ever. of God, he leaves them to fall, it shall not be for"A just man falleth seven times and riseth up again." Though he fall he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. Even the angels are made ministering spirits to the Church. "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him and delivereth them." In times of the greatest spiritual dearth they shall still be fed. The barrel of meal and the cruise of oil shall still support them while all around are perishing with famine. He who caused waters to break forth from the rock to refresh the thirsty Church, and from the jaw bone to revive the fainting prophet, has said, "When the poor and needy seek water and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them: I will open rivers in high places and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land springs of water." Amidst all the afflictions of life God is never unmindful of his people. "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust." He has this excellent property of a good friend, that he never forsakes his friends in adversity. All other friends may depart, but God will not depart. "When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up." "We have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities." He is sensible of all the sufferings which his members feel, and of every injury and insult which are cast upon them. "He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye." In the process of the last judgment he will treat every injury and every benefit rendered to his members as rendered to himself. He has pronounced a vehement curse upon those who offend one of his little ones, and promises a magnificent reward to those who give only a cup of cold water to them as his disciples. He marks them by the most endearing titles. He calls them friends, he calls them brethren, he calls them his children, he calls them his spouse, he calls them his members, he calls them his body. After borrowing figures from relations like these to express his tenderness to his disciples we shall not be surprised to hear that he acts the part of the kindest shepherd. "He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; he shall gather the lambs with his arm and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young." "They shall not hunger nor thirst, neither shall the heat nor sun smite them; for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them." Under the special care of such a God and Saviour what can the children want? Do they need pardon? they have it. Consolation? they have it. Restraining or sanctifying grace? it is theirs. Do they stand in real need of any worldly good? God is not backward to bestow even that. "He that spared not his own son but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" "The Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee." This sums up the whole matter. Are we in darkness? "the Lord God is a sun." Are we encompassed with enemies? "the Lord God is ashield." "The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it and is safe." Do we want present sanctification or future bliss? "the Lord will give" both "grace and glory." Do we want any other comforts in our way? he will bestow even these: for "no good things will he withhold from them that walk uprightly." The inference from all this is just; "O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee." God will not only confer on his people the present possession of every thing really good, but he will protect them from every thing that would ultimately prove an evil. "There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling." And every thing which does occur shall turn to their benefit. "We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." "All things are yours; whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come, all are yours." We may well exclaim then with the enraptured Psalmist, “O how great is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee, which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men." 4. The experience of all ages has borne testimony to the unfailing faithfulness of God to the Church and to all individuals who put their trust in him. The human race have now been acquainted with their Maker for almost six thousand years, and not one of them has ever found unfaithfulness in him, either towards the Church or towards any of its members. Though many Christians, through unbelief, have been ready to call his faithfulness in question, and to say, The Lord hath forsaken, and my Lord hath forgotten, yet in no instance has the gloomy apprehension been supported, but in every case God has appeared for their relief and convinced them that their jealousy was groundless and unkind. When the Church became reduced to a single family, and the overgrown vices of a wicked generation threatened to swallow it up, report was made in heaven that the Church was in danger, and God came down and drowned the world with a flood. Every thing must give way to the safety of the Church. God revealed to Noah his purpose of drowning the world, and promised him, if he would submit to the scoffs of an unbelieving generation and rear a stupendous ark, that he and his family should be saved from the deluge. Noah believed God and ventured all upon the promise. And did God disappoint his hopes? Ask him, and he will tell you, No. When the Church was again reduced and again in danger, God separated the father of the faithful from the rest of the world, called him from his father's house, and carried him through an interesting variety of scenes, to prepare the way for the continuance of a Church among his posterity. While the patriarchs were wandering about and carrying the little Church with them, the eyes of all heaven were upon them: angels came down to inquire into their matters, and the Mediator, the Angel of the covenant, the God of the Old Testament, came down to visit them. God told Abraham that if he would forsake his kindred and follow him, he would conduct him safely to a land flowing with milk and honey, and give it to his seed for their inheritance; that he would be his "shield and" his "exceeding great reward." Abraham ventured all upon the truth of the promise and left his father's house. And did he ever find the promise fail? Ask him, and he will tell you, No.God told Jacob that if he would go down to Egypt, he would go with him and assuredly bring back his seed. Jacob believed, went into Egypt, and ultimately found all the promises fulfilled. He there became convinced of the unreasonableness of that despondency which a little before had said, "Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me." The good old patriarch became convinced that these things had not been against him, that his distrust had been ill founded, and that in all things God had taken the readiest way to promote his happiness. When the Church was oppressed in Egypt, God came down in wrath. I hear, says he, the cries of my sons as though they were in distress; what are ye doing to my children? His eyes beheld their oppression and he set himself to deliver them. Be |