Sanctify The Lord Of Hosts
“Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself, and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.”—Is. 8:13
In consequence of a blessed union between Jesus and his believing members, the word discovers the sweet concord and delight that naturally subsists in the heart towards each other. Thus of old it is declared, ‘The Lord’s portion is his people.’ Deut. 27:9. And the church claims Jesus under the same appellation: ‘The Lord is my portion, saith my soul.’ Lam. 3:24. ‘Ye shall be to me a holy nation.’ Ex. 19:6. ‘I will dwell in them, and walk in them,’ saith our gracious Immanuel. Therefore, such highly-favoured souls are called to the most special and peculiar service on earth, ere they attain the perfect enjoyment of Jesus in glory. What more exalted pitch of honour, than for creatures of a day to sanctify the Lord of the heavenly hosts, the Lord of the armies of the whole earth.
Is Jesus the Lord thy God? Worship thou him; give him the glory due unto his name. The heart is his temple; there sanctify thy Lord. Separate every idol of self-righteousness, every vain pretension, every boasted plea for mercy, but what is in Jesus, and flows through him. Spurn from thee all things else as detestable, that would rival Jesus, detract from his glory, or cast a veil over his finished salvation, by the life of his obedience, and the blood of his atonement.
‘Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice.’ Phil. 4:4. But rejoice with trembling; for the Lord our God is a holy God. Fear his frown, dread his displeasure, stand in awe of his majesty daily. The righteousness, the peace, the joy of the soul is from him; therefore thy heart should be ever towards him, thine eye looking up to him, thine affections placed upon him, thy hands labouring to work those things which are well-pleasing in his sight, and thy feet running the way of his commandments with delight. But who is sufficient for these things? From daily experience we are constrained to confess, ‘when I would do good, evil is present with me.’ This is humbling, but not discouraging. Thy Master knows thy compound state; the desire to good is from him, the evil from thyself. Inspired Paul is upon a level with the weakest believer, alike naturally prone to evil, destitute of inherent power; but yet saith he, ‘I can do all things through Christ, who strengtheneth me.’ Phil. 4:13. This is the daily exercise of faith, to oppose Christ’s righteousness to the feeling of sin; the sanctification of the Spirit to every lust, the strength of Jehovah to the weakness of nature. This is the hope, the joy, the triumph of every believer. ‘In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.’ Is. 45:25.
William Mason (1719-1791) was a High-Calvinist author. For many years he served as a Justice of the Peace, and in 1783 was appointed a Magistrate. He served as editor of the Gospel Magazine before and after the editorship of Augustus Toplady. He is best known for a morning and evening devotional entitled, “A Spiritual Treasury For The Children Of God.”
