t is
written that, "as a lion, so will He break all my bones; from day even to
night wilt Thou make an end of me;" is the same as He of whom it is
written, "He shall gather the lambs in His arms, and carry them, and
shall gently lead those that are with young;" and, again, "as a beast
goeth down into the valley, so the Spirit of the Lord caused him to
rest?" That He of whom it is written, "Our God is a consuming fire," is
the same as He who has said, "When thou walkest through the fire, thou
shalt not be burned?" That He who brings us into "the valley of the
shadow of death," is the same as He of whom it is said, "Thy rod and Thy
staff they comfort me?" Is not that blessed news? Is it not the news of
the Gospel; and the only good news which people will really care for,
when they are tormented, not with superstitious fears and doctrines of
devils which man's diseased conscience has originated, but tormented with
the real sorrows, the rational fears of this stormy human life.

We all like comfort. But what kind of comfort do we not merely like but
need? Merely to be comfortable?--To be free from pain, anxiety, sorrow?-
-To have only pleasant faces round us, and pleasant things said to us?
If we want that comfort, we shall very seldom have it. It will be very
seldom good for us to have it. The comfort which poor human beings want
in such a world as this, is not the comfort of ease, but the comfort of
strength. The comforter whom we need is not one who will merely say kind
things, but give help--help to the weary and heavy laden heart which has
no time to rest. We need not the sunny and smiling face, but the strong
and helping arm. For we may be in that state that smiles are shocking to
us, and mere kindness,--though we may be grateful for it--of no more
comfort to us than sweet music to a drowning man. We may be miserable,
and unable to help being miserable, and unwilling to help it too. We do
not wish to flee from our sorrow, we do not wish to forget our sorrow.
We dare not; it is so awful, so heartrending, so plain spoken, that God,
the master and tutor of our hearts must wish us to face it and endure it.
Our Father has given us the cup--shall we not drink it? But who will
help us to drink the bitter cup? Who will be the comforter, and give us
not mere kind words, but strength? Who will give us the faith to say
with Job, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him?" Who w