NOTES OF A SERMON BY MR. POPHAM, PREACHED AT GALEED CHAPEL, BRIGHTON, ON LORD'S DAY MORNING, JANUARY 22ND, 1882.

"When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto Thee, into Thine holy temple."-JONAH ii. 7. NONE but God's people know, in this world, what an evil thing and bitter it is to sin against God. Others He leaves alone, these He chastens. He never rebukes a reprobate conscience with a loving, gracious rebuke for sin. The table of the wicked often becomes a trap to them, and their blessings are a snare. But when His children go astray-when they seek to flee from Him, and to shun the cross by going into another place--God goes after them, hedges up their way with thorns, rebukes with divine severity their guilty consciences, strips them, lays them in darkness, in the deeps, and makes them know the solemn truth of the Scripture, "The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways" (Prov. xiv. 14). Then we think He is going to make an end of us altogether. Whenever the Lord meets a poor child of His, as a lion or as a bear bereaved of her whelps, the poor soul soon begins to think that an utter end will be made of him. "He will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time" (Nahum i. 9). The guilty creature cannot in any way excuse himself; he is brought into the dust to cry, "Unclean! unclean!" and more than that: "From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously" (Isa. xxiv. 16).

Now, this is solemn work. When Jonah fled from the presence of the Lord, the Lord did not allow it to be easy work to him; and if any of you are going from Him, as respects a tender conscience, liveliness of soul, searching the Word, &c., He will not let it be easy for you. Darkness will come upon your spirit, fears will rise, and there will be a witness for God within.. At last there comes a climax, and the backslider goes into some grievous affliction, as Jonah did when the fish swallowed him, and he went to the bottoms of the mountains. Then he began to cry to the Lord. Faintness of soul will arise from the terrors of the Almighty. When God seems again to set His justice, His fiery law, backslider, his refuge is taken away; he faints. No. 41, NEW SERIES, MAY, 1882.

in His dealings against a poor The fear that

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the waves and billows will continue to come over him till he is swallowed up, will cause faintness. Hard work will cause faintness, and it is hard work struggling with these waves and billows. What faintness will come upon the soul when there are temptations it cannot withstand-when Satan says, "There is no help for you in God" (Psa. iii. 2); and "God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him; for there is none to deliver him" (Psa. lxxi. 11). The enemy does not come and say, "There is no help in your neighbour for you," because he knows that, if your hope is set upon God, you are right; but he says, "There is no help in God for you," and if he can succeed in making you believe that, how cast down you will feel! Some of us know the poignant grief, the desperate sorrow, such a temptation cast into the heart will cause. Felt distance from the Lord will cause this faintness. What strengthens your soul to go through trouble like the felt presence of God? If you have the Lord with you all is well; if He is absent, nothing can make you happy. Well, when you do not feel the presence of God your soul faints. Sore afflictions of either body or circumstances will, if the Lord permit, cause faintness of soul; and He does permit (nay, sends) them, so to work in a base backslider. If the Lord hide His face in respect of gracious communications, or in respect of His providential dealings, who can behold Him? Oh, what a solemn thing for God to turn to be as an enemy to any child of His (Isa. lxiii. 10). God knows what your present state is; but if any of you have gone, against His fear in your conscience, into a worldly, hard state, the time will come when you will faint, and He 'will make you acknowledge the truth of that Word, "Hast thou not procured this unto thyself?" But then, the Lord does not leave poor sinners in this sad condition. Underneath all this dealing there is now and again a kind touch whereby the soul is enabled to remember the Lord.

Now, let us look at this branch of the subject. There are two ways in which the Lord's people remember Him. Job said, "For God maketh my heart soft, and the Almighty troubleth me." That does not appear to refer to the softness of heart we love, because then we embrace Him; but rather to His dealings, which, like a fire, melt and make us fear. Oh, His severity makes us afraid! The Psalmist said, "I remembered God, and was troubled; so the child of God will at times remember God. But there is another way in which the Lord's people are enabled to remember Him-in a gracious, encouraging way. You remember His kindness; how He helped you in trouble. This was one way in which Job thought of Him: "Oh, that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me; when His candle shined upon my head, and when by His light

I walked through darkness" (Job xxix. 2, 3). This is a remembrance that encourages the soul once more to look toward His holy temple.

Now, dear afflicted friends, can you not remember God in His kindness in times past? The Psalmist said, "I will meditate also of all Thy work for Thou, Lord, hast made me glad through Thy work." Now, has not God made some of you glad through His work of redemption-raised you up and caused you to clasp Him in the arms of your affections, and say, "O Lord, I will praise Thee; though Thou wast angry with me, Thine anger is turned away, and Thou comfortedst me ? (Isa. _xii. 1.) The remembrance of such mercy enables us to say with DavidI do like it-"Hide not Thy face far from me; put not Thy servant away in anger Thou hast been my help, leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation." There is an indescribable feeling of encouragement when you can say before God, "Thou hast been my help." What could we do in our afflictions if the Holy Ghost were not to bring to our remembrance some of His kind dealings with us? This does not encourage backsliding, nor to a continuation in it. God's mercy is more than a match for the heart; it sanctifies the affections, and sets them apart for the living God; and the soul's language is

"Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it;

Seal it from Thy courts above."

