The Loveliness of Christ

Robert Hawker

“To Him whom man despiseth; to Him whom the nation abhorreth.”—Isa. 49:7.

My soul, let thy longing eyes be directed to Him this day whom man despiseth, and whom God honoureth, and to whom He hath given a name above every name.

Pause, in the contemplation of the wonderful mystery. Was Jesus indeed despised, and by the very creature He came to redeem? Did angels hail His wonderful incarnation, and man despise, hate, and abhor Him? “Be astonished, O ye heavens; and wonder, O earth!” But, my soul, go further in the contemplation of this mysterious subject. What man, what individual man, was it that could thus requite the unparalleled love of Jesus? Alas, not an individual only, but a whole nation; nay, the whole nature, both Jew and Gentile abhorred Him; for while in a state of unrenewed nature, to the one He is a stumbling-block, and to the other His cross is foolishness.

Ah, is it so, my soul? Why then it follows, that thou, even  thou,  my  soul, wert  once  in  the  same  state  of hatred, and wert by nature, as well as others, a child of wrath, despising this wisdom of God in Christ for the salvation of sinners. And art thou  then, my  soul, recovered  by  almighty  sovereign  grace  from  this  deadly hatred of nature, and dost thou look this day with love, with joy, with rapture, and unspeakable delight to Him whom man despiseth, to Him whom the nation abhorreth? Is Jesus indeed lovely, the altogether lovely to thy view? Is He precious, nay, infinitely more precious than the golden wedge of Ophir? Yes, thou Holy One of God, Thou art the all in all to my soul.—Robert Hawker

Leaning on Her Beloved

“Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved.”—Song viii. 5.

Who is it that asketh this question, my soul? Is it the holy angels, astonished as they well may, at the gracious condescension of thy Jesus in the grace and favour he hath bestowed upon thee? Or is it the world at large, looking on with amazement at the love of Jesus to His chosen? Is it the Jewish church, amazed that Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of God’s promise in Christ? Or, above all, is it Jesus Himself, not because be knoweth not the grace He hath bestowed, but because He admireth the grace He hath given, and as He did the centurion’s faith which He himself was the author of, He looketh upon it with pleasure? And art thou, my soul, come up from the wilderness of nature, a dry, barren land, where no water of life is; from the wilderness of the world, and from all the unsatisfying and empty pursuits of it? Art thou leaning upon thy Jesus, cleaving to Him, hanging upon Him, strengthening thyself upon Him, determining, like another Ruth, concerning Naomi, where Jesus goeth thou wilt go, and where He lodgeth thou wilt lodge? Is this thy conduct, and dost thou rest the whole stress of thy present and everlasting happiness upon His glorious person and righteousness?

so, angels may well look on, and cry out, who is this to whom the Father of all mercies hath been so gracious; to whom Jesus hath manifested His love, otherwise than He doth to the world; and on whom the Spirit hath shed His blessed influence to make thee willing in the day of His power? Yes, precious Jesus, I would come up from every thing near and dear in this wilderness state, forget mine own people, and my father’s hous

Many Blessings of His Grace

“Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.”—Eph. 6:24

And dost thou, my soul, with the same affection and love as the apostle, bend thy knee this morning before His throne, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth are named? Dost thou look up, and pray that all grace may abound? Oh what a delightful thought is it, my soul, to warm thy affections, that in the moment thou art waiting at the mercy-scat, thousands are waiting also for the morning blessing. Go then, my soul, and tell thy Redeemer this; tell Him that He hath all suited grace, and that the eyes of His redeemed, as the eyes of one man, are all directed towards Him.

Yes, Thou glorious, rich, and gracious Saviour, we do behold Thee still as the Lamb in the midst of the throne, leading Thy church which is above in glory to fountains of living waters. And, Lord, we know that Thou art equally attentive to Thy church in the dry and barren wilderness here  below, where no waters are. Vouchsafe, blessed Lord, to supply each soul. Thou hast every grace, and all grace, suited to all wants; grace to pardon, grace to save, grace to renew, grace to strengthen, grace to bless. Oh Lord, awaken, convince, humble, comfort, and pour out of Thy fulness as our several necessities may be, in calling, cleansing, justifying, adopting, sanctifying, and building up Thine household, that all grace may abound, according to God’s riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

house; I would lean wholly upon Thy glorious person for my acceptance before God: lean wholly upon Thy righteousness, as all-sufficient for my justification. I would lean upon Thy fulness, day by day, for the supply of all grace here; and I would lean solely upon the divine efficacy and blessedness of Thy blood to cleanse my soul for everlasting fitness for happiness hereafter. Witness for me, ye angels of light, that this is my Beloved on whom I lean, and in whom I trust, and desire to be found in, for time and for eternity. Amen.

Thou blessed Source of all my blessedness, Thou precious Jesus, I will go my way, for Thou art my way; I will eat my bread with joy, for Thou art my bread of life; I will drink the wine which Thou hast mingled for me, for Thy love is better than wine. And as God my Father accepteth me in Thee, this forms an everlasting cause of everlasting joy; joy in what I have; joy in what I expect; joy in even what I want, for those very wants will lead me the closer and the nearer to Thee; joy in what I fear, for my fear will keep me depending upon Thee; joy in what I suffer, for my sufferings are sweetly blessed when they afford a renewed occasion for my Jesus to soothe me under them, and in His time to deliver me out of them; and joy in all I lose, for lose what I may I cannot lose Thee, I cannot lose God’s Christ; I cannot lose His love, His favour, His grace, His Spirit, the efficacy of His blood, and the merits of His righteousness. Oh precious security, precious salvation in the Lord our Righteousness! Shall I not then live up to this heritage, and live under its influence, in the thankful, joyful use of it from day to day? Go thy way, my soul, go in Jesus as thy way; every day, and all the day, eat thy bread with joy; eye Jesus as the spiritual food, and always present at thy table; drink hourly of His cup of salvation, with a cheerful heart, for thou art accepted in the Beloved.

