The Hen and Her Eggs

“Z<5’ be careless of the degree of our grace makes way for the loss of the whole. Christians are like a hen when many eggs ai-e takeft oict of the nest; as long as one or two she iaketh no notice of it, and forsaketh not the nest. Be not thus foolish J but consider whether there be not abateme7it of some degree of your grace, though a little may remain with you still. Content not yourselves that all is not lost, because somethi?tg remains; but seek to have grace in as great a p7’opo7’tion as formerly P A miser would not be content to miss a part of his gold because a pile still remained; the woman in the parable was not easy because she had many pieces of money left; neither should we be comfortable if a grain of grace is lost by us, even though we may be well assured that a saving portion still remains. Why should we lose any measure of grace 1 We shall need it all. At our strongest we are weak enough. We have never one whit of love to spare; what a pity that we should lose a fragment of it.

No man is more sure of being poor than he who loses his estate insensibly. You may stop a leak if you perceive it, but what can save a ship which sinks imperceptibly. We may heal a wound, but when life oozes away in secret who can save us?

Lord, help us to perceive, to lament, and to recover the least loss in gracious matters.