--- title: 'Balm for Wounded Spirits: William Swan Plumer on Comfort and Affliction' type: video hasMedia: true requiresPurchase: false authors: - 'Jonathan Master' date: 2026-11-10 collection: 'Dead Presbyterians Society' subcollection: 'Season 4' topics: - 'Affliction' - 'Death and Dying' - 'Scripture' - 'Providence' scriptures: - 'John 6' - 'Jeremiah 31' - 'Job 13' - 'Psalms 5' url: https://confessional.org/dead-presbyterians-society/season-4/balm-for-wounded-spirits --- # Balm for Wounded Spirits: William Swan Plumer on Comfort and Affliction How should a Christian grieve? When God’s providence takes away someone we love, where can a wounded heart find comfort? In this episode of the Dead Presbyterians Society Podcast, we explore William Swan Plumer's Balm for Wounded Spirits, a 19th-century sermon written for believers walking through loss and affliction. Plumer points sufferers to the sovereignty of God, the sufficiency of Christ, and the promises of Scripture. The letters of his grieving friend William Nevins show those truths sustaining a pastor through the death of his wife. [Watch](https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/1245463239) ## Transcript How do you respond to the death of someone who is close to you? Or how do you counsel a friend who is experiencing that kind of grief and loss? What about other kinds of loss? Have you ever felt as if the providences of God were weighing so heavily upon you that you were tempted to sink into depression or even despair? What does the Bible say about these kinds of circumstances? At Greenville Seminary, we exist for one purpose. We train pastors. We are called by the church to train up a generation of men who will serve her and serve Christ with their whole life. Archibald Alexander spoke about the founding of Princeton Seminary in this way, to furnish our congregations with enlightened, humble, zealous, laborious pastors who shall truly watch for the good of souls and consider it their highest honor and happiness to win them to the Savior. You can find more about Greenville Seminary at gpts.edu. Greetings from the past. Welcome to Dead Presbyterian Society. My name is Jonathan Master. I serve as president of Greenville Seminary. In the fall of 1834, Presbyterian pastor William Nevins suffered a devastating loss. His beloved wife died of cholera. Very suddenly, she left him a widower with a young son. In the days that followed, grief crashed over him like a wave. Writing to his good friend, William Swan Plummer, Nevins confessed that the Lord had touched him in the quote, tenderest point. He described himself as a man whose heart had been laid low by sorrow. And Nevins writes of his wife as a remarkable woman. He writes of her noble character, her prudence, her affectionate, faithful, charming nature. He found himself waking in the morning expecting to see her beside him. He watched for her in the familiar places of daily life. But again and again, the same reality confronted him. She was gone. He admitted that his life had lost its charm and that every earthly joy seemed dimmed by her absence. Yet in the midst of this deep grief, Nevins continued to speak of God's sustaining grace. He could not understand the Lord's providence, but he knew where to turn. He writes, quote, it is the Lord. Though his heart was broken, he sought comfort, not in earthly things, but in Christ himself. And his letters reveal a man wrestling honestly with sorrow while refusing to let go of the promises of God. How does a Christian endure sorrow like that? How can a believer grieve deeply without surrendering to despair? Where can wounded hearts find comfort when God's providence takes away someone they love so much? These are the questions that William Swan Plummer, Nevins' friend, sought to answer in his little book entitled, Balm for Wounded Spirits. It was a sermon originally written during the 19th century. It was written at a time when there was widespread uncertainty and suffering and loss. Americans lived in a world where disease was common and medical treatments were limited. Infant mortality rates were high and death regularly touched every family. Grief and affliction in this time were not unusual interruptions, but they were realities that people expected to face. And it was in the midst of this that Plummer plainly saw that suffering was a reality common to every human life. He wrote, on earth are always many stricken hearts. The children of sorrow are numbered by the million. And yet his purpose was to direct suffering believers to the God of all comfort. He believed that every affliction comes from the hand of a wise and gracious father and that the gospel provides a balm powerful enough to heal the deepest wounds. But before we consider Plummer's counsel for wounded spirits, it's worth taking another fresh look at the man who wrote these words. If you've been listening to the podcast for a while, William Swan Plummer is not a new name. We previously explored his life and ministry in season two, episode one, Christ all in all, the right temper for a theologian. Yet Plummer's long and fruitful ministry deserves revisiting, especially as we consider this deeply important topic that every pastor, indeed