A Word in Season to
Suffering Saints
The special presence of God with His people,
in their greatest troubles, deepest distresses,
and most deadly dangers.
By Thomas Brooks, London, 1675
The last use of all, is a use of
comfort
and
consolation to all the people of God, in
their greatest troubles and deepest distresses. Now here consider,
(1.) First of all, That God himself hands out this as a
rare comfort to his people in all their troubles, distresses, and
dangers—namely, That he will be graciously present with them in the midst of
all their sorrows and sufferings. Gen. 26:3,
"Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you;" 28:15,
"And behold I am with you, and will keep you in all places where you go, and
will bring you again into this land; for I will not leave you," etc., Isaiah
43:2; Psalm 91:15; Josh. 1:5; Heb. 13:5; Exod. 3:12. Don't talk of your loss
of friends, for I will be with you. Don't talk of your country, for I will
give you this land, which is the paradise of the world. Don't talk of your
poverty, for you shall spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to
the north, and to the south, verse 14. Don't talk of your solitariness and
aloneness, "for I will not leave you."
Isaiah 41:10, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not
be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will
uphold you with my righteous right hand." Suppose a man was injuriously
dealt with by this man or that, would it not be a comfort to him that a just
and righteous judge stood by and was an eyewitness of all the violences
which were done to him? Suppose a man were in exile with David, or in prison
with Joseph, or in a dungeon with Jeremiah, or in the stocks with Paul and
Silas, or in banishment for the testimony of Jesus, with John—yet would it
not be a singular comfort to him to have the presence of a kind father, a
bosom friend, a wise Counselor, an able physician with him? O Christian, be
in whatever place you will, and with whatever company you
will, and in whatever condition you will—yet your loving God, your
kind father, your bosom friend, etc., will be still with you, he will never
leave you, nor forsake you; and oh what a spring of comfort should this be
to you! But,
(2.) Secondly, Know for your comfort, that there are
always some special favors and blessings annexed to this special presence of
God, as "I will be with you, and bless
you." Gen. 26:3, "I am with you, and will keep you in all places
where you go;" 28:15, "I will be with him in trouble, and honor him."
Psalm 91:15, "I will be with him, and strengthen him." Isaiah 41:10,
"I will be with you, and the flames shall not kindle upon you." 43:2,
"I will be with you, and there shall not a man be able to stand before you."
Josh. 1:5, "I will be with you, to deliver you." Jer. 1:19, "I am
with you, to save you, and to deliver you out of the hand of the
wicked, and out of the hand of the terrible," 15:20-21.
Hushai's presence with David was a burden: Job's wife's
presence was but a vexation unto him, and Christ's presence among the
Gergesenes was a terror to them, and the presence of talkative friends is
many times a trouble to us, 2 Sam. 15:33; Job 2:9-10; Mat. 8:28, 34. Oh—but
this special, this favorable presence of the Lord with his people, in their
greatest troubles and deepest distresses, is a sweet presence, a comfortable
presence, a delightful presence, a blessed presence, yes, such a presence as
has many singular blessings annexed to it. But,
(3.) Thirdly, Know for your comfort, that you shall have
mercy and kindness, and whatever good you need in due season, at that very
instant, at that very nick of time wherein you most need mercy.
God will time your mercies, and your blessings for you; he is near, and will
not fail you when in dire straits, Psalm 145:18; Deut. 4:7; Gen. 22:10-13.
When Abraham had bound his son, and bent his sword, and the knife was
upheld—then comes a voice from heaven, "Abraham, Abraham, hold your hand."
At that very nick of time, when the four hundred and thirty years were
expired, Israel was delivered out of their captivity and slavery, Exod.
12:41, 51: Deut. 11:14, "I will give you the rain of your land in his due
season, the first rain, and the latter rain, that you may gather in your
corn, and your wine, and your oil." God gives rain to all, by a
providence—but he gives rain to his Israel by virtue of a promise,
Acts 14:18; Job 38:26. God engages himself not only to give rain—but to give
it in due season; he will give the first rain after the sowing of the seed,
that it might take rooting in the earth; and he will give the latter rain a
little before harvest, that the ears might be full. O my friends! it is
wonderful mercy—that God will time our mercies for us.
