Commence our service this evening
by singing hymn number 44. The tune is Beverly, number 298. Here, Lord, my soul convicted
stands of breaking all thy ten commands, and on me justly mightst
thou pour thy wrath in one eternal shower. But thanks to God, its
loud alarms have warned me of approaching harms, and now, O
Lord, my wants I see, lost and undone, I come to Thee. In number 44, the Juniors at
Beverley, number 298. ? So hold ye this flag ? ? The
free and the home of the brave ? ? And the home of the brave
? ? I'm falling down in the ocean
? ? And let me go and meet her when I'm lost ? ? And hold me
up ? ? The virgin moth ? ? Born for you, my love, so dear
? ? A son of God, my God, to thee ? ? I see thy healing, deep righteousness
? ? Heaven and earth adore thee, yes ? ? Heaven and earth adore
thee, yes ? ? There's a circle of heaven in
the wind ? ? Here I give you my congratulations ? That Christ
has stood in our holy sight, Shepherds, come and follow us
on their way, And let these sinners walk the way. ? Earth may decrease and grow and
grow ? ? In expansion grow and grow ? ? In ascension grow and
grow ? ? In ascension grow and grow ? May the Lord be pleased to help
us to read together from his holy word, firstly in the book
of Psalms, reading Psalm 39, and then in the book of the prophet
Isaiah, reading chapter 38. Reading Psalm 39, and then Isaiah,
chapter 38. The 39th Psalm, I said I would take
heed to my ways, but I sinned not with my tongue, I will keep
my mouth with a bridle while the wicked is before me. I was
dumb with silence. I held my peace, even from good,
and my sorrow was stirred. My heart was hot within me while
I was musing the fire burned. Then spake I with my tongue,
Lord, make me to know mine end. and the measure of my days, what
it is, that I may know how frail I am. Behold, thou hast made
my days as an handbreadth, and mine age is as nothing before
thee. Verily, every man is at his best
state, is altogether valetee, sealer, Surely every man walketh in a
vain show. Surely they are disquieted in
vain. He heapeth up riches, and knoweth
not who shall gather them. And now, Lord, what wait I for? My hope is in thee. Deliver me
from all my transgressions. Make me not the reproach of the
foolish. I wisdom, I open not my mouth,
because thou didst it. Remove thy stroke away from me. I am consumed by the blow of
thy hand. When thou, with rebukes, dost
correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume
away like a moth. Surely every man is vanity. Sailor, hear my prayer, O Lord,
and give ear unto my cry. Hold not thy peace at my tears,
for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner as all my fathers
were. O spare me that I may recover
strength before I go hence and be no more. And also in the book
of the prophet Isaiah, read there chapter 38. Isaiah chapter 38. In those days, Hezekiah was sick
unto death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son
of Amoz, came unto him and said, Unto him thus saith the Lord,
Set thine house in order, for thou shalt die, and not live. Then Hezekiah turned his face
toward the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, and said, Remember
now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee
in truth, and with a perfect heart, and have done that which
is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. Then came the word of the Lord
to Isaiah, saying, Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the Lord,
the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer. I have seen thy tears. Behold, I will add unto thy days
fifteen years. And I will deliver thee in this
city, out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend
this city. And this shall be a sign unto
thee from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that
he hath spoken. Behold, I will bring again the
shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sundial of
Ahaz ten degrees backward. So the sun returned, 10 degrees
by which degrees it was gone down. The writing of Hezekiah,
king of Judah, when he had been sick and was recovered of his
sickness, I said, in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to
the gates of the grave. I am deprived of the residue
of my years. I said, I shall not see the Lord,
even the Lord in the land of the living. I shall behold man
no more with the inhabitants of the world. Mine age is departed
and is removed from me. As a shepherd's tent I have cut
off like a weaver my life. He will cut me off with pining
sickness from day even to night. Will that make an end of me?
I reckoned till morning that, as a lion, so will he break all
my bones. From day even to night will they
make an end of me. Like a crane or a swallow, so
did I chatter. I did mourn as a dove. Mine eyes fail with looking upward. O Lord, I am oppressed. Undertake for me what shall I
say? He hath both spoken unto me,
and himself hath done it. I shall go softly all my years
in the bitterness of my soul. O Lord, by these things men live,
and in all these things is the life of my spirit so that they'll
recover me and make me to live. Behold, for peace I had great
bitterness, that thou hast in love to my soul delivered it
from the pit of corruption, for thou hast cast all my sins behind
thy back. But the grave cannot praise thee,
death cannot celebrate thee, They that go down into the pits
cannot hope for thy truth. The living, the living, he shall
praise thee as I do this day. The father to the children shall
make known thy truth. The Lord was ready to save me. Therefore will we sing my songs
to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house
of the Lord. For Isaiah had said, let them
take a lump of figs and lay it for a plaster upon the boil,
and he shall recover. Hezekiah also had said, what
is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord? May God be pleased to bless those
two portions of his holy word to us and may he help us at the
throne of grace. and our most gracious and most
merciful Lord God Almighty. To help us now we pray to bow
in humility before Thee as we gather around Thy Word at this
evening hour of the midweek service meeting together to worship Thee.
Many sparing and long-suffering mercies granted to us, innumerable
to us, and oh may our hearts be humbled because of Thy goodness
that watches over us from day into night brings us this time
together to worship Thee. O Lord, all praise and honour
and glory be unto Thee, that our hearts and our lips might
be filled with that desire to praise Thee, from whom our blessings
do flow. In that great wonder of Thy grace
and mercy, that Thou art the same yesterday and today and
forever. Gracious and long-suffering to
warn us in Thy great forbearance when our hearts issue forth that
unclean well of iniquity. O Lord, do in mercy deal graciously
with us in this great solemnity of our sin, our own spirit before
Thee. Give us those prayerful desires
in our confessions to be blessed in our end, O Lord, to be made
right. Before our actual end of this
life cometh, in our hearts set in those heavenly things we pray
Thee. And O Lord, Thy spirit reign within our hearts and souls
and enable us to seek Thee. May we come with humility in
our hearts and acknowledgement of our own spirit that has gone
astray, our own sinfulness, our own backsliding and deadness,
and evil before thee. Thou knowest all that is within.
We do give our ever so gracious hearts to acknowledge it all
before thee, with a truly godly sorrow in our hearts over it
all, because of that sin and grief that it brings unto thee.
