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June 4—Morning Devotion
"Awake, O north wind, and come, thou south; blow upon my garden."—Song of Solomon 4:16 Are these the words of my Lord? Yes, surely, they can be no other; for none but Jesus can send the Holy Ghost to his church and people. And besides, none can call the church "my garden," but he that is the rightful owner of it. Surely, Lord, it is thine, both by thy Father's gift, and by thy choice, and by thy purchase, and by the conquests of thy grace, and by the voluntary surrender of thy people, when thou hast made them willing in the day of thy power. And dost thou call then, both the north wind and the south, thou dearest Lord, to blow upon my…
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June 3—Morning Devotion
"In his favour is life."—Psalm 30:5 Oh for grace to keep this always in view, for then, thou dear Lord, I should never consider my dead frames, or dead feelings, since I well-know that thou ever bearest favour and good-will towards thy people. For if thy providences frown, or seem to frown, do I not know that behind that aspect thy countenance is the same, always gracious, always favourable, and that thou art invariably pursuing the everlasting happiness of thy people? Let it please thee, my Lord, to grant me this morning such views of thy favour, that I may henceforth trace it in every thing. Was it not this favour that first opened a source of salvation? Was it not this favour that brought…
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June 2—Morning Devotion
"Living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be."—Zechariah 14:8 My soul, was not this fulfilled in part when the gospel went forth from Jerusalem? And is it not now fulfilling, while the same blessed gospel is going forth from sea to sea, and from the river even unto the ends of the earth? Surely neither the summer's drought, nor the winter's frost, shall dry up or congeal those living waters. But, my soul, hast thou asked of Jesus, as the woman of Samaria did in the moment of Jesus's promise, for those living waters? Oh if thou knowest, my soul, this gift of…
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June 1—Morning Devotion
"The Lord said unto my Lord."—Psalm 110:1 Some have called this Psalm, David's creed. Certain it is, that there is scarce an article of a true believer's faith, but what is in it. My soul, look through it this morning, if thou hast time, and see whether it is thy creed. If not, look at this precious portion of it, and ask of the Holy Ghost to teach thee the blessed things contained in it. "The LORD said unto my Lord:" that is, Jehovah said unto my Adonai. Observe, my soul, that here, as in many other parts of the bible, one of these words Load is in capital letters, the other in small characters. This no doubt was done by the translators, by way…
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May 31—Morning Devotion
"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth."—Matthew 28:18 Hail, then, thou Sovereign Lord of all! I have lately been following thee in sweet and solemn meditation through the seasons of thy humiliation; now let me behold thee on thy throne. And here! am called upon to contemplate my Lord and my God as possessing universal dominion. Ponder, my soul, the vast extent. Thy Jesus, as God, as one with the Father, possesseth in common with him all power from everlasting. This is his, as God, essentially so; not given to him, for by nature it is his, being "one with the Father, over all, God blessed for ever. Amen," said Paul; so let…
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May 30—Morning Devotion
"Renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour."—Titus 3:5, 6 Precious office of the Spirit! Condescend, great God, to grant it me this morning. Oh, renew my soul with all thy sweet revivals, after a night of sleep, as thou renewest the face of the earth. Oh send forth, I beseech thee, Lord, all thy graces, as suited to my necessities, and the Redeemer's glory, and let it be most abundantly shed abroad, through all the faculties of my soul, through Jesus Christ my Saviour. Pause, my soul, over the blessed prospect, and having now pleaded in Jesus's name for the mercy, act faith upon thy God in his promises. Is not every morning a renewing of…