January 4

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.—Psalms 39:12.

WHEREOF shall I rejoice? Whereof should I groan? I rejoice on account of what is past, I groan longing for these which are not yet come. Hear my prayer, and give ear unto my cry. Hold not thy peace at my tears. For do I now no longer weep, because I have already passed by, have left behind so great things as these? Do I not weep much the more? For, He that increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow. The more I long for what is not here, do I not so much the more groan for it until it comes? do I not so much the more weep until it comes? Do I not weep for it, so much the more that scandals multiply the more that iniquity aboundeth, the more that the love of many waxeth cold? Do I not say, O that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears? Hear my prayer, and give ear unto my tears; hold not thy peace from me. Let me not become deaf to all eternity, Hold not thy peace from me. Let me hear thy voice! For God speaketh in secret; he speaketh to many persons within their heart, and loud is the sound heard there in the profound silence of the heart, while with a loud voice he saith, I am thy salvation. It is on account of this voice wherewith God saith unto the soul, I am thy salvation, that he prays, God would not hold his peace from him. Hold not thou thy peace from me.

For I am a sojourner with thee. But with whom am I a sojourner? When I was with the devil, I was a sojourner; but then I had a bad host and entertainer; now, however, I am with thee; but I am a sojourner still. What is meant by a sojourner? I am a sojourner in the place from which I am to remove; not in the place where I am to dwell for ever. The place where I am to abide for ever should be rather called my home. In the place from which I am to remove I am a sojourner; but yet it is with my God that I am a sojourner, with whom I am hereafter to abide, when I have reached my home. But what home is that to which you are to remove from this estate of a sojourner? Recognize that home, of which the apostle speaks, We have an habitation of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. If this house is eternal in the heavens, when we have come to it, we shall not be sojourners any more. For how should you be a sojourner in an eternal home? But here, where the Master of the house is some day to say to you, "Remove," while you yourself know not when he will say it, be thou in readiness. And by longing for your eternal home, you will be keeping yourself in readiness for it. And be not angry with him, because he gives thee notice to remove, when he himself pleases. For he made no covenant with thee, nor did he bind himself by any engagement; nor didst thou enter upon the tenancy of this house on a certain stipulation for a definite term: thou art to quit, when it is its Master's pleasure. For therefore is it that you now dwell there free of charge. For I am a sojourner with thee, and a stranger. Therefore it is there is my country: it is there is my home. I am a sojourner with thee, and a stranger. Here is understood with thee. For many are strangers with the devil: but they who have already believed and are faithful, are, it is true, strangers as yet, because they have not yet come to that country and to that home: but still they are strangers with God. For so long as we are in the body, we are strangers from the Lord, and we desire, whether we are strangers, or abiding here, we may be accepted with him. I am a sojourner with thee; and a stranger, as all my fathers were. If then I am as all my fathers were, shall I say that I will not remove, when they have removed? Am I to lodge here on other terms, than those on which they lodged here also?