Godspeed

“ Final perseverance can be obtained only through our humble faithfulness to God and continued prayers. When we pray to the Lord, and beg of Him by His precious blood to give us the grace of perseverance, or when we go to God the Father, [pg 310] and offer Him the sacred blood of Jesus as a sacrifice, that He may give us extraordinary grace to enable us to continue in His service, He is not obliged to give it, but He will, just as a friend who wishes to keep you attached to him gives you many presents and favors. We must also turn to Mary in this doubtful struggle for eternal happiness. ”

“ We have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin; but let us not fail to do it. Have we not a captain who treads all the powers of death and hell under his feet? Is he not Jehovah, mighty to save? And has he not promised that he will save even to the uttermost? The way we have to travel is indeed long, and there are lions in it. But what of that! Jesus the deliverer is with us, and nothing shall hurt us.
Through Jesus we can all things do,
all things suffer, all things conquer, and what would we more? Farewel! May the peace of God be with you, and make your soul to rest on him. ”

“ He now gently waved his hand as he repeated the triumphant language of the apostle:—"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ;" and reclining on the bosom of his friend, he had one strong convulsive struggle, and then expired with a smile settled on his venerable countenance. ”

“ The apostle exhorts believers to hold fast the profession of their faith, v. 23. Here observe, (1.) The duty itself—to hold fast the profession of our faith, to embrace all the truths and ways of the gospel, to get fast hold of them, and to keep that hold against all temptation and opposition. Our spiritual enemies will do what they can to wrest our faith, and hope, and holiness, and comfort, out of our hands, but we must hold fast our religion as our best treasure. ”

“ In quiet, persistent, and determined perseverance it continues in prayer and thanksgiving until the blessing comes. And so we see combined what at first sight appears contradictory--the faith that rejoices in the answer of the unseen God as a present possession and the patience that cries day and night until it be revealed. The quickness of God's patience is met by the triumphant but patient faith of His waiting child. ”

“ The Lord is merciful and just, and gives peace to his children in this world and after death. Let him watch over you who has purified us by the sprinkling of his precious blood—of that blood which is the eternal pledge of our salvation! May he permit you to accomplish his will; and when you shall have accomplished it, may he bestow on you peace and eternal glory, through Jesus Christ, with all those who have dwelt in the truth! ”

“ Grant that by Thy holy grace, my heart may become a living sacrifice, desiring only to be offered up and to offer up all things for Thy greater glory. Amen.
Seventh Day. The Heart of Jesus My Helper in Trials. How few are there who love God alone for His own sake, and bless Him alike in sorrow and in joy! Why, O my God, do I fear to travel on the royal road of the cross—the only road that Thou hast travelled, and the shortest and surest way to heaven? Do I forget that Thy cross sanctified and redeemed the world, and formed the bliss of Thy elect in heaven? ”

“ Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance; for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. ”

“ I observed this day as a day of fasting and prayer, intreating of God to bestow upon me his blessing and grace: especially to enable me to live a life of mortification to the world, as well as of resignation and patience. I enjoyed a realizing sense of divine power and goodness in prayer: and was enabled to roll the burden of myself and friends, and of Zion, upon the goodness of God. ”

“ But if we will listen to the word that tells us of the walk that is not only possible, but has been proved and seen in God’s saints from of old, if we will fix our eye on the mighty, living, loving Christ, who speaks in power, “Rise and walk,” we shall take courage and obey. We shall rise and begin to walk in Him and His strength. In faith, apart from and above all feeling, we shall accept and trust an unseen Christ as our strength, and go on in the strength of the Lord God. We shall know Christ as the strength of our life. ”

“ Anchor your faith in him and see to it that your faith never breaks anchor. The billows may threaten, the storms may rage; but by faith you can beat them back, and sail out on unruffled seas. God pity the one who attempts life's voyage without the aid, cheer, and comfort that Heaven gives.
Make the Word of God your compass, and obedience the rudder that steers your little bark in all the ways God's commandments point you; and make faith the mighty cable, and you will be towed safely past the dangerous rocks and reefs and threatening billows into the peaceful haven of eternal rest. ”

“ And so it is that our feet, as disciples of the Lord Jesus, are to be shod with similar readiness, the readiness begotten of our own experience of the goodness of God, the readiness to go out on the rough and troubled roads of life, into its highways and its byways, its broad streets and its narrow streets, carrying the good cheer of the news of God's redeeming love and grace. To be ready to go wherever there is any form of bondage, singing the gospel song of joy and freedom,—that is the privileged service of the soldiers of the Lord. ”

“ Let us mind our way and mend our pace, for we are now nearer our journey's end than we were when we had our first love. The nearer we are to our centre the quicker should our motion be. Is there but a step between us and heaven, and shall we be so very slow and dull in our Christian course, and move so heavily? The more the days are shortened, and the more grace is increased, the nearer is our salvation, and the more quick and vigorous we should be in our spiritual motions. ”

“ We must conquer them all through the blood of Christ and the sign of the Cross! In this alone can we conquer all our foes, this alone can help us to walk pleasantly in the valley of humiliation. It is only with the Cross of Christ on our shoulders and the love of God shed abroad in our hearts that we can walk the heavenly road.
But with this love we can say always: "Father, Thy will be done." In sickness or health, adversity or prosperity, in afflictions and all trials we can possess [124] our souls in patience. ”

