the law of God? do you prefs after growing conformity to his will? Are you well fatisfied to be difpofed of by his providence, to be governed by his authority, and to live devoted to his intereft and glory? Do you abandon whatever he commands you to forfake? do you refift whatever he requires you to oppofe? do you part with whatever he enjoins you to relinquish? and do you fuffer whatever he appoints you to endure?— To you the animating exhortation is directed, Fear ye not the reproach of men, &c. Ye may be expofed to the malevolent reproaches, and cruel revilings, of impious malignant men, who, by falfe accufations, difgraceful epithets, odious afperfions, and flanderous mifreprefentations, may endeavour to render you contemptible. These bitter words, thefe deteftible calumnies, intended to diveft you of your good name, which is preferable to great riches, like fwords may penetrate your hearts, and be apt to crush your fpirits But remember, that all the indignities and contumelies which ye fuffer from the world that lieth in wickednefs, are defigned, by infinite wisdom and love, to render you conformed to him that you call your Mafter; who, though the King of glory, adored by the celeftial hofts, fubmitted, for your fakes, to be despised and rejected of men, to be reproached by the people, yea, to be flandered and reviled as a blafphemer, a feducer, and a wine-biber. Forget not the benediction pronounced, and the fupport promifed, by our gracious Lord to thofe who on his account are maligned and injured. Bleffed are ye when men fhall revile, and perfecute you, and fhall fay all manner of evil against you falfely, for my fake; rejoice and be exceeding glad, for 'great is your reward in heaven *.' If ye be reproached for the name of Chrift, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God refteth upon you †?' In due time ye shall be refcued from every unjuft calumny, and he fhall bring forth your righteoufnefs as the light, and your judgment as the noon * Mat. v. 11, 12. +1 Pet. iv. 14. i noon-day-Fear ye not, then, neither be ye afraid. Guard with the utmost caution against that fear which debilitates the mind, excites confternation, produces anxiety, and incapacitates for duty, whilft it disposes to employ improper means for obtaining relief. Be not difmayed at the profpect of reproaches and revilings, neither be terrified when ye meet with them; the dread of them might prove highly prejudicial to your beft interefts, it might imbitter your comforts, diveft you of inward tranquillity, deprive you of liberty of fpirit, and greatly increase and multiply your miferies. Be not difcouraged or difquieted by the malicious flanders and invectives with which ye may be loaded. Though men may endeavour to rob you of your reputation, they cannot bereave you of inward peace and ferenity; though they try to mifreprefent your character and conduct in the view of the world, they cannot deprive you of the favour of God; though they wreft from you earthly poffeffions, they cannot take from you treasures in heaven; though by falsehood and calumny they endeavour to frighten you from a fteady attachment to truth and duty, they cannot hinder you from participating of thofe divine joys, and fublime confolations, which the faints of the Moft High experience, in fpite of the malice and fury of their adverfaries. Yield. not, then, to a bafe embarraffing timidity, affured that the lying lips fhall be put to filence, which fpeak grievous things proudly against the righteous; and that God will hide you, in whofe hearts is his law, in the fecret of his prefence, from the confpiracies of men, and will keep you fecretly in a pavilion from the ftrife of tongues t.-What illuftrious examples are recorded in the New Teftament of undaunted fortitude, amidst a torrent of abufive language and virulent reproaches. What a noble fuperiority of mind did the difciples of Jefus Chrift difplay, before the high-priest, the rulers and elders gathered together at Jerufalem, when they perfecuted and threat * Pfal. xxxvii. 6. + Pfal. xxxi. 18--20. ened ened them. What heroic courage did the apostle Paul manifest, when accufed by the orator TertulJus, before Felix, the Roman governor, as a peftilent fellow, and a mover of fedition! And in following ages, the fervants of Jefus Chrift, who endured trials of cruel mockings, of fcourgings, yea, moreover, of bonds and imprisonments, have exhibited, on memorable occafions, aftonishing proofs, that, far from being intimidated by reproaches and revilings, they gloried that they were counted worthy to fuffer fhame for the fake of their Lord and Saviour. 