Underneath are the everlasting arms.... Deut. xxxiii. 27. IT is storied of Anteus, that every time Hercules threw him to the ground, he rose up the stronger; for he got new strength by touching his mother, the earth. This is true of the christian: the more he is assaulted and thrown down by the enemy, he falls into the Lord's everlasting arms and gets fresh strength: he cannot be thrown, down lower than God suffers: for "underneath are God's everlasting arms." His word is full of grace, his arms almighty, his love everlasting. Here is the wisdom, here the glory of the Lord's people, to look from themselves, to go out of themselves for safety and salvation. For they rest upon God's word: they believe the Lord to be all that to them which he has said. This is living by faith; honoring the Lord's truth; glorifying the Saviour's name. Why are we told? "Underneath are the everlasting arms." Because we know and see ourselves deserving of hell, and liable to fall into the pit of destruction. Therefore the Lord would have our hearts strong in him, and in the power of his might, that we might not fear the face of any enemy, nor be dismayed under the sense of our own vileness and insufficiency to stand. The spouse of Christ thus sweetly expresses her comfort and safety, "His left hand is under my head: his right hand doth embrace me."....Cant. ii. 6. Signifying that she was encircled in the arms of her loving Saviour: both hands were engaged for her safety and support. O drooping believer! Why dost thou hang down thy head? Why those dejecting doubts and distressing fears? Look back to the everlasting covenant: there everlasting love presided. Then wast thou viewed, and thy case provided for. Look up, there sits a God of love on a throne of grace; there stands thy blessed advocate, Jesus, ever pleading thy Look underneath, there are the everlasting arms to sustain and support thee. What power then shall prevail against thee? Neither sin, death or hell, can snatch thee out of the everlasting arms of thy almighty God, thy reconciled Father: out of the loving arms of thy gracious Redeemer: out of the powerful arms of the Holy Ghost, thy sanctifier. Everlasting safety is in everlasting arms. Here is a covenant declaration. Exercise the covenant grace of faith upon this text. to him in distress. joice in thy safety. cause. 1st. "The eternal God is thy refuge." Flee 2d. His everlasting arms are underneath. Re3d. He will thrust out every enemy before thee, and speak destruction to them. Happy art thou, O believer! Who is like unto thee, saved by thy O Lord, I bless thee for thy word, Lord? Keep thy heart with all diligence....Prov. iv. 23. CAMDEN reports, that "Redwald king of the East-Saxons, the first prince of this nation who was baptized, yet in the same church allowed an altar for Christ, and another for the heathen idols." How many professors imitate him. Their hearts are not whole with Christ: they are sons of folly. This is a charge of wisdom to all her children: consider there is but one object can make your heart happy; there are a thousand that promise happiness, but only give misery keep thy heart in (the sense of) the love of God....Jude, 21. Give all diligence to this blessed end: unless you do, vanity may prevail in the mind, error in the understanding, perverseness in the will, the affections may be inordinately set upon other objects than thy Lord, and so thy conscience will contract fresh guilt. Then thou mayest be left to bemoan a hard heart and an absent God: darkness may surround thee; fears and terrors haunt thee; the ghosts of long-departed sins may arise and distress thee; the prospect of death and eternity appear horrible to thee; the day of judgment most dreadful, while satan triumphs over thee, with, ther e, there, so would I have it.' Then may thy heart upbraid thee, all this is come upon thee because thou wast not diligent to watch its motions, to keep out the enemy, and to keep up sweet communion and holy fellowship with thy best friend, thy loving Saviour. O, say not with some, (who have more of the notion of christianity in the head than the experience of it in the heart), Why all this legal stuff about keeping the heart? Hath not the Lord said, "I will keep it night and day, lest any hurt it?"....Isa. xxvii. 