewitched them with all sorts of heresies. This is the 
 root of Neology, and the other fine things which in days gone 
 by were so fashionable in Germany, and are now so insnar- 
 ing to certain clashes of divines. Whoever you are, good 
 reader, and whatever your education may be, if you be the 
 Lord's, be assured you will find no rest in philosophizing di- 
 vinity. You may receive this dogma of one great thinker, or 
 that dream of another profound reasoner, but what the chaff 
 is to the wheat, that will these be to the pure word of God 
 All that reason when best guided can find out, is but the 
 A B C of truth, and even that lacks certainty, while in Christ 
 Jesus there is treasured up all the fulness of wisdom and 
 knowledge. All attempts on the part of Christians to be con- 
 tent with systems such as Unitarian and Broad-church think 
 ers would approve of, must fail ; true -heirs of heaven must 
 come back to the grandly simple reality which makes the 
 ploughboy's eye flash with joy, and glads the pious pauper'fl 
 heart — "Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners." 
 Jesus satisfies the most elevated intellect when He is belicv- 
 ingly received, but apart from Him the mind of the regener 
 ate discovers no rest. " The fear of the Lord is the begin- 
 ning of knowledge." " A good understanding have all thej 
 that do His commandments." 
 
272 ETENING READINGS. Sept. fi6. 
 
 " Howl, fir tree ; for the cedar is fallen" — Zech, xi. 2. 
 
 ^Hj:^_FIEN in the forest there is heard the crash of a falling 
 kmfi^h oak, it is a sign that the woodman is abroad, and 
 '^^-'■^ every tree in the whole company may tremble lest 
 to-morrow the sharp edge of the axe should find it out. We 
 arc all like trees marked for the axe, and the fall of one 
 should remind us that for every one, whether great as the 
 cedar or humble as the fir, the appointed hour is stealing on 
 apace. I trust we do not, by often hearing of death, become 
 callous to it. Maj we never be like the birds in the steeple, 
 which build their nests when the bells are tolling, and sleep 
 quietly when the solemn funeral peals are startling the air. 
 May we regard death as the most weighty of all events, and 
 be sobered by its approach. It ill behooves us to sport while 
 our eternal destiny hangs on a thread. The sword is out of 
 its scabbard — let us not trifle ; it is furbished, and the edge 
 is sharp — let us not play with it. He who does not prepare 
 for death is more than an ordinary fool, he is a madman. 
 When the voice of God is heard among the trees of the gar- 
 den, let fig tree and sycamore, and elm and cedar, alike 
 hear the sound thereof. 
 
 Be ready, servant of Christ, for thy Master comes on a 
 sudden, when an ungodly world least expects Him. See to it 
 that thou be faithful in His work, for the grave shall soon be 
 digged for thee. Be ready, parents ; see that your children 
 are brought up in the. fear of God, for they must scon be or- 
 phans ; be ready, men of business, take care that your afi'airs 
 are correct, and that you serve God with all your hearts, for 
 the days of your terrestrial service will soon be ended, and 
 you will be called to give account for the deeds done in the 
 body, whether they be good or whether they be evil. May 
 we all prepare for the tribunal of the. great King with a care 
 which shall be rewarded with the gracious commendatioa, 
 ' Well done, good and faithful servant." 
 
Sept. 27. •EVENING RKADINGS. 273 
 
 ** My Beloved put in Ills hand bij the hole of the door, and my bow- 
 els were moved for Ifiiti."- Solomon's Sotig v. 4. 
 
 ifii/> * NOCKTNO was irot enough, for my heart was too full 
 ^|\4^ of sleep, too cold and ungrateful to arise and open 
 
 ^'^ the door, but the touch of His effectual grace has 
 nade my soul bestir itself. Oh, the long-suffering of my 
 Beloved, to tarry when lie found Himself shut out, and me 
 asleep upon the bed of sloth ! Oh, the greatness of His pa- 
 tience, to knock and knock again, and to add His voice to 
 His knockings, beseeching me to open to Him ! How could 
 I have refused Him ! Base heart, blush and be confounded ! 
 But what greatest kindness of all is this, that He becomes 
 His own porter and unbars the door Himself! Thrice blessed 
 is the hand which condescends to lift the latch and turn the 
 key. Now I see that nothing but ray Lord's own power can 
 save such a naughty mass of wickedness as I am ; ordinances 
 fail, even the gospel has no effect upon me, till His hand is 
 stretched out. Now, also, I perceive that His hand is good 
 where all else is unsuccessful ; He can open when nothing 
 else will. Blessed be His name, I feel His gracious presence 
 even now. Well may my bowels move for Him, when I think 
 of all that He has suffered for me, and of my ungenerous 
 return. I have allowed my affections to wander. I have set 
 up rivals. I have grieved Him. Sweetest and dearest of 
 all beloveds, I have treated Thee as an unfaithful wife treats 
 her husband. Oh, my cruel sins, my cruel self! What can 
 I do ? Tears are a poor show of my repentance ; my whole 
 heart boils with indignation at myself. Wretch that I am, 
 to treat my Lord, my All in All, my exceeding great joy, as 
 though He were a stranger. Jesus, Thou forgivest freely, 
 but this is not enough ; prevent ray unfaithfulness in the 
 future. Kiss away these tears, and then purge my heart 
 and bind it with sevenfold cords to Thyself, never to wander 
 more. 
 
274 EVENING HEADINGS. Sept. 28 
 
 " Oo again seven times." — 1 Kings xviii. 43. 
 
 ;j^i^UCCESS is certain when the Lord has promised it. 
 Although you may have pleaded month after month 
 without evidence of answer, it is not possible that the 
 Lord should be deaf when His people are earnest in a niaiter 
 which concerns His glory. The prophet on the top of Car- 
 mel continued to wrestle with God, and never for a moment 
 gave way to a fear that he should be nonsuited in Jehovah'a 
 courts. Six times the servant returned, but on each occasion 
 no word was spoken but " Go again." We must not dreara 
 of unbelief, but hold to our faith even to seventy times seven 
 Faith sends expectant Hope to look from Carniel's brow, and 
 if nothing is beheld, she sends again and again. So far from 
 being crushed by repeated disappointment. Faith is animated 
 to plead more fervently with her God. She is humbled, but 
 not abashed ; her groans are deeper, and her sighings more 
 vehement, but she never relaxes her hold or stays her hand. 
 It would be more agreeable to flesh and blood to have a 
 speedy answer, but believing souls have learned to be sub- 
 missive, and to find it good to wait for as well as upon the 
 Lord. Delayed answers often set the heart searching itself, 
 and so lead to contrition and spiritual reformation ; deadly 
 blows are thus struck at our corruption, and the chambers of 
 imagery are cleansed. The great danger is lest men should 
 faint, and miss the blessing. Reader, do not fall into that 
 sin, but continue in prayer and watching. At last the little 
 cloud was seen, the sure forerunner of torrents of rain, and 
 even so with you ; the token for good shall surely be given, 
 and you shall rise as a prevailing prince to enjoy the mercy 
 you have sought. Elijah was a man of like passions with us : 
 his power with God did not lie in his own merits. If his 
 believing prayer availed so much, why not yours ? Plead the 
 precious blood with unceasing importunity, and it shall b< 
 with you according to your desire. 
 
Sept. 29. EVENING READINGS. 275 
 
 " / found IJim whom my soul loveth : I held Him, and would not 
 let Ilim go." — Canticles iii. 4. 
 
 V^.OES Christ receive us when we come to Him, not- 
 ■^ V withstanding all our past sinfulness ? Does He ncvei 
 chide us for having tried all other refuges first ? And 
 is there none on earth like Him ? 'Is He the best of all the 
 good, the fairest of all the fair ? Oh, then let us praise Him ! 
 Daughters of Jerusalem, extol Him with timbrel and harp ! 
 Down with your idols, up with the Lord Jesus. Now let the 
 standards of pomp and pride be trampled under foot, but let 
 (he cross of Jesus, which the world frowns and scoffs at, be 
 lifted on high. Oh for a throne of ivory for our King Solo- 
 mon ! let Him be set on high forever, and let my soul sit at 
 His footstool, and kiss His feet, and wash them with my 
 tears. Oh, how precious is Christ ! How can it be that I 
 have thought so little of Him ! How is it I can go abroad 
 for joy or comfort when He is so full, so rich, so satisfying ? 
 Feilow-believer, make a covenant with thine heart that thou 
 wilt never depart from Him, and ask thy Lord to ratify it. 
 Bid Him set thee as a signet upon His finger, and as a brace- 
 let upon His arm. Ask Him to bind thee about Hioi, as the 
 bride decketh herself with ornaments, and as the bridegroom 
 putteth on his jewels. 1 would live in Christ's heart; in the 
 clefts of that rock my soul would eternally abide. The spar- 
 row hath made a house, and the swallow a nest for herself 
 where she may lay her young, even thine altars, Lord of 
 hosts, my King and my God ; and so too would I make my 
 nest, my home, in Thee, and never from Thee may the soul 
 of Thy turtle dove go forth again, but may I nestle close to 
 Tbee, Jesus, my true and only rest. 
 
 "When my precious Lord I find, 
 All my ardent pH?siou8 glow: 
 Him with cords ol love I bind. 
 Hold, and will not let Him gc." 
 
276 EVENING READINGS. Sept. 30. 
 
 *'A living dog is better than a dead lion." — Eccl. ix. 4. 
 
 ^l^IFE is a precious thing, and in its humblest form it ia 
 (y/ ^1 superior to death. This truth is eminently certain in 
 spiritual things. It is better to be the least in the 
 kingdom of heaven, than the greatest out of it. The lowest 
 degree of grace is superior to the noblest development of 
 nnregcnerate nature. Where the Holy Ghost implants di- 
 vine life in his soul, there is a precious deposit which none 
 of the refinements of education can equal. The thief on the 
 cross excels Caesar on his throne ; Lazarus among the dogs 
 is better than Cicero among the senators ; and the most un- 
 lettered Christian is in the sight of God superior to Plato. 
 Life is the badge of nobility in the realm of spiritual things, 
 and men without it are only coarser or finer specimens of the 
 )-:ame lifeless material, needing to be quickened, for they are 
 dead in trespasses and sins. 
 
 - A living, loving, gospel sermon, however unlearned in mat- 
 ter, and uncouth in style, is better than the finest discourse 
 devoid of unction and power. A living dog keeps better 
 watch than a dead lion, and is of more service to his master ; 
 and so the poorest spiritual preacher is infinitely to be pre- 
 ferred to the exquisite orator who has no wisdom but that of 
 words, no energy but that of sound. The like holds good of 
 our prayers and other religious exercises ; if we are quick- 
 ened in them by the Holy Spirit, they are acceptable to God 
 through Jesus Christ, though we may think them to be worth- 
 less things ; while our grand performances in which our 
 hearts were absent, like dead lions, are mere carrion in the 
 eight of the living God. Oh for living groans, living sighs, 
 living despondencies, ratlier than lifeless songs and dead 
 calms. Better anything than death. The snarlings of the dog 
 of hell will at least keep us awake, but dead faith and dead 
 profession, what greater curses can a man have ? Quicken 
 us, quicken us, O Lord ! 
 
Oct. 1. EVENING KEAPINGS. 277 
 
 " lie icill give grace -and glory." — Psalm Ixxxiv. 11. 
 
 ^fcj^iOUNTEOUS is Jehovah in His nature ; to give is Ilia 
 
 ^ f r^^ deliffht. His gifts are beyond measure precious, and 
 '^^^'^^ are as freely given as the light of the sun. He give? 
 grace to His elect because He wills it, to His redeemed bo- 
 cause of His covenant, to the called because of His promise, 
 to believers because they seek it, to sinners because they 
 need it. He gives grace abundantly, seasonably, constantly, 
 readily, sovereignly ; doubly enhancing the value of the boon 
 by the manner of its bestowal. Grace in all its forms He 
 freely i:enders to His people : comforting, preserving, sanc- 
 tifying, directing, instructing, assisting grace He generously 
 pours into their souls without ceasing, and He always will do 
 so, whatever may occur. Sickness may befall, but the Lord 
 will give grace ; poverty may happen to us, but grace will 
 surely be afforded ; death must come, but grace will light a 
 candle at the darkest hour. Reader, how blessed it is, as 
 years roll round, and the leaves begin again to fall, to enjoy 
 such an unfading promise as this : " The Lord will give grace." 
 The little conjunction and^ in this verse, is a diamond rivet 
 binding the present with the future : grace and glory always 
 go together. God has married them, and none can divorce 
 them. The Lord will never deny a soul glory to whom He 
 has freely given to live upon His grace ; indeed, glory is 
 nothing more than grace in its Sabbath dress, grace in full 
 bloom, grace like autumn fruit, mellow and perfected. How 
 soon we may have glory none can tell ! It may be before this 
 month of October has run out we shall see the Holy City ; 
 but be the interval longer or shorter, we shall be glorified ere 
 long Glory, the glory cf heaven, the glory of eternity, the 
 glory of Jesus, the glory of the Father, the Lord will surel? 
 give to His chosen. Oh, rare promise of a faithful God! 
 
 Two g-olden links of one celestial chain : 
 Wbo owneth graco sball lurely glory gain. 
 
 24 
 
278 EVENING READINGS. Oct 2. 
 
 "A man g-reaily beloved." — Daniel x. 11. 
 
 ^/^^^HILJ) of God, do you hesitate to appropriate this 
 title ? Ah ! has your unbelief made you forget that 
 you are greatly beloved too ? Must you not have been 
 greatly beloved to have been bought with the precious blood 
 of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot ? 
 When God smote His only begotten Son for you, what was 
 this but being greatly beloved ? You lived in sin, and rioted 
 in it ; must you not have been greatly beloved for God to have 
 borne so patiently with you ? You were called by grace, and 
 led to a Saviour, and made a child of God and an heir of 
 heaven. All this proves, does it not, a very great and supei - 
 abounding love ? Since that time, whether your path has 
 been rough with troubles, or smooth with mercies, it has been 
 full of proofs that you are a man greatly beloved. If the 
 Lord has chastened you, yet not in anger ; if He has made 
 you poor, yet in grace you have been rich. The more un- 
 worthy you feel yourself to be, the more evidence have you that 
 nothing but unspeakable love could have led the Lord Jesus 
 to save such a soul as yours. The more demerit you feel, the 
 clearer is the display of the abounding love of God in having 
 chosen you, and called you, and made you an heir of bliss. 
 Now, if there be such love between God and us, let us live in 
 the influence and sweetness of it, and use the privilege of our 
 position. Do not let us approach our Lord as though wp 
 were strangers, or as though He were unwilling to hear us — 
 for we are greatly beloved by our loving Father. " He that 
 spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how 
 shall He not with Him also freely give us all things ?" Come 
 boldly, believer, for despice the whisperings of Satan and 
 the doublings of thine own heart, thou art greatly beloved. 
 Meditate on the exceeding greatness and faithfulness of divinfl 
 .ove this evening, and so go to thy bed in peace. 
 
Oct. 3. EVENING READINGS 279 
 
 •* Be Himself hath sneered being tempted." — Hebrews ii. 18. 
 
 ITkT is a commonplace thought, and yet it tastes like 
 ^ nectar to the weary heart — Jesus was tempted as I 
 am. You have heard that truth many times : hava 
 you grasped it ? He was tempted to the very same sins iino 
 which we fall. Do not dissociate Jesus from our common 
 manhood. It is a dark room which you are going through, 
 but Jesus wont through it before. It is a sharp fight which 
 you are waging, but Jesus has stood foot to foot with the 
 same enemy. Let us be of good cheer — Christ has borne the 
 load before us, and the blood-stained footsteps of the King 
 of glory may be see i along the road which we traverse at this 
 hour. There is something sweeter yet — Jesus was tempted, 
 but Jesus never sinned. Then, my soul, it is not needful 
 for thee to sin, for Jesus was a man, and if one man endured 
 these temptations and sinned not, then in His power His 
 members may also cease from sin. Some beginners in the 
 divine life think that they cannot be tempted without sinning, 
 but they mistake ; there is no sin in being tempted, but there 
 is sin in yielding to temptation. Herein is comfort for the 
 sorely-tempted ones. There is still more to encourage them 
 if they reflect that the Lord Jesus, though tempted, glorious- 
 ly triumphed, and as He overcame, so surely shall His fol- 
 lowers also, for Jesus is the representative man for Hia 
 people; the Head has triumphed, and the members share in 
 the victory. Fears are needless, for Christ is with us, armed 
 for our defence. Our place of safety is the bosom of the 
 Saviour. Perhaps we are tempted just now, in order to 
 drive us nearer to Him. Blessed be any wind that blows 
 us into the port of our Saviour's love! Happy wounds, 
 which make us seek the beloved Physician. Ye tempted 
 ones, come to your tempted Saviour, for He can be touched 
 with a feeling of your infirmities, and will succor every tried 
 ftnd tempted one. 
 
"iSO EVENING READINGS. Oct. 4. 
 
 " Jf any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ 
 the righteous." — 1 John ii. 1. 
 
 " ^Ifi^^-'^ ^°y ™^° sin, we have an advocate." Yes, though 
 &^ I »^ we sin, we have Him still. John does not say, 
 "If any man sin, he has forfeited his advocate," 
 but " we have an advocate," sinners though we arc. All Iho 
 sin that a believer ever did or can be allowed to commit, 
 cannot destroy his interest in the Lord Jesus Christ as his 
 advocate. The name here given to the Lord is suggestive — 
 " Jesus." Ah ! then He is an advocate such as we need, for 
 Jesus is the name of one whose business and delight it is to 
 save. They shall call His name Jesus, for He shall save His 
 people from their sins ; " His sweetest name implies His suc- 
 cess. Next, it is " Jesus Christ " — Chrisi >s, the anointed. 
 This shows His authority to plead. The Christ has a right to 
 plead, for He is the Father's own appointed advocate and 
 elected priest. If He were of our choosing He might fail, but 
 if God hath laid help upon one that is mighty, we may safely 
 lay our trouble where God has laid His help. He is Christ, 
 and therefore authorized ; He is Christ, and therefore quali- 
 fied, for the anointing has fully fitted Hiin for His work. He 
 can plead so as to move the heart of God and prevail. What 
 woi'ds of tenderness, what sentences of persuasion, will the 
 anointed use when He stands up to plead for me ! One more 
 letter of His name remains — "Jesus Christ the righteous." 
 This is not only His character, but His plea. It is tlia char- 
 acter, and if the Righteous One be my advocate, then my 
 cause is good, or He would not have espoused it. It is His 
 plea, for He meets the charge of unrighteousness against me 
 by the plea that He is righteous. He declares Himself my 
 substitute, and puts His obedience to my account. My soul, 
 thou nast a friend well fitted to be thine advocate ; He <;annot 
 but succeed ; leave thyself entirely in His hands. 
 
Oct. fi. EVENING READI^GS. 281 
 
 ''lie that believeth and is baptized shall h' laved." — Mark xvi. Id 
 
 ^R. jNI ACDONALD asked the inhabitants of the island 
 of St. Kilda how a man must be saved. An old man 
 
 replied^ " We shall be saved if we repent, and forsake 
 our sins, and turn to God." "Yes," said a middle-age J 
 female, " and with a true heart too." " Ay," rajoined a 
 third, " and with prayer ; " and added a fourth, " It must be 
 !:he prayer of the heart." " And we must be diligent too," 
 said a fifth, " in keeping the commandments." Thus, each 
 having contributed his mite, feeling that a very decent creed 
 had been made up, they all looked and listened for the preach- 
 er's approbation, but they had aroused his deepest pity. The 
 carnal mind always maps out for itself a way in which self 
 can work and become great, but the Lord's way is quite the 
 reverse. Believing and being baptized are no matters of 
 merit to be gloried in — they are so simple that boasting is 
 excluded, and free grace bears the palm. It may be that the 
 reader is unsaved — what is the reason? Do you think the 
 way of salvation as laid down in the text to be dubious ? 
 How can th::t bo when God has pledged His own word for 
 its certainty ? Do you think it too easy ? Why then do you 
 not attend to it? Its ease leaves those \\\thout excuse who 
 neglect it. To believe is simply to trust, to depend, to rely 
 upon Christ Jesus. To be baptized is to submit to the ordi- 
 nance which our Lord fulfilled at Jordan, to w'noh the con- 
 verted ones submitted at Pentecost, to which the yi. er yield- 
 ed obedience the very night of his conversion. The outward 
 sign saves not, but it sets forth to us car death, bu rial, and 
 resurrection with Jesus, and lik<. the Lord's Supper, is uot 
 to be neglected. Keadcr, do you believe in Jesus ? Then, 
 dear friend, dismiss your fears; you shall be saved. Are 
 you still an unbeliever ? then remember there 'is but one 
 dooi, tad if you will not entei by it you will perish in youf 
 rtius. 
 
 24* 
 
282 EVENING READINGS. Oct. 6. 
 
 " He had mairicd an Ethiopian woman." — Numbers xii. 1. 
 
 ;^^i:^TRANGE choice of Moses, but how much more stransre 
 ^V^|/ the choice of Him who is a prophet like unto Moses, 
 ^^^^ and greater than he ! Our Lord, who is fair as the 
 lily, has entered into marriage union with one who confesses 
 herself to be black, because the sun has looked upon her. 
 It is the wonder of angels that the love of Jesus should be 
 ijet upon poor, lost, guilty men. Each believer must, when 
 filled with a sense of Jesus' love, be also overwhelmed with 
 astonishment that such love should be lavished on an object 
 r.o utterly unworthy of it. Knowing as we do our secret 
 ^juiltiuess, unfaithfulness, and black-heartedness, we are dis- 
 solved in grateful admiration of the matchless freeness and 
 sovereignty of grace. Jesus must have found the cause of 
 His love in His own heart ; He could not have found it in 
 us, for it is not there. Even since our conversion we have 
 been black, though grace has made us comely. Holy Ruth- 
 erford said of himself what we must each subscribe to, " His 
 relation to me is, that I am sick, and He is the Physician 
 of whom I stand in need. Alas ! how often play I fast and 
 loose with Christ ! He bindeth, I loose ; He buildeth, I cast 
 down ; I quarrel with Christ, and He agreeth with me twenty 
 times a day ! " Most tender and faithful Husband of our 
 souls, pursue Thy gracious work of conforming us to Thine 
 image, till Thou shalt present even us poor Ethiops untc 
 Thyself, without spot, oi wrinkle, or any such thing. Mosea 
 met with opposition because of his marriage, and both him- 
 self and his spouse were the subjects of an evil eye. Can we 
 wonder if this vain world opposes Jesus and His spouse, and 
 especially when great sinners are converted ? for this is ever 
 the Pharisee's ground of objection, " This man receivetl: 
 sinners." Still is the old cause of quarrel revived, " Be- 
 cause he had married an Ethiopian woman." 
 
Oct. 7. EVENING READINGS. 283 
 
 " Now on whom dost thou trust." — Isaiah xxxvi. 5. 
 
 
 k'l'-EADEll, this is an important question. Listen to the 
 Christian's answer, and sec if it is yours. " On 
 whom dost thou trust ? " "I trust," says the Chris- 
 tian, " in a triune God. I trust the Father, believing that He 
 has chosen me from before the foundations of the world ; 1 
 trust Him to provide for me in providence, to teach me, to 
 guide me, to correct me if need be, and to bring me home to 
 His own house, where tlie many mansions are. I trust the 
 Son. Very God of very God is He — the man Christ Jesus. 
 I trust in Him to take away all my sins by His own sacrifice, 
 and to adorn me with His perfect righteousness. I trust 
 Him to be my Intercessor, to present my prayers and desirei 
 before His Father's throne, and I trust Him to be my Advo- 
 cate at the last great day, to plead my cause, and to justify 
 me. I trust Him for what He is, for what He has done, and 
 for what He has promised yet to do. And I trust the Holy 
 Spirit — He has begun to save me from my inbred sins ; I 
 trust Him to drive them all out ; I trust Him to curb my 
 temper, to subdue my will, to enlighten my understanding, 
 to check my passions, to comfort my despondency, to help 
 my weakness, to illuminate my darkness ; I trust Him to 
 dwell in me as my life, to reign in me as my King, to sanc- 
 tify me wholly, spirit, soul, and body, and then to take me 
 up to dwell with the saints in light forever." 
 
 Oh, blessed trust ! To trust Him whose power will never 
 be exhausted, whose love will never wane, whose kindness 
 will never change, whose faithfulness will never fail, whose 
 wisdom will never be nonplussed, and whose perfect good- 
 ness can never know a diminution ! Happy art thou, reader, 
 if this trust is thine ! So trusting, thou shalt enjoy sweet 
 peace now, and glory hereafter, and the foundation cf th} 
 trust shall never be removed. 
 
284 EVENING READINGS. Oct. 8. 
 
 " Praying in the Holy Ghost." — Jude 20. 
 
 )A.R,K the grand characteristic of true prayer — " In 
 the Holy Ghost." The seed of acceptable devotion 
 must come from heaven's storehouse. Only the 
 prayer which comes from God can go to God. We must 
 shoot the Lord's arrows back to Him. That desire which He 
 writes upon our heart will move His heart and bring down a 
 blessing, but the desires of the flesh have no power with Him. 
 Praying in the Holy Ghost is praying in fervency. Cold 
 prayers ask the Lord not to hear them. Those who do not 
 plead with fervency, plead not at all. As well speak of luke- 
 warm fire as of lukewarm prayer — it is essential that it be 
 red-hot. It is praying perseveringly. The true suppliant 
 gathers force as he proceeds, and grows more fervent when 
 God delays to answer. The longer the gate is closed, the 
 more vehemently does he use the knocker, and the longer 
 the angel lingers, the more resolved is he that he will never 
 let him go without the blessing. Beautiful in God's sight is 
 tearful, agonizing, unconquerable importunity. It means 
 praying humbly, for the Holy Spirit never pus's us up with 
 pride. It is His ofl&ce to convince of sin, and so to bow us 
 di)wn in contrition and brokenness of spirit. We shall never 
 sing Gloria in excelsis except we pray to God De pro/undis : 
 out of the depths must we cry, or we shall never behold glory 
 in the highest. It is loving prayer. Prayer should be per- 
 fumed with love, saturated with love — love to our fellow- 
 saints, and love to Christ. Moreover, it must be a prayer 
 full of faith. A man prevails only as he believes. The Holy 
 Spirit is the author of faith, and strengthens it so that we 
 pray believing God's promise. Oh that this blessed combi- 
 nation of excellent graces, priceless, and sweet as the spices 
 of the merchant, might be fragrant within us because the 
 Holy Ghost is in our hearts ! Most blessed Comforter, exert 
 thy mighty power within us, helping our infirmities in prayer. 
 
Oct. 9. EVENING KEADING8, 285 
 
 •*' BlU He answered her rot a word." — Matthew xv. 23. 
 
 -FNUINE seekers, who as yet have not obtained the 
 1) blessing, may take comfort from the story before us, 
 ^^ The Saviour did not at once bestow the blessing, 
 even though the woman had great faith in Him. He intend- 
 ed to give it, but He waited a while. " He answered her not 
 a word." Were not her prayers good ? Never better in the 
 world. Was not her case needy ? Sorrowfully needy. Did 
 she not feel her need sufficiently ? She felf it overwhelm- 
 ingly. Was she not earnest enough ? She was intensely so. 
 Had she no faith ? She had such a high degree of it that 
 even Jesus wondered, and said, " woman, great is thy 
 faith." See then, although it is true that faith brings peace, 
 yet it does not always bring it instantaneously. There may 
 be certain reasons calling for the trial of faith, rather than 
 the reward of faith. Genuine faith may be in the soul like a 
 hidden seed, but as yet it may not have budded and blos- 
 somed into joy and peace. A painful silence from the Sa- 
 viour is the grievous trial of many a seeking soul, but heavi- 
 er still is the affliction of a harsh, cutting reply such as this : 
 " It is not meet to take the children's bread and to cast it to 
 dogs." Many in waiting upon the Lord find immediate de- 
 light, but this is not the case with all. Some, like the jailer, 
 are in a moment turned from darkness to light, but othera 
 are plants of slower growth. A deeper sense of sin may be 
 given to you instead of a sense of pardon, and in such a case 
 you will have need of patience to bear the heavy blow. Ah ! 
 poor heart, thougli Christ beat and bruise thee, or even slay 
 thee, trust Him ; though He should give thee an angry word, 
 believe in the love of His heart. Do not, I beseech thee, 
 give up seeking or trusting my Master because thou hast 
 no': yet obtained the conscious joy which thou longest for. 
 Cast thyself on Him, and perseveringly append even where 
 thou canst not rejoicingly hope. 
 
286 EVENING READINGS. Oct. IG 
 
 " And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I wiU 
 redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible." — Jer. xv. 21. 
 
 iOTE the glorious personality of the promise — /will, 
 / will. The Lord Jehovah himself interposes to de- 
 liver and redeem His people. He pledges himself 
 personally to resAie them. His own arm shall do it, that He 
 may have the glory. Here is not a word said of any effort 
 of our own which may be needed to assist the Lord. Neither 
 our strength nor our weakness is taken into the account, but 
 the lone i, like the sun in the heavens, shines out resplen- 
 dent in all-sufficiency. Why then do we calculate our forces, 
 and consult with flesh and blood to our grievous wounding ? 
 Jehovah has power enough without borrowing from our puny 
 arm. Peace, ye unbelieving thoughts, be still, and know 
 that the Lord reigneth. Nor is there a hint concerning sec- 
 ondary means and causes. The Lord says nothing of friends 
 and helpers : He undertakes the work alone, and feels no 
 need of human arms to aid Him. Vain are all our lookings 
 around to companions and relatives ; they are broken reeds 
 if we lean upon them — often unwilling when able, and una- 
 ble when they are willing. Since the promise comes alone 
 from God, it would be well to wait only upon Him ; and 
 when we do so, our expectation never fails us. Who are the 
 wicked, that we should fear them ? The Lord will utterly 
 consume them ; they are to be pitied rather than feared. 
 As for terrible ones, they are only terrors to those who have 
 no God to fly to, for when the Lord is on our side," whom 
 shall we fear ? If we run into sin to please the wicked, wa 
 have cause to be alarmed, but if we hold fast our integrity, 
 the rage of tyrants shall be overruled for our good. When 
 the fish swallowed Jonah, he found him a morsel which he 
 could not digest ; and when the world devours the church, 
 it is glad to be rid of it again. In all times of fiery trial, id 
 patience let us possess our souls. 
 
Oct. 11. EVENING HEADINGS 287 
 
 " Whom lie did predestinate, them Tie also called." 
 Romans viii. 30. 
 