 

Oh ye attendants at the heavenly gate, see that ye come not empty away. Remember Jesus is on the throne; eye Him there. Behold, the very grace you need is in His hand; read the love that is in His heart, and remember that He hath not only the very grace you need, but every grace, and every mercy for all that wait upon Him. Tell every poor sinner this, and bid him ask in faith, nothing doubting. Tell all you know, and all you meet, and all you see, that He who is on the throne hath abundant grace, and wants vessels, the empty vessels of His people, to give out into: tell them that His grace exceeds all sense of grace, all thoughts, all prayers, all praises, all desires; nay, that He hath exceeding abundantly above all that they can ask or think.

Behold, then, O Lord, Thy children, Thy redeemed, Thy family, and let all grace be with all them, and upon all them that love Thee in sincerity. Amen.

Hear, my soul, what Christ, thy Husband and thy Saviour, saith to the church! and as thou art a part of it in him, take it to thyself. Surely the church of Jesus is His garden, and every plant in it, which the heavenly Father hath planted, must flourish, with all the increase of God, as trees of the Lord’s right-hand planting. Even the tenderest plants, the youngest of His people, form a part in this orchard of pomegranates; for every one hath been taken out of nature’s wild wilderness, and brought, by sovereign and distinguishing grace, into the Lord’s garden, His church;  and, like pomegranates, a large and full-bearing  fruit,  sweet  and  delicious,  they  are  in Jesus’s eye most pleasant, from the beauty and comeliness He hath put upon them. —Robert Hawker

Go Down to the Potter’s House

“Arise, and go down to the potter’s house; and there I will cause thee to hear My words.”—Jer.  18:2

Yes, Lord, with the first of the morning will I arise, and go down at Thy command, where, by the secret and silent whispers of Thy divine teaching, I may gather suitable instructions for interpreting all Thy dispensations, both in providence and grace, towards me. Mark, my soul, the vessel marred in the hand of the potter. Alas, how hath our nature been marred since it came out of the hand of our Almighty Potter! Will the potter cast His vessel away? No, He will new make it. Oh Thou glorious Lord! methinks I hear Thy words in this, for Thou hast not thrown us away, but hast new made us, and more blessedly made us in Christ Jesus.

My soul, art thou indeed thus new made, a vessel unto honour, sanctified and meet for the master’s use? Attend then to thy proper character, and never lose sight of it. Refer every act of mercy and favour in thy original creation, in thy new creation, when marred by sin, and in all the appointments and dispensations, both in nature, providence and grace, in which thou art placed, to the sovereign will and pleasure of Jehovah, thine Almighty Potter. All the different forms, and the different ends, for which the whole is appointed, result from His sovereignty, in which the richest display of wisdom and of love is shewn. “Shall the thing formed say unto him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus?” Much less in any of the dispensations, either in providence or grace, shall any say, why dost thou

Thou use me thus? Precious Jesus, it is enough to be new made in Thee; to be new formed in Thy blessed likeness; to be taken into Thy service; and to be made a meet vessel for the Master’s use in Thy family. Thy church is as a great and well-furnished house, where there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth. And if my Lord condescend to look on me, to use me, nay, to bring me into His house and family, that I may be always under His own gracious eye; how humble soever the place or lowly the station, to belong to Jesus is the supreme honour of all His saints. My soul, make frequent visits to the potter’s house, and never fail to go down there whenever any temptation from the enemy, or thine own heart, causeth thee to forget thy creatureship, and the wonders of a marred creature, being new made in Christ Jesus.—Robert Hawker (1753-1827)

“There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old, but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. “—Isa. 65:20

My soul, contemplate this morning the auspicious and blessed effects brought into the circumstances of mankind by the gospel. Not only shall there be new heavens, and a new earth, but new hearts, new minds, new dispositions to enjoy them. “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away, and all things are become new.” And among the many blessed changes that shall take place in consequence of Jesus’s salvation, all untimely deaths are done away. Indeed, there can be no such thing as an untimely death to those who are in Christ: for a voice from heaven pronounces all blessed that die in the Lord. A child new born, if born also in Christ, an ‘infant. of a day, if a gracious day, is as ripe for glory as if an hundred years had passed over him. Indeed, he is an hundred years old in Jesus. Sweet thought! what a blessedness, dearest Jesus, hath Thy great salvation introduced into the circumstances of Thy people. But what an awful thought—the life of an unawakened, unregenerated sinner, though protracted to an hundred years, is lengthened only to misery. As he came into the world, so he goes through it, and so he goes out of it—an unrenewed sinner. Oh distinguishing grace! Oh great salvation!                                                          —Robert Hawker

Flourishing Like a Palm Tree

“The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree.”

