Daily Devotionals

Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God

Devotional: December 23rd

Charity shall cover the multitude of sins.- 1 Peter 4:8.

Many sinners have and do awfully deceive their poor souls by a sad perversion of these words. For they suppose that being charitable to the poor will cover the multitude of their sins from the sight of a holy, sin-avenging God. O fatal mistake! Hence they are encouraged in their sinful practices, from such a vain, unscriptural notion. It is thy mercy, believer, to be delivered from such delusion, by the truth as it is in Jesus. For to atone for sin was his blessed work. He hath done it effectually by shedding his precious blood. And every believer in Jesus is the only blessed man, whose sins are covered by his all-perfect righteousness. Here is the true source and spring of charity, or rather LOVE, love to God and man. "We love God, because he first loved us."- 1 John 4:19. And through the faith of this we obey his commandment, "Love one another."

Of this charity, or love, the most excellent things are spoken- 1 Corinthians 13. It is in the heart of every believer. Love influences to put the best constructions upon the behaviour of others: to hide their faults with a veil of charity; to cast a mantle of kindness over their failings. Like the painter, who drew the picture of Alexander with his finger on the scar in his face: so love has a kind finger to hide the scars and blemishes, and to cover the sins of others. Love sees no faults. See it exemplified in that most illustrious exemplar of charity, Jesus. In his deep and distressing agonies and conflicts in the garden, when one would have thought his dear disciples could not be so regardless of his sufferings, so deaf to his request, as not to watch with him one hour. But, instead of this, they indulged themselves with sleep. Here love covered this fault.

"The Spirit is willing." Love speaks what is right. Love finds an excuse for what is wrong, "The flesh is weak." And when the same most blessed pattern of love hung expiring in the greatest agonies on the cross, yet amidst all the taunts and jeers of his enemies and murderers, love vented itself with his expiring breath, "Father, forgive them;" adding this as a veil or covering, "for they know not what they do." Thus hath Jesus left us an example. He hath given us a new commandment, "Love one another." May the spirit of love keep alive this heavenly temper, and blow up every spark into a fervent flame, that all men may know his disciples by this badge of charity or LOVE, and be forced to confess, "See how these Christians love one another."

Love suffers long with patient eye,

Nor is provok’d in haste;

She lets the present inj’ry die,

And long forgets the past.

Malice and rage, those fires of hell,

She quenches with her tongue;

Hopes and believes, and thinks no ill,

Tho’ she endures the wrong.

All my springs are in thee. Psalms 87:7.

Philosophers, ignorant of the true God, who doth all things by his power, talk of an occult quality in nature; a certain some thing, which they can neither explain nor account for, but which doth wonders. Just as darkly do many speak of a light within, which, if they are obedient to, and do not resist, will guide and sanctify them. But they manifest that it is not a divine light; for it teaches them to slight and reject divine revelation. This is Deism. But the heavenly-taught soul speaks as the oracles of God. He confesses, Christ dwells in his heart by faith; and says, O Jesus, “All my springs are in thee.” Thou art that spring, which put and keeps my soul in spiritual motion. We see the vibration of the balance of a watch: we know its motion is from the main spring, and the union it has with it. Stop, say the sons of pride; compare not man to a machine. Truly, he is worse than a good machine, in good order. Verily, he is naturally like a bad machine, out of order. For Satan has dominion over him, rules in him, and works upon him, according to his power. (Ephesians 2:2.) O, omnipotent Lord, it is by thy heavenly skill our souls “are created, in Christ Jesus, unto good works. We are thy workmanship,” (Ephesians 2:10.) (1st.) Hence springs the good work of humility in the soul. I have no spring in myself, in my own free-will; no inherent righteousness, power, wisdom or goodness. I can draw no waters of consolation to refresh my soul, from any thing I am in myself, or can do for myself. I could as soon find a spring of water in a hot, dry, sandy desert, as in myself. Hence with David, “I am in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.” (Psalms 63:1.) But, (2d.) here is the joyful claim of faith, “All my springs are in thee.” O Jesus! when I find my soul dry, and parched with burning lusts-fiery darts from Satan-scorching temptations from the world: the springs of thy love, the streams of thy grace, the fountain of thy blood, my Lord and my God, cool, refresh, and comfort my soul. Dear Lord, thou hast cried, “If any man thirst, let him come unto ME, and drink.” (John 7:37.) O free and precious invitation! I thank thee, dear Lord, for it, and for the thirsting my soul has towards thee. Glory to thee, I do believe on thee. Thou hast said, I shall never thirst after any other, but thee, for salvation. (John 6:35.) “For it pleased the Father, that in thee all fulness should dwell.” (Colossians 1:19.) I acquiesce in it: I rejoice at it. “O Lord, I will praise thee, though thou wast angry with me: thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortest me.” Isaiah 12:1.

Thou of life the fountain art-

Freely let me take of thee

Spring thou up within my heart-

Rise to all eternity.