28. The afflicted one takes comfort at the thought of the mercy of God

EXHORTATION.

"The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him."—Psalm ciii. 8, 9, 13. How painful it is, to have unkind and hard-hearted people to deal with in trouble and distress! But a true child of God may rest assured,

1. That his faithful God in heaven knows all his sufferings and crosses, however great they be, however long they endure, and however deeply they wound the soul.

2. Nor does God only know them, but he takes pity on them also.

3. In view of this great mercy of God, the believer must not despair, but must have recourse to his merciful God; for all they that are in affliction shall be comforted.

4. God manifests his mercy to the wretched; partly by giving them cheerfulness and courage, partly by giving them strength to suffer and be patient, and partly by taking away their grief entirely. If a father has mercy on his child, God will surely not allow the afflicted one to perish in his misery. THE AFFLICTED ONE TAKES COMFORT

O thou merciful God! whose mercy has no end, whose goodness is new every morning; Lo, I, a suffering and afflicted soul, come before thy most holy face, and pour out my heart before thee. Thou well knowest the misery and great distress which has befallen me; my soul is stricken, my spirit disturbed, and unnumbered evils beset me. I look about me for succor. Men partly refuse to help me, partly they know not my trouble, partly I will not reveal it; but to thee, O God, I recite my grief with a troubled heart, knowing that thou art merciful, and wilt not turn a deaf ear to my lamentations. Thou didst take pity on the afflicted widow, who mourned for her child; thou didst take pity on the people who had not what to eat, and thy pity was associated with mercy and assistance. Therefore, I come to thee, and say, have mercy upon me, O God! I am thy creature, thou wilt not suffer thy handiwork to perish. Yea, I am even more, I am thy child, which thou didst take into the arms of thy mercy in holy baptism. Therefore, I say, O my father, have mercy on thy poor deserted child. My Jesus! I have been purchased with thy holy blood; therefore, thou wilt have mercy on what is thine. O most precious Holy Ghost, bear witAT THE THOUGHT OF THE MERCY OF GOD.

ness unto my soul, that in all my sufferings I am still a child of God; and when I grow faint, and hardly able to pray, do thou cry within me, Abba, dear Father! Behold I sink, O stretch forth thy hand. O Lord, according to thy great mercy do thou strengthen my faith, preserve me in my wretchedness, renew my powers daily, that my faith may not cease, nor my hopes languish, nor my confidence in thee be impaired. Thou hast never yet deserted me; O do not desert me now; help thy child, which resorts to thy mercy alone. O I know his father's heart; he is planning succor even now; my distress, my woes and cross, and all that disturbs my mind, will vanish at once, when he will send his help. Come Father, come, my heart weeps for thee. Amen. 1. Happy is he who trusts to God all his commissions,

To him who ever makes the best of dispositions;

Who only lays his head in his dear Master's lap,

Shall be secure from much distress and sore mishap.

2. Who trusts in God shall find no limit to his powers,

His omnipotent arm can save, whatever lowers;

What unto us seems hard, to him is but a toy,

When he commands, all things must cease us to annoy.

THE AFFLICTED ONE TAKES COMFORT

3. When he who trusts in God is left without resources,

And seems misfortune must o'erpower all his forces,

His faithful God is near, who has all help in hand,

Whose counsel and whose might, no prowess can withstand.

4. Happy who trusts in God! the bounties he disperses

Are far beyond the praise of him who tastes his mercies;

Who clothes the lilies gay, who does the sparrows feed,

He will not let thee die, though at thy utmost need.

5 Happy who trusts in God, and not in mortal kindness,

The children of mankind are ever struck with blindness;

Often they but do harm; and often, when they know

What we do need, they yet neglect the doing so

THE AFFLICTED ONE MEDITATES, ETC.