Have Faith in Jesus

Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? — 2 Cor. xiii. 5.

Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. — Matt, xxviii. 20.

If a man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with him. — John xiv. 23.

Dear Reader — Did ever the value and serious import of these passages of Scripture occur to thee? According to them, we are the temple of the living God. He promises to abide with us, to walk in us, and to be a present helper in every needful time. The Lord Jesus declared, “1 am the way, and the truth, and the life; no man Cometh unto the Father but by me.” Seeing this is the case, what can the poor sinner do who is seeking after God, and feels the need of the pardon of his sins? What, I say, can he do better than to lay his case before the Lord Jesus, who, according to His promise, is ever present with us, who knows our need and is our advocate with the Father, and who has declared, “Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out?”

Dear reader — Dost thou desire to be perfect, and to walk closely with thy God? Have faith in Jesus; believe in Him as hearing all thy petitions, and as having all power in heaven and earth. Depend upon it, if thou go to Him as to a present Saviour, thou shalt find to thy inexpressible joy, that Jesus is indeed near at hand. He not only delivers us from the guilt of sin, but also from its power. If we are tempted to do wrong in any way, the Lord Jesus will give us power to resist it, if we apply to Him. If evil thoughts oppress ns, and we turn to Jesus, He will scatter them. We have sorrow and trouble — one glance of His presence and our burden is lightened. Our hearts are dead and cold to religion, and we feel poor and good for nothing-, let us in faith remember the declaration of our Lord, ‘’ Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,’’ and we shall be comforted. While in this world, we are in a militant state, and according to the injunction of our Lord, we must watch and pray lest we enter into temptation. Often during the day we should turn to our present Saviour, and ask Him to keep us from evil, and to make us holy.

Believer, Does the world seem a blank to thee, and life a burden? Listen to the voice of Jesus speaking to thy soul. He says, 1 came to seek and to save that which was lost; I gave my life a ransom for many; I shed my blood as an atonement for the sins of all mankind; I am the Lamb of God; I suffered and endured agony on the cross, and cried out, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” all this I suffered and endured for thy sake, and canst thou not bear with patience these small trials of flesh and spirit? Every branch in me that beareth fruit, my Father purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit. I make this world a place of trial to thee that thou mayest set thy affections on things above, where I am seated, thy advocate with the Father. This life feels a burden to thee, that thou mayest the more earnestly seek that eternal life which is hid with me in God. If thou had not these trials of faith and patience, thou might set thy affections on things below, and thus fall short of making thy calling and election sure. As my delight is with the sons of men, and I would have none of them to be lost, all the afflictions I send upon them are for their refinement. If thou wilt seek the kingdom of heaven and the righteousness thereof, I will add unto thee all things needful for this life, and for that which is to come. If thou shouldst meet with troubles and trials, come to me: I will enlighten thy darkness, I will lift up the light of my countenance upon thee. Should doubt and uncertainty attend thee, come to me for direction; all power in heaven and earth is mine, and if thou wilt ask my counsel and patiently wait for it, thou wilt certainly be directed aright. There have been many of my servants who could testify that in every emergency of their lives they have found in me their needful resource; therefore be encouraged; I am not leading thee in any new way, but in old and tried paths. Tribulations are necessary. When I trod this earth, I was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, therefore those who would reign with me must suifer with me. I will not leave thee comfortless, I will come to thee. Watch and pray, lest thou enter into temptation. I go to prepare a place for thee, and will come again and receive thee unto myself.

ArPENDIX.

KNOWING GOD.

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. — John xvii. 3.

Dear Reader — Art thou acquainted with the Lord Jesus Christ? If not, hast thou eternal life? Then how important it is that thou shouldst know Plim!

But thou mayst say, I am expecting when done with this earth — when I go to the unseen world, there to know the Lord Jesus — then to enter into life eternal; but surely so great a blessing is not attainable in this present state of being. Believe me, dear friend, this persuasion cometh not from our Heavenly Father. Jesus, our Saviour, said, ‘’If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto, him, and make our abode with him.” (John xiv. 23.) “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Rev. iii. 20.) “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of Truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” (John xiv. 16, 17.) We have her* the precious promises that the Lord our God will take up His abode with us — the Lord Jesus will come in and sup with u.s, and we with Him, and the Holy Spirit shall be in us and dwell with us. Do not these things refer to. this life? Undoubtedly they do. The Apostle exhorts believers, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves; know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (2 Cor. xiii. 5.) “If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.” (1 John iv. 12.) ‘’Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” (1 Cor. iii. 16, 17.) “Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own.” (1 Cor. vi. 19.)

“All things are delivered to me of my Father; and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.” (Luke x. 22.)?

