which shall not be over-ruled for my glory. The devil will stir up against you all his vassals; and they will lend themselves to him, as willing instruments to destroy you. But I will limit all their efforts; so that they shall not be able to effect any thing beyond what I will enable you to bear, and over-rule for your good.' To this precise effect he speaks to all his Church by the Prophet Isaiah: "Behold, they shall gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake. (Thou art afraid of the weapons which they are now forming for thy destruction: but) Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. (The very strength he is exerting, he derives from me: and I tell thee, that) No weapon that is formed against thee shall prospers."] 2. The interest I take in thy welfare ["For thee I died; and for thee I live." It was altogether for the purpose of expiating thy guilt, that I assumed thy nature, and expired upon the cross: and it was in order to carry on and perfect thy salvation, that I rose from the dead, and ascended to heaven; where now I live, as thine advocate and intercessor; yea, and live too as the head over all things, that I may accomplish, both in thee and for thee, all that thy necessities require. Reflect on this; and then say, whether, "having myself suffered, being temped, I am not disposed to succour my tempted people";" and whether, having "all power committed to me in heaven and in earth," "I will suffer any to pluck thee out of my handi?" Are not my death and resurrection a sufficient pledge to you, that " none shall ever separate you from my lovek?" Place, then, your confidence in me; and know, that, however your enemies may look upon you as "sheep appointed for the slaughter," you shall, through me, be " more than conquerors over all1."] 3. The honour and happiness that await thee [Thou art "predestinated by my Father to be conformed to my imagem." Behold me, then, "as dying, and as yet alive;" yea, as living for ever at the right hand of God. This is the process that is prepared for thee. Whether thou be carried to death, or only to prison, it shall be equally a step to thine advancement to the very throne which I now occupy. Only "suffer with me, and thou shalt surely reign with me", and "be glorified together"." And, when thou seest how "I have endured the cross and despised the shame, and am set Isai. liv. 15-17. k Rom. viii. 34, 35. n 2 Tim. ii. 12. h Heb. ii. 18. 1 Rom. viii. 36, 37. i John x. 28. m Rom. viii. 29. down at the right hand of God"," wilt thou be afraid or ashamed to follow me? Look at the noble army of martyrs, who "loved not their lives unto death :" see them before the throne of God, and inquire how they came there. And my angel shall inform thee, "These all came out of great tribulation, and washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb: therefore are they before the throne of God." Be thou, then, a follower of them, even of those who through faith and patience now inherit the promises. Thou seest how I have recompensed their fidelity; and to thee I say, "Be thou faithful unto death; and I will give thee a crown of life.""] As a fit IMPROVEMENT of this subject, learn, my brethren 1. To contemplate and to estimate the character of Christ [In circumstances of trial, we are too apt to contemplate only the power of our adversaries, or our own weakness; whereas we should look chiefly, if not exclusively, to Him who reigns on high, and orders every thing according to his own sovereign will and pleasure. For thus saith the Lord: "Say ye not, A confederacy,' to all those to whom this people shall say, A confederacy;' neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid but sanctify the Lord of Hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread; and he shall be to you for a sanctuary." To act otherwise, is folly in the extreme. "Who art thou, that art afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man that shall be as grass; and forgettest the Lord thy Makert?" Only have worthy thoughts of thy Lord and Saviour, and thou mayest defy all the efforts that either men or devils can make against thee ".] 2. To avail yourselves of his promised aid and support [He tells you, "I will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on me, because he trusteth in mex" See how David was kept; and how Paul, and thousands of others who have trusted in hima: and will not his grace be alike sufficient for you? Be it so, "You are weak. Then his strength shall be the more glorified in your weakness." But you are a mere worm." Still fear not; for "though a worm, thou shalt thresh the mountains." But thou canst do nothing. Then a Rev. vii. 14, 15. s Isai. viii. 12-14. t Isai. li. 12, 13. P Heb. xii. 2. x Isai. xxvi. 3. y Ps. xi. 1-4. Cite this. r ver. 10. u Isai. 1. 7-9. a Heb. xiii. 5, 6. Cite the whole of this. trust in Him; and he will do all things. For this is his word to every believing soul; "Fear not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, 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 righteousness d."] Rev. ii. 9, 10. I know thy works and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. THIS Church stands highly honoured amongst those to which the epistles were written: for no fault was found in them, nor any ground of complaint so much as intimated to them. Our Lord's address to them is altogether laudatory and encouraging. That we may enter into it more fully, let us consider, I. His testimony respecting them In common with all the other Churches, he says to them, "I know thy works :" and then, in reference to their conduct, he gives his testimony, 1. In a way of direct affirmation ["I know thy