Milo

14 SEPTEMBER (PREACHED HARVEST 14 SEPTEMBER 1766)

Crowned with his goodness

‘For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared for Baal.’ Hosea 2:8
SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Deuteronomy 32:1–18

The exceeding goodness, patience and bounty of God cannot be rightly conceived unless we compare it with the returns and provocations he meets with from sinful, rebellious man. Observe his carriage to Israel of old. He found them in the waste howling wilderness [Deuteronomy 32:10], he guarded them there, and at last placed them in a good land. There he was an enemy to their enemies, and blessed them with abundant increase. But what was their behaviour towards him? Always rebellious and disobedient from their first settlement. In the prophet’s time they were like their fathers. They are here charged with two great evils: insensibility—they knew not he gave them their good things; ingratitude—in abusing his gifts that he afforded them and intended as bonds of gratitude upon their souls; they misemployed to the worst purposes—they prepared them for Baal. But was Israel the only people who acted thus? Rather they were a sample of all mankind. In what respect can it be said we are better than they? I have chosen this as a proper subject for the present season. The Lord has crowned this year with his goodness, removed the threatening appearances which were against us some time ago, and favoured us with seasonable weather for gathering the fruits of the earth. There has been a general satisfaction amongst us that the harvest is happily closed. But against how many does this double charge lie—that they know not, consider not, the hand of God in giving them corn—and that they are disposed and determined to abuse his bounties by consuming them on their lusts?

FOR MEDITATION: ‘Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness’ (Psalm 107:8–9).
‘Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation’ (Psalm 68:19).

SERMON: HOSEA 2:8 [1/2]

September 13th

After surrender—what?

I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do. John 17:4.

Surrender is not the surrender of the external life, but of the Will; when that is done, all is done. There are very few crises in life; the great crisis is the surrender of the will. God never crushes a man’s will into surrender, He never beseeches him, He waits until the man yields up his will to Him. That battle never needs to be re-fought.
Surrender for Deliverance. “Come unto Me, and I will give you rest.” It is after we have begun to experience what salvation means that we surrender our wills to Jesus for rest. Whatever is perplexing heart or mind is a call to the will—“Come unto Me.” It is a voluntary coming.
Surrender for Devotion. “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself.” The surrender here is of my self to Jesus, my self with His rest at the heart of it. “If you would be My disciple, give up your right to yourself to Me.’ Then the remainder of the life is nothing but the manifestation of this surrender. When once the surrender has taken place we never need ‘suppose’ anything. We do not need to care what our circumstances are, Jesus is amply sufficient.
Surrender for Death. John 21:18–19 . “… another shall gird thee.” Have you learned what it means to be bound for death? Beware of a surrender which you make to God in an ecstasy; you are apt to take it back again. It is a question of being united with Jesus in His death until nothing ever appeals to you that did not appeal to Him.
After surrender—what? The whole of life after surrender is an aspiration for unbroken communion with God.

September 13

“Come up in the morning. … and present thyself unto me in the top of the mount.” (Exod. 34:2.)

THE morning is the time fixed for my meeting the Lord. The very word morning is as a cluster of rich grapes. Let us crush them, and drink the sacred wine. In the morning! Then God means me to be at my best in strength and hope. I have not to climb in my weakness. In the night I have buried yesterday’s fatigue, and in the morning take a new lease of energy. Blessed is the day whose morning is sanctified! Successful is the day whose first victory was won in prayer! Holy is the day whose dawn finds thee on the top of the mount!
My Father, I am coming. Nothing on the mean plain shall keep me away from the holy heights. At Thy bidding I come, so Thou wilt meet me. Morning on the mount! It will make me strong and glad all the rest of the day so well begun.
—Joseph Parker.

Still, still with Thee, when purple morning breaketh,
When the bird waketh, and the shadows flee;
Fairer than morning, lovelier than daylight,
Dawns the sweet consciousness, I am with Thee.

Alone with Thee, amid the mystic shadows,
The solemn hush of nature newly born;
Alone with Thee in breathless adoration,
In the calm dew and freshness of the morn.

