liars." The prophets have all deceived me, and Samuel has deluded
(2.) Now their fears, doubts, and disputes are apt to rise highest. When the wind rises high, and the sea roars, men are most apt to be afraid, Jonah 2:2-7.
(3.) Now Satan commonly is busiest. Satan loves to fish in troubled waters. When the hand of God is heaviest upon us, then Satan will shoot his most deadly darts at us, Job 2:9; James 1:12. The sons of Jacob fell upon the Shechemites when they were sore, Gen. 34:25; and Amalek fell upon God's Israel and smote them, when they were weak, and feeble, and faint, and weary, Deut. 25:17-19. Just so, Satan falls foul upon Christ, when he was in the wilderness, and when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, and was a-hungry, Mat. 4:1-11. As Satan has dealt with Christ, the head—so he still deals with the members.
(4.) Now unbelief is most turbulent, strong, and mighty in operation, as you may see in the spies, Num. 13:31-33, "But the other men who had explored the land with him answered, "We can't go up against them! They are stronger than we are!" So they spread discouraging reports about the land among the Israelites: "The land we explored will swallow up any who go to live there. All the people we saw were huge. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. We felt like grasshoppers next to them, and that's what we looked like to them!" Just so, 2 Kings 6:33, "This evil is of the Lord; what should I wait for the Lord any longer?" Also, 2 Kings 7:1-2, 1920. Just so, David, in Psalm 116:11, "I said in my haste, all men are liars." The prophets have all deceived me, and Samuel has deluded me, they have told me of a kingdom, a crown—but I shall never wear the one, nor possess the other: so 1 Sam. 27:1, "I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul." Thus his fear is got above his faith, and his soul wherried about with unbelief—to the scandal of the weak, and the scorn of the wicked, besides his own particular disadvantage.
(5.) Now fainting-fits will be most strengthened, increased, and multiplied. Now fainting-fits, like Job's messengers, or like the rolling waves, will come thick one upon another, Proverbs 24:10; Job 4:5; Lam. 1:12-13.
(6.) Now conscience will be most startled and disquieted, Gen. 42:21, and 50:15; 1 Kings 17:18. Great troubles and deep distresses are many times like strong medicine, which stirs the humours and makes the patient sick, very sick, yes, heart-sick. Conscience commonly never reads the soul such sad and serious lectures, as when the rod lies heaviest upon the back.
By all which you see, what high cause the people of God have so to live and conduct themselves, as that they may find the gracious presence of God with them in their greatest troubles, and deepest distresses, for then they will certainly need most of the divine presence. But,
[6.] Sixthly, to exhort all the people of God so to live and conduct themselves, so as to keep the divine presence—so as to keep the special, the singular presence of God with them in their greatest troubles, deepest distresses, and most deadly dangers, consider— this divine presence will make you divinely fearless in the midst of your greatest troubles and deepest distresses. Psalm 23:4, "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil—for you are with me, your rod and your staff they comfort me." Psalm 46:2, "We will not fear though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea." verse 3, "Though the waters thereof roar," etc. Why? "God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, and that right early," verse 5; "The Lord Almighty is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge." verse 7. Num. 14:9, "Neither fear the people, for they
are bread for us, their defense is departed from them, and the Lord is with us; fear them not." Deut. 7:21, "You shall not be affrighted at them, for the Lord your God is among you, a mighty God and dreadful." Heb. 13:5, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you." verse 6, "I will not fear what man shall do unto me."
There is no such way to keep down all base slavish fears of men, as to keep up the presence of God in the midst of you. You will not fear the power of men, nor the policy of men, nor the threats of men, nor the wrath of men—if you do but enjoy this gracious, this special presence of God, which is under our present consideration. Men's fears are never so rampant as when God withdraws his presence from them, 1 Sam. 28:15, 20. But,
[7.] Seventhly, to exhort all the people of God so to live and conduct themselves, so as to keep the divine presence—so as to keep the special, the singular presence of God with them in their greatest troubles, deepest distresses, and most deadly dangers, consider— that there is in God a very great unwillingness to withdraw his presence from his people when they are in great troubles and deep distresses. Ezek. 8:6, "Son of man, do you see what they are doing? Do you see the great sins the people of Israel are doing to drive me from my Temple?" Isaiah 1:2-4, 16, 18; Ezek. 18:31, and 33:11; Jer. 3:13-14. Of all sins, the sin of idolatry drives God farthest off from his sanctuary. When God goes off from a people, he goes not off rashly, he goes not off suddenly—but he goes off gradually; he removes not at once—but by degrees; now a step, and then a step, as Lot did when he lingered in Sodom, Gen. 19:16. Lot was not more reluctant to depart out of Sodom, than God is loath to leave his people. [1 Sam, 4:4; Psalm 8:20; Isaiah 37:16.] He goes first to the threshold: Ezek. 9:3, "And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub whereupon he was to the threshold of
the house." Then over the threshold: 10:4, "Then the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold of the house." Here is a second step. This is the second time of resting, before God departs. The Lord had his ordinary dwelling-place in the holy of holies. Now God's first remove was from the most holy place; his second remove was from the holy place; his third remove was higher towards heaven: verse 19, "And the cherubim lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight, then to the door of the east gate," or foremost gate, "of the Lord's house," to note God's total remove from his house. Then to the midst of the city: Ezek. 11:23, "And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city, and then he stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city." This is God's last stop in his departure, by which is signified that he was willing to make one trial more, to see if the people would, in this present danger, call him back by invitation and lively repentance.
