Encouragement to the Desponding

"All whom the Father gives Me — will come to Me; and whoever comes to Me — I will never cast out!" (John 6:37)

Cast out! My soul! how often might this have been your history! You have cast off your God — might He not often have cast out you? Yes! cast you out as fuel for the fire of His wrath — a sapless, fruitless cumberer! And, notwithstanding all your ungrateful requital for His unmerited forbearance — yet He is still declaring, "As I live, says the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of him who dies!" Your sins may be legion — the sand of the sea may be their befitting type — the thought of their vileness and aggravation may be ready to overwhelm you; but be still! your patient God waits to be gracious! Oh! be deeply humbled and softened because of your guilt, and resolve to dedicate yourself anew to His service, and so coming, He will by no means cast you out!

Do not despond by reason of former shortcomings — your sins are great — but your Savior's merits are greater! He is willing to forget all the past, and sink it in oblivion, if there is present love, and the promise of future obedience. "Simon, son of Jonah — do you love Me?" Ah! how different is God's verdict from man's! After such sins as yours, man's sentence would have been, "I will cast him out!" But "it is better to fall into the hands of God, than into the hands of man;" for He says, "I will never cast out!"

J.M.D.