When Jehoshaphat was put to a hard pinch, at that very
nick of time God owns him, stands by him, and gives him a great victory, 2
Chron. 20:12, 22-26. When David was in great danger, Saul being at his very
heels, at that very nick of time, tidings were brought to Saul, that the
Philistines had invaded the land—and so David escapes, 1 Sam. 23:26-28. When
all human help failed, God came in and helped! ["Let God," says Augustine,
"choose his own opportunity, who so freely grants the mercy."] So Julian was
cut off by the Persian war, at that very nick of time when he had vowed at
his return, to make a sacrifice of the Christians' lives. And so Charles the
Fifth was diverted from persecuting of the Protestants, by the Turks
breaking into Hungary, at that very nick of time when his heart was set upon
a hot persecution. And so Justice Gilford, a violent papist in Queen Mary's
days, going up the stairs to Mrs. Roberts chamber, to compel her to go to
mass, at that very nick of time he was suddenly taken with his old disease
the gout, and so grievously tormented, that he swore he would never trouble
her more. When Faux was giving fire to the match, that would have given fire
to the powder that would have blown up king, lords, and commons—at that very
nick of time, he who never slumbers nor sleeps prevented him; and so turned
our intended funeral into a festival, Psalm 121:3-5.
O Christian! are your troubles many in number, strange in
nature, heavy in measure, much in burden, and long in continuance—yet
remember that your God is near, whose mercies are numerous, whose wisdom is
wondrous, and whose power is miraculous. The nearness or remoteness of a
friend is very considerable in our troubles, distresses, needs, dangers,
etc. "I have such a friend, and he would help me—but he lives so far off;
and I have another friend who has a great love for me, who is able to
counsel me, and to speak a word in season to me, and in my distress would
stand close to me—but he is so remote. I have a special friend, that did he
know how badly things go with me, would make my burdens his, and my needs
his, and my sorrows his; but he is in a far country, he is at the Indies,
and I may be undone before I can hear from him!"
But it is not thus with you, O Christians! who have a God
so near unto you, who have the special presence of God in the midst of you,
yes who have a God always standing by you, "The Lord stood by me," etc. O my
friends, how can you lack comfort, who have the God of all consolation
present with you? How can you lack counsel, who have the wonderful Counselor
so near unto you? How can you lack grace, who have the God of all grace
standing by you? How can you lack peace, who have always the presence of the
Prince of peace with you? 2 Cor. 1:3; Isaiah 9:6; 1 Pet. 5:10; Isaiah 9:6.
But,
(4.) Fourthly, Know for your comfort, that if God is with
you, there is nothing, there can be nothing—but weakness
against you. [God holds the church's enemies
in chains, having his hook in their nose, and his bridle in their lips,
Isaiah 37:29; he can easily rule and over-rule his proudest enemies.] Isaiah
27:4, "Who would set the briars and thorns against me in battle, I would go
through them, I would burn them together." What are briars and thorns,
compared to a devouring fire, to the consuming flames? no more are all the
enemies of the church, compared to the presence of God with his people. God
will be a burning and destroying fire to all the enemies of Zion. Wicked men
are chaff. Psalm 1:4. Wicked men are stubble. Job 21:18, "They are as driven
stubble to his bow." Isaiah 41:2, "They are as stubble fully dry." Nah.
1:10. "They are as stubble before the flame." Joel 2:5, "They are like
dust." 2 Kings 13:7, "Yes, like small dust." Isaiah 29:5, "They are like a
morning cloud, an early dew, a little smoke." Hosea 13:3. "They will
disappear like the morning mist, like dew in the morning sun, like chaff
blown by the wind, like smoke from a chimney."
Oh, the weakness of man! Oh, the power of God! No
people on earth have such a power on their sides as the saints have. Consult
these scriptures, 2 Kings 6:16; 2 Chron. 32:6-7; Isaiah 8:9-10; Num. 13:28,
30-33, and 14:9. No Christian can look upon the strong and mighty enemies of
Zion in a scripture glass—but must behold them as weak and impotent people.