8. For the moth fhall eat them up like a garment, and the worm fhall eat them like wool but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my falvation from generation to genera tion. Compliance with the preceding direction is urged, from the confideration that the fufferings of God's people fhall foon be terminated by the deftruction of their enemies, whilft the falvation of Meffiah fhall be perpetuated throughout all ages. As the moth bred in the garment, and the worm that is in the wool, filently, flowly, and effectually confumes the cloth and the materials whereof it is compofed, -fo the weakest and most defpicable inftruments, employed by divine Providence, fhall certainly deftroy thofe who calumniate and injure the fervants of God, and deprive them of their power and influence. They fhall perish, either by means of the corrupt paffions they have cherished in their own breafts, or by fome feeble, contemptible inftruments raifed up for this purpofe.-The other argument is derived from the perpetuity of the righteoufnefs and falvation of Jehovah, of which I treated when illuftrating the 6th verfe of this chapter, where the fame truth was mentioned. My righteoufnefs and faithfulness fhall continue to be difplayed in the ful filment filment of the promises I have given to my peculiar people, and the great work of falvation fhall be carried forward from one generation to another, until it fhall be fully confummated. And after my word is accomplished, my redemption completed, and the enemies of my Church overthrown, a new glorious scene shall be opened, wherein righteousness and falvation fhall eternally triumph. 9. Awake, awake, put on ftrength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon? The Meffiah having addreffed his chofen people, in a manner fuited to the afflictive circumstances wherein they were involved, the form of difcourfe is now changed, and the Church, is introduced directing earneft fupplications unto the God of falvation. The request is addreffed to the arm of Jehovah. The strength and beauty, the propriety and elegance of the expreffions, with the import of the prayer, claim peculiar attention. Notwithstanding God is a fpirit, that hath not flesh, and bones, and arms, like thofe which belong to the human body, yet, in accommodation to our weaknefs, and to aífift our feeble apprehenfions of the Supreme Being, human paffions, and bodily parts, are often figuratively attributed to him. The arm of man being the inftrument whereby he exerts the greateft ftrength, and performs the most arduous enterprizes, it affords a fit emblem of the power of Jehovah, whereby he is able to fubdue all things to himself. This omnipotence is entreated, once, again, and a third time to awake. The repetition intimates, that this request made deep impreffion on the minds of the fupplicants; it expreffes the fervency of defire, the feeling fenfe of urgent neceffity that the prayer might be fpeedily granted, and the high importance of the beVOL. IV. D nefit nefit which is afked. Though he that keepeth Ifrael neither flumbers nor fleeps, and is always attentive to their fituation and fafety, there are fome feafons wherein he feems to be unmindful of their dangerous circumstances, and is therefore earneftly entreated to interpofe in their behalf. A remarkable inftance of this occurs in the 44th pfalm, when the Church complained that they were covered with the fhadow of death, and for the fake of their Lord killed all the day long. In this deplorable state they turn to the Almighty, and implore his gracious aid. Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? caft us not off for ever.' And at the period referred to in the prayer before us, when Providence did not appear to regard their diftrefs, they cry with importunity for fupport and deliverance. Feeling their afflictions, convinced of their infufficiency to effect the relief they wanted, they earneftly plead for help from on high, from whence alone their aid could come. The difplay of omnipotence is requested to be like that which in ancient times was exhibited, when the mighty arm of Jehovah was employed in working ftupendous miracles, in order to accomplish the liberation of the Ifraelites from bondage in the land of Egypt, and to put them in poffeffion of the glory of all lands. A fignal exertion of mercy and power is earneftly entreated. Manifeft, O Lord God, thy omnipotence and glory, so as thy frong hand may be feen working our defence and deliverance; and let the help thou affords be attended with fuch circumstances as may excite admiration and gratitude.-Put on ftrength. Take to thee /thy great power and reign, affift, fupport, and defend us, amid the dangers and calamities whereby we are oppreffed. Our enemies are many and powerful, we have no might to oppofe and vanquish them, and therefore we humbly implore thy help and deliverance, begging that thou wilt feasonably interpofe in our behalf, fo fhall we triumph in thy praife.-Awake, as in the ancient days, &c. Let thy mighty |