2. He will fulfil our desires —
[If our desires were after the things of time and sense, we might expect to have them withheld from us : but if they be, as the believer's are, after God himself, we shall never be dis- appointed : on the contrary, the more earnest and enhu-ged our desire is, the more certain we are that God will fulfil and satisfy it. The more "wide we open our mouth," the more assm'ed we are that " he will fill it." " He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him ; he also will hear their cry, and will help them." Do we desire increasing " views of his glory? He will put us into the cleft of the rock, and make all his goodness to pass before our eyes^." Do we desire a more intimate and abiding communion with him ? He will " come and dwell in us, and walk in us, and be altogether our God^." Do we desire a more entire conformity to him ? He will " transform us into his image from glory to glory," by the sanctifying in- fluence of his Holy Spirit ^. There shall not be a thing that we can ask, but he will give it us, if only it will be conducive to our spiritual and eternal welfare \]
3. He will give a happy issue to all our concerns —
[There may be many difficulties in our way, and such as shall be to all appearance insurmountable ; but He who made a path through the Red Sea, will remove them all in due time. Whatever in his wisdom he sees to be best for us, " he will bring it to pass." We may labour under many discouragements by reason of calumnies which are circulated respecting us : the world may represent us as enthusiasts that " turn the world upside down," as deceivers that are seeking some base ends of our own, as abettors of sedition, and enemies to civil govern- ment; in a word, they may speak of us as " the filth of the earth, and the off'-scouring of all things;" but God will not leave us to sink under these reproaches: he will sooner or later appear for us, and " make our righteousness to shine forth as the noon-day." We shall have " good report to pass through, as well as evil report;" and our very demeanour under our persecutions shall carry conviction to the minds of many, that we are indeed the sons of God'^. At all events, if not before, at least at the day of judgment, our reproach shall be rolled away, and " we shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of our Father ^"]
Reflections. See from hence,
1. What they lose who are ignorant of God —
f Exod. xxxiii. 18—23. e 2 Cor. vi, 16. ^ 2 Cor. iii. 18.
' John XV. 7. and 1 John v. 14, 15. with Ps. xxi. 1, 2. k Matt, xxvii. 54. > Matt. xiii. 43.