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II.

THE MOUNT OF CHARIOTS.

"FEAR not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." Thus saith the Lord, in Luke xii. 32. Where is to be found a more delightful encouraging word than this? Like a small vessel, with a pennant rich in promises, it floats from aloft to us here below. If we transport ourselves, through faith, into it, in a moment we shall behold ourselves freed from the confined atmosphere of a nocturnal present, and borne along, to anchor over the dark valley of death, to more genial regions.

His call is sent amongst his flock, and to them exclusively. We well know that, especially in a time like the present, there is no want of hearts in need of consolation beyond the spiritual Zion. How willingly would we yield to them possession of that word of refreshment; but how could we venture to do so? O! ye, whom we mean, that ye could but resolve to follow one, and would with us fall at the feet of the Lord Jesus! Yea, let us only be made to perceive one look of love in your eye towards our crucified Lord, only one tear of mourning for your sin, and another of longing after God's grace; then we will forthwith throw, in the name of the Lord, the heavenly gift of that word into your lap, and shout towards you, “Be not afraid; but be now at peace!"

The little flock, whom Jesus greets with his word, soar with fear. Fear is an evil worm in the marrow of peace, a drop of bitterness, which poisons each cup of joy. Out of the inner man it spreads gloom for him over the whole world, and robs him of the courage to live, and the power of activity in every thing. The little flock ought not to be afraid, for every cause for serious anxiety is removed. It does not, however, always hold the degree of faith appointed for it, but steps forth again, before it can be observed, from out of the light of divine promises, and takes into consideration, instead of the Lord, and his heart and arm, only the storm itself; and thence arise anxiety and alarm. Yea, therein the world can prove itself more courageous than the elect; but let not that produce surprise. The natural man has still every where under his feet, the rafter of an imagined inherent strength; the Christian, who knows the weakness of human nature, feels without support as soon as he is thrown back upon himself, The unconverted still hopes much from the human wisdom and wit which he thinks he possesses: the believer has, however, long since despaired of his own strength, and has abandoned the last false feeling of self-confidence. The former is supported by his natural indifference, which conceals from him the dangers; the latter, no longer a fool, regards things soberly as they are, and will not deceive himself. To the blind eye of the first, a thousand terrors which threaten him remain concealed; whilst the Christian examines thoroughly his critical position upon the field of battle in the world; yea, from the watch-towers of the prophetic words themselves his view extends even beyond the present, and his ken reaches to the security of the far-distant

future. What wonder, therefore, if the children of God, in moments of obscuration of faith, often show themselves more anxious than those without faith? The latter wander, blindfold, along the danger-fraught road; the former, with open eyes!

"Fear

But this little flock is foolish to feel afraid. not," says a voice; and who says it? The Faithful One, who has promised to his chosen, that he would bear them upon wings, and guard them as the apple of his eye; the All-powerful, who, in the worst distractions of time, holds in his hands the threads of all events, and instructs them how they shall interweave each other; the All-searching One, who counted the hairs upon our head, and who took upon himself the grand obligation, to lose nothing of all that the Father gave over to him. He it is who greets us here; and if his words come to us from a distance of eighteen hundred years, still they are not less on that account addressed to us, as well as to the small circle which first received them; and they have retained their first freshness, for his words endure eternally.

"Fear not!" he calls, in a loving and benign manner, to us in our corner of cares. He knows how quickly we feel anxious; but he, nevertheless, does not on that account reproach us; although we deserve that he should come to us unbelievers with the rod, instead of the palm-branch. For why ought we to be, fainthearted,-we who have lived to see the accomplishment of his work of redemption, and behold also unsealed before us the acts of his Testament, with all their blessed articles? Our being troubled is sinful, our cares punishable, because emanating from a blameworthy mistrust of him and his word. Yet he has pity for our

weakness, the faithful high priest; for where we tremble, we are also his, and where we waver, his eye smiles upon us. Weak or strong, he will no more separate us from his heart; timorous or resolute, to him who loved us unto death, we remain the same.

He calls us a flock. How comforting is this! He does not address us as a body of soldiers, for that would make it appear as if he expected something from us. "Thou flock!" says he, and with that, how much that is sweet and endearing doth he not convey to us! Defenceless sheep are we; yea, he knows it. Bloodthirsty wolves prowl around us; but this is not concealed from him. We have need of unceasing guidance, and continual protection; with this he is acquainted, and he bends himself unto us as a Shepherd. We are scattered over the world, but not scattered from him. In the term "flock" he embodies us in his heart altogether in one. And that he should call us a little flock, how comforting is that again! For with that, he removes from us the vexation which so often will arise within us, from our small number. For the future, therefore, the fact of the great mass wandering on other paths than our own, need excite in us no doubt as to the truth of our cause, but on the contrary, may become a token of assurance to us, that, from the very smallness of our number, we are the true people of God.

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But the "fear not" of the Lord stands not apart. It goes coupled with a grand blessed faith. "Fear not," says the Lord, who adds, "for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom!" Listen to this word! Is not this truly raising the lowly from the dust, and refreshing the weary? The decree of the Father remains fixed, Jesus means to say, "Ye shall

inherit the kingdom." You shall have it, cost what it may; He ordains it. He stakes the honour of his name that you shall inherit it. Whatever therefore may oppose you and press you down, it will only do so for a while; you will break through, and you will arrive at the point. O sweet and blessed assurance, and one by which hitherto none in Zion have been deceived! Is not the whole sacred history a continual sealing commentary to that "Fear not, little flock?" And out of the circumstance which we propose for our meditation this day, we are met gloriously and heart-cheeringly by the truth of that great word of promise. May it powerfully encourage us, and root itself firmly in our hearts!

2 KINGS, VI. 8-17.

Then the King of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, "In such and such a place shall be my camp." And the man of God sent unto the King of Israel, saying, "Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down." And the King of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once, nor twice. Therefore the heart of the King of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, "Will ye not shew me which of us is for the King of Israel?" And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha the prophet, that is in Israel, telleth the King of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber." And he said, "Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him." And it was told him, saying, "Behold he is in Dothan," Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city, both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, "Alas, my master! how shall we do?" And he an

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