ungodly men to put us into a furnace, that he may " purify us from our dross ;" and he makes " our light and momentary affliction to work out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory x." Now, who that knew the designs of Heaven in relation to us, would dread the process by which such ends were to be accomplished ? God has said, that " the wrath of man shall praise him ; and the remainder of it he will restrain." As one, who, in a flood that threatens to destroy his mill, lets upon it so much water only as shall accomplish his own pur- poses, and turns off the remainder by another sluice ; so will God effect his gracious purposes for his people's good, by the very efforts which their enemies are making for their destruc- tion. Knowing this, therefore, we should " not be afraid of their terror, nor be troubled" at any confederacies they may make against us.]
3. A due regard to God is an ample security to all his people —
[To "sanctify the Lord God in our hearts" is to conceive of him as an all-wise Governor, that orders every thing in heaven and earth; and as an all-sufficient Protector, who is "a wall of fire round about" his people, not only to protect them, but to devour their assailantsy; and, lastly, as an all-gracious Rcivarder, who, " if we suffer with him, will cause us also to reign with him, that we may be glorified together2." In this view of him, our duty is precisely what St. Peter tells us : " Let them that suffer according to the will of God, commit the keeping of their souls to him in well-doing, as unto a faithful Creator a." We have only to realize in our hearts the agency, the power, the love, the faithfulness, of the omni- present God, and we shall be as composed in the conflict, and as confident of the victory, as if we were already in heaven. If God has said, " Fear not ; for I am with thee : be not dis- mayed ; for I am thy God : I will strengthen thee ; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness15;" it is not merely our privilege, but our duty, to reply with David, " The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom then shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom then shall I be afraid0?"]
Improvement —
1. Let us be thankful for the peace we enjoy —
[There have been seasons in the Church when persecution has raged with great fury, and almost driven Christianity from the face of the earth. That it is not so now, is not owing to
- 2 Cor. iv. 17.
y Zech. ii. 5.
z 2 Tim. ii. 11, 12. Rom. viii. 17.
a 1 Pet. iv. 19
b Isai. xli. 10.
c Ps. xxvii. 1.
q2