so, to inculcate on all the obligations of humility, yet does he here seem to address his exhortation more exclusively to the afflicted, to those who, whether formerly rich or always poor, are now in any trouble. He exhorts these sorrowing persons to "humble themselves under the mighty hand of God,”—“ to cast all their care upon God,"-" to be sober and vigilanť” and "stedfast in the faith." And he tells them, by way of encouragement, that, if they are thus minded, God will give them grace, "exalt them in due time," care for them, "make them perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle them." And, by way of warning, he admonishes them, that "God resisteth the proud," and that "the devil walketh about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." This word of exhortation may be turned to very profitable account in a Christian family. And first, all may receive it with benefit, if they will receive it with meekness. Those who hold the highest place in a family are equally included in the exhortation with those who hold the lowest. As being themselves no more than servants, even in their more exalted worldly position, of the lowly Saviour,—as sinners, and perchance, great sinners,-they have good reason to make allowance for the faults of those that are under them, and may well afford to show them, on occasions, without appearing lenient or condescending over much, a moderate grant of favour and indulgence. And those who hold a lower place are bound, as Christians, to make certain concessions,-to give as little provocation as possible, and to acknowledge that there is some ground for it when really given. These good things will be a result, wherever they appear, of a godly resolution to "cast down," for Christ's sake, "imaginations and every other high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God'." It will be an obligation upon all, finally, be their outward rank or relative condition what it may, to humble themselves in time of affliction. There is no dispensation which has so evidently the appearance of being sent to humble pride, be it the pride of impenitence or the pride of prosperity, or any other pride, as affliction. Superiors are sometimes too self-satisfied, because they have all and abound. Inferiors are sometimes too self-satisfied, because they are at peace with one another. Things temporal have gone on well, and then, as too often happens, things spiritual go on ill. Affliction, however, is sent 1 2 Cor. X., 5. to set all this right; and whenever it is sent, be it our care, individually and collectively, to "hear the rod, and who hath appointed it',"-to recognize the mighty hand of God in the dispensation, and, through faith in a crucified Saviour, and with a deep conviction of utter helplessness, to turn to the atonement with all our heart, and flee for adequate refuge to the hope set before us in the Gospel. And surely "the work' of every such dispensation, so taken, "will be peace, and the effect of it, quietness and assurance for ever." THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 18 I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope. 21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. A comparison is here drawn by the Apostle, which should be more frequently drawn, than it is, by ourselves, between "the sufferings of this present time," and "the glory which shall be revealed in us;" and he argues most justly, that they "are not worthy to be compared" the one with the other. How seldom is this thought of when "the sufferings of this present time" press hard upon us, and " are like a sore burden, too heavy for us to bear." Then do we repine, and murmur, and fret, and find fault unceasingly, as though we had deserved nothing, and were used most hardly. Then do we rail at fortune, 'darken counsel by words without knowledge," and almost quarrel with God. Then do we bitterly inquire, without at all referring to the real cause of the disquietude, how can all these things be? Whence has arisen this overwhelming desolation? Where shall we flee for help? How shall we retrieve ourselves? When shall we be comforted? 66 But why, I would answer, do "the sufferings of this present 1 Micah vi., 9. a Ps. xxxviii., 4. 2 Isai. xxxii., 7. time" assume so very fearful an aspect? They are not in themselves intolerable evils, they are not of necessity permanent evils. They are certainly grievous, but they are presently profitable. They are assuredly burdensome, but they are eventually not too heavy to bear. The real truth is, that our hardened hearts make us so much in love with sin, that we cannot part with it, even for a season, without regret. The world is our god and idol, worldly things are our treasures, "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life'," are our highest objects of interest; and hence, when these are altogether wrested from us, or for a season put out of our sight, nothing seems so grievous. The chief joy is, to all appearance-gone, the great satisfaction of life lost-the chief friend and solace fled. We mourn heavily and will not be comforted; we turn to our former refuge, and find no peace. But in the midst of all this multitude of troubles, grace springs up, and strengthens the hands, and lightens the heart. A gracious and omnipotent influence entirely changes the purpose, and awakens the spirit; and it is soon seen that "the sufferings of this present time" have come from God, and that he has sent them to reclaim a sinner or try a servant, and that one or other of these purposes is always the end of suffering, and