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Daily Devotionals
Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God
Devotional: September 3rd

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Morning Devotional

Who maketh thee to differ from another?- 1 Corinthians 4:7.

Perhaps few will reply, in the very words of a haughty Arminian, "I of myself, made myself to differ; since I could resist God and divine predetermination, but have not. Why then may I not glory in myself?" Yet such is the language of all our proud hearts by nature, we are so fond of vain-glory. Awful declaration of our Lord’s! "Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give an account of in the day of judgment." Who then can be saved? I humbly conceive these idle words imply proud, self-righteous, self-sufficient words, maliciously spoken in contempt of the sovereign, distinguishing grace of God, free justification by the righteousness of Jesus, and full salvation by his finished work ONLY. So Malachi 3:13, "Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord." The whole of that in Matthew 12 seems to prove this sense, and the context confirms it-"By thy words thou shalt be justified." i.e. By the confession of thy mouth, arising from the belief of thy heart of salvation by grace, through the Son of God, thou shalt be justified, "and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." i.e. Thy words betray the pride and unbelief of thy heart, in not submitting to the sovereignty of God’s grace and free salvation by his beloved Son. For this thou shalt be condemned. By line upon line, and precept upon precept the Holy Ghost testifies of, exalts and glorifies the Lord Jesus, as all our salvation, and beateth down all selfconfidence, and all self-glorying.

Yet we dare not deny what the Holy Spirit hath done IN our hearts. By this we differ from others, and are distinguished from our former selves, when in our natural state of pride. But this is all of the sovereign grace of God. Hence we are made to differ as to our SPEECH. We dare not speak of ourselves but as poor sinners, who never have, nor never could do any thing to make ourselves differ in state or in practice. We are made to differ in JUDGMENT. We no longer set our dear Saviour at nought, or so lightly esteem the love of God as to think we can gain an interest in Jesus, and procure a title to God’s favor by our own works. But we firmly believe "God HATH made us accepted in the beloved, to the praise of the glory of his grace."- Ephesians 1:6. Hence our AFFECTIONS are turned to God in Christ by the power of the Spirit; Jesus is the delight of our souls and the glory of our hearts. He is to us the chiefest among ten thousand, and altogether lovely. His love, person, offices, and work, so enamor our souls and endear him to our hearts, that we are continually longing to KNOW HIM more. Also, our PRACTICE is hereby influenced to hate and forsake the trifling conversation, the vain amusements, sinful vanities of a wicked world. "For our fellowship is with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ."- 1 John 1:3.

Evening Devotional

And he sought where to weep. Genesis 43:30.

To weep! What! when he saw his beloved brother Benjamin, and heard that his affectionate aged father was alive and well! Yes: the sight of the one, and the news of the other, created such an ecstasy of joy in his heart, as was too great to bear. He sought where to vent it by tears. O, had one followed good Joseph to his chamber, and heard what passed there between his God and his soul! Methinks I see the dear man fall prostrate, crying out in a flood of grateful, joyful tears, O, what a God do I serve! What amazing scenes of his providence have opened to my view! How has the Lord appeared graciously in my behalf! how strangely has he exalted me in life! and now, to crown all, and complete my happiness, I see my beloved brother, and hear of the welfare of my honoured father. Doubtless he wept, he prayed; he praised, he rejoiced, he loved, he adored his God, his kind preserver, his bountiful benefactor, his dear Saviour. Methinks, one cannot meditate on Joseph’s conduct, without calling to mind some sweet, weeping seasons of spiritual joy, our souls have been favoured with. When, in some highlyfavoured moments, the blessed Spirit has brought some joyful tidings of, and some love-tokens from our once crucified, but ever living Brother in flesh, Jesus; O then, what joy has sprung up in our souls! Too big for utterance! When he has assured us of his love to us; that we shall soon see him as he is, be with him where he is, and eternally enjoy him, and his Father, and our Father, in glory: O the rapture of this faith!

Thus, we are ready to fly from the world, and all its concerns, and leave even our brethren in Christ too. We seek to be alone, to pour out our souls; to give vent to our joy, in a flood of joyful, loving, grateful tears. Then, like the disciples on the mount, we cry out, It is good to be here. This is sweet. Methinks, my soul is drowned in tears of love! Now, are we not ready to wish, O that it were always thus with me! But neither Joseph, you, nor I, could live under such melting frames-such ecstasy, and in such rapture. The body could not support them: my weak body could not. Neither are they always good for the soul to be in. If so, we should be always favoured with them. This we are fully assured of: for, “no good thing will the Lord withhold from them who walk uprightly.” (Psalms 84:11.) But these, God withholds. You never read of one saint in the Bible, always in an ecstasy of joy. “He who freely gave us his Son, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” Romans 8:32.

Dear Saviour, when we feel thy love,

Our hearts oft weep for joy:

We long to be with thee above,

Where passions never cloy.

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