Bowen's Daily Meditations

Whatever constitutes, in our opinion, our chief ground of distinction, that is the thing in which we glory. Like the fabled jewel in the toad, so there is in almost every man, if we may believe him, a very wonderful jewel. He finds it in himself; though with respect to others the whole thing is a fable. But even if there were this diamond in a man's nature, the presence of self-esteem would turn it to carbon again. To pride yourself on any good is to lose that good. Virtue comes to you, not...

And he only; for "he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." Several important matters loom upon us in this little statement. One of the most unintelligible things, to the world, is the declaration so constantly made in the Scriptures, that man is without life. At the very beginning of human history, Satan introduced, as a substitute for God's doctrine that man would die in the day of his transgression, his own opposing doctrine that man would not...

In these words we read the future destinies of the world. When an Alexander arises and hurries through the world, snatching crowns on the right hand and on the left, and threatening to take unto himself all sublunary power, the people of God are told to fear not; the kingdom is for them, not him. So too when a Julius Caesar grasps at the sceptre of universal dominion. And when a Napoleon appears on the scene, they calmly wait to see him and his kingdom vanish. For they have looked with...

One of the greatest triumphs ever obtained by Satan, was when he induced men, from motives utterly unscriptural, and in connection with a system not Christian, to institute religious orders consecrated to poverty and external humiliation. In recoiling from this error, Protestantism has, it is to be feared, recoiled from the truth of which it is a perversion. The doctrine illustrating the spirituality of Christianity, voluntary sacrifice of position, wealth or ease, in order that the...

This is said to the well-doer. To one even who is no novice in well-doing; but has been some time engaged in deeds of beneficence. You have begun well; you have gone on well; but persevere. It may be that your kindness is not appreciated; that your self-denial for the sake of others is even ridiculed; that your motives are misrepresented; and that the more you love, the less you are loved. But your well-doing is not well doing if it be gone about chiefly for the sake of man's appreciation....

The reason is assigned and it is unanswerable: - " He ever liveth to make intercession for them." He lives forever, clothed with all the power derived from his propitiatory death, and animated by the same heart of love that led him to die; he lives in the very place where we most need him; he is there perpetually in our "behalf". He was not more truly on the earth for us than he is in heaven for us, and we may confidently expect to be saved unto the uttermost. Once we had no access to God....

This is said with reference to some that appear unto men to be the children of God, and afterwards fall away. Christians have no promise that they shall be kept from misconceptions on this point; and they are sometimes greatly shocked to find the court of God's house strewn with columns. God is the architect of his temple, and is cognizant of his own plan; he allows stones and pillars to be placed in the edifice which he knows do not permanently belong to it; but for the places they...

He will not modify his purposes to suit our unbelief. What madness to suppose that he will imitate us; and seeing that we make light of his faithfulness, make light of it himself. Let God be true, though every man a liar. God once declared his purpose of bringing a deluge upon the earth. Men would not believe the terrific word. The whole human race combined to rear up a wall of unbelief under the protection of which they thought themselves safe. On the one hand were all mankind with their "...

When he was on the earth, leading a life of sorrows and perfecting his acquaintance with grief, no man appeared to covet the privilege of suffering with him. John and James, indeed, before they had obtained a glimpse of the cross, were bold to say, " We are able to drink of thy cup, and to be baptized with thy baptism." Thomas also said, " Let us also go that we may die with him.' Peter said, " I will lay down my life for thy sake." So likewise said they all. Yet when the hour of his...

He died for all; a glorious truth repeated in every variety of language, and oftentimes with the utmost explicitness that language can admit of. By virtue of this unlimited atonement, salvation may be offered to all, the gospel to every creature, the water of life to whomsoever will; by virtue of this, men that believe not are condemned because they have not believed on the Son of God, and men are convinced of sin be cause of unbelief. It is this that gives its pathos to the language of...

In a few verses of this psalm, we have the elysium of God divinely sketched, and how do all the elysian scenes of poets fade in comparison with it. There is poetry and there is wisdom in the abstinence that controls the delineation. They that minutely depict the home of the blessed and seek to present us with a finished drawing of it, forget that whatever can be thus photographed is of necessity fallen from the region to which faith, hope, and whatsoever is heavenly in us, aspires. Give us a...

The blessedness of God will be the blessedness of his people. Their purity shall be without stain, their love without limit; wherefore their happiness shall know no bound. Their character will correspond to the character of God; wherefore their felicity will be the same as his. Men, as they are generally, could find no satisfaction in God's house, in the place where his glory has its highest revelation; nor is there anything attractive to them in the river of his pleasures. Satan has so...

Called unto the fellowship of Christ, seems to mean, called unto a community of interest and of destiny with Christ. One Spirit is to be common to the believer and Christ; to each there is one life of humiliation, one eternity of glory; to each the hatred of the world. Christ's peace and joy are the believer's; the same love of the Father is given to each; there is to each a resurrection and ascension. But he that is called to a part is called to the whole. If we suffer with him, we shall...

The parallelism shows us that his servants are those that trust in him. How can a man enter upon this service without trusting in him? To acknowledge this master is rebellion to the world. Thousands are ready to spring to their arms when they see us put away from our forehead and from our hand the sign of our submission to the powers of this world. A man that would serve God, has no longer sword or spear to trust in; riches or luck or cunning; rank or favor; the multitude or the prince; a...