(Psalm 92:12)

It forms a beautiful illustration, which the Holy Ghost condescends to give of a true believer’s state, as it stands before God, in the allusion not unfrequently made in scripture to that of the palm-tree. The direct tendency of the palm-tree is upward: it lifts its head, in defiance of all impediments,  towards  the  clouds.  Now  a  true  believer in Jesus is always looking upward, and directing all his pursuits after Jesus. His person, blood and righteousness are the objects of His desire. And as the palm-tree is said to flourish the more when trodden upon and attempted to be crushed; so the believer most oppressed for Jesus’s sake, will flourish in the graces of the Spirit more abundantly. How fruitful also is the palm-tree: and how much the people of God bring forth fruit in their old age, when, after long experience, they have found that in Jesus alone their fruit is found.  How much the palm-tree likes sunny places! How precious the Sun of Righteousness is to His people! And as the branches of palm-trees are worn in tokens of victory, so the church above are beheld with palms in their hands: and the church below carry the palm of rejoicing, when, from the atoning blood and righteousness of Jesus, they are made more than conquerors through Him that loved them.

soul, art thou flourishing like the palm-tree? Yes;  if  so  be  thou  art  planted  in  Jesus,  and watered from the streams of that river which  maketh glad the city of God. Yes, if directing all thy views, all thy hopes, all thy desires to Jesus, thou art living in Him, acting faith upon Him, making Him the alpha and omega of hope here, and happiness hereafter. Blessed Sun of Righteousness, shine with such warm, life-giving, fruit-imparting beams of thy rich grace upon my soul, that I may flourish indeed under thy divine influence, and show that” the Lord, who is my rock, is upright, and that there is no unrighteousness in Him.”—Robert Hawker

Loveliness of Christ in Priestly Vestments

“One like unto the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.”—Rev. i. 13.

My soul, thou art going this morning to the throne of grace, art thou not? Pause then, and behold Jesus as John saw Him, for the church’s joy, in His priestly vestments; for remember He is still a priest upon His throne, and by the oath of Jehovah, abideth a priest for ever. Nay, my soul, be not afraid, draw nigh; hark, surely He calls. Methinks He speaks to thee’ Behold Me! behold Me! See, I am thine intercessor. For this cause I wear these priestly garments; and as the high priest of old represented Me, I appear in them down to the foot, and the golden girdle round and beneath the breast. What is thy cause? What blessings and praises hast thou to offer for past grace? And what supplications for present and future favours? Behold My vesture dipped in blood. Think of the everlasting efficacy of My righteousness: and for whom should I make intercession but for transgressors?’ Fall down, my soul, with holy reverence and godly fear. Jesus will do by thee as He did by John. He will lay His right hand upon thee, and say, “Fear not.” Oh precious, precious Lord, Thou art, indeed, He that was dead, and now livest for evermore. And Thou livest to see the fruits of Thy great salvation faithfully and fully applied to every one of Thy redeemed. Thy priesthood is for ever. Thy intercession unceasing. I do behold Thee, Lord, by faith, even now standing with the blood of the covenant in Thine hand, and presenting me, even me, poor, wretched, worthless me, as one of the purchase of this blood. Do I not hear Thy voice in those soul-reviving words, “Father, keep through Thine own name those whom Thou hast given Me? Father, I will that they also whom Thou hast given Me be with where I am?” Oh glorious, gracious, Almighty High Priest[ Thou art, indeed, “a priest for ever, after the order of Melchisedec.” Oh ye trembling souls! ye who have any cause this day to bring before the court of heaven, look unto Jesus, look within the veil, see Jesus there; look steadily, though humbly, and behold His hands, His side; Zion is still engraven on His palms. Nay, do we not see, may we not read our very names, as the high priest bore the names of Israel on his breast, while his hands are lifted up to bless! Yes, Jesus takes up our cause, bears our persons, and all our concerns. And how shall either fail, while He “is able to save to the uttermost, all that come to God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession.”

—Robert Hawker

“All are yours; and ye are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.”—1 Cor. 3:22, 23

Oh what a rich inventory is here. All things, all blessings, all gifts, all grace, all mercy; all, allthe Christian’s. And observe, my soul, on what it is suspended—”If ye are Christ’s.” And whose art thou, my soul, but His? Hath not the Father given thee to Him? And hath not the Son of God bought thee with a price? Hast thou not made a voluntary surrender of thyself to Jesus, and given thyself to Him in an everlasting covenant which cannot be broken? Oh yes, yes, all this is certain. Lord, grant me grace and faith in lively exercise, that I may now take to myself all the blessedness of it by anticipation; until I come to realize the whole in absolute enjoyment in glory. Christ is mine, and with Him, heaven is mine. God the Father is mine, the Holy Ghost is mine, all covenant blessings are mine; ordinances, means of grace, the holy book of God, all are mine here, and will be my portion for evermore. Hallelujah.—R. Hawker

“That thy trust may be in the Lord, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee.”—Prov. 22:19

My soul, mark for thy morning meditation, what is here said. Observe, in the first place, the general knowledge the Lord hath given of his saving truth and mercies in Christ Jesus, and which becomes a sufficient warrant and authority for all the world to believe in Christ, and to accept of Christ, to the salvation of the soul. Christ in the word is the Father’s authority for every sinner to believe the record God hath given of His Son; and the rejection of this command will be the condemning sin to every one who despises this plan of salvation, because he hath heard and then turned his back upon this love of God in Christ Jesus the Lord. My soul, ponder over this view of the subject, and then turn to another sweet and distinguishing property of God’s revelation which He makes by his blessed Spirit, in the particular apprehension of it. And this is done in every heart that is made willing in the day of God’s power, when the same grace which reveals Christ in the word, reveals Christ also in the heart, the hope of glory. Here the verse of the morning is confirmed in what God saith, that in order to every child of God putting his trust in the Lord, He hath made known to thee, even to thee, this day. Observe, my soul, the personal application of the divine truth. God, by His Spirit, makes it known to thee. It comes like a letter sent down from heaven. Who is it for? Read the direction. It is for thee, my soul. Thus faith takes home the contents to the heart, and finding how exactly every thing in Jesus and his salvation suits his own case and circumstances, he lives upon it, feeds upon it, takes it for his portion, trusts in God for the truth of it, and rejoiceth evermore. My soul,

My soul, hast thou marked these distinct things? and dost thou know how to distinguish rightly between general proclamations of mercy, and special, personal enjoyments of it? Oh then, live up to the full enjoyment of God’s rich mercy in Christ; use Christ, daily, hourly, to the glory of Father, Son, and Spirit; as the redemption by Christ was intended; and bless God more and more for His unspeakable gift.