Who could but smile to see weak children to attempt to besiege a wall of
brass, or a wall of fire? Zech. 2:5; as great a folly and weakness it is for
wicked men to make attempts upon the saints, who have been to this day, and
will be to the end, a trembling and a burdensome stone to all who gather
together against them, Zech. 12:2-3.
Sense looks upon the powers of the world as strong,
mighty, and invincible; but faith looks upon them as poor, weak,
contemptible, gasping, dying men. Thus heroic Luther looked upon them, "I
care neither for Rome's favor nor fury; I am neither fond of the one, nor
afraid of the other." It is dangerous to look upon the powers of the world
in the devil's multiplying glass; it is best and safest to look upon
them in a scripture glass, and then we shall never fear them, nor
sinfully submit to them! But,
(5.) Fifthly, If God be specially present with his
people, in their greatest troubles, deepest distresses, and most deadly
dangers, then know for your comfort, that none can be against you but they
must be against God himself! Acts 9:4-6. God
is with you in all your troubles, as a father is with his child, a husband
with his wife, a general with his army, and as a confederate with his
allies, who is with them offensively and defensively. Hence they are said to
rage against God, Isaiah 37:28-29; and to blaspheme God, 2 Kings 19:3, 6;
and to fight against God, Acts 5:38-39, and 23:9; Proverbs 21:30. To fight
against God is labor in vain. Who ever fought against God and prospered?
Some think that this phrase of fighting against God is drawn from the fable
of the giants, which were said to make war with the gods.
The church of Christ always flourishes most, and
increases most—when the tyrants of the earth oppose it most, and persecute
it most. Diocletian laid down the empire in great discontent, because he
could not by any persecution suppress the true Christian religion. The more
violent he was against the people of God, the more they increased and
multiplied, and the more they were emboldened and encouraged; and therefore
in a rage he throws up all. But,
[1.] First, You have the presence of an ALMIGHTY God.
Gen. 17:1, "I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be perfect," Gen.
49:25, and Num. 24:4. The word El-Shaddai signifies sufficiency. God
is an all-sufficient good, and a self-sufficient good; he is an independent
good, an absolute good, an original good, a universal good. Some derive the
word Shaddai from Shad, which signifies a breast,
because God feeds his children with sufficiency of all good things, as the
loving mother does the child with the milk of her breasts. God is the only
satisfactory good, and proportionable good, and suitable good to our
souls—as the breast is the most suitable good to the child's stomach. And
others derive the word Shaddai from Shaddad, which signifies
to spoil, conquer, or overcome, and so they say that God did here invert or
overcome the order of nature, in causing the barren to bear. But most
authors do translate it omnipotent. God, then, is called Shaddai,
that is omnipotent and all-sufficient, for his omnipotence includes also
all-sufficiency.
[2.] Secondly, You have the presence of a LOVING God with
you. Isaiah 43:4, "Since you were precious
in my sight, you have been honorable, and I have loved you." But that this
may the better stick and work, you must remember,
First, That God loves you with a
first
love, see Deut. 7:7-8: 1 John 4:19, "We love him
because he first loved us." Our love is but reciprocal to his. God first
cast an eye of love upon us—before we cast an eye of love on him, and
therefore God is no way indebted to us for our love. Mary answers not
Rabboni—until Christ first said unto her Mary! John 20:16. The
pure nature of love is more seen in God's first love to us—than in our
reciprocal love to him. By nature we were without God, and afar
off from God; we were strangers to God, and enemies to
God, yes, haters of God; and therefore if God had not loved us
firstly, we had been everlastingly undone! Eph. 2:12, 19; Romans 5:10, and
1:30.
Secondly, As God loves you with a first love, so he loves
you with a free
love: Hosea 14:4, "I will heal their backsliding, I
will love them freely." I know they are backslidden—but I will heal their
backslidings. I know they have broken their bones by their fall—but I will
make those broken bones to rejoice. I know there is nothing at all in them,
which is excellent or eminent, which is honorable or acceptable, which is
laudable or lovely—yet "I will love them freely," of my own, free, rich,
absolute, sovereign, and independent grace!