 ^2^1?rN the second epistle to Timothy, first chapter and 
 &v I ^r^ ninth verse, are these words — " Who hath saved us, 
 ""^^^ and called us with a holy calling." Now, here is a 
 touchstone by which we may try our calling. It is '* a holy 
 calling, not according to our works, but accordiug to His own 
 purpose and grace." This calling forbids all trust in our 
 own doings, and conducts us to Christ alone for salvation, 
 but it afterwards purges us from dead works to serve the 
 living and true God. As He that hath called you is holy, so 
 must you be holy. If you are living in sin you are not 
 called, but if you are truly Christ's you can say, " Nothing 
 pains me so much as sin ; I desire to be rid of it ; Lord, help 
 me to be holy." Is this the panting of thy heart ? Is this 
 the tenor of thy life towards God, and his divine will ? 
 Again, in Philippians iii. 13, 14, we^ are told of " the high 
 calling of God in Christ Jesus." Is, then, your calling a high 
 calling ? Has it ennobled your heart, and set it upon heav- 
 enly things ? Has it elevated your hopes, your tastes, your 
 desires ? Has it upraised the constant tenor of your life, so 
 that you spend it with God and for God ? Another test we 
 find in Hebrews iii. 1 — " partakers of the heavenly calling." 
 Heavenly calling means a call from heaven. If man alone 
 call thee, thou art uncalled. Is thy calling of God ? Is it a 
 call to heaven as well as from heaven ? Unless thou art i 
 stranger here, and heaven thy home, thou hast not been callec 
 with a heavenly calling ; for those who have been so called, 
 declare that they look for a city which hath foundations, 
 whose builder and maker is God, and they themselves are 
 strangers and pilgrims upon the earth. Is thy calling thus 
 holy, high, heavenly ? Then, beloved, thou hast been called 
 of God, for such is the calling wherewith God doth call His 
 popple. 
 
288 EVENING EEADINGS. Oct, 12, 
 
 " The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost." — John xiv. 26. 
 
 ■^HIS age is peculiarly the dispeusation of the Holy 
 Spirit, in which Jesus cheers us not by His personal 
 presence, as He shall do by and by, but by the in- 
 dwelling and constant abiding of the Holy Ghost, who ia 
 evermore the Comforter of the church. It is His office to 
 console the hearts of God's people. He convinces of sin ; 
 He illuminates and instructs ; but still the main part of His 
 work lies in making glad the hearts of the renewed, in con- 
 firming the weak, and lifting up all those that be bowed 
 down. He does this by revealing Jesus to them. The Holy 
 Spirit consoles, but Christ is the consolation. If we may 
 use the figure, the Holy Spirit is the Physician, but Jesus 
 is the medicine. He heals the wound, but it is by applying 
 the holy ointment of Christ's name and grace. He takes not 
 of his own things, but of the things of Christ. So, if we give 
 to the Holy Spirit the €rreek name of Paraclete, as we some- 
 times do, then our heart confers on our blessed Lord Jesus 
 the title of the Paraclesis. If the one be the Comforter, the 
 other is the Comfort. Now, with such rich provision for 
 his need, why should the Christian be sad and desponding ? 
 The Holy Spirit has graciously engaged to be thy Comforter : 
 dost thou imagine, thou weak and trembling believer, that 
 He will be negligent of His sacred trust ? Canst thou sup- 
 pose that He has undertaken what He cannot or will not per- 
 form ? If it be His especial work to strengthen thee, and 
 to comfort thee, dost thou suppose He has forgotten His 
 business, or that He will fail in the loving office which He 
 sustains towards thee ? Nay, think not so hardly of the 
 tender and blessed Spirit whose name is " the Comforter." 
 He delights to give the oil of joy for mourning, and the gar- 
 ment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Trust thou in 
 Him, and He will surely comfort thee till the house of mourn- 
 ing is closed forever, and the marriage feast has begun. 
 
Oct. 13. EVENING READINGS. 289 
 
 " Love is strong as death.** — Solomon's Song viii. 6 
 
 ^f^r^HOSE love can this be which is as mighty as the con- 
 Mffu-h queror of monarchs, the destroyer of the human race ? 
 ^**^^ A¥ould it not sound like satire if it were applied to 
 my poor, weak, and scarcely living love to Jesus ray Lord ? 
 I do love Him, and perhaps, by Ilis grace, I could even die 
 for Him, but as for my love in itself, it can scarcely endure a 
 scoffing jest, much less a cruel death. Surely it is my Be- 
 loved's love which is here spoken of — the love of Jesus, the 
 matchless lover of souls. His love was indeed stronger than 
 the most terrible death, for it endured the trial of the cross 
 triumphantly. It was a lingering death, but love survived 
 the torment ; a shameful death, but love despised the shame ; 
 a penal death, but love bore our iniquities ; a forsaken, lone- 
 ly death, from which the eternal Father hid His face, but 
 love endured the curse, and gloried over all. Never such 
 love, never such death. It was a desperate duel, but love 
 bore the palm. What then, my heart ? Hast thou no emo- 
 tions excited within thee at the contemplation of such heav- 
 enly aflPection ? Yes, my Lord, I long, I pant to feel Thy 
 love flaming like a furnace within me. Come Thou Thyself 
 and excite the ardor of ray spirit. 
 
 " For every drop oi crimson blood 
 Thus shed to mnke mc live, 
 Oh. wherefore, wherefore have not I 
 A thousand lives to give .' " 
 
 "Why should I despair of loving Jesus with a love as 
 stiong as death ? He deserves it: I desire it. The mar- 
 tyrs felt such love, and they were but flesh aud blood ; then 
 vihy not I ? They mourned their weakness, and yet out of 
 weakness were made strong. Grace gave them all their un- 
 flinching coDitancy — there is the same grace for me. Je- 
 sus, lover of ray soul, shed abroad such love, even Thy lovfl 
 in my heart, this evening, 
 2A 
 
290 ETENING READINGS. Oct. 14. 
 
 "And be not conformed to this world." — Romans xii. 2. 
 
 fJI^F a Christian can by possibility be saved while he con- 
 ^ forms to this world, at any rate it must be so as by 
 
 ■'^^ fire. Such a bare salvation is almost as much to be 
 dreaded as desired. Reader, would you wish to leave this 
 world in the darkness of a desponding death bed, and enter 
 heaven as a shipwrecked mariner climbs the rocks of his na- 
 tive country '' then be worldly ; be mixed up witli Mammon- 
 ites, and refuse to go without the camp bearing Christ's re- 
 proach. But would you have a heaven belov? as well as a 
 heaven above ? Would you comprehend with all saints what 
 are the heights and depths, and know the love of Christ which 
 passeth knowledge ? Would you receive an abundant en- 
 trance into the joy of your Lord ? Then come ye out from 
 among them, and be ye separate, and touch not the unclean 
 thing. Would you attain the full assurance of faith ? you 
 oannot gain it while you commune with sinners. Would you 
 flame with vehement love ? your love will be damped by the 
 drenchings of godless society. You cannot become a great 
 Christian — you may be a babe in grace, but you never can 
 be a perfect man in Christ Jesus while you yield yourself to 
 the worldly maxims and modes of business of men of the 
 world. It is ill for an heir of heaven to be a great friend 
 with the heirs of hell. It has a bad look when a courtier is 
 too intimate with his king's enemies. Even small incon- 
 eistencies are dangerous. Little thorns make great blisters, 
 little moths destroy fine garments, and little frivolities and 
 little rogueries will rob religion of a thousand joys. O 
 professor, too little separated from sinners, you know not 
 what you lose by your conformity to the world. It cuts ths 
 tendons of your strength, and makes you creep where you 
 ought to run. Then, for your own comfort's sake, and for 
 the sake of your growth in grace, if you be a Christian, be a 
 Christian, and be a marked and distinct one. 
 
Oct. 15. EVENING READINGS. 291 
 
 " But the JirstUng of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb : ana 
 if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck." — Ex 
 odu8 xxxiv. 20. 
 
 fe^^'^aVERY first-born creature must be the Lord's, but 
 yf'* f> since the ass was unclean, it could not be presented 
 ^^*^^ in sacrifice. What then ? Should it be allowed to 
 go free from the universal law ? By no means. God ad- 
 mits of no exceptions. The ass is His due, but He will not 
 accept it ; He will not abate the claim, but yet He cannot bo 
 pleased with the victim. No way of escape remained but 
 redemption — the creature must be saved by the substitution 
 of a lamb in its place ; or, if not redeemed, it must die. My 
 Boul, here is a lesson for thee. That unclean animal is thy- 
 self ; thou art justly the property of the Lord, who made 
 thee and preserves thee, but thou art so sinful that God will 
 not, cannot, accept thee ; and it has come to this, the Lamb 
 of God must stand in thy stead, or thou must die eternally. 
 Let all the world know of thy gratitude to that spotless Lamb 
 who has already bled for thee, and so redeemed thee from 
 the fatal curse of the law. Must it not sometimes have, been 
 a question with the Israelite which should die, the ass or the 
 Iamb ? Would not the good man pause to estimate and com- 
 pare ? Assuredly there was no comparison between the 
 value of the soul of man and the life of the Lord Jesus, and 
 yet the Lamb dies, and man the ass is spared. My soul, ad- 
 mire the boundless love of God to thee and others of the 
 human race. Worms are bought with the blood of the Sou 
 of the Highest ! Dust and ashes redeemed with a price far 
 ibove silver and gold ! What a doom had been mine had 
 not plenteous redemption been found ! The breaking of the 
 neck of the ass was but a momentary penalty, but who shall 
 measure the wrath to come to which no limit can be ima- 
 giued : Inestimably dear is the glorious Lamb who has re« 
 deemed us from such a doom. 
 
292 EVENING READINGS. Oct. 16, 
 
 •' With Thee is the fountain of life." — Psalm xxxvL 9. 
 
 ^j'lIEE.E are times in our spiritual experience when hu« 
 i^ man counsel or sympathy, or religious ordinances, 
 fail to comfort or help us. Why does our gracious 
 God permit this ? Perhaps it is because we have been liv- 
 ing too much without Him, and He therefore takes away 
 everything upon which we have been in the habit of depend- 
 ing, that He may drive us to Himself. It is a blessed thing 
 to live at the fountain head. While our skin-bottles are full, 
 we are content, like Hagar and Ishmael, to go into the wil- 
 derness ; but when those are dry, nothing will serve us buv; 
 " Thou God seest me." We are like the prodigal, we love 
 the swine-troughs and forget our Father's house. Remem- 
 ber, we can make swine-troughs and husks even out of the 
 forms of religion ; they are blessed things, but we may put 
 them in God's place, and then they are of no value. Any- 
 thing becomes an idol when it keeps us away from God : 
 even the brazen serpent is to be despised as " Nehushtan," 
 if we worship it instead of God. The prodigal was never 
 safer than when he was driven to his father's bosom, because 
 he could find sustenance nowhere else. Our Lord favors ua 
 with a famine in the land that it may make us seek aftei 
 Himself the more. The best position for a Christian is liv- 
 ing wholly and directly on God's grace — still abiding where 
 he stood at first — "having nothing, and yet possessing all 
 things." Let us never for a moment think that our standing 
 is in our sauctification, our mortification, our graces, or our 
 feelings, but know that because Christ offered a full atone- 
 Dient, therefore we are ^aved ; for we are complete in Him. 
 Having nothing of our own to trust to, but resting upon the 
 merits of Jesus — His passion and holy life furnish us with 
 the only sure ground of confidence. Beloved, when we arg 
 brought to a thirsting condition, we are surf to turn to the 
 fountain of life with eagerness. 
 
Oct. 17. EVENING READINGS. 293 
 
 " He shall gather the lavihs with Jlis arm." — Isaiah xl. 11. 
 
 ^IT^UR good Shepherd has in His flock a variety of expe- 
 vr W^ riences ; some are strong in the Lord, and others ar« 
 **^* ^^ weak in faith ; but He is impartial in His care for all 
 His sheep, and the weakest lamb is as dear to Ilim as the 
 most advanced of the flock. Lambs are wont to lag behind, 
 prone to wander, and apt to grow weary ; but from all the 
 danger of these infirmities the Shepherd protects them with 
 His arm of power. He finds new-born souls, like young 
 lambs, ready to perish — He nourishes them till life becomes 
 vigorous ; He finds weak minds ready to faint and die — He 
 consoles them and renews their strength. All the little ones 
 He gathers, for it is not the will of our heavenly Father that 
 one of them sljould perish. What a quick eye He must 
 have to see them all ! What a tender heart to care for them 
 all ! What a far-reaching and potent arm to gather them 
 all ! In his lifetime on earth He was a great gatherer of the 
 weaker sort, and now that He dwells in heaven. His loving 
 heart yearns towards the meek and contrite, the timid and 
 feeble, the fearful and fainting here below. How gently did 
 He gather me to Himself, to His truth, to His blood, to His 
 love, to His church ! With what efi"ectual grace did He 
 compel lue to come to Himself 1 Since my first conversion, 
 how frequently has He restored me from my wanderings, and 
 once again folded me within the circle of His everlasting 
 orn: ! The best of all is, that He does it all Himself per- 
 sonally, not delegating the task of love, but condescending 
 Himself to rescue and preserve His most unworthy servant. 
 How shall I love Him enough or serve Him worthily ? 1 
 would fain make His name great unto the ends of the earth, 
 but what can my feebleness do for Him ? Great Shepherd, 
 add to Thy mercies this one other — a heart to love Thea 
 more truly as I ought. 
 25* 
 
294 EVENING KEADINGS. Oct. IS 
 
 'Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice." — 1 Samuel xv. 22. 
 
 iAUL had been commanded to slay utterly all the 
 Amalekites and their cattle. Instead of doing so, 
 he preserved the king, and suffered his people to 
 take the best of the oxen and of the sheep. When called 
 to account for this, he declared that he did it with a view 
 of offering sacrifice to God ; but Samuel met him at once 
 with the assurance that sacrifices were no excuse for an act 
 of direct rebellion. The sentence before us is worthy to be 
 printed in letters of gold, and to be hung up before the eyes 
 of the present idolatrous generation, who are very fond of 
 the fineries of will-worship, but utterly neglect the laws of 
 God. Be it ever in your remembrance, that to keep strictly 
 in the path of your Saviour's command is better than any 
 outward form of religion ; and to hearken to His precept 
 with an attentive ear is better than to bring the fat of rams, 
 or any other precious thing, to lay upon His altar. If you 
 are failing to keep the least of Christ's commands to His 
 disciples, I pray you be disobedient no longer. All the pre- 
 tensions you make of attachment to your Master, and all the 
 devout actions which you may perform, are no recompense 
 for disobedience. " To obey," even in the slightest and 
 smallest thing, " is better than sacrifice," however pompous. 
 Talk not of Gregorian chants, sumptuous robes, incense, 
 and banners ; the first thing which God requires of His child 
 is obedience ; and though you should give your body to be 
 burned, and all your goods to feed the poor, yet if you do 
 not hearken to the Lord's precepts, all your formalities shall 
 profit you nothing. It is a blessed thing to be teachable aa 
 a little child, but it is a much more blessed thing, when one 
 has been taught the lesson, to carry it out to the letter. 
 How many adorn their temples and decorate their priests, 
 but refuse to obey the word of the Lord ! My soul, coina 
 not thou into their secret. 
 
Oct. 19. ETENING REABINOS. 295 
 
 "God, my Maker, who giveth sonr/s in the night." — Job xxxv. 10. 
 
 ["^NY man can sing in the day. WHicn llic cup i.s full, 
 Z* man draws inspiration from it. When wealth rolls 
 
 '"^' in abundance around him, any man can praise tlio 
 God who gives a plenteous harvest, or sends hom« a loaded 
 argosy. It is easy enough for an ^olian harp to whisper 
 music when the winds blow — the difficulty is for music to 
 swell forth when no wind is stirring. It is easy to sing when 
 we can read the notes by daylight ; but he is skilful who 
 sings when there is not a ray of light to read by — who sings 
 from his heart. No man can make a song in the night of 
 himself; he may attempt it, but he will find that a song in 
 the night must be divinely inspired. Let all things go well, 
 I can weave songs, fashioning them wherever I go out of the 
 flowers that grow upon my path ; but put me in a desert, 
 where no green thing grows, and wherewith shall I frame a 
 hymn of praise to God ? How shall a mortal man make a 
 crown for the Lord where no jewels are ? Let but this voice 
 be clear, and this body full of health, and I can sing God's 
 praise : silence my tongue, lay me upon the bed of languish- 
 ing, and how shall I then chant God's high praises, unless 
 He Himself give me the song ? No, it is not in man's power 
 to sing when all is adverse, unless an altar-coal shall touch 
 his lip. It was a divine song, which Habakkuk sang, when 
 in the night he said, " Although the fig tree shall not blos- 
 som, neither shall fruit be in the vines ; the labor of the olive 
 shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat ; the flock shall 
 be cut ofi" from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the 
 stalls : yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God 
 of my salvation." Then, since our Maker gives soi^gs in 
 the night, let us wait upon Him for the music. Thou 
 chief musician, let us not remain songless because afili ttion 
 is upon us, tune Thou our lips to the melody of thanks< 
 giving. 
 
296 ETENING READINGS. Oct. 20 
 
 " Keep not back." — Isaiah xliii. 6. 
 
 ^^r^LTHOUGH this message was sent to the south, and 
 ^T| '^ referred to the seed of Israel, it may profitably be a 
 iimJ¥}M smuQions to ourselves. Backward we are naturally 
 to all good things, and it is a lesson of grace to learn to go 
 forward in the ways of God. Reader, are you unconverted, 
 but do you desire to trust in the Lord Jesus ? Then keep not 
 hack. Love invites you, the promises secure you success, the 
 precious blood prepares the way. Let not sins or fears hin- 
 der you, but come to Jesus just as you are. Do you long to 
 pray ? Would you pour out your heart before the Lord ? 
 Keep not back. The mercy-seat is prepared for such as need 
 mercy ; a sinner's cries will prevail with God. You are in- 
 vited, nay, you are commanded to pray ; come therefore with 
 boldness to the throne of grace. 
 
 Dear friend, are you already saved ? Then keep not back 
 from union with the Lord's people. Neglect not the ordi- 
 nances of baptism and the Lord's Supper. You may be of a 
 timid disposition, but you must strive against it, lest it lead 
 you into disobedience. There is a sweet promise made to 
 those who confess Christ — by no means miss it, lest you 
 come under the condemnation of those who deny Him. If 
 you have talents, keep not lack from using them. Hoard not 
 your wealth, waste not your time ; let not your abilities rust 
 or your influence be unused. Jesus kept not back ; imitate 
 Him by being foremost in self-denials and self-sacrifices. Keep 
 not back from close communion with God, from boldly appro- 
 priating covenant blessings, from advancing in the divine life, 
 from prying into the precious mysteries of the love of Christ. 
 Neither, beloved friend, be guilty of keeping others back by 
 your coldness, harshness, or suspicions. For Jesus' sake go 
 forward yourself, and encourage others to do the like. Hell 
 and the leaguered bands of superstition and infidelity are for* 
 ward to the fight. soldiers of the cross, keep rot back. 
 
Oct. 21. EVENING HEADINGS. 297 
 
 " TT7/y are ye troubled? and irJn/ do thovglits arise in your hearts ? ' 
 Luke xxiv. 38. 
 
 w^PilVIIY sayest thou, Jacob, and speakest, Israel, 
 Wvljjk My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is 
 passed over from my God ? " The Lord cares for 
 bil things, and tlic meanest creatures share in His universal 
 providence, but His particular providence is over His saints. 
 " The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that 
 fear Him." " Precious shall their blood be in His sight." 
 "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." 
 "We know that all things work together for good to them 
 that love God, to them that are the called according to His 
 purpose." Let the fact that, while He is the Saviour of all 
 men, He is specially the Saviour of them that believe, cheer 
 and comfort you. You are His peculiar care ; His regal 
 treasure which He guards as the apple of His eye ; His vine- 
 yard over which He watches day and night. " The very hairs 
 of your head are all numbered." Let the thought of His 
 special love to you be a spiritual pain-killer, a dear quietus 
 to your woe : " I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." 
 God says that as much to you as to any saint of old. " Fear 
 not, I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward." We 
 lose much consolation by the habit of reading His promises 
 for the whole church, instead of taking them directly home 
 to ourselves. Believer, grasp the divine word with a per- 
 sonal, appropriating faith. Think that you hear Jesus say, 
 " I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not." Think you 
 see Him walking on the waters of thy trouble, for He is there, 
 and He is saying, " Fear not, it is 1 ; be not afraid." Oh, 
 those sweet words of Christ ! May the Holy Ghost make you 
 feel them as spoken io you ; forget others for awhile — accept 
 the voice of Jesus as addressed to you, and say, " Jesus 
 whispers consolation; I cannot lefuse it; I will eit uudei 
 His shadow with great delight." 
 
298 EVENING READINGS. Oct. 22. 
 
 "//e Shall take of Mine, and shall show it unto you."— John xvi. 15. 
 
 ^^HERE are times when all the promises and doctrines 
 ^1^ of the Bible are of no avail, unless a gracious hand 
 shall apply them to us. We are thirsty, but too faint 
 to erawl to the water-brook. "When a soldier is wounded in 
 battle, it is of little use for him to know that there are those 
 at the hospital who can bind up his wounds, and medicines 
 there to ease all the pains which he now suffers : what he 
 needs is to be carried thither, and to have the remedies ap- 
 plied. It is thus with our souls, and to meet this need there 
 is one, even the Spirit of truth, who takes of the things of 
 Jesus, and applies them to us. Think not that Christ hath 
 placed His joys on heavenly shelves that we may chnib up 
 to them for ourselves, but He draws near, and sheds His 
 peace abroad in our hearts. Christian, if thou art to-night 
 laboring under deep distresses, thy Father does not give thee 
 promises and then leave thee to draw them up from the word 
 like buckets from a well, but the promises He has written in 
 the word He will write anew on your heart. He will mani- 
 fest His love to you, and, by His blessed Spirit, dispel your 
 cares and troubles. Be it known unto thee, mourner, that 
 it is God's prerogative to wipe every tear from the eye of 
 His people. The good Samaritan did not say, "Here is the 
 wine, and here is the oil for you ; " he actually poured in the 
 oil and the wine. So Jesus not only gives you the sweet 
 wine of the promise, but holds the golden chalice to your 
 lips, and pours the life-blood into your mouth. The poor, 
 sick, way-worn pilgrim is not merely strengthened to walk, 
 but he is borne on eagles' wings. Glorious gospel ! which 
 provides everything for the helpless, which draws nigh to us 
 wbon we cannot reach after it — brings us grace before we 
 seek for grace ! Here is as much glory in the giving as in 
 the gift. Happy people who have the Holy Ghost to bring 
 Jesus to them. 
 
Oct. 23. EVENING READINGS. 299 
 
 Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye ento' into temptation." 
 Luke xxii. 46. 
 
 
 \HEN is the Christian most liable to sleep ? I? it 
 when Ms temporal circumstances are prospe^o^ut ? 
 Have you not found it so ? When you had daily 
 troubles to take to the throne of grace, were you not more 
 wakeful than you are now ? Easy roads make sleepy travel- 
 lers. Another dangerous time is when all goes pleasantly in 
 spiritual matters. Christian went not to sleep when lions 
 were in the way, or when he was wading through the river, 
 or when fighting with Apollyon, but when he had climbed 
 half way up the Hill Difficulty, and came to a delightful ar- 
 bor, he sat down, and forthwith fell asleep, to his great sor- 
 row and loss. The enchanted ground is a place of balmy 
 breezes, laden with fragrant odors and soft influences, all 
 tending to lull pilgrims to sleep. Remember Bunyan's de- 
 hcription : " Then they came to an arbor, warm, and prom- 
 ising much refreshing to the weary pilgrims ; for it was finely 
 wrought above head, beautified with greens, and furnished 
 with benches and settles. It had also in it a soft couch, 
 where the weary might lean." " The arbor was called the 
 Slothful's Friend, and was made on purpose to allure, if it 
 might be, some of the pilgrims to take up their rest there 
 when weary," Depsnd upon it it is in easy places that men 
 shut tlieir eyes and ^\"ander into the dreamy land of forgct- 
 fulness. Old Erskine wisely remarked, " I like a roaring 
 devil better than a sleeping devil." There is no temptation 
 half so dangerous as not being tempted. The distressed soul 
 does not sleep ; it is after we enter into peaceful confidence 
 and full assurance that we are in danger of slumbering. The 
 disciples fell asleep after they had seen Jesus transfigured 
 on the mountain top. Take heed, joyous Christian — good 
 frames are near neighbors to temptations : be as happy aa 
 you will, only be watchful. 
 
300 EVENING HEADINGS. Oct. 24 
 
 " He began to wash the disciples' feet." — John xiii. 5. 
 
 ^5^^^HE Lord Jesus loves his people so much, that every 
 ^T kll ^^^ ■'^^ ^^ ^^^^^ doing for them much that is analogoua 
 '^^'^^^ to washing their soiled feet. Their poorest actions 
 He accepts ; their deepest sorrow He feels ; their slenderest 
 wish He hears, and their every transgression He forgives 
 He is still their servant as well as their Friend and Master. 
 He not onlj performs majestic deeds for them, as wearing the 
 mitre on His brow, and the precious jewels glittering on His 
 breastplate, and standing up to plead for them, but humbly, 
 patiently. He yet goes about among His people with the 
 basin and the towel. He does this when He puts away from 
 us day by day our constant infirmities and sins. Last night, 
 when you bowed the knee, you mournfully confessed that 
 much of your conduct was not worthy of your profession ; 
 and even to-night you must mourn afresh that you have fallen 
 again into the selfsame folly and sin from which special 
 grace delivered you long ago ; and yet Jesus will have great 
 patience with you ; He will hear your confession of sin ; He 
 will say, " I will, be thou clean ; " He will again apply the 
 blood of sprinkling, and speak peace to your conscience, and 
 remove every spot. It is a great act of eternal love when 
 Christ once for all absolves the sinner, and puts him into the 
 family of God ; but what condescending patience there is 
 when the Saviour with much long-suffering bears the oft 
 recurring follies of His wayward disciple ; day by day, and 
 hour by hour, washing away the multiplied transgressions of 
 His erring but yet beloved child ! To dry up a flood of 
 rebellion is something marvellous, but to endure the constant 
 dropping of repeated offences — to bear with a perpetual try- 
 ing of patience, this is divine indeed ! While we find com- 
 fort and peace in our Lord's daily cleansing, its legitimata 
 influence upon us will be to increase our watchfulness, ant 
 quicken tur desire for holiness. Is it sof 
 
Oct. 25. EVENING READINGS. 301 
 
 " She gleaned in the field after the reapers : and her hap vma to 
 light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who teas of tht 
 kindred of Elimelerh." — lluth ii. 3. 
 
 ^^I^^ER hap was. Yes, it seemed nothing but an accl- 
 i^jir\i dent, but how divinely was it overruled ! Ruth had 
 ^'^^^^^ gone forth with her mother's blessing, under the care 
 of her mother's God, to humble but honorable toil, and the 
 providence of God was guiding her every step. Little did 
 she know that amid the sheaves she would find a husband, 
 that he should make her the joint owner of all those broad 
 acres, and that she, a poor foreigner, should become one of 
 the progenitors of the great Messiah. God is very good to 
 those who trust in Him, and often surprises them with un- 
 looked-for blessings. Little do we know what may happen 
 to us to-morrow, but this sweet fact may cheer us, that no 
 good thing shall be withh'eld. Chance is banished from the 
 faith of Christians, for they see the hand of God in every- 
 thing. The trivial events of to-day or to-morrow may in- 
 volve consequences of the highest importance. Lord, deal 
 as graciously with Thy servants as Thou didst with Ruth. 
 
 How blessed would it be, if, in wandering in the field of 
 meditation to-night, our hap should be to light upon the 
 place where our next Kinsman will reveal Himself to us ! 
 Spirit of God, guide us to Him. We would sooner glean 
 in His field than bear away the whole harvest from any 
 other. for the footsteps of His flock, which may conduct 
 us to the green pastures where He dwells ! This is a weary 
 world when Jesus is away — we could better do without sun 
 and moon than without Him — but how divinely fair all 
 things become in the glory of His presence ! Our souls 
 know the virtue which dwells 'n Jesus, and can never be 
 content without Him. We will wait in prayer this night un- 
 til our hap shall be to light on a part of the field belonging 
 to Jesus, wherein He will manifest Himself to us. 
 26 
 
i02 EVETfING HEADINGS. Oct. 26. 
 
 " All the rivers run into the sea ; yet the sea is not full ; unto the 
 place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again." 
 — Ecclesiastes i. 7. 
 
 ^^^^VERYTHINGr sublunary is on the move ; time knowa 
 yClr^^l\ nothing of rest. The solid earth is a rollinff ball, 
 
 — and the great sun himself a star obediently fulfilling 
 its course around some greater luminary. Tides move the 
 Bea, winds stir the airy ocean, friction wears the rock : 
 change and death rule everywhere. The sea is not a miser's 
 storehouse for a wealth of waters, for as by one force the 
 waters flow into it, by another they are lifted from it. Men 
 are born but to die : everything is hurry, worry, and vex- 
 ation of spirit. Friend of the unchanging Jesus, what a 
 joy it is to reflect upon thy ^nangeless heritage ! thy sea of 
 bliss which will be forever full, since God Himself shall 
 pour eternal rivers of pleasure into it.' We seek an abiding 
 city beyond the skies, and we shall not be disappointed. 
 
 The passage before us may well teach us gratitude. 
 Father Ocean is a great receiver, but he is a generous dis- 
 tributer. What the rivers bring him he returns to the earth 
 in the form of clouds and rain. That man is out of joint 
 with the universe who takes all, but makes no return. To 
 give to others is but sowing seed for ourselves. He who is 
 so good a steward as to be willing to use his substance for 
 his Lord, shall be intrusted with more. Friend of Jesus, 
 art thou rendering to Him according to the benefit received ? 
 Much has been given thee — what is thy fruit ? Hast thou 
 done all ? Canst thou not do more ? To be selfish is to be 
 wicked. Suppose the ocean gave up none of its watery 
 treasure, it would bring ruin upon our race. God forbid that 
 any of us should follow the ungenerous and destructive pol- 
 icy of living unto ourselves. Jesus pleased not Himself. 
 All fulness dwells in Him, but of His fulness have all we 
 received. O for Jesu's spirit, that henceforth we may live 
 not unto ourselves ! 
 
Oct. 27. EVENING HEADINGS. 303 
 
 We are all as an unclean thing." — Isaiah Ixiv. 6. 
 
