[10.] Tenthly, The Lord will be signally present with his people- in their greatest troubles, deepest distresses, and most deadly dangers, that they may he joyful and cheerful under all their troubles, and that they may glory in all their tribulations, Mat. v. 12; Luke vi. 23. It is good to have a patient spirit, but it is better to have a joyful spirit in all our sufferings, troubles, distresses, &c., that we meet with in a way of well-doing, 2 Cor. xii. 10. Acts v. 40, ' And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go ; ' ver. 41, ' And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing' [Gr., * rejoice and leap for joy,'] ' that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.' In the original, on Karr)^id)6T]aav aTtfjLaadrjvat, ' that they were honoured to be dishonoured for Christ.' They looked upon it as a liigh honour to be dishonoured for Christ, and as a grace to be disgraced for Christ. It was the divine presence that made Paul and Silas to sing when they were accounted trouble -towns, and when they were beaten with many stripes, and cast into prison, into the inner prison, and laid neck and heels together, as the word to ^uXov notes, Acts xvi. 20, 22-24, [Beza.] The divine presence made Paul and Silas to glory in all their stripes, sores, and wounds, as old soldiers glory in their scars and wounds which they receive in battle for their prince and country, Eph. vi. 17; Kom. V. 3. The divine presence might well make Paul and Silas to say of their stripes and sores, as Munster once said of his ulcers, Hce sunt gemmce et pretiosa ornamenta Dei, These are the jewels and the precious ornaments with which God adorns his dearest servants. It was the divine presence that made Ignatius say in the midst of all his sufferings, rd Beafia irepiipepco roy? TrvevfiaTiKov'i fiap<yapiTa<;, I bear my bonds as so many spiritual pearls. So 2 Cor. vii. 4, ' I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulations.' Gr. v7rep7rep{.aaevofiat, ' I do overabound with joy.' Ver. 5, ' For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side: without were fightings, within were fears ; ' ver. 6, ' Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us.' It was the divine presence that filled the Corinthians with exceeding comfort and joy when their flesh had no rest, and when they were troubled on every side. This signal pre- sence of God with them in all their tribulations filled their souls with such an exuberancy of joy, that no good could match it nor no evil over-
538 THE SIGNAL PRESENCE OF GOD
match it It was the divine presence that made the martyrs, both ancient and modern, so comfortable and cheerful under all their hideous sufferings. It was the divine presence that made Francisco Soyit (?) say to his adversaries, ' You deprive me of this life and pro- mote me to a better, which is as if you should rob me of counters and furnish me with gold.' Oh, how my heart leapeth for joy, said one, that I am so near the apprehension of eternal bliss ! God forgive me mine unthankfulness and unworthiness of so great glory. In all the days of my life I was never so merry as now I am in this dark dungeon. Believe me, there is no such joy in the world as the people of Christ have under the cross, said blessed Philpot, that went to heaven in flames of fire.^ Let God but withdraw this signal presence from his people in their sufferings, and you will quickly find their hearts to droop, their spirits to fail, and they overwhelmed in a sea of sorrows, as you see in Mr Glover the martyr, and many others. It was this divine presence that made the primitive Christians to rejoice more when they were condemned than absolved, 2 and to kiss the stake, and to thank the executioner, and to sing in the flames, and to desire to be with Christ. So Justin Martyr, Apol. i.. Adv. Gent, Gratias agimus quod a molestis dominis liberemicr, We thank you for de- livering us from hard taskmasters, that we may more sweetly en- joy the bosom of Jesus Christ. The bee gathers the best honey of the bitterest herbs, and Christ made the best wine of water. Cer- tainly the best, the purest, the strongest, and the sweetest joys spring from the signal presence of God with his people in their greatest troubles and deepest distresses. Only remember this, that that joy that flows from the divine presence in times of troubles and distress, it is an inward joy, a spiritual joy, a joy that lies remote from a carnal eye. ' The heart knoweth his own bitterness ; and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy,' Prov. xiv. 10. The joy of the saints in sufferings is a jewel that falls not under a stranger's eye. The joy of a Christian lies deep, it cannot be expressed, it cannot be painted. Look, as no man can paint the sweetness of the honeycomb, nor the sweetness of a cluster of grapes, nor the fragrancy of the rose of Sharon ; so no man can paint out the sweetness and spiritualness of that joy that the divine presence raises in the soul when a Christian is under the greatest troubles, deepest distresses, and most deadly dangers. Holy joy is a treasure that lies deep ; and it is not every man that has a golden key to search into this treasury. Look, as a man standing on the sea-shore sees a great heap of waters, one wave riding upon the back of another, and making a dreadful noise, but all this while, though he sees the water rolling, and hears it raging and roaring, yet he sees not the wealth, the gold, the silver, the jewels, and incredible treasures that lie buried there : so wicked men they see the wants of the saints, but not their wealth ; they see their poverty, but not their riches ; their miseries, but not their mercies ; their con- flicts, but not their comforts ; their sorrows, but not their joys. Oh, this blind world cannot see the joys, the comforts, the consolations that the divine presence raises in the souls of the saints when they
1 [Foxe,] Act. and Mon., fol. 1 668-1 C70. * Magis damnati quam absoluti gaudemus.—
WITH HIS PEOPLE IN THEIR GREATEST TROUBLES. 539
are at worst ! Holy joy and cheerfulness under great troubles and deep distresses is an honour to God, a glory to Christ, and a credit to religion ; it stops the mouths of sinners, and it encourages and strengthens weak saints ; and therefore the Lord will be signally pre- sent with his people in their greatest troubles, &c., that they may grace their suffering condition with joy and cheerfulness. And let thus much suffice for the reasons of the point.
But before I come to the useful application, to prevent the objec- tions, and to allay the fears and doubts and disputes that may arise in the hearts of weak Christians concerning this signal presence of God, 1 shall briefly lay down these following propositions : —