[His chastening hand may have been upon us ; but the consolations and supports with which he has favoured us have almost changed the very nature of our afflictions. Besides, he has, like a skilful Refiner, apportioned our trials to our neces- sities ; and always either increased our strength to sustain them, or provided for us a way to escape from them. Let any one of us look back, even the most afflicted amongst us, and say, Whether God has not corrected always " in measure*?" yea, whether his corrections have not " wrought for our good;" and whether, if our hearts be indeed right with God, they have not been " working out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory0?" Yes, "by these has our iniquity been purged ; and the fruit of them has been to take away our sin p:" and in all that God may have inflicted on us, he has acted the part, not of an angry Judge, but of a loving Father q.]
Well may God's people rejoice in such hopes as these, seeing,
III. That his presence with them is their never-failing security —
God did not so withdraw from the Jews in Baby- lon, but that he was with them to watch over them,
m Rom. xi. 15. n Isai. xxvii. 7, 8.
0 Rom. viii. 28. 2 Cor. iv. 17, 18. p Isai. xxvii. 9.
<i Heb. xii. 6—8.
lyo JEREMIA.H, XXX. 10, 11. [1065.
and to overrule events for their deliverance at the time appointed. Thus at this day he hears the cries of his afflicted people, and only waits till the appointed time to shew himself strong in their behalf. Thus is his presence with us our security also.
[He has promised " never to leave us nor forsake usr." In our troubles more especially has he engaged to be with uss. Nor will he ever leave us, till he has accomplished all the good pleasure of his goodness towards us*. Had it not been for his presence with his Church and people, their enemies would long since have triumphed over them : but because " he is with them to save them," they shall be " more than conquerors" over all their enemies, and " be saved by him with an ever- lasting salvation."]
Application —
Thrice, in the parallel passage, does God repeat the exhortation, " Fear notu." We therefore will address that exhortation,
1. To those who are afar off —
[Look at the Jews in Babylon, or in their present state ;
What can be conceived more hopeless ? Yet they ivere,
and shall be delivered. Let none then despair, as if they were beyond the reach of mercy : for " God's hand is not shortened that it cannot save ;" and they shall " be brought nigh by the blood of Jesus," which is able to " cleanse from all sin."]
2. To those who are visited with any great afflic- tion—
[You are apt to conclude, that, because you are afflicted, you are monuments of God's wrath. But God makes these very afflictions a subject of promise : " I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished." He knows that without these afflictions you would never return to him, nor ever be purified from your dross : it is because you are a child, and not a bastard, that he thus visits you with his chastising rod. It was in this view of his dispensations that David said, " In very faithfulness thou hast afflicted me." Faithfulness has respect to a promise : and it is your privilege to see every one of your afflictions as the fruit of his faithful- ness and love.]
3. To those who are under discouragement of any kind —
r Heb. xiii. 5. s Isai. xliii. 2, 3.
* Gen. xxviii. 15. u Jer. xlvi. 27, 28.