“ But we rejoice in walking, according to the covenant of grace, in holy love and happy obedience. We rejoice in knowing, That being justified through his grace, we have not received that grace of God in vain; That God having freely (not for the sake of our willing or running, but through the blood of the Lamb) reconciled us to himself, we run in the strength which he hath given us, the way of his commandments. He hath girded us with strength unto the war, and we gladly fight the good fight of faith. We rejoice, through him who liveth in our hearts by faith, to lay hold of eternal life. ”

“ The final perseverance of saints is the result of the final perserverance of the Holy Spirit; He perseveres to bless, and we persevere in receiving the blessing. If He begins, you have begun with a divine power that fainteth not neither is weary. I wish it might so happen that on this fifth day of the ninth month, not the prophet Haggai, but I, God's servant, may have spoken to you such a word by the witness of the Holy Ghost, "From this day will I bless you"! ”

“ Be thou our way to Jesus, and the channel by which we receive all the graces necessary for our salvation. Be thou our succor in our wants, our support in our afflictions, our comfort in temptations, our refuge in persecutions, our aid in all dangers, but specially in the last combat of our life at the hour of death, when all hell will be unchained against us to snatch our souls away in that most dreadful moment on which our eternity depends. ”

“ And God prevails when we prevail. His aim in all the process of His mercy has been but to overcome our heavy earthliness and selfishness, which resists His pleading love. His victory is our yielding, and, in that yielding, obtaining power with Him. He delights to be held by the hand of faith, and ever gladly yields to the heart's cry, 'Abide with me.' I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me,' is music to His ear; and our saying so, in earnest, persistent clinging to Him, is His victory as well as ours. ”

“ The scoffing winds have beat against us severely, and we have swung in the air, the sport of our opponents. They told us we were now with them, looking for the Lord’s coming, but without any definite time; and we have been compelled to admit it, but have refused to let go the rope, saying, ‘If the vision tarry, wait for it.’ But we have not known how long we were thus to swing upon the rope, without a foundation for our feet; and we have not felt the same joy and glory that we did when we stood on definite time. God has been trying our faith, to see if we would hold on. ”

“ To describe that Patience during His public ministry from Nazareth, where He had been brought up, to Golgotha, would necessitate a close scrutiny of every step of the way, every act and every utterance which came from His holy lips. What discoveries of His Grace and moral Glory we make, if under the guidance of His Spirit we meditate on His life here below. Humility and submission under God, patient waiting on Him, utter absence of all haste, perfect calmness of soul and every other characteristic of perfect patience, we can trace constantly in that wonderful life. ”

“ In the morning, on rising, make the Christian acts of thanksgiving, love, offering, and good resolution with prayer to our Blessed Lord, that He would preserve us for that day from sin. After meditation, go to Holy Communion. Practise some spiritual reading during the day, and in the evening make an examination of conscience. Ask of God always the gift of holy perseverance, and especially in the time of temptations, invoking then more frequently the holy Name of Jesus as long as the temptation lasts. ”

“ After prayer comes fasting, that is to say, not only fasting properly so called, which consists in abstaining from food, but also all penitential works of what nature soever they may be. It must here be remarked that this is a question not only of the great austerities practised by the saints, but of all the tribulations, all the contradictions of this life, as also of the least mortifications, the smallest sacrifices which we impose upon ourselves or accept for the love of God, and which we offer to His Divine Mercy for the relief of the holy souls. ”

“ Christ with the brave young lad to-day Who goes to the sweet command, Strengthen his heart wherever the way, Whether he march or stand: And whether he die in a peaceful cell, Or alone in the lonely night, The Cross of Christ shall keep him well, And be his death's delight. ”

“ When a wheel is only turning with a moderate speed, it can easily be distinguished; but when it goes quickly, no part of it can be distinctly seen. So the soul which remains at rest in God has an action infinitely noble and exalted, yet very peaceful. The greater its peace, the greater is its velocity, because it is abandoned to the Spirit, who moves it and makes it act. ”

“ O HOLY Virgin, example of patience, by the most painful carrying of the cross, on which thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, bore the heavy weight of our sins, obtain for us of him, by thy intercession, courage and strength to follow his steps, and bear our cross after him to the end of our lives. ”

“ Surely we may hope to speed with God, when he himself has ordered our address to be drawn up ready to our hands, and his own Spirit has indited it for us; and no doubt we shall speed if the workings of our souls agree with the words here recommended to us. ”

“ Preserve our lives, if in accordance with Thy will, O God, amid the dangers of battle, but, above all, may our souls be saved from eternal death, through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Should we fall in battle, may our dying heads rest upon Thy bosom, and may our souls be received into glory. ”

“ The direct route to Jesus is covered completely by the cross! Would you find it? Come down from your high perch! get off from your stilts, limber up; be child-like; leave off your affectation; talk natural, be just what you are; let God have you—and as quick as light from the smitten steel, you will find yourself in the direct route to glory; high above the storm and vapor—winging your way to the land that hath no storms.
XIV. ”

“ Sometimes faith is summoned into the battle-field, sometimes hope, sometimes self-denial, sometimes prayer, sometimes one grace and sometimes another; but as with the sound of a trumpet the Captain of our salvation here summons Patience to the forefront of the fight. ”

“ Our duty towards ourselves expresses itself in self-subdual, self-mastery—that is, fasting. And so our Lord applies the general principle to each of these typical duties. In your prayers, in your alms, in your fastings—in each case you are to look to nothing lower than the praise of God. ”

“ There, quite alone in the deep shadows of the inner trees, Jesus has His great spirit-conflict, and great victory. The touch with sin so close, so real, now upon Him within a few hours, the sin of others upon His sinless soul,—this shakes Him terrifically beyond our understanding, who don't know purity as He did. But the tremendous strength of yielding brings victory, as ever. ”