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"How hardly shall they that trust in uncertain riches enter into the kingdom of heaven!"

"Are the consolations of God small with you?" Oh, consider with me this day what are the real consolations of God! You may depend upon it I speak from experience as well as from the knowledge of the word of God. God forbid that I or any other man should show any disrespect to any one because he possesses wealth! It is a sure sign of impiety or ignorance in any man who does so, because "The rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the maker of them all" (Prov. xxii. 2). "He maketh rich and maketh poor: He lifteth up and bringeth low;" and, whatsoever we any of us have in this life, we have it not solely for our own good but for the good of others. The duty I press upon all, whether rich or poor, is consolation in God -how we derive it—how we are nourished by itwhat are its enjoyments-where they begin and where, I was about to say, they end; but, they have no end: they are the fruits of eternal life, and, consequently, belong to that other world to which we are all called.

I must speak of the consolations to be derived from the Gospel :

Oh, what are we without these? What, indeed! -miserable, wretched beings, living without comfort, and dying with the fear of condemnation before our eyes! Oh, that God may be pleased of His infinite mercy only to let you see the difference between the consolations to be derived from the doctrine of the life to come, compared with that which now is. If God should vouchsafe to you such mercy, you will soon perceive with the apostle that," If in

this life only you have hope, you are of all men most miserable!" What a lamentable picture is it to see souls miserable on account of not possessing more in this life! Yet, how many miserable wretches are there in every class who pine day after day, night after night, year after year incessantly, for the meat that perisheth-who sigh after mammon-who are cast down by every little reverse of fortune, and buoyed up again by its return: ever fluctuating, their souls know no enjoyment but according to their possessions, or according to the means of purchasing the pleasures of this life!

Wretched beings! What consolation can they derive from the word of God? Never thankful for what they have-ever desiring more for themselves -to be deprived of what they have is death: they sink under it-they groan under it; and the loss of the soul—the sense of obligation of duty to Godof being contented with what He has bestowed, is not to be conveyed to their minds. They are the most miserable spectacles of human woe, fulfilling the language of Scripture, that "the sorrow of the world worketh death." The consolations of God are small with them. God forbid they should be so with you! I would earnestly exhort you to make them the great study of your lives-the only one which can give you never-ending pleasure-the consolations which are in Christ Jesus-" Come unto me all that labour and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you!"

The first subject which naturally presents itself to you at the review of our text is the person to whom these words were spoken-the time when they were broken-and the purpose for which they were

uttered. I take them as uttered for us all, more particularly for Christians, because our consolations ought to be great, indeed. I fear, however, that with too many of us the searching question put to Job may be more appropriately put to ourselves. If I were to ask any individual, "Are the consolations of God small with thee?"who is that man with his heart so undivided as to reply to me honestly and truly, "I have no consolation but in God." Brother, brother, think of this again! Would to God thou couldest honestly say it again; but thou wilt say, "I am afraid that the consolations of God are, indeed, too small with me."

I would rather that you should say this, because then I should hope you had a desire they should become greater, the which may God of His infinite mercy grant they may be, in His Son Jesus Christ. The afflicted Job was in such a state of misery that those who came to comfort him thought that God had cast him off, and was then punishing him for his sins. They, consequently, put this question to him" Are the consolations of God small with thee?" His speech, in his integrity, seemed something contrary to true wisdom in their eyes. They argue with him, therefore, and say "Should a wise man utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind? Should he reason with unprofitable talk, with speeches wherewith he can do no good? Yea, thou castest off fear, and restrainest prayer before God. For thy mouth uttereth iniquity, and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty. Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I : yea, thine own lips testify against thee. Are the consolations of God small with thee?"

Now to Job, who knew the wisdom of God, even that His Redeemer lived and would come to this earth and be his salvation, this was miserable comfort to be thus addressed; but they who spoke to him knew not the same wisdom. Wise men they were, and good men, too, according to the common acceptation of the term, and religious men, after the ways of their fathers and elders: for they said to Job, by way of contempt for his new kind of wisdom and reasoning, "Art thou the first man that was born? Or wast thou made before the hills? Hast thou heard the secret of God? And dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself? What knowest thou that we know not? What understandest thou which is not in us? With us, are both the grey-headed and very aged men, much older than thy father? Are the consolations of God small with thee?"

Now, we can hardly suppose Job's three friends to have been bad men, or they would not have come with the friendly intention of condoling with him in his affliction; and yet you will find that God was angry with them, because they did not speak the thing that was right with Him, as Job did. And why, indeed? Because, with all their reasoning, they knew not that the only consolation for an afflicted soul is that which Job found in the knowledge of his Redeemer.

And this brings me to the point I wish to impress upon you all-that the Wisdom of God is the Word of God, which for our consolation became incarnate, and thereby brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel.

You cannot read the book of Job with profit unless you look to your Redeemer. Genesis has no

consolation without Christ-neither Exodus, Leviticus, nor Deuteronomy-in fact, neither Moses nor the Prophets, the Psalms nor the Proverbs, without you can clearly see that they one and all point to Christ! In Him, and Him only, are the consolations of God to man; and, accordingly as we esteem Him, so through every day of our lives are our consolations great or small. "Are the consolations of God small with you?" If they are, you cannot properly know Christ Jesus your Saviour: you may, like Job's comforters, have much wisdom according to the tradition of the ancients; but in vain do you worship God, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men.

There is now no consolation for any man, let his trials be what they may, except he rightly believe in the Lord his God, and derive all his present hopes and cherish all his future consolations from the rock of His salvation. Oh! put then your trust in the Lord your God! Alas! how many are there who would gladly sow if they could reap the consolations of Job.

I have dedicated these "Addresses " to you, suffering young men, with the hope that God will give you understanding, before it be too late, for you to return unto the Lord your God. Jesus Christ is called the "Consolation of Israel;" and if there be any consolation whatever, in Him must we all look for it. Let me advise you to keep your Sabbath day holy; to read your Bibles attentively; and, with prayer, resolve to be constant to your Church, that those who are not may see your good examples and you be blameless. I am jealous over you-I trust with a godly jealousy-because I would have you

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