hard thoughts of God, murmur and repine, and sometimes openly complain of his dealings as unjust and cruel. Weak and sinful, indeed, as we are, it requires a truly Christian frame of mind to suppress these feelings. Aaron, no doubt, felt all the workings of natural affection, when the judgments of God were executed in so awful a manner on his two sons: "But Aaron held his peace."1

To "be still," further implies, that we check all undue anger or resentment, when our affliction arises from the injustice or injury of our fellowcreatures. We are not forbidden, indeed, to take all legal and proper methods of redress; but the Christian guards against all personal revenge; for what saith the Gospel-what saith our blessed Lord? "It hath been said, thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy: but I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven."2 "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he

thirst, give him drink

for in so doing thou shalt

heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." David affords a fine example of this forbearance, when Shimei cursed him, as we read in 2 Sam. xvi.

To "be still," further implies, that under the pressure of affliction we do no injury to ourselves, by excessive indulgence in grief, by neglecting the care of our health, or relapsing into settled gloom, inaction, and melancholy. How many are there, even serious, well-disposed persons, who from a failure of due caution and exertion in a season of affliction, have fallen into these errors, and betrayed a want of faith, trust, and submission to God, utterly inconsistent with the precept before us. To "be still," in the sense meant in the text, is not only to suppress all such undue feelings and expressions as I have noticed, but to pray and strive to possess a calm, quiet, and trusting frame of mind. It is that holy composure of spirit which our Saviour so beautifully recommends: "In your patience possess ye your souls:"2 and which he has not only taught us by precept, but by his holy and heavenly example. Look at this Saviour, brethren, the night he was betrayed, when he was conscious he was so soon to

1 Rom xii. 19-21.

2 Luke xxi. 19.

undergo all the bitter and mysterious agonies of his death and passion: yet he calmly ate the Passover with his disciples, instituted the sacred ordinance of the Lord's Supper, and employed himself, not in thinking on his own approaching sufferings, but in comforting his sorrowing disciples in giving them instruction, consolation, and support. What an example does this afford us under our heaviest afflictions!

.

Further: "to be still," implies that submission to the will of God which leads us to justify, approve, and commend his dealings with us. A hard lesson, you will say, to learn; hard indeed, brethren, to poor flesh and blood, and beyond our natural strength to accomplish. But religion can enable us to do it. The grace of God-the power of divine grace in the heart, can enable us, under the most painful feelings of distress, or when seeking means of deliverance, still to feel and act with a cordial submission to the will of God, only desiring what that will approves. "Shall we re

ceive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him."3 It will lead us to imitate the noble

1 Job ii. 10.

2 Ib. i. 21.

• Ib. xiii. 15.

trust and confidence of the prophet. Habakkuk, who at the same time that he foresaw with terror the dreadful calamities coming on his beloved country, could say: "Although thefig tree shall notb lossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls; yet I will re joice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation." And this brings me to the second point, namely:

The grounds and reasons of the duty here enjoined, "Know that I am God."

That there is a God, a God who both made and governs the world, is the first truth of all religion; but though it is a truth easily proved and readily acknowledged, like other great truths, it is rarely felt and applied as it should be. Amidst a crowd of sensible objects, which press upon us on all sides, we are apt to forget and lose sight of that great Being (though ever present with us) whose nature is spiritual, and only seen and realized to the soul by the eye of faith. But could we suppose God to assume a visible form and actually reveal himself to our senses, would not the brightness of his presence over

1 Hab. iii. 17, 18,

whelm us with awe, and would not the words, "I AM God," be sufficient to make us silent and "still" before Him? Job felt something of this when he said, "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye seeth thee: wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." But though we have no visible representation of the Divine glory; yet, remember God is everywhere, and at all times, as actually present as if we saw him with our eyes, and heard him speak with our ears.

"Be

The language of the text, then, is the language of a Sovereign-of the Sovereign Ruler of the universe, the Lord of heaven and earth. still, and know that I am God." Whatever second causes may be instrumental in our trials and afflictions (and it is scarcely possible we should altogether overlook them), yet the text bids us look up through them to God, and hear Him saying, "It is I that do it.

See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.'2 I rule and direct all these second causes, and set the springs of every event in motion.

Not a

sparrow falleth to the ground unnoticed by me,

1 Job xlii. 5, 6.

Deut. xxxii. 39.