Evening and Morning
By Charles Haddon Spurgeon
October 23
Morning
"Will ye also go away?"—John
6:67.
Many have
forsaken Christ, and have walked no more with Him; but what reason
have YOU to make a change? Has there been any reason for it in
the past? Has not Jesus proved Himself all-sufficient?
He appeals to you this morning—"Have I been a wilderness unto
you?" When your soul has simply trusted Jesus, have you ever been
confounded? Have you not up till now found your Lord to be a compassionate and
generous friend to you, and has not simple faith in Him given you all the peace
your spirit could desire? Can you so much as dream of a better friend than He
has been to you? Then change not the old and tried for new and false. As for the
present, can that compel you to leave Christ? When we are hard beset with
this world, or with the severer trials within the Church, we find it a most
blessed thing to pillow our head upon the bosom of our Saviour.
This is the joy we have to-day that we are saved in
Him; and if this joy be satisfying, wherefore should we think of changing? Who
barters gold for dross? We will not forswear the sun till we find a better
light, nor leave our Lord until a brighter lover shall appear; and, since this
can never be, we will hold Him with a grasp immortal, and bind His name as a
seal upon our arm. As for the future, can you suggest anything
which can arise that shall render it necessary for you to mutiny, or
desert the old flag to serve under another captain? We think not. If life be long—He changes not. If we are poor, what better
than to have Christ who can make us rich? When we are sick, what more do we
want than Jesus to make our bed in our sickness? When we die, is it not written that "neither death, nor life, nor things
present, nor things to come, shall be able to separate us from the love of God,
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord!" We say with Peter, "Lord, to whom
shall we go?"
Evening
"Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye
enter into temptation."—Luke 22:46.
When is
the Christian most liable to sleep? Is it not when his temporal
circumstances are prosperous? Have you not found it so? When you had daily
troubles to take to the throne of grace, were you not more wakeful than you are
now? Easy roads make sleepy travellers. Another dangerous time is when all
goes pleasantly in spiritual matters. Christian went not to sleep when
lions were in the way, or when he was wading through the river, or when
fighting with Apollyon, but when he had climbed half
way up the Hill Difficulty, and came to a delightful arbour,
he sat down, and forthwith fell asleep, to his great sorrow and loss. The
enchanted ground is a place of balmy breezes, laden with fragrant odours and soft influences, all tending to lull pilgrims to
sleep. Remember Bunyan's description: "Then they came to an arbour, warm, and promising much refreshing to the weary
pilgrims; for it was finely wrought above head, beautified with greens, and
furnished with benches and settles. It had also in it a soft couch, where the
weary might lean." "The arbour was called
the Slothful's Friend, and was made on purpose to
allure, if it might be, some of the pilgrims to take up their rest there when
weary." Depend upon it, it is in easy places that men shut their eyes and
wander into the dreamy land of forgetfulness. Old Erskine wisely remarked,
"I like a roaring devil better than a sleeping devil." There is no
temptation half so dangerous as not being tempted. The distressed soul does not
sleep; it is after we enter into peaceful confidence and full assurance that we
are in danger of slumbering. The disciples fell asleep after they had seen
Jesus transfigured on the mountain top. Take heed,
joyous Christian, good frames are near neighbours to
temptations: be as happy as you will, only be watchful.