154 THE HIDDEN LIFE OF A CHRISTIAN. yesterday, to-day, and for ever. The all-sufficient-God, and his eternal bon, have undertaken for the security of it ; Johnx. 28, 29, 30. I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck themout of my hand. My Father which gave themme, is greater thanall, and none isable to pluck them out of my Father's hand. Iand my Father areone. God bath sworn by his holiness, that the seed 'of Christ' shall endure for ever ; Ps. lxxxix. 35, 36. and that his loving kindness shall not beutterly taken away from his own children : And our Lord Jesus Christ Both little less than swear to the perseverance of his disciples, when he says ; John xiv. 19. Became I live, ye shall live also: for, as I live, is the oath of God. Why art thou cast down, O believer, and why is thy sold disquietedwithin thee ? Hope in-God thy life, for thou shalt yet praise him, how many andgreat soever thine adversaries are, and how difficult soever thy path and duty may be, and how loud soever thy foes threaten thy destruction. There may be many things in thy travels through this world, that may hurt or hinderthe growthof thy spiritual life, and may for a season interpose, as it were, between thee and thy God : but neither life, nor death, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, shall ever separate thee entirely from him, whose love is secured in Jesus Christ ; Rom. viii. 38, 39. 'The disci- ples were much to blame, thatthey were overwhelmed with terror in the midst of the storm, while Jesus Christ was with them in the same ship ; and ye should chide your own souls, when you feel yourselves under such unbelieving fears as our Lord Jesus Christ chid in his fearful followers ; " O ye of little faith, where.. fore did ye doubt ?" IIdConsolation. What a comfortable thought must it be to a poor feeble christian, that God and Christ know all the state of his spiritual life ? for it is hid with them. 'Though the life of q saint has a cloud upon it, though it is entirely hidden from men, and sometimes toomuch hidden from himself too, yet the Father and the Saviourknow every circumstance of it, how low it is, how feeble, what daily obstacles it meets with, what hourly enemies assault it. Christ our Lord well knows when our life is in dan- ger, and what are the necessary supplies. This is very encouraging to a poor trembling believer., whoa he hardly knows how to address the throne of grace himself in such a manner, as to represent all his wants, and all his spiritual sorrows and difficulties to God in prayer ; but our Lord Jesus Christ, who is a compassionate high-priest, who is our Head, and near a-kin to us his members, is perfectly acquainted with our state : And the christian, mourning under the decays of grace, can lookup to Christ with hope, Ile, san mingle new exercises of
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