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Love.

"GOD is love" (1 John iv, 16). His children please Him only so far as they are like Him, and "walk in love" (Eph. v: 2).

True heavenly love has its life and root in the cross of Christ; it has the single eye, and is its own recompense; endures ingratitude, and survives indifference and contempt; has quick sense of wrongs, but is ready to forgive; and covers a multitude of sins. The love we speak of is meek and lowly; behaves itself wisely and edifies; bearing with the foolish and self-conceited, while it shuns their folly. This holy love is the durable work of the Spirit of God: it proves faithful in wintry days; and, ever ready to "rejoice with them that do rejoice," adds gladness to their days of sunshine.

If we would so love all saints as to please God, we must bear ill mind that their names are written in heaven and on Christ's heart; otherwise we shall love some because they are, lovely, and dislike others because of their blemishes.

We only know the heart and thoughts of others by proof of word or deed. If a brother wound us, we should first hear him, and hear him thoroughly, before we judge him to be in fault; but in many cases we may find ourselves not less to blame than our brother.

The "more excellent way" is love, which beareth all things, hopeth all things, imputeth no evil. Nevertheless, if love see a fault, love will reprove n faithfulness the fault it sees. I say sees, for love is discerning, and love is faithful. I cannot but deal in such faithful­ness with all my brethren, and entreat them to smite me in like manner, which, indeed, is to anoint my head with" excellent oil." (Ps. cxli.5.)

If we delight in God's glory, we shall delight to honour those whom God honours, and shall ourselves be no losers thereby.

Justice and Judgment.

 EVERY man stands before God on the ground of justice. The unregenerate sinner stands in his own name, and obtains death, "the wages of sin:" the believing sinner stands in the name of Jesus; and because sin was borne by the Lord Jesus, and justice satisfied, has everlasting life.

As deeds and thoughts of wicked men do now appear to the all-seeing eye of God, so will He represent them to their memory and conscience at the great day: the offender will be chief witness against himself.

The children of God enter heaven, not by sufferance, but by right and title: the justice of God demands it, because Christ has died and is risen.

The justice of God can never show mercy where sin is imputed. No mercy, therefore, was shown to Christ. As the sinner's Surety He drank the cup of vengeance to the dregs; and now the cup He gives us overflows with blessings.

Christ never keeps a man outside who knocks at His door; but those who will not come as beggars, who are blinded by pride, self-will, and unbelief,-how can they complain if sent empty away?

 

The Love of God.

WE speak of Christ showing His love by the death of the Cross; let us also evermore consider the Father's love, in whose hand was the sword. Oh, the yearnings of His heart, when He was bruising the Son of His love!

The children of God ought to count it their chief joy, in drawing nigh to God, that they have His ear and heart. Great is the difference between a child of God confiding in Him, and a child of God full of petitions and burdens, but doubting God until some outward deli­verance be granted. The character of God and His love demand our perfect trust at all times.

The love of God is not purchased for us by the blood of Christ. That love springs up out of God's own heart and nature. Self-moved, He sent His Son.

We could not be the object of the Father's love, which is from everlasting to everlasting, but as chosen in Christ. He loves us with love perfect and unchangeable.

 

The Heart and its Deceitfulness.

DAVID would never have fallen into gross outward sin, had he not been too familiar with it in his heart; there had the evil been oft-times committed before it broke out in the wicked deed. Nor would he have numbered the people, had he not first strayed from the presence of God and so become puffed up with pride. (2 Sam. xi.; 1 Chron, xxi.)

Saints rarely see the guilt of a murmuring, unbelieving spirit, while they do feel the dis­comfort and weakness it brings with it. How great the deceitfulness of sin that can hide such guilt from the conscience of a child of God.

The Lord would have us all deal truly with our state, and with our hearts. We cannot otherwise deal truly with Him.

When we desire any special guidance, let us look first at the state of our heart: we have natural reason; let us take heed that we put it not into the hands of the devil by self-will, but into the hands of God.

The mistake of ignorance is one thing; the darkness of self-will is another. There may be the former though the eye be single, but not the latter.

It is good for a child of God to search his heart, that he may know whether it is by nature or by grace that he is kept from out­ward evil. Fear of shame, love of reputation, power of conscience, natural affection, self-interest, greatly preserve the unregenerate from the commission of sin; and may in part also keep the children of God from defiling their garments; but it is only by the power of grace, and when the heart keeps the life, that our "good conversation" is a sweet savour to God.

The great outlet of sin is the tongue; the great inlets of temptation are the ear and eye; but of the whole body the heart is mistress. Therefore let grace rule the heart, and the whole man shall he subject.

 

The Form of Godliness.

THE enmity of the carnal mind is wont to hide itself by imitating the outward forms of the kingdom of God. The grace of God subduing the heart to Christ is the sign of the birth from above.

The drunkard and the thief are evidently in the broad road that leadeth to destruction. The Pharisee seems to tread the narrow way, yet does but keep the clean side of the broad road.

All who build their hope of eternal life on their prayers, reading the Scriptures, and other outward works of righteousness, come short of the rest that is in Christ, and the salvation that is in Him. The sinner's hands must be emptied of all such recommendations: it is with his poverty, and his poverty only, that he must come to the crucified Son of God.

The sinner that comes with his own good works to God for eternal life, is a debtor who brings a bag of base coin of his own forging, to pay his creditor withal.

The good works of the flesh, though so well-pleasing to the carnal mind, tested by God's justice, are at the King's mint adjudged base coin.

 

Salvation, Justification, Pardon.

THE salvation of God delivers a man, not only from the guilt, but the dominion of sin, and brings him into fellowship with God. This salvation is preached to "every creature" under heaven; and it Ieaves without excuse everyone who does not receive it.

"What shall I do ?" says the sinner, Alas! man has done his work completely-the work of self-destruction. Christ has wrought a perfect work-the work of redemption for the salva­tion of the inexcusably guilty, the utterly lost.

God justifies the sinner believing. When God pardons, He justifies. Man may pardon; he cannot blot out. God alone can justify; and he justifies by Christ, who was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteous­ness of God in Him.

Had the Lord waited ere He came into this world till men knew their own sickness, then would pride and ignorance have shut Him out for ever.

God, in self-moved love, sent His own Son to save the lost.

The poor sinner, fleeing to Christ for salvation, cannot possibly be overtaken by the sword of the avenger, because that poor sinner is taught by the Spirit of God, and is drawn by God's loving-kindness to the Saviour Christ. Great may be his fear and perplexity; but he is safe from curse in Christ the City of Refuge. God sees him already there, while he himself doubts of reaching it.

"How can I be pardoned?" says the poor self-condemned sinner. "How can I not pardon?" says God. The sinner looks at his sins; but God looks at His Son's atoning blood, Sinner, do thou likewise.

I was slain and hanged on the cross eighteen hundred years ago with Christ. (Gal. iii 20.) Did He rise? Yes. Therefore I am risen.  The Christian is a dead and buried man, and, also risen. As a child of Adam, dead and buried ; as a child of God, risen with Christ: the world is crucified to him, and he is crucified to the world. Satan ever aims to raise the dead, and bury the living.