—Robert Hawker

Feasting on the Lovely Benefits of Christ

The most Precious thing in Heaven or earth

In giving Christ to die for poor sinners, God gave the
richest jewel in His cabinet; a mercy of the greatest
worth, and most inestimable value.

Heaven itself is not so valuable and precious as Christ
is! Ten thousand thousand worlds–as many worlds as
angels can number, would not outweigh Christ’s love,
excellency and sweetness! O what a lovely One! What
an excellent, beautiful, ravishing One–is Christ!

Put the beauty of ten thousand paradises, like the garden
of Eden, into one; put all flowers, all fragrances, all colors,
all tastes, all joys, all sweetness, all loveliness into one;
O what a lovely and excellent thing would that be! And yet
it would be less to that loveliest and dearest well-beloved
Christ–than one drop of rain to all the seas, rivers, lakes,
and fountains of ten thousand earths!

Now, for God to bestow the mercy of mercies, the most
precious thing in heaven or earth, upon poor sinners;
and, as great, as lovely, as excellent as His Son was–what
kind of love is this!

The most Precious thing in Heaven or earth

In giving Christ to die for poor sinners, God gave the
richest jewel in His cabinet; a mercy of the greatest
worth, and most inestimable value.

Heaven itself is not so valuable and precious as Christ
is! Ten thousand thousand worlds–as many worlds as
angels can number, would not outweigh Christ’s love,
excellency and sweetness! O what a lovely One! What
an excellent, beautiful, ravishing One–is Christ!

Put the beauty of ten thousand paradises, like the garden
of Eden, into one; put all flowers, all fragrances, all colors,
all tastes, all joys, all sweetness, all loveliness into one;
O what a lovely and excellent thing would that be! And yet
it would be less to that loveliest and dearest well-beloved
Christ–than one drop of rain to all the seas, rivers, lakes,
and fountains of ten thousand earths!

Now, for God to bestow the mercy of mercies, the most
precious thing in heaven or earth, upon poor sinners;
and, as great, as lovely, as excellent as His Son was–what
kind of love is this!

The most Precious thing in Heaven or earth

In giving Christ to die for poor sinners, God gave the
richest jewel in His cabinet; a mercy of the greatest
worth, and most inestimable value.

Heaven itself is not so valuable and precious as Christ
is! Ten thousand thousand worlds–as many worlds as
angels can number, would not outweigh Christ’s love,
excellency and sweetness! O what a lovely One! What
an excellent, beautiful, ravishing One–is Christ!

Put the beauty of ten thousand paradises, like the garden
of Eden, into one; put all flowers, all fragrances, all colors,
all tastes, all joys, all sweetness, all loveliness into one;
O what a lovely and excellent thing would that be! And yet
it would be less to that loveliest and dearest well-beloved
Christ–than one drop of rain to all the seas, rivers, lakes,
and fountains of ten thousand earths!

Now, for God to bestow the mercy of mercies, the most
precious thing in heaven or earth, upon poor sinners;
and, as great, as lovely, as excellent as His Son was–what
kind of love is this!

The Most Precious Thing in Heaven or Earth

In giving Christ to die for poor sinners, God gave the
richest jewel in His cabinet; a mercy of the greatest
worth, and most inestimable value.
Heaven itself is not so valuable and precious as Christ
is! Ten thousand thousand worlds–as many worlds as
angels can number, would not outweigh Christ’s love,
excellency and sweetness! O what a lovely One! What
an excellent, beautiful, ravishing One–is Christ!
Put the beauty of ten thousand paradises, like the garden
of Eden, into one; put all flowers, all fragrances, all colors,
all tastes, all joys, all sweetness, all loveliness into one;
O what a lovely and excellent thing would that be! And yet
it would be less to that loveliest and dearest well-beloved
Christ–than one drop of rain to all the seas, rivers, lakes,
and fountains of ten thousand earths!
Now, for God to bestow the mercy of mercies, the most
precious thing in heaven or earth, upon poor sinners;
and, as great, as lovely, as excellent as His Son was–what
kind of love is this!—John Flavel, Puritan

(Acts xi. 16)

Blessed promise! realize it, Oh Thou Holy Spirit, day by day, in and upon my soul. Bring me under the continued baptisms of Thy sovereign influence, and cause me to feel all the sweet anointings of the Spirit sent down upon the hearts and minds of Thy redeemed, as the fruits and effects of Jesus’s exaltation, and the promise of God the Father. Yes, blessed Spirit, cause me to know Thee in Thy person, work, and power; in all thy offices, characters, and relations. I need Thee day by day, as my Comforter. I need Thee, as the Spirit of truth, to guide me into all truth. I need Thee, as the Remembrancer of the Lord Jesus, to bring to my forgetful heart all the blessed things He hath revealed to me. I need Thee, as the witness of my Jesus, to testify of my wants, and His fulness to supply. I need Thee, as my advocate and helper, in all my infirmities in prayer. I need Thee, as the earnest of the promised inheritance, that I may not faint, nor want faith to hold on and hold out in all dark seasons. I need Thee, Lord; nay, I cannot do a moment without Thee, nor act faith, nor believe a promise, nor exercise a grace, without Thy constant, Thine unceasing agency upon my poor soul. Come then, Lord, I beseech Thee, and let me be brought under Thine unceasing baptisms. Shed abroad the love of God my Father in my heart, and direct me into the patient waiting for Jesus Christ.