O that thou wouldst grant to us to clean heart the right spirit
that we so need to, O Lord, seek unto thy face, to plead with
thee for thy needful blessing to appear, thy quickening spirit
might be upon us, even thyself, Lord Jesus, in the midst, as
thou hast declared that art in the midst of the gathering of
those in thy name, even the twos and the threes, and so with us
also gathering, thou favoured to be in that greater number,
yet in that same great need, And Jesus, in the midst, thus,
indwell our hearts and feelings, we pray, to give us that living
desire that we would see thee, Lord Jesus, we would hear thy
voice, hear thy voice even in those truths that we have read,
in those experiences that have afflicted people, and they just
put their finger, thy finger upon and was brought low, yet
to whom thy restoring mercies will be given to bring forth
in that path of humility and praise and honor and glory unto
thee. that out of humbled hearts we may give all glory and honour
for thy wondrous grace and mercy, Lord Jesus, who ruleth and reigneth
in the heavens, the great King of kings and Lord of lords, a
King and a priest for us at the right hand of the throne of the
Father, making that divine procession for us. We do pray that it may
be thee who is seen there instead of us, as we now would approach
unto the holy heart searching God, to plead all that thou hast
done and art now in this time of our need. And O Lord, may
there be that flowing down of thy grace to us through thy glorious
merits and thy precious blood. O Lord, that only ground upon
which we can come, in all that thou hast done and art still,
great high priest forever. Dear Lord, thus you send thy
spirit to be within us, we pray thee, giving us the hunger and
thirst after thee. O Lord, that spirit to call upon
thy great and holy name, that light blessing that we have read
of, of the good man of old, O Lord, who let us cleanse from his every
sin, who has cast it behind thy back forever, that we may have
that sweet knowledge also that all our sins are washed away,
even the freshly contracted sins of another day that we are passing
through, how much our hearts have gone astray, O Lord. Spirit,
continually testify to thy truth that it is A carnal mind that
is enmity to God, that within this flesh there is no good thing,
yet there may be that good thing in us. To the Lord God of Israel,
we pray that thou hast put there even that new heart and new spirit
that thou dost give. And Lord, that we shall own and
bless as thine, and bring thy blessing to continually. We pray
that thou may be bread in thine house this evening as we gather
around thy word. Come as hungry and needy souls
to thee, Lord Jesus, the bread of life. Amen. Be thou sent to us from heaven.
Send in thy Spirit to be present with us, to take of those things
of thyself and reveal them to us, we pray thee. To each of
us who has read thy word in meditation, to one in speaking, to each in
hearing, that we may see no man save Jesus only. So abundantly
bless this provision thou hast made here in the house of God,
Use mightily the preaching of the everlasting gospel here,
especially to the laborers of thy dear servant, their pastors
and ministers. Given that season of refreshing,
give it away and watch over them there and bring them again in
peace and safety in due time. Those laborers in his absence,
others like ministering servants, and do set their amitivity also
in the gospel. Do help the deacons in their
continued burdens and cares here, we pray thee. My blessing and
help in church and congregation, we with each we pray. Lord nourish
and feed each soul and the bread of life, we pray thee. And shine
into each pathway in need. Bless the young friends and the
families that gather here and be with each at this time. Help
them day by day, we pray thee, and especially the children as
they grow up into this life. Make those provisions for them,
with thy good hand shall go before them, we pray thee. Help them
as they remain at home, listen to the service this evening.
May they help go to us each at this time we pray that we would
come as one before thee. Lord, these things are Lord,
separating in certain circumstances yet, oh Lord, we come as joined
in the spirit, joined unto thee. So go to each case and each need
we pray that hear each cry and each sigh. I wonder if they want
to give that liberty and access to praying souls that they may
being able to cast every care upon Thee, to make all their
cares into Thy hand. Lord, know the blessings of Thy
word flowing down from heaven, we pray Thee. Lord, do shine
forth and bless and build them up in Asia's most holy faith,
quicken the dead into life, we pray Thee. Open the eyes of the
blind and unstop the ears of the deaf, we do beseech of Thee.
Give the gospel blessing to the poor who come longing for Thee.
filling their inward poverty and helplessness. May there be
those blessings that they are sent from on high, and grant
them, may we get those that we gather here from round about,
that pass by the door, to live around this little house of prayer.
Oh, let there not render heavens and come down and touch such
hearts, yet we pray thee to return to thee, to the peoples of our
nation, yet to thee, the only true God, the Lord God of our
fathers and of our mercies, of whom we are so basely involved
and departed from, taking up other gods and systems of our
own that cannot hold water. Turn from thee, the only true
fountain of life. Gracious Lord, thy sins are numbered
amongst all these sins, and oh Lord, what slanders they bring.
Yet turn again, the captivity of our nation and the church
of God in this our land, we pray thee, that we're not to be captive
under the influence of the sinners' desires. We are made to be souls
awakened, and even those who govern and rule over us, but
do yet remember the people of the nation we pray thee. There
are varied people in these our days that we continue in, many
diversities in it all, but they can't speak to whom they wilt.
Lord, they're just crying that word to the Corinthians, it was
both the Jew and Gentile, Jew and Greek, the chord they would
be. So they shall be still the chord
that they do speak to, for it's amongst that called people that
know thy power, Lord Jesus, in thy word. That preaching of the
gospel, the preaching of the cross is the power of God and
the salvation to everyone that believeth. Give us that ear then
of thy sheep to hear the voice of the good shepherd that puts
forth that word in power. And the Lord touches the hearts
of whom they wilt. Yet have influence in our nation
again in those in authority over us and turn yet such hearts away
from the ways of man and of sin, we pray Thee. Preserve unto us
the rule of law and order and of stable government, we pray,
and give help in the rural household and all aspects of our society.
