Robert Hawker

“He shall not speak of himself.”—John 16:13

I have found, in time past, a very great blessedness in this short but sweet account, which Jesus gives of the gracious office of the Holy Ghost; and therefore I would make it the subject of my present evening meditation. I find what the Lord Jesus said concerning the blessed Spirit, in this most delightful part of his divine ministry, to be true. For look wherever I may, through the bible, it is of Jesus only the Holy Ghost is continually speaking, and not of himself. And hence, by the way, I learn how to form a most decided testimony of the faithful preachers of the word. For, if God the Holy Ghost, in his glorifying the Lord Jesus, is never found to be speaking but of Jesus; surely all his faithful servants, who act by his authority, and are commissioned and ordained by him to the work, will never preach themselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord. And how blessed is it to be taught of Jesus, by the Holy Ghost! It is astonishing, when we take into one mass of particulars the agency of the Holy Ghost in his glorifying the Lord Jesus, to observe the patience, the compassion, the tenderness, and love, which that blessed Spirit manifests to the church of Jesus, in holding up to their view, and in bringing home to their heart, the person, work, character and relations of Jesus! How sweetly and effectually doth he speak of him, plead for him, and win over the affections to him, by his saving light, his illuminating grace, and persuasive arguments in the heart! It is the Holy Ghost that takes of Christ, and the things of Christ, and makes both appear lovely and desirable in our eyes. It is his blessed work to bring about the gracious union, when, as the bridegroom of his church, God the Spirit represents him in his beauty, and persuades the soul of the sinner to receive him and accept him as her Maker and her husband, to whom she is betrothed for ever! And from whom, but the Holy Ghost, do those sweet influences arise from day to day, and from one degree of grace to another, by which the life of the believer in Christ is kept up, maintained, and carried on in the soul, from the first beginning of the spiritual life, until grace is consummated in eternal glory. Oh! Lord the Spirit! I beseech thee, glorify my adorable Redeemer in my poor cold and lifeless heart, and sweetly lead over the whole of my affections to all-precious Jesus, that I may live upon his glorious person, and feel my interest in his great salvation increasingly precious. And Oh, thou holy Lord! keep alive, I beseech thee, thine own saving and powerful influences in my heart, that I may never, never by sin, quench thy divine flame, nor “grieve the Holy Spirit, whereby I am sealed unto the day of redemption.”
Robert Hawker “Poor Man’s Portions”

“The strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God which giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ.”—1 Cor 15:56-57

Pause, my soul, over this solemn, but yet sweet verse. “The strength of sin is the law.” Doth sin derive strength from the law? Yes, for the motions of sin, which is in our members, gather strength from the precepts in God’s holy law, just as pent-up waters, that are increasing from various sources, will swell and rage the more because they are restrained. And this is what the apostle means, when he saith, “Sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all
manner of concupiscence.” For the mass of indwelling corruption is stirred up, and excited into action by the law. The Lord, in rich mercy, teaching us by this very process, that so totally corrupt is our nature, that we do not know the whole workings of sin, until, by the holiness of his commandment, we are led to see, and feel a disposition to break it; like the first transgressors in the garden of Eden, who lusted to eat of the forbidden fruit, because it was forbidden, so that the very precepts of God, by the sin of our nature, become the means of giving strength to that sin of our nature. The law of God, in this instance, acts upon the heart, as when the gardener’s spade uncovers the surface of the earth, and the worms, which before lay concealed, appear. The worms were there before; but they did not appear before. In like manner, the law turns up the heart, and then appears the sin which, though there before, lay undiscovered. Is this thy case, my soul? And dost thou still carry about with thee such a body of sin and death! Well might Paul call it the mystery of iniquity; and well might Paul, from his deeper knowledge in the anatomy of the heart, cry out so greatly under the burden of it. Oh precious, precious, precious Lamb of God! how little understood, and less regarded, even by those that know somewhat of thee in the riches and greatness of thy salvation, is it considered, in ten thousand instances which pass away in the gulph of forgetfulness over our unthinking minds. Lord, give me to see and feel, yet more and more, that in myself I am virtually all sin. And, Oh Lord, give me to see and feel, yet more and more, that thou, and thou alone, art my righteousness. And let the apostle’s hymn of praise be henceforth daily and hourly mine: “Thanks be to God which giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
—Robert Hawker, “The Poor Man’s Portion.”

“Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee come out of him, and enter no more into him.”—Mark 9:25

Oh! that the Lord Jesus, in a spiritual healing, would frame my powers anew in himself, that neither dumbness nor deafness might ever more stop my voice of praise for the cure of my soul, as the Lord healed the poor man’s son in his body! One should suppose that after the song of salvation had been once chanted in the renewed heart, that heart would never more be out of tune, nor feel a dumbness or deafness in the Lord’s praise. But, alas! so much of unbelief lies lurking within, and so much of exercises come from without, that the harp is often hanging on the willow, and we seldom sing to the Lord’s praise, or proclaim abroad his glory. Whereas the promise of Jehovah, in allusion to gospel-days, was, that his Israel should, even from the valley of Achor, find a door of hope; and the Lord added, that he would cause his church to sing
there, “as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt,” Hos 2:15. Surely God is glorified when, from the depth of exercises, songs of redemption still go on, and even in the fire the believer sings his morning and evening hymn to the praise of Jesus. Say, my soul, hath Jesus cured thee of this dumb and deaf spirit? Art thou daily shewing forth his praises, who hath called thee out of darkness into his marvellous light? Dost thou delight thyself in the Lord, and delight to sing in the ways of the Lord, that “great is the glory of the Lord?” See to it, that this be among the evidences of a spiritual healing; for the Lord promised, in allusion to Israel’s recovery, that the ears of the deaf should be unstopped, and the tongue of the dumb should sing. Hence all the way through the pilgrimage state, the song of salvation should be heard from the mouth of Zion’s travellers, until they arrive in glory, where “songs of everlasting joy shall be upon their heads, and sorrow and sighing be done away for ever.”
—Poor Man’s poritions, Robert Hawker,

