Much of our life's business consists in overcoming evil, but here we have to deal with overcoming him who is perfect good.

It is not to be supposed that there is any opposition in the heavenly Bridegroom, nor any unwillingness to be overcome by his bride: no, it is the loving heart of Jesus which is readily overcome by the love of his chosen one.

1. He left heaven to be one with her. He could not bear to see her ruin, but left his Father that he might share her lot.
2. He died to redeem her: "found guilty of excess of love."
3. His delight is in her now; she is lovely in his sight.
4. His eternal joy is to spring from her: he will see in her the result of his death-agony: "he will rest in his love."

• At first seeking for pardon.


• At times when we pine for restoration from backsliding.


• Whenever we are struggling to maintain fellowship, and mourning our breaches of it.


• Whenever we groan under inbred sin, and would be free from it.

• At first, by a desperate act, daring to glance with feeble hope.


• Afterwards, in simplicity, day by day gazing at his wounds.


• In deep distress still hoping on, and never removing our eyes.

• When in sore trouble, patiently submitting.


• When in humble hope, quietly waiting.


• When under severe tests, firmly believing.


• When in full assurance, joyfully expecting.

• In personal trouble, like Jacob, pleading the promise, and saying, "I will not let thee go." The Lord says, "Let me go."


• In holy compassion pleading for others, like Moses, to whom the Lord said, "Let me alone."

• He is altogether lovely, and all mine: my eyes swim with tears of delight as they gaze on him, and thus they overcome him.


• My heart burns with love to him, and I adore him; and this wins everything from him.

• Pining for a personal revelation of himself to me by his Spirit.


• Most of all, sighing for his speedy coming in the glory of the Second Advent. He replies, "Behold, I come quickly!"

To overcome the Lord is the greater thing, and when this is done, the church may well go forth conquering and to conquer all that is less than her Lord. The eyes of the church should be set on Jesus, and then she would overcome. If we were —

1. Weeping for dishonor done to him, he would see this, and retrieve our defeat.
2. Depending on him for our strength, our faith would give us victory through Jesus' love.
3. Obediently following his commands, he would then feel it right to give honor to his own truth, and to reward obedience to his own precepts.
4. Confidently expectant of victory, Jesus would make bare his arm for us. Faith's eyes calmly watching, or flashing with exultant expectancy, would be as flames of fire to the foe.
5. Eagerly pleading for his interposition, our tearful, earnest eyes would soon succeed with our gracious God.

Who has not felt the power of the eye? The beggar looked so imploringly that we gave him alms; the child's eye so darkened with disappointment that we indulged his desire; the sick man gazed so sadly at our departure that we turned back, and lengthened our visit. But the eyes of those we love master us. Does a tear begin to form? We yield at once. We cannot endure that the beloved eyes should weep. Our Lord uses this figure to most encouraging purpose. The weeping eyes of prayer move the loving heart of Jesus. Matthew Henry says, "Christ is pleased to borrow these expressions of a passionate lover to express the tenderness of a compassionate Redeemer, and the delight he tales in his redeemed, and in {he workings of his own grace in them."

We read in Matthew 15 that the Lord Jesus said to the Canaanitish woman, "O woman, great is thy faith; be it unto thee even as thou wilt." He seems to surrender at discretion, conquered by that faith which he had himself put into her heart. Now, faith is the eye of the soul, and here is an instance of the eyes overcoming the Lord. We cannot vanquish him with the works of our hands, or the eloquence of our lips; but we can win the victory by the pleadings of our eyes, those eyes, which are as the eyes of doves, seeing afar, the eyes of true faith.

Some devout persons find it a profitable exercise to bow the knee, and to look up. Using few words, they commune through a long, upward, pleading glance. One only cried, "My God," and at another timer "God be merciful to me, a sinner''; and yet he came forth from his closet as one who had bathed in heaven.

"Have you a glimpse of Christ now that you are dying?" was the question asked of an old Scottish saint, who, raising himself, made the emphatic reply, "I'll hae none o' your glimpses now that I am dying, since that I have had a full look at Christ these forty years gone." — Annals of the Early Friends