 ^***^^HE believer is a new creature ; he belongs to a LlIv 
 ylJUjI generation and a peculiar people — the Spirit of God 
 '^'^**^ is in him, and in all respects he is far removed from 
 the natural man ; but for all that the Christian is a sinner 
 still. He is so from the imperfection of his nature, and will 
 continue so to the end of his earthly life. The black finger' 
 of sin leave smuts upon our fairest robes. Sin mars our re 
 peutance, ere the great Potter has finished it, upon the wheel 
 Selfishness defiles our tears, and unbelief tampers with oui 
 faith. The best thing we ever did, apart from the merit of 
 Jesus, only swelled the number of our sins ; for when we 
 have been most pure in our own sight, yet, like the heavens, 
 we are not pure in God's sight ; and, as He charged His 
 angels with folly, much more must He charge us with it, even 
 in our most angelic frames of mind. The song which thrills 
 to heaven, and seeks to emulate seraphic strains, hath human 
 discords in it. The prayer which moves the arm of God is 
 still a bruised and battered prayer, and only moves that arm 
 because the sinless One, the great Mediator, has stepped in 
 to take away the sin of our supplication. The most golden 
 faith or the purest degree of sanctification to which a Chris- 
 tian ever attained on earth, has still so much alloy in it as to 
 be only worthy of the flames, in itself considered. Every 
 night we look in the glass we see a sinner, and had need con- 
 fess, " We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteous- 
 nesses are as filthy rags." Oh, how precious the blood of 
 Christ to such hearts as ours ! How priceless a gift is His 
 perfect rigliteousness ! And how bright the hope of perfect 
 uolinesa hereafter ! Even now, though sin dwells in us, iU 
 fower is broken. It has no dominion ; it is a broken-backed 
 snake ; we are in bitter conflict with it, but it is with » van- 
 quished foe that we have to deal. Yet a little while and we 
 nhall enter victoriously into the city where nothing defileth. 
 
3(. i EVENING READINGS. Oct. 28 
 
 " i/ts head is as the most fine gold. His locks are hiishy, and hlacX 
 as a raven." — Solomon's Song v. 11. 
 
 ^^.f.OMPAllISONS all fail to set forth the Lord Jesus, 
 itM but the spouse uses the best within her reach. Cj 
 the head of Jesus we may understand His deity, " for 
 the head of Christ is God ; " and then the ingot of purest 
 gold is the best conceivable metaphor, but all too poor to 
 describe one so precious, so pure, so dear, so glorious. Je- 
 sus is not a grain of gold, but a vast globe of it, a priceless 
 mass of treasure such as earth and heaven cannot excel. 
 The creatures are mere iron and clay ; they all shall perish 
 like wood, hay, and stubble ; but the ever-living Head of thi 
 creation of God shall shine on forever and ever. In Him is 
 no mixture, nor smallest taint of alloy. He is forever infi- 
 nitely holy and altogether divine. The bushy locks depict 
 His manly vigor. There is nothing effeminate in our Be- 
 loved. He is the manliest of men. Bold as a lion, labori- 
 ous as an ox, swift as an eagle. Every conceivable and in- 
 conceivable beauty is to be found in Him, though once He 
 was despised and rejected of men. 
 
 " His head the Quest "-old ; 
 
 With secret sweet perfume, 
 His curled locks haug all as black 
 As any raven's plume." 
 
 The glory of His head is not shorn away ; He is eternalJy 
 crowned with peerless majesty. The black hair indicates 
 youthful freshness, for Jesus has the dew of His youth upon 
 Him. Others grow languid with age, but He is forever a 
 Priest as was Melchisedek ; others come and go, but He 
 abides as God upon His throne, world without end. We will 
 behold Him to-night and adore Him. Angels are gazing 
 upon Him — His redeemed must not turn away their eyes 
 from Him. Where else is there such a Belcved ? Oh for an 
 hour's fellowship with Him ! Away, ye intruding cares 
 Jesus draws me, and I run after Him. 
 
Oct. 29. EVENING READINGS. 303 
 
 •' But their eyes were holden that they should not knou Him." 
 Luke xxiv. IG. 
 
 ^5j*^FIE disciples ought to have known Jesus ; ihey had 
 ilrJ^ heard His voice so often, and gazed upon that marrcc* 
 ''^'*'^ face so frequently, that it is wonderful they did no\ 
 discover Hiui. Yet is it not so with you also ? You have 
 not seen Jesus lately. You have been to His table, and yoa 
 have not met Him there. You are in a dark trouble thia 
 evening, and though He plainly says, " It is I, be not afraid," 
 yet 3'ou cannot discern Him. Alas ! our eyes are holden. 
 We know His voice ; we have looked into His face ; we have 
 leaned our head upon His bosom, and yet, though Christ is 
 v«ry near us, wc are saying, " Oh that I knew where I might 
 find Him ! " We should know Jesus, for we have the Scrip- 
 tures to reflect His image ; and yet how possible it is for us 
 to open that precious book and have no glimpse of the Well- 
 beloved ! Dear child of God, are you in that state ? Jesus 
 feedeth among the lilies of the word, and you walk among 
 those lilies, and yet you behold Him not. He is accustomed 
 to walk through the glades of Scripture, and to commune 
 with His people, as the Fatlier did with Adam in the cool 
 of the day, and yet you are in the garden of Scripture, but 
 cann''t see Him, though He is always there. And why do 
 we not see Him ? It must be ascribed in our case, as in .he 
 disciples', to unbelief. They evidently did not expct to 
 Bee Jesus, and therefore they did not know Him. To a 
 great extent in spiritual things we get what wc expect of 
 the Lord. Faith alone can bring us to see Jesus. Make it 
 your prayer, " Lord, open Thou mine eyes, that I may see 
 my Saviour present with me." It is a blessed thing to tvanl 
 to see Him ; but oh ! it is better far to gaze upon Him. Cc 
 those who seek Iliin He is kind : but to those who find H\m. 
 beyond expression is Ha dear ! 
 26* 
 
806 EVENING READINGS. Oct. 30 
 
 •♦ Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to 7 At 
 voice : cause me to hear it." — Solomon's Song viii. 13. 
 
 ^Y sweet Lord Jesus remembers well the garden of 
 Grethseraane, and although He has left that garden, 
 He now dwells in the garden of His church : there He 
 unbosoms Himself to those who keep His blessed company. 
 Toat voice of love with which He speaks to His beloved is 
 more musical than the harps of heaven. There is a depth 
 of melodious love within it which leaves all human music far 
 behind. Tens of thousands on earth, and millions above, 
 are indulged with its harmonious accents. Some whom 1 
 well know, and whom I greatly envy, are at this moment 
 hearkening to the beloved voice. Oh that I were a par- 
 taker of their joys I It is true some of these are poor, 
 others bedridden, and some near the gates of death ; but 
 my Lord, I would cheerfully starve with them, pine with 
 them, or die with them, if I might but hear Thy voice. 
 Once I did hear it often, but I have grieved Thy Spirit. 
 Return unto me in compassion, and once again say unto me, 
 " I am thy salvation." No other voice can content me ; I 
 know Thy voice, and cannot be deceived by another ; let me 
 hear it, I pray Thee. I know not what Thou wilt say, neither 
 do I make any condition. my Beloved, do but let me hear 
 Thee speak, and if it be a rebuke I will bless Thee for it. 
 Perhaps to cleanse my dull ear may need an operation very 
 grievous to the flesh, but, let it cost what it may, I turn not 
 from the one consuming desire — cause me to hear Thy voice. 
 Bore my ear afresh ; pierce my ear with Thy harshest notes, 
 only do not permit me to continue deaf to Thy calls. To- 
 night, Lord, grant Thine unworthy one his desire, for I am 
 Thine, and Thou hast bought me with Thy blood. Thou 
 aa--t opened mine eye to see Thee, and the sight has saved 
 me. Lord, open Thou mine ear. I have read Thy heart, 
 now let me hear Thy lips. 
 
Oct. 31. EVKMNO KLADINGS. 307 
 
 •' / did know iJtee in the wilderness, in the land of great drought.' 
 llosea xiii. 5. 
 
 if'ttl-'^ES, Lord, Thou didst indeed know me in my fallen 
 j'-s' state, and Thou didst even then choose me foi Thy- 
 ■"^ polf. Whon I was loathsome and self-abhorred, Thou 
 didst receive me as Thy child, and Thou didst satis- 
 fy my jraving wants. Blessed forever be Thy name for thi? 
 free, ricli, abounding mercy. Since then, my inward experi- 
 ence has often been a wilderness ; but Thou hast owned me 
 still as Thy beloved, and poured streams of love and grace 
 into me to gladden me, and make mc fruitful. Yea, when 
 my outward circumstances have been at the worst, and I have 
 wandered in a land of drought, Thy sweet presence has sol- 
 aced me. Men have not known me when scorn has awaited 
 me, but Thou hast known ray soul in adversities, for no af- 
 fliction dims tlie lustre of Thy love. 3Iost gracious Lord, 1 
 magnify Thee for all Thy faithfulness to me in trying circum- 
 stances, and I deplore that I should at any time have forgot- 
 ten Thee and been exalted in heart, when I have owed all to 
 Thy gentleness and love. Have mercy upon Thy servant in 
 this thing ! 
 
 My soul, if Jesus thus acknowledged thee in thy low es- 
 tate, be sure that thou own both Himself and His cause now 
 that thou art in thy prosperity. Be not lifted up by thy world- 
 ly successes so as to be ashamed of the truth or of the poor 
 church with which thou hast been associated. Follow Jesus 
 into the wilderness : bear the cross with Him when the heat 
 of persecution grows hot. He owned thee, my soul, in thy 
 poverty and shame — never be so treacherous as to be ashamed 
 of Him. Oh for more shame at the thought of being ashitiied 
 •f mj b2£* Beloved ! Jesus, my soul cleavcth to Thee. 
 
 " I'll turn to Thco in d.-iys of light, 
 As well as iiiy;lits of care, 
 Thou brightL'st iimid all that's bright • 
 Thou fairest of ttie fair ! " 
 
308 EVENING KEADINGS. NoV. 1. 
 
 " And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away ; so 
 shall also the coming of the Son of man be." — Matt, xxiv, 39. 
 
 UNIVERSAL was the doom ; neither rich nor poor es- 
 caped : the learned and the illiterate, the admired 
 and the abhorred, the religious and the profane, the 
 old and the young, all sank in one common ruin. Some had 
 doubtle^ ridiculed the patriarch — where now their merry 
 jests? Others had threatened him for his zeal, which they 
 counted madness — where now their boastings and hard 
 speeches ? The critic who judged the old man's work is 
 drowned in the same sea which covers his sneering compan- 
 ions. Those who spoke patronizingly of the good man's 
 fidelity to his convictions, but shared not in them, have sunk 
 to rise no more, and the workers who for pay helped to build 
 the wondrous ark, are all lost also. The flood swept them 
 all away, and made no single exception. Even so, out of 
 Christ, final destruction is sure to every man of woman born ; 
 no rank, possession, or character, shall suffice to save a single 
 soul who has not believed in the Lord Jesus. My soul, be- 
 hold this wide-spread judgment, and tremble at it. 
 
 How marvellous the general apathy ! they were all eating 
 and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, till the awfu' 
 morning dawned. There was not one wise man upon earth 
 out of the ark. Polly duped the whole race, folly as to self- 
 preservation — the most foolish of all follies. Folly in doubt- 
 ing the most true God — the most malignant of fooleries. 
 Strange, my soul, is it not ? All men are negligent of their 
 souls till grace gives them reason ; then they leave their mad- 
 ness and act like rational beings, but not till then. 
 
 All, blessed be God, were safe in the ark ; no ruin entered 
 there. From the huge elephant down to the tiny mouse all 
 were safe. The timid hare was equally secure with the cou- 
 rageous lion, the helpless cony as safe as the laborious ox, 
 All are safe in Jesus. My soul, art thou in Him ? 
 
.VoV. 2. EVENING HEADINGS. 309 
 
 " Ilorror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that for- 
 sake Thy law." — Psalm cxix. 53. 
 
 J)Y soul, feelest thou tliis holy shuddering at tlie sins of 
 1^ others ? for otherwise thou lackest inward holiness. 
 V David's cheeks were wet with rivers of waters because 
 of prevailing unholiness, Jeremiah desired eyes like foun- 
 tains that he might lament the iniquities of Israel, and Lot 
 was vexed with the conversation of the men of Sodom. Those 
 upon whom the mark was set in Ezekiel's vision, were those 
 who sighed and cried for the abominatrons of Jerusalem. It 
 cannot but grieve gracious souls to see what pains men take 
 to go to hell. They know the evil of sin experimentally, and 
 they are alarmed to see others flying like moths into its blaze. 
 Sin makes the righteous shudder, because it violates a holy 
 law, which it is to every man's highest interest to keep; it 
 pulls down the pillars of the commonwealth. Sin in others 
 horrifies a believer, because it puts him in mind of the base- 
 ness of his own heart: when he sees a transgressor he cries 
 witli the saint mentioned by Bernard, " He fell to-day, and I 
 may fall to-morrow." Sin to a believer is horrible, because 
 it crucified the Saviour ; he sees in every iniquity the nails 
 and spear. How can a saved soul behold that cursed kill- 
 Christ sin without abhorrence? Say, my heart, dost thou 
 sensibly join in all this ? It is an awful thing to insult God 
 ;o His face. The good God deserves better treatment, the 
 great God claims it, the just God will have it, or repay His 
 adversary to his face. An awakened heart trembles at the 
 audacity of sin, and stands alarmed at the contemplation of 
 its punishment. How monstrous a thing is rebellion ! How 
 iireful a doom is prepared for the ungodly ! My soul, never 
 laugh at sin's fooleries, lest thou come to smile at sin itself. 
 It is thine enemy, and thy Lord's enemy — view it with defc* 
 «jstation, for so only canst thou evidence the possession of 
 holiness, without which no man can see the Lord. 
 
310 ETENING KEADINGS. NoV. 3 
 
 " Their prayer came up to His holy dwelling-place, even unto 
 heaven." — 2 Chronicles xxx. 27. 
 
 ljj|RAYER is the never-failing resort cf the Christian in 
 any case, in every plight. When you cannot use 
 your sword you may take to the weapon of all-prayer. 
 Your powder may be damp, your bow-string may be re- 
 laxed, but the weapon of all-prayer need never be out of 
 order. Leviathan laughs at the javelin, but he trembles at 
 prayer. Sword and spear need furbishing, but prayer never 
 rusts, and when we think it most blunt it cuts the best. Pray- 
 er is an open door which none can shut. Devils may sur- 
 round you on all sides, but the way upward is always open, 
 and as long as that road is unobstructed, you will not fall 
 into the enemy's hand. We can never be taken by blockade, 
 escalade, mine, or storm, so long as heavenly succors can 
 come down to us by Jacob's ladder to relieve us in the time 
 of our necessities. Prayer is never out of season ; in summer 
 and in winter its merchandise is precious. Prayer gains 
 audience with heaven in the dead of night, in the midst of 
 business, in the heat of noonday, in the shades of evening. 
 In every condition, whether of poverty, or sickness, or ob- 
 scurity, or slander, or doubt, your covenant God will welcome 
 your prayer and answer it from His holy place. Nor is pray- 
 er ever futile. True prayer is evermore true power. You 
 may not always get what you ask, but you shall always have 
 your real wants supplied. When God does not answer His 
 children according to the letter. He does so according to the 
 spirit. If thou askest for coarse meal, wilt thou be angered 
 because He gives thee the finest flour ? If thou seekest bod- 
 ily health, shouldst thou complain if instead thereof He 
 makes thy sickness turn to the healing of spiritual maladies ? 
 Is it not better to have the cross sanctified than removed ? 
 This evening, my soul, forget not to oifer thy petition and 
 request, for the Lord is ready to grant thofi thy desires. 
 
Nov. 4. EVENING READINGS. 311 
 
 " In thj light shall we see light" — Psalm xxxvi. 9. 
 
 iO lips can tell the love of Christ to the heart till Jesus 
 "Jq Himself shall speak within. Descriptions all fall flat 
 and tame unless the Holy Ghost (ills them with lifa 
 and power ; till our Imraanuel reveals Himself within, the 
 Boul sees Him not. If you would see the sun, would you 
 gather together the common means of illumination, and seek 
 in that way to behold the orb of day ? No, the wise man 
 knoweth that the sun must reveal itself, and only by its own 
 blaze can that mighty lamp be seen. It is so with Christ. 
 " Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona : " said He to Peter, 
 " for flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee." 
 Purify flesh and blood by any educational process you may 
 select, elevate mental faculties to the highest degree of in- 
 tellectual power, yet none of these can reveal Christ. The 
 Spirit of God must come with power, and overshadow the 
 man with His wings, and then in that mystic holy of holiea 
 the Lord Jesus must display Himself to the sanctified eye, as 
 He doth not unto the purblind sons of men. Christ must bo 
 His own mirror. The great mass of this blear-eyed world 
 can see nothing of the ineffable glories of Immanuel. He 
 stands before them without form or comeliness, a root out of 
 a dry ground, rejected by the vain, and despised by tho 
 proud. Only where the Spirit has touched the eye with eye- 
 salve, quickened the heart with divine life, and educated the 
 Boul to a heavenly taste, only there is He understood. " To 
 you that believe He is precious ; " to you He is the chief 
 corner-stone, the Rock of your salvation, your all \u all ; 
 but to others He is " a stone of stumbling and a rock of 
 offence." Happy are those to whom our Lord manifests 
 Himself, for His promise to such is, that He will make Hit 
 abode with them. Jesus, our Lord, our heart is open ; come 
 in, and go out no more forever. Show Thyself to us now. 
 •*J7«)r us with a glimpse of Thine all-conquering c*^j>.rms. 
 
312 EVENING EEADINGS. NoV. 5- 
 
 _" Be thankful unto Him, and bless His name." — Psalm c. 4. 
 
 |fe/^]?!j^TJR Lord would have all His people rich in high and 
 w ^'^ ^^''•PPy thoughts concerning His blessed person. Jesus 
 *^*'^ ' is not content that His brethren should think meanly 
 of Him ; it is His pleasure that His espoused ones should be 
 delighted with His beauty. We are not to regard Him as a 
 bare necessary, like to bread and water, but as a luxurious 
 delicacy, as a rare and ravishing delight. To this end He 
 has revealed Himself as the " pearl of great price " in its 
 peerless beauty, as the "bundle of myrrh" in its refreshing 
 fragrance, as the "rose of Sharon" in its lasting perfume, 
 as the " lily" in its spotless purity. 
 
 As a help to high thoughts of Christ, remember the esti- 
 mation that Christ is had in beyond the skies, where things 
 are measured by the right standard. Think how God esteems 
 the onlj' begotten. His unspeakable gift to us. Consider what 
 the angels think of Him, as they count it their highest honor 
 to veil their faces at His feet. Consider what the blood- 
 washed think of Him, as day without night they sing His 
 well-deserved praises. High thoughts of Christ will enable 
 us to act consistently with our relations towards Him. The 
 more loftily we see Christ enthroned, and the more lowly we 
 are when bowing before the foot of the throne, the more truly 
 shall we be prepared to act our part towards Him. Our Lord 
 Jesus desires us to think well of Him, that we may submit 
 cheerfully to His authority. High thoughts of Him increase 
 our love. Love and esteem go together. Therefore, be- 
 liever, think much of your Master's excellences. Study Him 
 in Hia primeval glory, before He took upon Himself your 
 nature ! Think of the mighty love which drew Him from His 
 throne to die upon the cross ! Admire Him as He coiuiuers 
 all the powers of hell ! See Him risen, crowned, glorified ! 
 Bow before Him as the Wonderful, the Counsellor, the miglitj 
 God, for only thus will your love to Him be what it should. 
 
Nov. 6. EVENING READINGS. 313 
 
 " Sayitiff, TJtis is the blood of the testament which God hath en- 
 joined unto you." — Hebrews ix. 20. 
 
 P*lf"^HEIlE is a strange power about the very name of 
 lirl*^ blood, and the sight of it is always affecting. A kind 
 '^^'^ heart cannot bear to see a aparrow bleed, and unless 
 familiarized by use, turns away with horror at the slaughter 
 of a beast. As to the blood of men, it is a consecrated thing : 
 it is murder to shed it in wrath ; it is a dreadful crime to 
 squander it in war. Is this solemnity occasioned by the fact 
 that the blood is the life, and the pouring of it forth the token 
 of death ? We think so. When we rise to contemplate the 
 blood of the Son of God, our awe is yet more increased, and 
 we shudder as we think of the guilt of sin, and the terrible 
 penalty which the Sin-bearer endured. Blood, always pre- 
 cious, is priceless when it streams from Immanuel's side. 
 The blood of Jesus seals the covenant of grace, and makes it 
 forever sure. Covenants of old were made by sacrifice, and 
 the everlasting covenant was ratified in the same manner. 
 Oh, the delight of being saved upon the sure foundation of 
 divine engagements which cannot be dishonored ! Salvation 
 by the works of the law is a frail and broken vessel whose 
 shipwreck is sure ; but the covenant vessel fears no storms, 
 for the blood insures the whole. The blood of Jesus made 
 His testament valid. Wills are of no power unless the testators 
 die. In this light the soldier's spear is a blessed aid to faith, 
 since it proved our Lord to be really dead. Doubts upon 
 that matter there can be none, and we may boldly appropriate 
 the legacies which He has left for His people. Happy they 
 who see their title to heavenly blessings assured to them by a 
 dying Saviour. But has this blood no voice to us ? Does it 
 not bid us sanctify ourselves unto Him by whom we have been 
 redeemed ? Does it not call us to newness of life, and incite 
 us to entire consecration to the Lord ? Oh that the power of 
 the blood might be known, and felt in us this night ! 
 27 
 
314 EVENING READINGS. No7. 7. 
 
 "And ye shall be witnesses unto Me." — Acts i. 8. 
 
 tN order to learn how to discharge youV duty as a wit- 
 (^^ ness for Christ, look at His example. He is always 
 witnessing : by the well of Samaria, or in the Temple 
 of Jerusalem : by the lake of Gennesaret, or on the moun- 
 tain's brow. He is witnessing night and d.ay ; His mighty 
 prayers are as vocal to God as His daily services. He wit- 
 nesses under all circumstances ; Scribes and Pharisees cannot 
 shut His mouth ; even before Pilate He witnesses a good con- 
 fession. He witnesses so clearly and distinctly that there is 
 no mistake in Him. Christian, make your life a clear testi- 
 mony. Be you as the brook wherein you may see every stone 
 at the bottom — not as the muddy creek, of which you only 
 see the surface — but clear and transparent, so that your 
 heart's love to God and man may be visible to all. You need 
 not say, " I am true : " be true. Boast not of integrity, but 
 be upright. So shall your testimony be such that men cannot 
 help seeing it. Never, for fear of feeble man, restrain your 
 witness. Your lips have been warmed with a coal from off the 
 altar ; let them speak as like heaven-touched lips should do. 
 " In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold 
 not thine hand." Watch not the clouds, consult not the wind 
 — in season and out of season witness for the Saviour, and 
 if it shall come to pass that for Christ's sake and the gospel's 
 jou shall endure suffering in any shape, shrink not, but re- 
 joice in the honor thus conferred upon you, that you are 
 counted worthy to suffer with your Lord ; and joy also in 
 this — that your sufferings, your losses and persecutions, 
 shall make you a platform, from which the more vigorously 
 and with greater power you shall witness for Christ Jesus. 
 Study your great Exemplar, and be filled with His Spirit. 
 Remember that you need much teaching, much upholding, 
 much grace, and much humility, if your witnessing is to be 
 to your Master's glory. 
 
No 7. 8. EVENING READINGS. SI 5 
 
 " The Master saith, Where is ihc f^nest-chamhcr, w7iei-e I shall eat 
 the passover with Mij disciples?" — Mark xiv. 14. 
 
 ■ERUSALEM at the time of the passover was one great 
 >' inn ; each householder had invited his own friends, 
 but no one had invited the Saviour, and He had no 
 dwelling of His own. It was by His own supernatural power 
 that He found Himself an upper room in which to keep the 
 feast. It is so even to this day — Jesus is not received 
 among the sons of men save only where by His supernatural 
 power and grace He makes the heart anew. All doors are 
 open enough to the prince of darkness, but Jesus must clear 
 a way for Himself or lodge in the streets. It was through 
 the mysterious power exerted by our Lord that the house- 
 holder raised no question, but at once cheerfully and joy- 
 fully opened his guest-chamber. Who he was, and what he 
 was, we do not know, but he readily accepted the honor 
 which the Redeemer proposed to confer upon him. In like 
 manner it is still discovered who are the Lord's chosen, and 
 who are not ; for when the gospel comes to some, they fight 
 against it, and will not have it ; but where men receive it, wel- 
 coming it, this is a sure indication that there is a secret work 
 going on in the soul, and that God has chosen them unto 
 eternal life. Are you willing, dear reader, to receive Christ? 
 then there is no difficulty in the way ; Christ will be your 
 guest ; His own power is working with you, making you will- 
 ing. What an honor to entertain the Son of God ! The 
 heaven of heavens cannot contain Him, and yet He conde- 
 scends to find a house within our hearts ! We are not worthy 
 that He should come under our roof, but what an unutterable 
 privilege when He condescends to enter ! for then He makes 
 a feast, and causes us (o feast with Him upon royal dainties ; 
 we sit at a banquet where the viands are immortal, and give 
 immortality to those who feed thereon. Blessed among tha 
 sons of Adam is he who entertains the angels' Lord. 
 
316 EVENING HEADINGS, NoV. 9. 
 
 " Ilis place of defence sJiall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall 
 be (liven him: his waters shall be sure." — Isaiah xxxiii. 16. 
 
 3iS^0 you doubt, Christian, do you doubt as to whether 
 ^i^v« ^^^ ^^'^' fulfil His promise ? Shall the munitions of 
 *^^^^^ rock be carried by storm ? Shall the storehouses of 
 heaven fail ? Do you think that your heavenly Father, though 
 lie knoweth that you have need of food and raiment, will yet 
 forget you ? When not a sparrow falls to the ground with- 
 out your Father, and the very hairs of your head are all 
 numbered, will you mistrust and doubt Him ? Perhaps your 
 affliction will continue upon you till you dare to trust your 
 God, and then it shall end. Full many there be who have 
 been tried and sore vexed till at last they have been driven 
 in sheer desperation to exercise faith in God, and the mo- 
 ment of their faith ha? been the instant of their deliverance ; 
 they have seen whether God would keep His promise or not. 
 Oh, I pray you, doubt Him no longer ! Please not Satan, 
 and vex not yourself by indulging any more those hard 
 thoughts of God. Think it not a light matter to doubt Jeho- 
 vah. Remember, it is a sin ; and not a little sin either, but 
 in the highest degree criminal. The angels never doubt 
 Him, nor the devils either : we alone, out of all the beings 
 that God has fashioned, dishonor Him by unbelief, and tar- 
 nish His honor by mistrust. Shame upon us for this ! Our 
 God does not deserve to be so basely suspected ; in our past 
 life we have proved Him to be true and faithful to His word, 
 and with so many instances of His love and of His kindness 
 as we have received, and are daily receiving, at His hands, 
 it is base and inexcusable that we sufier a doubt to sojourn 
 within our heart. May we henceforth wage constant war 
 against doubts of our God — enemies to our peace and to 
 His honor; and with an unstaggering faith believe that what 
 He has promised He will also perform. "Lord, I believe; 
 kelp T\\ou miue unbelief." 
 
Nov. 10. EVENING KEADINGS. 317 
 
 " It is enough for the disciple that he be as his Master." 
 Matthew X. 25. 
 
 ^0 one will dispute this statement, for it would be un- 
 f{^ seemly for the servant to be exalted above his Mas- 
 "^ ter ! When our Lord was on earth, what was the 
 treaimeut He received ? Were Ilis claims acknowledged. 
 His instructions followed, His perfections worshipped, by 
 those whom He came to bless ? No ; " He was despised and 
 rejected of men." Outside the camp was His place : cross- 
 bearing was His occupation. Did the world yield Him solace 
 and rest? " Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have 
 nests ; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head." 
 This inhospitable country afforded Him no shelter : it cast 
 Him out and crucified Him. Such — if you are a follower of 
 Jesus, and maintain a consistent, Christ-like walk and con- 
 versation — you must expect to be the lot of that part of your 
 spiritual life which, in its outward development, comes under 
 the observation of men. They will treat it as they treated 
 the Saviour — they will despise it. Dream not that worldlings 
 will admire you, or that the more holy and the more Christ- 
 like you are, the more peaceably people will act towards you. 
 They prized not the polished gem ; how should they value the 
 jewel in the rough ? " If they have called the Master of the 
 house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of His 
 household ! " If we were more like Christ, we should be more 
 \ ated by His enemies. It were a sad dishonor to a child of 
 God to be the world's favorite. It is a very ill omen to hear 
 a wicked world clap its hands and shout " Well done" to the 
 Christian man. He may begin to look to his character, and 
 wonder whether he has not been doing wrong, when the un- 
 righteous give him their approbation. Let us be true to our 
 Master, and have no friendship with a blind and bas" world 
 which scorns and rejects Him. Far be it from us tc &eek a 
 erown of honor where our Lord Ibu d a coronet of thoru. 
 •27* 
 
818 EVENING KEADINGS. NoV. 11. 
 
 " lie shall choose our inheritance for us." — Psalm xlvii. 4, 
 
 ^^^CELIEYER, if your inheritance be a lowly one, you 
 rii/il^^^ should be satisfied with your earthly portion ; for you 
 ^Oj*.ev jjjj^y j.ggt assured that it is the fittest for you.. Un- 
 erring wisdom ordained your lot, and selected for you the 
 eafest and best condition. A ship of large tonnage is to be 
 brought up the river ; now, in one part of the stream there ia 
 a sand-bank ; should some one ask, " Why does the captain 
 steer through the deep part of the channel, and deviate so 
 much from a straight line ? " his answer would be, " Because 
 [ should not get my vessel into harbor at all if I did not keep 
 to the deep channel." So, it may be, you would run aground 
 and suifer shipwreck, if your divine Captain did not steer you 
 *.nto the depths of affliction, where waves of trouble follow 
 each other in quick succession. Some plants die if they have 
 too much sunshine. It may be that you are planted where 
 you get but little ; you are put there by the loving Husband- 
 man, because only in that situation will you bring forth fruil 
 unto perfection. Remember this : had any other condition 
 been better for you than the one in which you are, divine 
 love would have put you there. You are placed by God :"i 
 the most suitable circumstances, and if you had the choosing 
 of your lot, you would soon cry, " Lord, choose my inherit- 
 ance for me, for by my self-will I am pierced through with 
 many sorrows." Be content with such things as you have, 
 since the Lord has ordered all things for your good. Take 
 up your own daily cross ; it is the burden best suited for your 
 shoulder, and will prove most effective to make you perfect 
 in every good word and work to the glory of God. Down, 
 busy self and proud impatience ; it is not for you tc choose, 
 but for the Lord of Love ! 
 
 "Trials must and will berall — 
 But with Immblc faith to see 
 Love inscribed upon thcni all 
 This IB happiness to me." 
 
iJoV. 12. EVENING KEADINGS. 319 
 
 " And it came to pass in those days, that lie Trent out into a vtoun- 
 tain to praij. and continued all ni<jht in prayer to God." — Luke 
 vi. 12. 
 
