[9.] Ninthly, Will the Lord be signally present with his people in their greatest troubles, deepest distresses, and most deadly dangers ? Then let me infer that unbelief, infidelity, and despondency of spirit in an evil day, does very ill become the people of God. Is the Lord pre- sent with you in your greatest troubles, and will you flag in your 1 Ps. Ixxiii. 26. The Greek saith, The God of my heart, &c.
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faith, and be crestfallen in your courage, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall ? Isa. xxv. 4 ; what is this but to tell all the world that there is more power in your troubles to sink and daunt you, than there is in the presence of the Lord to support and encourage you ? When a Christian is upon the very banks of the Eed Sea, yet then the divine presence should encourage him ' to stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord,' Exod. xiv. 13. It would be good for timorous Christians in an evil day to dwell much upon the prophet's commission : Isa. xxxv. 3, ' Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart. Be strong, fear not.' Ah, but how shall weak hands be strong, and a timorous heart cease to fear and faint ? Why, ' Behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense ; he will come and save you ;' he is on his way, he will be suddenly with you^yea, he is already in the midst of you, and he will save you." If you cast but your eye upon precious promises, if you cast but your eye upon the new covenant, which is God's great storehouse, there you will find all supports, all supplies, all helps, and all comforts, laid up, and laid in for you ; and therefore never despond, never faint, never be dis- couraged in an evil day, in a dark time.^ As Joseph had his store- houses to give a full supply to the Egyptians in time of famine, so dear Jesus, of whom Joseph was but a type, has his storehouses of mercy, of goodness, of power, of plenty, of bounty, out of which in the worst of times he is able to give his people a full supply according to all their needs ; and therefore be not discouraged, do not despond in a day of trouble, 0 my friends, how often has the Lord hid you in the secret of his presence from the pride of men, and kept you secretly in his pavilion from the strife of tongues ! Ps. xxvii. 5, and xxxi. 20. And therefore ' be strong, and lift up the hands that hang down, and the feeble knees,' Heb. xii. 12. When David was in a very great distress, he does not despond nor give way to unbelief, but encourages himself in the Lord his God, 1 Sam. xxx. 6. The Hebrew word is derived from Chazack, which notes a laying hold on God with all his strength, as men do when they are in danger of drowning, who will suffer anything rather than let go their hold. When David was almost under water, when he was in danger of drowning, then, by a hand of faith, he lays hold on the Eock of Ages, and encourages himself in the Lord his God. What heavenly gallantry of spirit did good Nehemiah shew from that divine presence that was with him in that great day of trouble and distress, when ' the remnant of the captivity were in great affliction and reproach : and the wall of Jerusalem broken down, and the gates thereof burnt with fire ! ' Neh. i. 3. You know Shemaiah advises him to take sanctuary in the temple, because the enemy had designed to fall upon him by night and slay him, and cause the work to cease ; but Nehemiah, having a signal presence of God with him, gives this heroic and resolute answer, ' Should such a man as I flee ? and who is there, being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life ?' Neh. vi. 10, 11. I will not go in. Should I flee into the temple like a malefactor to take
^Isa. xli. 10, and xliii. 2 ; Heb. xiii. 5; Jer. xxxii. 40, 41, xxxi. 31-38 ; Gen. xli. 85, 36, 48, 49 ; Cal. i. 19, and ii. 3.
"WITH HIS PEOPLE IN THEIR GREATEST TROUBLES. 557
sanctuary there, how would God be dishonoured, religion reproached, the people discouraged, the weak scandalised, and the wicked em- boldened to insult and triumph over me ! saying. Is this the man that is called by God, and qualified by God, for this work and service ? Is this the man that is countenanced and encouraged by the king to build the walls, and gates, and city of Jerusalem ? Neh. ii. 5-10. Is this the man that is the chief magistrate and governor of the city ? Is this the man that is sent aad set for the defence of the people, and that should encourage them in their work ? Oh what a mouth of blasphemy would be opened, should I make a base retreat into the temple to save my life ! This is a work that I will rather die than do. I have found the face of God, the presence of God, in bowing the heart of king Artaxerxes, to contribute his royal aid, and commission me to the work ; and in the bending of the hearts of the elders of the Jews to own my authority, and to rise up as one man to build ; and there- fore I will rather die upon the spot than go into the temple to save my life. 0 my friends, it becomes not those that have the pre- sence of God with them in their greatest troubles, deepest distresses, and most deadly dangers, to sink so low in their faith and confidence, as to cry out with the prophet's servant, ' Alas, master ! what shall we do?' or, with the disciples when in a storm, 'We perish ;' or, with the whole house of Israel, ' Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost : we, are cut off for our parts ;' or, with weeping Jeremiah, * My strength and my hope is perished from the Lord ;' or, with Zion, ' The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me,' 2 Kings vi. 15 ; Mat. viii. 25 ; Ezek. xxxvii. 11 ; Lam. iii. 18 ; Isa. xlix. 14. Oh, it is for a lamentation when God's dearest children shall bewray their infidelitv by a fainting, sinking, discouraged spirit in an evil day. But,