223 out ve not view in "al and of P'aul writes ning of The I of Him for , and scourgeth e endure chastenh sons; for what reneth not? But if hereof all are partad not sons. Furtherour flesh which corrected rence: shall we not much unto the Father of spirits ily for a few days chastened sure; but He for our profit, takers of His holiness. Now → present seemeth to be joyous, rtheless afterward it yieldeth the righteousness unto them which eby." All this ought to convince the least measure of faith that God Christ Jesus-that He desires, above e, to bring us home to the many , and that in order to do this, He feels ry to remove from us worldliness, ago to have shown us the folly and madness of ordering our lives with reference only to this present world. If our existence were thus limited in its duration, would The Holy Spirit have inspired His servants to hand down to us counsels such as these? Oh think of St. Paul's emphatic words—" If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men, most miserable." Wherein would be the power to comfort the afflicted believer in his blessed Saviour's words" In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world”—if this world were all his portion? But St. James, like numberless others, inspired and uninspired, being fully assured that life and immortality are brought to light by the Gospel, and keeping in mind the uncertain duration of mortal existence, gives these maxims with the view of assisting us in the attainment of a spirit of preparedness to depart and to be with Christ. And now let us, earnestly looking up to God for His gracious help, examine them a little more closely. First: He would have the believer suffer patiently. He directs our attention to the prophets, as to those who, knowing the blessedness of the saved sinner's lot, from their own communion with God, were content to endure suffering, and that patiently. He counts them happy which endure. He reminds us of the patience of Job, and appeals to those who have endured God's afflictive dispensations without murmurings and repinings, whether they have not found with Job that His end or object in view in afflicting them proved Him to be very pitiful and of tender mercy. To the same purport St. Paul writes -"My son, despise not thou the chastening of The Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him: for whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but He for our profit, that we might be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." All this ought to convince those who have the least measure of faith that God is our Father in Christ Jesus-that He desires, above everything else, to bring us home to the many mansions above, and that in order to do this, He feels it to be necessary to remove from us worldliness, and discontent, and impatience against His Will, and to work in us faith, patience, heavenly-mindedness. Ask of Him grace, that you may at all times see these things in their true light. Let patience have her perfect work with you, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. Oh, my dear brother, "the end of The Lord" in afflicting His people is indeed good beyond compare. How beautifully the great Bishop Heber displays this. "The Son of God goes forth to war, A kingly crown to gain, Who follows in His train? Who best can drink his cup of woe, Triumphant over pain; Who patient bears his cross below,- A noble army-men and boys, The matron and the maid, They climbed the steep ascent of heaven, Oh God! to us may grace be given, Then again St. James urges upon the believer meekness and Christian uprightness in his conversation. How lovely is the Christian character as St. Paul exhibits it in himself and his followers:(1 Cor. iv. 11-13,) "Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling-place, and labour, working with our own hands." What then? Does all this render the apostle and his converts irritable, and accustom them to give vent to sins of the tongue? No. He adds "Being reviled, we bless: being persecuted, we suffer it: being defamed we entreat we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day." Noble endurance! But then St. Paul also knew that the end of the Lord, in permitting these things, was good, and like his brother-apostle St. James, he sealed his testimony to that conviction with his blood. "Is any merry? Let him sing psalms." Who, in reading this apostolic injunction, does not think of the veteran in God's service, John Wesley, singing, in the very face of death, that song of triumphant joy, "I'll praise my Maker while I've breath, Praise shall employ my nobler powers: My days of praise shall ne'er be past, While life, and thought, and being last, Or immortality endures." And then St. James recommends prayer - the Q |