tribulation, and thy poverty: but thou art rich." Doubtless their sufferings had been great; for they had been reduced to the most abject "poverty," and were utterly destitute of all the comforts of life. (To interpret this "poverty" as relating in any respect to poverty of spirit, is quite contrary to the whole scope of the passage: for poverty of spirit, so far from standing in opposition to true riches, is itself the truest riches.) But, in the midst of all their distress, our Lord, whose judgment is altogether according to truth, declared them to be "rich." For, first, they possessed faith, as the principle of all their obedience, and as the root of all their other graces. And could they, when possessing so inestimable a gift, be called poor? No; they possessed that which was of more worth than the whole world. It was truly a "precious faith," "more precious than gold," yea, than much fine gold. Next, they enjoyed the favour of their God. "As believers in Christ, they could not but have peace with God." Granting, then, that they had not a place where to lay their head, as far as it respected this world, could they be poor who were privileged to repose their souls in the bosom of their God? They poor, with all their sins forgiven, and their names recorded in the book of life! Abhorred be the thought! If they were even dying with hunger and thirst, they were truly rich. Further, they enjoyed peace in their own souls. Who can estimate to its full amount, the blessedness of having the testimony of our own conscience, that we are serving God aright? St. Paul himself reports it to have been to him a source of the sublimest joy: and to call a man poor when possessed of that, would be to betray an utter ignorance of "the true riches." Moreover, in addition to all their present happiness, they were authorized to expect, in the eternal world, "a weight of glory" proportioned to their sufferings. How could their present "afflictions appear any other than light and momentary," when they were the means of opening to their view such a prospect as this? What! poor with such "an inheritance-an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and never-fading, reserved for them in heaven; and they themselves reserved by God for it!" No: they were "rich," truly rich, unspeakably rich; rich in possession, and in rever sion too. 2. In a way of most striking contrast [There were among them "some who said they were Jews, but were not; but rather were the synagogue of Satan." Whether these were Jews zealous for the law of Moses, or Christians who confounded Judaism with Christianity, we do not certainly know. The unbelieving Jews were bitter persecutors; and were ever ready to accuse even our Lord himself of blasphemy, because he called himself the Son of God, and arrogated to himself a power to forgive sins. St. Paul, previous to his conversion, may be taken as a sample of Jewish bigotry, and of the envenomed malice with which they persecuted the Church of God". He thought indeed, at the time, that he was 66 doing God servicei:" but when he came to have b Rom. v. 1. d Luke xvi. 11. e 2 Cor. iv. 17, 18. Matt. ix. 3. John x. 36. Matt. xxvi. 65. a 2 Pet. i. 1. and 1 Pet. i. 7. e 2 Cor. i. 12. f 1 Pet. i. 4, 5. h Acts ix. 1, 2. and xxvi. 10, 11. i Acts xxvi. 9. with John xvi. 2. an insight into his true character, he saw that " He was the blasphemer; and not they, whom he so injuriously persecuted." But it is more probable that the persons here spoken of were by profession Christians: for the terms "Jew" and "Israel" are often used as designating the people of God, even under the New-Testament dispensation'. If there were lewd idolatrous Balaamites and Nicolaitanes among the churches, we may well suppose that there were also Judaizing Christians, who blended the Law with the Gospel, and utterly subverted the Gospel of Christ. Such persons, even "if they had been angels from heaven, were to be held accursed," as being, under a pretence of zeal for Moses, the most specious and successful agents of the devilm. Now these persons "said they were Jews," and valued themselves highly on their zeal; and were quite "rich" in their own estimation; whilst they held in utter contempt their poor suffering fellow-Christians, who endured so much tribulation for their adherence to Christ. But, however different was the outward aspect of these two parties, their real state was the very reverse of that which it appeared to be: these latter, in the midst of all their outward prosperity were poor; but the former, in the midst of all their poverty, were rich. Thus did our Lord's testimony exactly accord with what had been before declared by the Apostle Paul; who, "though poor, made many rich; and having nothing, yet possessed all things "."] Suited to this state was, II. The encouragement he gave them— They had already suffered much; and were about to suffer more for their Saviour's sake. And, as we observed in our last discourse, our blessed Lord sought, in this epistle, to arm them against their impending trials, and to strengthen them for their future conflicts. For this end, he assures them, 1. That their trials were all limited [Satan is the great adversary of Christ and his Church. Men are his instruments and agents (willing agents, no doubt): and in all they do, they do it as instigated by him: for it is "he who worketh in all the children of disobedience." But in all that he attempts, he is restrained by our adorable Lord, who suffers him to proceed only to such an extent as shall eventually subserve the welfare of those whom he is seeking * 1 Tim. i. 13. 1 Rom. ii. 29. and ix. 6. m Gal. i. 7-9. 2 Cor. xi. 13-15. n 2 Cor. vi. 10. |