3. Yes, blessed be his name, he has. Would you therefore abuse his love? Behold I shew you a mystery. But it is the mystery of iniquity, which works in such, causing them to oppose the declarations and promises of the Lord, to his commands and exhortations: the former are taken up as a plea for such cursed, corrupt notions. Because you depend on the Lord's providence for preservation, would you be careless of the doors of your house, and not use diligence and care to keep out thieves? Lord stir up my soul to give all diligence. Though, not for our diligence we shall be saved, yet, in a way of diligence, we shall escape many snares and evils, and enjoy safety and comfort: "The soul of the diligent shall be made fat."....Prov. xiii. 4. Such shall feed upon heavenly truth, grace and love; their souls shall prosper and be in good health; while careless triflers with God and their own souls, shall go to rest with dejection, rise with distress, and live in awful suspence. No peace of soul, no joy of heart, Then, O my soul, would'st thou enjoy M. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, be strong, fear not....Isa. xxxv. 4. : MIND the title to this chapter: "The flourishing of Christ's kingdom." What! And yet fearful hearts in it? What sort of disciples are these? There ever were such in the church. We meet with them daily. Where is the heart which at times is not fearful? Does not stand in need of being strengthened by the word and grace of God? O, says one, I am of a fearful heart: I read my doom: it is to have my part with the unbelieving, the abominable, murderers, &c. in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone....Rev. xxi. 8. Yes this will be the certain portion of all who are so fearful of their good names and fair characters, as to be ashamed of Christ and his gospel, and give them up for the love and fear of this world; but not of such fearful hearts here spoken of. 1st. This sort are rather of "a hasty heart." It discovers its state by its beating, as the pulse do the disorders of the body. It beats quick it trembles: it fears the face of its enemies: it dreads destruction from them. 2d. Such a hasty heart is precipitate and inconsiderate: because it does not know so clearly nor enjoy so comfortably the grace of Christ as others do, it is hasty in writing bitter things against itself, and drawing black conclusions of its state: such an one says, “I am fearful I am not one of the elect; not a believer in Christ; am not sanctified by his Spirit; shall at last turn out a hypocrite, and bring a scandal upon Christ and his gospel." Such fears are of a godly nature; they spring from godly jealously. Such are Christ's tender lambs and timorous sheep: therefore, he commands his ministers to say to such, "be strong." Though your strength is perfect weakness, and your enemies powerful and innumerable, yet....what? Be strong in confidence, in the Lord's word of grace and truth: in the belief of his promises: "fear not:" banish your fears: hear your Lord, look to him: "behold your God:" the God of fearful hearts and trembling spirits. Your God in flesh, "will come with vengeance," against all your enemies, even God "with a recompence." His reward is with him. Nothing but love is in his heart; his lips speak nothing but grace and truth to fearful hearts and trembling souls: "He will come and save you." Believe this: bless him for this: trust him for this: rejoice in him for this: wait upon him for this. Be assured of this, "The LORD is a God of judgment; blessed are all they that wait for him."....Isa. xxx. 18. Though fearful is my heart, Be strong in faith, my soul, Who can thy fiercest foes controul : M. All my springs are in thee....Psalm 1xxxvii. 7. : PHILOSOPHERS, who know not God, who doth all things by his power, talk of an occult quality in nature; a certain something, which they can neither explain nor account for, but which doth wonders. Just as darkly do many speak of a light within, which if they are obedient to, and do not resist, will guide and sanctify them but they manifest that it is not a divine light, for it teaches them to slight and reject divine revelation. This is Deism. But the heavenlytaught soul speaks as the oracles of God: he confesses Christ dwells in his heart by faith, and says, O Jesu, "all my springs are in thee;" thou art that spring which puts and keeps my soul in spiritual motion. We see the vibration of the balance of a watch; we know its motion is from the main-spring, and the union it has with it. Stop, say the sons of pride, compare not man to a machine: truly, he is worse than a good machine, in good order; verily, he is naturally like a bad machine, out of order; for satan has dominion over him, rules in him, and works upon him, according to his power....Eph. ii. 2. O, omnipotent Lord, it is by thy heavenly skill our souls "are created in Christ Jesus, unto good works. We are thy workmanship."