THE BELIEVER'S PORTION
THE BELIEVER'S PORTION
"He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" Romans 8:32
Who can grasp the fullness of this revelation of mercy? The Possessor of all things, if we are his children through the Son of his love, will freely give us all things! We cannot possess a greater gift than the Creator himself; and this gift shall be ours if we truly believe. Paul, whose heart glowed with love, has assured us of this; "You are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus." "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ." To confirm this precious truth, the adorable Savior has promised; "He who overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my Son." "To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne."
What a boundless prospect of glory lies before the humblest believer in Jesus! However low he may appear in the eyes of the great ones of the earth, he is beheld as a KING'S SON by the inhabitants of heaven. It is truly a blessed sight to behold the poor, "rich in faith," and the rich, "poor in spirit." "The rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the maker of them all." For both, the same Savior is provided, the same Spirit offered, the same volume written, the same promises are given, and for both the same heaven is prepared. All stand on the same level before God. The rich and the poor are liable to the same diseases, to the same diversified trials and temptations. They are alike hastening to the same dust of death, to the same bar of judgment, to the same eternity, to the same abodes of bliss or misery. Shall, then, the foot of pride spurn away the lowly Lazarus? It may; but, before long, when death shall lay the despiser and the despised in the grave, the one, though here the child of poverty, if a child of God, shall shine in robes of glory; while the other, though now surrounded by the glare of splendor, if an enemy of God, shall be enveloped in flames of fire. "To the poor the Gospel is preached," was one of the blessed marks of his Messiahship which Jesus gave to the messengers from John the Baptist.
A more pitiable sight cannot be seen, than a man sunk in poverty and disease, and, at the same time, sunk in the depths of sin. He has nothing but wretchedness here, and nothing but torment in the world to come. Oh! that the spirit of grace may lead every such child of woe to that friend of sinners, whose blood cleanses from all sin, and whose love can rescue the vilest who flee unto him.
The pleasure-loving sinner, having all that heart can wish, and withholding himself from no joy; casting off the fear of God, and breaking through every restraint, either of conscience or religion, is an object of deepest pity. He may, for a time, fare sumptuously, be flattered, and envied by others; but soon the pleasing dream will end. The rich and the poor, if rebels against God, though separated from each other while on earth, shall meet together in that place where wealth and poverty are disregarded, where proud distinctions shall be lost; and where all shall be blended in one common ruin.
The privileges of the believer in Jesus are treasured up in the name of Jehovah, so graciously proclaimed to Moses; "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, patient, and abundant in goodness and truth; keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin." David delighted to dwell on this precious name- "You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious; patient, and plenteous in mercy and truth." "You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all those who call upon you." "Let Israel hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption." "The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And those who know your name will put their trust in you; for you, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you."
Oh! what abundant cause have we to bless the God of our salvation, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever; who changes not. The book of Psalms is a rich treasury; a casket full of precious jewels. The experience of the true believer is there recorded with peculiar faithfulness, whether he be on the mount of praise, or in the valley of humiliation. The Church in every age has been enlightened, comforted, and strengthened by these songs of Zion.
Happy are they who can unite with David, and say, "Save your servant who trusts in you." "I cry unto you daily." "Unto you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul." "In the day of my trouble I will call upon you." If this be our prayer, then our rejoicing will be that of David; "I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; and I will glorify your name for evermore. For great is your mercy toward me; and you have delivered my soul from the lowest hell." "I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being."
The believer, thus brought into covenant with God, has access by faith into this grace wherein he stands, and can rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Being justified by faith, he has peace with God. Through the indwelling Spirit, he enjoys the peace of God. By faith he is made a child of God, and receiving the Spirit of adoption, can cry- Abba, Father. The promises are his portion. They are as wells of salvation, out of which he draws the waters of comfort. The perfections of God in Christ are his Tower of Strength. The Almighty is his shield, and his exceeding great reward. Through life, he lives in the smiles of his Savior; and through eternity, he shall dwell in his presence and glory.
Oh! my soul, are you thirsting after these blessings of grace? What can the world give you in lieu of these glories? Earthly crowns and scepters are but baubles, when compared with the unfading crown of glory. Soon will all the splendors of royalty pass away, and the grandeur of the great be forgotten; but not so, the dignity of the children of God, for whom a kingdom is prepared. "Come, you blessed of my Father," will the King of Glory say to his now despised subjects, "inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." To such he now says; "Be faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life."
Surveying this heavenly glory, so richly prepared for the saints, the beloved Apostle breaks out into an anthem of praise, "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and has made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."
