HeB. XII. 14.] AND BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 277
ever they go ; his presence is infinite, and filleth all places. The Eabbins put Makom, which signifies place, among the names of God ; Bythner brings them in expounding that text, Esth. iv. 14, thus, ' Deliverance shall arise from another place,' that is, from God. Now they called God place, because he is in every place, filling heaven and earth with his presence. Wherever God scatters his people, he will be a little sanctuary to them : Ezek. xi. 16, 'Therefore say. Thus saith the Lord God, Although I have cast them far ofi" among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come.'l The heathens were wont to say of a valiant man, Omne solum forti patria : Every soil is his country ; so I may say of a Christian. Every country is his home who enjoys the presence of God with him, who finds God to be a little sanctuary to him. Persecuted saints shall be scattered nowhere but God will be a little sanctuary to them ; in the want of a visible sanctuary, God will be an invisible sanctuary to them ; in the want of outward ordinances, they shall have the presence of his grace and favour. God will be a protection to them, and a spring of joy and comfort in them. His power shall be as a wall of fire about them, and his Spirit shall be the guide and leader of them. Though the Jews at Jerusalem, who enjoyed their glorious temple, and their pompous worship, and solemn assemblies, and precious ordinances, looked upon their brethren in Babylon as a poor, miserable, despicable, forlorn, and forsaken people, yea, as a people without God, and without his worship and ordinances, and as those that had nothing to do with " their magnificent temple, -they having no outward splendour or glory at all upon them ; yet says God by Ezekiel, I will have them to know that I have other thoughts, and better thoughts, concerning their captived brethren; for I have thoughts of grace, and thoughts of mercy, and thoughts of love, &c. ; for I will dwell among them, and be a little sanctuary to them, and make up the want of all outward ordinances and privileges to them. I have read of the Tyrians, that they bound their gods with chains, that they might not leave them in their greatest need ; but our God has bound himself with many golden chains, [I] mean promises, that he will never leave nor forsake his people in their greatest necessity and extremity. 2 Theodoret had a precious presence of God with him in his sufferings ; ior he found so much sweetness when he was on the rack, in the midst of his tortures, that he professed he did not find any anguish in his torments, but a great deal of pleasure ; and when they took him down from the rack, he complained that they did him wrong in taking of him down, and in ceasing to torment him ; ' For,' said he, ' all the while I was on the rack, and you were venting your malice against me, I thought there was a young man in white, an angel that stood by me, which wiped off the sweat, and I found a great deal of sweetness in my sufierings, which now I have lost.' 0 Christians, in all your sufferings the angel of God's presence will bear you company, and he will sweeten the most cruel torments, and wipe off all the sweat, and take away all the pain, yea, he wiU turn your pains into pleasure, Isa. Ixiii. 9. If Joseph be
^ A little sanctuary is opposed to that fair and glorious one that was at Jerusalem. " Josh. i. 5; Ps. Ixxxix. 33, 34; Jer. xxxii. 38-41.
278 THE NECESSITY, EXCELLENCY, RARITY, [Heb. XII. 14.
cast into prison, the Lord will be with him there, Gen. xxxix. 20, 21. If Jeremiah he thrown into the dungeon, the Lord will be with him there, Jer. xxxvi. G-14. If David walk through the valley of death, God's rod and his staff shall comfort him, Ps. xxiii. 4, 5. If the three children be cast into a fiery furnace, the presence of the Son of God shall preserve them ; if Daniel must to the lions' den, God will keep him company there, and chain up the lions' nature, and sew up the lions' mouths, and lay a law of restraint upon the lions' paws, that they shall not have so much as a disposition to touch him, or in the least to hurt him or harm him ; if Paul be brought before Nero's judgment-seat, God will stand by him, though all men forsake him, and bring him off with credit and triumph, 2 Tim. iv. 16-18. Thus you see that in all the afflictions and persecutions that do befall the people of God, God will not fail to keep them company ; and therefore let not troubles trouble you, let not afflictions afflict you, nor let not persecutions discourage you. But,