Esther 1:3, 4

“He made a feast unto all his princes, and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces being before him. When he shewed the riches of his glorious kingdom, and the honour of his excellent majesty, many days, even an hundred and fourscore days.”—Esther 1: 3, 4.

Robert Hawker

September 21—Morning—Acts 11:16

“Ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.”—Acts xi. 16.

Blessed promise! realize it, Oh thou Holy Spirit, day by day, in and upon my soul. Bring me under the continued baptisms of thy sovereign influence, and cause me to feel all the sweet anointings of the Spirit sent down upon the hearts and minds of thy redeemed, as the fruits and effects of Jesus’s exaltation, and the promise of God the Father. Yes, blessed Spirit, cause me to know thee in thy person, work, and power; in all thy offices, characters, and relations. I need thee day by day, as my Comforter. I need thee, as the Spirit of truth, to guide me into all truth. I need thee, as the Remembrancer of the Lord Jesus, to bring to my forgetful heart all the blessed things he hath revealed to me. I need thee, as the witness of my Jesus, to testify of my wants, and his fulness to supply. I need thee, as my advocate and helper, in all my infirmities in prayer. I need thee, as the earnest of the promised inheritance, that I may not faint, nor want faith to hold on and hold out in all dark seasons. I need thee, Lord; nay, I cannot do a moment without thee, nor act faith, nor believe a promise, nor exercise a grace, without thy constant, thine unceasing agency upon my poor soul. Come then, Lord, I beseech thee, and let me be brought under thine unceasing baptisms. Shed abroad the love of God my Father in my heart, and direct me into the patient waiting for Jesus Christ.

September 21—Evening—Esther 1:3, 4

“He made a feast unto all his princes, and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces being before him. When he shewed the riches of his glorious kingdom, and the honour of his excellent majesty, many days, even an hundred and fourscore days.”—Esther i. 3, 4.

Who can read the account here given of the royalty and liberality of the Persian monarch, without having the mind immediately directed to look at the Lord Jesus, in his royalty and grace, and to consider both the extent of his bounty, and the honour of his excellent majesty, compared to which this earthly potentate sinks to nothing? What though his kingdom reached over a hundred and seven and twenty provinces, from India to Ethiopia; what is this to Him, whose dominion is “from sea to sea, and from the river even unto the ends of the earth;” yea, who hath “all power in heaven and in earth,” and hath “the keys of hell and the grave?” And what a day, in point of duration, was that feast, which, though extended to a hundred and fourscore, yet, when ended, left nothing to follow, but perhaps induced sickness and sorrow; when we contemplate that eternal and everlasting day, to which Jesus invites, and in which he entertains all his people, whom he hath made “kings and priests unto God and the Father,” and where they shall not only feast with him, and he with them, but shall sit down with him on his throne, as he hath overcome, and is sat down with his Father, on his throne? And in this one eternal and never-ending feast of the Lord Jesus, from which the guests shall go out no more, there is nothing to nauseate, nothing unpleasant to mingle, but all is light, and joy, and peace, and unspeakable felicity. Here Jesus openly sheweth the riches of his glorious kingdom, and the honour of his excellent majesty! Here he brings his redeemed into a perfect acquaintance with himself, and opens to their astonished unceasing contemplation and delight, the wonders of his person, and the wonders of his love; and fills their ravished souls “with joy unspeakable and full of glory,” in the knowledge of “the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ.” Hail, thou glorious King of kings, and Lord of lords! Here thou art making a feast of grace in thine holy mountain, for all thy poor and needy, and halt, and blind, whom thou hast made the princes of thy kingdom, and whom thou wilt bring, in thine own good time, to the everlasting feast of glory in thy kingdom above! Grant me, blessed Jesus, to be one of the happy number who partake of thy bounties of grace here, and sure I am, that I shall then one day sit down to the everlasting enjoyment of thyself in the glories of heaven for ever!

September 21—Morning—Acts 11:16

“Ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.”—Acts xi. 16.

Blessed promise! realize it, Oh thou Holy Spirit, day by day, in and upon my soul. Bring me under the continued baptisms of thy sovereign influence, and cause me to feel all the sweet anointings of the Spirit sent down upon the hearts and minds of thy redeemed, as the fruits and effects of Jesus’s exaltation, and the promise of God the Father. Yes, blessed Spirit, cause me to know thee in thy person, work, and power; in all thy offices, characters, and relations. I need thee day by day, as my Comforter. I need thee, as the Spirit of truth, to guide me into all truth. I need thee, as the Remembrancer of the Lord Jesus, to bring to my forgetful heart all the blessed things he hath revealed to me. I need thee, as the witness of my Jesus, to testify of my wants, and his fulness to supply. I need thee, as my advocate and helper, in all my infirmities in prayer. I need thee, as the earnest of the promised inheritance, that I may not faint, nor want faith to hold on and hold out in all dark seasons. I need thee, Lord; nay, I cannot do a moment without thee, nor act faith, nor believe a promise, nor exercise a grace, without thy constant, thine unceasing agency

upon my poor soul. Come then, Lord, I beseech thee, and let me be brought under thine unceasing baptisms. Shed abroad the love of God my Father in my heart, and direct me into the patient waiting for Jesus Christ.

