THE POOR MAN’S
MORNING AND EVENING
PORTIONS;
BY REV. ROBERT HAWKER, D.D.
LATE VICAR OF CHARLES, PLYMOUTH
BEING
A SELECTION OF A VERSE OF SCRIPTURE
WITH
SHORT OBSERVATIONS FOR EVERY DAY
IN THE YEAR,
INTENDED
FOR THE USE OF THE POOR IN SPIRIT, WHO ARE
RICH IN FAITH, AND HEIRS OF THE KINGDOM
“I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.”—Job xxiii. 12.
“Thy words were found and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart.”—Jer. xv. 16.
“The law of thy mouth is dearer unto me than thousands of gold and silver.”—Ps. cxix. 72.
Table Of Contents
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Preface 1st Edition
Preface 2nd Edition
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
ADVERTISEMENT
THE Publisher feels great pleasure in presenting to the Church of Christ this Edition of the reverend and venerable Author’s Scripture Portions for each Morning and Evening, blended in one Volume. It was long the anxious wish of the Author to do so, but for circumstances which it is not necessary here to detail, he was, while living, unable to accomplish it, but anticipated with much pleasure their being so arranged in this Edition. On the propriety of this arrangement there needs no remark; it will immediately recommend itself to all.
The Publisher’s earnest desire and prayer is, that the great Head of the church may bless these labors of his highly honored servant, to the spiritual edification of his redeemed people; and that while he has gone to receive his reward, and entered into that rest prepared for those who follow him, even as he followed Christ, his works may continue to live in the hearts of all who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity and in truth.
PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON, June, 1829.
PREFACE (1st Edition)
TO THE POOR MAN’S MORNING PORTION.
THE title-page of this humble work sufficiently explains itself. It is designed as a means, in the divine hand, to promote the Redeemer’s glory, and his people’s happiness. ‘It hath often struck me, that such a method, under the blessing of the Lord, might prove eminently useful. By publishing in this way, in little penny books, some sweet portion of scripture for every day in the year, it might come within the reach of all pockets, be within the reach of all hands, and bid fair to be read when larger books are laid aside and forgotten.
It was, indeed, with the same view, that some few years since I sent forth a Diary of this kind. But, in that work, the selection was confined wholly to the promises. Experience hath since shewn, that reference may be occasionally had, with great advantage, to other parts of the word of God. In this, therefore, I have enlarged the plan. And besides making extracts from the whole scripture, I have ventured to add, under each passage, such thoughts as passed over my own mind in the perusal, hoping that the Lord might render them profitable to others.
It will be scarcely necessary to go over the same ground, by way of preface, as was then done. But it cannot be too often said, by way of reminding the believer, that the promises of God in Christ are evidently meant by the gracious Giver of them for the daily comfort of his people. And what is said of the promises, may be equally applied to the whole tenor of covenant love which runs through the bible. Indeed, if the truly awakened soul did but consider the word of God in this point of view, and make use of it upon every occasion, as his own circumstances are found to require, it could not fail of opening to his mind a perpetual source of joy and consolation all the day.
For what are the promises, but so many bonds and engagements of a covenant God in Christ ? In them, the Lord hath pledged himself to his people, as they stand related to Christ; and by the fulfilment of them, they prove his faithfulness. So that, strictly and properly speaking, God’s promises are our charter; his word our security ; his verily and amen the breasts of consolation whence God’s little ones are nourished. And if the Lord’s people would seek from the Holy Ghost the testimony he gives in them concerning Jesus, and from general promises make application of them to their own particular state and circumstances, as they may require, they would find, upon numberless occasions, that the Lord is speaking in them, and by them, to the souls of his people, and in the sweetest and most endearing language. • I would rather have God’s amen, and his yea, and verily, (said a tried soul of old) than the promises or oath of ill the men upon earth.’ And so would every believer, when from long experience of God’s fulfilment of his word and promises, he could “ set to his seal that God is true.” But, if we never make use of God’s promises, never exercise faith upon them, never bring them before the throne for payment, nor make memorandums when they are paid, how shall we know their value, or God’s love and faithfulness in their accomplishment?
