"My grace is sufficient for thee."-2 Corinthians 12:9

If none of God's saints were poor and tried, we should not know half so
well the consolations of divine grace. When we find the wanderer who
has not where to lay his head, who yet can say, "Still will I trust in
the Lord," or when we see the pauper starving on bread and water, who
still glories in Jesus; when we see the bereaved widow overwhelmed in
affliction, and yet having faith in Christ, oh! what honour it reflects on
the gospel. God's grace is illustrated and magnified in the poverty and
trials of believers. Saints bear up under every discouragement,
believing that all things work together for their good, and that out of
apparent evils a real blessing shall ultimately spring-that their God will
either work a deliverance for them speedily, or most assuredly support
them in the trouble, as long as He is pleased to keep them in it. This
patience of the saints proves the power of divine grace. There is a
lighthouse out at sea: it is a calm night-I cannot tell whether the e!
difice is firm; the tempest must rage about it, and then I shall know
whether it will stand. So with the Spirit's work: if it were not on many
occasions surrounded with tempestuous waters, we should not know that
it was true and strong; if the winds did not blow upon it, we should not
know how firm and secure it was. The master-works of God are those men
who stand in the midst of difficulties, stedfast, unmoveable,-

"Calm mid the bewildering cry,
Confident of victory."

He who would glorify his God must set his account upon meeting with
many trials. No man can be illustrious before the Lord unless his
conflicts be many. If then, yours be a much-tried path, rejoice in it, because
you will the better show forth the all-sufficient grace of God. As for
His failing you, never dream of it-hate the thought. The God who has
been sufficient until now, should be trusted to the end.

"They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of Thy
house."-Psalm 36:8

Sheba's queen was amazed at the sumptuousness of Solomon's table. She
lost all heart when she saw the provision of a single day; and she
marvelled equally at the company of servants who were feasted at the royal
board. But what is this to the hospitalities of the God of grace? Ten
thousand thousand of his people are daily fed; hungry and thirsty, they
bring large appetites with them to the banquet, but not one of them
returns unsatisfied; there is enough for each, enough for all, enough for
evermore. Though the host that feed at Jehovah's table is countless as
the stars of heaven, yet each one has his portion of meat. Think how
much grace one saint requires, so much that nothing but the Infinite could
supply him for one day; and yet the Lord spreads His table, not for
one, but many saints, not for one day, but for many years; not for many
years only, but for generation after generation. Observe the full
feasting spoken of in the text, the guests at mercy's banquet are satisf!
ied, nay, more "abundantly satisfied;" and that not with ordinary fare,
but with fatness, the peculiar fatness of God's own house; and such
feasting is guaranteed by a faithful promise to all those children of men
who put their trust under the shadow of Jehovah's wings. I once thought
if I might but get the broken meat at God's back door of grace I should
be satisfied; like the woman who said, "The dogs eat of the crumbs that
fall from the master's table;" but no child of God is ever served with
scraps and leavings; like Mephibosheth, they all eat from the king's
own table. In matters of grace, we all have Benjamin's mess-we all have
ten times more than we could have expected, and though our necessities
are great, yet are we often amazed at the marvellous plenty of grace
which God gives us experimentally to enjoy.

SHALOM!!!