Though faint my prayers, and cold my love, My stedfast hope shall not remove, Against me earth and hell combine; In connection with Heb. iv. 14-16. we may say: When gathering clouds around I view, If wounded love my bosom swell, When vexing thoughts within me rise, Shall sweetly soothe, shall gently dry, And O! when I have safely past John xi. 35, suggests particular consolations under bereavements : When sorrowing, o'er some stone I bend Which covers all that was a friend, That Saviour sees the tears I shed, And at such times we should particularly consider the whole passage, 1 Thess. iv. 13-18, which is more especially intended for our direction and consolation under such circumstances.] Is not the Spirit promised as a Comforter? "I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of Truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." John xiv. 16-18. "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth, which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of me." John xv. 26. "Nevertheless, I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you." John xvi. 7. [Consider here both the infinite glory and dignity of the blessed Comforter, and the manner in which He discharges His gracious office. He is the Eternal God, one with the Father and the Son; and He comforts us by testifying of Christ,—by taking of the things which are His and showing them to us. John xvi. 14. Out of mere love and grace He condescends to dwell in us and comfort us,-poor sinners as we are, and wandering through a vale of tears. How earnestly then should we invite His visits, how thankfully receive them !—how gladly and carefully should we cherish and obey His godly motions !-how should we watch and pray, lest by any means we should grieve the Holy Spirit, and tempt Him to withdraw the comforts of his presence! Ephes. iv. 30. If affliction comes upon us, which is more particularly of an inward and spiritual nature, we should immediately inquire, Wherein have we grieved the Spirit, and provoked Him to withdraw His blessed influences? This is often done by resisting reiterated solicitations to duty, to which He has stirred up our consciences,or by shutting out and despising that glorious revelation of the fulness of Christ to our souls, which is His special work, and the source of all genuine Evangelical consolation.] [When the soul has somewhat tasted the sweetness of the foregoing considerations, and is in some measure brought to repose in Christ, we may then proceed to consider more especially the true nature and scriptural view of affliction; and the holy ends and purposes which it is designed to answer.] Is not this the portion of God's people? "For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons." Heb. xii. 6-8. Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction and of patience. |