....Eph. ii. 10. 1st. Hence springs the good work of humility in the soul. I have no spring in myself, in my own free-will; no inherent righteousness, power, wisdom or goodness: I can draw no waters of consolation to refresh my soul, from any thing I am in myself, or can do for myself: I could as soon find a spring of water in a hot, dry, sandy desart, as in myself. Hence, with David, "I am in a dry and thirsty land where no water is."....Psalm lxiii. 1. But, 2d. Here is the joyful claim of faith, "ALL MY springs are in thee." O Jesu, when I find my soul dry, and parched with burning lusts, fiery darts from satan, scorching temptations from the world: the springs of thy love, the streams of thy grace, the fountain of thy blood, my Lord and my God, cool, refresh, and comfort my soul. Dear Lord, thou hast cried, "If any man thrist, let him come unto ME and drink."....John vii. 37. O free and precious invitation! I thank thee, Lord, for it, and for the thirsting my soul has towards thee. Glory to thee, I do believe on thee. Thou hast said, I shall never thirst after any other but thee, for salvation....John vi. 35. "For it pleased the Father, that in thee all fulness should dwell.” ....Col. i. 19. I acquiesce in it: I rejoice at it: "O Lord, I will praise thee, though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away and thou comfortedst me."....Isa. xii. 1. Lo, this is the man who made not God his strength.... Psalm lii. 7. THE CHURCH TO BELIEVE HIS THE following fact I had from my late beloved friend, and faithful minister of Christ, Mr. Jones. A poor infidel deist had conceived a strange notion, that men need not die unless they would. Upon his death-bed he affected to be resolute and bid God defiance. In his last moments he sprang up, gnashed with his teeth, and with looks of horror cried out, "God, I will not die." With these words he expired. O the fearful death of the ungodly, who make not God their strength! O the joyful end of the righteous, whose strength is in the Lord! They have hope in their death; for they make God their strength in their life. What can a vile sinner do to make God his friend? Where is the impotent sinner who can make God his strength? What meaneth this? Why, God is that to every poor sinner which the word reveals him and faith takes him to be. Consider this. You say, I am a weak, needy creature. What saith the Lord? "Let him take hold of my strength."....Isa. xxvii. 5. "Thou hast been a strength to the poor; a strength to the needy in his distress." Isa. xxv. 4. Again, in that sweet 52nd. chapter, the title of which runs thus, CHRIST PERSUADETH FREE REDEMPTION, the Lord calls upon poor and needy sinners, "Awake, awake, put on thy strength."....ver. 1. Now hence, for the encouragement of our hearts and to the joy of our souls, we see, that the Lord is the strength of that soul who believes in him, chooses him, takes and receives him as such. Faith is the hand that takes hold of God's strength. Faith claims God as the strength of the poor and needy, And, because our poor hearts are apt to grow heavy and sleepy, neglect and forget the strength of our heart and our portion, lo, he crieth to us with a mighty voice, “AWAKE, AWAKE."....Jer. xvii. Lift up your eyes: look unto me, who," when ye were without strength, in due time died for the ungodly."....Rom. v. 6. PUT ON THY STRENGTH, Thou hast no inherent strength. Know thy strength is perfect weakness. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ he is "the Lord Jehovah, in whom is everlasting strength." ....Isa. xxvi. 4. Learn daily that blessed art, to say with St. Paul, "When I am weak, then am I strong."....2 Cor. xii. 10. The Lord commands you, "Let the weak say, I am strong."....Joel iii. 10. "Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might."....Eph. vi. 10. God born and living here on earth, Hold fast this truth in faith, my soul, To faith and joy and peace gives birth, This will thy pow'rs in love controul, And all our sorrows drown. 'Till Christ again appear, M. |