The Afflicted Remnant and Their Confiding Trust

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"I will also leave in the midst of you an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord." Zephaniah 3:12

Jerusalem was the center of the worship of the only true God from the day that David brought the ark there, until she rejected the Lord of life and glory, and brought upon herself that sentence, "Behold your house is left unto you desolate." For this reason, Jerusalem became a type and figure of two things--first, of the TRUE church of God, his own elect family; and secondly, of the VISIBLE church. In those passages for instance, where we read, "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem"; "Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city"; "Speak you comfortably to Jerusalem"--in these, and similar passages, Jerusalem is addressed as representing the SPIRITUAL church of God. But, on the other hand, there are many passages where she is spoken of in language only applicable to the OUTWARD PROFESSING CHURCH; as in the beginning of this chapter, "Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city!"

In the text, we find Jerusalem personally addressed. And the Lord declares that he "will leave in the midst of her an afflicted and poor people;" and that this afflicted and poor people "shall trust in the name of the Lord." By Jerusalem, then, in the text, is not meant the true church of God, the inner sanctuary; but the outer court, the VISIBLE CHURCH, as including the invisible. And the Lord says of this professing church, of this outward visible congregation, that he will leave in her midst, a circle within a circle, a peculiar people, whom he describes under two distinct marks.

In endeavoring to unfold this portion of God's word, I shall notice three particulars connected with the text:

I. The solemn declaration of the Almighty, that he will leave in the midst of the professing church a people.
II. The character of the people whom the Lord thus leaves in the midst of Jerusalem, "an afflicted and poor people."
III. That they shall be brought to "trust in the name of the Lord."

I. The SOLEMN DECLARATION of the Almighty, that he will leave in the midst of the professing church a people.

God here speaks in the solemn exercise of his sovereignty, "I will leave." It is no matter of chance, or of uncertainty. It is a solemn declaration, which God, who cannot lie, has given, and which He will therefore surely fulfill.

But we may observe two things connected with this solemn declaration--one is, "in the midst of her." The words clearly intimate that "all are not Israel who are of Israel;" that the visible church encloses in its bounds the invisible. Thus, we are to expect to find the people of God in the midst of the professing church, and yet completely SEPARATE from it; wrapped up in it, as the nut is wrapped up in the nutshell; yet as DISTINCT IN ESSENCE, in peculiarity, and in flavor, as the nut is from the shell which surrounds it. It is also HIDDEN by the professing church in the same way as the nut is hidden by the shell; and yet so hidden that though the eye of man sees it not, yet it lies naked and open before the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

But the expression, "I will leave," carries with it also a peculiar signification. The Lord does not say, 'I will PUT in the midst of her,' but 'I will leave in the midst of her.' The word is connected with the idea of a remnant, as we read in the next verse, "The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth--for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid". The inner portion, therefore, bears a small proportion to the outer--"two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outmost fruitful branches thereof."

Now it will be the concern of every one taught of God to know whether he belongs to the outward, or to the inward church--whether he be one of that peculiar people chosen before all worlds, whom God leaves as a remnant in the midst of the outward church, or whether he has the mere form of godliness, while destitute of the power.

II. The SPIRITUAL CHARACTER of the people whom the Lord thus leaves in the midst of Jerusalem.

And this leads me to the second branch of the subject, which is to describe the spiritual character of this peculiar people left as a remnant in the midst of professing Jerusalem--for the Lord in his word, for the comfort of his people, has given signs and marks by which they are peculiarly distinguished.

The Holy Spirit, in the text, has stamped these two marks upon them–
1. that they are "an afflicted and poor people,"
2. that "they trust in the name of the Lord."

The first mark that he stamps upon them is, that they are "an afflicted and poor people."

1. They are "an afflicted people." The Lord's people, in common with the rest of mankind, have to drink of the cup of temporal sorrow. Sorrow, then, is no distinguishing mark of their being the people of God; for "Man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward." But what is the EFFECT of these temporal afflictions upon them? Temporal afflictions, however long, however deep, however aggravated, carry with them no evidence that those on whom they fall belong to the peculiar people of God; but the fruit and effect which spring out of these afflictions bear a decisive stamp. When afflictions come upon the men of this world, there is no sanctifying effect produced through them. Affliction leaves them just as it found them. No, it leaves them worse than it found them. Their hearts are hardened rather than softened by the afflictions they are made to pass through; and their troubles, instead of driving them to the Lord, only serve to drive them farther and farther from him. They thrust them into rebellion, or into the world, or more deeply into sin, into suicide, or into despair.

So that there is this marked distinction between temporal afflictions as befalling the children of men, and temporal afflictions as befalling the children of God--that temporal afflictions leave the children of men just as they were, in nature's darkness and in nature's death; whereas the temporal afflictions that fall upon the people of God bring with them a sanctifying and fertilizing effect. For instance–

Many of the Lord's people are afflicted in their BODIES. In this they share with the children of men at large. The wards of the hospital, and the sick chamber, are not tenanted only by the children of God--the men of this world have their share of bodily afflictions. But bodily afflictions produce in the latter no spiritual fruit. Sickness and pain do not, cannot change the heart. But the bodily afflictions that God's people have to pass through, often produce in them a sanctifying effect. When God blesses and works by them, they separate us from the world--they bring before us the solemn realities of eternity--they lead us to look more narrowly how we stand before God; they purge out false faith, false hope, false love to God; they sift our evidences to the very center; they bring us more into the presence of a heart-searching God, that we may lay ourselves open before him; they embitter sin to us; they bring death nearer to view; they quicken prayer; they stir up a spirit of supplication in the heart. And in these afflictions the Lord is at times pleased to manifest himself peculiarly to the soul. Many a child of God on a sick bed has found more of the presence and favor of the Lord than ever he knew before; and has had reason to bless God to the last breath of his life that he had been pleased to afflict him, and chose that season in which to manifest his goodness to his soul.

