Milo

September 14

“Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” (Mark 8:34.)

THE cross which my Lord bids me take up and carry may assume different shapes. I may have to content myself with a lowly and narrow sphere, when I feel that I have capacities for much higher work. I may have to go on cultivating year after year, a field which seems to yield me no harvests whatsoever. I may be bidden to cherish kind and loving thoughts about someone who has wronged me—be bidden speak to him tenderly, and take his part against all who oppose him, and crown him with sympathy and succor. I may have to confess my Master amongst those who do not wish to be reminded of Him and His claims. I may be called to “move among my race, and show a glorious morning face,” when my heart is breaking.
There are many crosses, and every one of them is sore and heavy. None of them is likely to be sought out by me of my own accord. But never is Jesus so near me as when I lift my cross, and lay it submissively on my shoulder, and give it the welcome of a patient and unmurmuring spirit.
He draws close, to ripen my wisdom, to deepen my peace, to increase my courage, to augment my power to be of use to others, through the very experience which is so grievous and distressing, and then—as I read on the seal of one of those Scottish Covenanters whom Claverhouse imprisoned on the lonely Bass, with the sea surging and sobbing round—I grow under the load.—Alexander Smellie.

“Use your cross as a crutch to help you on, and not as a stumblingblock to cast you down.”
“You may others from sadness to gladness beguile,
If you carry your cross with a smile.”

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]