Convinced of the importance of the thing itself, and with a view to direct the minds of God’s people to the daily exercise of this grace of faith upon the word and promises of our covenant God in Christ, I have here gathered out of the holy treasury some sweet portion for gracious souls to feed on from day to day. And so fully persuaded am I of the preciousness of this employment, that I am confident to say, if the people of God would make it their uniform custom, morning by morning, with the first return of day, and if possible, before the world hath power to break in upon the mind, thus to have recourse to God’s word, and (as David said he did) “ to hearken what the Lord God would say concerning him,” they would find, and perhaps frequently before night, sufficient cause to bless God for his faithfulness in the accomplishment. Nay, sometimes indeed, they would discover the word to be so immediate and direct to the present moment, as if the Lord had left for a while the whole world, to draw nigh to them in those visits of his love. Like the patriarch at Bethel, they would be constrained to say, “ Surely the Lord is in this place, (or in this word) and I knew it not!”
It was thus holy men of old walked with God. They communed with the Lord, and the Lord with them through the medium of his word. They made known their wants, and the Lord made known his grace. Prayers went up, and answers came down; and he “ made all his goodness to pass before them.” In a more special manner they considered all the promises as their own. And they accepted of them as given of the Lord, with this express design, us if the Lord pledged himself by them to his people, that they might bring them before the mercy-seat whenever they needed, and plead for payment, Hence they kept house, feasted, and lived joyfully upon them, when they had nothing else to live upon. And from this cause it was, that after a succession of many generations from father to son, they could, and did appeal to the uninterrupted experience of every preceding history, and left it upon record for the assurance and comfort of all that should come after, that “ Not one thing had failed of all the good things which the Lord had promised, but all was come to pass as it is this day.”
I cannot therefore but earnestly recommend to the gracious souls for whom this little work is intended, similar conduct, that we may be the patient “ followers of them who now through faith and patience inherit the promises.” And a method so short, so easy, and so’ practicable as is here set forth, and which the most busy life, even among the labouring poor of our people, cannot find much difficulty in performing, will, I trust, be abundantly blessed of our gracious God. The labourer who is straitened for time, and obliged sometimes to hasten to his work without falling upon his knees in family prayer, may yet, even while putting on his clothes, look at the Morning Portion; and if unable to run through the observations which follow the scripture, may yet take with him the scripture itself, and gather matter from it, under divine teaching, for prayer and praise as he hastens on. And if this plan be constantly and invariably followed up, without the omission of a single morning, I venture to believe his diligence will be abundantly recompensed, upon numberless occasions through life.
There is one advantage more, from the use of this little work, which J detain the reader to mention, which will be, I conceive, of no small importance in making it blessed, if so be the Lord should dispose the minds of many gracious souls to the daily use of it; I mean the communion of saints. This privilege of God’s people is much spoken of; but I rather fear, not so much attained to or regarded as it ought. And yet, next to the rapture arising from communion with our glorious head, what can open to more enjoyment than communion through him, with the members of his mystical body ? I cannot help telling, in this short way, many precious souls, whom I love in the faith, and who I know love me, that I am looking forward to much spiritual enjoyment on this account, from our use of this little work, humble as it is; not from my poor labours in the observations which follow the scripture, but from God’s blessing on the scripture itself. Let it be supposed (what is very possible) that many a true believer in Jesus, in different places be led in one and the same moment of the morning, to the perusal of the Morning Portion. Now, as the scripture is the same; as the Almighty Spirit, who is the author of that scripture, the quickener in prayer, and the helper of the infirmities of his people in prayer, is the same; and as he who leads out the minds of his people at all times and in all places is the same; and his blessed work in glorifying the Lord Jesus is always the same; what can be more animating or delightful than the thought, that all so engaged, in one and the same scripture, being under the same gracious influence, must necessarily be all looking up to the Lord Jesus in one and the same moment; and having fellowship with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ, have spiritual union also one with another, “ as members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.” Hence, though far asunder from each other in the body, and in numberless instances having never seen each other’s face in the flesh, yet by virtue of connection with our spiritual head, we truly participate in one and the same divine life, and enjoy the very sweet and distinguishing felicity of the communion of saints.
