SERMON XVII.
Comfort your hearts, and slahlish you in every good tvord and work. —2 TiiEri. II. 17.
We come now, thirdly, to the prayer itself. He asketh two bene- fits :—
1. Comfort.
2. Establishment.
First, Comfort : ' Comfort your hearts.' But why doth the apostle pray for that which they had already ? He had told them, in the former verse, that God had given them everlasting consolation, and now he prayeth that God would comfort them. Tiie answer given by some is, th;it he prayeth that God would give them an increase of comfort ; by others, that God would give them the continuance of
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it. Eather, by everlasting consolation is meant the solid matter of comfort ; by his prayer, now the effectual application of it ; for though sufficient matter of comfort be provided for us, yet God must powerfully apply it. The gospel is a sovereign plaster, yet God's hand must make it stick. Observe here : —
Doct. That all true and solid and heart-comfort is of God. He is called ' the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort,' 2 Cor. i. 3 ; and again, ' The God of patience and consolation,' Rom. xv. 5. His Spirit taketh an office upon him to accomplish this effect in us, therefore called the Comforter.
1. I shall inquire what comfort is.
2. Show why it is of God.
3. What advantage we have thereby.
I. What comfort is. Three things are to be explained : —
1. Comfort.
2. Comforting.
3. In what sense it is of God.
I. 1. What comfort is. We call two things by that name : —
1.] Our natural refreshment.
2.] Our support in troubles.
1.] Our natural refreshment, or the benefit that we have by the creatures for the support of nature. . We cannot enjoy our temporal mercies with any delight and pleasure without God's leave and bless- ing ; as to eat and drink with comfort, that the soul may enjoy good by its labour. In one place it is said, it is ' by the hand of God/ Eccles. ii. 24. In another place it is said to be ' the gift of God,' Eccles. iii. 13. It is by his power and his grace that the comfort of the creature is not in man's hands but God's ; nor can the creature yield to us any comfort without his gift or grant. And because of our forfeiture by sin, we have neither these mercies from ourselves, nor the use ; nor the natural benefit from the bare creature, which is health, strength, and cheerfulness. All goodness resideth chiefly in God, and it is to be found in the creatures only by participation, and that at his pleasure : Acts xiv. 17, 'He gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness ;' that is, for the comfortable use of food, we must still look to the giver. But the apostle here doth not speak of the comfort of the creatures, but the comfort of the scriptures ; not the supply of the body, but the support of the soul.
[2.] Comfort is taken for support in troubles. The Thessalonians were now under great persecutions. Comfort is a strengthening of the mind when it is in danger to be weakened by fears and sorrows, or the strength and stay of the heart in trouble : Ps. cxix. 50, ' This is my comfort in my afflictions, thy word hath quickened me ;' and 2 Cor. i. 4, ' Who comforteth us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort where- with we are comforted of God.' As cordials are for a fainting time, so are comforts for a time of afflictions. Indeed spiritual comfort is never out of season ; because we are now in the house of our pilgrim- age, and our chief good is at a distance from us ; and because of the labours and difiiculties of the spiritual life : therefore it is said, Acts
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ix. 31, ' When tlie cliurches had rest, they walked in the fear of God, and the comfort of the Holy C^host.' But the ^ijreat need of comfort is in our aftlictions, therefore here I shall show three things : —
(1.) That God can j^ive his people comfort in the p^reatest tribula- tion : his favour is enough to support them against the frowns of all the world : Isa. li. 12, ' I, even I, am he that comtbrteth thee. Who art thou that thou shouldest be afraid of man that shall die, and the son of man that shall be made as the grass ?' As long as we have the almighty and immortal God to stand by us, and the })romise of eternal life, it will counterbalance all our trouble : Rom. v. 2, 3, ' We rejoice in hope of the glory of God : and not only so, but we glory in tribulations also;' 2 Cor. iv. 17, ' This light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.' There is everlasting joy against a heaviness for a season, and everlasting ease and rest against a little present pain ; there is enough to outweigh all that we can suffer for and from God. So the pardon of sin : Isa. xl. 1, 2, 'Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, saith my God.' Why ? ' Because her iniquity is pardoned.' Mat. ix. 2, ' Be of good cheer ; thy sin is forgiven thee.' Here is sound comfort, the sting of all our troubles is taken away. Well, then, this the people of Gk)d have to support them in all their tribulation. They can set God against the creature, heaven against earth, pardon of sins against all the bitterness they meet with in the world.