Thus we remember His kindness, we remember what He has done.

Then, again, how the Spirit helps us to remember that the Lord is merciful. "With the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is plenteous redemption;" and nought but mercy, free, undeserved mercy, can suit us. Don't you feel, at times, that, after years of God's favour, what you still need is mercy?

"Mercy is welcome news indeed,

To those who guilty stand.'

The Spirit reveals Christ. I was so glad you sang that verse"Show us that loving Man

That rules the courts of bliss,"

because once the Lord brought mercy into my heart by it.

You may be saying, "I do wish I knew I loved God." Now, to whom do you go in your troubles? To whom do you direct your prayers ? Is it not your soul's desire that He would come and take you up in His kind arms, and enable you to call Him yours? In all our worst afflictions the enemy is not permitted to take the love of Him quite out of our hearts. We read that the two

disciples, who walked to Emmaus, talked of the things which had happened, and were sad. How could they have mourned if their hearts had not been set upon Him? "But we trusted that it had been He which should have redeemed Israel." That was the cause of their sadness-the Lord was gone, and they were not sure that this was the Son of God. But the child of God never wholly loses, as to the vitality of it, the knowledge of the Son of God. Well, then, if you can say you have sought the Lord, I can say you love Him. He has got hold of you, and will never let go. "By night on my bed I sought Him whom my soul loveth; I sought Him, but I found Him not." One may say, "I wish that were as clear to me as it was to the Church.” Well, don't you go where He is, where His people are? Don't you sometimes look with longing eyes into His Word? Do you not go to the throne of grace? Does not your heart almost break sometimes with the fear that you will never know Him? Why, you do love Him, and when He comes into your heart by faith you will say―

"I love the Lord with mind and heart,
His people and His ways.'

Just a word more. How the soul remembers the Lord in His Person-He is Emmanuel. What draws your affections to Him? Why, the view the Spirit gives you of Him. He is the sinner's only plea-his only refuge from the wrath to come. The arms of spiritual affection and faith entwine themselves about the dear and sacred Person of the Son of God as He is made manifest. Do you want Him? Then rest not until you find Him. Let Him know about your case. You will sometimes find a solemn pleasure in telling Him your case, and He will listen to you. I have generally found before the Lord has revealed Himself afresh there has been a gracious ability given to tell Him I could not do without Him

"Less than Thyself will not suffice

My comfort to restore;

More than Thyself I cannot crave,
And Thou canst give no more.

Do you remember the Lord wherever you are?—at the ends of the earth-the bottoms of the mountains-with the weeds of corruption about your head, the guilt of sin upon your conscience? Do you feel your heart panting to get close to Him, saying, "Lord Jesus, though I am the vilest of all, I cannot do without Thee"? This is talking to Him, and He will never reprove you for it. This is not bold liberty; it is tempered with reverence and godly fear.

There is another thing we remember that the Lord is almighty. "Is there anything too hard for the Lord?" Have you a case that He cannot manage? Job said, "I know that Thou canst do everything."

It matters not where we get, so far as the power of God is concerned; though, with respect to our consciences, it matters much. He can cause the sun to shine, the rain to drop down from heaven. "To set up on high those that be low." Have you a case for Him? Remember that Emmanuel is almighty. God has given Him power, over all flesh. Take your case to Him whatever it be-if it be sin's oppression, Satan's temptations, or family affliction. There is one thing-if you love the Lord, you will want Him to rule over you. How many can say, “To whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen" (1 Peter iv. 11.) That will be a test for us; for many say, "Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us." "But," says a child of God, "I do wish He would reign over me; I do want to feel His hand upon me for good.". Then it is already upon you in fact, and He will make it so as to feeling in His own time. The great thing for a child of God to be concerned about is sin; and what we should seek the Lord much about is that we may not be permitted to sink under its power.

"I remembered the Lord." What a help it was to Jonah to know God could bring him up again. The Lord said to Abraham, "I am the Almighty God." When faith is drawn into exercise upon Himself, it knows He can manage all things.

Again, the Lord Jesus says, "Counsel is Mine, and sound wisdom: I am Understanding; I have strength." He understands us entirely knows the end from the beginning. Are you perplexed? Remember this-His name is "Counsellor." Lean for the whole, as well as you can, upon Him. "Blessed is the man that heareth Me," because He has good counsel, and in His time the word behind is heard, saying, "This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left." It is not easy at all times to get the mind of the Lord; but wait on Him, because He has said, "I will guide thee with Mine eye." Where should we get to if He said, "I will have nothing to do with you"? There is another word-" And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known; I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them." "Ah! but," you may say, "these words have never been specially applied to me." Well, suppose they have not; but is it wrong as you read them to ask God to fulfil them in your experience? "All things are yours;" all promises, all words of guidance and counsel; and in

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