"For thou hast been 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." - Isaiah 25:4
Who so poor as Jesus's poor? Who so needy as the needy of the Redeemer?
The world knoweth them not, because it knew him not. And as the master
was, so are his servants in this world. But, my soul, observe how
sweetly Jesus is all this. A strength to the poor in his distress, by
taking all the storm himself. He is a shadow from the heat, the heat of
the wrath of a broken law, which Jesus bore himself, when he died to
expiate the breaches of it. His blood and righteousness cool the heat
of sin, and quench all the fiery darts of the wicked: these terrible
ones which beat upon a poor sinner like a storm against the wall.
Moreover, when the showers of wrath shall fall at the last day on the
wicked, when that horrible tempest of fire and brimstone, the Psalmist
speaks' of, shall come down on the ungodly, Jesus will be an hiding-
place from the storm, and a covert from the tempest: not a drop can
fall on those that are under him, and sheltered by his blood and
righteousness. As the church is now said to sit under his shadow with
great delight in this wilderness state, and his fruit is sweet to her
taste; so when she is fairly come up out of it, having all along leaned
upon her beloved, and having entered with him into his glory; there
will be both security and delight, everlasting safety and joy. Precious
Jesus, thou hast been a strength indeed to my poor soul, and thou wilt
be my portion forever. Oh give me to see my daily need of thee, to feel
my poverty and weakness; the exercises of persecution, both without and
within; that from all the terrors of the law, the alarms of guilt in
the conscience, the remains of in-dwelling sin in a body of death,
which is virtually all sin - the accusations of Satan, the just judgments
of God; in thee, thou one glorious ordinance of heaven, precious Lord
Jesus, I may behold myself secure in thee, and continually cry out, in
the language of thy servant the prophet, "Surely shall one say, in the
Lord have I righteousness and strength; even to thee do I come; and
never shall I be ashamed or confounded, world without end."
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