viii. 9, 10. _Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be
broken in pieces, &c._
This is a shout of triumphant defiance which Ahaz and his people
might have raised, had they listened to Isaiah's counsels, and turned
to the Lord with full purpose of heart. Then they might have been
threatened by foes numerous, powerful, determined, and confederated,
but they would have been safe. Its doctrine clearly is, that it
matters not who may be against us, if God be with us. This has been
the faith of God's people in all generations.
+I. On what ground does it rest?+ 1. On what may be regarded as a
settled conviction of the human mind, that this world, disordered as
it is, is really governed by a righteous Ruler, omnipotent and
all-wise, and that it must be well with those who have Him on their
side. 2. On the declarations of God's Word (Gen. xv. 1; Ps. xxxiv. 7;
Isa. liv. 17, &c.) 3. On the experience of His people as recorded in
His Word. The promise to Abraham was kept; David (1 Sam. xvii. 37);
Hezekiah (2 Kings xix. 32-35); Daniel and his companions (Dan.
vi. 22, iii. 28); Peter (Acts xii. 7). On these accounts His people
have felt and expressed the utmost contempt for, and defiance of,
their foes (Ps. xxvii. 1-6; Micah vii. 8-10). Old as these utterances
are, they express the confidence of countless thousands to-day. But,
+II.+ Let us look at +the grounds that might cause us to hesitate to
receive it.+ 1. There is the undoubted fact that we are living in a
world in which many things happen that are contrary to what we would
have expected; and it would be only one more contradiction of our _à
priori_ expectations if a good man, or a number of good men, were
utterly destroyed by a number of bad men. 2. As a matter of fact,
this has often happened. Who were "the noble army of martyrs," but
good men who suffered intolerable wrongs, and were put to cruel
deaths? If Peter was delivered, James, his fellow-apostle, was left
to his fate (Acts xii. 2); yea, Peter himself at last died by the
hands of the executioner, as did nearly all the Apostles. See, what a
terrible record of the sufferings of righteous men we have in Heb.
xi. 35-37. +III. How are these two sets of facts to be harmonised?+
How account for it that, notwithstanding the latter set, which are
obvious and not denied, it is still the settled conviction of pious
and otherwise sensible men, that it shall be well with the righteous?
1. This _is_ undoubtedly true, on the whole. We see what is the
teaching of experience, taken on any considerable scale, in the
familiar proverb, "Honesty is the best policy." Deadly as is the
conflict between the powers of good and of evil, on the whole, the
victory is on the side of goodness, of righteousness, of truth. The
world grows better, not worse (H. E. I. 1161, 1162). And it is
manifest that "godliness has the promise of the life that now is, as
well of that which is to come." 2. The exceptions to which our
attention is directed are necessary. Without them the difficulties in
the way of the existence and growth of virtue would be immensely
increased. If those who served God ran no risk in doing so, it would
be as difficult for them to show that they loved Him for His own
sake, as it would be for soldiers to prove their bravery, if it were
possible to send them forth to battle in absolutely impregnable
armour. If the safety assured to God's people were absolute and
without exceptions, there would be no room for the exercise of faith
and loyalty. 3. This life is not all. It is but the prelude to our
real existence; and for whatever we suffer in God's cause here, we
shall be abundantly compensated hereafter. So that, with Sir Thomas
More, we may say, "They may take off my head, but hurt me they
cannot."
This is a plain and sober statement of the facts of this great
problem. What are the practical inferences to be drawn from it?
1. _Let us dismiss from our minds all fears for the cause of truth
and righteousness. That_ is safe (2 Cor. xiii. 8). God's Church and
God's Word will survive all the assaults that are made upon them
(H. E. I. 642-645, 1246-1251, 2449). 2. _Let us not be greatly
concerned as to what may happen to ourselves._ If God pleases, He can
deliver us from any danger that may threaten us. If He is not pleased
to do so, He knows how to make our sufferings promote the cause we
have at heart. "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church"
(P. D. 2421, 2422, 2426). 3. _If we are called to suffer, let us
rejoice_ (Phil. i. 29; 2 Tim. ii. 9; P. D. 2419).