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I. THE OCCASION REFERRED TO. "The day of adversity."

1. Reverse of fortune — poverty and want.

2. Bereavement.

3. Sickness.

4. Persecution.

5. Temptation.

II. THE ACTION REPROVED. " If thou faint." Not the suffering of pain or the feeling of sorrow, but the excess of an allowable feeling.

1. When we yield to impatience, entertain hard thoughts of God, and distrust His goodness.

2. When we are so absorbed by adversity as to forget past prosperity.

3. When we yield to sorrow so far as to preclude necessary exertion.

4. When it causes us to yield to unholy methods in order to extricate ourselves from the difficulty. The Jews appealed to Egypt.

III. THE FAULT EXPLAINED. "Thy strength is small."

1. Bodily.

2. Morally.

3. Spiritually.

(1)  Smallness of faith.

(2)  Weakness of hope.

(3)  Deficiency of love.

(4)  Lack of courage.

(5)  Want of humility.

IV. THE REMEDY.

1. Call into exercise the strength you have. "To him that hath," etc.

2. Cherish higher thoughts of God.

3. Wait at the throne of grace.

(J. Bunting.)

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KJV: If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.

WEB: If you falter in the time of trouble, your strength is small.