Deliver us from our idols and our idolatry, we pray Thee. Our
own spirit, that goeth after earthly things, not heavenly
things. And put it within us in that hunger and thirst for
Thee, Lord Jesus. We pray Thy shining forth may
yet be in a spiritual way, as Thou hast sent it in a natural
way, as the fruits of the earth are brought forth, and thy faithfulness
seen in all that thou hast done in the season of the year. And
so we do pray they may be a shining spiritually to make ready for
that great harvest at the end of time, when they would send
in the reapers. Oh Lord, do make us each ready
for that, we pray thee. These divine appointments year
by year must, oh Lord, speak to us continually. O Lord, our
life is but a handwrapped, as we have read the psalmist acknowledge,
altogether lighter than vanity, and but nothing before thee,
the things of poor selves, as mankind. But O grant that which
is eternal, we pray thee, for us to be most concerned in. Our souls made right and ready
before thee, we pray thee. O Lord, you shine with thy light,
yet we pray, and it's our dark day. Thy people in all parts
of the world, wheresoever they are, to those many in their war-torn
nations and afflicted places, O Lord, uphold and help them
and be with them. Turn back the hand of those that oppress others,
we pray thee, and speak out of these things, that surely our
land is a land fit for these things to be upon us and to overtake
us, and to remove our liberties and privileges from us. Oh, yet
do hear the cry of thy trembling little remnants still here, who
say and cry and all these things before the most gracious Lord,
and yet be pleased to revive thy work, strengthen the things
that remain that are ready to die. Do not lead them to be so,
yet we pray to bring forth resurrection, power in thy word, and may thy
spirit yet be brought down from above. So Lord, you shine upon
us now as we seek to sing thy worthy praises and to meditate
in thy word. You are not passed by any souls
here as they come with their burdens and their concerns. You
answer each cry and each sigh, we pray thee, saying to our souls,
I am thy salvation. You give thy voice to be heard,
most gracious Lord, and give us thy grace to walk in thy tender
fear, and glorify in thy great and holy name, that all praise
and honor and glory may be ever unto thee. You are so merciful
and gracious in longsuffering, who are all glorious in the heavens
and are to be glorified here in the earth. As we bow before
Thee and pray forgiveness and pardon of our every sin, wash
us and cleanse us in that precious atoning blood, grant that needful
forgiving spirit, one of another, we pray Thee. Lord, do thus receive
us graciously, Lord Jesus. We ask alone for Thy great name's
sake. Amen. Do you have service by singing
hymn number 531? The tune is Old Chapel, number 383. Beloved of the Lord Most High,
you let praises be your sweet employ. You sons of God, rejoice
and sing the honours of your Lord and King. Your Heavenly
Father ever lives and all his choices, treasure gives to you,
the favorites of his heart, nor will he ever with you part. In
number 531, the Junior's Old Chapel, number 383. What a sight! ? Heaven and earth we adore thee,
dear Lord ? ? Creatures of God and Queen, joyful and stilling
? ? Heaven and earth we adore thee, dear
Lord ? me. ? And all his horses ? ? Gave proof
through the night ? ? That our flag was still there ? ? Amen, amen, amen, amen ? May it be holy, holy, holy Lord,
Lord at the end of time. O come, let us adore Him, O come,
let us adore Him, Christ the Lord. Tis the day, tis the day,
Tis the day, Tis the day, Tis the day, ? How it makes me delight in the
wonders of the Lord ? ? I am rejoicing in the Lord, I am rejoicing
in the Lord ? ? In richness ? ? In poverty ?
? And preciousness ? ? His mercy kindness ? ? Shall follow ? ?
Here am I ? ? Bless us, O God ? ? Give us this day our daily
bread ? With nature binding, Lord of the Christ, With God's
blessings sure, we will prove. ? The angels of heaven ? ? Gave
proof through the night ? ? That our flag was still there ? At the very place where I am at, I'm searching still to
be with you. As the Lord shall be pleased
to help me this evening, I seek to direct your prayerful attention
to a subject you'll find in the second reading, the reading in
Isaiah's prophecy, chapter 38, and then the A few words at the
beginning of verse 15. What shall I say? Read the whole of verse 15 of
Isaiah 38. What shall I say? He hath both
spoken unto me, and himself hath done it. I shall go softly all
my years in the bitterness of my soul. In particular, this
expression, the dear man Hezekiah useth as he ponders this path
of the Lord, bringing him low and then delivering him, and
finding what an emptying, as it were, of himself, but a giving
of this needful grace of humility to speak carefully and rightly
of the praise of the Lord. And one might say, well, surely
it's a preacher's word, what should he say tonight? But may
it be the Lord that speaks and not this poor man, and surely
that is what your desire is, that the word is from heaven
and not our word. But as it rests upon my spirit,
may the Lord help us to see a few of these things that the Lord
himself gives his people to speak in their acknowledgements of
the Lord's sovereignty and what he does. As we have an expression
of that here, that he hath both spoken unto me and himself hath
done it. this path of his present affliction
that he was brought out of, and they need all of that pathway
that the Lord was leading him in. And that he must go then
that way of softness or humbleness in the path yet to be walked
out in his life. And of course to the Hezekiah
here, he had that further 15 years lengthened out to him that
the Lord had spoken of. For each of us we know not what
a moment we'll bring forth in our pathway. And how we need
the exercise of faith that we read of in the 39th Psalm where
we are under the Lord's teaching here to see how he silences the
mouth, naturally speaking, consider the need to be right for eternity. And how he was to bring out that
prayer, Lord, make me to know my latter end, for how frail
I am. The Spirit's teaching in our
hearts will ever be to show us our utter weakness and helplessness
and our great need of the Lord to give strength and every blessing. And it is he then who has a kindness
like place. It was in those days that we
read of this account then that we have in the context of those
things before it in the chapters of Isaiah that tell of the Lord
yet delivering his people here from the coming of kings and
authorities against them and armies that were smitten greatly.
But yet there is another time of need that arises. And he puts
us into that text in the Psalms that says, many are the afflictions
of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth them out of them all.
And that word in Psalm 34, of course, is referring to dear
David who did not feel himself to be righteous, say that he
was a righteous character that was led to pray as a poor man.
That was what he could say of himself. What should I say? It is then the reaction of the
heart to the pathway that the Lord has put us in. Is it one
of submission by this unequal grace of God or is it one of
rebellion as our own spirit only looks outwardly and in a shallow
way at the things of life, does not regard the God of heaven
in it, and therefore draws its own sinful misguided conclusions. And our poor heart and spirit
still remains within us to misjudge so many things of the Lord in
our lives. And it would not have been like
that with Hezekiah here also, as he looked upon this naturally. How quickly we read of him turning
his face to the wall and seeking his God in prayer. and asking
that he might be remembered for the things he had done that were
right in the sight of the Lord. Well, we do not seek to come
and judge the petition here of Hezekiah. He was one whom the
Lord had raised up to do great reforming work. So opposite then
to his father Ahaz. And those records of the chronicles
and of the kings, of course, tell us of those things that
he had done. in the face of what his father
had done in the way of wickedness, in shutting the doors of the
temple, then bringing in much further idolatry. Much of it,
of course, was going on in Samaria, the country of Israel, and not
so much of it then in Jerusalem and in this tribe of Judah that
the Lord was maintaining for the covenant blessing to David.
But now it seemed as if then that had cracked right into those
that were before fearing God. And no, here a son raised up
to go in the opposite way, and great strength giving in it.