 ^S^^F ever one of woman born niiirlit have lived without 
 S^^l^ prayer, it was our spotlefss, perfect Lord, and yet 
 l?/fliRlas< uQf(,j ^y^g cyer so much in supplication as He ! Such 
 was His love to His Father, that He loved much to be in 
 communion with Him ; such His love for His people, that 
 he desired to be much in intercession for them. The fact oi 
 this eminent prayerfulness of Jesus is a lesson for us — He 
 hath given us an example that we may follow in His steps. 
 TIte time He chose was admirable ; it was the hour of silence, 
 when the crowd would not disturb Him ; the time of inaction, 
 when all but Himself had ceased to labor ; and the season 
 when slumber made men forget their woes and cease their 
 applications to Him for relief. While others found rest in 
 sleep. He refreshed Himself with prayer. The place was also 
 well selected. He was alone where none would intrude, 
 where none could observe : thus was He free from Pharisaic 
 ostentation and vulgar interruption. Those dark and silent 
 hills were a fit oratory for the Son of God. Heaven and 
 earth in midnight stillness heard the groans and sighs of the 
 mysterious Being in whom both worlds were blended. The 
 continuance of His pleadings is remarkable ; the long watch- 
 es were not too long ; the cold wind did not chill His devo- 
 tions ; the grim darkness did not darken His faith, or lone- 
 liness check His importunity. We cannot watch with Him 
 one hour, but He watched for us whole nights. The occasion 
 for this prayer is notable ; it was after His enemies had been 
 enraged — prayer was His refuge and solace ; it was before 
 He sSnt forth the twelve apostles — prayer was the gate of 
 His enterprise, the herald of His new work. Should we not 
 learn from Jesus to resort to special prayer when we are 
 under peculiar trial, or contemplate fresh endeavors for the 
 Master's glory ? Lord Jesus, teach us to pray. 
 
320 EVENING READINGS. NoV. 13. 
 
 " Men ou^ht altcays to pray." — Luke xviii. 1. 
 
 ■V^F men ought always to pray and not to faint, much 
 more Christian men. Jesus has sent His church into 
 the world on the same errand upon which He Him- 
 self came, and this mission includes intercession. What if I 
 say that the church is the world's priest ? Creation is dumb» 
 but the church is to find a mouth for it. It is the church's 
 high privilege to pray with acceptance. The door of grace 
 is always open for her petitions, and they never return 
 empty-handed. The veil was rent for her, the blood was 
 sprinkled upon the altar for her, Grod constantly invites her 
 to ask what she wills. Will she refuse the privilege which 
 angels might envy her ? Is she not the bride of Christ ? May 
 sks not go in unto her king at every hour ? Shall she allow 
 the precious privilege to be unused ? The church always has 
 need for prayer. There are always some in her midst who 
 are declining, or falling into open sin. There are lambs to 
 be prayed for, that they may be carried in Christ's boeom ; 
 the strong, lest they grow presumptuous, and the weak, lest 
 they become despairing. If we kept up prayer-meetings 
 four-and-twenty hours in the day, all the days in the year, 
 we might never be without a special subject for supplication. 
 Are we ever without the sick and the poor, the afflicted and 
 the wavering ? Are we ever without those who seek the 
 conversion of relatives, the reclaiming of backsliders, or the 
 salvation of the depraved ? Nay, with congregations con- 
 stantly gathering, with ministers always preaching, with mil- 
 lions of sinners lying dead in trespasses and sins ; in a 
 country over which the darkness of Romanism is certainly 
 descending ; in a world full of idols, cruelties, devilries, if 
 the church doth not pray, how shall she excuse her base 
 neglect of the commission of her loving Lord ? Let the 
 church be constant in supplication, let every private believer 
 oast his mite of prayer into the treasury. 
 
Mov. 14. r.VF.NINO RKADINGS. 321 
 
 •« And Lahnn said. It must not be so done in our country, to givt 
 tfie younger before the Jirst-boni." — Genesis xxix. 26. 
 
 ^V^l^^ do not excuse Laban for his dishonesty, but we 
 if rJi scruple not to learn from the custom which he quoted 
 ^**^^ as his excuse. There are some things which must 
 be taken in order, and if we would win the second we must 
 Bccure the first. The second may be the more lovely in our 
 eyes, but the rule of the heavenly country must stand, and 
 the elder- must be married first. For instance, laany men 
 desire the beautiful and well-favored Rachel of joy and peace 
 in believing, but they must first be wedded to the tender- 
 eyed Leah of repentance. Every one falls in love with hap- 
 piness, and many would cheerfur.y serve twice seven years 
 to enjoy it, but according to the rule of the Lord's kingdom, 
 ' the Leah of real holiness must be beloved of our soul before 
 the Rachel of true happiness can be attained. Heaven stands 
 not first, but second, and only by persevering to the end can 
 we win a portion in it. The cross must be carried before 
 the crown can be worn. We must follow our Lord in His 
 humiliation, or we shall never rest with Him in glory. 
 
 My soul, what sayest thou ? Art thou so vain as to hop j 
 to break through the heavenly rule ? Dost thou hope for re- 
 ward without labor, or honor without toil ? Dismiss the idle 
 expectation, and be content to take the ill-favored^hings for 
 che sake of the sweet love of Jesus, which will recompense 
 thee for ail. In such a spirit, laboring and suffering, thou 
 wilt find bitters grow sweet, and hard things easy. Like Ja- 
 cob, thy years of service will seem unto thee but a few days 
 for the love thou hast to Jesus ; and when the dear hour of 
 the wedding feast shall come, all thy toils shall be as thoufrh 
 they had never been — an hour with Jesus will make up for 
 ages of pain and labor. 
 
 .TesuR, to win Tliyself so fair. 
 Thy cross 1 will with gladness bear ; 
 Since so the rules of hoiiven ordaia, 
 The first I'll wed the next to giun 
 
322 EVENING HEADINGS. NoV. 15. 
 
 " Strengthen, Ood, that which Tliou hast wrought for us." 
 Psalm Ixviii. 28. 
 
 THT is our wisdom, as well as our necessity, to beseech 
 God continually to strengthen that which He has 
 wrought in us. It is because of their neglect in this, 
 that many Christians may blame themselves for those trials 
 and afflictions of spirit which arise from unbelief. It is true 
 that Satan seeks to flood the fair garden of the heart and 
 make it a scene of desolation, but it is also true that many 
 Christians leave open the sluice-gates themselves, and let in 
 the dreadful deluge through carelessness and want of prayer 
 to their strong Helper. We often forget that the Author of 
 our faith must be the Preserver of it also. The lamp which 
 was burning in the temple was never allowed to go out, but 
 it had to be daily replenished with fresh oil ; in like manner, 
 our faith can only live by being sustained with the oil of 
 grace, and we can only obtain this from God Himself. Fool- 
 ish virgins we shall prove, if we do not secure the necvled 
 sustenance for our lamps. He who built the world upholds 
 it, or it would fall in one tremendous crash ; He who made 
 us Christians must maintain us by His Spirit, or our ruin 
 will be speedy and final. Let us, then, evening by evening, 
 go to our Lord for the grace and strength we need. We 
 have a strong argument to plead, for it is His own work of 
 ^?-ace which we ask Him to strengthen — ^Hhal which Thou 
 hast wrought for us." Think you He will fail to protect and 
 sustain that ? Only let your faith take hold of His strength, 
 and all the powers of darkness, led on by the master fiend of 
 hell, cannot cast a cloud or shadow over your joy and peace. 
 Why faint when you may be strong ? Why suflfer defeat 
 when you may conquer ? Oh ! take your wavering faith and 
 drooping graces to Bim who can revive and replenish them, 
 and earnestly pray, " Strengthen, God, that which Thou 
 hast wrought for us." 
 
Nov. 16. EVENINO KEADINGS. 323 
 
 " Thine eyes shall see the King in His beauty." — Is. xxxiii. 17. 
 
 1' 
 
 ^IIE more you know about Christ, the less will you be 
 satisfied with superficial views of Ilim ; and the nioro 
 *^^ deeply you study His transactions in tlie eternal cov- 
 enant, His engageinents on your behalf as the eternal Suro- 
 ty, and the fulness of His grace which shines in all His 
 offices, the more truly will you see the King in His beauty. 
 Be much in such outlooks. Long more and more to see 
 Jesus. Meditation and contemplation are often like windows 
 of agate, and gates of carbuncle, through which we behold 
 the Redeemer. Meditation puts the telescope to the eye, 
 and enables us to see Jesus after a better sort than we could 
 have seen Him if we had lived in the days of His flesh. 
 Would that our conversation were more in heaven, and that 
 we were more taken up with the person, \^\e work, the beau- 
 ty of our incarnate Lord. More meditation, and the beauty 
 of the King would flash upon us with more resplendence. 
 Beloved, it is very probable that we shall have such a sight 
 of our glorious King as we never had before, when we come to 
 die. Many saints, in dying, have looked up from amidst the 
 stormy waters, and have seen Jesus walking on the waves of 
 the sea, and heard Him say, " It is I, be not afraid." Ah, 
 yes ! when the tenement begins to shake, and the clay falls 
 away, we see Christ through the rifts, and between the raft- 
 ers the sunlight of heaven comes streaming in. But if we 
 want to see, face to face, the " King in his beauty," we must 
 go to heaven for the sight, or the King must come here in 
 person. Oh that he would come on the wings of the wind ! 
 He is our Husband, and we are widowed by His absence ; 
 He is our Brother dear and fair, and we are lonely without 
 Him. Thick veils and clouds hang between our souls and 
 theii true life : when shall the day break and the shadows 
 flee away ? Oh, long-expected day, begin ! 
 
324 Byasiyc readings. Nov. 17. 
 
 " He that cleaveth tcood shall be endangered thereby." 
 Ecclesiastes x. 9. 
 
 OPPRESSORS may get their will of poor and needy 
 I^A men as easily as they can split logs of wood, but 
 '^^^^' they had better mind, for it is a dangerous business, 
 and a splinter from a tree has often killed the woodman. 
 Jesus is persecuted in every injured saint, and He is mighty to 
 avenge His beloved ones. Success in treading down the poor 
 and needy is a thing to be trembled at ; if thero be no dan- 
 ger to persecutors here, there will be great danger hereafter. 
 To cleave wood is a comvioriy every-day business, and yet it 
 has its dangers ; so then, reader, there are dangers connect- 
 ed with your calling and daily life which it will be well for 
 you to be aware of. We refer not to hazards by flood and 
 field, or by disease and sudden death, but to perils of a spir- 
 itual sort. Your occupation may be as humble as log-split- 
 ting, and yet the devil can tempt you in it. You may be a 
 domestic servant, a farm laborer, or a mechanic, and you 
 may be greatly screened from temptations to the grosser 
 vices, and yet some secret sin may do you damage. Those 
 who dwell at home, and mingle not with the rough world, 
 may yet be endangered by their very seclusion. Nowhere is 
 he safe who thinks himself so. Pride may enter a poor 
 man's heart ; avarice may reign in a cottager's bosom ; un- 
 cleauness may venture into the quietest home ; and anger, 
 and envy, and malice, may insinuate themselves into the 
 most rural abode. Even in speaking a few words to a ser- 
 vant we may sin ; a little purchase at a shop may be the 
 first link in a chain of temptations ; the mere looking out of 
 a window may be the beginning of evil. Lord, how ex- 
 posed we are ! How shall we be secured ! To keep our- 
 selves is work too hard for us : only Thou Thyself art able 
 tc ^reserve us in such a world of evils. Spread Thy wings 
 over us, and we, like little chickens, will cower down beneath 
 Thee, and feel ourselves safe ! 
 
Nov. 18. EVENING REAPINGS. 325 
 
 " Thou art /"om everlasting." — l*salm xciii. 2. 
 
 p?:^^HRIST is Everlasting, Of Him we may si g with 
 ^1^ David, " Thy throne, God, is forever and ever." 
 Rejoice, believer, in Jesus Christ, the same yester- 
 day, to-day, and forever. Jesus always was. The B? oe born 
 in Bethlehem was united to the Word, which was in the be- 
 ginning, by whom all things were made. The title ty which 
 Christ revealed Himself to John in Patr.\os was, " Him which 
 is, and which was, and which is to come." If He were not 
 God from everlasting, we could not so devoutly lo'Vi" Him ; 
 we could not feel that He had any share in the etc; al love 
 which is the fountain of all covenant blessings ; but ."cce He 
 was from all eternity with the Father, we trace the ^fream of 
 divine love to Himself equally with His Father and the blessed 
 Spirit. As our Lord always loas, so also He is for evermore. 
 Jesus is not dead ; " He ever liveth to make intercession for 
 us." Resort to Him in all your times of need, for He is 
 waiting to bless you still. Moreover, Jesus our Lord ever 
 shall he. If God should spare your life to fulfil your full day 
 of threescore years and ten, you will find that His cleansing 
 fountain is still opened, and His precious blood has not lost 
 its power ; you shall find that the Priest who filled the heal- 
 ing fount with His own blood, lives to purge you from all in- 
 iquity. When only your last battle remains to be fought, you 
 shall find that the hand of your conquering Captain has not 
 grown feeble — the living Saviour shall cheer the dying saint. 
 When you enter heaven, you shall find Him there bearing 
 the dew of His youth ; and, through eternity, the Lord Jesus 
 shall still remain the perennial spring of joy, and life, and 
 glory to His people. Living waters may you draw from this 
 sacred well . Jesus always was, He always is. Ho always 
 shall be. He is eternal in all His attributes, in all His of- 
 fices, in all His might, and willingness to bless, comfoit. 
 guard, and crown His chosen poDple. 
 28 
 
S26 ETENING EEADIXGS. Nov. 19. 
 
 " Oh that I knew where I might find Him ! " — Job xxiii. 3. 
 
 I^N Job's uttermost extremity he cried after the Lord. 
 
 ^^ The longing desire of an afflicted child of God ia 
 ^^ once more to see his Father's face. His first prayet 
 is not " Oh that I might be healed of the disease which no\v 
 festers in every part of my body ! " nor even " Oh that I 
 might see my children restored from the jaws of the grave, and 
 my property once more brought from the hand of the spoiler ! " 
 but the first and uppermost cry is, " Oh that I knew where I 
 might find Him, who is my Grod ! that I might come even to 
 His seat ! " God's children run home when the storm comes 
 on. It is the heaven-born instinct of a gracious soul to seek 
 shelter from all ills beneath the wings of Jehovah. " He 
 that hath made his refuge God," might serve as the title of 
 a true believer. A hypocrite, when afflicted by God, resents 
 the infliction, and, like a slave, would run from the Master 
 who has scourged him ; but not so the true heir of heaven ; 
 he kisses the hand which smote him, and seeks shelter from 
 the rod in the bosom of the God who frowned upon him. 
 Job's desire to commune with God was intensified by the 
 failure of all other sources of consolation. The patriarch 
 turned away from his sorry friends, and looked up to the ce 
 lestial throne, just as a traveller turns from his empty skin- 
 bottle, and betakes himself with all speed to the well. He 
 bids farewell to earth-born hopes, and cries, " Oh that I knew 
 where I might find my God ! " Nothing teaches us so much 
 the preciousness of the Creator, as when we learn the empti- 
 ness of all besides. Turning away with bitter scorn from 
 earth's hives, where we find no honey, but many sharp stings, 
 we rejoice in Him whose faithful word is sweeter than honey 
 or the honeycomb. In every trouble we should first seek to 
 realize God's presence with us. Only let us enjoy His smile, 
 and we can bear our daily cross with a willing heart for His 
 dear sake. 
 
Nov. 20. EVENING KEADINGS. 827 
 
 ♦* The coiiio- are but a fcehlefvlk, yd make they their houses in th« 
 rocks." — Proverbs xxx. 20. 
 
 ^^i%O^SClOJ]S of their own natural dcfencclcssness, the 
 
 ICI '^^ conies resort to burrows in the rocks, and are secure 
 in their cueniies. My heart, be willing to gather 
 • lesson from these feeble folk. Thou art as weak and as 
 exposed to peril as the timid cony; be as wise to seek a shel- 
 ter. My best security is within the munitions of an immu- 
 table Jehovah, where Ilis unalterable promises stand like 
 giant walls of rock. It will be well with thee, my heart, if 
 thou canst always hide thyself in the bulwarks of His glori- 
 ous attributes, all of which are guarantees of safety for those 
 who put their trust in Ilim. Blessed be the name of the 
 Lord, I have so done, and have found myself like David in 
 Adullam, safe from the cruelty of my enemy ; I have not 
 now to tind out the blessedness of the man who puts his trust 
 in the Lord, for long ago, when Satan and my sins pursued 
 me, I fled to the cleft of the rock Christ Jesus, and in His 
 riven side 1 found a delightful resting-place. My heart, run 
 to Him anew to-night, whatever thy present grief may be ; 
 Jesus feels for thee ; Jesus consoles thee ; Jesus will help 
 thee. No monarch in his impregnable fortress is more se- 
 cure than the cony in his rocky burrow. The master of ten 
 thousand chariots is not one whit better protected than the 
 little dweller in the mountain's cleft. In Jesus the weak are 
 strong, and the defenceless safe ; they could not be more 
 strong if they were giants, or more safe if they were in 
 heaven. Faith gives to men on earth the protection of the 
 God of heaven. More they cannot need, and need not wish. 
 The conies cannot build a castle, but they avail themselves 
 of what is there already : I cannot make myself a refuge, 
 but Jesus has provided it. His Father ha' given it. His Spirit 
 has revealed it, and lo, again to-night I enter it, and am safe 
 fiom every foe. 
 
828 EVENING KEADJNGS. NoV. 21. 
 
 " Lazarus was one of them thai sat at the table with Him." 
 John xii. 2. 
 
 ^j^JE is to he envied. It was well to be Martha and serve, 
 \^ but better to be Lazarus and commune. There are 
 times for each purpose, and each is comely in its 
 season, but none of the trees of the garden yield such cl'jts- 
 ters as the vine of fellowship. To sit with Jesus, to hear 
 His woi^ds, to mark His acts, and receive His smiles, was 
 such a favor as must have made Lazarus as happy as the 
 augels. When it has been our happy lot to feast with our 
 Beloved in His banqueting-hall, we would not have given 
 half a sigh for all the kingdoms of the world, if so much 
 breath could have bought them. 
 
 He is to he imitated. It would have been a strange thing 
 if Lazarus had not been at the table where Jesus was, for he 
 had been dead, and Jesus had raised him. For the risen 
 one to be absent when the Lord who gave him life was at his 
 house, would have been ungrateful indeed. We, too, were 
 once dead, yea, and like Lazarus stinking in the grave of 
 sin ; Jesus raised us, and by His life we live — can we be 
 content lo live at a distance from Ilim ? Do we omit to re- 
 member Him at His table, where He deigns to feast with His 
 brethren ? Oh, this is cruel ! It behooves us to repent, and 
 do as He has bidden us, for His least wish should be law to 
 us. To have lived without constant intercourse with one of 
 whom the Jews said, " Behold how He loved him," would 
 lave been disgraceful to Lazarus ; is it excusable in us whom 
 Jesus has loved with an everlasting love ? To have been 
 cold to Him who wept over his lifeless corpse, would have 
 argued great brutishness in Lazarus. What does it argue 'a 
 us, over whom the Saviour has not only wept, but bled ? 
 Come, brethren, who read this portion, let us return unto 
 our heavenly Bridegroom, and ask for His Spirit that we 
 Diay be on terms of closer intimacy with Him, and hence- 
 forth sit at the table with Him. 
 
Nov. 22. EVENING KEADINGS. - 329 
 
 " The power of His resurrection." — Philippians iii. 10. 
 
 *SHE doctrine of a risen Saviour is exceedingly precious. 
 
 ^^y The resurrection is the corner-stone of the entiio 
 building of Christianity Ii .s the key-stone of tho 
 arch of our salvation. It would ^»ki a volume to set fartb 
 all the etreains of living water which flow from this one sacred 
 Kourco, the resurrection of our dear Lord and Saviour Jesus 
 Christ ; but to know that He has risen, and to have fellowship 
 with Him as such — communing with the risen Saviour by 
 possessing a risen life — seeing Him leave the tomb by leav- 
 ing the tomb of worldliness ourselves, this is even still more 
 precious. The doctrine is the basis of the experience, but 
 as the flower is more lovely than the root, so is the experi- 
 ence of fellowship with the risen Saviour more lovely than 
 the doctrine itself. 1 would have you believe that Christ rose 
 from the dead so as to sing of it, and deriv > all the conso- 
 lation which it is possible for you to extrac; from this well- 
 ascertained and well-witnessed fact ; but I oeseech you, rest 
 not contented even there. Though you cannot, like the dis- 
 ciples, see Him visibly, yet I bid you aspire to see Christ 
 Jesus by the eye of faith ; and though, like Mary Magda- 
 lene, you may not " touch " Him, yet r ay you be privilegi^d 
 to converse with Him, and to know 'jiat He is risen, you 
 yourselves being risen in Him to ner aess of life. To know 
 a crucified Saviour as having crucif jd all my sins, is a high 
 degree of knowledge ; but to kr /W a risen Saviour as hav- 
 ing justified me, and to realize ihat He has bestowed upon 
 me new life, having given jue to be a new creature through 
 His own newness of life, this is a noble style of experience : 
 short of it, none ought to rest satisfied. May you both 
 "know Him, and the power of His resurrection." T) is 
 will be a truly blessed beginning of a new mouth, and i 
 blessed ending too, if we retain thj savor of it. 
 28* 
 
330 EVENING READINGS. NoV. 23. 
 
 •' Get thee up into the high mountain." — Isaiah xl. 9. 
 
 ^I^'^^CIH believer should be thirsting for God, for the liv- 
 * ing God, and longing to climb the hill of the Lord, 
 and see Hira face to face. We ought not to rest 
 content iu the mists of the valley when the summit of Tabor 
 awaits us. My soul thirsteth to drink deep of the cup which 
 is reserved for those who reach the mountain's brow, and 
 bathe their brows in heaven. How pure are the dews of the 
 hills, how fresh is the mountain air, how rich the fare of the 
 dwellers aloft, whose windows look into the New Jerusalem ! 
 Many saints are content to live like men in coal mines, who 
 see not the sun ; they eat dust like the serpent when they 
 might taste the ambrosial meat of angels ; they are content 
 to wear the miner's garb when they might put on king's 
 robes ; tears mar their faces when they might anoint them 
 with celestial oil. Satisfied I am that many a believer pines 
 in a dungeon when he might walk on the palace roof, and 
 view the goodly land and Lebanon. Rouse thee, be- 
 liever, from thy low condition ! Cast away thy sloth, thy 
 lethargy, thy coldness, or whatever interferes with thy chaste 
 and pure love to Christ, thy soul's Husband. Make Him 
 the source, the centre, and the circumference of all thy 
 soul's range of delight. What enchants thee into such 
 folly, as to remain in a pit when thou mayst sit on a throne ? 
 Live not in the lowlands of bondage now that mountain lib- 
 erty is conferred upon thee. Rest no longer satisfied with 
 thy dwarfish attainments, but press forward to things more 
 sublime and heavenly. Aspire to a higher, a nobler, a fullei 
 life. Upward to heaven ! Nearer to God ! 
 
 " When wilt Thou come unto me, Lord i 
 
 Oh, come, my Lord most dear ! 
 
 Come near, come nearer, nearer still; 
 
 I'm blest when Thou art near " 
 
Nov. 24. EVENING READINGS. SJl 
 
 " Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to 
 sleep : so shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth , and thy 
 want as an armed man." — Proverbs xxiv. 33, 34. 
 
 ^^IIE worst of sluggards only ask for a little slumber , 
 h^ tliey would be indignant if they were accused of thor- 
 ough idleness. A liitle folding of the hands to sleep 
 is all they crave, and they have a crowd of reasoQrS to show 
 that this indulgence is a very proper one. Yet by these littles 
 the day ebbs out, and the time for labor is all gone, and the 
 field is grown over with thorns. It is by little procrastina- 
 tions that men ruin their souls. They have no intention to 
 delay for years — a few months will bring the more con- 
 venient season — to-morrow, if you will, they will attend to 
 serious things ; but the present hour is so occupied and al- 
 together so unsuitable, that they beg to be excused. Like 
 sands from an hour-glass, time passes, life is wasted by drib- 
 lets, and seasons of grace lost by little slumbers. Oh, to be 
 wise, to catch the flying hour, to use the moments on the 
 wing ! May the Lord teach us this sacred wisdom, for other- 
 wise a poverty of the worst sort awaits us — eternal poverty, 
 which shall want even a drop of water, and beg for it in 
 vain. Like a traveller steadily pursuing his journey, pov- 
 erty overtakes the slothful, and ruin overthrows the unde- 
 cided : each hour brings the dreaded pursuer nearer ; he 
 pauses not by the way, for he is on his master's business and 
 must not tarry. As an armed man enters with authority and 
 power, so shall want come to the idle, and death to the im- 
 penitent, and there will be no escape. Oh that men were 
 wise betimes, and would seek diligently unto the Lord Jesus, 
 or ere the solemn day shall dawn when it will be too late to 
 plough and to sow, too late to repent and believe. In har- 
 Test, t is vain to lament that the seed time was neglected. 
 As yet, faith and holy decision are timely. May we obtain 
 them this night. 
 
332 EVENING READINGS. IVOV. 25. 
 
 " For He saith to Moses, I icill have mercy on wh tm I will havi 
 mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compas- 
 sion." — Romans ix. 15. 
 
 9^?^.V?N these words the Lord in the plainest manner claims 
 ^itl w the right to give or to withhold His raercj according 
 y/^Rkb^ ^^ jjjg Q^jj sovereign will. As the prerogative of 
 life and death is vested in the monarch, so the Judge of aV 
 the earth has a right to spare or condemn the guilty, as maj 
 seem best in His sight. Men by their sins have forfeited 
 all claim upon God ; they deserve to perish for their sins — 
 and if they all do so, they have no ground for complaint. If 
 the Lord steps in to save any, He may do so if the ends of 
 justice are not thwarted; but if He judges it best to leave 
 the condemned to suffer the righteous sentence, none may 
 arraign Him at their bar. Foolish and impudent are all 
 those discourses about the rights of men to be all placed on 
 the same footing ; ignorant, if not worse, are those conten- 
 tions against discriminating grace, which are but ihe rebel- 
 lions of proud human nature against the crown and sceptre 
 of Jehovah. When we are brought to see our own utter 
 ruin and ill desert, and the justice of the divine verdict against 
 sin, we no longer cavil at the truth that the Lord is not bound 
 to save us ; we do not murmur if He chooses to save others, 
 as though He were doing us an injury, but feel that if He 
 deigns to look upon us, it will be His own free act of unde- 
 served goodness, for which we shall forever bless His name = 
 How shall those who are the subjects of divine election 
 sufficiently adore the grace of God ? They have no room for 
 boasiing, for sovereignty most effectually excludes it. The 
 Lord's will alone is glorified, and the very notion of human 
 merit is cast out to everlasting contempt. There is no more 
 humbling doctrine in Scripture than that of election, none 
 more promotive of gratitude, and consequently none more 
 sanctifying. Believers should not be afraid of it, but ador- 
 ingly rejoice in i*. 
 
Nov. 26. EVENING READINGS. 333 
 
 •' Tlteij shall r^'oice, a id shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerub- 
 babel." — Zechariah iv. 10. 
 
 j'l'iViJMALL things marked the beginning of the work in 
 Vn»7 the hand of Zerubbabel, but none might despise it, 
 ''^-'^ for the Lord had raised up one who would persevere 
 antil th3 headstone should be brought forth with shoutings 
 The plummet was in good hands. Here is the comfort of 
 every believer in the Lord Jesus ; let the work of grace be 
 ever so small in its beginnings, the plummet is in good hands ; 
 a Master Builder greater than Solomon has undertaken the 
 raising of the heavenly temple, and He will not fail nor be 
 discouraged till the topmost pinnacle shall be raised. If the 
 plummet were in the hand of any merely human being, we 
 might fear for the building, but the pleasure of the Lord shall 
 prosper in Jesus' hand. The works did not proceed irregu- 
 larly, and without care, for the master^ s hand carried a good^ 
 instrument. Had the walls been hurriedly run up without due 
 superintendence, they might have been out of the perpendic- 
 ular ; but the plummet was used by the chosen overseer. 
 Jesus is evermore watching the erection of His spiritual tem- 
 ple, that it may be built securely and well. We are for haste, 
 but Jesus is for judgment. He will use the plummet, and that 
 which is out of line must come down, every stone of it. Hence 
 the failure of many a flattering work, the overthrow of many 
 a glittering profession. It is not for us to judge the Lord's 
 cliurch, since Jesus has a steady hand, and a true eye, and 
 can use the plummet well. Do we not rejoice to see judg- 
 ment left to Him ? 
 
 The phimv^st was in active use — it was in the builder's 
 hand ; a sure indication that he meant to push on the work 
 to completion. Lord Je? us, how would we indeed be glad 
 if we coald see Thee at Thy great work ! Ziona, the beau- 
 tiful, thj walls are still in ruins ! Ivise, Thou' glorious liuild* 
 er,. and make .ler desolations to rejoice at Thy coming. 
 
i34 EVENING HEADINGS. NoV. 27. 
 
 " Tlie forgiveness of sins, according to the riclieh of Bis grace." 
 
 Ephesians i. 7. 
 
 fl^^^O\]\JD there be a sweeter word in any language than 
 '(l a-il that word " forgiveness," when it sounds in a guilty 
 ^^^^-^-^ sinner's ear, like the silver notes of jubilee to the 
 captive Israelite ? Blessed, forever blessed be that dear star 
 of pardon which shines into the condemned cell, and gives 
 the perishing a gleam of hope amid the midnight of despair ? 
 Can it be possible that sin, such sin as mine, can be forgiven, 
 furgiven altogether, and forever ? Hell is my portion as a 
 feinner — there is no possibility of my escaping from it while 
 sin remains upon me — can the load of guilt be uplifted, the 
 tjrimson stain removed ? Can the adamantine stones of mj 
 prison-house ever be loosed from their mortises, or the doors 
 be lifted from their hinges ? Jesus tells me that I may yet 
 be clear. Forever blessed be the revelation of atoning love, 
 which not only tells me that pardon is possible, but that it is 
 secured to all who rest in Jesus. I have believed in the ap- 
 pointed propitiation, even Jesus crucified, and therefore my 
 sins are at this moment, and forever, forgiven by virtue of 
 His substitutionary pains and death. What joy is this ! 
 What bliss to be a perfectly pardoned soul ! My soul dedi- 
 cates all her powers to Him who of His own unpurchased love 
 became my surety, and wrought out for me redemption through 
 His blood. What riches of grace does free forgiveness ex- 
 hibit ! To forgive at all, to forgive fully, to forgive freely, 
 to forgive forever ! Here is a constellation of wonders ; and 
 when I think of how great my sins were, how dear were the 
 precious drops which cleansed me from them, and how gra- 
 cious was the method by which pardon was sealed home to 
 me, I am in a maze of wondering, worshipping affection. I 
 bow before the throne which absolves me ; I clasp the crosk 
 which delivers me ; I serve henceforth all my days the In(!ar 
 iiate God, through whom I am this night a pardoned soul. 
 
Nov. 28. EVENING KEADIN'iS. 33 i 
 
 " Seeking the wealth of his people." — Esther x. 3. 
 
