June 27

5 ¶ Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and makeeth flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD

6 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited

7 Blessed is the man that cruseth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.

8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that is readeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see what heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

10 I the LORD search the heart, / try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings

11 As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth there not; so be that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool.

12 A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary.

13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.

14 Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved; for thou art my praise.

"The heart is a grand imposter." It is like a cheating tradesman, which will put one off with bad wares; the heart will put a man off with seeming grace, instead of saving. A tear or two shed is repentance, a few lazy desires is faith, blue and red flowers that grow among the corn look like good flowers, but they are but beautiful weeds. The foolish virgins' lamps looked as if they had oil in them, but they had none. Therefore to prevent a cheat, that we may not take false grace instead of true, we had need make a thorough disquisition and search of our hearts."—Watson.

"There is enough tinder in the heart of the best men in the world to light a fire that shall burn to the lowest hell, unless God should quench the sparks as they fall. There is enough corruption, depravity, and wickedness in the heart of the most holy man that is now alive to damn his soul to all eternity, if free and sovereign grace does not prevent. O Christian! thou hast need to pray."—C. H. Spurgeon.

Closet Promise.—He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.—Micah vii. 19

O Lord God gracious and merciful, give us, I entreat Thee, a humble trust in Thy mercy, and suffer not our heart to fail us. Though our sins be seven, though our sins be seventy times seven, though our sins be more in number than the hairs of our head, yet give us grace in loving penitence to cast ourselves down into the depth of Thy compassion. Let us fall into the hand of the Lord. Amen.—C. G. Rosseth.

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