What shall I say? Or how we perhaps come into those
times in our life where we find difficulty in trial cometh and
we've sought to do what is right before the Lord. The thing that
we walk in is in the word of God, the fear of God, and yet
still the soul is afflicted. Surely there must be some good
thing for it. Surely you must be exempt from some of these
things. And you see again, our own natural spirit, as Paul speaks
of it by the spirit in the Romans 8, that the carnal mind is enmity,
not just an enemy, but a continual flowing stream of enmity or hatred
to God. Does not want God, does not believe
God, does not acknowledge the wonder working hand of God. and
seeks then to go on in its own strength and why. Oh, to be pleading
then upon merciful ground for the Lord to deal graciously in
these matters that try us, and really bound up in the substance
of the hymn that we have sung of being the children of God
then, the loving, chastening hand of the Father that sees
that need that we must grow in grace, in that knowledge of his
dear Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, must be brought more like unto
him, which is where the nearer man expresses in that latter
part of the previous verse, the words that were recorded before
our text, Lord, I am oppressed, undertake for me. Well, the greatest
one that was oppressed was the Lord Jesus Christ. He's fit then
to lay that lighter oppression, and yet what we are to brought
to see is a great oppression upon us. To say that we must
also have that union to him, as the man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief, and thereby see in the path of truth and righteousness
what God always sees, utter helplessness, a sinful spirit and soul, wrong
reactions to God's dealings with us in mysterious ways to us,
but not mysterious to the Lord, to those things that he has a
purpose in to bring a blessing, and the end in his sight is the
glorifying of his name. The thought of our heart is our
own spirit to be getting round many a thing, getting on in the
way as quickly and easy as we can, and not pausing to consider
He who is in the heavens, who seeth all things, whom we may
come in much formality and ask a blessing of, and yet not desire
to live subject to such a God in humility and submission, to
pray away along for daily strength and guidance and everything that
we need. Oh, and one feels the need of
this spirit, the sealing of humility and realizes how wretched the
old nature in us is to have its own thoughts, its own ways, which
we find later, of course, in this prophecy both so much exposed
that they are so much lower than the ways of our God. here's those
heavenly things and heavenly ways and what a mercy that is.
Then we find the prophet coming in to Hezekiah in sickness to
pronounce this sentence of death that really each of us need that
help to hear. The Lord says, still set thine
house in order for they shall die and not live. Or as I imagine,
renders that, give charge in concerning thy house. A spiritual
house, our affairs part before the Lord? Is it in order? Is it under the power of God's
grace seeking to walk in his fear? In that spirit then of
humble submission, that he will come when he sees best and none
shall hinder him? Or is it yet in that carnal spirit
then that rebels against God and the things of God? seeks
to continue in its own strength to be rid of these things, to
not have an ear that wants to hear them, or a spirit to acknowledge
them. What a natural spirit that we
each possess, that the devil attempts to go off in such a
way, to go off in this way of faith. What shall I say? You might say there were two
matters in this, this evening then, as to what the natural
man would say, the thing of our own spirits, We do not want to,
as it were, proclaim that truth, that thought. I believe you know
never that in your own heart and soul where God is within
you. The things bring us to be ashamed
of what those thoughts and words were and will be. And yet for
God keeping us, will continue to be so. Really in our taxing
it is to ponder those things that he gives his people to say,
by the change that he puts in their hearts by his gracious
dealings. In the words of the Lord Jesus
Christ that he must be born again. Surely Hezekiah was one that
was born again and what was given him then in the new birth, what
was given him in another heart and another spirit was enabling
him to walk in that way of righteousness and truth. And here would be
the reality and the proof of it. We might say, well, surely
there are many outward things that we have not even done and
have not got to do. But the Lord does try the faith
of each of his people, whatever life or circumstance they are
in. And it is that needful test that he puts them to. He knoweth
the truth in the heart and the glory of it. We profess to know a little of
that truth, but do not always value it and then see the glory
of it. to who it has given it, who is to be honoured for it.
And really, in this spiritual matter before us then, of what
should I say, it is to see how he comes then in his own thoughts,
then, as we have read of them, as we have said, we would not
seek to speak much of the carnal mind or the natural man, but
nevertheless it is to relate to what the Spirit then of ourself
has the view of, in the eye of faith that he had, and yet the
fear of his heart still that he would be one that would be
cut off. The Lord had said that divine sentence. Hezekiah had
come with this repetition that God sent his prophet again to
bring the blessing because he saw that good thing in the heart
of Hezekiah that was in prayer. Words that we have not necessarily
got here that express but he saw these mournings and chatterings
that we have in this record of his time then of being sick and
recovering. He sees his acknowledgement that
he said in the cutting off of my day, like we go to the grave,
gates of the grave, I am deprived of the residue of my years. And
surely those gates will be open, he would be entering in there
now. That as the gates of hell are shut against the Lord's people,
the keys being in the hand of the Lord Jesus as in Revelation
1. And none can prevail against him who holds those keys. He
shuts them so his people cannot enter there. The devil would
love to have those keys and open them up and thrust all into hell. With himself of course at last
also. Now you go in that feeling sense to the gates of the grave.
What shall I say? We feel sometimes in our hearts
we think so low that surely now it must be the end of all. Where
is our little faith? Where is our little hope? And
as this word is declared that they shall die and not live.
That death is certain, life is limited. What a blessing if we
see that truth also in a spiritual sense and that God will give
us to die to this world but yet live eternally in the Lord Jesus
Christ. But die because indeed he has
laid down his life in a certainty of life. But oh, the glorious
doctrine of the resurrection, he has taken that life again
to bring forth his people then as he is conquering ones, who
are given this voice then to remember those pathways that
they were in, to not, as it were, pass it by and forget them, but
acknowledge a great need of the Lord in it, that it might be
a comforting and instructing, a teaching word, yet as he has
left it on record. And there's not such truth as
in being the comfort yet of living soul, to fear that they should
not see the Lord, even the Lord in the land of the living. Not
be put amongst the Lord's people yet in the earth or in this life.