every Christian, will face. So let's turn our attention first to the life and ministry of William Swan Plummer. Just by way of reminder, he was born in 1802 in Pennsylvania to William and Catherine Plummer. He graduated from Washington College, which is now called Washington and Lee University in Virginia in 1825, and then graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1827. In 1826, before his graduation, he was licensed to preach, and then he was ordained as an evangelist in 1827. He organized the first Presbyterian church in Danville, Virginia in 1827. He was married in 1829 to the wife of whom he wrote later on. Then he served as a pastor in Petersburg, Virginia, Richmond, Virginia, Baltimore, Maryland, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, and in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He helped establish an institution which was called the Staunton Institution for the Deaf, Dumb, and Blind in Virginia. He served as professor of didactic and pastoral theology at Western Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh and at Columbia Theological Seminary. And he was transferred in 1875 to a chair, and he served in that chair until the time of his death. He was moderator of the Presbyterian Church in 1838, and he was moderator of the Southern Presbyterian Church's General Assembly in 1871. Actually, the only American who was elected moderator of both branches of the church after the division. He's written a number of things. We've touched on those in earlier episodes. Best known for his studies on the Psalms and his work on the Law of God. He received multiple honorary doctorates during his lifetime, and he died in 1880 in Baltimore, Maryland. Now we're going to look today at one of his works, one of his sermons that was published entitled, Balm for Wounded Spirits, and he directs readers there to the sovereignty of God, the sufficiency of Christ, and the promises of Scripture. He wants to remind believers that affliction is not outside of God's providence, that trials can be used for spiritual good, and that the Lord remains near to his people in their darkest hours. Let's look at the content of this work. He begins by dealing with the nature and extent of afflictions. He says, there are many wounded spirits. Quote, we come into the world with a cry, we pass through it in tears, and we leave it with a groan. From birth to death, sorrow and hardship are constant companions to anyone who experiences life in this fallen world. No one escapes the effects of the fall. Every life is touched in some way by disappointment, loss, sickness, grief, and pain. It is not an unusual circumstance for Christians. It is the ordinary experience of Christians. It is the ordinary path of discipleship for Christians. And troubles do not disappear as one grows older. Many people think that, that the troubles will be over as they age, but if anything, Plummer reminds us they often increase as the years pass, our bodies weaken, loved ones are often taken from us, and the burdens of life become even more evident. He writes this, rough seas and stress of weather make good semen. Long wars and hard battles make good soldiers. In other words, our troubles are working for our good as we grow in experience, as we grow in perseverance. The Lord uses these things to sanctify us. He uses affliction to strengthen our faith and to deepen our maturity. He then outlines the many sources of sorrow that people can be expected to face. He talks about loss of earthly possessions. Financial hardship can be a severe trial. Many experience this. He talks about the loss of property, the loss of riches. He reminds us that riches are not forever, and that the sudden acquisition of wealth often leads to the sudden loss of wealth. What a great trial that can be. He mentions the trials that come from relationships with friends and with family members. We mourn when friends and loved ones die, just as David mourned the death of Jonathan. We suffer when those we care about are sick. Broken relationships, strained marriages, rebellious children, ongoing household troubles can become some of life's most painful afflictions. The people we love most dearly have the greatest ability to wound us. He then speaks of daily work. We can labor diligently and yet see very little fruit from our labor. Plummer describes this feeling as though, quote, we labor in vain and spend our strength for naught, whether it's in business or education or the home. There are seasons when life seems unproductive and our goals seem out of reach. He also mentions intellectual pursuits. Students, pastors, scholars often encounter questions that are not easily answered. Difficult problems, perplexing circumstances, mysteries in the providence of God can leave us confused and overwhelmed. But in the midst of all these trials, and we could delineate even more than Plummer delineates in this sermon, he reminds us again and again, our trials are from God. They do not come to us by chance. This truth might be difficult to accept, especially in seasons of suffering, but in Plummer's estimation, it actually gives us the greatest comfort. It offers us the greatest comfort we could have. The God who governs