As in the dawning o’er the waveless ocean,
The image of the morning-star doth rest,
So in this stillness, Thou beholdest only
Thine image in the waters of my breast.

When sinks the soul, subdued by toil, to slumber,
Its closing eyes look up to Thee in prayer;
Sweet the repose, beneath Thy wings o’er shadowing,
But sweeter still to wake and find Thee there.
—Harriet Beecher Stowe.
My mother’s habit was every day, immediately after breakfast, to withdraw for an hour to her own room, and to spend that hour in reading the Bible, in meditation and prayer. From that hour, as from a pure fountain, she drew the strength and sweetness which enabled her to fulfill all her duties, and to remain unruffled by the worries and pettinesses which are so often the trial of narrow neighborhoods. As I think of her life, and all it had to bear, I see the absolute triumph of Christian grace in the lovely ideal of a Christian lady. I never saw her temper disturbed; I never heard her speak one word of anger, of calumny, or of idle gossip; I never observed in her any sign of a single sentiment unbecoming to a soul which had drunk of the river of the water of life, and which had fed upon manna in the barren wilderness.—Farrar.
Give God the blossom of the day. Do not put Him off with faded leaves.

13 SEPTEMBER

Plead for all this

‘Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me, as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name.’ Psalm 119:132
SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Psalm 119:129–144

This prayer is like a letter with a direction. It was used by one who loved the Lord’s name, and had nothing else to plead, and it is recorded for the use of all who are like-minded.
The character: they love thy name, that is, his person, revelation and will—all that by which he is known—and it expresses the manner of their affection: they love him so that they love his very name. Conversation or preaching that is not seasoned with his name is unpleasant to them.
How the Lord used to deal with such: he looks upon them with an eye of favour, they are accepted in the beloved, having protection, Psalm 91:14 [Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name] and compassion. He is merciful to them, in pardoning their sins, accepting their poor services, supplying their wants, preparing a kingdom.
Now if you love the name of Jesus you may, you ought, to expect and plead for all this. He has not excepted you? Why should you except yourself?
Shall I tell you how the Lord ‘used to do’ to those who love not his name, when his gospel is preached? He warns them. It is seldom but he strives with them for a season by his Word, Spirit and providence. He bears a while with them, he endures them with much patience and longsuffering. At length he punishes, either by leaving them to the hardness of their own hearts and Satan, and then how awful they turn out, or cutting them off with stroke. In either case they fall into his hands. Terrible thought.
FOR MEDITATION:
I’ll cast myself before his feet,
Ye burdened souls approach with me,
I see him on his mercy-seat,
And make the Saviour’s name your plea;
(’Tis sprinkled with atoning blood)
Jesus will pardon all who come,
There sinners find access to God:
And strike our fierce accuser dumb.

SERMON: PSALM 119:132 [1/1]

September 12th

By spiritual confusion

Ye know not what ye ask. Matthew 20:22.

There are times in spiritual life when there is confusion, and it is no way out to say that there ought not to be confusion. It is not a question of right and wrong, but a question of God taking you by a way which in the meantime you do not understand, and it is only by going through the confusion that you will get at what God wants.
The Shrouding of His Friendship. Luke 11:5–8 . Jesus gave the illustration of the man who looked as if he did not care for his friend, and He said that that is how the Heavenly Father will appear to you at times. You will think He is an unkind friend, but remember He is not; the time will come when everything will be explained. There is a cloud on the friendship of the heart, and often even love itself has to wait in pain and tears for the blessing of fuller communion. When God looks completely shrouded, will you hang on in confidence in Him?
The Shadow on His Fatherhood. Luke 11:11–13 . Jesus says there are times when your Father will appear as if He were an unnatural father, as if He were callous and indifferent, but remember He is not; I have told you—“Everyone that asketh receiveth.” If there is a shadow on the face of the Father just now, hang onto it that He will ultimately give His clear revealing and justify Himself in all that He permitted.
The Strangeness of His Faithfulness. Luke 18:1–8 . “When the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?” Will He find the faith which banks on Him in spite of the confusion? Stand off in faith believing that what Jesus said is true, though in the meantime you do not understand what God is doing. He has bigger issues at stake than the particular things you ask.