Thirdly, That God may thereby promote the ends of his providence, which is to humble his people, and try them, and to do them good.
1. For the greater humiliation. When Christ was humbled for our sins he was at a non plus, as if he knew not what to say or do : John xii. 27, * Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say ? ' So to humble his people thoroughly, he driveth them to an utter exigence ; all their hopes and probabilities are spent, and they know not what to do or say ; as in Jehoshaphat's instance : 2 Chron. xx. 12, ' We know not what to do, but our eyes are unto thee.' God's children may be shut up on all hands from any imaginable hope of a good issue, yea, or any sight of God and token of his love.
2. To try them, their faith, and love, and patience. Their faith, which is never put to a sound trial till all their common probabilities be spent. ' Faith is the evidence of things not seen,' Heb. xi. 1. When God is out of sight, and comfort is out of sight, and deliverance is ont of sight, then is a time to depend upon God : Micah vii. 8,
* When I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.' Depen- dence upon an unseen God, resolute adherence to a withdrawn God, is the flower and glory of faith. When we are left to a naked faith, and a naked word or promise of God, yet then to adhere to him, and wait upon him for what is contradicted by sense, this is to believe in hope against hope. So for the trial of our love ; to run to him when he seemeth to cast us off; to fear him for his mercies : Hosea iii. 5, ' They shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days ; ' and praise him for his judgments: Isa. xxvi. 8, 'In the way of thyjudgments, 0 Lord, we have waited for thee ; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee ; ' to rejoice in him when he maketh all things desolate about us : Hab. iii. 17, 18, 'Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines ; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat ; the flock shall be cut off
SEKMON UPON ISAIAH L. 10. 65
from tlie fold, and there shall be no herd in the stall ; j'et will I rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.' To own him as a good God when we are under his strokes, and as a gracious father when he frowneth as well as when he smileth, here is faith indeed. So our patience is never tried in a twilight so much us in utter dark- ness : James i. 4, ' Let patience have epyov riXeiov, its perfect work. Patience is not tried as long as we have worldly supports to bear us ' up ; but in great, long, and sharp aflBictions it is patience indeed. While we can make up ourselves another way, our submission to God is not fully tried.
3. To do us good, God would reach our corruptions so as to purge them out : Isa. xxvii. 9, ' By this shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged, and this is all the fruit to take away his sin,' We would have no trial but that which should touch none of our sins and corruptions ; for we would not have the flesh displeased, or, if it be, yet but a little. Now trial will not do us good unless it vex our corruptions. A sound purge will carry away our pride, sensuality, worldliness ; a light purge doth but gently move it. When the vexing trials come, then we are ' like a wild bull in a net,' Isa. li. 20. Till we see no way to escape, we overlook our case. Yea, God's children are not humbled for their spiritual pride till trouble be so confounding that God is missed, and they left in the dark in their distress. Now, to be so far misted as to lose a sight of God under trouble, that is an humbling dispensation indeed.
Use 1. If God's people may be in such a condition, let us bless God that he dealeth more gently with us. If our natural comforts be lessened, yet they are not wholly gone. Let us bless God that in the midst of judgment he remembereth mercy: Hab. ii. 3, 'For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie : though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come, it will not tarry.' That he measureth our burdens by our strength and ability to bear them : 1 Cor. x. 13, ' There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man : but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able ; but will with the tempta- tion also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.' That he refresheth our souls with his love when his chastenings are upon us : 2 Cor. i. 5, ' For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.' That he smileth when the world frowneth ; that it is not an evil, and an only evil, but there are strange intermixtures of blessings with our crosses ; that he doth not forsake us utterly : Job xx. 26, ' All darkness shall be hid in his secret places,' speaking of the wicked ; that it is not wholly and altogether darkness, without any light, or comfort, or counsel for the present, or hope of issue for the future.