 [jORDECAI was a true patriot, and therefore, being 
 exalted to the highest position under Ahasucrus, 
 he used his eminence to promote the prosperity of 
 Israel. In this he was a type of Jesus, who, upon His throne 
 of glory, seeks not His own, hut spends His power for His 
 people. It were well if every Christian would be a Mordecai 
 to the church, striving according to his ability for its pros- 
 perity. Some are placed in stations of affluence and influ- 
 ence ; let them honor their Lord in the high places of the 
 earth, and testify for Jesus before great men. Others have 
 what is far better, namely, close fellowship with the King of 
 kings ; let them be sure to plead daily for the weak of the 
 Lord's people, the doubting, the tempted, and the comfort- 
 less. It will redound to their honor if they make much inter- 
 cession for those who are in darkness and dare not draw nigh 
 unto the mercy-seat. Instructed believers may serve their 
 Master greatly if they lay out their talents for the general 
 good, and impart their wealth of heavenly learning to others, 
 by teaching them the things of God. The very least in our 
 Israel may at least seek the welfare of his people ; and his de- 
 sire, if he can give no more, shall be acceptable. It is at once 
 the most Christ-like and the most happy course for a believer 
 to cease from living to himself. He who blesses others can- 
 not fail to be blessed himself. On the other hand, to seek 
 our own personal greatness. is a wicked and unhappy plan 
 of life ; its way will be grievous, and its end will be fatal. 
 
 Here is the place to ask thee, my friend, whether thou art 
 to the best of thy power seeking the wealth of the church in 
 thy neighborhood ? I trust thou art not doing it mischief by 
 bitterness and scandal, nor weakening it by thy neglect. 
 Friendj unite with the Lord's poor, bear their cross, do them 
 all the good thou canst, and thou shalt )iot miss thy reward. 
 
336 EVENING READINGS. NoV. 29. 
 
 ^'' Spices for anointing oil." — Exodus xxxv. 8. 
 
 !)UCH use was made of this anointing oil under the law, 
 and that which it represents is of primary importance 
 under the gospel. The Holy Spirit, who anoints ua 
 for all holy service, is indispensable to us if we would serve 
 the Lord acceptably. Without His aid our religious services 
 are but a vain oblation, and our inward experience is a dead 
 thing. Whenever our ministry is without unction, what mis- 
 erable stuff it becomes ! nor are the prayers, praises, medi- 
 tations, and efforts of private Christians, one jot superior. 
 A holy anointing is the soul and life of piety, its absence the 
 most grievous of all calamities. To go before the Lord with- 
 out anointing is as though some common Levite had thrust 
 himself into the priest's office — his ministrations would rath- 
 er have been sins than services. May we never venture upon 
 hallowed exercises without sacred anointings. They drop 
 upon us from our glorious Head ; from His anointing we 
 who are as the skirts of His garments partake of a plenteous 
 unction. 
 
 Choice spices were compounded with rarest art of the apoth- 
 ecary to form the anointing oil, to show forth to us how rich 
 are all the influences of the Holy Spirit. All good things are 
 found in the divine Comforter. Matchless consolation, infal- 
 lible instruction, immortal quickening, spiritual energy, and 
 divine sanctification, all lie compounded with other excel- 
 lences in that sacred eye-salve — the heavenly anointing oil 
 of the Holy Spirit. It imparts a delightful fragrance to the 
 character and person of the man upon whoui it is poured. 
 Nothing like it can be found in all the treasuries of the rich, 
 or the secrets of the wise. It is not to be imitated. It 
 C'jmes alone from God, and it is freely given, through Jesua 
 Christ, to every waiting soul. Let us seek it, for we may 
 have it, may have it this very evening. Lord, anoint Thj 
 servants. 
 
Nov. 30. EVENING KEADINGS. 337 
 
 " Michael and his angels fought against the dragon ; and the di agon 
 fought and his angels." — Revelation xii. 7. 
 
 ^I'il^^AIl always will rage between the two great sovereign- 
 ties until one or other be crushed. Peace between 
 
 I 
 
 ^*^^-^ good and evil is an impossibility; the very pretence 
 of it would, in fact, be the triumph of the powers of darkness. 
 Michael ivill always fght ; his holy soul is vexed with sin, and 
 will not endure it. Jesus will always be the dragon's foe, 
 and tha'; not in a quiet sense, but actively, vigorously, with 
 full determination to exterminate evil. All His servants, 
 whether angels in heaven or messengers on earth, will and 
 must fight ; they are born to be warriors — at the cross they 
 enter into covenant never to make truce with evil ; they are a 
 warlike company, firm in defence and fierce in attack. The 
 duty of every soldier in the army of the Lord is daily, with all 
 his heart, and soul, and strength, to fight against the dragon. 
 
 The dragon and his angels will not decline the affray ; they 
 are incessant in their onslaughts, sparing no weapon, fair or 
 foul. We are foolish to expect to serve God without oppo- 
 sition : the more zealous we are, the more sure are we to be 
 assailed by the myrmidons of hell. The church may become 
 slothful, but not so her great antagonist; his restless spirit 
 never suffers the war to pause ; he hates the woman's seed, 
 and would fain devour the church if he could. The servants 
 of Satan partake much of the old dragon's energy, and are 
 usually an active race. War rages all around, and to dream 
 of peace is dangerous and futile. 
 
 Glory be to God, we know the end of the wai The great 
 dragon shall be cast out and forever destroyed, while Jesus 
 and they who are with Him shall receive the crown. Let us 
 sharpen our swords to-night, and pray the Holy Spirit to nerve 
 our arms for the conflict. Never battle so important, never 
 crown so glorious. Every man to his post, ye warriors of the 
 cross, and may the Lord tread Satan under your feet shortly 1 
 29 
 
338 EVENING READINGS. DeC. t. 
 
 •' Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for Hit 
 wonderful works to the children of men." — Psalm cvii. 8. 
 
 ^@5JJ?fF we complained less, and praised more, we should bfl 
 ^!^B w! happier, and God would be more glorified. Let us 
 y/^rky daily praise God for common mercies — common, as 
 we frequently call them, and yet so priceless, that when de- 
 prived of them we are ready to perish. Let us bless God 
 for the eyes with which we behold the sun, for the health and 
 strength to walk abroad, for the bread we eat, for the rai- 
 ment we wear. Let us praise Him that we are not cast out 
 among the hopeless, or confined amongst the guilty ; let us 
 thank Him for liberty, for friends, for family associations and 
 comforts ; let us praise Him, in fact, for everything which 
 we receive from His bounteous hand, for we deserve little, 
 and yet are most plenteously endowed. But, beloved, the 
 sweetest and the loudest note in our songs of praise should 
 be of redeeming love. God's redeeming acts towards His 
 chosen are forever the favorite themes of their praise. If we 
 know what redemption means, let us not withhold our son- 
 nets of thanksgiving. We have been redeemed from the 
 power of our corruptions, uplifted from the depth of sin in 
 which we were naturally plunged. We have been led to the 
 cross of Christ — our shackles of guilt have been broken off; 
 we are no longer slaves, but children of the living God, and 
 can antedate the period when we shall be presented before 
 the throne without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. Even 
 now by faith we wave the palm-brsnch and wrap ourselves 
 about with the fair linen which is to be our everlasting array, 
 and shall we not unceasingly give thanks to the Lord our Ke- 
 deemer ? Child of God, canst thou be silent ? Awake, awake, 
 je heritors of glory, and lead your captivity captive, as y« 
 cry with David, " Bless the Lord, m} soul : and all that 
 18 within me, bless His holy name." Let the new month 
 begin with new songs. 
 
Dec. 2. EVENING READINGS. 339 
 
 " Behold, all is vanity" — Ecclcsiastes i. 14. 
 
 fi||f|n|^OTIIING can satisfy the entire man but the Lord's 
 w\i'} ^^^'^ '"^"^ *^'*^ Lord's own self. Saints have tried to 
 **^^'^^ anchor in other roadsteads, but they have been driven 
 out of such fatal refuges. Solomon, the wisest of men, was 
 permitted to rat,ke experiments for us all, and to do for us 
 what we must not dare to do for ourselves. Here is his tes- 
 timony in his own words : " So I was great, and increased 
 more than all that were before me in Jerusalem : also my 
 wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyec de- 
 sired I kept not from them; I withheld not my heart froTu any 
 joy, for my heart rejoiced in all my labor: and this was my 
 portion of all my labor. Then I looked on all the works that 
 my hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored 
 to do : and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and 
 there was no profit under the sun." "Vanity of vanities, all 
 is vanity." What ! the whole of it vanity ! favored mon- 
 arch, is there nothing in all thy wealth ? Nothing in that 
 wide dominion reaching from th« river even to the sea ? 
 Nothing in Palmyra's glorious palaces ? Nothing in the house 
 of the forest of Lebanon ? In all thy music and dancing, and 
 wine and luxury, is there nothing ? " Nothing," he says, 
 " but weariness of spirit." This was his verdict when he had 
 trodden the whole round of pleasure. To embrace our Lord 
 Jesus, to dwell in His love, and be fully assured of union with 
 Him — this is all in all. Dear reader, you need not try other 
 forms of life in order to see whether they are better than the 
 Christian's : if you roam the world around, you will see no 
 sights like a sight of the Saviour's face ; if you could have 
 all the comforts of life, if you lost your Saviour, you would 
 be wretched ; but if you win Christ, then should you rot in a 
 dungeon, you would find it a paradise ; should you live in 
 obscurity, or die with famine, you will yet be satisfied wiUi 
 favor, and full of the goodness of the Lord. 
 
340 EVENING KEADINtiS DcO. 8. 
 
 " The Lord mighty in battle." — t >Axa xxiv. 8. 
 
 ;C^ELL may our God be glorious in ;;he eyes of His peo- 
 !i/| pie, seeing that He has wrought such wonders for 
 them, in them, and by them. For them, the Lord 
 Jesus upon Calvary routed every foe, breaking all the weap- 
 ons of the enemy in pieces by His finished work of satisfac- 
 tory obedience ; by His triumphant resurrection and ascen- 
 sion He completely overturned the hopes of hell, leading 
 captivity captive, making a show of our enemies openly, tri- 
 umphing over them by His cross. Every arrow of guilt 
 which Satan might have shot at us is broken, for who can laj 
 anything to the charge of God's elect? Vain are the sharp 
 swords of infernal malice, and the perpetual battles of the 
 serpent's seed, for in the midst of the church the lame take 
 the prey, and the feeblest warriors are crowned. 
 
 The saved may well adore their Lord for His conquests in 
 them, since the arrows of their natural hatred are snapped, 
 and the weapons of their rebellion broken. What victories 
 has grace won in our evil hearts ! How glorious is Jesus 
 when the will is subdued, and sin dethroned ! As for our 
 remaining corruptions, they shall sustain an equally sure 
 defeat, and every temptation, and doulit, and fear, shall be 
 utterly destroyed. In the Salem of our peaceful hearts, the 
 name of Jesus is great beyond compare : He has won our 
 love, and He shall wear it. Even thus securely may we look 
 for victories hy us. We are more than conquerors through 
 Him that loved us. We shall cast down the powers of dark- 
 ness which are in the world, by our faith, and zeal, and 
 holiness; we shall win sinners to Jesus, we shall overturn 
 false systems, we shall convert nations, for God is with us, 
 and none shall stand before us. This evening let the Chris- 
 tian warrior chant the war song, and prepare for to morrow's 
 tight. Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the 
 world. 
 
Dec. 4. EVENING READINGS. 341 
 
 " Even we ourselves groan ivUhIn ourselves, ivaitinrf for the adop- 
 tion, to wit, the redemption of our body.^'' — Romans viii. 23. 
 
 ^'''■■•SIIIS o-ioaiiijis: is universal 
 i||Uli^ jrroater or less extent we 
 '^^**^ jiroan of iniinnurins^ or c 
 
 !'>■■• SIIIS groanijig is universal among the saints: to a 
 
 all feel it. It is not tlie 
 complaint : it is rather the 
 note of desire than of distress. Having received an earnest, 
 we desire the whole of our portion ; we are sighing that our 
 entire manhood, in its trinity of spirit, soul, and body, may 
 be set free from the last vestige of the fall ; we long to jmt 
 off corruption, weakness, and dishonor, End to wrap our- 
 selves in incorruption, in immortality, in glory, in the spirit- 
 ual body which the Lord Jesus will bestow upon his people. 
 We long for the manifestation of our adoption as the chil- 
 dren of God. " We groan," but it is " within ourselves." It is 
 not the hypocrite's groan, by which he would make men be- 
 lieve that he is a saint because he is wretched. Our sighs are 
 sacred things, too hallowed for us to tell abroad. We keep 
 our longings to our Lord alone. Then the apostle says we 
 are " waitim/," by which we learn that we are not to be pet- 
 ulant, like Jonah or Elijah, when they said, " Let me die ; " 
 nor are wo to whimper and sigh for the end of life because 
 we are tired of work, nor wish to escape from our' present 
 sufferings till the will of the Lord is done. We are to groan 
 for glorification, but we arc to wait patiently for it, knowing 
 that what the Lord appoints is best. Waiting implies being 
 ready. We are to stand at the door expecting the Beloved 
 to open it and take us away to Himself. This " groaning " 
 is a test. You may judge of a man by what he groans after 
 Some men groan after wealth — they worship Mammon; 
 some groan continually under the troubles of life — they are 
 merely impatient ; but the man who sighs after God, who is 
 uneasy till he is made like Christ, that is the blessed man. 
 May God help us to groan for the coming of the Lord, and 
 the resurrection which He will bring to us. 
 29* 
 
842 EVENING READINGS. Dcc. 5 
 
 "And the Lord showed me four carpenters." — Zechariah i. 20. 
 
 ^?N the vision described in this chapter, the prophet 
 -;^ saw four terrible horns. They were pushing this 
 '^ way and that way, dashing down the strongest and 
 the mightiest; and the prophet asked, "What are these?" 
 The answer was, " These are the horns which have scattered 
 Israel." He saw before him a representation of those pow- 
 ers which had oppressed the church of God. There were four 
 horns ; for the church is attacked from all quarters. Well 
 might the prophet have felt dismayed ; but on a sudden there 
 appeared before him four carpenters. He asked, " What shall 
 these do ?" These are the men whom God hath found to 
 break those horns in pieces. God will alicaijs find men for 
 His work, and He will find them at the right time. The proph- 
 et did not see the carpenters _^rs^ when there was nothing to 
 do, but first the " horns," and then the " carpenters." More- 
 over, the Lord finds enough men. He did not find three car- 
 penters, but /our; there were four horns, and there must be 
 four workmen. God finds the right men ; not four men with 
 ^ens to write ; not four architects to draw plans ; but four car- 
 penters to do rough work. Rest assured, you who tremble for 
 the ark of God, that when the " horns" grow troublesome, the 
 " carpenters " will be found. You need not fret concerning 
 the weakness of the church of God at any moment; there may 
 be growing up in obscurity the variant reformer who will shake 
 the nations : Chrysostoms may come forth from our Ragged 
 Schools, and Augustines from the thickest darkness of Lon- 
 don's poverty. The Lord knows where to find His servants. 
 He hath in ambush a multitude of mighty men, and at His 
 word they shall start up to the battle ; " for the battle is the 
 Lord's," and He shall get to Himself the victory. Let us 
 abide faithful to Christ, and He, in the right time, will raise 
 up for us a defence, whether it be in the day of our peisona. 
 need, or in the season of peril to His Church. 
 
Dec. 6. EVENING HEADINGS. 343 
 
 " Oirt about the paps with a (jolden gh-dle." — Rev. i. 13. 
 
 " J^J^il^j!^^^^ ^'l^G unto the Son of Man " appeared to John io 
 ^ I V ^ Patnios, and the beloved disciple marked that he 
 
 ^ wore a girdle of gold. A girdle, for Jesus never 
 was ungirt while upon earth ; but stood always ready for 
 eervice, and now before the eternal throne lie stays not His 
 holy ministry, but as a priest is girt about with " the curious 
 girdle of the ephod." Well is it for us that He has not 
 ceased to fulQl His oflBces of love for us, since this is one of 
 our choicest safeguards that He ever liveth to make inter- 
 cession for us. Jesus is never an idler ; His garments aro 
 never loose, as though His offices were ended ; He diligently 
 carries on the cause of His people. A golden girdle, to man- 
 ifest the superiority of His service, the royalty of His per- 
 son, the dignity of His state, the glory of His reward. No 
 longer does He cry out of the dust, but He pleads with au- 
 thority, a King as well as a Priest. Safe enough is our cause 
 in the hands of our enthroned Melchisedek. 
 
 Our Lord presents all His people with an example. We 
 must never unbind our girdles. This is not the time for 
 lying down at ease ; it is the season of service and warfare. 
 W^e need to bind the girdle of truth more and more tightly 
 around our loins. It is a golden girdle, and so will be our 
 richest ornament, and we greatly need it, for a heart that is 
 not well braced up with the truth as it is in Jesus, and with 
 the fidelity which is wrought of the Spirit, will be easily en- 
 tangled with the things of this life, and tripped up by the 
 snares of temptation. It is in vain that we possess the 
 Scriptures unless we bind them around us like a girdle, sur- 
 rounding our entire nature, keeping each part of our char- 
 acter in order, and giving compactness to our wholg mau. 
 If in heaven Jesus unbinds not the girdle, much less may 
 we upon earth. Stand, therefore, havirg your loins girt 
 about with truth. 
 
844 EVENING READINGS. Dec. 7. 
 
 " / am made all tJirngs to all men, that I mirilit hy all means savt 
 some." — 1 Corinthians ix. 22. 
 
 RAUL'S great object was not merely to instruct and to 
 improve, but to save. Anything short of this would 
 " "* ■ have disappointed him ; he would have men renewed 
 in heart, forgiven, sanctified, in fact, saved. Have our Chris- 
 tian labors been aimed at anything below this great point ? 
 then let us amend our ways, for of what avail will it be at the 
 last great day to have taught and moralized men if they ap- 
 pear before God unsaved ? Blood-red will our skirts be if 
 through life we have sought inferior objects, and forgotten 
 that men needed to be saved. Paul knew the ruin of man's 
 natural state, and did not try to educate him, but to save 
 him ; he saw men sinking to hell, and did not talk of refin- 
 ing them, but of saving from the wrath to come. To com- 
 pass their salvation, he gave himself up with untiring zeal to 
 telling abroad the gospel, to warning and beseeching men to 
 be reconciled to God. His prayers were importunate and 
 his labors incessant. To save souls was his consuming pas- 
 sion, his ambition, his calling. He became a servant to all 
 men, toiling for his race, feeling a woe within him if he 
 preached not the gospel.' He laid aside his preferences to 
 prevent prejudice ; he submitted his will in things indiffer- 
 ent, and if men would but receive the gospel, he raised no 
 questions about forms or ceremonies : the gospel was the one 
 all-important business with him. If he might save some he 
 would be content. This was the crown for which he strove, 
 the sole and sufficient reward of all his labors and self-deni- 
 als. Dear r;ader, have you and I lived to win souls at thia 
 noble rate ? Are we possessed with the same all-absorbing 
 desire ? If not, why not ? Jesus died for sinners ; cannot 
 we live for them ? Where is our tenderness ? Where our 
 love to Christ, if we seek not His honor in the salvation of 
 men ? Oh that the Lord would saturate us ^through and 
 through with an undying zeal for the souls of men ! 
 
Pec. 8. KVKNING KEADING3. 345 
 
 " Tliou, God, hast prepared of Thy goodness for the poor." 
 Psalm Ixviii. 10. 
 
 I^'TIPLL God's gifts are prepared gifts laid up in store for 
 of ^ wants foreseen. He anticipates our needs ; and out 
 Mr*i\ Qf jjjg fulness which lie has treasured up in Christ 
 Jesus, He provides of His goodness for the poor. You may 
 irust Him for all the necessities that can occur, for he has 
 infallibly foreknown every one of them. He can say of us 
 in all conditions, " I knew that thou wouldst be this and 
 that." A man goes a journey across the desert, and when 
 he has made a day's advance, and pitched his tent, he .dis- 
 covers that he wants many comforts and necessaries which 
 he has not brought in his baggage. " Ah ! " says he, " I 
 did not foresee this : if I had this journey to go again, I 
 should bring these things with me, so necessary to my com- 
 fort." But God has marked with prescient eye all the re- 
 quirements of His poor wandering children, and when those 
 needs occur, supplies are ready. It is goodness which He 
 h{..s prepared for the poor in heart — goodness, and goodness 
 only. " 3Iy grace is sufficient for thee." " As thy days, so 
 shall thy strength be." 
 
 Reailer, is your heart heavy this evening ? God knew it 
 would be ; the comfort which your heart wants is treasured 
 in the sweet assurance of the text. You are poor and needy, 
 but He has thought upon you, and has the exact blessing 
 which you require in store for you. Plead the promise, be- 
 lieve it, and obtain its fulfilment. Do you feel that you never 
 were so consciously vile as you are now ? Behold, the crim- 
 son fountain is open still, with all its former efficacy, to wash 
 your sin away. Never shall you come into such a position 
 t'lat Christ cannot aid you. No pinch shall ever arrive in 
 3 jur spiritual affairs in which Jesus Christ shall not be equal 
 to the emergency, for your history has all been foreknown 
 and provided for in Jesus. 
 
34(5 EVENING READINGS. DeC. 9. 
 
 " My people sliall dwell in qtiiet resting-places." — Isaiah xxxii. 18. 
 
 ^E A.CE and rest belong not to the unregenerate ; they 
 J,, are the peculiar possession of the Lord's people, and 
 ^*^ of them only. The God of Peace gives perfect 
 peace to those whose hearts are stayed upon Him. When 
 man was unfallen, his God gave him the flowery bowers 
 of Eden as his quiet resting-places ; alas ! how soon sin 
 blighted the fair abode of innocence ! In the day of univer- 
 sal wrath, when the flood swept away a guilty race, the chosen 
 family were quietly secured in the resting-place of the ark, 
 which floated the^n from the old condemned world into the 
 new earth of the rainbow and the covenant, herein typifying 
 Jesus, the ark of our salvation. Israel rested safely beneath 
 the blood-besprinkled habitations of Egypt when the destroy- 
 ing angel smote the first-born ; and in the wilderness the 
 shadow of the pillar of cloud, and the flowing rock, gave the 
 weary pilgrims sweet repose. At this hour we rest in the 
 promises of our faithful God, knowing that His words are 
 full of truth and power ; we rest in the doctrines of His 
 word, which are consolation itself; we rest in the covenant 
 of His grace, which is a haven of delight. More highly 
 favored are we than David in Adullam, or Jonah beneath 
 his gourd, for none can invade or destroy our shelter. The 
 person of Jesus is the quiet resting-place of His people ; 
 and when we draw near to Him in the breaking of bread, in 
 the hearing of the word, the searching of the Scriptures, 
 prayer, or praise, we find any form of approach to Him to 
 be the return of peace to our spirits. 
 
 «' I hear the words of love, I gaze upon the blood, 
 I see the mi;,'hty sacrifice, and I liave peace with God. 
 'Tis evcrliistiug peace, sure as Jeliovah's name; 
 'Tis Btablc as llis sto.idfast throne, for evermore the same : 
 The clouds may go and come, and storms may sweep my sky,— 
 T) \i8 blood-scaled friendship changes not, the cross is ever nigh," 
 
Dec. 10 EVENING READINGS. 347 
 
 " Whose heart the Lord opened^ — Acts xvi. 14. 
 
 fli^N Lydia's conversion there are many points of interest. 
 v;"?^ It was brought about by providential circumstances, 
 ^ She was a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira. 
 but ju:5t at the right time for hearing Paul we And her at Phi- 
 lippi ; providence, which is the handmaid of grace, led her 
 to the right spot. Again, grace was preparing her soul foi 
 the blessing — grace preparing for grace. She did not know 
 the Saviour, but, as a Jewesj;, she knew many truths which 
 were excellent stepping-stones to a knowledge of Jesus. Her 
 conversion took place in the use of the means. On the Sab- 
 bath she went where prayer was wont to be made, and there 
 prayer was heard. Never neglect the means of grace ; God 
 intri/ bless us when we are not in His house, but we have the 
 greater reason to hope that He will when we are in commun- 
 ion with His saints. Observe the words, " Whose heart the 
 Lord opened." She did not open her own heart. Her 
 prayers did not do it ; Paul did not do it. The Lord Him- 
 self must open the heart, to receive the things which make 
 for our peace. He alone can put the key into the hole of 
 the door and open it, and get admittance for Himself. He 
 is the heart's master as He is the heart's maker. The first 
 outward evidence of the opened heart was obedience. As 
 soon as Lydia had believed in Jesus, she was baptized. 1*; 
 is a sweet sign of a humble and broken heart, when the child 
 of God is willing to obey a command which is not essential 
 to his salvation, which is not forced upon him by a selfish 
 fear of condemnation, but is a simple act of obedience and 
 of communion with his Master. The next evidence was love, 
 manifesting itself in acts of grateful kindness to the apos- 
 tles. Love to the saints has ever been a mark of the true 
 convert. Those who do nothing for Christ or Hi^ church, 
 give but sorry evidence of an " opened" heart. L )rd, ever- 
 more give me an opened heart. 
 
348 EVENING HEADINGS. DcC. 11 
 
 " Ye serve the Lord Christ." — Colossians iii. 24. 
 
 ^0 what choice order of officials was this word spoken ? 
 
 Is To kings, who proudly boast a right divine ? Ah, 
 no ! too often do they serve themselves or Satan, and 
 forget the God whose sufferance permits them to wear their 
 mimic majesty for their little hour. Speaks then the apostle 
 to those so-called " right reverend fathers in Grod," the bish- 
 ops, or "the venerable the archdeacons"? No, indeed; 
 Paul knew nothing of these mere inventions of man. Not 
 even to pastors and teachers, or to the wealthy and esteemed 
 among believers, was this word spoken, but to servants, ay, 
 and to slaves. Among the toiling multitudes, the journey- 
 men, the day laborers, the domestic servants, the drudges of 
 the kitchen, the apostle found, as we find still, some of the 
 Lord's chosen, and to them he says, " Whatsoever ye do, do 
 it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men ; knowing that 
 of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance : 
 for ye serve the Lord Christ." This saying ennobles the 
 weary routine of earthly employments, and sheds a halo 
 around the most humble occupations. To wash feet may be 
 servile, but to wash His feet is royal work. To unloose the 
 shoe-latchet is poor employ, but to unloose the great Mas- 
 ter's shoe is a princely privilege. The shop, the barn, the 
 scullery, and the smithy, become temples when men and 
 women do all to the glory of God ! Then " divine service" 
 is not a thing of a few hours and a few places, but all life 
 becomes holiness unto the Lord, and every place and thing, 
 as consecrated as the tabernacle and its golden candlestick. 
 
 " Teach me, niy God and Kin„', in all things Thee to see; 
 And wimt I do in anything to do it as to Thee. 
 All iiiay of Thee p irtiiko, nothing can be so mean, 
 
 Whicli with this tincture, for 'JTiy sake, will not grow bright and oieaii 
 A servant with this clause makes drudgery divine; 
 Who sweeps a room, as for Thy laws, makes that and the action &ae." 
 
Dec. 12, EVKNINO READINGS. 349 
 
 " They have dealt treacherously against the Led." — Hosea v. 7. 
 
 ft^-j^^EUEVEll, here is a sorrowful truth ! Thou art the 
 %ljiVi beloved of the Lord, redeemed by blood, called bj 
 ^^^^**^ grace, preserved in Christ Jesus, accepted in the 
 Beloved, on thy way to heaven, and yet thou hast " dealt 
 treacherously " with God, thy best friend ; treacherously with 
 Jesus, whose thou art ; treacherously with the Holy Spirit, by 
 whom thou hast been quickened unto life eternal ! How 
 treacherous you have been in the matter of vows and prom- 
 ises I Do you remember the love of your espousals, that happy 
 time — the spring-tide of your spiritual life ? Oh, how close- 
 ly did you cling to your Master then ! saying, " He shall never 
 charge rae with indifference ; my feet shall never grow slow 
 in the way of His service ; I will not suffer my heart to wan- 
 der after other loves ; in Him is every store of sweetness 
 ineffable. I give all up for my Lord Jesus' sake." Has it 
 been so ? Alas ! if conscience speak, it will say, " He who 
 promised so well has performed most ill. Prayer has often- 
 times been slurred — it has been short, but not sweet; brief, 
 but not fervent. Communion with Christ has been forgotten. 
 Instead of a heavenly mind, there have been carnal cares, 
 worldly vanities, and thoughts of evil. Instead of service, 
 there has been disobedience ; instead of fervency, lukewarm- 
 ness ; instead of patience, petulance; instead of faith, con- 
 fidence in an arm of flesh ; and as a soldier of the cross there 
 have been cowardice, disobedience, and desertion, to a very 
 shameful degree." "Thou hast dealt treacherously." Treach- 
 ery to Jesus ! what words shall be used in denouncing it i 
 AV'ords little avail : let our penitent thoughts execrate the 
 sin which is so surely in us. Tre&cherv to thy wounds, 
 JcMus ! Forgive us, and let us not sin again ! How shame- 
 ful to be treacherous to Him who never forgets us, but who 
 this day stands with our nan es engraven on His breastplate 
 before the eternal throne ! 
 30 
 
850 EVENING READINGS. Dec. 13. 
 
 " I will make thy windows of agates." — Isaiah Hv. 12. 
 
 'c^HE church is most instructively symbolized by a build- 
 ing erected by heavenly power, and designed by dijiue 
 skill. Such a spiritual house must not be dark, for 
 the Israelites had light in their dwellings ; there must there- 
 fore be windows to let the light in and to allow the inhabit- 
 ants to gaze abroad. These windows are precious as agates : 
 the ways in which the church beholds her Lord and heaven, 
 and spiritual truth in general, are to be had in the highest 
 esteem. Agates are not the most transparent of gems ; they 
 are but semi-pellucid at the best. 
 
 " Our knowledp^e of that life is small, 
 Our eye of faitli is dim." 
 
 Faith is cne of these precious agate windows, but alas ! it is 
 often so misty and beclouded, that we see but darkly, and 
 mistake much that we do see. Yet if we cannot gaze through 
 windows of diamonds and know even as we are known, it is 
 a glorious thing to behold the altogether lovely One, even 
 though the glass be hazy as the agate. Experience is another 
 of these dim but precious windows, yielding to us a subdued 
 religious light, in which we see the suiferings of the Man of 
 Sorrows, through our own afl3ictions. Our weak eyes could 
 not endure windows of transparent glass to let in the Master's 
 glory ; but when they are dimmed with weeping, the beams 
 of the Sun of Righteousness are tempered, and shine through 
 the windows of agate with a soft radiance inexpressibly sooth- 
 ing to tempted souls. Sanctification, as it conforms us to 
 our Lord, is another agate window. Only as we become 
 heavenly can we comprehend heavenly things. The pure 
 in heart see a pure God. Those who are like Jesus see Him 
 as He is. Because we are so little like Him, the window ia 
 but agate ; because we are somewhat like Him, it is agate. 
 We thank God for what we have, and long for more. When 
 shall we eee God and Jesus, and heaven and truth, face to 
 face ? 
 
Dec. 14. EVENING KEAI ING?. 851 
 
 *■ / am cnicijied with Christ." — (Jalatians ii. 20. 
 
