never be on us for chastisement; it would be on us only for good. He does not afflict willingly. If he gives us a blow, assuredly we deserve it. We have provoked it. It comes from a reluctant hand.

Still farther, in the case of God's own people, and it is of them the apostle is speaking, affliction, viewed as laying his hand on them, is a manifestation of kind interest in them. He has not given them up; He means to make something of them; He smites because he loves them; He "chastens them for their profit." It is not the stroke of a cruel one; it is not the hand of the destroyer. To vary the figure, affliction with them is as "the refiner's fire, and the fuller's soap. "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver; and he shall purify them and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering of righteousness.'

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§ 2. Our duty in affliction is to "humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God."

Having thus considered the Christian's state of affliction as a state of subjection to God's chastening hand, let us now consider the corresponding view the apostle gives of their duty: Christians are to "humble themselves under the mighty hand of God." The command is equivalent to "despise not the chastening of the Lord." Rebel not against it, fret not under it, murmur not at it, call not in question either Jehovah's right, or the manner in which he asserts it. Beware of doubting the wisdom, or the righteousness, or the kindness of the visitation. "Be still, and know that He is God." "Glorify the Lord in the fires." "Sanctify the Lord God in your heart." Hear the rod, and Him who has appointed it." The whole truth on this subject may be comprehended in the three-fold injunction-humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, as creatures under the hand of their Creator; as subjects under the hand of their Sovereign; as children under the hand of their Father.

2

(1.) As creatures under the hand of the Creator.

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Christians in affliction should humble themselves as creatures under the hand of their Creator. Pride, impatience, murmuring, and rebellion under affliction, which all flow from pride, are absolutely monstrous in a creature under the hand of the Creator. What is the creature but what the Creator has made him? What has he but what God has given him? Is not he and all that he has far more the Creator's property than his own? Is he not, must he not be, ought he not to be, entirely dependent on, submissive to, Him who made him? 'Hath not the potter power over the clay?" Shall the clay say to him who fashioned it, What makest thou? or the work to him who formed it, Thou hast no hands?" "Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood?" In affliction we feel the touch of that hand Mal. iii. 3. 2 Psal. xlvi. 10. Isa. xxiv. 15; viii. 13. Mic. vi. 9. Isa. xlv. 9; x. 15.

1 Heb. xii. 10. Rom. ix. 22.

which made us, and which can easily turn us to dust again. Surely, in these circumstances, it is meet to acknowledge that we are "nothing, less than nothing and vanity," before him "who was, and is, and is to come, the Almighty;" "of whom, through whom, to whom, are all things." We should even wonder that he takes so much notice of us as to send us salutary afflictions. "Lord, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him! that thou shouldest visit him every morning and try him every moment? Man who is like unto vanity; whose days are as a shadow that passeth away!" 1

(2.) As subjects under the hand of their Sovereign-rebel subjects under the hand of their righteously offended Sovereign.

Christians should humble themselves in affliction as 'subjects under the hand of their Sovereign, as rebel subjects under the hand of their righteously offended Sovereign. If creatures should be humble just because they are creatures, sinful creatures are tenfold bound to be humble. In the being sinners, everything base and degrading is necessarily included. There is no folly like sin, no baseness like sin. Affliction is intended to bring sin to remembrance. We should never forget our guilt and depravity, and the state of condemnation and debasement into which they have brought us; but in the day of affliction we should especially say, "I remember my faults this day," I lay my hand on my mouth, my mouth in the dust, unclean, unclean. I have no ground of complaint, I can have none. I deserve no good. I deserve all evil. It is of the Lord's mercies I am not consumed."2 Does it not become rebels justly doomed to death, spared by the clemency of their insulted, injured sovereign, yet bearing ever on them distinct marks of their crime, and both of his unmerited clemency and just displeasure, does it not become them to be humble? Deep selfabasement is the becoming temper in him who knows that he has incurred the righteous displeasure of God by innumerable, unprovoked violations of the law that is holy, just, and good; and that in him, that is, in his flesh, dwells no good thing. Deep self-abasement is the temper which becomes him at all times, and especially when he is under the mighty hand of God. However severe the afflictions, why should he murmur? Why should he complain? "A man for the punishment of sins," a man punished, but punished far less than his iniquities deserve? "Surely it is meet to be said unto God, I have borne chastisement, I will not offend any more: that which I see not, teach thou me; if I have done iniquity, I will do so no more. The language of his heart should be, "Righteous art Thou, O Lord, when I plead with thee." Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? O, thou Preserver of men." "I have sinned, I have committed iniquity, I have done wickedly, I have rebelled by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments. O Lord, righteousness belongeth to thee, but to me confusion of face, because I have sinned against thee." Thus does it become the sinner, under the mighty hand of

1 Psal. cxliv. S, 4.

Lam. iii. 22.

' Lam. iii. 39. Job xxxiv. 31, 32. Jer. xii. 1. Job xl. 4; vii. 20. Dan. ix. 5, 7.

God, to "sit alone and keep silence, to put his mouth to the dust, if so be there may be hope?" This kind of humbling a person's self is It will forjust as becoming the converted as the unconverted man. ever continue a fact that he has broken God's holy law, and had a thoroughly depraved nature; and the recollection of these facts, which affliction is intended to recall to the mind, should forever hide pride from the Christian's eyes.

(3.) As children under the hand of their Father.

