378 THE CONSOLATIONS CONNECTED WITH FORGIVENESS The promises belong to the saints," to those who lay hold of them_ by faith ; but There is no peace, says my God, to the wicked." What an addition must it be to every stroke of the afflicting hand of God, to think I have no share in his love, and therefore have no ground to hope for the end of these sorrows ! It is the very misery of hell to be languishing in sorrow without hope. 13ua if under afflictions in this world, I can look up to heaven and see a smile upon the face of God my Father ; if I can hear him telling me, by his Spirit applying his word to me, that he will not condemn me, then he that has given me the greatest, will, I hope, in his own time, give me the less also ; then I have a thousand sweet pro- mises to have recourse to, both for this life -and that which is to come; and can rest assured that God will remove my afflictions when he sees the fittest time. He that has removed the mountains of my sins will remove the molehills of my sorrow. Fifthly. A sense of a justifying God gives us many sweet thoughts under trouble, and helps usto bear it. Not only does it give us encouragement to hope that God will remove our sorrows when he sees fit, but we have also abundant helps to bear those sorrows while they are continued, if we can say, My God does not condemn me ;" by this means intolerable burdens are made light and easy. When Job complains that God had withdrawn from him, and marked him out as a butt for his arrows to shoot at," then it is he begins in "impatience ; and no wonder, for it is a burden more than Man can bear. Only the Son of God himself supported that human nature, which was united to the God-head, to bear the guilt of sin. I will instance a few Of those comfortable thoughts, that a child of God may have under the greatest sorrows, when he can see his Father justifyinghim. First. He sees God loves him, and will inflict no more than is necessary. God loves him, and therefore his strokes are strokes of mercy ; " He chastens every- son whom he receiveth," which has been a comfortable thought to many asoul under the burden of outward ca- lamities. Secondly. Though I am loaded with many sorrows, God bids me cast these burdens upon him, and has pro-
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