“For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich.” —2 Cor. 8:9
THIS scripture forcibly reminds the writer of a dear old saint of God whom he attended in her last illness many long years ago.
Mrs. P. was very poor in this world’s goods. She lived in a very poor cottage, far away from other houses. Yet she never appeared lonely or cast down, for, blessed be God, if she was poor for time, she abounded in riches for eternity. And not only so, but her living, loving Saviour, whom she knew as having died on Calvary for her, was now living in glory for her, and by the sense of His presence He so greatly comforted and cheered her that her loneliness was turned into inexpressible joy. Those lines—
“Jesus the Saviour is mighty to save,
Jesus hath triumphed o’er death and the grave” —
were not mere words to her. They had a deep meaning and were a solid reality to her, and she could contemplate with complacency, yea, with delight, the fact that she was about to be a partaker in that wonderful home He had prepared for her eternal abode; and surely no earthly mansion could for a moment compare with it, for He Himself would be the one object, the one center there. He says to His own blood-bought ones, “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:2, 3).
Dear reader, are you included in that little word “ye”? Will you be there? If not, where? You may have earthly riches and a fine house to live in, but if you do not know Christ Jesus as your Saviour you are poor indeed. Your riches and you will not keep company much longer. Your house will soon cease to be your abode. A few more years at most (it may be only a few days or even a few hours), and you and your riches will be parted forever, your house occupied by another. Again, then, dear reader, we would solemnly press the question, Where would your soul be if death should step in this very day and snap the link which binds you to your earthly possessions?
Beloved unsaved one, we pray you, in Christ’s name, and for your never-dying soul’s sake, be real and be in earnest today. Don’t let this moment pass (it is the only one you can call your own) without accepting Jesus as your Saviour.
Believe me, there is no hindrance on His side to instant soul blessing. Believe God, who says, “Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2). “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:31).
This is just what our dear old friend Mrs. P. did. Appropriating the “true riches,” she was more than satisfied; she was delighted, yea, wholly absorbed with her risen and glorified Lord.
She could not, however, through her paralyzed condition, say much about Him; in fact, as far as we remember, she could only speak two or three words at once, “Jesus, blessed Jesus,” and they were spoken very falteringly thus, “Je-sus, bless-ed Je-sus”; but the thought of them always gives a thrill of joy and delight to the writer, for they were uttered with such meaning, so earnestly, and so trustfully— “Jesus, blessed Jesus.”
“Satisfied with Thee, Lord Jesus, I am blest;
Peace which passeth understanding on Thy breast;
No more doubting, no more trembling,
Oh, what rest!
“Taken up with Thee, Lord Jesus, I would be,
Finding joy and satisfaction, all in Thee:
Thou the nearest, and the dearest,
Unto me.”
On one occasion she had to get a friend to write and explain her symptoms, and after giving a list of her many ailments, how she suffered in this way and that way, and how she was utterly unable to move her limbs, she finished her letter thus: “Thanks be to God for all His benefits!”
Could you, dear reader, thank God under similar circumstances? Could you look upon, and call such dire afflictions benefits? Well, we are quite sure that none but a blood-bought, Spirit taught one could do this. But there is the same Saviour, the same grace, the same Holy Spirit for you. Bring your guilt, your need, your upbraiding conscience, your unsatisfied heart to Jesus, and all the rest is a matter of receiving. This was what made my old friend so rich. Do thou the same.
C. P. W. N.
“Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am?... Some say that Thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.”
Matt. 16:13, 14.
EXTRACT.
WE here see unbelief manifesting itself in the form of indolent opinion, which proves that the heart and conscience are not interested in a subject that ought to command them—a subject that if the heart would really face its true importance, it would have no rest until it had arrived at certainty with respect to it. The soul has no sense of need; consequently, there is no discernment. When the soul feels this need there is but one thing that can meet it; there can be no rest till it is found. The revelation of God that created this need does not leave the soul in peace until it is assured of possessing that which awakened it. Those who are not sensible of this need can rest in probabilities, each according to his natural character, his education, his circumstances. There is enough to awaken curiosity—the mind is occupied about it, and judges. Faith has wants, and, in principle, intelligence as to the object that meets those wants; the soul is exercised till it finds that which it needs. The fact is that God is there.
J. N. D.