 ^HE Lord Jesus Christ acted in what He did as a great 
 lh>iW public representative person, and His dying upon the 
 cross was the virtual dying of all His people. Then 
 ::ill His saints rendered unto justice what was due, and made 
 An expiation to divine vengeance for all their sins. The 
 f.postle of the Gentiles delighted to think that as one of 
 Christ's chosen people, he died upon the cross in Christ. He 
 ilid more than believe this doctrinally, he accepted it confi- 
 dently, resting his hope upon it. He believed that by virtue 
 of Christ's death, he had satisfied divine justice, and fouuj^ 
 reconciliation with God. Beloved, what a blessed thing it i& 
 trhen the soul can, as it were, stretch itself upon the cross 
 cf Christ, and feel, "I am dead; the law has slain me, and 
 I am therefore free from its power, because in my Surety I 
 Lave borne the curse, and in the person of my Substitute the 
 \?hole that the law could do, by way of condemnation, has 
 been executed upon me, for I am crucified with Christ." 
 
 But Paul meant even more than this. He not only believed 
 m Christ's death, and trusted in it, but he actually felt its 
 power in himself in causing the crucifixion of his old corrupt 
 niture. When he saw the pleasures of sin, he said, " I can- 
 2:t enjoy these : I am dead to them." Such is the experi- 
 ence of every true Christian. Having received Christ, he is 
 to this world as one who is utterly dead. Yet, while con- 
 scious of death to the world, he can, at the same time, ex- 
 claim with the apostle, "Nevertheless I live." He is fully 
 alive unto God. The Christian's life is a matchless riddle. 
 No worldling can comprehend it; even the believer himself 
 cannot understand it. Dead, yet alive ! crucified with Christ, 
 and yet at the same t'me risen with Christ in newness of life ! 
 Union with the sufifering, bleeding Saviour, and death to the 
 world and sin, are soul-cheering things. Oh fc more en^ 
 joyment of theml 
 
352 EVENING KEAlJiNGS. DcC. 15. 
 
 "And lay thy foundations with sapphires." — Isaiah ;;v. 1 
 
 fif^ir^'yOT only that which is seen of the church of God, bT."<. 
 ^Il/\Y ^^^'^^ which is unseen, is fair and precious. Found-.- 
 ^Il*x tions are out of sight, and so long as they are firm it 
 is not expected that they should be valuable ; but in Jehovah's 
 work everything is of a piece, nothing slurred, nothing mean. 
 The deep foundations of the work of grace are as sapphires i:r 
 preciousness ; no human mind is able to measure their glory. 
 We build upon the covenant of grace, which is firmer than ad- 
 amant, and as enduring as jewels upon which age spendj 
 itself in vain. Sapphire foundations are eternal, and the 
 covenant abides throughout the lifetime of the Almighty. 
 Another foundation is the person of the Lord Jesus, which is 
 clear and spotless, everlasting and beautiful as the sapphire; 
 blending in one the deep blue of earth's ever-rolling acean 
 and the azure of its all-embracing sky. Once might our Lord 
 have been likened to the ruby as He stood covered with Kis 
 own blood, but now we see Him radiant with the soft blue of 
 love, love abounding, deep, eternal. Our eternal hopes are 
 built upon the justice and the faithfulness of God, which arc 
 clear and cloudless as the sapphire. We are not saved by a 
 compromise, by mercy defeating justice, or law suspending 
 its operations ; no, we defy the eagle's eye to detect a flaw 
 in the groundwork of our confidence — our foundation is of 
 sapphire, and will endure the fire. 
 
 The Lord Himself has laid the foundation of His people's 
 hopes. It is matter for grave inquiry whether our hopes are 
 built upon such a basis. Good works and ceremonies are not 
 a foundation of sapphires, but of wood, hay, and stubble ; 
 neither are they laid by God, but by our own conceit. Foun- 
 dations will all be tried ere long : woe unto him whose lofty 
 tower shall ccme down with a crash, because based jn a 
 quicksand. iLb who is built on sapphires may await stoim 
 or fire with equanimity, for he shall abide the test. 
 
Due. 16. EVKNING READINGS. 3.VA 
 
 " Vea, thou hcardest not , yea, thou knewest not ; yea, front, inai 
 time that thine ear was not opened." — Isaiah xlviu 8 
 
 ^S^^J^T is painful to remember that, in a certain degree thij; 
 ■ V I "^^ accusation may be laid at the door of believer-,, .vho 
 Vy'^hb* ^QQ often are in a mea-bare spiritually insensible. \\ e 
 may well bewail ourselves that we do not hear the voice of 
 God as we ought, " Yea, thou heardest not." There are gen- 
 tle motions of the Holy Spirit in the soul which are unheeded 
 by us : there are whisperings of divine command and of heav- 
 enly love which are alike unobserved by our leaden intellects. 
 Alas ! we have been carelessly ignorayit — " Yea, thou knew- 
 est not." There are matters within which we ought to have 
 seen, corruptions which have made headway unnoticed ; sweet 
 affections which are being blighted like flowers ir the frost, 
 untended by us ; glimpses of the divine face which might be 
 perceived if we did not wall up the windows o£ our soul. But 
 we *' have not known." As we think ol \t we are uun-i led la 
 the deepest self-abasement. How must we adore tiit. ^race 
 of God as we learn from the context thnt all thi3 t'/iiy and 
 ignorance, on our part, was /ore/cnotwn by God, and, notwith- 
 standing that foreknowledge, He yet has been pleased to deal 
 with us in a way of mercy ! Admire the n arvellous sover- 
 eign grace which could have chosen us in the Sight of ali this ! 
 Wonder at the price that was paid for us when Christ knew 
 what we should be ! He woo hung upon tht cross foresaw 
 us as unbelieving, backsliding, cold of hcai , indifferent, 
 careless, lax in prayer, and yet He said, " I am tlie Lord thy 
 God, the Holy One -.f isracl. thy Saviour. . . . Since thou 
 wast precious in My sight, thou hast been honorable, and I 
 have loved thee : therefore wili ^ give aieti for thee, and peo- 
 ple for thy life" ! O redemption, how wondrously respicu- 
 dent dost thou shine when we think how blacic we are i (' 
 Holy Spirit, give us henceforth the hearing ear, the under- 
 ecun<liug heart ! 
 
 30* 
 
S54 EVENING READINGS. Dec. 17. 
 
 " / am the door ; by Me if any man enter in, he shall he saved, and 
 shall go in and out, and find pasture." — John x. 9. 
 
 ^ESUS, the great I AM, is the entrance into the true 
 church, and the way of access to God Himself. He 
 gives to the man who comes to God by Him font 
 choice privileges. 
 
 1. He shah be sated. The fugitive manslayer pas.'«^ 1 the 
 gate of the city of refuge, and was safe. Noah entered the 
 door of the ark, and was secure. None can be lost wao take 
 Jesus as the door of faith to their souls. Entrance ♦.hrougb 
 Jesus into peace is the guarantee of entrance by the sa ne door 
 into heaven. Jesus is the only door, an open dooi , a widfl 
 door, a safe door; and blessed is he who rests all 'As hopi 
 of admission to glory upon the crucified Kedeemer. 
 
 2. He shall go in. He shall be privileged to go ;n &mon^ 
 the Jivine family, sharing the children's bread, an;l partici- 
 pating in all their honors and. enjoyments. He shall go in to 
 the chambers of communion, to the banquets of love, to the 
 treasures of the covenant, to the storehouses of the promises. 
 He shall go in unto the King of kings in the power of the 
 Holy Spirit, and the secret of the Lord shall be with him. 
 
 3. He shall go out. This blessing is much forgotten. We 
 go out into the world to labor and suffer, but what a mercy to 
 go in the name and power of Jesus ! We are called to besj 
 witness to the truth, to cheer the disconsolate, to warn the 
 careless, to win souls, and to glorify God ; and as the angel 
 said to Gideon, " Go in this thy might," even thus the Lord 
 would have us proceed as His messengers in His name and 
 strength. 
 
 4. He shall find pasture. He who knows Jesus shall novei 
 want. Going i;i and out shall be alike helpful to him : in fel- 
 lowship with God he shall grow, and in watering others he 
 shall be watered. Having made Jesus his all, he shall find 
 all in Jesus. His soul shall be as a watered garden, and a# 
 • well of water whose waters fail not. 
 
Dec. 18. EVENINU HEADINGS. SUA 
 
 "Be thou diligent to knoto the state of thy flocks, and look well to 
 thy herds." — Proverbs xxvii. 23. 
 
 ^^♦s'aVERY wise merchant will occasionally bold a stock- 
 \^m taking, when he will cast up his accounts, examine 
 what he has on hand, and ascertain decisively whether 
 his trade is prosperous or declining. Every man who is wise 
 in the kingdom of heaven will cry, " Search me, God, and 
 try me ! " and he will frequently set apart special seasons for 
 self-examination, to discover whether things are right between 
 God and his soul. The God whom we worship is a great 
 heart-searcher ; and of old His servants knew Him as " the 
 Lord which searcheth the heart and trieth the reins of the 
 children of men." Let me stir you up in His name to make 
 diligent search and solemn trial of your state, lest you come 
 short of the promised rest. That which every wise man does, 
 that which God Himself does with us all, I exhort you to do 
 with yourself this evening. Let the oldest saint look well to 
 the fundamentals of bis piety, for gray heads may cover black 
 hearts : and let not the young professor despise the word of 
 warning, for the greenness of youth may be joined to the 
 rottenness of hypocrisy. Every now and then a cedar falls 
 in bur midst. The enemy still continues to sow tares among 
 the wheat. It is not my aim to introduce doubts and fears 
 into your mind ; nay, verily, but I shall hope the rather that 
 the rough wind of self-examination may help to drive them 
 away. It is not security, but carnal security, which we would 
 kill ; not confidence, but fleshly confidence, which we would 
 overthrow ; not peace, but false peace, which we would de- 
 stroy. By the precious blood of Christ, which was not shed 
 to make you a hypocrite, but that sincere souls might show 
 forth His praise, I beseech you, search and look, lest at the 
 last it be said of you, " Mene, Mene, Tekel — Thou art 
 veigbed in the balances, and art found wanting." 
 
556 EVENING READINGS. DeC, 19 
 
 " 4nd there was no more sea." — Revelation xxi. 1. 
 
 SCARCELY could we rejoice at the thought of losir^g 
 )M the glorious old ocean : the new heavens and the now 
 earth are none the fairer to our imagination, if, in- 
 deed, literally there is to Tbe no great and wide sea, with its 
 gleaming waves and shelly shores. Is not the text to be read 
 as a metaphor, tinged with the prejudice with which the Ori- 
 ental mind universally regarded the sea in the olden times ? 
 A real physical world without a sea it is mournful to imagine ; 
 it would be an iron ring without the sapphire which made it 
 precious. There must be a spiritual meaning here. In the 
 new dispensation there will be no division — the sea separates 
 nations and sunders peoples from each other. To John in 
 Patmos the deep waters were like prison walls, shutting him 
 out from his brethren and his work : there shall be no such 
 barriers in the world to come. Leagues of rolling billows 
 lie between us and many a kinsman whom to-night we prayer- 
 fully remember, but in the bright world to which we go 
 there shall be unbroken fellowship for all the redeemed fam- 
 ily. In this sense there shall be no more sea. The sea is 
 the emblem of change; with its ebbs and flows, its glassy 
 smoothness and its mountainous billows, its gentle murmurs 
 and its tumultuous roarings, it is never long the same. Slave 
 of the fickle winds and the changeful moon, its instability is 
 proverbial. In this mortal state we have too much of this ; 
 earth is constant only in her inconstancy, but in the heav- 
 enly state all mournful change shall be unknown, and with 
 it all fear of storm to wreck our hopes and drown our joys. 
 The sea of glass glows with a glory unbroken by a wave. 
 No tempest howls along the peaceful shores of paradise. 
 Soon shall we reach that happy land where partings, and 
 changes, and storms shall be ended ! Jesus will waft us tliere. 
 Are we in Him or not ? This is the grand question. 
 
Dec. 20. EVENING READINGS. 357 
 
 " Call the laborers, and give them their hire." — Matt. xx. 8. 
 
 ^ ^OD is a good paymaster ; He pays His servants while 
 at work as well as when they lave done it; and one 
 of His payments is this — an easy conscience. If you 
 have spoken faithfully of Jesus to one person, when you go 
 to bed at night you feel happy in thinking, " I have this day 
 discharged ray conscience of that man's blood." There is a 
 great comfort in doing something for Jesus. Oh, what a hap- 
 piness to place jewels in His crown, and give Him to see of 
 the travail of His soul ! There is also very great reward in 
 tvatching the first buddings of conviction in a soul! To say 
 of that girl in the class, " She is tender of heart ; I do hope that 
 there is the Lord's work within." To go home and pray over 
 that boy, who said something in the afternoon which made 
 you think he must know more of divine truth than you had 
 feared ! Oh, the joy of hope ! But as for the joy of success ! 
 it is unspeakable. This joy, overwhelming as it is, is a hungry 
 thing — you pine for more of it. To be a soul-winner is the 
 happiest thing in the world. With every soul you bring to 
 Christ, you get a new heaven upon earth. But who can con- 
 ceive the bliss which awaits us above ? Oh, how sweet is that 
 sentence, " Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord" I Do you 
 know what the joy of Christ is over a saved sinner ? This is 
 the very joy which we are to possess in heaven. Yes, when 
 He mounts the throne, you shall mount with Him. When 
 the heavens ring with " Weil done, well done," you shall par- 
 take in the reward ; you have toiled with Him, you have 
 suffered with Ilim, you shall now reign with Him; you have 
 sown with Him, you shall reap with Him your face was cov- 
 ered with sweat like His, and your soul was grieved for the 
 sins of men as His soul was, now shall your face be blight 
 with heaven's splendor as is His countenance, and now fchall 
 your Boul be filled with beatific joys even as His soul is. 
 
858 EVENING READINGS. DcC. 21. 
 
 r ■ — ■ ' 
 
 " / clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee tcith bad' 
 gers" skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered 
 thee tcith silk." — Ezekiel xvi. 10. 
 
 ^EE with what matchless generosity the Lord proTides 
 ^w for His people's apparel. They are so arrayed that 
 the divine skill is seen producing an unrivalled braid' 
 ered work, in which every attrihute takes its part and every 
 divine beauty is revealed. No art like the art displayed in 
 our salvation, no cunning workmanship like that beheld in the 
 righteousness of the saints. Justification has engrossed 
 learned pens in all ages of the church, and will be the theme 
 of admiration in eternity. God has indeed " curiously wrought 
 it." With all this elaboration there is mingled utility and 
 durability, comparable to our being shod with badgers' skin. 
 The animal here meant is unknown, but its skin covered the 
 tabernacle, and formed one of the finest and strongest leath- 
 ers known. The righteousness which is of God by faith 
 endureth forever, and he who is shod with this divine prep- 
 aration will tread the desert safely, and may even set his foot 
 upon the lion and the adder. Purity and dignity of our holy 
 vesture are brought out in the fine linen. When the Lord 
 sanctifies His people, they are clad as priests in pure white ; 
 not the snow itself excels them ; they are in the eyes of men 
 and angels fair to look upon, and even in the Lord's eyes 
 they are without spot. Meanwhile the royal apparel is deli- 
 cate and rich as silk. No expense is spared, no beauty with- 
 held, no daintiness denied. 
 
 What then ? Is there no inference from this ? Surely 
 there is gratitude to be felt and joy to be expressed. Come, 
 my heart, refuse not thy evening hallelujah ! Tunt thy pipep ,' 
 Touch thy chords ! 
 
 " strangely, my soul, art thou arrayed 
 By the Great Sacred Three ! 
 In sweetest barraon/ of praise 
 Let all thy powers agree." 
 
D^C. 22. EVENINO "HEADINGS. 859 
 
 " The spot of His childicn." — Deuteronomy xxxii. 6. 
 
 tf,HAT is the secret spo. which infallibly betokens the 
 child of God ? It were vain presumption to decide 
 this upon our own judgment; but God's word reveals 
 it to us, and we may tread surely where we have revelation' 
 to be our guide. Now, we are told concerning our Lord, 
 " to as many as received Him, to them gave He power to 
 become the sons of God, even to as many as believed on His 
 name." Then, if I have received Christ Jesus into my heart., 
 I am a child of God, That reception is described in the same 
 verse as believing on the name of Jesus Christ. If, then, I 
 believe on Jesns Christ's name — that is, simply from my 
 heart trust myself with the crucified, but now exalted. Re- 
 deemer, I am a member of the family of the Most High. 
 Whatever else I may not have, if I have this, I have the 
 privilege to become a child of God. Our Lord Jesus puts 
 it in another shape. " My sheep hear My voice, and I know 
 them, and they follow Me." Here is the matter in a nutshell, 
 Christ appears as a shepherd to His own sheep, not to others. 
 As soon as He appears. His own sheep perceive Him — they 
 trust Him, they are prepared to follow Him ; He knows them, 
 and they know Him — there is a mutual knowledge — there 
 is a constant connection between them. Thus the one mark, 
 the sure mark, the infallible mark of regeneration and adop- 
 tion is a hearty fait^ in the appointed Redeemer. Reader, 
 are you in doubt, are you uncertain whether you bear the 
 secret mark of God's children ? Then let not an hour pass 
 over your head till you have said, " Search me, God, and 
 know my heart." Trifle not here, I adjure you! If you 
 fliust trifle anywhere, let it be about some secondary matter : 
 your health, if you will, or the title deeds of your estate ; 
 but about your soul, your never-dying soul and its eternal 
 destinies, I beseech you be in earnest. Make sure work fo* 
 eternity. 
 
360 evek; G READINGS. Dcc. 23. 
 
 " Tlie night also is Thine." — Psalm Ixxiv. 16. 
 
 5ES, Lord, Thou dost not abdicate Thy throne when 
 ^ill i ^^^^ ^^^ goeth down, nor dost Thou leave the world 
 "^j^ all through these long wintry nights to be the prey 
 of evil ; Thine eyes watch us as the stars, and Thine 
 arms surround us as the zodiac belts the sky. The dews of 
 kindly sleep and all the influences of the moon are in Thy 
 hand; and the alarms and solemnities of night are equally 
 with Thee. This is very sweet to me when watchiig through 
 the midnight hours, or tossing to and fro in anguish. There 
 are precious fruits put forth by the moon as well as by the sun : 
 may my Lord make me to be a favored partaker in them. 
 
 The night of affliction is as much under the arrangement 
 and control of the Lord of Love as the bright summer days 
 when all is bliss. Jesus is in the tempest. His love wraps 
 the night about itself as a mantle, but to the eye of faith the 
 sable robe is scarce a disguise. From the first watch of the 
 night even unto the break of day the eternal Watcher observes 
 His saints, and overrules the shades and dews of midnight 
 for His people's highest good. We believe in no rival de- 
 ities of good and evil contending for the mastery, but we hear 
 the voice of Jehovah saying, " I create light and I create 
 darkness ; I, the Lord, do all these things." 
 
 Gloomy seasons of religious indifference and social sin are 
 not exempted from the divine purpose. * When the altars of 
 truth are defiled, and the ways of God forsaken, the Lord's 
 servants weep with bitter sorrow, but they may not despair, 
 for the darkest eras are governed by the Lord, and shall 
 come to their end at His bidding. What may seem defeat 
 io us, may be victory to Him. 
 
 " Though enwrapt in gloomy night, 
 We perceive no ray of liglit ; 
 Since the Lord Himself is here, 
 •Ti8 not meet that we should fear." 
 
Dec. 24. EVENING READINGS. 361 
 
 •' The ylonj of the Lord shall be revealed, and all Jlesh shall see U 
 together." — Isaiah xl. 5. 
 
 ]:i^E anticipate the happy day when the whole world shall 
 be converted to Christ ; when the gods of the heathen 
 shall be cast to the moles and the bats ; when Ro- 
 manism shall be exploded, and the crescent of IMoharamed 
 shall wane, never again to cast its baleful rays upon the na- 
 tions ; when kings shall bow down before the Prince of Peace, 
 and all nations shall call their Redeemer blessed. Some de- 
 spair of this. They look upon the world as a vessel break- 
 ing up and going to pieces, never to float again. "We know 
 that the world, and all that is therein, is one day to be burnt 
 up, and afterwards we look for new heavens and for a new 
 earth ; but we cannot read our Bibles without the conviction 
 that — 
 
 '* Jesus shall reign where'er the sun 
 Does his successive journeys run." 
 
 VVe are not discouraged by the length of His delays ; we are 
 not disheartened by the long period which He allots to the 
 church in which to struggle with little success and much de- 
 feat. We believe that God will never suffer this world, which 
 has once seen Christ's blood shed upon it, to be always the 
 devil's stronghold. Christ came hither to deliver this world 
 from the detested sway of the powers of darkness. What a 
 shout shall that be when men and angels shall unite to cry, 
 ♦' Hallelujah, hallelujah, for the Lord God Omnipotent reign- 
 eth ! " What a satisfaction will it be in that day to have had 
 a share in the fight, to have helped to break the arrows of the 
 bow, and to have aided in winning the victory for our Lord ! 
 Happy are they who trust themselves with this conquering 
 Lord, and who light side by side with Him, doing their little 
 in His name and by His strength ! How unhappy are those 
 on the side of evil ! It is a losing side, and it is a matter 
 wherein to lose is to lose and to be lost forever. On whose 
 side are you ? 
 
 31 
 
862 EVENING READINGS. DeC. 25 
 
 "And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone ahou', 
 that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morn- 
 ing, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them 
 all : for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed 
 Qod in their hearts. Thus did Job continually." — Job i. 5." 
 
 klj^lHAT the patriarch did early in the morning, after the 
 family festivities, it will be well for the believer to do 
 for himself ere he rests to-night. Amid the cheer- 
 fulness of household gatherings it is easy to slide into sinful 
 levities, and to forget our avowed character as Christians. 
 It ought not to be so ; but so it is, that our days of feasting 
 are very seldom days of sanctified enjoyment, but too fre- 
 quently degenerate into unhallowed mirth. There is a way 
 of joy as pure and sanctifying as though one bathed in the 
 rivers of Eden : holy gratitude should be quite as purifying 
 an element as grief. Alas for our poor hearts, that facts 
 prove that the house of mourning is better than the house 
 of feasting ! Come, believer, in what have you sinned to- 
 day ? Have you been forgetful of your high calling ? Have 
 you been even as others in idle words and loose speeches ? 
 Then confess the sin, and fly to the sacrifice. The sacrifice 
 sanctifies. The precious blood of the Lamb slain removes 
 the guilt, and purges away the defilement of our sins of ig- 
 norance and carelessness. This is the best ending of a 
 Christmas-day — to wash anew in the cleansing fountain. 
 Believer, come to this sacrifice continually ; if it be so good 
 to-night, it is good every night. To live at the altar is the 
 privilege of the royal priesthood ; to them sin, great as it is, 
 is nevertheless no cause for despair, since they draw neir 
 yet again to the sin-atoning victim, and their conscience '.r 
 purged from dead works. 
 
 •« Gladly I close this festive day, 
 
 Graspinjf the altar's hallowed horn; 
 My slips and Caults are washed away; 
 The Lamb has all my trespass bora6." 
 
Dec. 26. EVENING READINGS. 363 
 
 •* Lo, I am with you ohcay." — Matthew xxTiii. 20. 
 
 ^HE Lord Jesus is in the midst of Ills church ; lie 
 ^tI walketh among the golden candlesticks ; His promise 
 is, " Lo, I am with you alway." He is as surely with 
 us now as He was with the disciples at the lake, when thej 
 saw coals of fire, and fish laid thereon, and bread. Not car- 
 nally, but still in real truth, Jesus is with us. And a blessed 
 truth it is, for where Jesus is, love becomes inflamed. Of all 
 the things in the world that can set the heart burning, there 
 is nothing like the presence of Jesus I A glimpse of Him 
 80 overcomes us, that we are ready to say, " Turn away Thine 
 eyes from me, for they have overcome me." Even the smell 
 of the aloes, and the myrrh, and the cassia, which drop from 
 His perfumed garments, causes the sick and the faint to grow 
 strong. Let there be but a moment's leaning of the head 
 upon that gracious bosom, and a reception of His divine love 
 into our poor cold hearts, and we are cold no longer, but 
 glow like seraphs, equal to every labor, and capable of every 
 suffering. If we know that Jesus is with us, every power will 
 he developed, and every grace will be strengthened, and we 
 shall cast ourselves into the Lord's service with heart, and 
 soul, and strength ; therefore is the presence of Christ to be 
 desired above all things. His presence will he most realized 
 by those who are most like Him. If you desire to see Christ, 
 you must grow in conformity to Him. luring yourself, by 
 the power of the Spirit, into union with Christ's desires, and 
 motives, and plans of action, and you are likely to be favored 
 with His company. Remember His presence may he had- 
 Ills p.-omioe is as true as ever. He delights to be with us. 
 if He doth not come, it is because we hinder Him by our 
 indifference. He will reveal Himself to our earnest prayers, 
 and graciously suffer Himself to be detained by our entrea- 
 ties, and by our tears, for these are the goldeu chains which 
 bind Jesus to Hi& people. 
 
564 EVENING KEADINGS. DcC. 27. 
 
 " A7id the LOUD shall guide thee continually." — Isaiah IvIIi. 11. 
 
 "^o^HE Lord shall guide thee." Not an angel, but 
 
 ^W Jehoa'ah shall guide thee. He said He would not 
 
 go through the wilderness before His people ; an 
 angel should go before them to lead them in the way ; but 
 Moses said, " If Thy presence go not with rae, carry us not 
 up hence." Christian, God has not left you in your earthly 
 pilgrimage to an angel's guidance : He Himself leads the 
 van. You mtiy not see the cloudy, fiery pillar, but Jehovah 
 will never forsake you. Notice the word shall — " The 
 Lord shall guide thee." How certain this makes it ! How 
 sure it is that God will not forsake us ! His precious 
 " shalls " and " wills " are better than men's oaths. " I will 
 never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Then observe the ad- 
 verb continually. We are not merely to be guided some- 
 times, but we are to have a perpetual monitor ; not occasion- 
 ally to be left to our own understanding, and so to wander, 
 but we are continually to hear the guiding voice of the Great 
 Shepherd ; and if we follow close at His heels, we shall not 
 err, but be led by a right way to a city to dwell in. If you 
 have to change your position in life ; if you have to emi- 
 grate to distant shores ; if it sh-'uld happen that you are 
 cast into poverty, or upliftea saddfiuh into a more respon- 
 sible position than the ;>ce you uow occupy ; if you are 
 thrown among strangers, or cast among foes, yet tremble 
 not, for " the Lord shall guide thee continually." There 
 are no dilemmas out of which you shall not be delivered if 
 you live near to God, and your heart be kept warm with holy 
 love. He goes not amiss who goes in the company of God. 
 Like Enoch, walk with God, and you cannot mistake your 
 road. You have infallible wisdom to direct you, immutable 
 love to comfort you, and eternal power to defend you. 
 " Jehovah " — mark the word — " Jehovah shall guide the* 
 continually." 
 
Dec. 23. EVENING READINGS. 36.i 
 
 " I came nut to send peace on earth, f)ut a sicord." — Matt. x. 34. 
 
 ^^^J.ll'E Christian will be sure to make enemies. It will 
 <cl,IU\^ be one of his objects to make none ; but if to do the 
 '^^^'^Si^ right, and to believe the true, should cause him to 
 lose every earthly friend, he will count it but a small loss, 
 since his great Friend in heaven will be yet more friendly, 
 and reveal Himself to him more graciously than ever. 
 ye who have taken up His cross, know ye not what your Mas- 
 ter said ? "I am come to set a man at variance against his 
 father, and the daughter against her mother ; and a man's 
 foes shall be they of his own household." Christ is the great 
 Peacemaker ; but before peace. He brings war. Where the 
 light Cometh, the darkness must retire. Where truth is, the 
 lie must flee ; or, if it abideth, there must be a stern con- 
 flict, for the truth cannot and will not lower its standard, and 
 the lie must be trodden under foot. If you follow Christ, 
 you shall have all the dogs of the world 3'elping at your heels. 
 If you would live so as to stand the test of the last tri- 
 bunal, depend upon it the world will not speak well of you 
 He who has the friendship of the world, is an enemy to God ; 
 but if you are true and faithful to the Most High, men will 
 resent your unflinching fidelity, since it is a testimony against 
 their iniquities. Fearless of all consequences, you must do 
 the right. You will need the courage of a lion unhesitat- 
 ingly to pursue a course which shall turn your best friend 
 into your fiercest foe ; but for the love of Jesus you must 
 thus be courageous. For the truth's sake to hazard reputa- 
 tion and affection, is such a deed that to do it constantly you 
 will need a degree of moral principle which only the Spirit 
 of God can work in you ; yet turn not your back like a cow- 
 ard, but play the man. Follow right manfully in your Mas- 
 ter's steps, for He has traversed this rough way before you 
 Better a brief warfare and eternal rest, than false peace ma 
 everlasting torment 
 31* 
 
366 EVENING READINGS. DeO. 29, 
 
 " What think ye of Christ ? " — Matthew xxii. 42. 
 
 ^riE great test of your soul's health is. What think yyK 
 of Christ ? Is He to you " fairer than the children 
 of men " — '' the chief among ten thousand " — tba 
 " altogether lovely" ? Wherever Christ is thus esteemed, 
 all the faculties of the spiritual man exercise themselves with 
 energy. I will judge of your piety by this barometer : does 
 Christ stand high or low with you ? If you have thought little 
 of Christ, if you have been content to live without His pres- 
 ence, if you have cared little for His honor, if you have been 
 neglectful of His laws, then I know that your soul is sick — 
 God grant that it may not be sick unto death ! But if the 
 first thought of your spirit has been. How can I honor Jesus ? 
 if the daily desire of your soul has been, "Oh that I knew 
 where I might find Him ! " I tell you that you may have a 
 thousand infirmities, and even scarcely know whether you are 
 a child of God at all, and yet I am persuaded, beyond a doubt, 
 that you are safe, since Jesus is great in your esteem. I 
 «are not for thy rags ; what thinkest thou of -Eft's royal ap- 
 parel ? I care not for thy wounds, though they bleed in 
 torrents ; what thinkest thou of His wounds ? are they like 
 glittering rubies in thine esteem ? I think none the less of 
 thee, mough thou liest like Lazarus on the dunghill, and the 
 dogs do lick thee — I judge thee not by thy poverty : whai 
 thinkest thou of the King in His beauty ? Has He a glori- 
 ous high throne in thy heart ? Wouldst thou set Him higher 
 if thou couldst ? Wouldst thou be willing to die if thou 
 couldst but add another tvumpet to the strain which pro- 
 claims His praise ? Ah ! then it is well with thee. What- 
 ever then mayst think of thyself, if Christ be great ta thee, 
 thou shalt be with Him ere long. 
 
 " Though all the world my choice deride. 
 Yet Jesua shall my portion be; 
 For I am pleased with none besWe; 
 The fairest of the fair is He." 
 