September 21—Evening—Esther 1:3, 4

“He made a feast unto all his princes, and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces being before him. When he shewed the riches of his glorious kingdom, and the honour of his excellent majesty, many days, even an hundred and fourscore days.”—Esther i. 3, 4.

Who can read the account here given of the royalty and liberality of the Persian monarch, without having the mind immediately directed to look at the Lord Jesus, in his royalty and grace, and to consider both the extent of his bounty, and the honour of his excellent majesty, compared to which this earthly potentate sinks to nothing? What though his kingdom reached over a hundred and seven and twenty provinces, from India to Ethiopia; what is this to Him, whose dominion is “from sea to sea, and from the river even unto the ends of the earth;” yea, who hath “all power in heaven and in earth,” and hath “the keys of hell and the grave?” And what a day, in point of duration, was that feast, which, though extended to a hundred and fourscore, yet, when ended, left nothing to follow, but perhaps induced sickness and sorrow; when we contemplate that eternal and everlasting day, to which Jesus invites, and in which he entertains all his people, whom he hath made “kings and priests unto God and the Father,” and where they shall not only feast with him, and he with them, but shall sit down with him on his throne, as he hath overcome, and is sat down with his Father, on his throne? And in this one eternal and never-ending feast of the Lord Jesus, from which the guests shall go out no more, there is nothing to nauseate, nothing unpleasant to mingle, but all is light, and joy, and peace, and unspeakable felicity. Here Jesus openly sheweth the riches of his glorious kingdom, and the honour of his excellent majesty! Here he brings his redeemed into a perfect acquaintance with himself, and opens to their astonished unceasing contemplation and delight, the wonders of his person, and the wonders of his love; and fills their ravished souls “with joy unspeakable and full of glory,” in the knowledge of “the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ.” Hail, thou glorious King of kings, and Lord of lords! Here thou art making a feast of grace in thine holy mountain, for all thy poor and needy, and halt, and blind, whom thou hast made the princes of thy kingdom, and whom thou wilt bring, in thine own good time, to the everlasting feast of glory in thy kingdom above! Grant me, blessed Jesus, to be one of the happy number who partake of thy bounties of grace here, and sure I am, that I shall then one day sit down to the everlasting enjoyment of thyself in the glories of heaven for ever!

Robert Hawker – 1753-1827

Who can read the account here given of the royalty and liberality of the Persian monarch, without having the mind immediately directed to look at the Lord Jesus, in His royalty and grace, and to consider both the extent of His bounty, and the honour of His excellent majesty, compared to which this earthly potentate sinks to nothing? What though his kingdom reached over a hundred and seven and twenty provinces, from India to Ethiopia; what is this to Him, whose dominion is “from sea to sea, and from the river even unto the ends of the earth;” yea, who hath “all power in heaven and in earth,” and hath “the keys of hell and the grave?” And what a day, in point of duration, was that feast, which, though extended to a hundred and fourscore, yet, when ended, left nothing to follow, but perhaps induced sickness and sorrow; when we contemplate that eternal and everlasting day, to which Jesus invites, and in which He entertains all His people, whom He hath made “kings and priests unto God and the Father,” and where they shall not only feast with Him, and He with them, but shall sit down with Him on His throne, as He hath overcome, and is sat down with His Father, on His throne? And in this one eternal and never-ending feast of the Lord Jesus, from which the guests shall go out no more, there is nothing to nauseate, nothing unpleasant to mingle, but all is light, and joy, and peace, and unspeakable felicity. Here Jesus openly showeth the riches of His glorious kingdom, and the honour of His excellent majesty! Here He brings His redeemed into a perfect acquaintance with Himself, and opens to their astonished unceasing contemplation and delight, the wonders of His person, and the wonders of His love; and fills their ravished souls “with joy unspeakable and full of glory,” in the knowledge of “the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ.” Hail, Thou glorious King of kings, and Lord of lords! Here Thou art making a feast of grace in Thine holy mountain, for all Thy poor and needy, and halt, and blind, whom Thou hast made the princes of Thy kingdom, and whom Thou wilt bring, in Thine own good time, to the everlasting feast of glory in Thy kingdom above! Grant me, blessed Jesus, to be one of the happy number who partake of Thy bounties of grace here, and sure I am, that I shall then one day sit down to the everlasting enjoyment of Thyself in the glories of heaven for ever!

—Robert Hawker – 1753-1827

 

Is There No Balm in Gilead?

Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is not the health of the daughter of My people recovered?”—Jer. 8:22.

Yes, there is both balm in Gilead, and a physician there. For the blood and righteousness of Jesus is the truest balm; and Jesus Himself a Sovereign and an Almighty Physician. But if that blood be not applied, if Jesus be not known nor consulted, how shall health be obtained? My soul, hast thou known thy disease, felt thy disorder? Art thou convinced that it is incurable by all human means—no medicine, no earthly physician, can administer relief? Hast thou known these things? And convinced of the infinite importance of seeking elsewhere, art thou come to Jesus? What sayest thou, my soul, to the enquiry? Art thou acquainted with Jesus? Hast thou made known thy case to Him? And hath he told thee all that is in thine heart? Hath he taken thee under His care? Is He administering to thee the balm of Gilead? Oh my soul, see to it that nothing satisfieth thy mind, until that thou hast heard His soul-reviving voice, saying, “I am the Lord that healeth thee,” Exod. xv. 26. Seek it for thy life. Say unto the Son of God, “Speak but the word, Lord, and my soul shall be healed.”—Robert Hawker

