August 22, 1869

A Door Opened in Heaven   “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven.” — Revelation iv. I.   How highly favoured was the apostle John! While his Master was on earth he was the favoured disciple, permitted to lean his head upon his bosom, as a token of the most familiar and loving intercourse. …

Revelation:4:1

August 15, 1869

Serving the Lord   “Serving the Lord.”— Romans xii. 11.   THE harmony of Scripture is admirable. Everything is proportionate and balanced. He who weighed the mountains in scales has had a clear eye to the adjustment of truth in his word. Within these pages you find a sufficiency of doctrine, for it is the basis of practice; you …

Romans:12:11

August 8, 1869

Help for Seekers of the Light   “We wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness.” Isaiah lix. 9.   ISRAEL had greatly revolted from her God, and in consequence she had brought upon herself great sorrow. Still, instead of repenting of their faults, and returning to their allegiance to Jehovah, the nation continued to …

Isaiah:59:9

August 1, 1869

Multitudinous Thoughts and Sacred Comforts    “In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.”— Psalm xciv. 19   IF man were a mere animal, his joy and sorrow would depend entirely upon outward things. Let but the trough be full, and the swine are happy; let the pasture be abundant, and the sheep are …

Psalms:94:19

July 18, 1869

The Believer a New Creature “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.” — 2 Corinthians v. 17. THIS text is exceedingly full of matter, and might require many treatises, and even multitudes of folios, to bring forth all its meaning. Holy Scripture is notably sententious. Human teachers are given to verbiage; we …

2 Corinthians:5:17

July 11, 1869

The Former and the Latter Rain   “Let us now fear the Lord our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.”— Jeremiah 5:24.   SUCH are the climate and soil of Palestine, that all agricultural operations are most manifestly dependent upon the periodical …

Jeremiah:5:24

July 8, 1869

A Safe Prospective   “At the time appointed the end shall be.” — Daniel viii. 19.   HUMAN nature anxiously desires to know something of the future. If we were told to-night that we could repair to a certain spot, where we might lift the veil of our own history, and foresee the course of our own lives during …

Daniel:8:19

July 4, 1869

An Assuredly Good Thing   “It is good for me to draw near to God.” — Psalm 73:28.   WHEN a man is sick, everybody knows what is good for him. They recommend specifics by the score; salts from the earth, herbs of the field, drugs from the east, minerals from the rock, extracts, compounds, simples, cordials, decoctions, quintessences, …

Psalms:73:28

June 27, 1869

A Well-Ordered Life   “Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.” — Psalm 119:133.   THIS is not the prayer of an unconverted man, or the cry of an awakened sinner foolishly expecting to find salvation in good works; it is the prayer of one who is saved, and who knows …

Psalms:119:133

June 20, 1869

Leaning on Our Beloved   “Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?” — Solomon’s Song 8:5.   CAREFUL readers will have noticed that in the verses which precede my text , the spouse had been particularly anxious that her communion with her Lord might not be disturbed. Her language is intensely earnest, “I …

Song of Solomon:8:5