Others of the Lord's family are afflicted with PROVIDENTIAL trials. The world has these as well as they; but the providential trials that the children of men are exercised with never drive them to God; they often, yes, usually drive them deeper and deeper into sin; they drive them into debt, to drink, and other bad courses, to drown their worldly cares, and often bring them eventually to the gallows and the scaffold.

But the providential trials that the Lord's people have to pass through show them what before was hidden from them, that there is a God of providence. Those who see him onlyas the God of grace, see but one side of the Lord's face. But the providential circumstances the Lord's people are called to pass through bring more conspicuously before their eyes the other side of the Lord's countenance--that of providence. When they see how God appears for them in their temporal circumstances, it causes the sweet flowings forth of faith and love towards their kind Parent; and this endears him to them more closely.

There are also FAMILY afflictions. These, the Lord's people have to pass through as well as the world. But family afflictions are not sanctified to the men of this world--they disunite instead of bringing together--they make the home miserable--but never bring into their hearts any looking to the Lord to heal the breach. But the Lord's family who have to pass through family afflictions often find a profit in them. Idols are dethroned, worldly affections are restrained--and that peace which they cannot find in the bosom of their families they are led to seek for in the bosom of their God.

Thus those temporal afflictions which passing over the men of the world are as the thunderbolt to strike--are to God's people a fertilizing shower, causing them to bring forth fruit to his honor; and thus the same cloud which hangs in vengeance over the men of this world, and with lightning-flash often hurls them into perdition--drops down nourishment upon the children of God.

But there are other afflictions of a far deeper, far more cutting, and far more painful nature than any of those temporal afflictions which the Lord's people may be called upon to pass through--these are spiritual afflictions. The Lord's people are peculiarly circumstanced. I have endeavored to show that they have TEMPORAL afflictions in common with the rest of mankind; yet they have them in a peculiar way, as being sanctified to them. But spiritual afflictions are peculiar to them alone; and, if we may give a balance of profit, we must assign a far greater share to spiritual afflictions than we can to temporal.

The weight of guilt upon the conscience; the distressing sensations that sin produces when God the Spirit charges it home upon the soul, is one of the afflictions which God's people are called to pass through. Indeed, without knowing the affliction of a guilty conscience for sin and for having transgressed against the Lord, no man can know the healing balm of the gospel. God's consolations are reserved for, and abound in proportion to these spiritual afflictions. So that he that would gladly draw his neck out of the collar of affliction would also draw his neck out of the fulfillment of God's promises in giving consolation. The feeling of having sinned against God must lie heavy on every conscience made tender in God's fear.

It is the first mark of life; and not merely the first mark of life, but it runs through the whole of a Christian man's experience. Does he daily sin? He is daily, so far as God lays it upon his conscience, afflicted in consequence of sin. And the more that the fear of God works in his soul, and the more that his conscience is made and kept tender and alive, the more is he afflicted by the sin which he daily and hourly commits. All the Lord's people suffer under this affliction--some indeed more deeply and perpetually than others. But just in proportion as the Lord would make the soul fruitful in his ways, does he afflict it with a deeper knowledge of sin, that it may prize the gospel more, receive pardon more graciously and abundantly, and bless God for the very stroke that has struck most deeply into the conscience.

Temptations form another source of spiritual affliction to God's people. The Lord's family often, in passing through temptations, think themselves different from all others. They can scarcely believe that any of the children of God are as tempted as they are--that such vile thoughts, such base desires, such carnal imaginations, such wicked lusts, should work in the minds of others, who appear to them to be holy and spiritual. And it is often a weighty part of the affliction that it is peculiar--for the Lord's people, especially in their younger days, before they have learned how others are similarly exercised, often write bitter things against themselves in consequence of these temptations. Temptations to infidelity, to blasphemy, to renounce the cause of God and truth, to commit the vilest sins painted in the imagination, to pride, hypocrisy, presumption, and despair--these various temptations lie heavy on a tender conscience, and cut deep just in proportion to the depth of godly fear within.

The daily conflict that we have to maintain in our souls against the world, the flesh, and the devil; the struggle of grace against nature, and of nature against grace; the sinkings of the one, and the risings of the other, that are perpetually going on in the souls of God's people--this ceaseless conflict is an affliction that the Lord's people are all called on to pass through.

But what benefit is there in all these afflictions? Does God send them without an object in view? Do they come merely, as the men of the world think, by chance? No. There is profit intended by them. The apostle unfolds this very clearly when he says, our fathers "for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure--but God for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness." The branch cannot bear fruit except it be pruned--the love of sin cannot be cast out--the soul cannot be meekened, humbled, softened, and made contrite--the world cannot be embittered--the things of time and sense cannot be stripped of their false hue and their magic appearance, except through affliction. Jesus is a "root out of a dry ground," there is "no form nor loveliness in him," except just in proportion as afflictions exercise our souls, and the Spirit through them draws us into nearness of union and communion with him.

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