Thirdly, As he loves you with a free love, so he loves
you with an everlasting
love: Jer. 31:3, "I have loved you with an
everlasting love; therefore, with loving-kindness have I drawn you." Heb.,
"I love you with the love of perpetuity, or with the love of eternity. My
love and my affections continue still the same to you, and shall continue
forever!" Or, as others carry the words, "I love you with an ancient love,
or with the love of antiquity; I love you still with the same affection that
in former ages I bore towards you."
Fourthly, As he loves you with an everlasting love, so he
loves you with an
unchangeable love: Mal. 3:6, "I am the Lord,
I change not; therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed." Men
change, and counsels change, and occurrences change, and
friends change, and relations change, and kingdoms change,
and commonwealths change—but God never changes, as Balaam confesses,
who was the devil's lackey, and who had a mind to dance with the devil all
day, and then sup with Christ at night, Num. 23:10. God is neither false nor
fickle; he cannot, like men, say and unsay; he cannot alter his mind nor eat
his words. "He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind;
for he is not a man, that he should change his mind," 1 Sam. 15:29 Psalm
89:34;. Men are so mutable and changeable, that there is no hold to be taken
of what they say; but God is immutable in his nature, in his essence, in his
counsels, in his attributes, in his decrees, in his promises, etc. He is, as
the learned say, Omnina immutabilis, "Altogether immutable".
Fifthly, As he loves you with an unchangeable love, so he
loves you with a special
love, with a
peculiar
love, with a
distinguishing
love, with a
superlative
love. "Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea,
and everything in them—the Lord, who remains faithful forever. He upholds
the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets
prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those
who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the
alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways
of the wicked. The Lord reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all
generations. Praise the Lord!" Psalms 146:5-10
Sixthly and lastly, As he loves his people with a special
love, with a peculiar love, so he loves them with the
greatest
love, with a
matchless
love. "O Daniel greatly beloved." John 3:16, "God so
loved the world that he gave his one and only Son," etc. This signifies
the greatness of God's love, the vehemency of his love, and
the admirableness of his love.
Now, what an unspeakable comfort must this be to his
saints, to have the presence of a loving God, to have the presence of such a
loving God with them in all their troubles and deep distresses! If the
presence of a loving friend, a loving relation in our troubles and
distresses, is such a mercy, oh, what then is the presence of a loving God!
[3.] Thirdly, It is the presence of an ACTIVE God, who
will be a defense to you, a shield to you, a sword to you, a sun to you, a
strong tower to you, a salvation to you!
None can withstand him, none can equal him, none can out-act him, Psalm
18:2; 2 Chron. 16:9; Proverbs 18:10; Jer. 32:40-41; Isaiah 30:18-19, and
27:3; Jer. 31:28.
[4.] Fourthly, You have the presence of a wakeful God, of
a WATCHFUL God—of a God who never, no never, slumbers or sleeps!
God will be so far from sleeping,
that he will not so much as slumber, Psalm 121:3-5. The phrase is
taken from watchmen, who stand on the walls in time of war to discover the
approaches of enemies, and accordingly give warning. Now, watchmen have been
treacherous and sleepy. The capitol of Rome would have been taken by the
Gauls, if the geese had not been more wakeful than the watchmen of the
walls. Iphicrates, the Athenian captain, visiting the guards on the
walls of Corinth, found one of the watch asleep, and presently thrust him
through with his sword, saying, "Dead I found him, and dead I left him!"
Though watchmen slumber and sleep—yet that God who is present with his
people does neither; his seven eyes are always open.