But the Christian stands to God in the relation, not only of a creature to the Creator, not only of a subject to his sovereign, but also of a child to his father. This is the peculiar relation in which the Christian stands to God; and in this relation, he ought, in the season of affliction, to "humble himself under the mighty hand of God." Of all men, it least becomes the Christian to question the wisdom, or righteousness, or kindness of the Divine afflictive dispensations, to be fretful or unsubmissive under the mighty hand of God. He knows the character of him who inflicts chastisement; he knows how richly he deserves chastisement; he knows how much he stands in need of chastisement; he knows the true nature and design of chastisement; and therefore he ought to be distinguished by the humility of reverence, the humility of acquiescence, the humility of gratitude. He should humbly acknowledge the right of him who inflicts; he has done nothing but what he has a good right to do. He should humbly acknowledge that the affliction was not uncalled for; he has got nothing but what he deserves; and that, however heavy, it might have been much heavier, without affording him cause either of surprise or complaint; and he should humbly acknowledge his obligations to his Father in heaven, both for afflicting him and afflicting him in measure; for sending the very afflictions in kind and degree, which infinite wisdom saw he needed, and which infinite faithfulness secures shall serve their purpose. I cannot conclude this part of the subject better than in the words of the apostle in his Epistle to the Hebrews, when he bids them not forget "the exhortation which speaketh unto them as to children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord"—that is, in other words, humble yourself under his mighty hand. "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof Furthermore, all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits and live?" 1

§3.-Motives to humbling ourselves under the mighty hand of God.

The motives which either implicitly or explicitly are here urged by the apostle for Christians thus humbling themselves under the mighty

1 Heb. xii. 5-9.

hand of God, come now to be considered. They are the following :We ought thus to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, for this is just a particular form of that humility which God so complacently approves, and the opposite of which he so indignantly condemns. God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore, for this reason, under the mighty hand of God. We should humble ourselves under the hand of God just because it is the hand of God. We should humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, because it is the mighty hand of God. Finally, we should humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, because this is the appointed way of being exalted in due time.

(1.) It is a part of the humility which God so complacently

approves.

We should humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, for this is a course of which God complacently approves; while the op"He giveth grace,' posite is a course which he indignantly condemns. he manifests favor, towards those who humble themselves under his mighty hand; while he resists, he treats as enemies, those who despise his chastening, and rebel under the rod. This is a most powerful motive. What makes anything duty but its being according to the will of God, made known to us; what makes anything sin but its being opposed to the will of God, made known to us? Besides, the conscious possession of the cordial love, the complacent approbation of the greatest and wisest and best Being in the universe, arising out of constant manifestations of his favor, is the highest happiness a creature can enjoy. It is the essence of the happiness of holy angels and the spirits of the just made perfect. On the other hand, to be resisted, opposed, treated as an enemy by Him, is the greatest evil a creature can be exposed to; it is the essence of the miseries of devils and lost human beings.

(2.) It is the hand of God we are called to humble ourselves

under.

We should humble ourselves under the hand of God, just because it is the hand of God. We should be humble in reference to God, because he is God, infinitely great, wise, and holy; because he is our Creator, our Governor, our Judge, our Father; because we are entirely dependent on him; because we are pensioners on his bounty; because we have incurred his displeasure, and are completely at his mercy. Humility should therefore be our habitual temper towards God; but when we are visited with affliction, when his hand is on us, these truths are more directly and powerfully presented to the mind. We are brought near God. He who despises the chastisement of the Lord, as it were, insults the Sovereign at a personal interview. He defies the Almighty even when he appears whetting his sword and bending his bow. "He stretcheth out his hand against God, and strengtheneth himself against the Almighty. He runneth on him, even on his neck, on the thick bosses of his buckler."

1 Job xv. 26.

(3.) It is the mighty hand of God we are called to humble ourselves under.

Christians ought to humble themselves under the hand of God, for that hand is mighty; mighty to smite still harder, if the strokes given do not serve their purpose; mighty to deliver from, as well as to inflict, evil. There is no striving with success against him. As Archbishop Leighton says, "It is a vain thing to flinch and struggle, for he doth what he will; and his hand is so mighty, that the greatest power of the creature is nothing to it; yea, it is all indeed derived from him, and therefore cannot do any whit against him. If thou wilt not yield, thou must yield; if thou wilt not lead, thou shalt be pulled and drawn ; therefore, submission is your only course."

(4.) To humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, is the appointed way of our being in due time exalted.

Finally, Christians should humble themselves under the mighty hand of God, for this is the appointed way to their being exalted. "Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that ye may be exalted." That humility leads to exaltation, as pride to degradation, is a sentiment often expressed in Scripture. "Before honor is humility." "A man's pride shall bring him low but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit." "He that exalteth himself shall be abased; but he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." In the providential dealings of God, as recorded in his Word, we have many very remarkable instances of humbling a person's self under the mighty hand of God leading to deliverance from calamity, and restoration to prosperity. When the princes of Israel, on the desolations occasioned by the invasion of Shishak king of Egypt, "humbled themselves, and said, The Lord is righteous;" "the Lord saw that they had humbled themselves," and he said, by his prophet Shemaiah, "They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance." When their prince, king Rehoboam, "humbled himself, the wrath of God turned from him: also in Judah things went well." When the king of Nineveh and his people humbled themselves under the mighty hand of God lifted up to smite them, " He repented of the evil he had said he would do to them,", and the impending stroke was averted. When Hezekiah "humbled himself for the pride of his heart," in the matter of the Babylonian ambassadors, the threatened wrath of the Lord came not on him. When Manasseh was, for his enormous transgressions, bound with fetters and taken to Babylon, he in affliction besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed to him; and He was entreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God." When even Ahab, to whom "there was none like, who did sell himself to do wickedness in the sight of the Lord," humbled himself, Jehovah said to Elijah, "Because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days." And to notice but one other instance, when Nebuchadnezzar, who, for his pride, was

1 Prov. xv. 33: xxix. 23. Luke xiv. 11.