Not be union to them as they long for it. What should I say? Surely the Lord has shown us
now that there is no good in us. We are that worst of the
worst of all these. The greatest hypocrite in the
things of the church of God or outside of it. what hope there
is for us anymore. The age departed as the shepherd's
tent, or removed, and not settling long, and now to be gone forever. Cut off then, himself, like a
weave of my life. His own spirit then cast down
in his pining sickness. And David, the night where they
make an end of me, I reckon till the morning, that as a lion will
he break all my bones. So the great weakness and suffering,
the power that he sees in the Lord as a great lion or a great
one of strength and that soon would crush him and he would
be gone. Even day into night that would
make an end of me. He saw how soon these things
could be so much worse and he sunk into them. So his mourning
and his chattering as they Swallowed in a dove, he expresses it. There's
natural things that were in a natural way expressing that like inward
feeling and his eyes failing with looking upward, even spiritual
things, even perhaps the desire to pray had been taken away.
Just this groaning within. And yet the prayer then squeezed
out of the heart of the Ehezekiah It comes into our text, and what
shall I say? What did Hezekiah say under this
pathway? Oh, the Lord gave him what to
say. Oh, Lord. You see, he acknowledged it was
his God that had done it. And to him, he cried, I am oppressed. I am bowed down and cast down
and seeming to cast away under such a great weight. Undertake
for me, ease me of this great weight then of sin that lies
upon me, and thy condemning power in thy holy law, and give yet
thy undertaking of thy rich blessing that is so needful. He hath both
spoken to me, and himself hath done it. And in this we may view
that here was a sickness that he was in, and how he heard the
word of the prophet Isaiah, the Lord hath spoken it, and then
under that which was spoken along with what he was actually in,
in a sickness to death, as it was viewed, only the Lord could
heal him, and he himself had done that. It brought him in
this low place. He did not look to second causes
of what the Lord had afflicted him with, but to show that it
was of the Lord. And they also view that, as he
says here then, he hath both spoken unto me and himself hath
done it, because I wondrously, What shall we say in this pondering
then that in such a precarious condition, a low estate, a fearful
condition, and yet a place where we read of the psalmist that
his hope was in the Lord, there was a hope in his soul. And as
we go on in those parts of the book of Psalms, we know there
are those psalms that lie ahead that tell of his quieted soul,
the cast down soul, and yet the admonition of the spirit in it,
hope thou in God. Though his eyes held looking
upward, yet there was a cry out of his oppressed soul that the
Lord would undertake and intervene. And so we hear then of Hezekiah
then being spoken again. If we read the record of this
in the Kings or in the Chronicles, Isaiah was not yet out of the
king's court before the Lord sent him back to speak to him.
We would long perhaps for such an immediate answer to our poor
cry. And yet the Lord saw this need that he must go and show
that what Hezekiah was thinking and what he was saying was completely
known of the Lord. What things these are to bring
us into that dumbness of silence that surely the psalmist felt
in the psalm that we read. The stroke was upon him, he saw
the greatness of God in it. In his own spirit, then in silence
it burned, it murmured. that as the stirrup rested in
his soul to show that it was of the Lord, then there was an
opening of his mouth in prayer to his God to make him to know
his end and how frail I am. It's really our greatest strength
is to be shown our weakness, to be shown that we need Christ
to be strong for us and in us. And as he then heard his prayer,
he went back to tell him that the word had been given him from
the Lord. The Lord has spoken again. You see, and that is our
great mercy in the word of God. There's never an end to the Lord
speaking. Our pastor home used to remind us that in that account
of John 16, where the Lord was speaking those words of departing
from his disciples, there was a lot of that word in verse 22.
He said, I will see you again. Can we not say also that we will
hear again from the Lord? dread the Lord's silences. And
yet, as he promised in that word in John's Gospel, I will see
you again. There can never be a last sight
then of our Lord Jesus, because he's always said, there isn't
a game. We must see him another time. He will be seen. And in that sense, he will be
heard in the soul of his dear people. He will speak again.
What should I say? that in our petitions the Lord
would come and show himself again, would speak again, Lord that
says. And there we find then that he was one sending his servant
again, showing that he had heard this cry and how beautifully
the Lord describes or speaks of the petitions and the place
of his dear people. What shall we say in this? Will
all glory be to the Lord and he wants all knowledge and understanding
of us, that speaks as he does to dear Hezekiah, and is it not
the blessing of each living soul also? Thus saith the Lord, or
the Jehovah, the Almighty One, the only true and living God,
he that ruleth and reigneth in the heavens, he who said, set
thine house in order and thou shalt die and not live. Thus
saith that same God, that same voice, that same power, the God
of David thy father. A covenant God. The God who was
bringing so many blessings and promising the great son of David
to come. And he who truly is our Lord
Jesus Christ then, the God of his dear people. A covenant keeping
God to them. I have heard thy prayer. Whatever
that language was and whatever that language of ours may be
this evening, what shall we say? The Lord truly hears those cries. does not despise destitute crying.
No, he regards it. He has an ear that hears a sigh
and a groan. I have seen thy tears. And he sees and looks and listens
into the circumstances in their hearts. And perhaps often we
do not speak enough of that, that the Lord sets these two
things together, what he hears and what he sees. He comes down to Sodom to judge
that it might be as what he had seen it as and heard it as in
heaven. He'd heard much of the cry of Sodom's evil. He hears
the cry of our present evil. And in that day of Abraham, then
he came down to see if it was all together so. He's not hastily
in judgment. But wondrously then in love and
mercy to hear prayer, he also makes known that he has seen
the path of those in that trouble and trial. He sees the tears. He sees what these things have
meant to Hezekiah, this appointment it brought, the fears that arose.
And we might look at it in a natural sense and yet a spiritual sense
to see that it was Hezekiah then without a son or an heir to continue
the line of David. And yet here was the Lord saying,
the God of David thy father, that if there was no heir to
be born after him, then where would the Messiah come from?
Where would their salvation be? And likewise, Jacob himself,
in meeting Esau, when he cried, I will not let you go, except
thou bless me. He must have seen that it were all destroyed by
Esau. Surely they had the promises. And if that all was to be destroyed,
then where'd the blessing come from? Where would the Messiah
appear? You see what a faith I had in
the Old Testament saints, looking forward to the promise and the
blessing of God. I know that we had a stronger
faith in these truths that tell of the divine certainty then
of our God and of his great love and his great blessing for our
souls. He truly must come to revive
him and give him a son though we read of course that in God's
mysterious ways he permitted that son to go in the ways of
evil to begin with and to do so greatly and so solemnly. And
yet in that day of his oppression Oh, his heart was moved and turned
to the Lord, brought to a godly sorrow that leaded to repentance.