[5.] Fifthly, You have the presence of a WISE God, of an
omniscient God. God fills all things,
he encompasses all things, and he sustains all things—and
therefore he must needs know all things, Ezek. 3:9; Psalm 33:10-11;
Isaiah 46:10, and 40:28; Romans 11:33; 2 Pet. 2:9; Jonah 1:5; 2 Kings 14:6;
Mat. 26:24-25. God can find Jonah in the bottom of the ship; and
Jeroboam's wife in her disguises; and Judas in his treason; and
Demas in his apostasy; and the scribes and Pharisees in
their hypocrisy, 2 Tim. 4:10; Mat. 23; Rev. 4:6. The whole world is to him
as a sea of glass—clear and transparent. There is nothing hidden from his
eyes!
"All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him
with whom we have to do," Heb. 4:13. "Naked," as when the skin is pulled
off, and "opened as the entrails of a sacrifice," cut down the back. The
apostle, say some, uses a metaphor taken from a sheep, whose skin is taken
off, and he hanged up by the neck, with his back towards the wall, and all
his entrails laid bare and exposed to open view. He alludes, say others, to
the anatomizing of a creature, wherein men are very cautious to find out
every little vein or muscle, though they be ever so hidden. They are
naked, therefore God sees their outside; and opened, dissected,
quartered, and cleft asunder through the backbone, so that he sees their
inside also. Opened is more than naked: naked is that which is not clothed
or covered; opened is that whose inwards are discovered and made
conspicuous.
Is it such a comfort to have the presence of a wise and
knowing friend with us in our greatest troubles and deepest distresses? what
a transcendent comfort must it be then to enjoy the presence of an
all-seeing and an all-knowing God in all our troubles and distresses! The
eye of heaven sees all, and knows all, and writes down all your troubles
and trials, your sorrows and sufferings, your losses and crosses, Mat. 6:32;
and accordingly will an all-knowing God act for his own glory and his
people's good.
[6.] Sixthly and lastly, You have the presence of a God
of MERCY, a God of tenderness, a God of compassion.
Exod. 33:7-8; Jer. 31:18-20; Hosea 11:8-9; Lam. 3:22.
"His compassions never fail!" Mercy is as essential to God—as light is to
the sun, Micah 7:18-19, or as heat is to the fire. He delights in mercy, as
the senses and faculties of the soul do in their several actions. Patience,
and mildness, and mercy, and compassion, and peace are the fruits of his
heart—the offspring which the divine nature produces. God's compassions are
fatherly compassions, Psalm 103:13; they are motherly
compassions, Isaiah 49:15; they are brotherly compassions, Heb. 2:12;
they are friendly compassions, Cant. 5:1-2. Oh, how sweet must the
presence of a God of mercy, a God of compassion, be to the saints in a day
of trouble! The presence of a compassionate friend in a day of distress is
very desirable and comfortable; what then is the presence of a compassionate
God!
Thus you see that there is no presence, compared to the
divine presence! There is no presence, compared to the special presence of
God with his people in their greatest troubles and deepest distresses. But,
(7.) Seventhly and lastly, If God is specially present
with his people in their greatest troubles and deepest distresses—then let
them all know for their comfort, that this presence will make up the lack or
loss of all outward comforts —this presence
will make up the loss of a husband, a child, a friend, an estate, etc., 1
Sam. 1:8. Look! as all light meets in the sun, and as all water meets in the
sea, so all our outward comforts meets in the God of all comfort, 2 Cor.
1:3. "When Alexander asked king Porus, being then his prisoner, how he would
be treated. Porus answered in one word, "like a king!" Just so—all things,
all comforts are to be found in this special presence of God with his
people, in their greatest troubles and deepest distresses. Certainly the
gracious presence of the Lord is infinitely better than the presence of all
outward comforts, as you know one sun is more glorious and comfortable than
ten thousand stars.
QUESTION. But how may a person who has lost this gracious presence of God,
recover it again?
First, Observe HOW you lost this presence of God, and
labor to recover it by a contrary course.
Did you lose it by sinful omissions? then be more active in a way of duty.
Did you lose the presence of God by neglecting your watch, or by not walking
with God, or by an eager pursuit of the world, or by giving in to this or
that temptation, or by letting fall your communion with God? take a contrary
course. Now keep up your watch, walk close with God, keep up a daily
converse with lively Christians, let your heart and affections be set upon
things above, keep your ground in the face of all temptations, maintain a
standing communion with God, Psalm 119:63; Col. 3:1-2.
