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January 7—Morning Devotion
"One pearl of great price."—Matthew 13:46 Great indeed, and but one! for salvation is in no other; neither is there any other name under heaven given among men whereby we can be saved. My soul, hast thou considered Jesus in this precious point of view? Hast thou beheld him both in his divine and human nature, how unspeakably glorious in himself, and how enriching to the souls of his people? Art thou a spiritual merchantman, seeking goodly pearls? And is Jesus the one, the only one, costly, precious, and so infinitely desirable in thine eye, that thou art willing to sell all, that thou wouldest part with millions of worlds, rather, than lose Christ? Hast thou found him in the field of his scripture, and…
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January 6—Morning Devotion
"For verily he took not on him the nature of angels."—Hebrews 2:16 Contemplate, my soul, the peculiar sweetness of that grace which was in thy Jesus, when, for the accomplishment of thy salvation, he passed by the nature of angels to take upon him thy nature. There were but two sorts of transgressors in the creation of God; angels and men. But angels are left in everlasting chains, under darkness, to the judgment of the great day. And falled, sinful, rebellious man, finds the grace of redemption. Had Jesus taken their nature, would not this have been nearer to his own? Would not their services have been vastly superior to ours? Would not the redemption of beings so much higher in rank and intellect, have…
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January 5—Morning Devotion
"I am my beloved's, and his desire is towards me."—Solomom 7:10 Yes, dearest Jesus! I am truly thine, by every tie which can make me thine. I am thine by the gift of GOD the FATHER; by thine own betrothing me to thyself; by the HOLY GHOST anointing me in thee, and making me one with thee, and in thee, before the world. And I am thine in the recovery of the church from Adam's fall and transgression by the sacrifice of thyself: for thou hast bought me with thy blood, and made me thereby the conquest of thine HOLY SPIRIT. And now through thy divine teaching I can and do discover, that from everlasting thy desire was towards thy redeemed ones, and even when…
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January 4—Morning Devotion
"And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect."—Genesis 27:1 Our old bibles, in their margin, have retained the original El Shaddai, which we now read God Almighty, and marked it also God All-sufficient, meaning that Jehovah in covenant with Jesus, as the head of his people, is all-sufficient in himself, and all-sufficient for all their need in time and to eternity. He is God All-sufficient, or of many paps, many breasts of consolotion, (as some derive the word) for his faithful ones to suck at and draw from, in an endless supply. Here then, my soul, take this sweet title of thy covenant…
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January 3—Morning Devotion
"The year of my redeemed is come." —Isaiah 63:4 Yes! from everlasting the precise period of redemption was determined, and the appointed time of the vision could not tarry. Every intermediate event ministered to this one glorious area-redemption by Jesus. The church was in Egypt four hundred and thirty years, and in Babylon seventy. But we are told in the former instance, 'the self-same night' the Lord brougbt, them forth with their armies; and the latter did not out stay the hour of their promised deliverance. So when the fulness of time was come, the Son of God came for the redemption of his people. And observe how graciously Jesus speaks of them; he calls them his redeemed. They were so in the covenant from…
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January 2—Morning Devotion
"Lord! let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: and if it bear fruit, well; and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down."—Luke 13:8-9 Do I not behold the Lord Jesus here represented in his glorious office of our High Priest and Intercessor? And is it thus that he so mercifully pleads for the awakened and unprofitable among his people? Pause, my soul! Was it not from the effects of his intercession, that the world itself was spared from instant destruction, when Adam first brake through the fence of God's law? Is it not now by the same rich grace that thousands are spared from year to year in Christ Jesus, before that they are…
