have " those who were born after the flesh persecuted those who were born after the Spirit d:" nor can any "who will live godly in Christ Jesus hope to escape" their virulent assaults e. And where is there a child of God whom that great " adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, does not labour to devourf?" There is not one who has not " some thorn in the flesh, some mes- senger of Satan to buffet hiinC Look at all the most favoured servants of the Lord — at Job, and Heman, and Asaph, and David, and Paul — and you will find them all " chosen in the furnace of affliction, even as our blessed Lord himself, who was pre-eminently a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief'1." Indeed there is a necessity for this ; because there is in all the servants of God much dross, which needs the fire of affliction to purge it away ; and it is in the furnace that they learn the evil of their own hearts, and the power and efficacy of divine grace : it is under tribulation chiefly, that they acquire " pa- tience and experience, and a hope that shall never make them ashamed1."]
But, however painful their state, they have abun- dant consolation in,
II. What is here promised to them —
[God will be with his people under all their trials : as he has said, " I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honour him." He will be with his people both by the mani- festations of his presence and the communications of his grace ; so that, under their severest afflictions, they shall have abundant support. Remarkable is that expression .of the Psalmist, "Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence*" The man that is in the presence of his God, and has the light of his countenance lifted up upon him, is inaccessible to his enemies, and may laugh at all their assaults. See Paul and Silas in prison, under circumstances as painful as could well be inflicted on them ; yet, behold, they are singing praises to God at mid- night. And see the Hebrew Youths in the furnace into which an infuriated tyrant had cast them : " not so much as a hair of their head was singed, or even the smell of fire had passed on them." Such are the interpositions of God in behalf of all his faithful servants, that" where their afflictions have abounded, their consolations have much more abounded1." The very waves which desolated all the world besides, bore up the ark, and carried it to a place of safety. And so shall the sea itself afford a passage to all the " ransomed of the Lord to pass over," in the way to the land of promise1". But let not this be taken
a Gal. iv. 29. e 2 Tim. hi. 12. '1 Pet. v. 8.
e Ps. xci. 15. h Isai. liii. 3. ; Rom. v. 5.
k Ps. xxxi. 20. » 2 Cor. i. 5. m Isai. li. 10.
930. J god's care for his people. 159
upon my word. Let David speak, from actual experience : " Thou, O God, hast proved us ; thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. Thou broughtest us into the net : thou laidest afflic- tion upon our loins. Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads: we went through fire and through water; but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place"."]
Of the fulfilment of this promise we can entertain no doubt, when we consider,
III. The ground upon which the promise is made —
[It is pleasing to observe with what satisfaction God con- templates the relation in which he stands to his people, and with what delight he expatiates upon it : " Thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel ; Fear not, for I have redeemed thee ; I have called thee by thy name ; thou art mine. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour." Here is abundant security to us for the accomplishment of every word that God has spoken. For he takes an interest in his people, such as a man feels in reference to his dearest possessions. He puts them, we will say, into the furnace. But will he leave them there without any concern about them ? No : " he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver," to watch the process, and to bring them forth the very instant that his gracious designs are wrought upon them ; that so they may come forth " as vessels of honour, meet for their Master's use0." Are they "a vineyard which his right hand has planted ? " " he will keep it, and water it every moment: lest any hurt it, he will keep it night and day1'.' No parent can sympathize with his afflicted child more tenderly than he did with his people under their trials : " In all their affliction he was afflicted : and the angel of his presence saved them : in his love and in his pity he redeemed them ; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of oldq." In a word, they are his children ; and therefore he enters so affectionately into all their concerns : " Is not Ephraim my dear son ? is he not a pleasant child ? For since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still : therefore my bowels are troubled for him : I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord1."]