(6.) Sixthly, The Lord doth manifest his favourable presence, his signal and eminent presence with his people, in their greatest troubles, deepest distresses, and most deadly dangers, hy encouraging, imhold- ening, animating and heartening up his people in the midst of all their troubles, distresses, and dangers, and hy putting neio life, spirit, and mettle into them, luhen they are even in the very mouth of the lion : Josh. i. 6, 'Be strong and of a good courage.' Ver. 7, ' Only be thou strong and very courageous.' Ver. 9, 'Be strong and of a good courage ; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed : for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.' 2 Chron. xiii. 12 ; Num. xiii. 32, 33, compared with xiv. 9. Joshua was a sword-man as well as a book-man ; he had his name changed from Oshea to Joshua, from Let God save, to God shall save. Num. xiii. 16. Christ will never want a champion to stand up for his church. If Moses dies, Joshua shall stand up. There shall be a succession of sword-men and book- men, of rulers and teachers, to carry on Christ's work in the world till the top-stone be laid with grace unto it, Zech. iv. 7 ; Mai. ii. 15. The residue of the Spirit is with the Lord, and therefore he can and will put such an anointing of his Spirit upon one and another as shall fit them to carry on his works in the world. Joshua was very valiant, and a man of singular good mettle, yet because he was sure to meet with such troubles, deep distresses, and deadly dangers, as would put him to it, therefore he is pressed so frequently to be courageous : ver. 6, ' Be strong and of good courage.' Ver. 7, ' Only be thou strong and very courageous.' Ver. 9, ' Be strong and of a good courage.' Ver. 18, ' Only be strong and of a good courage.' Deut. xxxi. 7, ' And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage,' (fec.l And why all this ? Not because Joshua had discovered any fainthearted- ness or cowardice, but because the work he was to undertake was so weighty and perilous, in regard of those many and mighty nations whom he was to destroy, and plant the Israelites in their room. The work that Joshua was to undertake was attended with many great diffi- culties and dangers, in respect of the enemies he was to encounter, as being men of vast and giant-like statures and strength, and dwelling in cities with high walls and strongly fortified. Now the main argument to raise his courage and mettle is drawn from God's special presence and assistance : Josh. i. 9, ' For the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.' We are not to understand it of God's general presence in all places, but of his special, favourable, signal, and eminent presence, which God would manifest in his preserva- tion, and protection, notwithstanding all the difficulties, enterprises, dangers, and enemies that he was to encounter with. So 2 Chron. xxxii. 7, ' Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him : for
* Moses had a special command from God to charge Joshua to be courageous, Deut. i. 38, and iii. 28. God himself also lays the same command upon him, Deut. xxxi. 23.
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there be more with us than with him.' Ver. 8, ' With him is an arm of flesh ; but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles,' &c. At this time the king of Assyria was the greatest monarch in the world, and the most formidable enemy Israel had. He had a mighty army, for there was a hundred fourscore and five thousand of them slain in one night, ver. 21. Now the great thing they were to mind and attend was to look narrowly to it, that the favourable, signal, and eminent presence of God with them, did raise all their hearts above all discouragements, fears, and dismayedness. What is the chaff to the whirlwind ? what are thorns and briars to a consuming fire ? what is an arm of flesh to the arm, strength, and power of a God? what is weakness to strength, and the nothing- creature to the Lord of hosts ? Now if the special signal presence of God with his people in their greatest troubles ^nd most deadly dangers won't put singular courage, life, and mettle into them, what will ? Acts xxiii. 10, ' And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle.' Ver. 11, ' And the night following the Lord stood by him, [namely, in a vision, or in a dream, or in an ecstasy,] and said, Be of good cheer, Paul : for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Kome.' The favourable, signal presence of the Lord with him turned his prison into a palace. Mr Philpot, being a prisoner for the . testimony of Jesus, writes thus to his friends : l ' Though I tell you that I am in hell in the judgment of this world, yet assuredly I feel in the same the consolation of heaven, I praise God ; and this loathsome and horrible prison is as pleasant to me as the walks in the garden of the King's Bench.' When Paul was in great danger the Lord stood by him, to cheer, comfort, and encourage him, see Acts xxvii. 23, 24. Now God claps him on the back, and puts new life and mettle into him.
When Dionysius was given up by the executioner to be beheaded, he remained constant and courageous, saying, Come life, come death, I will worship none but the God of heaven and earth.^
When Chrysostom had told Eudoxia the empress that for her covet- ousness she would be called a second Jezebel, she thereupon sent him a threatening message, to which he gave this stout and resolute answer, ' Go tell her, nil nisi peccatum timeo, I fear nothing but sin.'
When the executioner had kindled the fire behind Jerome of Prague, he bade him kindle it before his face; For, said he, if I had been afraid of it, I had not come to this place, having had so many opportunities ofi'ered me to escape it. At the giving up of the ghost he said, Hanc animam in flammis qffero, Christe, tihi, This soul of mine, inflames of fire, 0 Christ, I offer thee.
The emperor, coming into Germany, sent for Luther to Worms ; but many of his friends, from the danger they apprehended hanging over his head, dissuaded him from going ; to whom he gave this pru- dent, courageous, and resolute answer, * That these discouragements were cast in his way by Satan, who knew that by his profession of the ' [Foxe,] Acts and Mon., 1C63. * Clarke, as before. — G.
WITH HIS PEOPLE IN THEIR GREATEST TROUBLES. 477
truth in so illustrious a place, his kingdom would be shaken ; and that, therefore, if he knew that there were as many devils in Worms as there were tiles on the houses, yet he would go.'