The Christian, who lives in the enjoyment of these privileges, will be anxious that others shall enjoy them too. He will labor in his humble measure to spread the savor of the Redeemer's name, which is as ointment poured out, yielding a sweet fragrance. The promises of God cheer his heart, and animate his endeavors. He knows in whom he has believed, and is assured, that every word of God is true, that His counsel shall stand, and that He will do all his pleasure. He opens the sacred volume, and reads with delight, "As truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord." His heart responds–Amen! to the desire of David, "Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. And blessed be his glorious name forever; and let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen, and Amen."
He reads again; "The Lord shall be king over all the earth; in that day there shall be one Lord, and his name one." "From the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same, my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering; for my name shall be great among the heathen says the Lord of hosts." "They shall fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun." "All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn unto the Lord; and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before him. For the kingdom is the Lord's; and he is the governor among the nations." "They shall teach no more, every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, says the Lord." "They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."
He reads again- "All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord, when they hear the words of your mouth. Yes, they shall sing in the ways of the Lord; for great is the glory of the Lord." Oh! precious declaration or Eternal Truth. Not merely one or a few, but "all the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord." And when will this blessing be accomplished? "When they hear the words of your mouth." Not, when they shall hear the words of fallible men, but, "the words of your mouth;" your own infallible word of Truth; the Truth of the everlasting Gospel.
Oh! that this word may run and be glorified by the conversion of kings unto You. Then will they "sing in the ways of the Lord;" rejoice in your salvation, and stir up their subjects to praise you too. Yes, then shall your Church be protected and nourished; for kings shall be her nursing fathers, and their queens her nursing mothers; when all flesh shall know that you are the Lord, her Savior, and her Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.
What can effect so great a work? nothing but almighty power. He, whose name is "wonderful," can alone bring upon the earth so vast a blessing. The work will be as rapid, as it is great- "Who has ever seen or heard of anything as strange as this? Has a nation ever been born in a single day? Has a country ever come forth in a mere moment? But by the time Jerusalem's birth pains begin, the baby will be born; the nation will come forth." "Rejoice with Jerusalem! Be glad with her, all you who love her and mourn for her." "I will comfort you there as a child is comforted by its mother." Oh! how sweet! "As a child is comforted by its mother;" -with all the tender feelings, and sympathies, and affections of a loving mother, "so will I comfort you."
The God of nature is the God of grace. Suppose a person, blind from his infancy, to be restored to sight in the depth of winter, when all was leafless and barren, and the ground covered with snow; and suppose his blindness to return, but again to be removed during the height of summer, when all is clothed with verdure, and the earth enameled with flowers; would he not conceive himself to be placed in some other world? The change is not greater than that which will be experienced, when Satan shall be bound, and the Spirit poured out from on high; when Jesus shall reign in righteousness, when he shall have dominion from sea to sea; when all kings shall fall down before him; all nations shall serve him; when his name shall endure forever, and be continued as long as the sun; when men shall be blessed in him, and all nations call him blessed.
Oh! what a cheering, supporting grace is faith in the truth of the unchangeable Jehovah. If He withdraws his presence, we shall resemble the barren waste; but if He grants his smile, we shall be like the fruitful Eden, lovely in flower, and sweet in fragrance. "You are like a private garden, my treasure, my bride! You are like a spring that no one else can drink from, a fountain of my own. You are like a lovely orchard bearing precious fruit, with the rarest of perfumes: nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, myrrh and aloes, perfume from every incense tree, and every other lovely spice."
O! Adorable Savior! how can I sufficiently bless You for these revelations of your Truth, for these promises of your grace. Satan may now be called the god of this world, for alas! millions acknowledge his sway. But, before long, you will take to Yourself your great power and reign as Lord Supreme, for you only are Jehovah, and of your kingdom there shall be no end. Reign now, blessed Jesus, in my heart! Take up your abode within me. Give me this pledge, this foretaste of the millennial blessedness. May my every thought be brought into captivity, my every desire be bounded by your will. Enable me to realize the privileges of your people until I reach the temple above, where nothing will be heard but songs of praise, where nothing will be seen but sights of bliss.
Jesus, your boundless love to me
No thought can reach, no tongue declare;
O knit my thankful heart to thee,
And reign without a rival there;
Yours wholly, yours alone, I am;
O be alone my constant flame!
O grant that nothing in my soul
May dwell, but your pure love alone
O may your love possess me whole,
My joy, my treasure, and my crown;
Strange flames far from my heart remove;
My every act, word, thought, be love!
O Love, how cheering is your ray!
All pain before your presence flies;
Care, anguish, sorrow, melt away,
Wherever your healing beams arise;
O Jesus, nothing may I see,
Nothing desire, or seek, but thee!
Still let your love point out my way!
How wondrous things your love has wrought!
Still lead me, lest I go astray;
Direct my word, inspire my thought;
And if I fall; soon may I hear
Your voice, and know that love is near.
In suffering be your love my peace;
In weakness be your love my power;
And when the storms of life shall cease,
Jesus, in that important hour,
In death as life O be my guide,
And save me, who for me have died. </p>