SERMON XVI.

PSALM XLVI. 1.

A VERY PRESENT HELP IN TROUBLE.

It is said of Moses, that he "endured as seeing Him who is invisible." The same may be said of every man who lives the life of faith in this troublesome world. He looks beyond the things that are seen. He fixes his soul on God. That God whom no man hath seen or can see with the eye of sense, the believer contemplates with the vision of faith, and so he walks in communion with the Lord Almighty, realises his presence, and rejoices in his love. And what is the effect of this in his habit of mind? A most blessed peace, a calm and heavenly quiet, a holy stedfastness of spirit, all arising from the consciousness of a near and all-sufficient resource, in the God of his salvation. So he endures, bears up under trial, resists temptation, rises above fear, takes his path of labour or suffering, in patience possessing his soul, because he knows his God, although invisible, is always nigh, and will never fail him in his time of need.

Christian brethren, great indeed are the privileges attached to faith. "Let not your heart

be troubled," said Jesus, for why? "Ye believe in God." Faith in God is the remedy for fear. I pray that you may prove this more and more. And the text I have chosen to-day is one from which I would aim to gather a few reflections which I trust that God will bless to the strengthening of your faith, and so to the increase of your holy peace. What have you in that text? You have a description of what the Lord is to his own. We shall notice,

I. THE INTIMATION GIVEN RESPECTING THE PEOPLE OF GOD, THAT THEY ARE LIABLE TO

TROUBLE.

II. THE FACT AFFIRMED, THAT WHENSOEVER TROUBLE COMES THEY HAVE A HELP, AND THAT THAT HELP IS GOD.

III. We shall observe, THE PECULIAR CHARACTER OF THE HELP THEY HAVE IN HIM: it is a present help: yea, a very present help in time of trouble.

O, that not one of us, beloved brethren, may want the experience of this most blessed truth. May God, for his dear Son's sake, and in his Son, reveal Himself to us, as He doth not unto the world, and cause us to partake of the felicity of his chosen.

I. We remark in our text, AN INTIMATION AS RESPECTS GOD'S PEOPLE, THAT THEY ARE

LIABLE TO TROUBLE.

Favored indeed they are above all men. The Lord hath set his love upon them. He hath chosen them in Christ before the foundation of

the world, a people peculiar to Himself, that they may be holy and without blame before Him in love. Yea, such hath been his grace toward them, that in order to make them his own, He hath sacrificed his Son. He spared not his well beloved, but gave Him to bear the curse of sin, that so He might redeem from death the people of his choice. And then beyond this, He hath in store for them a glorious inheritance with Himself in heaven: they are the very heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ. Happy then indeed, inexpressibly happy they are. None have such favor, none have such honor, none are so privileged as the people of God.

Yet are they born to trouble. It is no part of their privileges to be exempt from trouble. They have like other men, their cares, and losses, and trials, and pains, and a share in all that woe, to which, ever since sin came into the world, the race of man has been exposed. And they have other troubles beside these: troubles altogether of another kind: such troubles as the world knows not of. Their awakened consciences and renewed hearts have cares, and sorrows, and conflicts, all connected with spiritual and eternal interests, which are a cause of deep solicitude, and often of great tribulation to their souls. O, who but a Christian man knows the burden of indwelling sin? the dangers of a vain and evil world? the devices and maliciousness of the devil and his angels? Who but a Christian man knows how hard a thing it is to fight his way to heaven?

Ah, my brethren, if yours is the life of newborn, heaven-born souls, you bear me witness that the child of God is one whose every day is, more or less, a season of trial, vexation, and distress, by reason of the wickedness within him, and around him, and because of the difficulty of keeping himself pure, and living with God, despite the world, the flesh, and the devil, all combined against him. Truly is he forewarned that "it is through much tribulation" he must enter into the kingdom. Christian, you know it well. You feel it every day. And it may be, you have been so troubled, so harassed, so sorely tried with afflictions in God's providence, so grievously tempted by the enemies of your soul, that you are ready to question whether or no you can be indeed a child of God. 'Can I,' you will ask,

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can I be one whom God loves, and yet be so constantly and so variously afflicted?' O, if such be your thought, let me say to you, look again at our text, look throughout every page of God's holy word, and will you not find this continually declared to be the lot of those most dear to Him, that in this world they shall have tribulation. Trouble is appointed them. It is their portion. We do not say they have nothing beside. No, blessed be God, they have abundant consolations, and joy unspeakable. But without trouble, none of them are. God ordains it: it is part of the discipline by which He makes them fit for glory. Had you no trouble of any kind, spiritual or temporal, then might you doubt indeed how you could be of the number of his

children. But now, instead of taking your trials as occasions for doubt, rather regard them as tokens of your adoption. Especially your spiritual distresses, they bear witness to you, above all other, that you are children of God. What do you read of all the saints in glory? "These are they that came out of great tribulation."

Men of the world! You know nothing of these things. You have your outward cares, and distresses; but of the soul's conflict with sin, of the heart's trouble from its own corruption, of sorrows and anxieties connected with your spiritual state, alas, you are ignorant. Too sure a sign that you are dead. A corpse can feel no pain. Dead souls have no cares. best blessing I can ask for you is, that you may be troubled. "Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted."

The

II. We have in our text A FACT AFFIRMED: THAT THE PEOPLE OF GOD, WHEN TROUBled, ARE NOT WITHOUT A HELP, AND THAT THAT HELP IS GOD HIMSELF.

"I am He that comforteth you: so speaks Jehovah to his Church. "Behold the Lord is my helper: so speaks the Church concerning

her God.

But how is the Lord his people's help? Does He save them out of trouble? Remove their trials? Destroy their enemies? Set them free from all disturbing, and distressing circumstances? No we see daily proof to the contrary. We see that if sometimes He takes away