the Third Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities.- Romans 8:26.
How reviving to the soul! how encouraging to the mind of a disciple, is it to hear the experience of his brethren and companions in the faith of Jesus! To this end the blessed Spirit hath caused the saints of old to leave on record his dealings of love with their souls. Thus is the word of God most valuable for our instruction, edification, and comfort. Let no poor follower of the Lamb think he is singular in feeling an insupportable pressure of infirmities. No; the children of God in all ages knew and felt the same. Whether prophets or apostles, none were perfectly free from inward distresses, temptations, fears, dejections, etc. All which arise from our still possessing a fallen nature, which subjects us to these sensations and feelings. They are our burdens. We cannot but feel them and groan under them. O sad and dreadful fall, which has so terribly maimed and bruised the royal offspring of God! Though we are kings’ sons, yet like Mephibosheth we are lame in our hands and feet. Our infirmities are the effects of our FALL. Shortly we shall be perfectly freed from them. This is our glorious hope.
But alas! how oft doth present distress deject our hopes; infirmities bow down the soul; faith grows languid; love declines; hope seems at the last gasp, just as if giving up the ghost. And indeed all would end in gloomy dejection and melancholy despair, if the Lord was entirely to forsake his new creation. But that never can be while the Father loves, the Lamb pleads, and the Spirit hath power to help. Therefore when the Spirit sees the souls of his charge pressed above measure in themselves, and ready to sink under their burdens, he reaches forth a tender hand of assistance; helps against infirmities, by enabling the soul to look to the adorable Jesus, to an everlasting covenant, to precious promises, to a reconciled God; and puts this sweet cry in the heart, Abba, Father. Then confidence revives; hope springs afresh; love is excited; the power of prayer breaks forth in the heart, and ascends in sweet fervor from the soul. Whatever flesh and blood may allege to the contrary, infirmities are made profitable to the soul; or St. Paul would never have declared, "most gladly therefore will I glory in my infirmities." Why? is there any good in them for which they should be desired? No; but "that the power of Christ may rest upon us."- 2 Corinthians 12:9.
Eternal Spirit! we confess
And sing the wonders of thy grace;
Thy power conveys our blessings down
From God the Father and the Son.
Enlighten’d by thy heav’nly ray,
Our shades and darkness turn to day.
Thine inward teachings make us know
Our danger and our refuge too.
The troubled conscience knows thy voice,
Thy charming views awake our joys;
Thy words allay the stormy wind,
And calm the surges of the mind.
Every one who useth milk, is unskillful in the word of righteousness; for he is a babe. Hebrews 5:13.
This is a sharp reproof. As then, so now there are many who need it. The word rendered unskillful, in the margin of our bibles, is, hath no experience. Christian experience is much talked of, but too little understood. Many are ready to give a long detail of experience which they have had of one thing and another, but you can find nothing of the word of righteousness in it. It all begins in self, ends in self, and tends to exalt self. O! there is a great deal of self-seeking, selfsoothing, and self-complacency, in what is called Christian experience. But real Christian experience is that inward proof or trial, which our minds have of the word of righteousness; how the belief of it has brought relief to our guilty consciences, ease to our troubled souls, and rest to our weary minds. From hence, Christ, the sum and substance of the word of righteousness, becomes precious, sin hateful, ourselves vile, our righteousness filthy rags, the world contemptible, the path of duty pleasant, the way of holiness delightful, and fellowship with God most highly estimable to our souls. This is Christian experience indeed. But all experience which is talked of, that does not arise from the word, is not agreeable to the word, and is not supported by the word of righteousness, is fancy, whim, and delusion. Many use milk, and are babes. They are unskillful; have no experience of the word of righteousness; God’s everlasting, electing love and covenant grace to sinners in Christ-yet saving them to all good works by the grace of Christ; the sovereign efficacy of the Spirit, in bringing them to Christ; and their certain perseverance, and sure salvation, being kept by the power of God, through faith in Christ. Though the word of righteousness holds forth these glorious truths, as plain as though written with a sunbeam, yet such babes cannot bear them: their stomachs heave against them: their spirits rise with indignation against them. They can only feed upon milk and pap, like babes: they wrangle and cry like babes, if you put strong meat into their mouths. Therefore, they cannot, they do not grow strong in the Lord Jesus Christ: they are content with the first principles of Christianity: they are not going on to perfection, and growing up into Christ Jesus in ALL THINGS.
O! get beyond such babyish experience. Prize highly the word of righteousness. Bring all your experience to it. Draw all your comfort from it. Judge of your state by it. Be clothed with humility. Fight not against God’s sovereign purposes, council, and covenant. Put on that Spirit, and pray to the Lord, “That which I see not teach thou me.” (Job 34:32).