I stop the reader no longer than just to say, I humbly hope every truly gracious and awakened soul who makes use of this Morning Portion, will not fail to connect with the use of it a constant application to, and dependence upon the Holy Ghost as the glorifier of the Father and of the Son; without whose work upon the heart, not a promise can we plead; not an argument can we use; not a grace can we exercise; even to the knowledge of our wants, or of the fulness of the Lord Jesus to supply them. But, my brother, let me add, if your soul be warmed under the influence of the Holy Ghost, and while you read God’s promise you find grace to convert that promise into a prayer, and when you have thus done, act faith upon it; this will be to realize the mercy, and to make every promise your own. And Oh ! how truly blessed is it, when the believer thus proves that “ all the promises of God in Christ Jesus are yea and amen, unto the glory of God by us.”
CHARLES VICARAGE, PLYMOUTH.
PREFACE (2nd Edition)
TO THE POOR MAN’S EVENING PORTION.
A New edition of the Poor Man’s Evening Portion being called for, I beg to introduce it with a short preface.
The smallest attention to the work itself, will, it is hoped, be sufficient to manifest to every reader, that in this little volume there is nothing spoken of with an eye to salvation, but Jesus only. Christ is the all in all. Indeed the very title implies as much. For unless Jesus be the portion of his people, they can have none.
The reader is therefore particularly requested to have this in view through every part of this work; that, as the holding forth the Lord Jesus, the one glorious portion of the church, is the only design the author had in writing; so it may be the only expectation of the reader in the perusal. Christ is here made, what the scriptures of God everywhere make him, the Alpha and Omega; the first and the last; the author and finisher of salvation. That foundation stone which Jehovah laid in Zion, is here shewn to be the only bottom on which the believer can rest the whole spiritual building. Isa. xxviii. 16. That vine the Lord planted in his vineyard, the only root from whence can be derived life, support, and fruitfulness to the branches. John xv. 1. That head of his body, the church, the sole source from whom “ all the members having nourishment, ministered and knit together, increase with the increase of God,” Col. ii. 19. In a word, Jesus is here set forth as substantially the whole of the believer’s portion, to live upon in time and to all eternity.
Moreover, the reader is yet further desired to observe, that as in this little volume the Christ of God is considered as the whole of salvation in Jehovah’s appointment, so the believer, who really and truly knows and accepts the Lord Jesus in this comprehensive character, is supposed to be thus using Christ in his whole dependence upon him, to the divine glory and his own happiness. I make a nice distinction in my creed (and yet not more nice than important) between the actings of my faith, and the almighty object of that faith; between what I feel, or say, or do, and what the Lord Jesus Christ hath done in accomplishing redemption; between what Jesus is in God the Father’s view and what in mine. Were I to substitute anything of my own by way of recommendation, or what is to the same effect, mingle anything of my own, as a procuring cause to the divine favour; this were to lessen the infinite dignity and merit of the Redeemer’s person and righteousness, and render the covenant of grace uncertain and nugatory. In every mingling of this kind, it might with truth be said, “O thou man of God, there is death in the pot!” 2 Kings iv. 40. Moral virtues, pious dispositions, holiness of life and conversation, yea, faith itself, as an act of man, form no part in the justification of a sinner before God. All these are highly proper in their place, accompany a work of grace wrought in the heart, and become precious evidences of the renewed life. But all the while, these are effects only, not causes; streams, not the fountain. Jesus is the whole in redemption; for “there is salvation in no other.” And the glorious inscription over the very gate of heaven must be read to this effect: “To the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved,” Eph. i. 6.