After Christ had stood knocking and calling to his
spouse—"Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled one; for my
head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night," Cant.
5:2-3, 6—but found no entrance, he retired and withdrew himself,
because she would not arise and put on her coat. But when she bestirs
herself, "she finds him whom her soul loved," chapter 3:1-4. Then
Christ comes into his garden again, and returns to his spouse again, and
forgets all former unkindness, chapter 6:1-2. But.
Secondly, Inquire WHERE, WHEN, and WHY God has withdrawn
himself; as we do when dear friends absent themselves from us.
"O Hope of Israel, its Savior in times of distress, why are you like
a stranger in the land, like a traveler who stays only a night? Why
are you like a man taken by surprise, like a warrior powerless to save? You
are among us, O Lord, and we bear your name; do not forsake us!" Jeremiah
14:8-9
Thirdly, Do not part with Christ for anything—not for a
right eye, or a right hand, nor for an Isaac or a Benjamin.
Don't say this work is too high, and feat too hard, and the other too hot,
and the other too dangerous—in order to the recovery of God's countenance
and presence. You must not think anything in the world too much to do
for Christ, or to suffer for Christ. You will be a happy man if you
can recover Christ's lost presence; though it be upon the hardest terms
imaginable! But,
Fourthly, Let your hearts lie humble and low under the
loss of God's gracious presence. Psalm
51:8-12; 1 Pet. 1:5, 6. "All night long on my bed I looked for the one my
heart loves; I looked for him but did not find him." Song of Songs 3:1.
"Have you seen the one my heart loves?" Song of Songs 3:3. "I opened for my
lover, but my lover had left; he was gone. My heart sank at his departure. I
looked for him but did not find him. I called him but he did not answer."
Song of Songs 5:6. For,
(1.) The loss of God's gracious presence is the greatest
loss.
(2.) The loss of God's gracious presence is a
loss-embittering loss; it is a loss that will greatly embitter all your
worldly losses. I have lost my health, I have lost a precious child, I have
lost a gracious spouse, who was the delight of my eyes and the joy of my
heart; I have lost a costly estate, I have lost an intimate friend, I have
lost a thriving trade. Oh—but that which embitters all my losses, and puts a
sting into them, is this—that I have lost the gracious presence of God that
once I enjoyed!
(3.) The loss of God's gracious presence is a loss that
all outward comforts can never make up. When the sun is set, nothing can
make it day with us.
(4.) The loss of God's gracious presence is an soul loss;
and no losses can be compared to soul losses. As there are no mercies,
compared to soul mercies, so there are no losses to soul losses.
(5.) The loss of God's gracious presence is a loss that
will cost a man dearly, before it will be made up again. Oh the sighs, the
groans, the strong cries, the earnest prayers, the bottles of tears that the
recovery of the divine presence will cost a Christian!
Upon all these accounts, how well does it befit a
Christian, to lie humble at the foot of God!
Fifthly, Lift up a mighty cry to heaven.
Thus the saints of old have done. Consult these
scriptures, Psalm 51:6-13; Lam. 3:56-57; Psalm 4:6-7, 27:9, 38:21-22, 138:3,
and 119:8, "O forsake me not utterly." Christ was forsaken for a few hours;
David for a few months; and Job for a few years—for the trial and exercise
of his faith and patience; but then they all sent up a mighty cry to heaven.
Leave them God did, to their thinking; forsake them he did in regard of
vision—but not in regard of union. The promise is, that "God will
draw near to us if we draw near to him," James 4:8. Draw near to God in
duty, and he will draw near to you in mercy: sanctify him, and he will
satisfy you.