all things is the same God who governs all our sorrows. Now to illustrate this point, Plummer very naturally takes us to the story of Job. Satan could not touch Job's possessions, family, or health without first receiving permission from God. And he reminds us that this teaches that nothing that we experience is outside of the Lord's control. He writes, He goes on to quickly remind us that this does not make God cruel or arbitrary. He quotes John Owen, who writes, He doesn't delight in the suffering of his people, nor does he send affliction without purpose. Even when we cannot understand his reasons and we can certainly trust his judgments. Remember that quote I just read for you, In other words, this sovereign God is also a caring God, is also a heavenly Father who, Plummer then reminds us that all these miseries of life ultimately can be traced back to sin and fall. Not specific sins of specific individuals. He's careful there, but the fall itself, our fallen state. Plummer points to Ezra's confession after the exile, And for this reason, Christians need to submit themselves under the sovereign hand of God. Plummer issues a sobering warning. He writes this, Rebellious thoughts are sinful and that the least sin is a greater evil than our sorrows. As bad as sorrow may be, sin is worse. And sorrow doesn't give us an excuse to give into rebellious sinful behaviors or thinking. So then he addresses behavior under sore trials. How should Christians behave and respond under difficult providences? He doesn't call believers to suppress their grief or to pretend that their loss, whatever it might be, does not hurt. In fact, he spends time reflecting on the nature of the hurt and the seriousness and severity of the hurt. Scripture gives many examples of godly men and women who mourned deeply. Jesus wept, the Bible tells us. Yet he warns against allowing sorrow to control us. He writes, There is no affection, however lawful in itself, that does not become sinful when indulged to an inordinate degree. Grief is natural, but excessive grief can lead us away from trusting in God's goodness and God's wisdom. In fact, he says believers should at these times in particular reflect on the character of God. Here's what he writes, If we cannot rejoice in our circumstances, let us at least delight ourselves in the Lord, our God. Our comfort is not found in understanding every detail of the circumstances we're enduring, but in knowing the God who governs all our circumstances. And so he gives several truths to remember in times of loss and affliction. Number one, God has the right to do as he pleases with his creation. Nothing he does is unjust. He is the sovereign righteous king of heaven and earth. Remember God's sovereignty. Number two, God by his nature is the best, purest, kindest, most loving being in the universe. Never forget God's sovereignty, but never forget God's love. Third, he tells us to remember the judge of all the earth never makes mistakes. Every providence is directed by God's wisdom. Remember the wisdom of God and reflect upon it. Fourth, he says guard your heart against sinful complaints. He describes it again this way, One unworthy thought concerning God is more to be dreaded than any loss we can sustain in the death of our loved ones. Guard your heart. And fifth, he reminds us that we're not alone in our trials. God's people in every generation have walked through seasons of grief, of loss, of hardship, and the God who sustained them is the God who can sustain us today. And then lastly, he says, reflect on this, not to despair when the salvation of a loved one is uncertain, for we do not know what the Lord may accomplish in the final moments of a person's life. There he's reflecting on a particular kind of hard providence, the impending death or the sickness of someone who, as far as we know, appears to be outside of Christ. What a grievous thing that is, because we know that eternity is at stake. And yet Plummer says, even in that circumstance, don't despair. The Lord can, in the final moments of one's life, bring him to saving faith. He ends this section with a simple reminder, quote, quietness of the soul in trying circumstances is a binding duty and a good sign of a gracious state. Then he offers some consolations and comforts for Christians, the promises of God's word. That's what Plummer turns us to. Afflictions vary from person to person, but God's promises provide comfort to every wounded spirit. He gives a list of them and he gives scripture references. John 6, 37, him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. Jeremiah 31, 25, I have satiated the weary soul and I have replenished every sorrowful soul. Job 13, 15, though he slay me, yet I will trust in him. Psalm 5, 11, let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice. Let them ever shout for joy because thou defendest them and on and on he goes. And what a reminder this is that the Bible is full of scriptural promises. We need to be familiar with these promises to know them, particularly for when we face times of difficulty. The promises of God may seem far and distant to you now if you're not enduring difficulty, but believe me, when you face difficulty, Plummer knew this, you