[5.] Fifthly, Will the Lord be signally present with his people in their greatest troubles, deepest distresses, and most deadly dangers ? Then this may serve to justify the saints, and to encourage the saints to ivrite after this fair copy that Christ has set them. Oh visit them ! oh stand by them ! oh stick close to them in all their troubles, distresses, and dangers. Let the same mind be in you, one towards another, as is in Christ towards you all. Are there any Jobs upon the dunghill ? visit them. Are there any Pauls in chains ? find them out, and be not ashamed of their chains : 2 Tim. i. 16, ' The Lord give mercy to the house of Onesiphorus ; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain ;' ver. 17, ' But when he was in Rome, he sought me out diligently, and found me;' ver. 18, ' The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day ; and in how many things
WITH HIS PEOPLE IN THEIR GREATEST TROUBLES. 551
he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well.' ' He oft refreshed me.' Greek, [aviylrv^e,] ' Poured cold water upon me ; ' as that angel did upon the racked limbs of Theodoras the martyr, mentioned by Socrates and Ruffinus, in the days of Julian the apostate. It is a metaphor taken from those who, being almost overcome with heat, are refreshed by cooling. * And was not ashamed of my chain.' Learned antiquaries observe that the apostle at this time was not in prison with fetters, but in the custody of a soldier, with whom he might go abroad, having a chain on his right arm, which was tied to the soldier's left arm. Paul at this time was not in prison, much less a close prisoner ; for then Onesiphorus needed not to have made any great search to find him ; but was a prisoner at large, going up and down with his keeper to despatch his affairs ; and therefore he speaks not of chains in the plural number, but of a chain in the singular, with which he was tied to the soldier that kept him. It noways be- comes the saints to be ashamed of the bonds or chains that may be found upon the ambassadors of Christ in an evil day. The primitive Christians were not ashamed of the martyrs' chains, but owned them in their chains, and stood by them in their chains, and frequently visited them in their chains, and freely and nobly relieved them and refreshed them in their chains : and will you, will you be ashamed to visit the saints in bonds ? ' Oh let not this be told in Gath, nor pub- lished in the streets of Askelon,' 2 Sam. i. 20, that the high-flown professors and Christians of these times are ashamed to own, relieve, and stand by the saints in bonds. So Mat. xxv. 36, ' I was sick, and ye visited me : I was in prison, and ye came imto me. ' i It is very remarkable that the last definitive sentence shall pass upon men, ac- cording to those acts of favour and kindness that have been shewed to the saints in their suffering state ; and that the sentence of absolution shall contain a manifestation of all their good works. In this great day Christ sees no iniquity in his people, he objects nothing against them, and he only makes honourable mention of the good that has been done by them. 0 sirs, all the visits you give to sick saints, and all the visits you give to imprisoned saints, Christ takes as visits given to himself : suffering saints and you are brethren ; and will you not visit your own brethren ? suffering saints and Christ are brethren ; and will you not visit Christ's brethren ? suffering saints and you are companions ; and will you not visit your own companions ? suffering saints and you are travelling heaven- wards ; and will you not visit your fellow-travellers? suffering saints and you are fellow-citizens; and will you not visit your fellow-citizens ? suffering saints and you are fellow-soldiers ; and will you not visit your feUow-soldiers ? suffer- ing saints and you are fellow-heirs ; and will you not visit your fellow- heirs ? 2 Oh, never be ashamed of those that Christ is not ashamed of ! Oh, never fail to visit those whom Christ daily visits in their suffering state ! Oh, never turn your backs upon those to whom Christ hath given the right hand of fellowship ! Oh, be not shy of them, nor
1 See Exod. ii. 11, 12, compared with Acts vii. 23-29, only remember the case was ex- traordinary, and his call was extraodinary.
« Mat. xxv. 40 ; John xx. 17 ; Ps. cxix. 63 ; 2 Cor. viii. 19 ; Eph. ii. 19 ; Phil. ii. 25; Kom. viii, 17.
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strange to them whom Christ lays daily in his bosom ! Oh, be not unkind to them with whom one day you must live for ever ! But,