“I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.”—Rev 3:18

My soul, take advice of thy Lord, for he is a Wonderful Counsellor, and all these blessings will be thine. He will cause thee to inherit substance, and fill all thy treasures; yea, he will give thee durable riches and righteousness. If Jesus clothe thee with the robe of his salvation, thy nakedness will be indeed covered; but no fig-leaves of thine own gathering and sewing together will do this for thee. If Jesus but anoint thine eyes with the precious anointing of his Holy Spirit, thou wilt both see and know the way to buy this tried gold. Now, pause over this sweet verse, and ask thyself, how thou shalt buy this golden treasure? What is the treasure, but faith? For the Holy Ghost calls it precious faith; “Yea, more precious than gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire,” 1 Pet 1:7. And if thy Lord, who gives thee counsel to buy, will sell this article to thee, as he sells it to all his people, “Without money and without price,” it will get for thee every thing thou needest, to cover and to clothe, to give sight, and to gain substance. It will become both meat and drink, and house and home; it will keep thee from every danger; yea, and preserve thee to his heavenly kingdom. It will form a complete livelihood, for “The just live by faith;” and as to riches, there are none, properly speaking, that deserve to be called so, but “The rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom.” So that if thou make this purchase, here is a title to all that God in Christ is to his people. God himself, thy Father, is thine; Christ, with all his fulness, is thine; the Holy Ghost, with all his blessed influences, is thine. The promises are all thine; all the blessings of grace are thine; and all the inheritance of glory is thine. And let Satan vent whatever rage he may, as thou art
going home to thy Father’s house, yet, by following the counsel of Jesus, and buying of him gold tried in the fire, by thus taking the “Shield of faith, this will quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” Precious Jesus! give me, Lord, I pray thee, grace to follow thy counsel, and to buy of thee this gold tried in the fire, and bless both the counsel and the Wonderful Counsellor, who both counsels and inclines my soul to follow what my Lord hath said, and to enjoy in him all things which make for my present peace and everlasting happiness.
—Robert Hawker “The Poor Man’s Portion”

EVENING OCTOBER 10

“As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts, in your ignorance.”—1 Pet 1:14

There is somewhat very striking in these words of the apostle; and they certainly mean more than not being found in actual transgression. The very fashion of a newborn child of God is supposed to distinguish his obedience; and his whole appearance, as well as his whole conduct, marks that the former lusts of his ignorant state, when unregenerated, are done away. And though the believer is not called upon to a singularity of dress or apparel, yet a singularity against customs leading to the confines of sin, and unsuited to the manners of a soul walking with Jesus, should certainly distinguish the Redeemer’s people. It was said, as one among the characters by which they should be known; that “they should dwell alone, and should not be reckoned among the nations,” Num 23:9. And surely a total diversity of character, pursuit, and conduct, ought to distinguish them from the world. For, even among men, different nations have their diversity of character and occupation; and if there be a subject of contention between them, the ports and garrisons of one kingdom are shut against the admission of the people of another; there will be a total disconformity in this case, and nothing of harmony between them. My soul, see to it, that thy path and walk of life bear not the fashion of the world. Thou hast given thy name unto Jesus: his thou art, and the subject of his kingdom; professing to be guided by another Spirit, directed by another rule, walking by another faith, and looking forward to another world. See then, that every thing in and about thee mark this character of Jesus’s pilgrim. Let thy dress be the robe of Jesus’s righteousness; thine armour, the sword of the Spirit; thy conversation always “such as becometh the gospel of Christ.” And as the Redeemer, long before he came, by the spirit of prophecy, pointed out the singularity of himself and followers, “as for signs and wonders in Israel,” Isa 8:18, so let the character be thine, as “Joshua and his fellows, men wondered at,” Zech 3:8. Precious Jesus! keep me always near thyself, and let my soul be always exercising a holy jealousy over all the parts of my conduct. Lord, I would pray, that whereever I am, or however engaged, all who behold me may know that “I have been with Jesus!
—Robert Hawker

MORNING OCTOBER 9

“And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.”—John 17:10

Precious testimony of a precious truth. See to it, my soul, that thou suffer not these blessed words of Jesus to drop from thy remembrance; but make them the everlasting meditation, not only of this morning, but every morning, and every day, and all the day; and mark thine interest in them. All Jesus’s treasures in his people and his grace, are still the Father’s; for, as Jesus and the Father are one in essence and in will, so also in property. And the Father’s giving the church to Jesus, with all blessings in him, doth not alienate the Father’s right: so in like manner, all that Jesus hath are the Father’s, and Christ is glorified in them. It is a blessed order in the work and purpose of redemption, to trace the Father as the original Giver, Fountain, and Source of all; and then to trace them as Jesus’s by virtue of his being the glorious Mediator. And hence the Holy Ghost is said to take them as Jesus’s and shew unto the people. The Holy Ghost doth not take them immediately from the Father, but mediately from Christ; because, without the person and work of Jesus, they never could have been communicated to us. So that Christ is glorified by the Holy Spirit in the hearts of his people, when that blessed Spirit takes them, and gives them, and shews them, not immediately as the Father’s, but as the fruit and consequence of Christ’s merits and death, and thus shewing the common interest both of Father and Son, in all the blessed things of salvation. My soul, dost thou understand these precious things? Oh then, live in the enjoyment of them, and see that Jesus is glorified, and the Father glorified in his dear and ever blessed Son.