God Disciplines By Affliction For Our Profit And His Glory
“I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness.”—Micah 7:9
Sin, though atoned for by the blood of Jesus, and through the faith of this the soul be made holy and happy, yet it still dwells in us. Hence all our griefs, our sufferings, our wretchedness. God’s judgments are sometimes secret, always just, ever in love to his own. Misery would never afflict us, if sin did not infect us. A good instrument may be out of tune; the hand of a skilful musician is necessary to set it, and display its harmony and sound. God disciplines by afflictions for our profit and his glory. The faith, patience, and valour of God’s soldiers are best known in times of exercise: then how animating to view the love, and trust to the faithfulness of a covenant God. To see a father’s love to the soul in the rod of his displeasure against sin, how supporting! I will bear the chastisements of my Father—my sins deserve them. Yea, wrath and hell are my desert. My mouth is stopped—I have nothing to plead—guilt silences me.
But see, hear, and rejoice, oh soul. The church beholds a blessed person. Who is that HE she thinks upon and mentions?‘Until he plead my cause.’ Oh it is the dear advocate Jesus, the ever precious pleader for poor sinners. How reviving are the sacred pages: they ever testify of the blessed name, and soul-comforting work of Jesus! He never intermits in his plea for the life of the soul: he prevails over the desert of sin by his atonement and prayers. Shortly he will speak destruction to all sin by the word of his power.
In the meantime he sends his Spirit the Comforter, the third person in the glorious Trinity. ‘He will bring me forth to the light.’ Here see Old Testament faith in New Testament love. It is the Spirit’s office to bring souls out of the dark dungeon of nature’s sorrows, to see Jesus the light of life. ‘I shall behold his righteousness.’ Then it is a day of comfort after a night of distress. Is the righteousness of Jesus mine; am I righteous by that in the sight of God? Then truly it is in righteousness that God deals with me, and will save me. This faith humbles the soul to the dust, strips it of proud murmurings and self-righteous pleas, and inspires it with boldness at a throne of grace. This is the confident plea of faith; ‘for thy righteousness sake bring my soul out of trouble: destroy all them that afflict my soul, for I am thy servant.’ Ps 103:11, 12
William Mason (1719-1791) was a High-Calvinist author. For many years he served as a Justice of the Peace, and in 1783 was appointed a Magistrate. He served as editor of the Gospel Magazine before and after the editorship of Augustus Toplady. He is best known for a morning and evening devotional entitled, “A Spiritual Treasury For The Children Of God.”
