Glorify ye the LORD in the fires!
"Thy
life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou
goest." -JEREMIAH
45:5 [KJV]
There is a life given to the elect when the blessed Spirit quickens their souls,—a life eternal, communicated to them out of the fulness of the Son of God. This life is a personal, individual life; and thus there seems to be a sweetness contained in the expression, "thy life." "Thy life will I give unto thee for a prey." This life which is treasured up in the fulness of Christ is breathed into the soul in the appointed time by the Holy Ghost, is kept alive there by His almighty power, and will burn brighter and brighter in the realms of endless day.
But
we may observe, from the expression made use of in the text, that
this life which is given to the child of God, is given to him in a
peculiar way. "Thy life will I give unto thee for a prey."
The word "prey" points out that this life is an object of
attack. We hear of "beasts of prey," and of "birds of
prey," and the expression implies a carnivorous animal. Thus the
words, "Thy life will I give unto thee for a prey,"
imply that there are ravenous beasts that are continually seeking to
devour this life, voracious enemies upon the watch, who are eager to
prey upon this life, which God the Holy Spirit has kindled in the
soul.
How
accurately and how experimentally do these words describe the inward
kingdom of God! Eternal life is given by God; and kept by Him when
given; preserved by His power from ever being extinguished. And yet
preserved by a perpetual miracle, like a burning lamp set afloat upon
the waves of the sea; or, to use a figure that I have somewhere seen,
like a lighted taper carried over a heath in the midst of a gale of
wind.
Thus, "our life is given us for A PREY;" and the power, faithfulness, and wisdom of God are manifested in keeping this life unhurt amidst all its enemies. As Daniel was preserved in the den of lions; and as the three men were preserved in the burning fiery furnace; so the life of God is preserved in the soul, in the midst of lions, as David says, "My soul is among lions" [PSALM 57:4], and amidst the fires, "Glorify ye the LORD in the fires" [ISAIAH 24:15]. So that the life of the child of God is one continual conflict between faith and unbelief, between enmity and love, between the grace of God and the rebellion of the carnal mind, between the sinkings of the drooping spirit and the liftings-up of the light of God's countenance.
Thus, "our life is given us for A PREY;" and the power, faithfulness, and wisdom of God are manifested in keeping this life unhurt amidst all its enemies. As Daniel was preserved in the den of lions; and as the three men were preserved in the burning fiery furnace; so the life of God is preserved in the soul, in the midst of lions, as David says, "My soul is among lions" [PSALM 57:4], and amidst the fires, "Glorify ye the LORD in the fires" [ISAIAH 24:15]. So that the life of the child of God is one continual conflict between faith and unbelief, between enmity and love, between the grace of God and the rebellion of the carnal mind, between the sinkings of the drooping spirit and the liftings-up of the light of God's countenance.
-Gospel
report by preacher J.C. Philpot (1802-1869 A.D.)
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