Bible Commentaries

DISCOURSE: 594

THE AFFLICTED SOUL COMFORTED

Psalms 55:6. And I said, O that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest.

TROUBLE is the portion of all, without exception; of the rich, as well as of the poor; of the godly, as well as of the ungodly: “man is born to it, as the sparks fly upward.” The godly indeed have, in some respects, a larger measure of it than others: for, from within, they have grounds of trouble which are unknown to others; and, from without, they are beset on every side with enemies, who hate them purely for their righteousness’ sake. Amongst all the saints of whom we read in Scripture, David seems to have been peculiarly distinguished as “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” In the early part of his life, his persecutions from Saul kept him in continual jeopardy of his life: and during all his latter years, his own children furnished him with occasions of sorrow, which at times sunk him into the deepest distress, and rendered him weary even of life. The psalm before us was written on one of these occasions; we suppose at the time of Absalom’s rebellion. And so greatly was he oppressed in spirit, that he would gladly have fled to the ends of the earth, with the loss of all his honours and dignities, if he could but have obtained rest from his accumulated and overwhelming afflictions: he said, “O that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest.”

This being by no means an uncommon sentiment, I will shew,

I. What are the occasions which usually give rise to this wish—

The wish itself necessarily presupposes a state of trouble; and it may arise in the bosom,

1. From temporal troubles—

[Afflictions do not lose their nature when they visit the godly. Piety may soften their pungency; but it does not divest them of their proper qualities: “they are not joyous to any, but grievous;” as God has condescended to declare. How grievous David’s trial was, may be seen in all the preceding context: “Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication. Attend unto me, and hear me! I mourn in my complaint and make a noise: my heart is sore pained within me; and the terrors of death are fallen upon me. Fear-fulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me.” Nor do we wonder at this language, when we consider that his own son had driven him from his throne; that many of his subjects were in rebellion against him; and that there was about to be a conflict between two portions of them, the one headed by himself, and the other led on by his son; and that, whichever might be victorious, it must be the blood of his subjects only that must flow. Well might he wish to withdraw from such a distressing scene, and well might he express himself in those mournful terms, “O that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest. Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. I would hasten my escape from the stormy wind and tempest.” And though such scenes are rare, it is by no means uncommon to find in families troubles of such an overwhelming nature, as to make life itself a burthen to those who are afflicted by them. Husbands and wives, parents and children, who ought to be sources of the sublimest happiness to each other, are not unfrequently occasions to each other of the deepest woe; a woe that embitters their whole lives, and makes them pant for death as a relief. And where there is no particular evil committed either by the head or members, there will often arise, from the dispensations of Providence, such afflictions as prove an insupportable burthen to the mind. In Job, for instance, we see, from his accumulated trials, the same effect produced as from the afflictions of David. He wished that in his early infancy he had been consigned to the grave, “where the wicked cease from troubling, and where the weary are at rest.” “Wherefore,” says he, “is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul; who long for death, but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid treasures? There the prisoners rest together; they hear not the voice of the oppressor. The small and great are there; and the servant is free from his master [Note: Job 3:17-21.].” In truth, almost all the suicides of which we hear originate in worldly sorrow, either personal or domestic: nor is it always found that piety itself is sufficient to counterbalance the effects of temporal calamity; so as to elevate the spirits which have been broken by it, and restore the constitution that has been destroyed.]

2. From spiritual troubles—

[Of these, none can judge, but those who have endured them. In reference to these it may well be said, “The spirit of man may sustain his infirmities; but a wounded spirit who can bear [Note: Proverbs 18:14.]” Truly, when a man is bowed down under a sense of sin, and trembling under apprehensions of God’s wrath, he may well be dejected, and wish for any thing which may pacify his fears and terminate his sorrows. Great as Job’s other troubles were, this was heavier than them all. Hear his complaint under it: “O that my grief were thoroughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances together! for now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea: therefore my words are swallowed up. For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me. O that I might have my request! that God would grant me the thing that I long for, even that it would please God to destroy me [Note: Job 6:2-4; Job 6:8-9,] Terrible, beyond measure, are the hidings of God’s face under such circumstances: so at least David felt them to be: “Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps: thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Lord, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me? I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors, I am distracted [Note: Psalms 88:7-8; Psalms 88:14-15.].” So it is with some at this time: they go mourning all the day long; and by their anticipations of God’s wrath, feel almost the commencement of it in their souls. The Saviour himself deprecated this bitter cup, and complained of the hidings of God’s face in his extremity: well, therefore, may frail men. who are crushed before the moth, implore “the staying of God’s rough wind in the day of his east wind. [Note: Isaiah 27:8.]”]

