The Pulpit Commentary — Lamentations — Section 40

sometim~s appea.r to cease. They a.re not a.lways equ11.lly visible. But a.a the moon which Heems to w11,x and wa.ne never changes in itself, the grace which appears to us to fluctuate, and even at times to be extinguished, is never lessened, much less is it destroyed. 4. They change their form. 'l'he morning light varies from the evening light. Yet both come from the same sun. God's mercy is sometimes cheery, at other times it seems to frown upon us. But the wrath is mercy in disguise ; and not only so, but under the circumstances that make it necessary it ii; more merciful than gentle- ness would be. There may be more mercy in the surgeon's knife than in the bed of down. II. Goo's MERCIES ARE OONSTANTLY RENEWED. The same mercies will not last for e,er. They are gifts and acts for a definite time. What suits one age does not agree with another. God adapts his grace to the immediate needs of the hour. His mercies a.re not statuesque and immobile. They are living and suitable to need, They are never anachronous. They a.re never stale. God gives to each of us new mercies. He is living and acting in our midst every day and at each immediate moment. We read of God's mercies in writings of David and St. John. But we have not to exhume the antique mercies that were bestowed on these men of the olden times. Our own mercies are fresh to-day. As God keeps the old world green by renewing it every spring, so he refreshes and invigorates his people by spring-times of grace. More- over, it is well to see how he does this daily, and to wake in the morning with a joyous thankfulness in prospect of the entirely new mercies of the new day. III. THE CEASELESSNESS OF Gon's MERCY IS A PROOF OF ms FAITHFULNESS. 1. It is the fulfilment of his promise that he will never leave nor forsake his people. 2. It is also a sign that he is still acting according to his ancient word. For the mercy, being not only continued, but also renewed, shows us that God is fulfilling his promise in the immediate present. The friend who builds us a house may be considered to be faithful to his promise to shelter us as long as the house stands. But he who promises daily bread gives an additional proof of faithfulness by visiting us every day. The manna showed that God was daily present to fulfil his purposes of grace. Daily mercies are recurrent reminders of the faithfulness of God. Ver. 24.-.77u secret of hope. The reader of the psalms is familiar with the utter- ance, " The Lord is my Portion." The characteristic peculiarity of the adoption of this confession of faith by the sufferer of the Lamentations is his taking it as a ground of hope. The present is so dark that he can have little joy even in God. Earthly things are so unpropitious that he can hope little from them. But with God for his Portion he can look forward from the troubles of the present and the threatenings of earthly calamities to an unearthly joy in the future. Let us endeavour to see how to have God for our Portion is the secret of hope. I. Gon IS THE BEST OBJECT OF HOPE. 1. Consider how God can be an ObJect of hope. We hope in God when we hope to enjoy his presence, to bask in the sunshine of his love to enter into the life of communion with him. To know God is satisfaction to the intellect. To have fellowship with God through love is to have rest and joy in the heart. To be reconciled to God is to have the trouble of conscience allayed. All the deepest longings of the soul find their end and satisfaction in God. 2. Consider hQW God is the one perfect Object of hope. The greatest disappointment of an earthly hope is when the thing anticipated is given to us and yet the joy expected from it is not forthcoming. We clasp our treasure and find it to be dross, or we see it to be gold and we find that it will not stay the hunger of our soul!!. We are larger than the biggest earthly hope. Our aspirations soar above the highest of them. But God is higher and deeper and greater than the largest desire of any soul. He is just what we all need for rest and gladness. He cannot disappoint us. If money is our portion it may be lost, or it may not buy ease of heart. lf power, pleasure, success, or any other common end be our portion, we may be most wearied when we have gained most. God is tho Portion to satisfy hope, and he only. II. Gon IS THE BEST GROUND OF HOPE, We have most assurance that our hope will not fail us when we trust in him. Why? 1. Because he is good, Malignant beings take pleasure in frustrating hope; cruel people do it with indifference; and selfish and thoughtless men unwittingly. But God, who is love itself and who ever rjjgards the OIi, III, 1-66,] THE LAMEN'l'ATIONS OF JEREMIAH. 1l