Psalms 59:17

REFLECTIONS

SEE, my soul, how Jesus, in the days of his flesh, was exercised! Behold the Lamb of God worried by the dogs of slaughter, when the mighty gathered against him, and when, though not for his transgression, neither for his sin, did the enemy find advantage against him. Precious Lord! if thine enemies belched out their slanderous words, with swords in their lips, against thee, thou holy, harmless, undefiled one: if they called the Master of the house Beelzebub, well may they be expected to rail against the household.

But wilt thou not be the God of my mercy, dearest Lord, and prevent me! Surely, Lord, thou hast done it! All thy quickening grace, thy renewing grace, thy regenerating grace, converting grace; all, all are among the preventing mercies of thy love. It was thy preventing mercy that called me, when I thought nothing of thee: it was thy preventing mercy that saved me to the day of my calling: and it hath been thy preventing mercy that hath ever since kept me from falling. In all these, and a thousand unknown, unnoticed mercies, thou hast been the God of my mercy, my Jesus, my Holy One, my Redeemer; and thou wilt be so still. Oh! then for grace to trust thee, to stay upon thee, and to live unto thee, and to thy glory, that he that is the God of my mercy, my life, and my salvation here, may be my everlasting portion, and happiness, and glory, to all eternity. Hail then, thou gracious, blessed Lord God! I will sing of thy power, yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy: a God in Christ is my song, and my loudest notes are too soft and too faint to speak thy praise.

Precious Jesus! let no affliction, no trial, no one event, stop my song, or cause me to hang my harp upon the willow, for nothing can be sufficient so to do, or ought so to do, when once thy redeemed have learnt the song of Moses and the Lamb. Yea, Lord, help me to go on rejoicing in singing of Jesus and his love, of Jesus and his redeeming grace, his blood and salvation. In these sublime hymns of praise would my soul every day, and all the day be employed, and even in death the last note should not cease until the first note had begun in glory amidst that throng, where I shall find myself in the midst, surrounding the throne in forever singing praises to God and the Lamb, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing; for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood.