XI. GOD'S CARE FOR HIS PEOPLE.

Isaiah xliii. 2, 3. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee: for I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour.

GOD's goodness to his people never appears more wonderful than when contrasted with their conduct towards him

The history of the church in all ages attests the truth of the apostle's assertiona

We have a remarkable instance of this in the passage before

us

The Israelites were utterly incorrigible b

Yet God forebore to "make a full end of them"

On the contrary, to display the riches of his grace, he promised them his continued care and protection, ver. 1, 2.The text suggests to our consideration

I. God's care for his people

God's people are subjected to many and great troubles ["Fire and water" are emblems of heavy calamities

God's people are often brought into them

All are taught to expect them in their way to heaven

The most eminent saints have usually the greatest share c-]
But God takes peculiar care of them in that state

[He represents himself as watching them in the furnace like a refinerd

He has promised they shall not be overwhelmed by temptation eHe vouchsafes his special presence at those seasons

Even when he has withdrawn himself apparently from his people, he secretly and imperceptibly upholds them

The burning bush was intended to teach us this f

It has been experienced by the saints in all ages

David bears testimony to this facts

The history of the Hebrew youths also attests ith

The passage of the Jews through the Red Sea, and through Jordan, confirms iti

There are also many living witnesses for the truth of it-]

However great this mercy is, we are at no loss to assign

II. The reason of it

God is the Covenant God and Saviour of his people [God has given himself to his people by covenant

Hence he assumes the titles "the God of Israel," "the Holy One of Israel"

This implies that all his perfections shall be employed for their good--] This is the reason of his peculiar care for them

On account of this relation he feels for them

[God represents himself as tenderly feeling for his peopleHis compassion towards them is like that of a parent'He bears them, like a nursing mother, in his arms"

He considers every injury done to them, as done to himself"

He sympathizes thus on account of his relation to them o
On this account also he is interested in them

[He has purchased and redeemed them by the blood of his SonHence he calls them his "purchased possession "

He regards them as his "peculiar treasure," the "lot of his inherit

He promises to take care of them as his vineyard P―

Hence Moses made God's interest in his people a plea for his forbearing to destroy them 9

Hence David also urged this plea on his own behalfTM-]

On this account also he is bound to them

[God has pledged himself that "he will not forsake his people"

He has assured them, that no weapon formed against them shall prosper

He never will break the covenant he has entered into "———

This affords a sure ground of hope to his people

The church of old urged it as a reason for his return to them

And every believer may adopt the patriarch's plea "-]

INFER

1. Of what importance is it to know that we are interested in Christ!

[We cannot claim God for our God unless we have believed in Christ

If therefore we have not an evidence that we have indeed believed, we can derive no comfort from these promises

Yea, rather, we have reason to fear that we shall be overwhelmed with God's wrath, and be made to "dwell with everlasting burnings "— Let us then not leave this matter in doubt and suspense

Let us "flee to Christ for refuge, as to the hope set before us"— We may then assuredly expect these promises to be fulfilled to us2. What consolation does the gospel of Christ afford! [Every man must expect to pass through "fire and through

water

It is our appointed way to the kingdom of heaven x

In the hour of death, if not before, we shall feel need of support-
But God has provided in the text abundant consolation-

We need not fear any thing whilst we can rest on this promise—
Let us then adopt the triumphant language of the Psalmist -]

1 Ps. ciii. 13.

• Jer. xxxi. 20.

r Ps. cxix. 94.

s Ps. lxxxix. 34, 35.

q Exod. xxxii. 11.

Is. lxiii. 15-19. This is remarkably strong. u Gen. xxxii. 12.

Acts xiv. 22.

y Ps. xxiii. 1, 4.

XII. THE RICHES OF DIVINE GRACE DISPLAYED.

...

Eph. ii. 4-7. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace, in his kindness towards us through Christ Jesus.

WHAT an accumulation of sublime ideas is here presented to our view!

Well might the Psalmist say that the meditation of God was sweet to him

We scarcely know whether to admire more the grace of the benefactor, or the felicity of those who participate his blessings— But the text requires us to fix our attention on that most delightful of all subjects, the riches of divine grace

The apostle has in the preceding verses described the state of the unregenerate world

He now displays the grace of God towards the regenerate I. In its source

God is "rich in mercy," and "abundant in love"

[Mercy and love are, as it were, the favourite attributes of the Deity a

The exercise of these perfections is peculiarly grateful to him b— There is an inexhaustible fountain of them in the heart of God — They have flowed down upon the most unworthy of the human raceThey will flow undiminished to all eternity

While he retains his nature he cannot but exercise these perfections d_]

These are the true sources of all the grace displayed towards fallen man

[Man had nothing in him whereby he could merit the attention of his Maker

He was fallen into the lowest state of guilt and misery

But the bowels of his Creator yearned over him e

God felt (if we may so speak) an irresistible impulse of compassion towards him f—

Hence was it that the Son of God was sent into the world —
Hence also were so many offers of mercy made to man-

a Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7.

d 1 John iv. 8.

b Mic. vii. 18.

e Rom. x. 12.

e In this view, God's solicitude to find Adam, and his affectionate (perhaps plaintive) enquiry after him, Gen. iii. 9. are very striking.

We may conceive of God as expressing himself in the language of the prophet; Hos. xi. 8, 9. g John iii. 16.

And to this alone is it owing that so much as one has ever found acceptance with God-]

But, to judge how great the love was wherewith he loved us, we must trace it

II. In its operations

The grace of God has been displayed towards us in ten thousand ways—

But we must confine our attention to its operations, as they are set forth in the text

God has "quickened us even when we were dead in sins"

[What is meant by "dead in sins," appears from the preceding

verses

We were walking according to the course of this world-
We were the willing servants of Satan-

We were indulging all kinds of "filthiness, both of flesh and spirit"

We were demonstrating ourselves to be, " by nature" as well as practice,"children of wrath"

And we were utterly destitute of all power to help and save ourselves h——— Yet even then did God look upon us in tender compassioni —

He quickened us by that same Spirit whereby he raised Christ from the dead k

In so doing, he united us" together with Christ," and rendered us conformable to him as our head

What an astonishing instance of divine grace was this!—]

He has also "raised us up, and enthroned us together with Christ in Heaven"

[The apostle had before expatiated on what God had wrought for Christ

He now draws a parallel between believers and Christ

What was done for Christ our head and representative, may be considered as done for all the members of his mystical body

In this view Christians may be considered figuratively as risen with Christ; and as already seated on his throne

Their hearts, their conversation, their rest, is in Heaven m
How has he thus verified the declaration of Hannah!"--

How has he thus discovered "the exceeding riches of his grace!"How worthy of God such a stupendous display of grace is, we shall see if we consider it

III. In its end

God is not only the author, but also the end of all things
Nor would it become him to do any thing but with a view to his

own glory

The manifestion of his own glory was the express end for which he revealed his grace p

b Rom. v. 6.

* Compare 1 Pet. iii. 18, with m Col. iii. 1, 2. Phil. iii. 20.

1 This may be illustrated by Ezek. xvi. 4—6. Rom. viii. 11.

n 1 Sam. ii. 8. • Rom. xi. 36.

I

Eph. i. 19, 20.
P Eph. i. 6

And this end is already in some measure attained—

[All ages, to the end of time, must admire the grace of God towards both the Jewish and Gentile world

Every one, who partakes of that grace, must of necessity admire itThe "exceeding riches of it" are unsearchable

God's "kindness" too is infinitely enhanced by flowing to us 66 through Christ Jesus"

The price paid by Christ will to eternity endear to us the blessings purchased

At present, however, the design of God in revealing his grace is not fully answered-]

But it will be completely answered in the day of judgment

[Then, how exceeding rich and glorious will this grace appear!Then the depth of misery, into which we were fallen, will be more fully known--`

The spring and source of that grace will be more clearly discoveredAnd all the operations will be seen in one view

Then Christ, the one channel in which it flows, will be more intimately revealed to us

How will every eye then admire, and every tongue then adore !— Surely nothing but such an end could account for such operations of the divine grace

Let every one therefore seek to experience these operations in his own soul

Let those who have been favoured with them glorify God with their whole hearts-]

XIII. THE DANGER OF NEGLECTING OUR SALVATION. Heb. ii. 3. How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation? MANY suppose that morality is sufficient for our acceptance before God

Morality, indeed, if it proceed from faith in Christ, shall be amply rewarded

Nevertheless the death of Christ is the only foundation of our hope

This is fully declared in the gospel, and must therefore be received

If they, who despised Moses's law, died without mercy, much more must we perish if we neglect the gospel a—

To this effect the apostle speaks in the passage before us, ver. 2, 3.

I. What is the salvation here spoken of?

We shall confine ourselves to that view of it which the apostle gives in the context

a Heb. x. 28, 29.