JM
Puritan Board Doctor
by JOHN KERSHAW
"Call upon me in the day of trouble."
Some say religion begins its course in love and joy.
I did not so learn Christ.
It is contrary to the Word of God, contrary to the teaching of the Holy Spirit.
When religion commences in the soul of the sinner, trouble commences also.
Trouble assails the soul.
The blessed Spirit wounds the soul of the sinner,
and sorrow and distress is his portion.
The blessed Spirit, in the very commencement, makes sin burdensome. Job says, "Thou makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth." (Job 13:26) The blessed Spirit discovers to the poor sinner the sin of his nature, his depravity, the carnality of his heart, and makes him sore distressed so that he cannot look up. There is a heaviness in his heart which makes the poor sinner to stoop. He is weary and heavy-laden, he is burdened. It is not pleasant to feel the burden of sin in the conscience; but the results are blessed. The sinner must first see and feel the malady before the cure can be effected. "The whole need not a physician, but they that are sick." (Matt. 9:12; Luke 5:31)
The curse of God seems to be upon them. David says, "The pains of hell gat hold upon me." The curse of the law gets hold on the conscience of a poor sinner; he finds sorrow and trouble. This is the work of the Spirit in the conscience of the sinner. The Lord pulls down the sinner, but he brings him up again. The law brings him into bondage, but grace proclaims hope. It is a day of trouble to the sinner. When the soul is in these circumstances, how adapted is this exhortation to his case, "Call upon me in the day of trouble!" He cannot but call on him in sighs, in groans, in pantings, in breathings after God. His very heart and soul are going out to the Lord. To the Lord he cries, beseeching him to help and to have mercy on his soul. Again he hears the following declaration, just adapted to meet his case, "I will look down from heaven, from the height of my sanctuary." What for? "To hear the groaning of the prisoner." (Ps. 102:19,20) How it enters into the very case and feelings of the poor sinner when he is shut up in soul trouble!
David says, "I am shut up." Here is a poor destitute sinner; he cries unto the Lord. What does the Lord say? "To this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my Word." (Isa. 66:2) The soul, therefore, is calling upon him in the day of trouble, and in his own good time he will hear; he will come down to the help of the poor sinner. David saith in Psalm 40, "I waited patiently for the Lord, and he inclined unto me and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings." Yes, the Lord did something more to him than hearing him, or listening to his cry; he brought him up. He set his feet on the Rock of salvation, on the Rock of Ages, a sure foundation stone.
God is represented in the Scriptures as a rock.
The work of salvation is a perfect work.
When the sinner feels that he has for his stand and his rock the holy God, he finds that with the more weight he presses the more firm he feels; he is then satisfied with his foundation. He finds that a new song is put into his mouth, even praise and thanksgiving. David called on the Lord in the day of trouble, and the Lord heard him, and delivered him from all his trouble. David glorified God; he blessed and praised the Lord for his goodness. - Preached at Gadsby's Yard, London, on November 27th, 1842
"Call upon me in the day of trouble."
Some say religion begins its course in love and joy.
I did not so learn Christ.
It is contrary to the Word of God, contrary to the teaching of the Holy Spirit.
When religion commences in the soul of the sinner, trouble commences also.
Trouble assails the soul.
The blessed Spirit wounds the soul of the sinner,
and sorrow and distress is his portion.
The blessed Spirit, in the very commencement, makes sin burdensome. Job says, "Thou makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth." (Job 13:26) The blessed Spirit discovers to the poor sinner the sin of his nature, his depravity, the carnality of his heart, and makes him sore distressed so that he cannot look up. There is a heaviness in his heart which makes the poor sinner to stoop. He is weary and heavy-laden, he is burdened. It is not pleasant to feel the burden of sin in the conscience; but the results are blessed. The sinner must first see and feel the malady before the cure can be effected. "The whole need not a physician, but they that are sick." (Matt. 9:12; Luke 5:31)
The curse of God seems to be upon them. David says, "The pains of hell gat hold upon me." The curse of the law gets hold on the conscience of a poor sinner; he finds sorrow and trouble. This is the work of the Spirit in the conscience of the sinner. The Lord pulls down the sinner, but he brings him up again. The law brings him into bondage, but grace proclaims hope. It is a day of trouble to the sinner. When the soul is in these circumstances, how adapted is this exhortation to his case, "Call upon me in the day of trouble!" He cannot but call on him in sighs, in groans, in pantings, in breathings after God. His very heart and soul are going out to the Lord. To the Lord he cries, beseeching him to help and to have mercy on his soul. Again he hears the following declaration, just adapted to meet his case, "I will look down from heaven, from the height of my sanctuary." What for? "To hear the groaning of the prisoner." (Ps. 102:19,20) How it enters into the very case and feelings of the poor sinner when he is shut up in soul trouble!
David says, "I am shut up." Here is a poor destitute sinner; he cries unto the Lord. What does the Lord say? "To this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my Word." (Isa. 66:2) The soul, therefore, is calling upon him in the day of trouble, and in his own good time he will hear; he will come down to the help of the poor sinner. David saith in Psalm 40, "I waited patiently for the Lord, and he inclined unto me and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings." Yes, the Lord did something more to him than hearing him, or listening to his cry; he brought him up. He set his feet on the Rock of salvation, on the Rock of Ages, a sure foundation stone.
God is represented in the Scriptures as a rock.
The work of salvation is a perfect work.
When the sinner feels that he has for his stand and his rock the holy God, he finds that with the more weight he presses the more firm he feels; he is then satisfied with his foundation. He finds that a new song is put into his mouth, even praise and thanksgiving. David called on the Lord in the day of trouble, and the Lord heard him, and delivered him from all his trouble. David glorified God; he blessed and praised the Lord for his goodness. - Preached at Gadsby's Yard, London, on November 27th, 1842
