11 THE AUTUMN

THE AUTUMN

"The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming: The LORD is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him!" Psalms 92:12-15

Look at the aged disciple—the devout, the sincere, the humble follower of Jesus; he has entered life’s autumn, and, like the aged palm tree in the east, with its coronet of rich ripe fruit—he stands a witness of God’s faithfulness, a proof of the power of grace, and an evidence of the excellency of real religion. The Spirit of God has long dwelt in his heart, the Word has wrought effectually in him—and now the ripe fruits of the Spirit appear. There is "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." But the Christian, when in an advanced state of grace, never admires his own fruit; he sees his defects and mourns over them, and like the full ears of ripe corn—his head is bowed down in humility and self-renunciation before God. The young professor may rejoice . . .
in what he is,
in what he has, or
in what he has done. Not so the aged saint! Though laden with fruit—he rejoices in Christ Jesus alone! If he boasts, it is only in the Lord. In his life, he has been useful to others, he has fruit in souls converted to God through his instrumentality, perhaps in children educated in the truth of God, in saints comforted, and backsliders restored. He has not lived in vain. He has left traces of usefulness behind him. But all is renounced when he looks into eternity! He says, "I am only a sinner saved by grace! I owe everything to divine mercy! I ascribe everything to Jesus! This is my rejoicing, that my God is my Savior, and my Savior is my God!

Christ in his person,
Christ in his work,
Christ in his glory—
is the object of my faith,
the subject of my meditation,
and the theme of my song! In the mellow autumn of grace, Christ is all in all—and the creature is nothing at all!"

"Being filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God!" Php 1:11