O visit me with Thy salvation!

"O visit me with Thy salvation." -Psalm 106:4 [KJV]

There is no good obtained by paying trifling visits, and receiving trifling visitors. The soul that is alive to God, will refrain from such an impertinent way of sacrificing its time. “Christ hath redeemed us from our vain conversation” (I Peter 1:18.) Our grand business is, to be looking at, glorying in, and talking of His righteousness, and His salvation all the day long. This was David’s practice. If we followed it more, we too should say with him, “My lips shall greatly rejoice, and my soul which Thou hast redeemed” (Psalm 71:23.) 

As our joy in Jesus increases, carnal, impertinent acquaintance will forsake us. Here is the cry of a convinced sinner, of a truly gracious heart, O visit me with Thy salvation. This is a blessed frame of soul. Lord help us to consider it, and animate us to live to Thee. Here is spiritual sight, and spiritual feeling. What is a Christian without these? Truly sunk into a state of dead formality. 

(1st.) Spiritual sight. The poor sinner sees himself totally ruined, and must be eternally miserable, for any thing he can do to save himself. Sin has destroyed him, and the law of God curses him. But he sees that Christ has perfectly fulfilled the law, suffered its curse, and eternally satisfied inexorable justice. Thus is salvation finished. In the firm belief of this he prays, visit me, even me, a desperate sinner in myself, with the joys and comforts of Thy salvation. O Jesus, I cannot be content with hearing of salvation, with seeing it is for sinners, with believing it is everlastingly finished for them, without tasting the joys, and feeding upon the comforts of it in my own soul. 

For, (2d.) Here is spiritual feeling. Laugh on, deride as you please, ye unquickened multitude, at the bitter, sweet feelings of living souls. We feel our misery as sinners— we groan being burdened with a body of sin and death—we cry out, O wretched that we are, who shall deliver us? But blessed be God, that prayer of the Church of England, at the Visitation of the Sick, is answered upon us: “We know and feel that there is none other name under heaven, given to men, in Whom, and through Whom, we may receive health and salvation, but only the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

This is the sweet feeling of faith. Therefore in faith we cry, Visit me, miserable me, with thy salvation, Lord Jesus. Make me to feel the peace of God, which passeth all understanding. O shed the love of God abroad in my heart. The Lord keep our souls in this believing, praying, loving, feeling frame below, till we come to full fruition above, rejoicing that we are made “wise unto salvation” (II Timothy 3:15.) 

In the firm faith of sacred truth, 

O may I e’er abide, 

Expecting God’s refreshing love, 

Tho’ foes do me deride.

The precious visits of Thy grace, 

Grant me, dear Lord, to prove 

In this forlorn and wretched state, 

To fit me for above.

 

-preacher William Mason (1724-1797 A.D.)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

JESUS - Rock of Ages

Jesus remains the same in all ages. He is the One who is constant when everything and everyone else fails. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever; the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He is our R ock [I SAMUEL 2:2 ] . In the Old Testament, in Exodus 33, Jesus is pictured as the Cleft Rock. In that chapter, verse 18 and following, Moses desired to see the glory of the Lord, but was told, "You cannot see My face; for there shall no man see My face and live.” And the Lord said, “There is a place by Me, and you shalt stand upon a rock: and it shall come to pass, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by." Notice that as Moses stood upon the rock, the Lord hid him in the cleft. This wonderfully applies to us today! Believers are both standing on and hidden in Christ [COLOSSIANS 3:3 ] . We are both in and on the Rock. As life with its many bitter events presses upon us, ...
Read more

CHRIST OUR ONLY AND PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS

" The flesh lusteth against the Spirit." —Galatians 5:17 [KJV] Christian experience fully proves this apostolic truth. Hence the children of God cannot do the things that they would: nor have we any authority from God's word to conclude this lusting ever ceased in any of the saints till they got to glory; none are delivered from it while in the flesh. For, as the renewed soul or spirit loves to enjoy spiritual and heavenly objects, so the flesh, or unrenewed part, lusts after those objects it is naturally conversant with, and from which it derives its happiness.  Here is thy conflict, O Christian. Hence the necessity of thy Lord's command, "Watch always." This is the use of the doctrine. What woeful effects have fulfilling the lusts or desires of the flesh produced in eminent saints! Thou standest by faith, be not high-minded, but fear. The conceptions of lust are the productions of sin.— see James 1:15 . The commission of sin contracts fresh s...
Read more

GLORY ALONE IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

" Lest Israel vaunt themselves against Me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me." -Judges 7:2 [KJV] Thus the Lord reasoned with Gideon. He knows what is in man. He sees the pride of the human heart: how prone we all are to boast in an arm of flesh. The Lord is jealous of His own glory. Gideon’s army of two and thirty thousand, is brought down to three hundred. By this handful of men, and no more, did Gideon gain the victory of the Midianites. The Lord’s wisdom in this was, “Lest Israel should vaunt themselves, and say, Mine own hand hath saved me.”   But I have not transcribed the text right. There are two little words of great import, which I have omitted. Mind then, O Christian— against Me. Now remember, whenever thou dost boast of thy power, thy free-will, thy human goodness, thy works, ditties, conditions, and performances in order to be saved, thou art then, as it were, two and thirty thousand strong. Thou vauntest thyself against the Lord . Thou art gloryi...
Read more