“A little grace, a spark of true love to God, a grain of living faith, though small as mustard-seed, is worth a thousand worlds. One draught of the water of life gives interest in, and earnest of, the whole fountain.
It becometh the Lord’s people to be thankful; and to acknowledge His goodness in what we have received, is the surest as well as the pleasantest method of obtaining more.
Nor should the grief, arising from what we know and feel of our own hearts, rob us of the honour, comfort, and joy, which the word of God designs us, in what is there recorded of the person, offices, and grace of Jesus, and the relations He is pleased to stand in to His people: Psalm 23:1; Isa. 54:5; Cant. 5:16; John 15:15; 1 John 2:1; John 15:1; Jer. 23:5; 1 Cor. 1:30; Matt. 1:21–23. Give me leave to recommend to your consideration Psalm 89:15–18.
These verses may be called the Believer’s Triumph: though they are nothing in themselves, yet having all in Jesus, they may rejoice in His name all the day. The Lord enable us so to do!
The joy of the Lord is the strength of His people: whereas unbelief makes our hands hang down, and our knees feeble, dispirits ourselves, and discourages others.
I doubt not but the Lord whom you love, and on whom you depend, will lead you in a sure way, and establish and strengthen and settle you in His love and grace. Indeed He has done great things for you already.
The Lord is your Shepherd; a comprehensive word. The sheep can do nothing for themselves: the Shepherd must guide, guard, feed, heal, recover.
Well for us that our Shepherd is the Lord Almighty. If His power, care, compassion, fulness, were not infinite, the poor sheep would be forsaken, starved, and worried.
But we have a Shepherd full of care, full of kindness, full of power, who has said, ‘I will seek that which was lost, and bind up that which was broken, and bring again that which was driven away, and will strengthen that which was sick.’ (Ezekiel 34:16)
How tender are these expressions, and how well fulfilled! His sheep feed in the midst of wolves, yet are preserved safe; for, though they see Him not, His eye and His heart are upon them.”
–John Newton, The Works of John Newton, Volume 2 (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1820/1988), 2: 175-177.
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