Victorious Suffering

"Out of the spoils won in battle did they dedicate to maintain the house of the Lord" (1 Chron. 26:27).

Physical force is stored in the bowels of the earth, in the coal mines, which came from the fiery heat that burned up great forests in ancient ages; and so spiritual force is stored in the depths of our being, through the very pain which we cannot understand.

Some day we shall find that the spoils we have won from our trials were just preparing us to become true "Great Hearts" in the Pilgrim's Progress, and to lead our fellow pilgrims triumphantly through trial to the city of the King.

But let us never forget that the source of helping other people must be victorious suffering. The whining, murmuring pang never does anybody any good.

Paul did not carry a cemetery with him, but a chorus of victorious praise; and the harder the trial, the more he trusted and rejoiced, shouting from the very altar of sacrifice. He said, "Yea, and if I be offered upon the service and sacrifice of your faith, I joy and rejoice with you all." Lord, help me this day to draw strength from all that comes to me! --Days of Heaven upon Earth

THE HOLINESS OF GOD (O. T.)

"Be holy, for I am holy." "I am the Lord, that made you "¡XLEV. xi. 45, xix. 2, xx. 7, 8, xxi. 8, 15, 23, xxii. 9, 16.

Nine times these words are repeated in Leviticus. Israel had to learn that as holiness is the highest and most glorious attribute of God, so it must be the marked characteristic of His people. He that would know God aright, and meet Him in secret, must above all desire to be holy as He is holy. The priests who were to have access to God had to be set apart for a life of holiness.

Even so also the prophet who was to speak for Him (Isa. vi.). Listen. "I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up. And the seraphs cried one unto another: 'Holy holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts.' " The voice of adoration; bow in deep reverence.

"Then said I: 'Woe is me, for I am undone; for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts.'" The voice of a broken, contrite heart.

Then one of the seraphim touched his mouth with a live coal from off the altar, and said; 'Lo, thine iniquity is taken from thee, and thy sin is purged.' " The voice of grace and full redemption.

Then follows the voice of God: "Whom shall I send?" And the willing answer is, "Here am I, send me." Pause with holy fear, and ask God to reveal Himself as the Holy One.

"Thus saith the high and lofty One, that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy: 'I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit.'" (Isa. Ivii. 15).

Be still, and take time and worship God in His great glory, and in that deep condescension in which He longs and offers to dwell with us and in us.

Child of God, if you would meet your Father in secret, bow low and worship Him in the glory of His holiness. Give Him time to make Himself known to you.

It is indeed an unspeakable grace to know God as the Holy One.

"Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy."

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts."

"Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness."

"Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us" (Ps. xc. 17).

A Sure Guide

"I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not"(Isaiah 42:16).

Think of the infinitely glorious Jehovah acting as a Guide to the blind! What boundless condescension does this imply! A blind man cannot find a way which he does not know. Even when he knows the road, it is hard for him to traverse it; but a road which he has not known is quite out of the question for his unguided feet. Now, we are by nature blind as to the way of salvation, and yet the LORD leads us into it and brings us to Himself, and then opens our eyes. As to the future, we are all of us blind and cannot see an hour before us; but the LORD Jesus will lead us even to our journey's end. Blessed be His name!

We cannot guess in which way deliverance can possibly come to us, but the LORD knows, and He will lead us till we shall have escaped every danger. Happy are those who place their hand in that of the great Guide and leave their way and themselves entirely with Him. He will bring them all the way; and when He has brought them home to glory and has opened their eyes to see the way by which He has led them, what a song of gratitude will they sing unto their great Benefactor! LORD, lead Thy poor blind child this day, for I know not my way!

Morning, March 23

¡§His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.¡¨(Luke 22:44)

The mental pressure arising from our Lord's struggle with temptation, so forced his frame to an unnatural excitement, that his pores sent forth great drops of blood which fell down to the ground. This proves how tremendous must have been the weight of sin when it was able to crush the Saviour so that he distilled great drops of blood! This demonstrates the mighty power of his love. It is a very pretty observation of old Isaac Ambrose that the gum which exudes from the tree without cutting is always the best. This precious camphire-tree yielded most sweet spices when it was wounded under the knotty whips, and when it was pierced by the nails on the cross; but see, it giveth forth its best spice when there is no whip, no nail, no wound. This sets forth the voluntariness of Christ's sufferings, since without a lance the blood flowed freely. No need to put on the leech, or apply the knife; it flows spontaneously. No need for the rulers to cry, ¡§Spring up, O well;¡¨ of itself it flows in crimson torrents. If men suffer great pain of mind apparently the blood rushes to the heart. The cheeks are pale; a fainting fit comes on; the blood has gone inward as if to nourish the inner man while passing through its trial. But see our Saviour in his agony; he is so utterly oblivious of self, that instead of his agony driving his blood to the heart to nourish himself, it drives it outward to bedew the earth. The agony of Christ, inasmuch as it pours him out upon the ground, pictures the fulness of the offering which he made for men.

Do we not perceive how intense must have been the wrestling through which he passed, and will we not hear its voice to us? ¡§Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.¡¨ Behold the great Apostle and High Priest of our profession, and sweat even to blood rather than yield to the great tempter of your souls.

Evening, March 23

¡§I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.¡¨(Luke 19:40)

But could the stones cry out? Assuredly they could if he who opens the mouth of the dumb should bid them lift up their voice. Certainly if they were to speak, they would have much to testify in praise of him 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 him 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, in all that he did for his church in the days of old? If the stones were to speak, they could tell of their breaker, 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 testify 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 by Jacob the Shepherd and Stone of Israel.