will need to cling to God's sure and certain promises in Christ and there are many. So then the question may be asked, where is true comfort to be found? Plummer makes it clear that the world will offer all kinds of distractions, all kinds of false comforts, but God is our comfort. In Job 19, we read, have pity on me, O ye my friends, for the hand of God hath touched me. But Plummer argues that someone can become more aware of God's presence, not just over his circumstances, but in comforting him in the midst of suffering. He writes, quote, the more of sanctified suffering we have, the more real comfort we are sure to possess. Even in this life, we receive comfort from God in Jesus Christ. And not only that, he goes on to say this, suffering helps us to prepare to serve others. The believer who's experienced God's comfort in seasons of grief is often best equipped to minister to those facing similar trials. God doesn't waste our afflictions. He enlarges our compassion. He deepens our understanding and he equips us to bring comfort to fellow sufferers. It may be the case that you're suffering right now, but that in that suffering, God is preparing you down the road to minister to someone else who's experiencing the same kind of suffering. We comfort others with the comfort with which we ourselves have been comforted by God. And of course, we know that God uses afflictions to accomplish his gracious purpose in the lives of his people. This is why Paul can write this. We glory in tribulations also knowing that tribulation work of patience and patience experience and experience hope and hope maketh not ashamed. Plummer outlines several ways God uses suffering for our spiritual good. He first says, affliction causes us to think seriously about life. In times of prosperity, we are often prone to avoid introspection, to become careless about eternal realities, but affliction will make us think seriously about the things of life, the important things of life. Number two, he said, suffering reminds us that life is short and it has a way of turning us away from passing concerns, from ephemeral things. He says trials, number three, often expose our sins. They show us the attitudes that we've harbored against God and an affliction can become a means of self-examination and then repentance. He writes that suffering humbles us. It shows us how dependent we are on God. It makes us prayerful. Number five, when everything else is removed, we turn to the Lord and cast ourselves on his mercy. He says trials teach us that this world cannot satisfy us. He goes on to say, suffering drives us to the scriptures. Affliction can produce holiness. Suffering often reclaims wandering believers. Have you noticed how many times those who are wandering from the Lord are reclaimed through times of affliction? Affliction, he goes on to say, teaches quiet submission to God's will and then ultimately trials strengthen faith. For Plummer, these benefits don't make suffering pleasant, but they do remind us that our trials are accomplishing something far greater than what we can see and what we even feel. The God who sends affliction also uses it to shape his people for their eternal good. As we conclude, let's return to the grieving pastor we met at the beginning of the episode, William Nevins. Throughout this book, Plummer has sought to answer the very questions raised by Nevins' experience. How could a Christian, how should a Christian respond when affliction comes? Can we trust God's providence when our hearts are broken? The most remarkable part of the letters of Nevins is not the depth of his grief, but what God was doing through it. He openly admitted his struggles. Dear Plummer, he writes, my mind is so busy. I am in danger of thinking wrong. As time passed, Nevins began to see more clearly the truths that Plummer teaches throughout this little book. He learned that God's providence is wise, even when it's painful. He learned that Christ is sufficient when earthly comforts are taken away. And he learned most importantly that the giver is greater than the gifts. Reflecting on the loss of his wife, he wrote, he made my wife and gave her all the charms she had. Certainly he must have infinitely superior charms himself. This is a work of God's sanctifying grace. This is why Plummer includes these letters at the end of this book. They show us that the truths he has been teaching sustained a grieving pastor through one of the greatest trials of his life, the loss of his wife. And these are truths that can sustain us as well. But what about you? How do you respond when God brings unexpected trials into your life? Are there burdens that you are carrying today you've not cast upon the God of all grace? Have your afflictions driven you closer to Christ, deeper into the scriptures, and more dependent on prayer? How might God be using your present sufferings to prepare you to comfort and encourage others? See, no matter what affliction you may be facing today, the same God who upheld William Nevins remains faithful. The same Savior who comforted him still comforts his people. And the same promises that sustained wounded saints in Plummer's day are the promises that remain true and solid for us in our own.