In this pathway of his sorrowing father's expressions here, who
was seeing these things, that the Lord had seen the tears. And I believe we read in that
account in the book of Exodus then where Moses is at the burning
bush, how the Lord tells him that he had heard the cries Israelites
in their affliction, seen their affliction, had not gone unnoticed
to him. He knew there was cries and he
had given them. And what a mercy that is, he still sees the afflictions
of his afflicted people. That bit of expression in Psalm
22 that it shows that he has not despised that afflicted one
because of their affliction. But now he hears their cry. And
in that word in Exodus, then he says, I know their sorrow.
He sees and he knows. Normally we have a sweet sense
of that in this word this evening, what shall I say? Well, what
a wondrous saviour he is, not only to hear, but to see and
to know, and to show such condescending love to unworthy sinners as we
are. It is, of course, to express
the glories of the compassions of the Lord Jesus Christ, being
Emmanuel God with us. He who reveals himself in answering
prayer, sending the message then of his servants to speak the
word of the Lord, which he and Isaiah would so faithfully do.
I would behold, I would add unto thy days fifteen years, that
immediate fear would yet his life perish now, and there be
no hope for him any more. That would be so, there was a
sparing in the present. and deliver this city out of
the hand of the king of Assyria and defend it. The greater things
also that were needful as he was the ruler of the land would
be heard of him. Personal things and national
things, things that are all in the Lord's hand are his to do. And we give this most remarkable
sign then of the sun going backward upon those degrees of the sundial.
or the Lord lengthening out the day, so his own power will be
seen in it. And really this is an expression
then, what should we say? Well, we say here then what we
would read in Psalm 19, that the God then that we love and
adore is the God of heaven and of earth, the God of creation
and the God of grace. That the Lord speaks in his created
world, and read that Psalm 19 through, and of course the first
part of it refers to God's two books we might say, the book
of nature, the heavens, the stars, the earth, and all that God is
in his created work, he speaks mighty out of it. All that is
in his hand is control, even to this present moment, and shall
be, will be, and said it shall be no more when he burns it with
fire. And then in that second part, the law of the Lord is
perfect, converting the soul. The testimony of Lord is sure,
making wise the simple. In those statutes of the Lord,
opening the eyes of the blind, so forth. But how it speaks out
of the inward things, but the end of that psalm, of course,
is that well-known prayer, which really relates so much to our
text tonight, then, as the psalmist then sought that great need to
be safe from presumptuous sins, as he had the understanding of
so many things, and yet so many more things were to be known,
to not become careless or lifted up in his spirit. Praised in
that well-known way, let the words of my lips and the meditation
of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my God and
my Redeemer. Perhaps language that we cannot
all use, that He is the Lord and He is the Redeemer. That
when we are brought into these pathways of the Lord, touching
us inwardly and in our hearts, bringing us to sorrow, our sins,
and our own spirit, our own misunderstandings, our own thoughts, feeling this
great need of the Lord's undertaking to give us of his grace, to show
that the everlasting arms are underneath, that he is the great
rock that cannot fail. And the God that we hope in is
still the same, though he lovingly chastened us and lay many afflicting
circumstances upon us. And now he knows the purpose
of them. What grace we need then to be in this needful submissive
spirit then that the text is speaking of, then what should
I say? He hath both spoken unto me and himself hath done it. That little word itself seems
so precious really because we read so much of the Lord Jesus
Christ as one that himself was one that drew near and went with
his dear ones on the road to Emmaus. It was Jesus himself
that was in the midst of those trembling disciples. spoke of
those things of himself was the one thing that is needful. You
see, what a personal way the Lord comes himself to bring these
gracious deliverances. Yes, he may use means in the
ministry of the gospel or devotions around the word of God, and many
of us forget to take these means of grace, but we look beyond
the means to see that himself hath done it, Oh, what should
I say? Can we say this evening then,
that with dear Hezekiah, as this word goes on, and he hath both
spoken unto me, have he given us a year of faith, that we have
heard what his word speaks to me, to us personally? Is it the
word then of conviction that speaks that we are indeed the
soul that has sinned, that it shall die? That we are that cursed
one who have not come up to the standard of holiness in the law,
cursed is everyone that keepeth not the the law then, the testimony,
the teachings, the truths that he has given us in the whole
of them. It is only by the voice of one that speaketh what God
says. He is to say then, what shall
I say, it is God that truly speaks. Speaks in practical circumstances,
in natural things, that they might speak spiritually to us.
And he speaks of course out of the the means of his holy word
of truth in the gospel dispensation. As one that owns and blesses
what he has recorded to show that it has been spoken of the
Lord and he will speak from it again. What should I say? Or do we come begging of the
Lord then to speak out of his word to us? And of course that
is your living cry here that the Lord would speak out of the
word of God that is ministered in the gospel. And it would indeed
speak into your souls. And himself would do it. Because
that is the great blessing in the things that God has spoken,
not empty truths that are not fulfilled, they have a meaning,
a purpose, and God will ever do them. The record here shows
us what has been done. And so it tells us he shall still
do it in his delivering hands and power. He has a sovereign
right thus to afflict and to bring low and to put us into
a place of felt weakness. May we yet see that it is needful
that we may value the great glory of his strength, of his self
as a glorious God in heaven. A great physician then to heal,
to bring us submissively to be healed of our leprous condition.
Oh, what a blessing then, what shall I say? truly brings out
the groaning of the prisoner and the sighing of the poor and
needy. For such we read that he set it on high from him that
puffed it out to him. The devil comes to provoke our
lips to evil. Or to put it another way, then
as the scripture does, then as Moses was provoked to speak a
wrong thing because of the oppressing and afflicting spirit of the
children of Israel, he spoke unwisely and therefore God's
hand was revealed against it. Although we need that deliverance
then from ourself and the devil. We cannot blame the devil for
that which we have in our own spirit, but though may we not
go near those things that he is in to tempt that spirit to
come out of us, to only speak more and more that is vain and
empty and evil, and press out of us in our own natural spirit
and position. May we beg the Holy Ghost to
draw near and bring out of our heart a humble confession of
our sin. What should I say? Well, that word in the later
prophecy, of course, of Hosea, speaks so wonderfully in the
end of it, where it is a cry to the Lord's Israel to turn
to the Lord, return to the Lord thy God. And he does not just
say to return, but he says, take with you words and say unto him,
receive us graciously. Gives them a prayer to plead
before the Lord. We might go in that way then
of humility, spoken of here, I shall go softly all the years
of my life, or in that knowledge, saying that our own spirit would
soon rise up and go in a wrong way, provoke God's wrath and
anger, bring further his chasing in an evil way upon us. Or maybe
in that returning unto our Lord Jesus Christ. So the what shall
I say then, is really the scripture teaching us what then we must
be found as in a pathway of life and what we must bring in our
pleadings before our God and by his greatest help then that
need for acknowledgement as we have it here then of Hezekiah
and truly in the records of God's dear people in the word of God
that they tell by the way that the praises of the Lord for his
great goodness to them. cried in that way that men would
praise the Lord. Oh how backward we are to glorify
our God, how much the devil seeks to silence lips in the praises
of the Lord. See there was this spirit here
in Hezekiah now, that the madders would not silence his praises. It was both the Lord then that
had spoken it, himself had done it, and himself, and I shall
go softly all my years, be the bitterness of my soul, knowing
what natural man would speak. Seeking ever to have what is
a spiritual man speaking, or a profession then, a life in
the fear of the Lord. To pray in that prayer that we
quoted there in the end of Psalm 19, the meditations of our hearts,
the word of our lips being acceptable in thy sight. Yes, we may seek
acceptable words in the sight of man, but the only acceptable
words and thoughts are in the sight of an all-seeing God. As
he viewed it, Behold, for peace I had great business, but thou
hast in love to my soul, that thou hast delivered it from the
pit of corruption. Cast all my sins behind thy back. We thought then he was going
on quietly. There was nothing amiss, and now up we are to Look
only then in a lower way at all of our lives and we do not pray
for trouble or difficulties. But the Lord appoints those things
that even He sees to be great bitterness. Oh, what a careless,
indolent spirit, a slothful spirit we have in our natural self.