Seeing, then, that the wish of David is common in the world, let us inquire,

II. How far the godly are at liberty to indulge it—

Certainly we are at liberty to wish for death: for St. Paul “desired to depart, and to be with Christ,” which he deemed far better than the happiest state on earth: and we all are encouraged to be “looking for, and hasting unto, the coming of the day of Christ.” But the wish then becomes evil, when it is attended with impatience, or has respect to a mere deliverance from present troubles. This distinction is clearly marked by St. Paul, in the Second Epistle to the Corinthians: “We that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burthened; not that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality may be swallowed up of life [Note: 2 Corinthians 5:4.].” It was not so much to get rid of the storms and tempests to which he was exposed in this present life, as to obtain the glory and felicity of a better world. And this was a highly commendable state of mind. But when we long merely to be released from the troubles of life, and the conflicts which we are here called to sustain, we do not well: for we should be content,

1. That God should glorify himself in his own way—

[God sends trials to his people, in order that he may afford them such effectual succour as shall advance his glory in the world. The trial of gold by fire is precious, because it purifies without consuming the gold: but “the trial of our faith is infinitely more precious,” because it purifies the souls of men: and it will, therefore, “be to the praise and honour and glory of our God, in the great day of his appearing [Note: 1 Peter 1:7.].” On the part of those who occasion trials to his people he is dishonoured: “but in the steadfastness of his people he is glorified [Note: 1 Peter 4:14.].” Even in the sufferings of our blessed Lord this end was obtained; and therefore, though he deprecated sufferings as he was entitled to do, he submitted to bear his cross for the sake of reflecting glory on his heavenly Father: “Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour? but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name [Note: John 12:27-28.].” Thus, if only in the event God may be glorified in us, we should be willing to bear any sufferings, or sustain any conflicts, which God, in his wisdom, may see fit to lay upon us.]

2. That he should complete his work in his own way—

[He calls all his people to bear their cross, in imitation, of their Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Now “the Lord Jesus, though he was a Son, vet learned obedience by the things which he suffered:” and “he was made perfect through sufferings;” and in the same war does God still teach and perfect us. He makes tribulation the way to glory; purging us from our corruptions by means of it [Note: Isaiah 27:9. Hebrews 12:10.], and causing it to “work out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory [Note: 2 Corinthians 4:17.].” Does it become us, then, to be impatient under our troubles; or to wish for the removal of them, before they have accomplished the end for which they were sent? Surely we should be infinitely more anxious to have them sanctified, than to get them removed; and, however sorely they may press upon us, we should say, “Not my will, but thine be done.” Be the furnace never so hot, we should welcome it, if only at last we may come out of it “vessels of honour, meet for the Blaster’s use.”]

Address—

1. Those who have hitherto been exempt from heavy trials—

[Doubtless, as far as the mere exemption from trouble goes, you have reason to be thankful: but yet. if for want of it you are yet in a careless or lukewarm state, you have no great reason to congratulate yourselves: it were better that every bone in your body were broken, or that you should have the sword of the Almighty inflicting the deepest wounds in your souls, than that you should be left to go on wickedly in the way of your hearts, I say not that you should pray for trials: for trials will do you no good, if they be not sanctified to your souls by the Spirit of God. But this I say, Let no rest satisfy you, except that which is to be found in the favour of a reconciled God, and in the hope of his glory — — —]

2. Those who are sinking under the weight of them—

[Peradventure some may be here, who, like David, are bowed down under the weight of domestic troubles, or under a dread of God’s heavy displeasure. And, if this be the case, let me tell you where you may find rest unto your souls, You need not the wings of a dove to fly away: you have your refuge close at hand, even Jesus, who says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” If you will but run to Him, you shall find him “an hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land [Note: Isaiah 32:2.].” Yes, m truth, “He is a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall [Note: Isaiah 25:4.].” Go to him then; take refuge in him; cast yourselves upon him; and let him give you rest, in his own time and way. Then will he walk with you in the furnace, as he did with the Hebrew youths; and in due season add you to the happy number of “those who have come out of great tribulation, and washed their robes white in the blood of the Lamb [Note: Revelation 7:14.].” Then will your rest be glorious indeed: for “then you will hunger no more, nor thirst any more; neither shall the sun rest on you, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed you, and shall lead you unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from your eyes [Note: Revelation 7:16-17.].”]