December 16

Morning

Come unto me. — Matt 11:28

The cry of the Christian Religion is the gentle word, “Come.” The Jewish LAW harshly said, “Go, take heed unto your steps as to the path in which you shall walk. Break the commandments, and you shall perish; keep them, and you shall live.” The LAW was a dispensation of terror, which drove men before it as with a scourge; the GOSPEL draws with bands of love. Jesus is the good Shepherd going before His sheep, bidding them follow Him, and ever leading them onwards with the sweet word, “Come.” The LAW repels—the GOSPEL attracts. The law shows the distance which there is between God and man; the gospel bridges that awful chasm, and brings the sinner across it. From the first moment of your spiritual life, until you are ushered into glory—the language of Christ to you will be, “Come, come unto Me!”

As a mother puts out her finger to her little child and woos it to walk by saying, “Come,” even so does Jesus. He will always be ahead of you, bidding you follow Him as the soldier follows his captain. He will always go before you to pave your way, and clear your path, and you shall hear His animating voice calling you after Him all through life. In the solemn hour of death, His sweet words with which He shall usher you into the heavenly world shall be, “Come, you who are blessed of my Father.”

Nay, further, this is not only Christ’s cry to you—but, if you be a believer, this is your cry to Christ, “Come! Come!” You will be longing for His second advent; you will be saying, “Come quickly—even so come Lord Jesus.” You will be panting for nearer and closer communion with Him. As His voice to you is “Come,” your response to Him will be, “Come, Lord, and abide with me! Come, and occupy alone the throne of my heart! Reign there without a rival, and consecrate me entirely to Your service!”

Evening

Yea, thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, from that time that thine ear was not opened. — Isa 48:8

“You have neither heard nor understood!” It is painful to remember that, in a certain degree, this accusation may be laid at the door of believers, who too often are in a measure spiritually insensible. We may well bewail ourselves, that we do not hear the voice of God as we ought, “You have not heard!” There are gentle motions of the Holy Spirit in the soul which are unheeded by us. There are whisperings of divine command and of heavenly love which are alike unobserved by our leaden intellects.

Alas! we have been carelessly ignorant, “You have neither heard nor understood!” There are matters within our hearts which we ought to have seen: corruptions which have made headway unnoticed; sweet affections which are being blighted like flowers in the frost, untended by us; glimpses of the divine face which might be perceived—if we had not walled up the windows of our soul. But we “have not understood.”

As we think of it—we are humbled in the deepest self-abasement. How must we adore the grace of God as we learn from the context—that all this folly and ignorance, on our part, was foreknown by God, and, notwithstanding that foreknowledge, He yet has been pleased to deal with us in a way of mercy! Admire the marvelous sovereign grace which could have chosen us—in the sight of all this! Wonder at the price that was paid for us—when Christ knew what we would be! He who hung upon the cross foresaw us as unbelieving, backsliding, cold-hearted, indifferent, careless, lax in prayer and yet He said, “I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior! I have loved you!”

O redemption, how wondrously resplendent do you shine—when we think how black we are! O Holy Spirit, give us henceforth the hearing ear, and the understanding heart!