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The Pathway of Safety; or, Counsel to the Awakened By the Right Rev. Ashton Oxenden, D.D. Chapter III: HELPS BY THE WAY THE LORD’S DAY.—GOD’S HOUSE.—PUBLIC PRAYER.—SERMONS.—THE HOLY COMMUNION. Christ alone saves us. I have dwelt awhile upon this in the last chapter, because I feel that this truth is the groundwork, the foundation-stone, the rock on which we must build. And I feel it to be of the very utmost importance to you, dear reader—to you who are already awakened, and concerned about your soul—to have this vital point clearly and strongly fixed in your mind. Jesus it is who, from first to last, must save you; and, as you pursue your onward course, you must, day by day, be looking unto Him. But now, let me point out to you some of those gracious Helps, which He affords us by the way. I shall speak, in this Chapter of the Outward Helps; or, as they are usually called, the Public Means of Grace. A. THE LORD’S-DAY. This is the Christian’s day; a day given to him by God, to have his body rested, his mind refreshed, his soul prospered—a hallowed and a happy day. Learn to prize it as one of your greatest blessings. You think of God, and draw near to Him, I trust, every day in the week. But this is the special day, on which the Great King seems to hold His court, and His people are pressingly invited to come into His presence. On other days blessings descend upon our souls like dew; but on this day the Lord opens, as it were, the very windows of heaven, and showers these blessings down upon us in large measure. You will find that ‘the great secret of a happy week is a holy Sabbath.’ Give that day entirely to God, and you will have the less difficulty in walking with Him during other days. On Saturday evening let all your week-day work be finished. And then ask God to prepare your heart for the morrow. When you awake in the morning, say to yourself, ‘This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.’ It is a good thing to begin the day by getting your heart tuned for the holy employments which are before you. Entreat a blessing on all the services, in which you are about to engage. And forget not to ask God to be with your minister, and to enable him ‘rightly to divide the word of truth,’ so that he may give to each one the allotted portion as he needs it. Let your Sundays be holy days; and let them also be cheerful and happy days—precious seasons of refreshment, to help you forward in your way. Some there are who hang down their heads, and put on a mournful look, on the Lord’s day; but this is wrong. For the sake of others, we should show that ‘the Sabbath’ is ‘our delight;’ and for our own sakes, too, we should regard it as a sweet foretaste of that joyous Sabbath, which we shall for ever spend in God’s house above. Do you love your Sundays? You did not love them once. They were weariness to you. You were glad when they were over. But now, I trust, you look upon then as so many bright and sunny spots in the journey of life. Be much with God on this day. Converse with Him, as with a Father; and learn from the Holy Spirit those great lessons, which none but He can teach you. And just as, on some warm day in summer, the grass grows apace, and the fruit ripens in a few hours more than for days and weeks before, so may each Sunday be to you a day of much spiritual growth, a blessed ripening for heaven! O sweetest day of all the seven, Emblem and earnest of that heaven Where saints have peace and rest; For thee I thirst, for thee I sigh, And count the hours till thou art nigh, Sweet day of sacred rest.
O let my heart thus sigh and glow, My song no intermission know, Till death shall seal my tongue; In heaven a holier strain I’ll raise, And rest from everything but praise— My heaven one endless song.
The Pathway of Safety; or, Counsel to the Awakened, Ashton Oxenden **************************************************** PREVIOUS CHAPTER -- NEXT CHAPTER ©God’sGWG To get past "Truth Speaks" go to www.Godsgwg.com and click on the "Weekly Word" button. To be taken off the subscription list send an email to Chuck_Long@juno.com and inform me to do so.
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