that now is the time to repent and amend, now the time to endure and overcome. How frivolous and valueless does the world then appear-how weak and contemptible the flesh-how completely sunk into insignificance all the things once prized and coveted! Sin becomes identified with suffering-judgment and eternity rear their awful forms amid the ruins of former pleasures-labour for the world is felt to be labour lost; and while the heart is thus musing over its sufferings and the sources of its sufferings, a gracious and merciful Saviour rends the vail in twain which interposes between God and the soul, and offers his highest hopes and sweetest promises to him who has wandered from the fold. Then, in particular, do "the sufferings of this present time" begin to appear joyous; peace seems to follow in their train; righteousness to be their first and fairest work; glory their great and good reward. How readily does the soul, smarting under a sense of sin, fearful of judgment, hopeful in a Saviour, longing for the grace of God, admit the force of the Apostle's declaration, and with him freely acknowledge, that "the sufferings of this present time 11 John ii., 16. are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." And although the glory is yet far off, and "the sufferings of this present time" may come again, although the creature must still occasionally "groan, being burdened',” and wait for the future "manifestation of the sons of God,"-although there must ever be an 66 earnest expectation,” ever a 66 bondage of corruption,"-still must "the glory which shall be revealed in us" and "the glorious liberty of the children of God," be, when it comes, a most sufficient counterbalance for all. How very profitable, then, may this doctrine be made to us. Sufferings, most probably, we have had already. Did they awaken us, if sleeping-strengthen us, if wavering-prove us, if faithful? And now that they are gone, do they continue to bring forth in us the fruits, of which, in the day of visitation, they had so plentifully and seasonably sown the seed? Sufferings doubtless we shall have again. Will they find us wiser, humbler, holier, on account of those we have had already,—or fruitful only in promises, and fruitful in nothing else? Sufferings perchance some of us may even now experience. Does "the glory which shall be revealed in us" hereafter, if we can only continue faithful unto the end, tend to sanctify those sufferings-lighten them -turn them both to profitable and permanent account? Or does "the glory which shall be revealed in us," through our weak faith or hardened hearts, seem unequal to the task of working in our souls, "the peaceable fruit of righteousness"? Has such been the effect of past, shall such be the effect of present and future sufferings? In order to bring ourselves into a right way of thinking upon this subject, let us now ponder long upon the excellency of “the glory which shall be revealed in us," a glory which may well quicken our slow faith and sinking spirits; for, although unseen, it is not uncertain. It is a glory which at present is enveloped in mystery and waits at a distance, but it has been assured to us beyond a doubt by the blood, the righteousness, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And of what little consequence will any present sufferings hereafter appear, how will they fall into insignificance as sufferings, and rise into importance as means of grace, as means of making us meet, through faith, for salvation, when "the glory which shall be revealed in us" is that on which we have set our affections, and has actually come. May Jesus, who, "for the joy that was set before him, 2 Heb. xii., 11. 1 2 Cor. v., 4. endured the cross, despising the shame'," and the Spirit which now worketh in the souls of the afflicted, and worketh in them still, even after the affliction has come to an end, "after that we have suffered a while," most effectually "stablish, strengthen, settle us," and "as the sufferings of Christ have abounded in us," so eventually make our consolation also to abound by Christ3. THE FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. THE EPISTLE. 1 St. Peter iii., 8 to 15. 8 Be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: 9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. 10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile; 11 Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. 13 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? 14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. In this portion of Scripture promises and precepts are so mercifully blended, that we cannot fail, unless very hardened and far gone from original righteousness, to derive much encouragement from it. And herein is the Gospel, as a whole, to be most mainly distinguished from the Law, inasmuch as it gives much more prominence, at all times, to those attributes of God which constrain the affections, than to those which awaken the fears of the sinner. In the Law there is much to perplex and terrify, in the Gospel much to persuade and attract; and at the same time the Gospel, if it fails in its power to "draw with the bands of love," can have recourse to its mightiest engine, the wrath of an avenging God. And it is also worthy of remark, that the Gospel gives especial prominence and sanction to all the mild and kindly virtues, promotes love between man and man, and makes the disciples of Jesus happy as well as holy. We find, within the short compass of the passage under consideration, 1 Heb. xii., 2. 3 2 Cor. i., 5. 2 1 Pet. v., 10. |