Come, child of God, be peaceful, be happy in the
prospect of the future. Do more, be joyous, and show
your joy. You are out of harm’s reach, for Christ has
you in his hand. You shall never be staggered nor
overcome, for the Lord is your strength and your song,
and he has become your salvation. This text is a royal
banquet for you. Here are fat things full of marrow.
Eat abundantly, O beloved. Feel your spirit renewed by
the Holy Spirit. Be prepared for whatever is yet to
come; for such a word as this, not from me, but from
the Lord himself, may gird up your loins for another
march towards Canaan; “Thy shoes shall be iron and
brass, and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.”
I am sorry, very sorry, for those among you who have no
portion and lot in such a promise as this. Whatever you
may have in this world, you are very poor in losing
such a promise as this. You are shoeless, or if you
have some wooden sabot, it will soon be worn out. You
will never be able to travel to heaven in any shoes
that mortal men can make for you. You need to go to the
great Father, who alone can say, “Put a ring on his
hand, and shoes on his feet.” I am sorry for you in
your present condition, for you have no strength but
your own, and that is a poor piece of weakness. You are
troubled even now: what will you do in the swellings of
Jordan? The common footmen of daily life have wearied
you: what will you do when you have to contend with
horses? O souls, what will you do when you are ushered
into the presence of the dread mysteries of another
world? O sirs, you are without strength; but is not
that a grand verse, “When we were yet without strength,
in due time Christ died for the ungodly”? Ungodly as
you are, clutch at such a word as that. “Without
strength” as you are, yet lay hold upon the Lord’s
strength. It is for those who have no strength that
Christ came into the world. It is for the ungodly that
he laid down his life. Come, and trust him. Let him
become your strength and your righteousness from this
time forth; and my he manifest himself to you in a
special and gracious way; and unto his name shall be
praise, for ever and ever. Amen.
LETTER FROM MR. SPURGEON
BELOVED READERS,–To you, one and all, may the
New Year be fruitful of blessings. I wish you
the text of this sermon as a benediction, so far
as it is applicable to you. Specially may your
feet be shod with the iron and brass which are
promised you, and this will be better than the
glass slippers of fortune, or the silver sandals
of wealth. For myself, I beg your kind
remembrance when you have the ear of “the King.”
I need restored strength, for I am well, but
weak; and for another year of service I need
that the right hand of the Lord may be laid upon
me, and that he should say to me, “Be strong:
fear not.” He that has supplied might to our
feebleness for so many years will not fail us
now. Week by week the loaf will be set before
you in this sermon, and we shall together bless
the Lord of the feast.
With all the good wishes of the season, in
sincerity and truth,
I am, your weekly visitor,
C. H. SPURGEON.
Mentone, Jan 1st, 1889.
“This article originally appeared here at Bible Bulletin Board.”
