Wednesday Noon

After silent waiting on the Lord, and singing a hymn, a great number of requests for prayer were read, especially for God’s blessing on the gospel in various parts of Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, and other parts of the world. This was followed by many earnest, brief, pointed prayers. After which Mr. H. H. SHELL rose, and called attention to the very solemn and practical tone of these meetings. Almost all the addresses had been exhorting us to a higher character of walk. He believed that one mark of blessing resulting from these meetings would be an increase of personal, heart-felt fellowship with the Lord. We are the Lord’s―purchased, and made nigh to God by the blood of Christ―our present strength, joy, and blessing are connected with abiding in Him. We often feel need, we thirst for something we lack; what is the remedy? Looking away unto Jesus, hiding in Him, drinking more deeply into His love. The Israelites thirsted after they had tested of the water from the smitten rock; and what was their remedy? God commanded Moses to speak to the rock, and it shall give forth its waters” (you can read it in Numbers 20:7-11). We are told, in 1 Corinthians 10:4, that rock was Christ. There was need only to speak to the rock, and refreshing streams of water would flow out Moses sinned. He altered one word of God, he smote the rock, instead of speaking to it. How we should honor God’s word! How accurate it is! Water, however, came out, and the Israelites were refreshed. They not only saw the water, but they drank it. We should drink in the living stream of God’s love in Christ by meditating on the scriptures. Two results followed: first, they were courteous to the Edomites; and secondly, they fought the battles of the Lord valiantly. He then concluded by referring to illustrations in the New Testament, to shew the necessity of personal communion with the Lord Jesus for peace of soul, godly walk, and service.
Mr. WHITFIELD read Psalms 27:1-4. He remarked on the blessedness of having God For our light, salvation, and strength, as giving full deliverance from all fear, and victory in every conflict. He pointed out also the importance of a single eye― “one thing have I desired of the Lord,”―and the need of watchfulness; but through sin a cloud may come on the conscience, and separate our souls from communion with God.
Mr. RAINSFORD spoke on the security of the believer as presented to us in Hebrews 6:13, 20. He began by noticing that God’s motives and resources are all in Himself. “I will bless thee,” that is, without fail, without measure and without end. He said that the sincerity of the intention of the Promiser, the stability of God’s purpose, and the certainty of the fulfillment of it, the very things that unbelief questions, are the very things to which God swears to. That the blessing of Abraham was at least the promise of the Seed-justification, adoption, the promise of the Holy Ghost, and of the inheritance. He also enlarged on the oath of God in addition to the promise, being not to make the blessing more certain, but to give us “strong consolation.” That believers are here spoken of as “heirs of promise,” and as “having fled for refuge to lay bold of the hope set before us.”
After singing―
“I’m pilgrim and a stranger.
Rough and thorny is the road,
Often in the midst of danger;
But it leads to God,” etc.

Mr. BARTON closed the meeting with prayer.