the Fourth Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
The Poor Man's Morning and Evening Portions
August 27—Morning—Psalms 89:19
"I have exalted one chosen out of the people."—Psalms 89:19.
My soul, wert thou refreshed on the past day with the precious meditation of the God of our fathers glorifying his Son Jesus? Suffer not, then, the blessed subject to pass away from thy thoughts this day, or any day, but look at the same delightful meditation proposed in the words which God spake to his Holy One in vision—"I have exalted one chosen out of the people." Yes, the Lord Jesus, as man and Mediator, was chosen in the infinite mind of Jehovah, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, from everlasting. And before that God went forth in the immediate acts of creation, when that vast mass of beings the Lord determined to call into existence arose in his own infinite mind at his command, this blessed one, this glorious, this distinguished, this precious individual which was to become one with the uncreated Word, in order to constitute the Wisdom-man, Mediator, was from everlasting chosen. This was the glorious act—this was the great appointment. Then Christ Jesus, our glorious Head, our Surety, Redeemer, Saviour, was then set up from everlasting! And my soul, hadst thou been present, had there been a possibility of such a thing, had the whole church been there, would not every heart, every soul of his redeemed, have shouted aloud in the contemplation of such a Saviour, and cried out, "He is the altogether lovely, the chiefest among ten thousand!" Precious Jesus, thou art indeed lovely in thyself, lovely in thy cross, lovely in thy crown, lovely in all thy gracious acts, victories, triumphs, grace, and mercy. Every thing in thee is lovely; and thou communicatest loveliness to all thy people. Thou hast chosen our inheritance for us; reign and rule over us, and in us; for thou art "The Lord our righteousness."
August 27—Evening—Ezekiel 36:25
"Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean; from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you."—Ezekiel 36:25.
Was there ever a more precious scripture? And was there ever a poor sinner needed it more than thou, my soul? And what a thousand beauties are contained in it? Who is the great promiser, but the Lord Jehovah, the Father of mercies, and the God of all consolation? And what is the clean water here spoken of, but the blood of Christ? Christ, with all his redemption, all his fulness, all his suitableness, and his all-sufficiency? And what doth this sweet promise imply? Every thing, in one, is folded up in it. It is all of God; all in himself, and all to be wrought by himself. He provides the clean water; he cleanseth the sinners; he sprinkles, he applies, he promiseth the sure efficacy; for they "shall be clean;" and he makes the blessings most comprehensive, and full, and complete; for it shall be a cleansing from all their filthiness, and from all their idols. See then, my soul, what a portion thou hast here found, in the word of God’s grace, for thine evening’s meditation! Evening, did I say? yea, for the meditation of thy whole life, and to form the foundation of a song of praise to all eternity! Here is every thing in it thou canst possibly need, to encourage thee to come for cleansing, under all thy pollutions, in thy daily walk through life. Here is God the Father fully engaged, and as fully promising. Here is Jesus, in his blood of sprinkling, as the Father’s gift for cleansing, in all his divine offices and suited mercy. And here is the purity wrought by the Holy Ghost, in his gracious application of the whole; and which he doth most graciously and most fully testify, when he shews thee thy need, and the suitableness of Jesus, and inclines thee to believe the efficacy of this blood of Christ to cleanse from all sin. Now, my soul, muse over the blessedness and fulness of this sweet scripture, and see how suited it is, in every point, to thy wants, and to thy Lord’s glory. And when thou hast gathered from it, like the bee from the flower, all the honey it contains, take it home to thy inmost affections, as the bee doth what he gathers to the hive, and live upon it for thy daily food. The promise is absolute; for God saith, "I will do it." And the certainty of its effect is as fixed; for God saith, "Ye shall be clean." And the extent of it is as sure; for God saith, "From all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you." My soul, ask the most daring heart of unbelief, what shall arise to unsay what God hath said, or to counteract what God hath promised?