And the devil loves it when we are quiet and at ease in those
things. Doesn't want us with an exercise
and a burdened heart over our souls and the souls of others
and the need of God's appearing, How to touch hearts and awaken
them to their great need and the need of his reviving work
to bring his own great blessing. The grave cannot praise thee.
Death cannot celebrate thee. They go down to the pit. They
cannot hope for thy truth. The living, the living, he shall
praise thee as I do this day. The fathers and the children
shall make known thy truth. What shall I say? is an instruction
that the word of God ever contains that we are to bring up our children
that in the fear of the Lord, to speak to the generation following
the things that we favored within our hearts have been taught by
the Lord, not to seek to hide that light that he has given
us to be a light to us. We may feel a great poverty in
that light, but as the word of God is both a light and a lamp,
And that is where the light is to be within us from God's word,
God himself, being that lamp that he is, and the great light
that shines from it. We know naturally that the lights,
we have in a natural sense, they are put in the highest place.
And we know the lights in this chapel are in the ceiling, that's
where they will shine from. And how much more then the word
of God must be in that highest place, where it will shine more
and more. when it is high in our estimation. What should I
say? Oh Lord, do lift up thy word in our lives. Do lift up
these scriptures in this our day. Do shine with it from on
high. Do cause men to look up to thy word. Do cause us to look
up and to enjoy the light that it shines with. We know it is
often put away and dust gathers upon its covers. And so on that
natural spirit is. What shall we say? cannot then
proclaim to be one that has always valued the scripture, but I do
become longing for its truth now to shine. So we seek, like
we have this example of it then in the pulpit in the chapels
that we love, that the scripture is set on high to be spoken from. Christ is the glory of his word. It's the one that we are looking
to. We don't worship the pages of
a book, we might say, Worship the word of God, the God of the
word that is within it. He was given us such expressions
of truth then, what should I say? Oh dear, I plead with the Lord
that he might lift up his word all the more in our hearts and
lives. For he hath both spoken it, and
he himself will do it. All that is in this blessed book
will be brought to pass. Past things that have been spoken
of yet, come to pass and many things still spoken in it are
yet to be fulfilled. That truth that we have in the
Psalms that the dear Psalmist says that he once of the Lord
spoken but twice have I heard or that God has given his word
but there are many times over it will be heard. What a blessing
that is. We fear the Lord's silence but
oh what a mercy he having spoken will be given the spirit to hear
it. Yes, two things he says, the
power belongeth unto the Lord, there is none like it, greatest
power, power that silences in a sinner's lips as we have read
of it, as it humbles him before such a great God. But also unto
thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy. You see, it is a Lord Jesus full
of truth and grace, so full of grace to fulfill the truth, to
show the truth that is spoken of the Lord, will be the truth
that His dear people seek to speak of also, to walk in, to
be those little lights shining with His light, as He is the
great light, to be like the moon then in the scriptures, and the
letter light, reflecting the light of the great light, and
to shine in many night seasons, as the great light is never extinguished,
And the Lord sets the moon in a natural sense across in the
heavens for us to see at certain seasons. So it shines then from
its great height because it is in the beams still of the natural
light that is taken away from us for the night to arise. Yet
that measure of light is to speak that another day shall arise.
He must come again, He must shine into the soul again, bring a
greater blessing to the soul. Oh, what a needful thing this
is for the fathers and all the, speaking one to another the things
of God, shall make known thy truth. The Lord was ready to
save me. As we come to such a word, what
shall I say? Well, will we not say here, the Lord was ready
to save even me. Even such a poor and worthy wretch
as I. What a willingness, what a readiness.
Indeed, I believe in Psalm 86, how the Psalmist saw that the
Lord was ready to forgive. He was well with the great readiness
to proclaim that sentence of forgiveness. It is never yet
to be forever banishment. But now, in Christ Jesus' salvation,
ready to say, therefore will I sing my songs to the stringed
instruments, as if it was Dear Hezekiah had written many a hymn,
many a song, many a praising thing to bring before the Lord
in the house of God or to show in a public way than what he
had known personally. And in the proclaiming of the
gospel as your dear pastor is able to come to say those things
of the praise of the Lord and we seek to like in that lesser
way and seek to honor God in those things that he puts in
our lives, that brings in humility before him, They might not be
hidden things, but things that are proclaimed to encourage one
another in the Lord our God. We might be brought into that
expression that we do not seek to add to scripture saying, even
me. We say, well, this is all very well. He was a righteous
man, he was a godly. They were, of course, will be
saved. So prone is the devil to tempt us to think in that
line, but is it not the Lord humbling us to show us that,
yes, there is hope for such as we are as sinners. And really,
when we read that 34th Psalm, we find that expression so beautifully
brought forth, and perhaps one has mentioned it before, but
you see in that verses six, or even 17, they're very identical
verses. And one says, the righteous cry,
and the Lord heareth them, and saveth them out of all his troubles.
And yet, that is, you see how God sees his saved people as
ones that are righteous in Christ, extols the glories of the Savior.
