he abounds in the delightful exercise of that living hope, which is founded upon the living Redeemer, and which hath for its object, the eternal enjoyment of the living God, the more lively and cheerful, will he be, in all spiritual exercise, and holy obedience. When he reflects that his great Redeemer hath, in his love, and in his pity, delivered him from the greatest of all troubles, and restored to him the joy of his salvation; he is encouraged, yea, and sweetly constrained, to expect from such a Saviour, the greatest blessedness, the highest felicity, of which his nature will, through all eternity, be capable.

He

14. One end which the Lord may have to accomplish, by inflicting spiritual trouble upon some, is, the instruction of others of his children. seemeth, in his adorable sovereignty and infinite wisdom, to have resolved, that some of his redeemed should be afflicted with inward, as well as with outward troubles, for the instruction of the rest. By subjecting some, to that most painful discipline, he appears to have determined that others of them, shall thereby learn, the exceeding sinfulness of their own unbelief and other sins; the necessity of trusting simply, cordially, and at all times, in the Lord Jesus, for sanctifying grace; the unspeakable importance of holy comfort, and of constant reliance upon Christ, for the countinuance, and in-crease of it; and the duty of being more thankful to him, for the peace of conscience which they enjoy, as well as of being more circumspect, and more solicitous not to provoke his displeasure. Spiritual trouble seems peculiarly adapted, as an instrument, to convey spiritual and holy instruc

tion, to the minds of all who believe. Accordingly, the thirty-second, forty-second, and eighty-eighth, Psalms, in which, mental trouble is described, are,· each of them, entitled MASCHIL, which signifies, Giving instruction.

t

15. Another design which God may have, in afflicting many of the saints for a season, with trou ble and terror of conscience, is, to assure wicked men around them, of a judgment, and of wrath to come. His intention thereby seems to be, to give assurance to unregenerate sinners, and that, by their very senses, that there shall be a future judgment, in which it shall be ill with the wick, ed,“ seeing the reward of his hands, shall be: given him; that, "if the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth; much more the wicked and the sinner;" and that, " if judgment begins at the house of God," inexpressibly dreadful, "shall the end be, of them that obey not the gospel of God 4." The saints, are the objects of Jehovah's immense, and unchangeable love: they are unspeakably precious in his sight, and are kept.by him, as the apple of his eye. They love him supremely, and study sincerely to please and honour him. Jesus Christ their Divine surety, hath fully satisfied his justice, for all their offences: and yet, he afflicteth many of them in this world, with a grievous, and perplexing sense of his anger against them for their sins, and even, with an overwhelming dread of his eternal wrath. Now, may it not be partly the intention of God, by thus afflicting many of his own dear children, to shew to uncon21 Pet. iv. 17.

* Isa. iii. 11.

Prov. xi. 31.

verted sinners, what a dreadful punishment must be inflicted on them, if they still continue impenitent? Hereby, he affords them evident warning of their danger, before it is too late, and gives them repeated opportunities of making, each of them, this reflection: If even God's own children, experience such terror and anguish of soul, when they are only under the mild rod of his fatherly anger, and that, for their salvation; how inconceivably more horrible, and intolerable, will the torment of his enemies, and of me in particular, if I continue but a little longer, an enemy to him, be, when we shall lie, through eternal ages, under the unrelenting strokes of his vindictive wrath, for our destruction!'

16. Lastly, The Lord inflicteth trouble of spirit, upon many of the saints, on purpose to manifest his own glory. To display the glory of God in Christ, is, indeed, the chief and ultimate end of that dispensation, to which, every other end is subordinate. His chief design in inflicting spiritual trouble, is, the manifestation of the infinitely glorious perfections of his nature. Next to that unparalleled display of the glory of his attributes, which hath been made in the sufferings of Christ, their Covenant-head; is, perhaps, the display of it, which is afforded in the sufferings, especially in the mental sufferings, of the members of his mystical body. The glory of his manifold wisdom, shineth illustriously, in devising those circumstances of their mental trouble, which are, of all others, the fittest for subserving the designs of his grace in their sanctification; the glory also of his infinite power, both in supporting them under that great

est of all afflictions, and then, in delivering them from it; the glory of his holiness, in hiding his face from them, and in laying them, on account of their sins, under dreadful impressions of his anger, even though they still continue to be the objects of his redeeming love; the glory of his justice, in raising them to the full enjoyment of the salvation purchased for them, even by discipline, the most painful, rather than suffering them to come short of it; the glory of his love, grace, and mercy, in dispensing, whenever it is needful, temporary trouble, in order to prevent that eternal torment which they deserve, in mitigating that trouble, and in deliver ing them from it, as soon as the ends of inflicting it are served; the glory of his faithfulness, in performing the promise of that kind of paternal chastisement, which is the most grievous, rather than leave a single promise, unperformed to them; and, the glory of his sovereignty, in thus afflicting, for their good, whomsoever, whensoever, and in what degree soever, he pleaseth. He displays the glory of his infinite sovereignty, by dispensing to his people, trouble and comfort, sorrow and gladness, just as it pleases him. Upon that ground, Elihu vindicated the Lord's afflicting of Job, with out questioning, as Job's other three friends had done, his integrity. "I will answer thee," says he," that God is greater than man. Why dost thou strive against him? for he giveth not account of any of his matters 2." By inflicting mental trouble on some of his saints, the Most High sheweth them, and others around them, what he

a Job xxxiii. 12, 13.

could do with them, if he would. By so doing, he maketh it manifest that it is HE, "who formeth the light, and createth darkness; who maketh peace, and createth evil b." He thereby makes them deeply sensible, that all their comforts, whether outward or inward, depend as entirely on His sovereign pleasure, as their election and regeneration did.

FROM what has here been said, disconsolate believers may see that, the Lord never withholds sensible comfort from them, but when his doing so, is for their good, in subservience to his own glory. Although the loss of spiritual consolation, and the trouble of mind which ensues, are in themselves, discouragements from holy practice, and even obstructions to it; yet, the Lord hath appointed that many of the saints, shall sometimes be afflicted with these, in order that they may in his hand, subserve the designs of his grace, in their sanctifieation and salvation. Were believers always alike: were they continually in a lively franie: could they invariably exercise ardent love, and sensible joy; they would begin to think that, the power to do so, was inherent, and that it was in a great measure, their own. But when, by means

they are made deeply

of their want of consolation, sensible that, of themselves they can do nothing, and that, they need to depend continually on Christ, for supplies from his fulness; they are hereby prepared to glorify him, both by trusting in him, and by advancing in conformity to him.