Daily Devotionals

Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God

Devotional: May 16th

God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them.- 2 Corinthians 5:19.

The only living and true God, the great and essentially glorious Jehovah, Father, Son, and Spirit is manifested to sinners, as dwelling in the man Christ Jesus. This is the peculiar and precious truth of the gospel. A glorious mystery known only to believing souls. All other pretended knowledge of God is but vain speculation, and pompous ignorance, which dwell in men of corrupt minds, destitute of the truth. But the new-born soul draws all his comfort, peace, joy, and holiness from this inexhaustible fountain of truth and consolation. From hence ariseth his love to God and delight in him. He beholds God, in Christ, loving and embracing poor sinners of the human race. God is well pleased with them, and delighteth over them to do them good. Thus saith Luther: ’Mark this well in the matter of justification: when any of us shall have to wrestle with the law, sin, death, and all other evils, we must look upon no other God, but only this God incarnate, and clothed with man’s nature.’- Ephesians 2:18;- Colossians 1:15-20.

Thus God and man unite in the one man Christ Jesus; in this faith only is the mind of a Christian easy and happy; for the cause of all distress and sorrow is taken away. Amazing grace! wonderful love! Canst thou read it? canst thou believe it without transport of joy? God is perfectly reconciled; he doth not impute trespasses. Unto whom? Verily, the world, the elect world of Gentiles as well as Jews; ALL sinners of the fallen race whom the Father hath given to his Son Christ Jesus. God is reconciled to them. In faith and love they shall be reconciled to him: to his covenant transactions, electing love, justifying grace, scheme of salvation, and hope of eternal life by Jesus only. As the Father gave their persons, so he imputed their sins to Jesus, he bore them away, God chargeth not trespasses to them, they are free from sin, as viewed by God in Christ. To this truth the Spirit bears witness, through the faith of Jesus. So, believer, thou art to reckon of thyself. Though black as hell, polluted with guilt, defiled with sin, yet in Christ "thou art all fair, without spot;" fully reconciled to God, and standest without trespasses before him. What a free access hast thou ever open to God! what cause for triumph in him, and love to him! what assured hope of eternal enjoyment of him! O my soul, what reward shall I render to the Lord for all his mercies!

Till God in human flesh I see,

My thoughts no comfort find:

The holy, just, and sacred Three

Are terrors to my mind.

But if Immanuel’s face appear,

My hope, my joy begins;

His name forbids my slavish fear,

His grace removes my sins.

While many on their works rely,

Others of wisdom boast,

I love th’ incarnate mystery,

And there I fix my trust.

Therefore, behold I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall that she shall not find her paths. Hosea 2:6.

Here is a contest between the free will of the sinner, and the free grace of the Saviour. Why therefore? This alludes to what was spoken before. O how strong it savours of cursed, freewill pride! I will go after my lovers, etc. What says the Lord to this? Go, and destroy yourself, I will leave you to your own will? O ye patrons to the notion of free-will, a greater curse cannot befall you on this side hell than to be thus left. Though you have such pride, yet the Lord has more grace. Therefore he says, Behold. Take special notice of this. Your will is to leave me, and destroy your souls. But I will not suffer this. Grace reigns. Free will shall be conquered: my glory shall be exalted. I will hedge up thy way with thorns. Mind: it is thy way, not mine. I will set the briers of troubles, and the sharp thorns of afflictions, to goad and pierce thee: to stop and prevent thee. Say now, is there love in this, or not? O that in every affliction we may see the Lord’s hand of grace, and his heart of love. Many souls would have been ruined by prosperity, if they had not been undone by adversity. They would have gone into the broad road of destruction, had not God hedged up the way by calamities. Better to have a sick stomach, than a guilty conscience. The Lord send me any plague, rather than the plague of a heart departing from him, saith St. Austin. If a hedge restrain not, a wall shall not be wanting. I will make a wall, that she shall not find her paths.

O what straying hearts have Christ’s sheep! O what love of heart has Christ towards us! What pains doth he take to keep us near himself! “Salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks,” (Isaiah 26:1.) Jesus shews his lovely face. Then, says the soul, what, thou my Lord! thou best, thou dearest lover and friend, is it thou my first husband I would forsake for other lovers? O that there should be such a vile heart in me! Pardon, Lord, my folly. I find no path to turn to. “I will return to thee my first husband, for then it was better with me than now.” Soul, ever entertain the most exalted sentiments of the grace of God; and the most self-abasing views of thy own nature. Heaven rings with acclamations of praise from backsliding souls. This is the glory of faith below, I will heal their backslidings, and love them freely. (Hosea 14:4.) If God has such love to us, let this quicken our love to him. For, we love him because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19.

Our Father’s love, our Saviour’s grace,

Ne’er changes to the souls they love:

But sin will make God hide his face,

And leave in darkness souls to rove.

Because such love and grace abound,

Shall we therefore abound in sin?

That soul who does, hath never found

The sweet constraints of love within.