The lovingkindnesses of the Lord

"I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the Lord, and the praises of
the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us."-Isaiah
63:7

And canst thou not do this? Are there no mercies which thou hast
experienced? What though thou art gloomy now, canst thou forget that blessed
hour when Jesus met thee, and said, "Come unto me"? Canst thou not
remember that rapturous moment when He snapped thy fetters, dashed thy
chains to the earth, and said, "I came to break thy bonds and set thee
free"? Or if the love of thine espousals be forgotten, there must surely be
some precious milestone along the road of life not quite grown over
with moss, on which thou canst read a happy memorial of His mercy towards
thee? What, didst thou never have a sickness like that which thou art
suffering now, and did He not restore thee? Wert thou never poor before,
and did He not supply thy wants? Wast thou never in straits before, and
did He not deliver thee? Arise, go to the river of thine experience,
and pull up a few bulrushes, and plait them into an ark, wherein thine
infant-faith may float safely on the stream. Forget not what thy !
God has done for thee; turn over the book of thy remembrance, and
consider the days of old. Canst thou not remember the hill Mizar? Did the
Lord never meet with thee at Hermon? Hast thou never climbed the
Delectable Mountains? Hast thou never been helped in time of need? Nay, I know
thou hast. Go back, then, a little way to the choice mercies of
yesterday, and though all may be dark now, light up the lamps of the past,
they shall glitter through the darkness, and thou shalt trust in the Lord
till the day break and the shadows flee away. "Remember, O Lord, thy
tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses, for they have been ever of old."



"Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we
establish the law."-Romans 3:31

When the believer is adopted into the Lord's family, his relationship
to old Adam and the law ceases at once; but then he is under a new rule,
and a new covenant. Believer, you are God's child; it is your first
duty to obey your heavenly Father. A servile spirit you have nothing to do
with: you are not a slave, but a child; and now, inasmuch as you are a
beloved child, you are bound to obey your Father's faintest wish, the
least intimation of His will. Does He bid you fulfil a sacred ordinance?
It is at your peril that you neglect it, for you will be disobeying
your Father. Does He command you to seek the image of Jesus? It is not
your joy to do so? Does Jesus tell you, "Be ye perfect, even as your
Father which is in heaven is perfect"? Then not because the law commands,
but because your Saviour enjoins, you will labour to be perfect in
holiness. Does He bid his saints love one another? Do it, not because the law
says, "Love thy neighbour," but because Jesus says, "If ye lov!
e Me, keep My commandments;" and this is the commandment that He has
given unto you, "that ye love one another." Are you told to distribute to
the poor? Do it, not because charity is a burden which you dare not
shirk, but because Jesus teaches, "Give to him that asketh of thee." Does
the Word say, "Love God with all your heart"? Look at the commandment
and reply, "Ah! commandment, Christ hath fulfilled thee already-I have
no need, therefore, to fulfill thee for my salvation, but I rejoice to
yield obedience to thee because God is my Father now and He has a claim
upon me, which I would not dispute." May the Holy Ghost make your heart
obedient to the constraining power of Christ's love, that your prayer
may be, "Make me to go in the path of Thy commandments; for therein do I
delight." Grace is the mother and nurse of holiness, and not the
apologist of sin.