But the Holy Ghost does not leave the word out of reach of the
trembling soul. It's described in verse 6 as
this poor man cried. That is how they feel. That is
how they view themselves before the righteous God. What a blessing
they are, those who are given that living cry. Not because
of their righteousness they feel their poverty, but because of
His righteousness. Because of His glorious self,
what should I say? Oh, may the Lord give us liberty
in our lips to speak well of Him, and say with the psalmist,
I will mention his righteousness only, I'll go in the strength
of the Lord God. Surely that was what Hezekiah
could say here, and he knew that word, as having the Psalms. I
will go in the strength of the Lord God, I will make mention
of his righteousness, even of his only. And really in that
expression, it is the spirit of faith in the soul, then, to
plead all that God is, and an unchanging God, a gracious God
to deliver. and to be led of the spirit to
say in the word of God there are those truths that we need
to pry over and plead before the Lord. Lord I said. Jacob used that expression when
he was returning to Bethel and had to come against Esau. He
said Lord I said or surely do thee good. There he was back
in the place of his uncle Laban then longing to be out of it
and the Lord speaking to him go again to Bethel I will be
with thee. I will do thee good. And then on the way, he meets
great trouble, great distress. You see, you have to bring it
before the Lord. Lord, though sad, still bring the word of
hope to the Lord. He has given it you to hope in,
and to truly pray over it in also. It doesn't mean you do
not believe it, but it means you want the Lord to shine greater
with that hope that it has given you. Show the reality of it in
the now, that it will be as he has said it will be. And really
in the spirit then of making mention of His righteous not
what we will say is a spirit of faith here. He hath both spoken
it and He Himself hath done it and will do it. And will have
us to go on in this way then of humility. One that will not cast off His
people as we feel He will, but bring us nearer by these pathways
that He appoints for us. and therefore he acknowledges
and remembers that it was Isaiah that it was sent to use that
practical matter, whatever that would be, the lump of figs and
lay it for a plaster upon the board that he should recover.
That's with all practical things that may be administered, it's
only as the Lord gives the healing. We can get too taken up with
it where there's so many things that are given in our time, but
in all of them, it must be owned to the Lord and used to the Lord.
And the Lord is gracious to do what he will in the wisdom he
has given man to know so many things. But really even that
wisdom that is known and great it is of course, is but a glimpse
of the greater wisdom that is in the Lord. What should I say? Oh how we need the blessing of
our God then to touch our hearts here in this way of humility.
What did the Apostle Paul say when he saw the great wonders
of the Lord's gloriousness and dealings in that wreath of Romans
where he spoke there of that wonderful truth of all things
working together for good, that he knew it was in God's hand. He did not say he always felt
it, as we would perhaps stumble at that truth, but he knew it
was what God would do for his called and loved people. And
as he goes on to speak of the path that God has appointed,
he has predestinated, ordered, and made then his calling. Everything
bound up in the gratefulness of himself. And then he says,
what shall we say to these things? Or what could be said in faith
and such glorious doctrines of saving grace? If God before us,
who can be against us? So we leave it not then to what
the Apostle then is, the Spirit's Word of God, what shall we? We
hope that is a uniting truth to us each, what shall we say
to these things? Or maybe say, what should I say to this thing?
God before me, who can be against me? And that is given not to
cause us to boast that such a great blessing is to be given, but
to humble us all the more to say that if God is against me,
then who can be for me? If I have not this God of Hezekiah
or the Apostle Paul or any of those saints of the Lord in his
word, then I must only know him as a righteous judge forever.
Oh, what should I say? So we have to come again with
the psalm which was, O Lord, make me know mine end and how
frail I am. Give me this true knowledge of
myself as a great God and a Saviour, when He has those greater wonders. And of course the Apostle was
led of the Spirit to see that though there be those that would
condemn and accuse, it is God alone who has done it, justified
His people in the saving grace of the Lord Jesus and the precious
blood, the blood of Calvary, and not only showing that sacrifice
for sin in the shedding of his blood, but it's one that is risen,
alive forevermore, and one that is ascended up on high at the
right hand of the throne of God, when he still hears and still
sees, having done all that he has done here in the earth. Well,
what shall we say? in these things. Well, may they
be things that ever cause us to lose our own self in that
wonder and praise and honor to the Lord. That's like in the
hymn 766, on such love my soul still ponder, love so great,
so rich, so free. Say my soul was lost in wonder,
where, Lord, such love to me. Or maybe tell of that love of
the Saviour then to our souls as sinners, even unto me. Hallelujah. Oh, grace shall reign eternally.
What a blessed theme then the Lord gives his people to say.
The song of heaven, of course, is that glory and praise to the
Lamb. It's first steps that we need to learn here by grace that
we may be filled with them in glory and sing them forevermore
there. May the Lord then speak to this
word to us this evening. One feels poor in speaking from
it, but may it be the Lord using it to speak from it. It might
be what he has said and what we must say then in humility
of prayer before him. Lord, thy word does speak. Give
me more grace to hear. Do it in my ears the more, in
my eyes the more to see. Give me help to speak aright
and to live aright before thee. May the Lord give us of his spirit
and forgive all that is amiss. Amen. May the power that brings salvation
now exerted in the word, by its quickening operation, life impart
and joy afford, life to sinners, joy to those who know the Lord, Hark, the voice of love proclaiming,
Mercy through a Saviour's blood. Vein the schemes of human framing,
This alone is owned of God. Tis the gospel, points to heaven,
and shows the road. Hymn number 1133, June Corinth,
669. In the darkness of ancient times,
there's been a war. ? I did seek thee ? ? The reparation
? ? My penitent ? ? You have borne ? ? I did seek it ? ? I
did seek it ? ? Thou art living in my heart. ? ? You are my soul, Lord, and
my life. ? ? Who in it has gave proof ? ?
That Saviour's born ? ? Faith that sings of him that reigneth
? ? Riches and glory full ? of God who is the Godhead, is
the Godhead, and to Him I shall go. Gracious and merciful Lord, do
in mercy forgive and pardon all that thou hast seen amiss in
our worship this evening. Do speak, we pray thee, from
thy word. Do give us those ears that hear
and those hearts that understand. Help us to go on by faith, leaning
upon the beloved. Do watch over us now as we separate.
Do grant journeying mercies to us in journeying, whether longer
or shorter, as those at home who disconnect from their service
also. Be with us each throughout the night. Grant a good night's
rest, if it could please thee. But do ever guide us, we pray,
by thy counsel, and afterward receive us into thy glory. May
thy grace, Lord Jesus, and the love of God the Father, and the
sweet communion of the Holy Ghost abide with us forever. Amen.