Doc. 30 EVENING READINGS. 367 
 
 "Knowest thou not that it will he bitterness in the latter end?" 
 2 Samuel ii. 26. 
 
 ^^llfTP, my reader ! thon art merely a professor, and not 
 &^ jk^ a possessor of the faith that is in Christ Jesus, the 
 y/^*^^ following lines are a true sketcli of thine end. 
 
 You are a respectable attendant at a place of worship ; 
 jou go because others go, not because your heart i:^ right 
 with God. This is your beginning. I will suppose that for 
 the next twenty or thirty years you will be spared to go on 
 as you do now, professing religion by an outward attendance 
 upon the means of grace, but having no heart in the matter. 
 Tread softly, for I must show you the death-bed of such a 
 one au yourself. Let us gaze upon him gently. A clammy 
 sweat is on his brow, and he wakes up crying, " God, it 
 is ha^-d to die. Did you send for my minister ? " " Yes, 
 he id coming." The minister comes. " Sir, I fear that I 
 am dying ! " " Have you any hope ? " "I cannot say that 
 I have. I fear to stand before my God ; oh ! pray for me." 
 The prayer is offered for him with sincere earnestness, and 
 the way of salvation is for the ten- thousandth time put be- 
 fore him ; but before he has grasped the rope, I see him 
 sink. I may put my finger upon those cold eyelids, for they 
 will never see anything here again. But where is the man, 
 and where are the man's true eyes ? It is written, " In hell 
 be lifted up his eyes, being in torment." Ah ! why did he 
 not lift up his eyes before ? Because he was so accustomed 
 to hear the gospel that his soul slept under it. Alas ! if 
 you should lift up your eyes there, how bitter would be your 
 wailings ! Let the Saviour's own words reveal the woe: 
 " Father Abraham, send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of 
 his finger in water, and cool my tongue, for I am tormented 
 :a tliis flame." There is a frightful meaning in tho^e words. 
 ^'ay you never have to spell it out by the red light of Jeho« 
 vah's wrath ! 
 
868 EVENING READINGS. Dec. 31 
 
 " Tlie harvest ii past, the summer is ended, and ice are not saved.''* 
 Jeremiah viii. 20. 
 
 iOT saved I Dear reader, is this your mournful plight ? 
 ''S Warned of the judgment to come, bidden to escape 
 for your life, and yet at this moment not saved I You 
 know the way of salvation, you read it in the Bible, you hear 
 it from the pulpit, it is explained to you by friends, and yet 
 you neglect it, and therefore are not saved. You will be with- 
 out excuse when the Lord shall judge the quick and dead. 
 The Holy Spirit has given more or less of blessing upon the 
 word which has been preached in your hearing, and times of 
 refreshing have come from the divine presence, and yet you 
 are without Christ. All these hopeful seasons have come and 
 gone — your summer and your harvest have past — and yet 
 you are not saved. Years have followed one another into eter- 
 nity, and your last year will soon be here ; youth has gone, 
 manhood is going, and yet you are not saved. Let me ask 
 you — Will you ever be saved ? Is there any likelihood of it ? 
 Already the most propitious seasons have left you unsaved : 
 will other occasions alter your condition ? Means have failed 
 with you — the best of means, used perseveringly and with 
 the utmost affection — what more can be done for you ? Af- 
 fliction and prosperity have alike failed to impress you ; tears 
 and prayers and sermons have been wasted on your barren 
 heart. Are not the probabilities dead against your ever be- 
 ing saved ? Is it not more than likely that you will abide as 
 you are till death forever bars the door of ho^pe ? Do you 
 recoil from the supposition ? Yet it is a most reasonable one : 
 he who is not washed in so many waters will in all probability 
 go filthy to his end. The convenient time never has come ; why 
 should it ever come ? It is logical to fear that it never will 
 arrive, and that, Felix-like, you will find no convenient season 
 cill you are in hell. Oh, bethink you of what that hell is, and 
 of the dread probability that you will soon be cast into it ! 
 
EVENING READINGS. 369 
 
 Reader, suppose you should die unsaved, your doom no 
 words can picture. Write out your dread estate in tears and 
 blood, talk of it with groans and gnashing of teeth ; you ^«■i!] 
 'be punished with everlasting destruction from the glory of 
 the Lord, and from the glory of His power. A brother's voice 
 would fain startle you into earnestness. Oh, be wise, be wise 
 in time, and ere another year begins, believe in Jesus, who 
 is able to save to the uttermost. Consecrate these last hours 
 to lonely thought, and if deep repentance be bred in you, it 
 will be well ; and if it lead to a humble faith in Jesus, it will 
 be best of all. Oh, see to it that this year pass not away, and 
 you an unforgiven spirit. Let not the new year's midnij;ht 
 peals sound upon a joyless spirit. Noxo, now, NOW, believe, 
 and live. '• Escape for thy life ; look not behind thee, 
 
 NEITHER STAY THOU IN ALL THE PLAIN; ESCAPE TO Till 
 MOUNTAIN, LEST THOU BE CONSUMED." 
 
H Y M N^ S 
 
 EVENING AVORSHIP 
 
 \xMt or in tjje Ji^milii 
 
 •'In the night his song shall be with mc, and my prayer 
 unto the God of my life." 
 
 J'snlm xlii. 8. 
 
 (37n 
 
NOTE. 
 
 j[^5 it is not always easy, in tV-ese times of hurry 
 and bustle, to select suitable verses for evening 
 devotion, I have ventured to cull a few choice 
 words cf the sacred poets, which I trust may accepta- 
 bly exprese the thanksgivings of believers. The verses 
 are rather more numerous than those arranged in the 
 morning portions, because it may be possible to allow a 
 little more time for the evening exercise. The tunes 
 are mostly from the Union Tune Book, and have been 
 chosen on account of their simplicity. If there be mel- 
 ody in the heart, the household song will not be less 
 acceptable than the full choir of the temple of old, with 
 its laelodious harps and high-sounding cymbals. How 
 pisasant is the reflection that our heart-music i^ heard 
 in heaven! Behold, even now it cometh up like sweet 
 rerfume before the Sacred Majesty. The vials full of 
 fragrant odors, and the harps of sweetest sound, are still 
 before the heavenly throne, and as Watts sings — 
 
 •'Those are the prayers of the saints, 
 
 And these the hymns they raise; 
 Jeaus is kind to our complaints; 
 
 He loves to hear our praise," 
 
 (372) 
 
EVENING HYMNS 
 
 For the months of January, March, May, July, September, and 
 November. 
 
 S' 
 
 IsT Evening. 8, 7. Mariner's. Haydn'* 
 
 AVIOUR, breaiLe an evening blessing 
 Ere repose 'ur spirits seal; 
 Sin and want we come confessing ; 
 
 Thou canst r.h.ve, rtnd Thou canst heal. 
 
 Though desftuciioa walk around us. 
 
 Though Ae arrow past us fly, 
 Angel-gua'd:, ^'<\'ni Thee surround UJ r; 
 
 We are saie 1/ Thou art nigh. 
 
 Though the night be dark and dreary, 
 
 Darkness cannot hide from Thee ; 
 Thou art He, who, never weary, 
 
 Watchest where Thy people be. 
 
 Should swift dsath this night o'ertake 'jr. 
 
 And our couch become our too/b. 
 May the morn in heaven awake 'je, 
 
 Clad in light and deathless ulootc. 
 
 2 o Evening. L. M. Evening Hymn. Old ilnndrec* % 
 
 GLORY to Thee, my God, this night. 
 For all the blessings of the light ; 
 Keep me, oh, keep me. King of Kings, 
 Beneath Thine own almighty wings. 
 
 Forgive me. Lord, for Thy dear Son, 
 The ill that I this day have done ; 
 That with the world, myself, and Thee, 
 I, ere I sleep, at peace may be. 
 
 Teach me to live, that I may dread 
 The grave as little as my bed ; 
 Teach me to die, that so I may 
 Rise glorious at the judgment day. 
 
 Oh, may my soul on Thee repose. 
 And with sweet sleep mine eyelids close; 
 Sleep that may me more vigorous make 
 To serve my God when I awake. 
 
 3^ (»«> 
 
874 HYMNS FOB EVENING WOKSHIP. 
 
 S' 
 
 3d Evening, L. M. Pascal. Rockingharn. 
 
 UN of my soul, Thou Saviour dear, 
 It is not night if Thou be near : 
 Oh, may no earth-born cloud arise 
 To hide Thee from Thy servant's eyes. 
 
 When the soft dews of kindly sleep 
 My wearied eyelids gently steep, 
 Be my last thought, how sweet to rest 
 Forever on my Saviour's breast ! 
 
 Abide with me from morn till eve. 
 For without Thee I cannot live ; 
 Abide with me when night is nigh. 
 For without Thee I dare not die. 
 
 4'. ■» F.VENiNG. 7'8. Kdl. Oerman Hymn. 
 
 OFTLY now the light of day 
 Fades upon my sight away ; 
 Free from care, from labor free, 
 Lord, I would commune with Thee I 
 
 S' 
 
 Thou whose all-pervq,ding eye 
 Nought escapes, without, within. 
 Pardon each infirmity. 
 Open fault and secret sin. 
 
 Soon for me the light of day 
 Shall forever pass away ; 
 Then, from sin and sorrow free. 
 Take me, Lord, to dwell with Thee! 
 
 6th Evening. C. M. Tiverton, French 
 
 S helpless as a child who clings 
 Fast to his father's arm. 
 And casts his weakness on the strength 
 That keeps him safe from harm, — 
 
 A' 
 
 So I, my Father, cling to Thee, 
 
 And thus I every hour 
 Would link my earthly feebleness 
 
 To Thine almighty power. 
 
HYMNS FOB EVENING WORSHIP. 375 
 
 eiH Evening. C. M. Stephen't. London. 
 
 DKEAD Sovereign, let my evening song 
 Like holy incense rise ; 
 Assist the offerings of my tongue 
 To reach the lofty skies. 
 
 Through all the dangers of the day 
 
 Thy hand was still my guard ; 
 And still to drive my wants away. 
 
 Thy mercy stood prepared. 
 
 Sprinkled afresh with pardoning blood, 
 
 I lay me down to rest, 
 As in the embraces of my God, 
 
 Or on my Saviour's breast. 
 
 7th Evening. C. M. Farrant. MagutUi 
 
 OW from the altar of my heart 
 Let incense-flames arise ; 
 Assist me, Lord, to ofi'er up 
 Mine evening sacrifice. 
 
 N' 
 
 Minutes and mercies multiplied. 
 Have made up all this day : 
 
 Minutes came quick, but mercies wera 
 More fleet and free than they. 
 
 New time, new favor, and new joys. 
 
 Do a new song require ; 
 Till I should praise Thee as I would. 
 
 Accept my heart's desire. 
 
 Lord of my time, whose hand hath set 
 
 New time upon my score, 
 Thee may I praise for all my time. 
 
 When time shall be no more 
 
376 HYMNS FOR EVENING WORSHIP. 
 
 3th Evening. C. M. Abridge. Ann't, 
 
 |H, how I love Thy holy law ! 
 'Tis daily my delight; 
 And thence my meditations draw 
 Divine advice by night. 
 
 o 
 
 Am I a stranger, or at home, 
 'Tis my perpetual feast ; 
 
 Not honey dropping from the comb 
 So much allures the taste. 
 
 9Tn Evening. C. M. Evan. Warwick 
 
 HEN wilt Thou come unto me, Lord ? 
 Oh, come, my Lord most dear ! 
 Come near, come nearer, nearer still ; 
 I'm blest when Thou art near. 
 
 w 
 
 When wilt Thou come unto me. Lord ? 
 
 I languish for the sight ; 
 Ten thousand suns, when Thou art hid, 
 
 Are shades instead of light. 
 
 When wilt Thou come unto me, Lord ? 
 
 Until Thou dost appear, 
 I count each moment for a day. 
 
 Each minute for a year. 
 
 IQi^ Evening. T's. Ratisbon. Hard 
 
 IVER to the Saviour cling; 
 
 Trust in Him, and none beside ; 
 Never let an earthly thing 
 Hide from thee the Crucified. 
 
 E 
 
 Ever cast on Him thy care ; 
 
 He invites thee so to do : 
 Never let thy soul despair ; 
 
 He will surely help thee through. 
 
 Ever live as in the view 
 Of the day of glory, near ; 
 
 .Never be to Christ untrue. 
 
 Thou shalt soon His glory share. 
 
HYMNS FOR EVENING WOUSIIII' 37? 
 
 lizv lOZNlNO. w, M. St. Michael's. Mt. Ephraim, 
 
 THY way, not mine, Lord, 
 However dark it be ; 
 Oh, lead nic by thine own right hand, 
 Choose out the path for me. 
 
 Not mine, not mine the choice. 
 
 In things or great or small ; 
 Be Thou my Guide, my Guard, my Strength, 
 
 My Wisdom, and my All. 
 
 M 
 
 {2rr, fiTKNlNG. C. M. Belgium. AmolcP», 
 
 Y soul doth magnify the Lord, 
 My spirit doth rejoice ; 
 To Thee my Saviour and my God 
 I lift my joyful voice. 
 
 I need not go abroad for joys, 
 
 I have a feast at home ; 
 My sighs are turned into songs. 
 
 My heart has ceased to roam. 
 
 Down from above the blessed Dove 
 
 Is come into my breast. 
 To witness Thine eternal love, 
 
 And give my spirit rest. 
 
 My God, I'll praise Thee while I live. 
 
 And praise Thee when I die, 
 And praise Thee when I rise again, 
 
 And to eternity. 
 
 ISm Evening. 8, 7. Benediction. Eaydn't. 
 
 PRECIOUS is the name of Jesus : 
 AVho can half its worth unfold ? 
 Far beyond angelic praises. 
 Sweetly sung to harps of gold. 
 
 Precious when to Calvary groaning, 
 
 He sustained the cursed tree ; 
 Precious wheo His death atoning 
 
 Made an end of sin for me, 
 32* 
 
878 HYMNS FOR EVEKIKG WCK35:i?. 
 
 Precious when the bloody scourges 
 Caused the sacred drops to roll ; 
 
 Precious when of wrath the surges 
 Overwhelmed His holy soui. 
 
 Precious, Lord! beyond expressing. 
 Are Thy beauties all divine ; 
 
 Glory, honor, power, and blessing, 
 Be henceforth forever Thine. 
 
 14th Evening. C. M. French. PrethneK 
 
 JESUS, the very thought of Thee 
 With sweetness fills my breast; 
 But sweeter far Thy face to see, 
 And in Thy presence rest. 
 
 Nor voice can sing, nor heart can frame. 
 
 Nor can the memory find 
 A sweeter sound than Thy blest name, 
 
 Saviour of mankind ! 
 
 Jesus, our only joy be Thou, 
 
 As Thou our crown wilt be ; 
 Jesus, be Thou our glory now. 
 
 And through eternity. 
 
 B 
 
 16tu Evening. S. M. Arran. Ptagut, 
 
 »LEST be Thy love, dear Lord, 
 That taught us this sweet way. 
 Only to love Thee for Thyself, 
 And for that love obey. 
 
 Whether we sleep or wake. 
 To Thee we both resign ; 
 By night we see, as well as day, 
 If Thy light on us shine. 
 
 Whether we live or die, 
 Both we submit to Thee ; 
 In death we live, as well as life. 
 If Thine in death we be. 
 
HTKN8 FOK EV3;NIN3 \T0RSHIP. 878 
 
 w 
 
 16th Evening. 6, ', 4. Mount of Olivea. Vesper 
 
 IIITK' acd luddy'c 'vy Beloved, 
 Ah His heavenly beauties shine ; 
 Nature cau'L produce i object, 
 Nor so glorious, so diviue ; 
 
 He hath wholly 
 Won my soul to realms above. 
 
 Such as find Thee find such sweetness 
 
 Deep, mysterious, and unknown ; 
 Far above all worldly pleasures, 
 
 If they were to meet in one ; 
 My Belovcid, 
 
 O'er the mountains haste away. 
 
 
 
 17th Evening. C. M. Arlington [,on^i<m 
 
 GOD, my heart is fully bent 
 To magnify Thy name ; 
 My tongue with cheerful songs of praiso 
 Shall celebrate Thy fame. 
 
 Because Thy mercy's boundless height 
 
 The highest heaven transcends ; 
 And far beyond th' aspiring clouds 
 
 Thy faithful truth extends. 
 
 Be Thou, God, exalted high 
 
 Above the starry frame ; 
 And let the world, with one consent. 
 
 Confess Thy glorious najne. 
 
 18th Evening. 7's. Qerman Hymn. Harfti 
 
 CALMER of my troubled heart, 
 Bid my unbelief depart. 
 Speak, and all my sorrows cease ; 
 Speak, and all my soul is peace. 
 
 Comfort me, whene'er I mourr. 
 With the hope of Thy return ; 
 And, till 1 Thy glory see, 
 Help me to believe in Thee. 
 
380 HYMNS FOR EVENING WORSHIP. 
 
 19th Evening. C. M. Martyrdom. SmynxL 
 
 TRIUMPHANT, Christ ascends on high. 
 The glorious work complete ; 
 Sin, death, and hell, low vanquished lie 
 Beneath His awful feet. 
 
 T 
 
 There, with eternal glory crowned, 
 The Lord, the Conqueror, reigns ; 
 
 His praise the heavenly choirs resound, 
 In their immortal strains. 
 
 Amid the splendors of His throne, 
 
 Unchanging love appears ; 
 The names He purchased for His own 
 
 Still on His heart He bears. 
 
 P' 
 
 20th Evening. 8, 7, 4. Vesper. Eousaeau. 
 
 ►RAISE, my soul, the King of Heaveu, 
 To His feet thy tribute bring : 
 Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven, 
 Who like thee His praise should sing ? 
 
 Praise Him, praise Him, 
 Praise the everlasting King. 
 
 Praise Him for His grace and favor 
 
 To our fathers in distress ; 
 Praise Him, still the same as ever, 
 
 Slow to chide, and swift to bless. 
 Praise Him, praise Him, 
 
 Glorious in His faithfulness. 
 
 2 1st Evening. C. M. Stephens, Hensbur,. 
 
 HOW many are Thy thoughts of love I 
 Thy mercies, Lord, how great ! 
 We have not words nor hours enough 
 Their numbers to repeat. 
 
 When I'm afflicted, poor, and low. 
 
 And light and peace dej^art, 
 My God beholds mv heavy woe. 
 
 And bears me on His heart. 
 
HTMWS FOR EVENIKG 'WOKSHIP. 381 
 
 22d Evening. L. M. Samson. Winchetter. 
 
 LET every heart exulting beat 
 With joy at Jesu's uame of bliss ; 
 With every pure delight replete. 
 And passing sweet its musio is. 
 
 Jesus the comfortless consoles, 
 
 Jesus each sinful fever quells ; 
 Jesus the power of hell controls, 
 
 Jesus each deadly foe repels. 
 
 Oh, speak Ilis glorious name abroad ! 
 
 Jesus let every tongue confess ; 
 Let every heart and voice accord 
 
 The Healer of our souls to bless. 
 
 23d Evening. 7*8, 6 lines. Eglon. Madrid. 
 
 GRACIOUS Spirit, dwell with me — 
 I myself would gracious be ; 
 And with words that help and heal, 
 Would Thy life in mine reveal ; 
 And with actions bold and meek, 
 Would for Christ, my Saviour, speak. 
 
 Tender Spirit, dwell with me — 
 I myself would tender be ; 
 Shut my heart up like a flower. 
 In temptation's darksome hour ; 
 Open it when shines the sun. 
 And His love by fragrance own. 
 
 rT\\ 
 
 24th Evening. S. M. Prague. St. MichaeVtk 
 
 IHE day, O Lord, is spent ; 
 Abide with us and rest ; 
 Our hearts' desires are fully bent 
 On n:.ak!ng Thee our guest. 
 
 Our sun :3 s'rking low ; 
 
 Our day i« almost o'er : 
 Sun of UightcousLess, do Thou 
 
 Shine on us evermore. 
 
882 HTMNS FOR EVENING WORSHIP. 
 
 25th Evening. C. M. Bedford. Irish, 
 
 Y God, I know, I feel Thee mine, 
 And will not quit my claim 
 Till all I have is lost in Thine, 
 And all renewed I am. 
 
 M 
 
 I hold Thee with a trembling hand. 
 
 But will not let Thee go 
 Till steadfastly by faith I stand, 
 
 And all thy goodness know. 
 
 Jesus, Thine all-victorious love 
 
 Shed in my heart abroad ; 
 Then shall my feet no longer rove. 
 
 Rooted and fixed in God. 
 
 26th Evening. C. M. Devizes. Tivertom 
 
 I THINK of Thee, my God, by night. 
 And talk of Thee by day, 
 Thy love my treasure and delight. 
 Thy truth my strength and stay. 
 
 The day is dark, the night is long, 
 
 Unblest with thoughts of Thee ; 
 And dull to me the sweetest song, 
 
 Unless its theme Thou be. 
 
 So all day long, and all the night. 
 
 Lord, let Thy presence be 
 Mine air, my breath, my shade, my light. 
 
 Myself absorbed in Thee. 
 
 a?TH Evening. 10, 10, 11, 11. Portugal Newk 
 
 BEGONE, unbelief; my Saviour is near, 
 And for my relief will surely appear ; 
 By prayer let me wrestle, and He will perform ; 
 With Christ in the vessel, I smile at the storm. 
 
 His love in time past forbids me to think 
 
 He'll leave me at last iu trouble to siuk ; 
 
 Each sweet Ebenezcr I have in review. 
 
 Confirms His good pleasure to help me quite through. 
 
HTMNS VOR EVENING WCRSIIIP. 383 
 
 28th Etenino. C. M. Jackson's. Bedford^ 
 
 BEFORE Thy throne, Lord of heaven, 
 We kneel at close of day ; 
 Look on Thy children from on high, 
 And hear us while we pray. 
 
 The sorrows of Thy servants. Lord, 
 • do not Thou despise ; 
 But let the incense of our prayers 
 Before Thy mercy rise. 
 
 Let peace, Lord, Thy peace, God, 
 
 Upon our souls descend ; 
 From midnight fears and perils, Thou, 
 
 Our trembling hearts defend. 
 
 10th Evening. L. M. Montgomery. AngeVa Ey\ 
 
 THOU who hast known the care-worn breast. 
 The weary need of sleep's deep balm, 
 Come, Saviour, ere we go to rest, 
 
 And breathe around Thy perfect calm. 
 
 Thy presence gives us child-like trust, 
 
 Gladness and hope without alloy. 
 The faith that triumphs o'er the dust. 
 
 And gleamings of eternal joy. 
 
 Stand in our midst, dear Lord, and say, 
 " Peace be to you this evening hour ; " 
 
 Then all the struggles of the day 
 Vanish before Thy lovirig power. 
 
 Blest is the pilgrimage to heaven ! 
 
 A little nearer every night ! 
 Christ to our earthly darkness given. 
 
 Till in His glory there is light. 
 
884 HYMNS FOR EVENING "WORSHIP. 
 
 30th Evening. L. M. Neapolis. Wareham, 
 
 OUGHT of life, Saviour dear, 
 Before we sleep, bow down Thine ear ; 
 Through dark and day, o'er land and sea, 
 We have no other hope but Thee. 
 
 Oft from Thy royal road we part, 
 
 Lost in the mazes of the heart : • 
 
 Our lamps put out, our course forgot^ 
 
 We seek for God and find Him not. 
 
 What sudden sunbeams cheer our sight ! 
 What dawning risen upon the night ! 
 Thou giv'st Thyself to us, and we 
 Find Guide, and Path, and all in Thee. 
 
 31 ST Evening. L. M. China. Mdeombt 
 
 THROUGH day and darkness, Saviour dear, 
 Abide with us more nearly near ; 
 Till on Thy face we lift our eyes, 
 The Sun of God's own Paradise. 
 
 Praise God, our Maker and our Friend ; 
 Praise Him through time, till time shall end ; 
 Till psalm and song His name adore. 
 Through Heaven's great day of Evermore. 
 
HYMNS FOR ETENINO W0B8HIP. 585 
 
 SECOND SERIES OF EVENING HYMNS 
 
 Far Hit months of February, April, June, Augtist, October, and 
 December. 
 
 IsT Evening. C. M. Stephens. Ma^m. 
 
 I THINK of Thee, my God, by night, 
 And talk of Thee by day. 
 Thy love my treasure and delight, 
 Thy truth my strength and stay. 
 
 The day is dark, the night is long, 
 
 Unblest with thoughts of Thee, 
 And dull to me the sweetest song, 
 
 Unless its theme Thou be. 
 
 So all day long, and all the night, 
 
 Lord, let Thy presence be 
 Mine air, my breath, my shade, my light — 
 
 Myself absorbed in Thee. 
 
 2d Evening. L. M. Winchester. N^polia. 
 
 HOW frail and fallible am I ! 
 What weakness marks my changing frame 1 
 Yet there is strength and comfort nigh. 
 For, Jesus, Thou art still the same. 
 
 Thy love, immortal and divine, 
 
 No coldness damps, no time destroys ; 
 
 Through countless ages it will shine. 
 Bright source of everlasting joys. 
 
 Ob, never wilt Thou leave tlie soul 
 
 That flies for refuge to Thy breast! 
 Thy love, which once huth made me whole. 
 
 Shall guide me to eternal rest. 
 33 
 
386 HYMNS FOR EVENING WORSHIP, 
 
 8d Ejtniwg. 7s. Kiel. Theodora 
 
 E were lost, but we are found. 
 Dead, but now alive are we; 
 We were sore in bondage bound, 
 But our Jesus sets us free. 
 
 W 
 
 Strangers, and He takes us in. 
 Naked, He becomes our dress. 
 
 Sick, and He from stain of sin 
 Cleanses with His righteousness. 
 
 Therefore will we sing His praise 
 Who His lost ones hath restored; 
 
 Hearts and voices both shall raise 
 Hallelujahs to the Lord. 
 
 4th Evening. C. M. Ashley. Lond<iK 
 
 ALVATION! oh, the joyful sound! 
 'Tis pleasure to our ears ; 
 A sovereign balm for every wcrad, 
 A cordial for our feara. 
 
 s- 
 
 Buried in sorrow and in sin, 
 
 At hell's dark door we lay ; • 
 But we arise, by grace divine, 
 
 To see a heavenly day. 
 
 Salvation ! let the echo fly 
 
 The spacious earth around. 
 While all the armies of the sky 
 
 Conspire to raise the sound. 
 
 6th Evening. L. M. Alfred. Montgomery 
 
 THE ever-blessed Son of God 
 Went up to Calvary for me. 
 There paid my debt, there bore my load 
 In His own body on the tree. 
 
 Jesus, whose dwelling is the skies. 
 Went down into the grave for me ; 
 
 There overcame my enemies. 
 There won the glorious victory. 
 
HTMN8 ?0R EVENING WORSHIP. 387 
 
 exH Evening. 8, 7. Idarin ;-■■'« 2luniSH. 
 
 "ERCY, mercy, God the Father ! 
 God the Son, be Thou iny plea ' 
 God the Holy Spirit, comfort! 
 Triune God, deliver me ! 
 
 M" 
 
 Not my sins, Lord, remember. 
 Not Thine own avenger be ; 
 
 But, for Thy great tender mercies. 
 Saviour God, deliver me ! 
 
 By thy cross, and by Thy passion. 
 
 Bloody sweat and agony. 
 By Thy precious death and burial, 
 
 Saviour God, deliver me ! 
 
 By Thy glorious resurrection. 
 Thine ascert in heaven to be, 
 
 By the Holy Spirit's coming. 
 Saviour God, deliver m« ! 
 
 In all time of tribulation. 
 In all time of wealth, in the 
 
 Hour of death, and day of judgmea% 
 Saviour God, deliver me ! 
 
 7th Evening. L. M. Vlverstone. Pc^ertdaU 
 
 ITH broken heart and contrite pigh, 
 A trembling sinner. Lord, I cry ; 
 Thy pardoning grace is rich and free ; 
 O God ! be merciful to me. 
 
 w 
 
 Nor alms, nor deeds that I have done. 
 Can for a single sin atone ; 
 To Calvary alone I flee ; 
 O God ! be merciful to me. 
 
 And when, redeemed from sin and hell. 
 With all the ransomed throng I dwell. 
 My raptured song shall ever be, 
 God has been merciful to me. 
 
388 nYMNS FOB EVENINa WORSHIP. 
 
 8iH Evening. C. M. Arnold! a. AntCti 
 
 I KNEW Thee when the world was waste. 
 And Thou alono wast fair, 
 On Thee ray heart its fondness placed, 
 My soul reposed its care. 
 
 And if Thine altered hand doth now 
 
 My sky with sunshine fill. 
 Who amid all so fair as Thou, 
 
 Oh, let me know Thee still, — 
 
 Still turn to Thee, in days of light 
 
 As well as nights of care. 
 Thou brightest amid all that's bright I 
 
 Thou fairest of the fair ! 
 
 My sun is, Lord, where'er Thou art. 
 
 My cloud, where self I see, 
 My drought in an ungrateful heart, 
 
 My freshest springs in Thee. 
 
 9th Evening. C. M. Martyrdom, French. 
 
 ^UR longing eyes would fain behold 
 That bright and blessed brow, 
 Once wrung with bitterest anguish, wear 
 Its crown of glory now. 
 
 o 
 
 Why linger then ? Come, Saviour, come. 
 
 Responsive to our call ; 
 Come, claim Thine ancient power, and reign 
 
 The Heir and Lord of all. 
 
 lOrn Evening. L. M. China. Piucak 
 
 HE reigns ! ye saints, exalt your strains : 
 Your God is King, your Father reigns; 
 And He is at the Fatlier's side. 
 The Man of love, the Crucified. 
 
 Come, make your wants, your burdens known; 
 He will present them at the throne ; 
 And angol bauds are waiting there, 
 Hia messages of love to bear. 
 
T 
 
 HYMKS FOR KVKMNG WOESUIP. 389 
 
 11th Evening. 7's. German Ihjmn. Uart'a 
 
 piIOU my God art — I will praise 
 All Thy goodness all ray days ; 
 I will even for Thy rod 
 Thank Thee, for Thou art my God ! 
 
 Though Thou slay me I will trust, 
 Praise Thee, even from the dust, 
 Prove, and tell it aa I prove, 
 Thine unutterable love. 
 
 Therefore I the world defy, 
 While Thy hand and heart are nigh ; 
 Now, Lord, my helper be. 
 Send us now prosperity. 
 
 12th Evening. C. M. Irish Bedfoid. 
 
 Y God, my everlasting hope, 
 I live upon Thy truth ; 
 Thine hands have held my childhood up, 
 And strengthened all my youth. 
 
 M' 
 
 Still has my life new wonders seen 
 
 Repeated every year : 
 Behold my days that yet remain, 
 
 I trust them to Thy care. 
 
 Cast me not off when strength declines, 
 
 When hoary hairs arise ; 
 And round me let Thy glory shine. 
 
 Whene'er Thy servant dies. 
 
