701 To the Overseer, by David.—'To cause to remember.' O God, to deliver me, O Jehovah, for my help, haste. 2 Let them be ashamed and confounded Who are seeking my soul, Let them be turned backward and blush Who are desiring my evil. 3 Let them turn back because of their shame, Who are saying, 'Aha, aha.' 4 Let all those seeking Thee joy and be glad in Thee, And let those loving Thy salvation Say continually, 'God is magnified.' 5 And I 'am' poor and needy, O God, haste to me, My help and my deliverer 'art' Thou, O Jehovah, tarry Thou not!
711 In Thee, O Jehovah, I have trusted, Let me not be ashamed to the age. 2 In Thy righteousness Thou dost deliver me, And dost cause me to escape, Incline unto me Thine ear, and save me. 3 Be to me for a rock—a habitation, To go in continually, Thou hast given command to save me, For my rock and my bulwark 'art' Thou. 4 O my God, cause me to escape From the hand of the wicked, From the hand of the perverse and violent. 5 For Thou 'art' my hope, O Lord Jehovah, My trust from my youth. 6 By Thee I have been supported from the womb, From my mother's bowels Thou dost cut me out, In Thee 'is' my praise continually. 7 As a wonder I have been to many, And Thou 'art' my strong refuge. 8 Filled is my mouth 'with' Thy praise, All the day 'with' Thy beauty. 9 Cast me not off at the time of old age, According to the consumption of my power forsake me not. 10 For mine enemies have spoken against me, And those watching my soul have taken counsel together, 11 Saying, 'God hath forsaken him, Pursue and catch him, for there is no deliverer.' 12 O God, be not far from me, O my God, for my help make haste. 13 They are ashamed, they are consumed, Who are opposing my soul, They are covered 'with' reproach and blushing, Who are seeking my evil,
14 And I continually do wait with hope, And have added unto all Thy praise. 15 My mouth recounteth Thy righteousness, All the day Thy salvation, For I have not known the numbers. 16 I come in the might of the Lord Jehovah, I mention Thy righteousness—Thine only. 17 God, Thou hast taught me from my youth, And hitherto I declare Thy wonders. 18 And also unto old age and grey hairs, O God, forsake me not, Till I declare Thy strength to a generation, To every one that cometh Thy might. 19 And Thy righteousness, O God, 'is' unto the heights, Because Thou hast done great things, O God, who 'is' like Thee? 20 Because Thou hast showed me many and sad distresses, Thou turnest back—Thou revivest me, And from the depths of the earth, Thou turnest back—Thou bringest me up. 21 Thou dost increase my greatness, And Thou surroundest—Thou comfortest me, 22 I also thank Thee with a vessel of psaltery, Thy truth, O my God, I sing to Thee with a harp, O Holy One of Israel, 23 My lips cry aloud when I sing praise to Thee, And my soul that Thou hast redeemed, 24 My tongue also all the day uttereth Thy righteousness, Because ashamed—because confounded, Have been those seeking my evil!
22 for we have known that all the creation doth groan together, and doth travail in pain together till now. 23 And not only 'so', but also we ourselves, having the first-fruit of the Spirit, we also ourselves in ourselves do groan, adoption expecting—the redemption of our body; 24 for in hope we were saved, and hope beheld is not hope; for what any one doth behold, why also doth he hope for 'it'? 25 and if what we do not behold we hope for, through continuance we expect 'it'.
26 And, in like manner also, the Spirit doth help our weaknesses; for, what we may pray for, as it behoveth 'us', we have not known, but the Spirit himself doth make intercession for us with groanings unutterable, 27 and He who is searching the hearts hath known what 'is' the mind of the Spirit, because according to God he doth intercede for saints.
28 And we have known that to those loving God all things do work together for good, to those who are called according to purpose;
29 because whom He did foreknow, He also did fore-appoint, conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be first-born among many brethren; 30 and whom He did fore-appoint, these also He did call; and whom He did call, these also He declared righteous; and whom He declared righteous, these also He did glorify.
31 What, then, shall we say unto these things? if God 'is' for us, who 'is' against us? 32 He who indeed His own Son did not spare, but for us all did deliver him up, how shall He not also with him the all things grant to us? 33 Who shall lay a charge against the choice ones of God? God 'is' He that is declaring righteous, 34 who 'is' he that is condemning? Christ 'is' He that died, yea, rather also, was raised up; who is also on the right hand of God—who also doth intercede for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of the Christ? tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 (according as it hath been written—'For Thy sake we are put to death all the day long, we were reckoned as sheep of slaughter,') 37 but in all these we more than conquer, through him who loved us; 38 for I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor messengers, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, 39 nor things about to be, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of god, that 'is' in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Read Romans 8:18-25)
The sufferings of the saints strike no deeper than the things of time, last no longer than the present time, are light afflictions, and but for a moment. How vastly different are the sentence of the word and the sentiment of the world, concerning the sufferings of this present time! Indeed the whole creation seems to wait with earnest expectation for the period when the children of God shall be manifested in the glory prepared for them. There is an impurity, deformity, and infirmity, which has come upon the creature by the fall of man. There is an enmity of one creature to another. And they are used, or abused rather, by men as instruments of sin. Yet this deplorable state of the creation is in hope. God will deliver it from thus being held in bondage to man's depravity. The miseries of the human race, through their own and each other's wickedness, declare that the world is not always to continue as it is. Our having received the first-fruits of the Spirit, quickens our desires, encourages our hopes, and raises our expectations. Sin has been, and is, the guilty cause of all the suffering that exists in the creation of God. It has brought on the woes of earth; it has kindled the flames of hell. As to man, not a tear has been shed, not a groan has been uttered, not a pang has been felt, in body or mind, that has not come from sin. This is not all; sin is to be looked at as it affects the glory of God. Of this how fearfully regardless are the bulk of mankind! Believers have been brought into a state of safety; but their comfort consists rather in hope than in enjoyment. From this hope they cannot be turned by the vain expectation of finding satisfaction in the things of time and sense. We need patience, our way is rough and long; but He that shall come, will come, though he seems to tarry.