“And the Earth Helped the Woman”

(Rev. 12:16)

How blessed is it to see the hand of the Lord, when no hand beside can be near to help! and that when our situation is as lonely and forlorn as that of the pelican in the wilderness, Jesus is still near; and we are never less alone than when alone! When the church brought forth her offspring, and hell stood ready to devour it, God sheltered it from his jaws. And when he cast forth a flood to sweep the church away, the earth helped the woman, by opening its mouth, and swallowing it up. My soul! look into thine own circumstances, and trace the Lord’s dealings, and thou wilt find a great multitude of corresponding instances. It is from the inattentive minds of the Lord’s people, that mercies so often pass and repass, and they see them not. There are thousands of them in every believer’s life, that he is as unconscious of, as the world are of the sweet-blowing flower of the desert, which sheds her rich perfumes to the air, and her beauties to the heath, and hath no beholder. The Lord’s dealings with His people, as well in the kingdom of providence as of grace, will form a huge volume to read over in eternity, in which, like the earth helping the woman, we shall find wonders to call forth love and praise to God and the Lamb. The timing of mercies, the unexpected coming of them, the instruments by which they have been brought, the means by which they have been accomplished, and, what above all must endear them, the cause whence they come, the medium through which they flow in the person of Jesus, and the covenant of redemption in His blood; all these bring them home to the heart, with “a joy unspeakable and full of glory,” and richly fulfil that precious promise of a covenant God in Christ, “Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good; and I will plant them in this land assuredly, with my whole heart, and with my whole soul,” Jer. 32:41.

—Robert Hawker – 1753-1827

September 30—Morning—Exodus 12:14

“And this day shall be unto you for

a memorial.”—Exodus xii. 14.

It is blessed to end the month, and end every day, as we would wish and desire to end life, blessing and praising God in Christ; rising from the table of divine bounties, and thanking the great Master of the feast. Pause, my soul, and see whether, in the past month, such hath been thine experience of sovereign grace and unmerited mercies, that thou canst now set up thine Ebenezer, and mark this day for a memorial.

What visits hath Jesus made to thee, my soul; and how hath thine heart been drawn out after Him? Hath the Father, as well as the Son, come and made His abode with thee? Hath the Holy Ghost, the glorious inhabitant in the souls and bodies of His people, manifested His continued presence to thee? This day is indeed a memorial, if, in summing up the wonderful account of divine manifestations of divine love in providence and grace, during the month now nearly closed, and the years already passed, thou canst mark down the blessed enumeration. And will not my Lord, while the day is not passed, and yet remains to be added to the month, will He not make it memorable by some renewed favour?

Oh, for some new visits from Father, Son, and Spirit—this morning, this day, and ail the day! As long as I live I would have my soul going forth in exercises of faith and love upon the person of Emanuel, that I may carefully mark down the numberless instances of it. Here, I would say, Jesus visited me; here it was He met me, here He shewed me His loves, and made the place and day ever memorable by His grace.—Robert Hawker

September 30—Evening—John 9:4

“I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.”—John 9: 4

Pause, my soul, over this sweet scripture, and these sweet words of thy Lord! Look at Jesus, even thy Jesus, who, in the service of Mediator, as God’s servant, had work to do in His day, as thou hast in thine. And Oh! what a day was His! Every portion of it filled with good! Now, my soul, the night of this present day is come; and the night of the whole day of thy life upon earth will shortly follow; it may come this very night; for nearly as the month is ended, thy life may end before it: and though death come not this very night, it cannot be far off, and may be near indeed. How then stands thy great account? Take down thy memorandums, as merchants do their ledger at certain seasons, to ascertain their stock; and review thine experience. Hath Jesus filled up every page? Hast thou the several items of His grace, and love, and bounty? Canst thou tell of Him that sent thee into the world, as He saith His Father sent Him? John 17:18. Canst thou call to mind, from the first Bethel visit of His love, to the present hour, how He hath borne thee, and carried thee as on eagle’s wings? And though it would tire the arm of an angel to write down the vast account of His mercy and grace, and though in thy poor forgetful heart, thousands, and ten thousands of instances have passed away, like traces on the water, and thou canst remember them no more; yet in looking back upon the whole, canst thou say,

“Jesus is mine, and I am His?”

Oh! the unspeakable felicity of thy summing up months, and days, and years, when the night cometh that no man can work. Precious Lord Jesus! Thou hast indeed done all for me, and wrought all in me; Thou hast made, and Thou dost bear. It is Thou that formed me from the womb, and now hast made me in Thyself: Thou hast redeemed me, and washed me from my sins in Thy blood; borne with me in all my unworthiness, and carried me in all my sorrows! Into Thy gracious hands, Lord, I desire to fall this night, and every night, and in the night of death; under the blessed assurance, that” when my heart shall faint, and my strength shall fail, Thou wilt be the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.” Amen.

