The Spurgeon Series 1855 & 1856. Charles H. Spurgeon

and troubles who are not children of God. I have heard some poor whining people come and say, “I know I am a child of God, because I am in debt, because I am in poverty, because I am in trouble.” Do you indeed? I know a great many rascals in the same condition; and I do not believe you are a child of God any more because you happen to be in poor circumstances. There are many who are in trouble and distress besides God’s children. It is not the peculiar lot of God’s family; and if I had no other ground of my hope as a Christian, except my experience of trials, I should only have very poor ground indeed. But there is a distinction to be noticed. Are these sufferings the sufferings of Christ, or are they not? A man is dishonest, and is put in jail for it; a man is a coward and men hiss at him for it; a man is insincere, and, therefore, people avoid him. Yet he says is persecuted. Persecuted! Not at all; it serves him right. He deserves it. But such people will comfort themselves with the thought, that they are “the dear people of God,” because other people avoid them; when it so happens that they just deserve it. They do not live as they ought to do; therefore the world’s punishment is their desert. Take heed, beloved, that your sufferings are the sufferings of Christ; be sure they are not your own sufferings; for if they are, you will get no relief. It is only when they are the sufferings of Jesus that we may take comfort.

      11. “Well,” you say, “what is meant by our sufferings being the sufferings of Christ?” You know the word “Christ” in the Bible sometimes means the whole Church with Christ, as in 1 Corinthians 12:12, and several other passages which I cannot just now remember; but you will call to mind a Scripture where it says, “I fill up that which is behind of the sufferings of Christ, for his body’s sake, which is the Church.” Now, as Christ, the head, had a certain amount of suffering to endure, so the body must also have a certain weight laid upon it. Our afflictions are the sufferings of Christ mystical, the sufferings of Christ’s body, the sufferings of Christ’s church; for you know that if a man could be so tall as to have his head in heaven and his feet at the bottom of the sea, it would be the same body, and the head would feel the sufferings of the feet. So, though my head is in heaven, and I am on earth, my griefs are Christ’s griefs; my trials are Christ’s trials, my afflictions, he suffers.

      I feel at my heart all your sighs and your groans,

      For you are most near me, my flesh and my bones;

      In all your distresses, your Head feels the pain,

      Yet all are most needful, not one is in vain.

      The trials of a true Christian are as much the sufferings of Christ, as the agonies of Calvary.

      12. Still you say, “We want to discern whether our troubles are the trials of Christ.” Well, they are the trials of Christ, if you suffer for Christ’s sake. If you are called to endure hardness for the sake of the truth, then those are the sufferings of Christ. If you suffer for your own sake, it may be a punishment for your own sins; but if you endure for Christ’s sake, then they are the trials of Christ. “But,” some say, “is there any persecution nowadays? Do any Christians have to suffer for Christ’s sake now?” Suffer, sirs! Yes. “I could a tale unfold” this morning, if I pleased, of bigotry insufferable, of persecution almost as bad as that in the days of Queen Mary; only our foes do not have the power and the law on their side. I could tell you of some who, from the simple fact, that they choose to come and hear this despised young man, this ranting fellow, are to be looked upon as the offscouring of all things. Many are the people who come to me, who have to lead a miserable and unhappy life, simply because from my lips they heard the word of truth. Still, despite all that is said, they will hear it now. I have, I am sure, many before me, whose eyes would drop with tears, if I were to tell their history — some who have privately sent me word of how they have to suffer for Christ’s sake, because they choose to hear whom they please. Why, is it not time that men should choose to do as they like. If I do not care to do just as other ministers do, have I not a right to preach as I please? If I do not have, I will — that is all. And do not other people have a right to hear me if they like, without asking the lords and governors of the present day, whether the man is really clerical or not? Liberty! liberty! Let people do as they please. But liberty — where is it? You say it is in Britain. It is, in a measure, but not thoroughly. However, I rejoice that there are some who say, “Well, my soul is profited: and let men say what they will, I will hold hard and fast to truth, and to the place where I hear the word to my soul’s edification.” So, dear hearts, go on, go on; and if you suffer for Christ’s sake, they are Christ’s sufferings. If you came here simply because you gained anything by it, then your sufferings would be your own; but since there is nothing to gain but the profit of your own souls, still hold on; and whatever is said, your persecution will but win you a brighter crown in glory.

      13. Ah! Christian, this ennobles us. My brethren, this makes us proud and happy to think that our trials are the trials of Jesus. Oh! I think it must have been some honour to the old soldier, who stood by the Iron Duke in his battles, to be able to say, “We fight under the good old Duke, who has won so many battles: and when he wins, part of the honour will be ours.” Christian, you fight side by side with Jesus; Christ is with you; every blow is a blow aimed at Christ; every slander is a slander on Christ; the battle is the Lord’s; the triumph is the Lord’s; therefore, still on to victory! I remember a story of a great commander, who, having won many glorious victories, led his troops into a defile, and when there, a large body of the enemy entirely surrounded him. He knew a battle was inevitable in the morning, he therefore went around to all the tents, to hear in what condition his soldier’s minds were — whether they were dispirited or not. He came to one tent, and as he listened, he heard a man say, “There is our general; he is very brave, but he is very unwise this time; he has led us into a place where we are sure to be beaten; there are so many of the enemy’s cavalry, so many infantry”: and then the man counted up all the troops on their own side, and made them only so many. Then the commander, after he had heard the tale, gently drew aside a part of the tent, and said, “How many do you count me for? You have counted the infantry and cavalry; but how many do you count me for — me, your mighty captain, who has won so many victories.” Now, Christian, I say, how many do you count Christ for? How many do you put him down for? Have you put him down for one? He is not one, nor a thousand: he is the “chief among ten thousand.” But he is more than that. Oh! put him down for a high figure; and when you count up your aids and auxiliaries, put down Christ for all in all, for in him victory is certain — the triumph is secure.

      14. III. Our third point is, A PROPORTION TO BE EXPERIENCED. As the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so the consolations of Christ abound. Here is a blessed proportion. God always keeps a pair of scales — in this side he puts his people’s trials and in that he puts their consolations. When the scale of trial is nearly empty, you will always find the scale of consolation in nearly the same condition; and when the scale of trials is full, you will find the scale of consolation just as heavy; for as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, even so shall consolation abound by Christ. This is a matter of pure experience. Some of you do not know anything at all about it. You are not Christians, you are not born again, you are not converted; you are unregenerate, and, therefore, you have never realised this wonderful proportion between the sufferings and the consolations of a child of God. Oh! it is mysterious that, when the black clouds gather most, the light within us is always the brightest. When the night lowers and the tempest is coming on, the heavenly captain is always closest to his crew. It is a blessed thing, when we are most cast down, then it is that we are most lifted up by the consolations of Christ. Let me show you how.

      15. The first reason is, because trials make more room for consolation. There is nothing makes a man have a big heart like a great trial. I always find that little, miserable people, whose hearts are about the size of a grain of mustard seed, never have had much to try them. I have found that those people who have no sympathy for their fellows — who never weep for the sorrows of others — very seldom have had any woes of their own. Great hearts can only be made by great troubles. The spade of trouble digs the reservoir of comfort deeper, and makes more room for consolation. God comes into our heart — he finds it full — he begins to break our comforts and to make it empty; then there is more room for grace. The humbler a man lies, the more comfort he will always have. I remember walking with a ploughman