(Read Romans 8:26-27)
Though the infirmities of Christians are many and great, so that they would be overpowered if left to themselves, yet the Holy Spirit supports them. The Spirit, as an enlightening Spirit, teaches us what to pray for; as a sanctifying Spirit, works and stirs up praying graces; as a comforting Spirit, silences our fears, and helps us over all discouragements. The Holy Spirit is the spring of all desires toward God, which are often more than words can utter. The Spirit who searches the hearts, can perceive the mind and will of the spirit, the renewed mind, and advocates his cause. The Spirit makes intercession to God, and the enemy prevails not.
(Read Romans 8:28-31)
That is good for the saints which does their souls good. Every providence tends to the spiritual good of those that love God; in breaking them off from sin, bringing them nearer to God, weaning them from the world, and fitting them for heaven. When the saints act out of character, corrections will be employed to bring them back again. And here is the order of the causes of our salvation, a golden chain, one which cannot be broken. 1. Whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son. All that God designed for glory and happiness as the end, he decreed to grace and holiness as the way. The whole human race deserved destruction; but for reasons not perfectly known to us, God determined to recover some by regeneration and the power of his grace. He predestinated, or before decreed, that they should be conformed to the image of his Son. In this life they are in part renewed, and walk in his steps. 2. Whom he did predestinate, them he also called. It is an effectual call, from self and earth to God, and Christ, and heaven, as our end; from sin and vanity to grace and holiness, as our way. This is the gospel call. The love of God, ruling in the hearts of those who once were enemies to him, proves that they have been called according to his purpose. 3. Whom he called, them he also justified. None are thus justified but those that are effectually called. Those who stand out against the gospel call, abide under guilt and wrath. 4. Whom he justified, them he also glorified. The power of corruption being broken in effectual calling, and the guilt of sin removed in justification, nothing can come between that soul and glory. This encourages our faith and hope; for, as for God, his way, his work, is perfect. The apostle speaks as one amazed, and swallowed up in admiration, wondering at the height and depth, and length and breadth, of the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge. The more we know of other things, the less we wonder; but the further we are led into gospel mysteries, the more we are affected by them. While God is for us, and we keep in his love, we may with holy boldness defy all the powers of darkness.
(Read Romans 8:32-39)
All things whatever, in heaven and earth, are not so great a display of God's free love, as the gift of his coequal Son to be the atonement on the cross for the sin of man; and all the rest follows upon union with him, and interest in him. All things, all which can be the causes or means of any real good to the faithful Christian. He that has prepared a crown and a kingdom for us, will give us what we need in the way to it. Men may justify themselves, though the accusations are in full force against them; but if God justifies, that answers all. By Christ we are thus secured. By the merit of his death he paid our debt. Yea, rather that is risen again. This is convincing evidence that Divine justice was satisfied. We have such a Friend at the right hand of God; all power is given to him. He is there, making intercession. Believer! does your soul say within you, Oh that he were mine! and oh that I were his; that I could please him and live to him! Then do not toss your spirit and perplex your thoughts in fruitless, endless doubtings, but as you are convinced of ungodliness, believe on Him who justifies the ungodly. You are condemned, yet Christ is dead and risen. Flee to Him as such. God having manifested his love in giving his own Son for us, can we think that any thing should turn aside or do away that love? Troubles neither cause nor show any abatement of his love. Whatever believers may be separated from, enough remains. None can take Christ from the believer: none can take the believer from Him; and that is enough. All other hazards signify nothing. Alas, poor sinners! though you abound with the possessions of this world, what vain things are they! Can you say of any of them, Who shall separate us? You may be removed from pleasant dwellings, and friends, and estates. You may even live to see and seek your parting. At last you must part, for you must die. Then farewell, all this world accounts most valuable. And what hast thou left, poor soul, who hast not Christ, but that which thou wouldest gladly part with, and canst not; the condemning guilt of all thy sins! But the soul that is in Christ, when other things are pulled away, cleaves to Christ, and these separations pain him not. Yea, when death comes, that breaks all other unions, even that of the soul and body, it carries the believer's soul into the nearest union with its beloved Lord Jesus, and the full enjoyment of him for ever.