Prayer is the only means to supply all defects, it
gets all, and makes up the loss of all; as a gracious poor woman said in her
distress, "I have no friend—but I have prayer; that will get favor with my
God; so long as I can find a praying heart, God will, I am sure of that,
find a pitying heart and a helping hand." It is not the length—but the
strength of prayer; it is not the labor of the lip—but the travail of the
heart—which prevails with God, Jer. 29:12-14. It is not the arithmetic
of our prayers, how many they are; nor the rhetoric of our
prayers, how eloquent they be; nor the geometry of our prayers, how
long they be; nor the music of our prayers, how sweet they be; nor
the logic of our prayers, how methodical they are—which will prevail
with God. It is only fervency, importunity in prayer, which will make a man
prevalent with God. Fervent prayer hits the mark, carries the day, and
pierces the walls of heaven, though like those of Gaza, made of brass and
iron, James 5:16-17; Luke 18; Isaiah 45:2. The child has got many a kiss and
many a hug by crying. If God has withdrawn his presence, the best,
the surest, and the readiest way to recover it is to send up a mighty cry to
heaven. "In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for
help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his
ears." Psalm 18:6. "I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear
me." Psalm 77:1. "In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and he answered by
setting me free." Psalm 118:5. But,
Sixthly, Be sure you don't take up your greatest delight
in any creature, in any comfort, in any contentment, in any worldly
enjoyment. Jer. 50:6. When the presence of
God is withdrawn from you, say as Absalom, "What is all this to me, so long
as I am banished my father's presence, so long as I can't see the king's
face?" 2 Sam. 14:24, 28, 32-33. When the mother sees that the child is
enthralled with the doll or the rattle—she comes not in sight. If you take
up your rest in any of the dolls and rattles—in any of the
poor things of this world, God will certainly keep out of sight. He will
never honor them with his countenance and presence—who take up in anything
below himself, below his favor, below his presence.
I have read of a devout pilgrim, who along the way to
Jerusalem was very kindly and nobly entertained in several places—but still
he cried out, "Oh—but this is not Jerusalem! this is not Jerusalem!" So when
you cast your eye upon this creature or that, oh then cry out, "This is not
the presence of God, this is not the presence of God!" And when you begin to
be tickled and enthralled with this and that enjoyment, with this or that
contentment, oh then remember "this is not the presence of God, this is not
the presence of God!"
"Here is a gracious spouse, here are precious children,
here is a pleasant home, here is a wonderful climate, here is a gainful
trade, etc.—but what are all these to me, so long as my sun has set in a
cloud, and God has withdrawn his presence from me? Remember this once for
all—that the whole world is but a barren wilderness without the countenance
and presence of God! "O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul
thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there
is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your
glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you."
Psalm 63:1-3. But,
Seventhly and lastly, Patiently and quietly wait upon him
in the way of his ordinances for the recovery of his presence.
Consult these scriptures. [Exod. 20:24; Mat. 18:20;
Isaiah 64:5; Psalm 27:4, and 65:4; Rev. 2:1; Psalm 40:1-3; Isaiah 8:17; Mic.
7:7-9; Isaiah 26:8-9.] Here God dwells, here he walks, here he makes known
his glory, here he gives forth his love, here he vouchsafes his presence.
When God is withdrawn, your great business is to prize ordinances, and to
keep close to ordinances, until God shall be pleased to lift up the light of
his countenance and vouchsafe his presence to you. You will never recover
the divine presence by neglecting ordinances, nor by slighting ordinances,
nor by turning your back upon ordinances, nor by entertaining low thoughts
of ordinances. He who thinks ordinances to be needless things, concludes—
(1.) That the taking away of the kingdom of heaven from
the Jews was no great judgment, Mat. 21:43.
(2.) That the bestowing of it upon other people is no
great mercy. If God is gone, it is good to lie at the pool until he returns,
John 5:2-10. There are many dear Christians who have lost their God for a
time—but after a time they have found him again in the way of his
ordinances; and therefore let no temptation draw you off from ordinances;
say, "Here I will live, here I will lie, here I will wait at the pool of
ordinances, until the Lord shall return in mercy to my soul!"
I shall follow this discourse of the divine presence
with my earnest prayers that it may from on high be so specially
blessed, as that it may issue in the furtherance of the spiritual and
eternal good, both of Writer and Reader.
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