 13Tn EvENiiiG. 7'3. Hart's. PentonviUek 
 
 ,AY by day the manna fell ; 
 Oh ! to learn this lesson well ; 
 Still by constant mercy fed, 
 Give me. Lord, my daily bread. 
 
 D 
 
 " Day by day," the promise reads; 
 Daily strength for daily needs; 
 Cast foreboding fears away ; 
 Take the manna of to-day. 
 
390 HYMNS FOR ETENINQ WOBSHIP. 
 
 L' 
 
 14TI1 Evening. L. M. Wareham. BamatapU, 
 
 OOK up, my soul, with cheerful eye, 
 See where the great Redeemer stands ; 
 The glorious Advocate on high. 
 
 With precious incense in His hands. 
 
 He sweetens every humble groan. 
 He recommends each broken prayer ; 
 
 Recline thy hope on Him alone. 
 
 Whose power and love forbid despair. 
 
 15111 Evening. C. M. Mount Pleasant Belgiunt 
 
 WORTHY art Thou, dying Lamb! 
 Worthy, bleeding Lord ; 
 Eternal, Infinite, I AM, 
 Ceaseless to be adored ! 
 
 Fulness of riches is in Thee ; 
 
 From Thee all mercies spring; 
 And grace and love, divine and free, 
 
 And power enlivening. 
 
 Out of the deep of every heart. 
 
 Let praise to Thee ascend : 
 Till Thou to heaven shalt us translate, 
 
 Where praises never end. 
 
 H 
 
 IBth Evening. 7's. Milan. Kiel 
 
 OLY GHOST, with power divine. 
 Cleanse this guilty heart of mine; 
 Long has sin without control 
 Held dominion o'er my soul. 
 
 Holy Ghost, with joy divine. 
 Cheer this saddened heart of mine ; 
 Bid my many woes depart. 
 Heal my wounded, bleeding heart. 
 
 Holy Spirit, all divine. 
 Dwell within this heart of mine ; 
 Cast down every idol throne ; 
 Reign supreme, and reign alone. 
 
c 
 
 HYMNS FOR EVENING WORSHIP. -iJi 
 
 17th Evening. L. M. Pascal. Old Ei:r,d::rt 
 
 lOME, let us sing the song of songs, — 
 The saints in laeaven began the strf.!r>. -- 
 The homage which to Ciirist belongs : 
 " Worthy the Lamb, for lie was slain ! 
 
 Slain to redeem us by His blood, 
 
 To cleanse from every sinful stain. 
 And make us kings and priests to God ; 
 
 •♦ Worthy the Lamb, for He was slain I ** 
 
 To Him who suffered on the tree. 
 
 Our souls, at His soul's price, to gain. 
 
 Blessing, and praise, and glory be : 
 
 " Worthy the Lamb, for He was slain ! " 
 
 ISin Evening. C. M. Tiverton. Farrant 
 
 EXPAND Thy wings, celestial Dove, 
 Brood o'er our nature's night ; 
 On our disordered spirits move. 
 And let there now be light. 
 
 God, through Himself, we then shall know, 
 
 If Thou within us shine ; 
 And sound, with all Thy saints below. 
 
 The depths of love divine. 
 
 19Tn Evening. L. M. Neapolis. DkU i^irt^H 
 
 LORD, when my thoughts with wonder roll 
 O'er the sharp sorrows of Thy soU'. 
 And read my Maker's broken laws. 
 Repaired and honored by Thy cross, — 
 
 When I behold death, hell, and sin. 
 Vanquished by that dear blood of Thine, 
 And see the Man that groaned and died 
 Sit glorious by His Father's side, — 
 
 My passions rise and soar above, 
 
 I'm winged with faith, and fired with love , 
 
 Fain would I reach eternal things. 
 
 And learn th'^ notes that G'^briel sings. 
 
392 HYMNS FOK EVENING WOKSHIJ?. 
 
 20th Evening. S. M. Prague. St. MicJuieTt 
 
 rr^HOU art gone up on high, 
 JL To mansions in the skies ; 
 And round Thy throne unceasingly 
 The songs of praise arise. 
 
 Thou art gone up on high ; 
 But Thou didst first come down, 
 Through earth's most bitter agony 
 To pass unto Thy crown. 
 
 But we are lingering here 
 With sin and care oppressed ; 
 Lord, send Thy promised Comforter, 
 And lead us to Thy rest. 
 
 21sT Etentng. C. M. Arlington, Anrin. 
 
 THERE is a Shepherd kind and strong, 
 Still watchful for His sheep ; 
 Nor shall the infernal lion rend 
 Whom He vouchsafes to keep. 
 
 Blest Jesus, intercede for us, 
 
 That we may fall no more ; 
 Oh, raise us, when we prostrate lie, 
 
 And comfort lost restore. 
 
 22d E'^ning. S. M. Arran. BTiirland 
 
 lOME, Lord, and tarry not ; 
 
 Bring the long-looked-for day ; 
 Oh, why these years of waiting here. 
 These ages of delay ? 
 
 c 
 
 Come, for Thy saints still wait ; 
 Daily ascends their sigh ; 
 The Spirit and the bride say, Come ; 
 Dost Thou not hear the cry ? 
 
 Come, for creation groans, 
 Impatient of Thy stay. 
 Worn out with these long years cf ill. 
 These ages of delay. 
 
HYMNS 70R EVENING ■WORSHIP. 395 
 
 23d Evening. Vs. Kiel. Rctiabc-i 
 
 IIOUT, believer, to thy God ; 
 IIo hath once the vine-press trod, 
 Peace procured by blocd divine, 
 Cancelled all thy sins and mine. 
 
 S' 
 
 Here thy bleeding wounds are healed, 
 Sin condemned and pardon sealed ; 
 Grace her empire still maintains ; 
 Love without a rival reigns. 
 
 In thy Surety thou art free ; 
 His dear hands were pierced for thee ; 
 With His spotless vesture on, 
 Holy as the Holy One ! 
 
 Oh, the heights and depths of grace I 
 Shining with meridian blaze ; 
 Here the sacred records show 
 Sinners black, but comely too. 
 
 
 
 24th Evening. 8, 7, 4. Vesper. Bousteatk 
 
 THOU long expected ! Weary 
 Waits mine anxious soul for Thee ; 
 Life is dark and earth is dreary 
 Where Thy light I do not see ; 
 
 my Saviour, 
 When wilt Thou return to me ? 
 
 Long, too long, in sin and sadness. 
 Far away from Thee I pine, 
 
 When, oh, when, shall I the gladnesa 
 Of thy spirit feel in mine ? 
 
 my Saviour, 
 When shall I be wholly Thine ? 
 
 Nearer is my soul's salvation ; 
 
 Spent the night, the day at hand ; 
 Keep me in my lowly station. 
 
 Watching for Thee, till I stand, 
 my Saviour. 
 
 In Thy bright and promised land. 
 
894 HTMKS FOK EVENINO WOKSHIP. . 
 
 26rfl lIV'SiW^G. 7'8, Eatishon. German TTymn, 
 
 IN the Lord I put my trust ; 
 He is gentle, He is just. 
 He my strength is. He my song, 
 And my crown will be ere long. 
 
 He may chasten and correct. 
 But He never can neglect ; 
 May in faithfulness reprove. 
 But He ne'er can cease to love. 
 
 While in Him my trust is true, 
 Fear not I what man can do ; 
 Joy and health with me abide 
 While the Lord is on my side. 
 
 26th Evening. 8, 7. Eaydn':. Benediction, 
 
 THOUGH the Bridegroom be delaying, 
 Yet His hand is on the door ; 
 When He comes. His second staying 
 Will be with us evermore. 
 
 T 
 
 my blessed Saviour, yearning 
 As my spirit doth for Thee, 
 
 May my lamp be bright and burning 
 When Thou comest unto me. 
 
 27th Evening. C. M. Bedford. Eensbury 
 
 ^OR me vouchsafed th' unspotted Lafkib 
 His Father's wrath to bear ; 
 I see His feet, and read my name 
 Engraven deeply there. 
 
 F* 
 
 Fi,rth from the Lord His gushing blood 
 
 In purple currents ran ; 
 And every wound proclaimed aloud 
 
 His wondrous love to man. 
 
 For me the Saviour's blood avails, 
 
 Almighty to atone ; 
 The hands He gave to piercing nails 
 
 Shall lead me to His throne. 
 
HTMN8 FOn EVENING WOKSHIP. 8*1 > 
 
 28th Evening. 7'8. liatisbon. Il-zrf^ 
 
 SONS of peace, redeemed by blood. 
 Raise your songs to Zion's God ; 
 Made from condemnation free, 
 Grace triumphant sing with me. 
 
 Calvary's wonders let us trace. 
 Justice magnified in grace ; 
 Mark the purple streams, and say. 
 Thus my sins were washed away. 
 
 Wrath divine no more we dread ; 
 Vengeance smote our Surety's head : 
 Legal claims are fully met ; 
 Jesus p9.id the dreadful debt. 
 
 a9TH Ev2n:ng. C. M. Evan. Lancattet 
 
 OH, see how Jesus trusts Himself 
 Unto our childish love, 
 As though by His free ways with us 
 Our earnestness to prove ! 
 
 His sacred name a common word 
 
 On earth He loves to hear ; 
 There is no majesty in Him 
 
 Which love may not come near. 
 
 The light of love is round His feet. 
 
 His paths are never dim ; 
 And He comes nigh to us when we 
 
 Dare not come nigh to Him. 
 
 Let us be simple with Him, then. 
 
 Not backward, stiif, or cold, 
 As though our Bethlehem could be 
 
 What Sina was of old. 
 
396 
 
 HYMNS FOR EYENINQ WORSHIP. 
 
 30th Evening. C. M, 
 
 Jacks "m's nenshui^ 
 
 JESUS, my Saviour, is enough 
 When all is gone and spent ; 
 He fills and over-fills my soul ; 
 Thus I am pure content. 
 
 My covenant with flesh and blood. 
 
 And every sinful thing. 
 Is broken, and is steadfast made 
 
 With Jesus Christ my King. 
 
 Vanish from me, ye objects vain. 
 
 Ail scenes of lower kind ; 
 A pleasure equal to my wish 
 
 In God alone I find. 
 
 Sl^V EVJJNINQ. T;. M. 
 
 Melcojnbe. WinchitU 
 
 I THIRST, but not as once I did. 
 The vain delights of earth to share : 
 Thy wounds, Immanuel, all forbid 
 
 That I should seek my pleasures there. 
 
 It was the sight of Thy dear cross 
 
 First weaned my soul from earthly things. 
 
 And taught me to esteem as dross 
 
 The mirth of fools and pomp of kings. 
 
 Dear fountain of delight unknown, 
 No longer sink below the brim ; 
 
 But overflow, and pour me down 
 A living and life-giving streav 
 
INDEX. 
 
 OEKEBI8. 
 
 JOSHUA. 
 
 
 2 crnLOicout:. 
 
 Olup. ft VerM 
 
 Page 
 
 Chap. & Verae 
 
 FbRB 
 
 Ch&p. & Verse 
 
 riif 
 
 L4. . . 
 
 . . 6 
 
 i. 7 
 
 132 
 
 XXX. 27 . . 
 
 . £10 
 
 i. 4 . 
 
 
 . . 192 
 
 vi. 26 . . . . 
 
 150 
 
 xxxl. 21 . . 
 
 . 15 
 
 i. 5. . 
 
 
 . . 193 
 
 XX. 3 . . . . 
 
 35 
 
 xxxii. 31 . . 
 
 . 182 
 
 iii. 8 . 
 
 
 . . 184 
 
 
 
 
 
 Fiii. 9 . 
 
 
 . . 178 
 
 JUDGES. 
 
 
 NEIIKMIAD 
 
 . 
 
 viii. 9 . 
 
 
 . . 73 
 
 xr. 18 . . . . 
 
 21 
 
 111. 8 . . . 
 
 . 236 
 
 viii. 11 
 
 
 . . 29 
 
 
 
 Iii. 15 . . . 
 
 . 103 
 
 ix. 14 . 
 
 
 . 227 
 
 KUTH. 
 
 
 ix. 20 . . . 
 
 . 47 
 
 ix. 15 . 
 
 
 . . 228 
 
 11. 3 .... 
 
 801 
 
 
 
 Kxix. 26 
 
 
 . 321 
 
 11. 14 . . . . 
 
 79 
 
 
 
 Kxxii. 12 
 
 
 . 109 
 
 11. 17 . . . . 
 
 216 
 
 X.3 ... 
 
 . 236 
 
 XXXV. 18 
 
 
 . . 68 
 
 
 
 xlii. 2 . 
 
 
 . 142 
 
 1 SAMUEL. 
 
 
 
 
 xlii. 8 
 
 
 4 
 
 i. 27 . . . . 
 
 265 
 
 JOS. 
 
 
 xlvi. 3, 4 
 
 
 . 133 
 
 XV. 22 ... . 
 
 294 
 
 1.5. . 
 
 
 . C.62 
 
 
 
 xviil. 17 . . . 
 
 111 
 
 i. 9. . 
 
 
 22 
 
 EXODC 
 
 8. 
 
 XXX. 13 . . . 
 
 72 
 
 vii. 12 
 
 
 262 
 
 Ui. 7 , . 
 
 . 229 
 
 
 
 xiii. 23 
 
 
 . 189 
 
 vii. 12 . . 
 
 . 181 
 
 2 SAMUEL. 
 
 
 xiv. 1 . 
 
 
 . 70 
 
 xvii. 12 . . 
 
 . 107 
 
 i. 26 . . . . 
 
 32 
 
 xiv. 14 
 
 
 127 
 
 xxii. 6 
 
 . 239 
 
 11. 26 . . . . 
 
 307 
 
 xix. 26 
 
 
 lor 
 
 xxxiv. 20 
 
 . 291 
 
 ix. 8 . . . . 
 
 148 
 
 xxii. 21 
 
 
 . 129 
 
 XXXV. 8 . . 
 
 . 336 
 
 xl. 2 . . . . 
 
 17 
 
 xxiii. 3 
 
 
 326 
 
 
 
 xvlii. 23 . . . 
 
 81 
 
 XXXV. 10 
 
 
 295 
 
 LBVITIC 
 
 us. 
 
 xxl. 10 . . . 
 
 91 
 
 xxxvl. 2 
 
 
 12 
 
 i. 4 ... 
 
 . 104 
 
 
 
 xxxvlii. 16 . 
 
 251 
 
 xiii. 13 . . 
 
 . 67 
 
 1 KIKGS. 
 
 
 xxxviii. 31 . 
 
 81 
 
 xix. 36 . . 
 
 . 250 
 
 xvli. 16 . . . 
 
 59 
 
 
 
 
 
 xviil. 40 . . . 
 
 200 
 
 PSALMS. 
 
 
 NDMBE] 
 
 SB. 
 
 xvlll. 43 . . . 
 
 274 
 
 V. 8 ... 
 
 257 
 
 Ti. 4 . . . 
 
 . 244 
 
 xix. 4 . . . . 
 
 140 
 
 X. 16 . 
 
 
 118 
 
 xi. 23 . . 
 
 . 
 
 . 160 
 
 
 
 xi. I . 
 
 
 249 
 
 xii. 1 . . 
 
 . 
 
 . 282 
 
 2 KINGS. 
 
 
 xviil. 35 . 
 
 
 100 
 
 xxi. 17 . 
 
 . 
 
 . 109 
 
 ill. 16, 17 . . 
 
 137 
 
 xlx. 13 
 
 
 76 
 
 xxxii. 6 . 
 
 , 
 
 . 219 
 
 vi. 9 . . . . 
 
 13 
 
 xxiii. 3 
 
 
 326 
 
 
 
 
 
 xxiii. 4 . 
 
 
 99 
 
 DEUTEKOH 
 
 OMY. 
 
 1 CHROMCLES 
 
 
 xxiv. 4 
 
 
 187 
 
 i. 38 . . . 
 
 . 263 
 
 iv. 22 . . . . 
 
 " 33 
 
 xxiv. 8 . 
 
 
 840 
 
 xxxii. 5 . 
 
 . 
 
 . 859 
 
 ix. 33 . . . . 
 
 214 
 
 vxv. 6 
 
 
 191 
 
 84 
 
 897 
 
898 
 
 PSALMS. 
 Chap. & «rte 
 XXV. 1 ( 
 
 xxvi. V 
 xxvii. ' 
 xxviii. I 
 xxviii. ft 
 xxxi. 4 
 xxxi. 6 
 xxxil. 5 
 XXXV. 3 
 xxxvi. 8 
 xxxvi. 9 
 xxxvi. 9 
 xxxviii. k 
 xxxix. 1 
 xlii. 9 . 
 xlv. 8 . 
 xlvi. 1 
 xlvii. 4 
 li. 14 . 
 Ivi. 9 . 
 Ixi. 2 . 
 -xi. 7 . 
 Ixii. 8 . 
 Ixv, 11 
 Ixviii. 10 
 Ixviii. 28 
 Ixxii. 19 
 Ixxiv. 16 
 Lxxvi. 3 
 Ixxxiv. 11 
 xci. 5 . 
 xciii. 2 
 c. 2 . 
 c. 4 . 
 ci. 1 . 
 cii. 13, 14 
 ciii. 3 . 
 cvii. 8 . . 
 cix. 4 . . 
 cxiii. 8 
 cxviii. 8 . 
 cxviii. 12 
 cxix. 37 , 
 cxix. 53 . 
 cxix. 57 . 
 cxxxix. 17 
 cxlviii. 14 
 cxlLx. 4 
 
 102 
 267 
 168 
 185 
 106 
 234 
 242 
 260 
 
 65 
 
 64 
 311 
 292 
 165 
 
 74 
 204 
 
 46 
 124 
 318 
 
 98 
 196 
 268 
 
 43 
 247 
 215 
 345 
 322 
 220 
 360 
 163 
 277 
 113 
 325 
 9 
 312 
 268 
 199 
 152 
 388 
 
 15 
 209 
 
 67 
 
 97 
 
 20 
 309 
 134 
 121 
 261 
 120 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 
 
 
 PROVERBS 
 
 
 IBAIAH. 
 
 Chap. & Verse 
 
 Page 
 
 Chap. & Yeiat 
 
 Pagt 
 
 XV. 33 . . 
 
 96 
 
 xli. 9 . 
 
 . . 138 
 
 xvi. 20 . . 
 
 126 
 
 xliii. 6 
 
 . . 296 
 
 xviii. 12 . . 
 
 66 
 
 xliii. 24 
 
 . . 144 
 
 xxiv. 33, 34 . 
 
 331 
 
 xliv. 22 
 
 . , 41 
 
 xxvii. 23 . . 
 
 355 
 
 xlv. 19 
 
 . . 236 
 
 XXX. 8 . . 
 
 165 
 
 xlviii. 8 
 
 . . . 353 
 
 XXX. 26 . . 
 
 327 
 
 li. 3 . 
 
 . . 153 
 
 
 
 liii. 6 . 
 
 . . . 94 
 
 ECCLESIASTES. 
 
 liii. 10 
 
 . . 93 
 
 i. 7 . . . . 
 
 302 
 
 liv. 1 . 
 
 . . 243 
 
 i. 14 . . . 
 
 339 
 
 liv. 11 . 
 
 . . 352 
 
 ix. 4 . . . 
 
 276 
 
 liv. 12 
 
 . . 350 
 
 X. 9 ... 
 
 324 
 
 Ivii. 18 
 
 . . 245 
 
 xi. 6 . . . 
 
 266 
 
 Iviii. 11 
 
 . . . 864 
 
 
 
 Ixii. 12 
 
 . . 71 
 
 CANTICLES 
 
 
 Ixiv. 6 
 
 . . 303 
 
 i. 2 ... 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 i. 4 ... 
 
 1 
 
 JEREMIAH. 
 
 i. 4 .... 
 
 23 
 
 ii. 18 . 
 
 . . 203 
 
 i. 7 ... 
 
 34 
 
 viii. 20 
 
 . . 368 
 
 i. 16 . . . 
 
 143 
 
 XV. 21 . 
 
 . . 286 
 
 ii. 1 ... 
 
 122 
 
 xvii. 14 
 
 . . 245 
 
 ii. 12 . . . 
 
 116 
 
 xxxii. 17 
 
 . . 183 
 
 ii. 16, 17 . . 
 
 171 
 
 xlix. 23 
 
 . . 253 
 
 iii. 4 . . . 
 
 275 
 
 
 
 iv. 12 . . . 
 
 7 
 
 LAMENTATIONS. 
 
 V. 1 .... 
 
 170 
 
 iii. 21 . 
 
 . . 149 
 
 V. 2 .... 
 
 270 
 
 iii. 40. 
 
 . . 90 
 
 V. 4 .... 
 
 273 
 
 
 
 V. 6 .... 
 
 89 
 
 EZEEIEL. 
 
 V. 11 . . . . 
 
 304 
 
 iii. 7 . 
 
 . . 119 
 
 vii. 11, 12 . 
 
 130 
 
 xvi. 6 . 
 
 . . 190 
 
 viii. 6 ... 
 
 289 
 
 xvi. 10 
 
 . . 378 
 
 viii. 13 . . . 
 
 306 
 
 XX. 41 . 
 
 . . 88 
 
 
 
 xxxiii. 22 
 
 . . 6 
 
 ISAIAH. 
 
 
 XXXV. 10 
 
 . . 48 
 
 ii. 3 .... 
 
 95 
 
 xxxvi. 26 
 
 . . 230 
 
 iii. 10 ... . 
 
 105 
 
 
 
 xxvi. 4 . . . 
 
 188 
 
 DAI 
 
 aEL. 
 
 xxxii. 18 . . . 
 
 346 
 
 iii. 16, 18 
 
 . . 177 
 
 xxxiii. 16 . . 
 
 316 
 
 ix. 8 . 
 
 . . 166 
 
 xxxiii. 17 . . 
 
 323 
 
 ix. 26 . 
 
 . . 16 
 
 xxxvi. 5 . . . 
 
 283 
 
 X. 11 . 
 
 . . 278 
 
 xl. 6 . . . . 
 
 361 
 
 
 
 xl. 9 . . . . 
 
 330 
 
 HO 
 
 SBA. 
 
 xl. 11 . . . 
 
 135 
 
 V. 7 . . 
 
 849 
 
 xl. 11 . . . . 
 
 293 
 
 v. 15 . 
 
 208 
 
 xU. 1 . . . . 
 
 2 
 
 X. 12 . 
 
 . . 92 
 
IKBEX. 
 
 399 
 
 HOSBk. 
 
 
 HARB 
 
 . 
 
 
 JOHN 
 
 . 
 
 Ch«p. «i Vtn* P«(fe 
 
 Chan. * Verne Page 
 
 Chip. & Verse 
 
 P»K» 
 
 xi. 4 141 
 
 i. 18 .... 173 
 
 xii. 2 . . 
 
 . 328 
 
 riu. 5 . . . . 807 
 
 viii. 38 
 
 
 
 80 
 
 xii. 21 
 
 . 108 
 
 
 ix. 15 . 
 
 
 
 241 
 
 xiii. 5 . . 
 
 . 300 
 
 JOEL. 
 
 ix. 23 . 
 
 
 
 222 
 
 xiv. 26 . 
 
 . 288 
 
 i.8 .... 194 
 
 ix. 23 . 
 
 
 
 209 
 
 XV. 4 . . 
 
 . 69 
 
 u. 8 201 
 
 X. 21 . 
 
 
 
 64 
 
 XV. 9 . . 
 
 . . 78 
 
 ki. 11 . . . . 207 
 
 xiv. 14 
 
 
 
 315 
 
 xvi. 16 
 
 . 298 
 
 
 XV. 23 
 
 
 
 233 
 
 xvii. 24 . 
 
 . 82 
 
 JONAH. 
 
 xvi. 9 . 
 
 
 
 198 
 
 xix. 6 . . 
 
 . 205 
 
 L3 .... 56 
 
 xvi. 9 . 
 xvi. 16 
 
 
 
 223 
 281 
 
 ACTS 
 
 
 MICAB. 
 
 
 i.8 . . 
 
 . 814 
 
 r. 2 .... 68 
 
 LUKE. 
 
 viii. 30 . 
 
 . . 62 
 
 
 ii. 18 20 
 
 viii. 37 . 
 
 . . 24C 
 
 NAHUM. 
 
 ii. 19 . 
 
 
 
 27 
 
 X. 38 . . 
 
 . 211 
 
 i.8 .... 53 
 
 ii. 20 . 
 
 
 
 28 
 
 xiv. 22 . 
 
 . . 147 
 
 
 iii. 4 . 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 xvi. 14 . 
 
 . 347 
 
 BABAKKUK. 
 
 vi. 12 . 
 
 
 
 819 
 
 xxvii. 23 . 
 
 . 101 
 
 i.8 ... . 256 
 
 viii. 42 
 
 
 
 217 
 
 
 
 
 viii. 47 
 
 
 
 45 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 HAGOAI. 
 
 x. 21 . 
 
 
 
 84 
 
 iii. 31 . . 
 
 . 26 
 
 U. 17 . . . . 218 
 
 x. 40 . 
 
 
 
 24 
 
 vi. . . 
 
 . 151 
 
 
 xi. 4 . 
 
 
 
 40 
 
 viii. 1 . . 
 
 44 
 
 ZECOARIAH. 
 
 XV, 2 . 
 
 
 
 250 
 
 viii. 23 
 
 . 341 
 
 i. 12, 13 . . . 55 
 
 XV. 18 
 
 
 
 49 
 
 viii. 23 . 
 
 . 231 
 
 i. 20 . . . 
 
 312 
 
 xviii. 1 
 
 
 
 . 320 
 
 viii. 23 . 
 
 170 
 
 iv. 10 . . . 
 
 333 
 
 xix. 40 
 
 
 
 83 
 
 viii. 30 . 
 
 . 287 
 
 xi. 2 . . . 
 
 272 
 
 xxii. 32 
 
 
 
 11 
 
 viii. 33 . 
 
 . 210 
 
 
 
 xxii. 46 
 
 
 
 299 
 
 viii. 34 . 
 
 . 112 
 
 MATTUBW 
 
 
 xxiv. 27 
 
 
 
 18 
 
 ix. 15 . . 
 
 . 832 
 
 i. 21 . . . 
 
 39 
 
 xxiv. 16 
 
 
 
 305 
 
 xii. 2 . . . 
 
 . 290 
 
 ui. 10 . 
 
 
 
 63 
 
 xxiv. 33, ; 
 
 15 
 
 
 . 140 
 
 
 
 IT. 1 . 
 
 
 
 51 
 
 xxiv. 38 
 
 
 
 297 
 
 1 CORINTI 
 
 HANS. 
 
 V. 9 . 
 
 
 
 77 
 
 xxiv. 46 
 
 
 
 19 
 
 i. 30 . . 
 
 . 271 
 
 ix. 6 . 
 
 
 
 224 
 
 
 ii. 12 . . . 
 
 . 60 
 
 X. 25 . 
 
 
 
 . 317 
 
 JOHN. 
 
 vii. 20 . 
 
 . 180 
 
 X. 34 . 
 
 
 
 864 
 
 i. 14 . . . . 131 
 
 ix. 22 . . 
 
 . 344 
 
 xi. 25 . 
 
 
 
 36 
 
 i. 41 . 
 
 
 
 50 
 
 
 
 xii. 20 
 
 
 
 202 
 
 iii. 13 . 
 
 
 
 85 
 
 2 CORINTI 
 
 I LANS. 
 
 xiv. 30 
 
 
 
 14 
 
 iv. 48 . 
 
 
 
 . 248 
 
 xi. 22 . . 
 
 . 158 
 
 XV. 23 
 
 
 
 285 
 
 V. 8 . 
 
 
 
 128 
 
 
 
 XV. 27 
 
 
 
 87 
 
 V. 39 . 
 
 
 
 101 
 
 QALATIi 
 
 LN8. 
 
 xix. le 
 
 
 
 164 
 
 V. 39 . 
 
 
 
 102 
 
 ii. 20 . . 
 
 , 361 
 
 XX. 8 . 
 
 
 
 . 357 
 
 vi. 37 . 
 
 
 
 212 
 
 V. 18 . . 
 
 . 262 
 
 xxii. 42 
 
 
 
 366 
 
 vi. 37 . 
 
 
 
 213 
 
 
 
 xxiv. 39 
 
 
 
 308 
 
 X. 9 . 
 
 
 
 354 
 
 EPHESIi 
 
 LN8. 
 
 xxviii. 1 
 
 
 197 
 
 X. 27 . 
 
 
 204 
 
 i. 7. . . 
 
 . 834 
 
 zxviii. 20 
 
 
 
 363 
 
 xi. 4 . 
 
 
 
 232 
 
 i. 11 . . 
 
 . 80 
 
400 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 ZPBE8IAN8 
 Cha(i. It Verte 
 
 i. Id, 20 
 iii. 8 . 
 iii. 8 . 
 iii. 17 . 
 V. 25 . 
 
 PHtLipp: 
 
 .. 27 . 
 ii. 8 . , 
 iii. 10 . , 
 
 ANS. 
 
 Pugf, 
 
 254 
 
 62 
 
 237 
 
 238 
 
 80 
 
 146 
 155 
 
 329 
 
 COLOSSIANS. 
 
 iii. 24 . . . . 348 
 
 1 THES8ALOMAM6. 
 
 ii. 18 . . . . 221 
 
 2 THESSALOHIANS. 
 
 ii. 16 . . . . 225 
 
 1 TUfOTHT. 
 U. IS . . . . 156 
 
 2 TIMOTHT. 
 
 Cbip & Verse 
 
 i. 9 .... 
 ii. 12 . . . . 
 ii. 19 . . . . 
 iy. IS . . . . 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 ii. 18 
 
 ix. 20 
 xi. 13 , 
 
 xii. 11 
 xii. 23 
 xii. 27 
 
 V. 16 . 
 
 1 PETEH. 
 
 i. 23 
 
 . . . 
 
 ii. 7 
 
 . . . 
 
 
 2 PETER. 
 
 1.4 
 
 Pace 
 
 164 
 186 
 174 
 196 
 
 279 
 313 
 123 
 139 
 136 
 175 
 
 37 
 
 125 
 61 
 
 179 
 
 i JOHM 
 
 
 Chap. St Vent 
 
 rtt 
 
 i. 7 ... 
 
 246 
 
 i. 7 . . . . 
 
 206 
 
 ii. 1 . . . . 
 
 280 
 
 iv. 8 . . . . 
 
 167 
 
 ii\j isr-v 
 
 REVELATIOS 
 
 i. 13 . . 
 
 . 84S 
 
 ii. 4 . . 
 
 . . 42 
 
 iii. 7 . . 
 
 . 167 
 
 iii. 14 . . 
 
 . 110 
 
 iii. 19 . . 
 
 . 169 
 
 iii. 20 . . 
 
 . 116 
 
 iv. 4 . . 
 
 . 266 
 
 V. 6 . . 
 
 . 114 
 
 xi. 12 . . 
 
 . 38 
 
 xii. 7 . . 
 
 . 337 
 
 xvi. 16 . 
 
 . 117 
 
 xxi. 1 . . 
 
 . 861 
 
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