God is greatly troubled when it comes to parting: Hosea 11:8,9 "Oh, how can I give you up, Israel? How can I let you go? How can I destroy you like Admah and Zeboiim? My heart is torn within me, and my compassion overflows! No, I will not punish you as much as my burning anger tells me to. I will not completely destroy Israel, for I am God and not a mere mortal. I am the Holy One living among you, and I will not come to destroy." This is spoken anthropomorphically and not properly, because thoughts and repentance are not incident to God, "who is without all variableness, or shadow of change," James 1:17. The Lord seems here to be at a stand-still, or at strife with himself, about the destruction of this people. Howbeit God, in the affections of his mercy, yearning, and taking pity of his elect among them, spares to lay upon them the extremity of his wrath, and is ready to save them for his mercy's sake. Observe how fatherlike he melts and mourns over them, and how
mercy interposes her four several "hows!" Here are four such heartfelt interrogations as the like are not to be found in the whole book of God, and not to be answered by any but God himself, as indeed he does to each particular in the following words: "My heart is torn within me;" that is the first answer. The second is, "My compassion overflows." The third is, "I will not carry out my fierce anger." The fourth is, "I will not destroy Ephraim." And why? First, "I am God and not a mere mortal;" secondly, "I am the Holy One living among you."
God is very unwilling to break up house, and to leave his people desolate. Now is God so unwilling to withdraw his presence; and shall not we do all what we can to retain him in the midst of us? When dear friends are unwilling to leave us, we are the more earnest in pressing them to stay and abide with us. God is marvelously unwilling to go, and therefore let us, with the church, cry out, "Leave us not!" Jer. 14:9. But,
[8.] Eighthly, to exhort all the people of God so to live and conduct themselves, so as to keep the divine presence—so as to keep the special, the singular presence of God with them in their greatest troubles, deepest distresses, and most deadly dangers, consider— that troubles will be no troubles, distresses will be no distresses, dangers will be no dangers—if you can but secure the presence of God with you. Mountains will be molehills, stabs at the heart will be but as scratches upon the hand— if the divine presence is with you. God's special presence will turn— storms into calms, winter nights into summer days, prisons into palaces, banishments into enlargements. The favorable presence of God will turn—sickness into health, weakness into strength, poverty into plenty, and death into life. It can never be night so long as the sun shines. No afflictions, no trials, can make it night with a
Christian—so long as he enjoys the presence of God with his spirit, 2 Tim. 4:22. That courtier need not complain that this man slights him, and that the other neglects him—who enjoys the delightful presence of his prince. When Samson had the presence of God with him, he made nothing of carrying the gates of the city, with the posts and bars, to the top of a hill, Judges 16:3. Just so, while a Christian enjoys the singular presence of God with him, he will make nothing of this affliction and that affliction, of this trouble and that trouble, of this loss and that loss. This presence makes heavy afflictions light, and long afflictions short, and bitter afflictions sweet, 2 Cor. 4:16-17.
It was this presence that made the martyrs all the great and grievous things that they suffered for Christ's sake and the gospel's sake—to be but light, Heb. 11:33-39. A man in misery, without this gracious presence of God, is in a very hell on this side hell. God's gracious presence makes every condition to be a little heaven to the believing soul. There is nothing, there can be nothing—but heaven, where God is specially present. But,
[9.] Ninthly, to exhort all the people of God so to live and conduct themselves, so as to keep the divine presence—so as to keep the special, the singular presence of God with them in their greatest troubles, deepest distresses, and most deadly dangers, consider— that the worst of men cannot curse or harm you, while you keep the presence of God with you. Num. 23:21, "The Lord his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them." There could be no enchantment against them, for the Lord their God was with them, and the shout of a king was among them, that is, God reigns as a king among them. Hereby also is meant the faith, joy, boldness, courage, and confidence of God's people in their king. As when a king comes among the armies of his people, he is received with joyful shoutings and acclamations, and when he goes forth to battle with