We may infer from the foregoing passages of Holy Writ, and from many more which might be quoted, that even in this life, believers in the Lord Jesus may expect the presence of their Lord to be revealed in their hearts — that He will make known to them the Father; and that He will send the Holy Spirit to abide with and to guide them into all truth, and to be with them forever — according to His promise.

If we are favored to experience these things, (and all are called upon to enjoy them,) do we not know the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom He has sent; and have we not eternal life in the sense alluded to by our Lord, (John xvii. 3.)?

Dear reader, do not put these things aside until thou leavest this world, or to a more convenient season. Now is the time. ‘’ Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” (Rev. iii. 20.) If thou wilt open the door, the Lord Jesus will come in and sup with thee. Open to Him, then, without delay, if thou hast not yet found thy Saviour; for “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everhisting life.” (John iii. 16.) “He that spared not his only begotten Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Rom. viii. 32 )

The Lord is at the door. (John x. 7.) If any feel themselves not at peace with God, either because they know Him not, or they have committed sin, or in any way alienated themselves from their Father’s love, the way to God is by and through the Lord Jesus Christ — the only way of restoration to that peace which the children of God know, is through the dear Saviour. He is our High Priest, our Intercessor and Advocate with the Father. He willingly pleads in our behalf. We may come boldly to the throne of grace in His name, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Delay not, therefore. “Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation.”

Thou, God alone, art all Thy children need,

And there is none beside.
From Thee the streams of blessedness proceed;

In Thee the bless’d abide;
Fountain of life and all-abounding grace,
Our source, our centre and our dwelling-place!

Madame Guyon.

Come unto mc nil ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. — Matt. xi. 28, 29.

And him that cometh to me Iivill in no wise cast out. — Matt. vi. 37.

To all who believe in the Lord Jesus, these words of the dear Son of God, of Hini who declared that all power in heaven and earth was given unto Him, should in times of trial encourage us to trust in Him — to look to Him for help, to pray in His name for sustaining grace and the lifting up of His countenance upon us. In seasons of distress, when we seem indeed to have come to the end of all earthly help, how comforting and assuring is a little sense of the presence of our God, as revealed in the heart! And this, dear reader, through the mercy of our Heavenly Father in Christ Jesus, is placed within thy reach. Thou mayst say, But how can I attain to it? there is nothing I desire .so much! The answer is, thou must look for the Divine appearance in thine own heart; thou must retire to the centre of thy soul, and there wait yatiently for Him to make Himself known. If favored thus to introvert thy thoughts, not long shalt thou wait! He that filleth all things will soon show Plimself, and when He comes in, joy and gladness are with Him; sorrow, and doubt, and distressing care all fly away; we can rest in His mercy, and jiower, and love, knowing that “if God be for us, who then can be against us?”

Are any afflicted by the death of dear friends? To the mercy of God in Christ Jesus we must go for consolation. “He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” He knoweth our need of His sustaining arm; and if we turn to Him, with our whole heart. He will not leave us comfortless, but according to His blessed promise, He will come to us; and when He appeareth, the heart that was sad can rejoice; the wounded spirit find a healing balm, and our loved ones we confide to His redeeming love. There is no joy like that the Saviour giveth; it brings no sorrow with it.

Are any troubled at the loss of property? Are their earthly hopes and prospects clouded? Do all things fail and go adverse to their wishes? Then look to Jesus: He was rich and became poor for our sakes; He possessed all things, and yet “had not where to lay his head;” by His power He fed thousands, yet He was “ministered unto by many.” Go to Him, then, thou distressed, forsaken one, pray to Him for aid; “His hand is not shortened that it cannot Bave, neither is his ear heavy that it cannot hear.” The Lord Jesus said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” (Matt, xxviii. 18.) Therefore, to whom besides canst thou go, to have all thy wants supplied?

Are any of us tempted to commit sin, in thought or in deed? The Lord Jesus is still our refuge. ‘’ He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin; “and He knoweth how to deliver out of temptation; and when the enemy comes into our souls,” like a flood,” the Lord is able to ‘’lift up a standard against him,” and He will do it, if we are sensible of our own weakness, and look to Him; for He hath said, “Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else.” (Isaiah xlv. 22.) This is not an idle dream, but the real, earnest truth, as thou, dear reader, mayst prove for thyself; then, if tempted to wickedness of any kind, go to Jesus.

