Bible Heaven/Bible Heaven.iso/online/topics27/t28100

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28101
 March 1                                                  Evening

 \\"He is precious."\\
                                                    --1 Peter 2:7

    As all the rivers run into the sea, so all delights centre in
 our Beloved. The glances of his eyes outshine the 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 worthless things when measured by his
 preciousness. Peter tells us that Jesus is precious, but he did
 not and could not tell us \\how\\ 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. Believer, have you not found in the midst of plenty a
 sore famine 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 without our Lord! If
 once he hideth himself from us, withered 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, 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 were no door of fellowship between
 thee and Christ? Blessed be his 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 would be without him\\ enhance
 his preciousness.

28102
 March 2                                                  Evening

 \\"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 3:8

    The 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 his 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 weakness. 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 proclaiming 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 confessed his weakness, he was never
 perplexed as to the \\subject\\ 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. Follow his example in all your personal efforts 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 of 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 speaker, and the master-key to the heart of
 the hearer.

28103
 March 3                                                  Evening

 \\"He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove."\\
                                                   --Matthew 3:16

    As the Spirit of God descended upon the Lord Jesus, the head,
 so he also, in measure, descends upon the members of the
 mystical body. His descent is to us 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 beyond 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 operations; 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
 holiness itself. Where he cometh, everything that is pure and
 lovely, and of good report, is made to abound, and sin and
 uncleanness 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 for
 ever. \\Harmlessness\\ follows, as a matter of course; eagles
 and ravens may hunt their prey--the turtledove 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
 affection; 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 upon us from this time forward and for
 ever.

28104
 March 4                                                  Evening

 \\"They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy\\
 \\house."\\
                                                     --Psalm 36:8

    Sheba's queen was amazed at the sumptuousness of Solomon's
 table. She lost all heart when she saw the provision of a single
 day; and she marvelled equally at the company 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 evermore. Though the host that feed at Jehovah's table is
 countless as the stars of heaven, yet each one has his portion
 of meat. Think how much grace one saint requires, so much that
 nothing 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. Observe the full feasting
 spoken of in the text, the guests at mercy's banquet are
 satisfied, nay, more "abundantly satisfied;" 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 said, "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
 Benjamin'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.

28105
 March 5                                                  Evening

 \\"Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation."\\
                                                     --Psalm 35:3

    What does this sweet prayer teach me? It shall be my
 evening's petition; but first let it yield me an instructive
 meditation. The text informs me first of all that \\David had\\
 \\his doubts\\; for why should he pray, "Say unto my soul, I am
 thy salvation," if he were not sometimes 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 I am no Christian because I
 have doubts. The text reminds me that \\David was not content\\
 \\while he had doubts 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 labour after an abiding sense of my
 acceptance in the Beloved, and must have no joy when his love is
 not shed abroad 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' 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\\. "Say unto my soul." Lord, do \\thou\\
 say it! Nothing short of a divine testimony in the soul will
 ever content the true Christian. 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 me. 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 me have
 a present, personal, infallible, indisputable sense that I am
 thine, and that thou art mine.
28106
 March 6                                                  Evening

 \\"Before destruction the heart of man is haughty."\\
                                                 --Proverbs 18:12

    It is an old and common saying, that "coming events cast
 their shadows before them;" the wise man teaches us that a
 haughty heart is the prophetic 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
 greatness. 2 Sam. 24:10. See Nebuchadnezzar, the mighty builder
 of Babylon, creeping on the earth, devouring grass like oxen,
 until his nails had grown like bird's claws, and his hair like
 eagle's feathers. Dan. 4:33. Pride made the boaster a beast, as
 once before it made an angel a devil. God hates high looks, and
 never fails to bring them down. All the arrows of God are aimed
 at proud hearts. O 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 delude 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 the
 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, O 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 \\in the Lord\\."
28107
 March 7                                                  Evening

 \\"It is better to trust in the Lord, than to put confidence in\\
 \\man."\\
                                                    --Psalm 118:8

    Doubtless the reader has been tried with the temptation to
 rely upon the things which are seen, instead of resting alone
 upon the invisible God. Christians often look to man for help
 and counsel, and mar the noble simplicity of their reliance upon
 their God. Does this evening's portion meet the eye of a child
 of God anxious about temporals, then would we reason with him
 awhile. You trust in Jesus, and only in Jesus, for your
 salvation, then why are you troubled? "\\Because of my great\\
 \\care\\." Is it not written, "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 wish I could\\." If you cannot trust
 God for temporals, how dare you trust him for spirituals? 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 beside that of him who sees 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 only 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 for thyself an
 abiding place upon the Rock of Ages.

