DEEP WATERS, FIERY TRIALS, AND

GOD'S PRESENCE.

Preached July 14th, 1867.

"Thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by my Name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour."-Isaiah xliii. 1—3.

I SHOULD like to know of some child or of some rather unlearned person present, how far he understands my text. Not perfectly, I dare say. The text speaks of waters and rivers, and he thinks perhaps only of God's promise to some one, that when he passes through them he shall not be drowned, as people often are. The text speaks of persons walking through the FIRE and not being burned; and this, likely enough, he does not understand at all, or thinks only of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So he supposes the sermon is intended for none but scholars, and pays little or no

attention to it.

Now this is very distressing to me, because I do most particularly desire to preach to little children, and to be understood by the most ignorant person who hears me. And this is what makes me desire, above every thing else, to be plain in what I say. I cannot indeed hope that all which I say will be completely understood by little children and unlearned persons, but I am quite sure, if they would always give their attention to plain preaching, they would understand a great deal, and would, every sermon they hear, be getting an increase of knowledge in the things which their souls require to be taught.

The Lord spoke the words of my text-the great God who made the world out of nothing, and man out of the dust of the ground, and gave him a soul as well as a body. He says, "Fear not; "Fear not; " whatever trials or sorrows beset you "let not not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." "For I have redeemed thee," God says. Do you not know, little child or unlearned person, that God gave His Son from heaven to save you from everlasting death? "I have called thee by my Name," God says. Do you not know that you were baptized in the Name of Christ, and received the name of Christian from Him, a name dear to God? Having thus created thee, and redeemed thee, God says unto thee, "Thou art mine." And Jesus Christ says, "None shall be able to pluck you out of my Father's hand." Do you not understand, then, that it is the Almighty God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the Father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who says to thee, "Fear not "?

Now, for the next words in the text. "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." Did you never hear the expression of one true friend to another, "I would go through fire and water to serve you"? meaning, "I would risk my life, there is nothing I would not do for you." So fire which burns, and water which drowns, are meant to represent the greatest of all dangers and the sorest of all troubles, which man or woman, the child or the aged person, can possibly have to endure. And God says to all who put their trust in Him, "Fear not, . . for I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour. . . . Fear not, for I am with thee."

And trials and troubles begin early in life. They are but small matters perhaps then; but shallow waters are deep to little children, and light burdens are heavy to feeble shoulders; and so small troubles may be great to small people. Who that is far advanced in life does not remember some of these, which keep their hold on the thoughts when weightier things which have since happened have been forgotten? Who does not remember the first week at school? or the first week of his apprenticeship? or the first week after leaving a mother's home and beginning the battle of life, wherever it may have been? And God saw the trouble, and it was not unheeded by Him; and He spoke to that little troubled heart, "Fear not, for I am with thee." I do not mean, of course, that the

ear of the child actually heard these words, but I am quite sure that there was a feeling within him which directed his thoughts the same way; and this was the Spirit of God speaking to his soul, telling him to do the right and to avoid the wrong, and to trust in Him. And parents and older persons should carefully interpret these feelings to the child. I do not mean that the child should be continually telling of these feelings, or the others be continually talking about them; they are of a nature far too secret and too sacred for this. But let little children know of a surety that God does so speak to them, and there is a good hope that they will walk in the light of that knowledge from that time. When the Lord first called, "Samuel," he did not know whose voice it was, for he saw no one, and he ran to Eli, thinking it was his. But "Eli presently perceived that the Lord had called the child. Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down and it shall be, if He call thee (again), that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth." And Samuel always recognized the voice of the Lord from that day forward. And, my dear little children who may be hearing me, when God thus speaks to you, do as He bids you by your conscience. If you neglect to do this, time after time, time after time, God will at last cease to speak to you. Trouble will come; and you will want to hear His still, gentle, loving voice, to guide you in difficulties or to comfort you in sorrows, but you may listen and wait in vain. Perhaps He may not speak to you. He has given you timely warning that He may not. He

has said, "Because I called, and ye refused; so will I mock when your fear cometh, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then shall you call upon me, but I will not answer; you shall seek me, but you shall not find me."

And now, so far at least, I hope I have spoken so plainly, that all little children have been able to understand me; and also others, who, although not children in years, may be children in knowledge. The plain meaning of what I have said is this, that if you trust in God and try to please Him, He will be always with you, looking upon you with an eye of love, never permitting your troubles to overpower you, and bringing good to you out of every evil. nothing about Him, do nothing to

But if you care please Him, act

contrary to all He bids you; He will give you up at last to your own foolish and wicked ways, and you will soon have no real pleasure in anything in this world, and no end to sorrow in another.

Up to this point, I appear to have been addressing myself rather to children and to persons in lowly life. But the various circumstances from which troubles proceed are confined to no age, to no class in the community. All have their troubles, which grow up with them from childhood to manhood, from manhood to old age. As children, they have little troubles; as parents, they have greater troubles. They have troubles as servants; and troubles, as masters. In proportion as they are higher in life and have more extensive possessions, and so have the more to care for and the more to do with, they have of necessity the more troubles,