God will exalt every humble and faithful servant, in due time, even in this world; not perhaps to earthly greatness and honour; but, what is infinitely more important, to the height of His own blessed favour; to the delight of a peaceful reconciliation with Himself; to the happiness of an approving conscience; to a “hope full of immortality:” and, after death, He will crown that hope with a glorious consummation; will exalt that servant to the skies; far beyond the reach of change, of trouble, or of fear. The Christian, like the Captain of his Salvation, “will be made perfect through sufferings;” like Him, when the combat is over, will receive the crown of glory, and sit down for ever at the right hand of his Father and his God.
He will then more fully see and admire the gracious dealings of his merciful God and Saviour; will see, what reason he had to be thankful for the chastisements of heaven; how they have trained and prepared his soul for the happiness of the blest; how wonderfully they have ministered to the fulness of his joy. Bear then patiently; bear, I ought to say, thankfully, what the Lord layeth upon thee; it is His hand that “worketh all in all,” His hand of might and mercy. Thou canst not always trace His designs and operations; if thou couldst, where would be the exercise of thy faith? But if thou wilt believe and trust Him, if thou wilt bow and submit, He will thus exalt thee in due time, when thou art ready, when thy trial is completed, when thy appointed work is done. This is the seed-time; sow, and thou shalt see it spring up; labour, and wait for the harvest; “they that sow in tears shall reap in joy.” { 171}
_And Nathan said to David_, _Thou art the man_.
THE parable, of which these words are a part, is admired, even for its elegance and simplicity, by every one who is capable of appreciating its merit. It serves also to illustrate, in the clearest manner, the advantage of this mode of instruction; which is intended, in the first place, by a lively representation of the productions of nature, or the incidents of common life, to convey an adequate notion of a truth or doctrine in easy and familiar terms; and to leave a more striking impression of it upon the memory and the heart. The parable has a further advantage: the instruction it affords is not at once unfolded to the mind; the attention and the feelings are first awakened, by the relation of some interesting occurrence, apparently unconnected with the object in view; by which means, an assent is gained over to the side of truth, before the understanding has had time to be prejudiced, by the workings of self-love, or the disinclination to religious admonition.