the Fourth Week after Easter
Click here to join the effort!
Daily Devotionals
Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God
Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound; they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance.- Psalms 89:15.
The psalmist alludes to the jubilee-trumpet, which was sounded throughout the land on the great day of atonement. This was an ordinance of the Lord.- Leviticus 25:10. It was a joyful sound of liberty to God’s people. A true type, and just emblem this, of the blowing the great trumpet, and the sound of the everlasting gospel restoring life, liberty, and salvation, to perishing captive souls. Has the gospel thus proved the power of God to the salvation of our souls? Surely then, we must esteem it, as the most joyful sound that ever saluted our ears! Joyful, that it is not clogged with any terms and conditions: Joyful, that it is not, as some call it, a milder law, proposing mercy on easier performances than the legal yoke. No; such notions are subversive of the very nature of the gospel; they only humor self-confidence, and elate the pride of sinners.
We are all naturally deceived by such human, anti-evangelical systems; hence we grow vain in our imaginations, and our foolish hearts are darkened to the freeness and glory of the gospel. But when the Sun of Righteousness arises upon the heart, these mists of ignorance and error are scattered. Then we truly know the gospel to be nothing but good news, glad tidings, a joyful sound indeed: the free declaration of what the infinitely blessed and eternally glorious Trinity have planned, and what the adorable God-man hath effected, for the salvation of the lost and guilty. It is one joyful, consistent, harmonious sound of free grace, undeserved love, and unmerited mercy; free from any jarring discords of wrath and terror; It proclaims not pardon to-day, and condemnation tomorrow to believers: now peace with God, anon war against us: now happiness in the heaven of his love, by and by a hell of misery from his anger and hatred; once justified by his grace, and after all left to perish to eternity in our sins; God’s blessed people reject such debasing notions, knowing they are contrary to the truth, and destructive of the joy of the gospel, damp their love, deaden their affections to a God of love, cool their zeal for his glory and service, and stop their progress in true holiness. But by the love of the truth, they solace themselves with the joyful sound, are enabled to walk in the light of God’s countenance, in the comforts of his love, and in the joys of Jesu’s salvation. Such are blessed now in the knowledge of God’s truth; they shall be blessed in the enjoyment of God’s eternal glory.- John 10:18.
O blessed day! O happy hour!
That bought this joyful sound,
Of pard’ning love thro’ Christ’s rich grace,
To heal my mortal wound.
O Spirit divine! thine was the pow’r,
Which gave the hearing ear!
My heart, with love, in praises join,
To thee, my Lord, most dear.
Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. 2 Corinthians 1:22.
None but a sinner believing in Christ can say, God hath sealed me. But every believer in him may truly say so. This seemed very plain from a former meditation. Do all believers alike enjoy the comfort of this sealing? No: no more than any one believer, alike, at all times, enjoys the comfort of it. This is a certain truth, “by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1.) Though every believer is alike justified before God, and is at peace with him, yet every one has not the like sense of peace, nor any one, at all times. So it is of this blessed privilege of sealing. But if it is not considered and believed, that it may be alike enjoyed in common by all believers, many will rest short of the comfort of it. And, indeed, this is the case. How few believers are crying, Lord! give me the comfort of this sealing. In believing, we are sealed. In believing, we enjoy the comfort of it. But here is also another precious blessing of the Lord to his people-The earnest of his Spirit. This is also the privilege of all believers. Consider, what is an earnest? It is a pledge given in covenants and bargains, as a part, to insure the whole. This is common in things of this life. So, in salvation, God gives his Spirit as the earnest and pledge of our certain enjoyment, of all the glory and blessedness of heaven. This is according to covenant love ands promise to sinners who believe in Christ. But, how is the Spirit an earnest of this? Mind, it is in our hearts. He brings our hearts to believe in, and to be in love with Christ-yea, brings Christ into our hearts. He dwells there by faith. He bears witness of the Redeemer, and salvation by him, to our hearts. He takes of the things of Christ such as adoption by Christ, union to him, pardon of sin through his blood, justification in his righteousness, peace with God, and joy in God, through his mediation, and the hope of eternal life, through his intercession. He shews these unto us. Thus says the departing Saviour, “he shall glorify me.” (John 16:14.) And thus he fills us with joy and peace in believing. He bears witness to our spirits, that salvation is sure in him to us. O, believer, see your inestimable privilege! Give the Lord the glory of it. Plead for the comfort of it. This will endear the love of the Father, Son, and Spirit to your hearts, cause you to look down with contempt on the world, to hate all sin, to love holiness, and to look up with longing delight and growing meetness for heaven and glory. And be assured, that, as truly as God gave his Son to die for your sins, and hath given his Spirit as an earnest in your hearts, eternal life also shall be yours by his free gift. (Romans 6:23.)
