the Fourth Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
Bowen's Daily Meditations
" Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life." - Psalms 23:6.
When Love divine was about to follow Christ back to heaven, he said, " Not so; I am no more in the world, but these are in the world." So this Love has ever since tarried with the people of God.
The Christian knows that goodness and mercy shall go with him all the days of his life, as two attendant angels. He knows that they have followed him hitherto. But it is some times difficult for him to perceive that they are with him. When Jeremiah was in that deep, dark dungeon, where there was no water, but mire, it seemed as though goodness and mercy had left him and gone to walk on the battlements of Jerusalem. Men came to the border of that pestilential pit and asked him mockingly where, those companions of his now were. But Jeremiah’s eyes getting accustomed to the darkness soon discovered them there. They gave him some bread of heaven to eat. Then when Jerusalem was taken, and the proud enemies of the prophet were carried into captivity, Jeremiah remained in the land; goodness and mercy followed him all his days. Persecution is not so persevering as they are. When Elijah was under the juniper-tree, goodness and mercy awoke him and ministered unto him. " Why do you flee for your life?" they said; " have we fled from thee?" " I do well to be angry," said Jonah, insulting these heavenly attendants to their face. He said to goodness, "Thou art an impostor, not goodness, but unkindness:" and to mercy, " Thou art severity, thou hast no beauty, get thee gone." Did they follow him still? They sat down and said to him, " We will not go." They might have spoken of the depths of the sea whither and whence they had accompanied him; but they spoke to him of the much cattle that was in Nineveh, and of an immense number of innocent little children.
How often have I been ready to use the language of Jonah; how often frowned on these celestial ones, and motioned them angrily away, because they would not take the form my fancy painted: yet have they still followed me. Be astonished, earth!
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