28108
 March 8                                                  Evening

 \\"She called his name Benoni (son of sorrow), but his father\\
 \\called him Benjamin (son of my right hand)."\\
                                                  --Genesis 35:18

    To 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, our 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
 florets; 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 calamities. Like
 Gideon's men, she does not fret over the broken pitcher, but
 rejoices that the lamp blazes forth the more. Out of the rough
 oyster-shell of difficulty she extracts the rare pearl of
 honour, and from the deep ocean-caves of distress she uplifts
 the priceless coral of experience. 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 points to
 the light of resurrection beyond the grave, thus making our
 dying Benoni to be our living Benjamin.
28109
 March 9                                                  Evening

 \\"Abide in me."\\
                                                      --John 15:4

    Communion with Christ is a certain cure for every 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 a matter of secondary importance
 whether thou livest on the mountain of honour 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, O 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 Abednego, 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 until 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 shalt 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, thou shalt
 abide with him for ever.

28110
 March 10                                                 Evening

 \\"Man ... is of few days, and full of trouble."\\
                                                       --Job 14:1

    It may be of great service to us, before we fall asleep, 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 taking 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 lender'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 for ever. There is a
 time appointed for weakness and sickness, 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. Beloved reader, set not your affections upon things of
 earth: but seek those things which are above, for \\here\\ the
 moth devoureth, 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 weary
 head!

28111
 March 11                                                 Evening

 \\"Thou shalt be called, Sought out."\\
                                                   --Isaiah 62:12

    The surpassing grace of God is seen very clearly in 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 persevering 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 desperately 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
 unconquerable 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 marvellous are
 the ways which God used in their case to find his 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. Almightiness and wisdom combined will
 make no failures, they shall be called, "\\Sought out\\!" That
 any 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 night we wear
 the name of "\\Sought out\\."

28112
 March 12                                                 Evening

 \\"To whom belongest thou?"\\
                                                 --1 Samuel 30:13

    No neutralities can exist in religion. We are either ranked
 under the banner of Prince Immanuel, 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"\\? If you have, you belong to Christ, but without
 the new birth you cannot be his. \\In whom do you trust\\? For
 those who believe in Jesus are the sons of God. \\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\\? 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 Master\\?--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?" Answer
 honestly before you give sleep to your eyes. If you are not
 Christ's you are in a hard service--\\Run away 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 \\be decided for him\\.
 Thus, without your being branded upon the brow, all will know to
 whom you belong.

28113
 March 13                                                 Evening

 \\"Then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in\\
 \\unto him into the ark."\\
                                                    --Genesis 8:9

    Wearied out with her wanderings, the dove returns at 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 looking 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 him\\." She did not fly right in
 herself, but was too fearful, or too weary to do so. She flew as
 far as she could, and then he put forth his hand and pulled her
 in unto him. This act of mercy was shown to the wandering dove,
 and she was not chidden for her wanderings. Just as she was she
 was pulled into the ark. So you, seeking sinner, with all your
 sin, will be received. "Only return"--those are God's 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 thou
 thinkest 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 backsliding 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.

28114
 March 14                                                 Evening

 \\"I will take heed to my ways."\\
                                                     --Psalm 39:1

    Fellow-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 security. 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 temptation 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 anxious 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 yourselves 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 seemeth
 securest to thee." Therefore, take heed to thy ways, and watch
 unto prayer. No man ever fell into error through being too
 watchful. May the Holy Spirit guide us in all our ways, so shall
 they always please the Lord.

28115
 March 15                                                 Evening

 \\"He did it with all his heart and prospered."\\
                                             --2 Chronicles 31:21

    This is no unusual occurrence; it is the general rule of the
 moral universe that those men prosper who do their work with all
 their hearts, while those are almost certain to fail who go to
 their labour leaving half their hearts behind them. God does not
 give harvests to idle men except harvests of thistles, nor is he
 pleased 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 Jesus, 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 encourage 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-heartedness
 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 had to carry upon those blessed
 shoulders; and when he poured out his heart, it was no weak
 effort he was making for the salvation of his people. Was Jesus
 in earnest, and are we lukewarm?

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