The Little Wrath and the Great Wrath
“FOR A SMALL MOMENT HAVE I FORSAKEN TKEE; BUT
WITH GREAT MERCIES WELL I GATHER THEE. “IN A LITTLE WRATH I HID MT FACE FROM THEE FOB A
MOMENT; BUT WITH EVERLASTING KINDNESS WILL I HAVE
MERCY ON THEE, SATTH THE LORD THY REDEEMER. “FOB THIS IS AS THE WATERS OF NOAH UNTO ME: FOB AS I HAVE SWORN THAT THE WATERS OF NOAH SHOULD NO MORE GO OVER THE EARTH; SO HAVE I SWORN THAT I WOULD NOT BE WBOTH WITH THEE, NOB REBUKE THEE.” —
Isaiah liv. 7-9.
nr^HIS text is the property of all believers. Their -•• title to it is seen at the end of the chapter (verse 17). Let them not fail to enjoy it. It follows upon the prophecy of their Lord’s great griefs. (Isaiah liii). We are never so able to believe a great promise as when we have been at the cross.
The people of God are often greatly tried, and their griefs are sometimes spiritual, and more deep than those of the wicked.
Their grand comfort lies in this, that in all their afflictions there is no penal wrath, no great indignation, no final judgment from the Lord.
We shall speak upon, —
L THE LITTLE WRATH, AND ITS MODIFICATIONS.
The Lord calls it” a little wrath, and speaks of (104)
the time of its continuance as “a moment,” “a small moment.”
1. Our view of it differs from the Lord’s. To us
it appears to be an utter forsaking, and the hiding of his face for ever.
We are too foolish, too agitated, too unbelieving, to judge aright.
God’s view is truth itself, therefore let us believe it.
2. The time of it is short. What is less than” a
small moment?” As compared with eternal love. When looked back upon in after years of holy
peace.
In reality it only endures for a little while. It will soon be over if we repent and pray.
3. The recompense is great. Jehovah vows to
give “mercies,” many, divine, everlasting, great, effectual: “with great mercies will I gather thee.”
4. The wrath itself is little. A Husband’s wrath,
a Redeemer’s wrath; a Pitier’s wrath;
wrath occasioned by holy love.
6. The expression of it is not severe.
Not set my face against thee; nor change my
mind.
But hide my face, and that only for a moment. Thus God views the matter of our chastisement, seeing the end from the beginning. 6. It is quite consistent with sternal love. This love will endure for ever, is present during the little wrath, is the cause of the wrath, and will continue unchanged for ever. The chastened child is none the less loved. 7. It does not change our relationship to the Lord. He is still our Redeemer (verse 8), and we are still the redeemed of the Lord.
Our duty is to grieve because of the Lord’s anger; to be humbled and sanctified by it; but not to faint, or despair under it.
II. THE GBEAT WRATH, AND OUB SECURITY
AGAINST IT.
1. The wrath of God against his people can no
more break out upon them than can Noah’s flood return to go over the earth. That flood has not returned during these many centuries, and it never will. Seed-time and harvest continue, and the bow is in the cloud. We have no dread of another universal deluge of water, nor need believers fear a return of divine wrath. (Enlarge on verse 9.)
2. The great flood of wrath has broken forth once
for all. On our Lord it has burst, and thus it has been ended for ever. “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us:” Gal. iii. 13. “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from” Who is he that oondemneth? It is Christ that died: “Rom. viii. 34. ‘* The iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found:” Jer. 1. 20. This is real, true, effectual, eternal atonement.
8. We have the oath of God that it shall not
return:” so have I sworn that I would not
be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.” In a
way of punishment there shall not even be
a hard word uttered — “nor rebuke thee.”
4. We have a covenant of peace as sure as that
made with Noah, and of a higher order, for it is made with Jesus our Lord.
5. We have pledges of immutable, immovable
mercy: “the mountains and the hills:” verse 10. These may depart and be removed, but never the kindness of the Lord.
6. All this is spoken to us by Jehovah the Merciful: “saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.”
How wicked it is to doubt and distrust I How safe is the condition of the covenanted ones I How glorious is our God of everlasting kindness I How careful we should be that we do not grieve himl
CHEERING WORDS.
Ah, Sion’s daughters! do not feare
The cross e, the cords, the nailes, the speare,
The myrrhe. the gall, the vinegar;
108 MY SERMON NOTKb.
For Christ, jour loving Saviour, hath Drunk up the wine of God’s fierce wrath, Only there’s left a little froth,
Less for to taste, than for to shew
What bitter cups had been your due,
IJad he not drunk them up for you. — Herrick.
The darkness of sorrow has often been shown to be “the shadow of God’s wing as he drew near to bless.”
We cannot have fertilizing showers on the earth without a clouded heaven above. It is thus with our trials.
O Lord! let me have anything but thy frown; and anything with thy smile. — R. Cecil.
A learned minister, attending an aged Christian in humble life, when in his last illness, remarked that the passage in Hebrews xiii. 5, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee,” was much more emphatic in the original language than in our translation, inasmuch as it contained no fewer than five negatives in proof of the validity of the divine promise, and not merely two, as it appears in the English version; intending by this remark, to convey to him that, in consequence of the number of negatives, the promise was expressed witlr much greater force in the original language than n the English. The man’s reply was very simple and striking: “I have no doubt, sir, that you are quite right, but I can assure you that if God had only spoken once, I should have believed him just the same.”