Have any fallen into sin and grieved the Holy Spirit? There is but one resource, the Lord Jesus. He is “The repairer of the breach. The restorer of paths to dwell in.’’ (Isaiah lviii. 12.) “The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all;” His precioas blood was shed as an atonement for our sins; and, if sensible of our fall, and truly repentant, the Lord our God, “if we confess our sins, is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John i. 9.) “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, .Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John ii. 1.) Then, poor sinful soul, go to Jesus; He ‘’ came to seek and to save that which was lost;” He is thy Advocate; in His name thou mayst come boldly to the throne of grace, and plead the ofTering up of His precious life for thy sake; He is thy Intercessor; “give no sleep to thy eyes, nor slumber to thy eyelids” until thou findest thy Saviour. Depend upon it, if thou waitest on Him, in humility of heart and abasement of self, with a firm intention to avoid the like sin in future, thou wilt find to thy inexpressible joy, thy sins all washed away, and thyself at peace with thy reconciled Heavenly Father; He will lift up the light of His countenance upon thee.

Do any feel poor and weak in spiritual things? — dead to their eternal interests? To Jesus they must go. “He is the resurrection and the life.” “He that believeth on me,” said He, “though he were dead, yet shall he live.” (John xi. 25.) Go to Him, then, in faith, lifeless as thou art; “His compassions fail not;” He knoweth all thy weakness; then wait patiently upon Him, looking for and expecting Him to renew thy spiritual life; and although He may for a season hide His face, do not be discouraged; thou shalt surely reap an abundant harvest, if thou faint not. “Even the youths shall faint and be weary and the young men shall utterly fall; but they that wait upon the Lord, shall I’enew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah xl. 30, 31.)

Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near; Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. — Iga. Iv. 6, 7.

Dear Reader — If not assured of thy salvation, through the mercy of God in Jesus Christ, thou shouldst lose no time. “For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.’’ (James iv. 14.) We see the young, the strong man, and the aged, alike called “to give an account of the deeds done in the body;” they are cut down like the flower of the field. “For the wind passeth over it and it is gone, and the place thereof shall know it no more.” (Ps. ciii. 16.) “The goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance.” (Rom. ii.4.) “Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is none else.” (Isa. xlv. 22.) If we would be saved we must look unto the Lord; we must seek Him and He will be found of us. The Lord Jesus is the door by which we must enter the Kingdom of Heaven. It is through Him we have access to the Father. A historical belief in Jesus is not enough; we must know Him as revealed in the heart. We have many assurances in Holy Scripture that He dwells in our hearts. He promised to send the Holy Spirit to be with us, and that we should know Him. (John xiv. 17.) If we would know Him, we must look for Him where He is to be found; we must wait upon Him in the silence of all flesh. If we turn our thoughts intently to the Lord, He will reveal Himself to us; then be incited, dear reader, to be earnest in this matter. The Apostle told the Athenians “That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him and find him, though he be not far from every one of us. For in Him we live, and move, and have our being.” (Acts xvii. 27, 28.) “Truly my soul waiteth upon God; for my expectation is from him. Trust in Him at all times, ye people: pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us.” (Ps. lxii. 1; 5; 8.)

There are many precious promises in Holy Scripture to those who wait upon God. This exercise of mind is very profitable; it draws our thoughts away from things of a perishing nature, and fixes them upon things eternal. If we seek our Heavenly Father, He will allow us to approach His footstool. His love to poor souls was so great, that “He was in Christ reconciling the world to himself.” The Prophet, speaking in the name of the Lord, declared, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” (Ezek. xviii. 1. ) Therefore our compassionate God, that He might relieve the souls that He had made, from that penalty, sent His only begotten Son into the world — who took flesh, and as man died — that we might live; accepting as an atonement for our sins, the precious blood of Christ, who as a Lamb without a spot was slain, that His blood should shield us, like that of the Paschal Lamb did the Israelites of old, who trusted in it. (Ex. xii.) This condescending mercy should greatly encourage us to trust in Jesus. Sinners as we are, we have the strongest evidence that it is the will of our Creator that we should all be saved. “If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Rom. viii. 31, 32.)

Then, dear reader, turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart. If thou dost feel sinful, weak, and discouraged, remember that Jesus died for thee, that He is all-powerful, that ‘’He ever liveth to make intercession for thee.” Trust in Him, confess thy sins to Him, tell Him all thy needs, and in His name plead for pardon; ask for a new heart, a sanctified will, and that thy affections may be fixed on heavenly treasures. This do in sincerity of mind, and with untiring perseverance, and thou shalt surely find, to thy inexpressible joy, the way to the Kingdom of Heaven open before thee. Thou wilt be enabled, through Divine help and guidance, to walk in the narrow way, and pass through the strait gate. Jesus Himself being “the way,” as well as “the door,” into the sheep-fold; by Him, “if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture.”. (John x. 2.) “Wait on the Lord, be of good courage and he shall strengthen thy heart, wait, I say, on the Lord.” (Psalm xxvii. 14.)