Robert Hawker – 1753-1827

“Shiloh”

(Gen. 49: 10)

Precious name of the Lord Jesus! How blessed hath it been in all ages to Thy people. Oh Lord, make it as ointment poured forth this morning to my soul! Both Jews and Christians alike agree in it, that it belongs only to the Messiah. And how then is it that they do not see Christ in it, even our Jesus, who suffered under Pontius Pilate, and died, as Caiaphas predicted the expediency, that one man should die for the people, and that He should fulfill the dying patriarch’s prediction, by gathering together in one the children of God which were scattered abroad? That Jesus answered to Jacob’s prediction, and none but Jesus ever did, is evident from their own testimony:—”We have a law,” said they to Pilate, “and by that law he ought to die.” Now, then, they themselves hereby confessed that as Jacob prophesied, the Lawgiver was not departed from Israel when Christ came. And when they added, “We have no king but Caesar,” certain it was, from their own testimony, the sceptre was, from their own testimony, the sceptre was gone out of the family of Judah, when the heathen emperor was king. Think of these evidences, my soul, and feast thyself upon the precious name of thy Shiloh. Thy Jesus, thy Shiloh, thy Almighty Deliverer, is come. He is both thy Lawgiver and thy Law-fulfiller; thy God and thy King, who sprang out of Judah. Oh thou glorious Shiloh! let my soul be gathered to thee, to live upon thee and to thee; and do thou, Lord, arise out of Zion, and when the fulness of the gentiles is completed, let both Jew and gentile be gathered into one fold, of which be Thou the ever-living, ever-loving, ever-governing Shiloh, to bless them in Thyself for ever. Amen.

Joy in the God of My Salvation

“Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labour of the olive shall fail, and the field shall yield no meat, the flocks shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation!”—Habakkuk iii. 17, 18.

See, my soul, in the prophet’s example, the blessedness of living above creature enjoyments, by living upon Creator fullness. Here is a sun, which never goes down! Here is a fountain, whose streams can never dry up! He that lives upon creature excellency, will want both food and comfort when that excellency dies, for they must die with it, when the period of its flourishing is over. But the soul that draws all from Jesus, the God of his salvation, will have Jesus and His salvation to live upon, and to be an everlasting source, when nature, in all its varieties, ceases to supply. My soul,  what are thy resources for a day of famine? Canst thou join issue with the prophet? If blasting, or mildew, or frost, shall nip the fig-tree of its blossom; both the vine and the olive fail; yea, if the staff of life, as well as the sweets of life, should all be gone; hast thou Jesus to live upon; canst thou rejoice in Him, when there is nothing else left to rejoice in; and call Him thine, and the God of thy salvation, when none will own thee, and thou hast none beside  Him to own?  They say that music upon the waters always sounds best. Be this so or not, yet the melody of the soul is certainly sweetest when nature is out of tune, if the believer can take his harp from the willow, and sing aloud on the tribulated waters of sorrow, to the God of my salvation. And this is a song never out of season, but has peculiar joy in the note, when from a new-strung heart, the believer sings it of the God of his salvation, and addresses it to the God of his salvation. Blessed Lord Jesus! give me grace, like the prophet, so to sing and so to triumph, that since, lose what I may, I cannot lose Thee, while Thy creature comforts remain, I may enjoy them, from enjoying Thee in them: and when all are taken away, still, having Thee for my portion, may I sing aloud with the prophet, though all earthly enjoyments cease, “I will still rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”

Robert Hawker – 1753-1827

“Christ Is All, and in All”

(Colossians 3:11)

Hail, Thou great, Thou glorious, Thou universal Lord. To Thee, blessed Jesus, every knee shall bow. Thou art all in all in creation, redemption, providence, grace, glory. Thou art all in all in Thy church, and in the hearts of Thy people: in all their joys, all their happiness, all their exercises, all their privileges. Thou art the all in all in Thy word, ordinances, means of grace, the sum and substance of the whole Bible. Speak we of promises?—Thou art the first promise in the sacred word, and the whole of every promise that follows—for all in Thee are yea and amen. Speak we of the law? “Thou art the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” Speak we of sacrifices? “By Thy one sacrifice Thou hast for ever perfected them that are sanctified.” Speak we of the prophecies?—”To Thee give all the prophets witness, that whosoever believeth in Thee shall receive remission of sins.” Yes, blessed, blessed Jesus, Thou art the all in all. Be Thou to me, Lord, the all in all I need in time, and then surely Thou wilt be my all in all to all eternity.—Robert Hawker

—Robert Hawker

 

Ye Shall Be Baptized with the Holy Ghost

Thanks to Him Who Gave

Such a Lovely Choice!

He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob, whom He loved. Selah.”—Psa. 47:4

My soul, to whom, but to the all-lovely and all-loving Jesus, couldest thou have thought this blessed verse referred, even had this little word Selah not been placed at the end, by way of marking the emphasis of the Holy Ghost? Who couldest thou have considered suitable to have chosen the inheritance of His people, but He who is the Lord of His people, and Himself their inheritance and their portion for ever? It was God thy Father that chose Him to be the excellency of Jacob, when He gave Him for a covenant to the people; and when to the infinite mind of Jehovah, this One glorious Person, in the holiness and purity of His nature, came up before Him here, on Him the Lord placed His choice. And had all His people been present; had it been possible for the whole of the chosen of Zion to have been consulted in the choice, would not every soul have fixed its longing eyes upon Him, and from the millions of tongues resounding His blessed and blissful name from every heart, the universal voice would have been heard in the delightful words of this scripture: “He shall choose our inheritance for us; the excellency of Jacob, whom He loved!” Hail! Thou dear and blessed Lord! Thou art indeed our inheritance, and our portion for ever! And hail, Thou glorious, gracious, and almighty Father! Thy choice, and Thy gift, and Thine appointment, gives and confirms, sweetens and sanctifies the eternal and unspeakable mercy. And hail, Thou holy and blessed Spirit! do Thou cause my poor soul to live by grace here, and in glory, to all eternity, upon this excellency of Jacob, whom Jehovah loved!