Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. I. THE SUFFERINGS OF THOSE WHO LOVE GOD HAVE OF THEMSELVES A PROPER TENDENCY TO PROMOTE THEIR SPIRITUAL AND SUPREME GOOD, I shall consider the tendency which the sufferings of those that love God have to promote their true interest, in the following respects. 1. As they are proper to make us reflect on our past conduct. 2. To humble our pride and vanity, 3. To make us more sensible of our dependence on God. 4. To discover to us the sincerity of our love to God, and — 5. To raise our thoughts to the contemplation of a future and more perfect state of happiness. II. GOD IS PLEASED TO FURTHER THIS NATURAL TENDENCY OF THEM BY SPECIAL ACTS OF HIS PROVIDENCE AND GRACE. 1. Our afflictions not springing out of the dust, but coming from the hand of God, and being wisely designed by Him for some good end to us, we may comfortably assure ourselves that He will wisely dispose all events in such manner as may most effectually conduce to that end. 2. When He appoints us to the combat, He proportions His assistance to the nature and difficulties of the service: He does not leave us to fight it out with our own forces. God, therefore, who knows the frailty of our nature, is always pleased to send His staff with His rod, and to grant us such strength and protection as may support us in all dangers and carry us through all adversities.Conclusion: 1. If afflictions have both in their own nature a tendency to promote our good, and be designed by God to this end, then we have great reason to be patient and resigned under them. As in other cases, the prospect of any great and certain advantage will make us cheerfully undergo many difficulties, and even expose ourselves to many visible and imminent dangers. 2. If God design afflictions for our good, then if we would not oppress or frustrate His design in them, we must endeavour to profit by them; for, like all other means of piety, they do not operate of themselves to our advantage without our own concurrence. 3. If afflictions have so proper a tendency to promote our spiritual good, it will concern us by reasonable acts of mortification and self-denial frequently to afflict ourselves. 4. If God means afflictions to us for good, under which I all along comprehend disappointments, then there is no forming any certain judgment of the wisdom or folly, of the virtuous or vicious state of men, from all that goes before them. I do not say that the weak reasons of a man's conduct never appear to us in his disappointments, for they often do; but we must see at the same time very particularly what way he took, what circumstances he was in, and upon what motives he acted. For it sometimes happens that a man is obliged in reason and justice to do those things which appear to others the most unreasonable. If there be any true judgment to be made of men, with respect to their spiritual condition, from their circumstances of life, we ought rather to judge in favour of the afflicted and unhappy, for there are several things spoken very much to their advantage in Scripture. (R. Fiddes, D.D.) Parallel Verses KJV: And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. |
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