Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 1483
Delivered on Lord’s-Day Morning, July 13, 1879
Hosea 5:15.
THE Lord does not always tell us what He will do. “Verily You are a God that hides yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior.” He has told us that “it is the glory of God to conceal a thing” and our Lord Jesus has said, “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father has put in His own power.” When He does make known to us what He is about to do, it is not to gratify our curiosity but to direct our conduct. In this case the Lord speaks aloud concerning His intentions. He had grown weary with chastening His people and, therefore, He was about to withdraw Himself from them and leave them alone, as a man leaves a hopeless work, or as a judge leaves the bench and gives the prisoner over to condemnation
He says, “I will go and return to My place,” as if His waiting time was over and He would no longer remain in their midst to be provoked by their obstinacy. This withdrawal would occasion the non-acceptance of their prayers and offerings, even as He had said in a former verse, “They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord; but they shall not find Him; He has withdrawn Himself from them.” This He tells them in order that they may be led to implore Him to remain with them. Or that if He is already gone, they may, by hearty confession of their sin and an immediate seeking of His face, prevail upon Him once more to visit them in His Grace. If God is about to go, then all is going, even hope itself is. The Divine departure is the worst of calamities and, therefore, it is but right that those who are threatened with such a judgment should put their thoughts together, consider their ways and use the best means to hold Him by the skirts before He has departed, or to bring Him back again before He has effectually closed the door between Him and them. There should be an eager desire to bring the King back so that once more the heart may sun itself in the light of His favor.
Dear Friends, I shall speak, this morning, with the most anxious desire to be practical. I am longing and praying in my heart that wherever sin has begun to separate us and God, we may be stirred up to acknowledge our offenses and to seek His face. And that where such a separation has long existed there may arise an intense desire of the whole soul to return from its banishment and draw near to God. We shall, this morning, use our text, first, in reference to our national troubles, for the words were originally spoken with regard to the national troubles of Israel and Judah. Secondly, we shall use it in reference to our personal trials as Believers. And then, thirdly, in its relation to the personal trials of the unconverted. Instructive lessons may be learned here in each of the three cases. May the Holy Spirit speak the Truth of God home to our hearts.
I. And first, with regard to OUR PRESENT NATIONAL TROUBLES. I desire to speak of these things as before God in all sincerity and simplicity. I know it is impossible to touch upon such a subject without being suspected of political bias, but I can truly declare that from all such partiality I desire to be freed so that I may speak, not as a partisan, but as the servant of the living God. Calmly and solemnly would I speak words of soberness and truth and justice. It is a burden to my heart to speak a hard word of my own beloved country and if I seem to do so it is not in wantonness, but because of a pressure upon my conscience which will not let me be silent.
Surely no one will deny that our country is passing through a season of great and grievous adversity. We have been perplexed for many months and even for years with perpetual rumors of wars. For a long time no man knew, when he went to bed at night, but what the journal of the morning would inform him that our nation had plunged into war with at least one of the great powers of Europe. Our policy has been such, whether wise or unwise, that we have been
constantly on the verge of conflict. It is amazing that we have escaped from embroiling ourselves in a long and serious war, for many a time the flames of contention have threatened a general conflagration.
This disquietude, itself, has been a serious injury to the prosperity of our country, for trade and commerce make prosperous voyages upon the waters ofpeace—but even before those waters are disturbed by the storms of actual war— while only the threat of battle ruffles the surface, they make small headway or are driven back. Commerce is timid as a dove and is fluttered by every turmoil or whisper of coming trouble. In a thousand ways political agitations stab at the heart of national prosperity! In addition to this we have been actually engaged in two wars at least—wars certainly expensive and questionably expedient. In these two conflicts it is impossible for us to gain honor since they are cases of the mighty assailing the feeble.