For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.
He does not willingly bring affliction, pain, sorrow, suffering or grief upon people. He takes no pleasure or delight in human suffering, affliction or death, but is merciful, gracious, loving, tender and compassionate, pitying his children as a father pities his own. Affliction, sickness and death are not part of his original design, but are the result of sin, and suffering that follows abuse of nature or disregard of the laws of health is not to be blamed on him. When he permits sorrow, trial, bereavement and calamity, he does so unwillingly yet with purpose for human good, to turn hearts from earth to heaven, to remove impurity and selfishness from character, and to mold his people into the image of Christ. Therefore burdens, sickness and anxious care for loved ones can be placed in his hands with calm trust, with prayer that surrenders the outcome to his wisdom and knowledge of what is best.
God Does Not Willingly Afflict
He does not bring affliction, pain, sorrow, suffering, or grief on people, the children of men, willingly, but does all things well and permits nothing except with a purpose for their good, doing whatever He sees is best. Affliction, suffering, sickness, and death are results of sin and not part of His original design, for man was made for His glory and pleasure, and the present weak, sickly, degenerate condition of mankind is not in harmony with that design, while when that design is carried out there will be no sickness or death. He can be trusted with personal burdens, sickness, affliction, and seasons of special danger and weakness, keeping a constant interest in His creatures, so that those anxious for loved ones can place them in His hands and leave the burden with Him, believing He will carry them safely through. He pities those who fear Him as a father pities his children, and earnest prayer for the sick should always surrender the outcome to His wisdom and will, with such conditional prayer never faithless, nor should those not raised to health be judged as lacking faith. He is merciful, infinitely more willing to pardon than to condemn, gracious, touched with the feelings of human infirmities and knowing human weakness, long-suffering and kind, with love without parallel, slow to anger and of great kindness, having waited and waited for the sinner to give Him the affections and an undivided heart, and He will never leave nor forsake one penitent soul that looks to Him in faith, but accepts today the best a feeble, repenting, humble one has to give, supplying deficiencies through the merits of Christ.
He takes no pleasure, delight, desire, or willing purpose in human grief, suffering, affliction, or death, including the suffering and death of little children. When He permits sorrow and trials, He does so unwillingly yet for good, that people may share His holiness, with discipline needed to loosen attachment to earthly things and lead people to seek lasting happiness beyond this world. Received in faith, even bitter, hard, and painful trials prove a blessing by turning eyes from blighted earthly joys to heaven and leading people to know Jesus and seek comfort in Him who otherwise would never have known Him. He gives warnings, reproofs, mercy, and opportunities to turn from sin, and judgment comes only after people persistently reject given light and mercy, so that the suffering that follows pride, oppression, and disregard for His law, applied to His dealings with the United States despite its blessings, is not inflicted willingly by Him.
He is not the author of sickness and death but the source of life, and He desires people to live by obeying the laws of life and health. Nature protests when abused, and suffering that follows disregard of those laws is not to be charged to Him.
His character is merciful, gracious, good, loving, tender, compassionate, and sympathetic, pitying those who fear Him as a father pities his children, touched with human infirmity and weakness, long-suffering, kind, slow to anger, without parallel in love, more willing to pardon than to condemn, and unfailing in promise as an unchanging friend. The Lord is good and merciful, full of tender pity and loving-kindness, bringing affliction and grief only unwillingly and not from desire, loving the sufferer, hearing prayer, and working with those who seek Him. Jesus is a personal, loving Saviour whose character is lovely, tender, and compassionate, with no desire to bring suffering and sorrow, and confidence in this grows by talking of Jesus and calling on Him in prayer. Knowing this brings rich feasts of love, nearness and sweet communion, distinct views of His tenderness, a heart broken and melted by contemplation of His love, Christ abiding in the soul and abiding at home with Jesus, full belief of adoption as His children, waiting on the Lord in faith, and a foretaste of heaven. The afflicted should therefore put whole trust in the Lord, believe He hears, cling to the arm of infinite power and lean whole weight upon Jesus, and in doing so find comfort, blessing, courage, sustainment, prolonged life to honor God, clear judgment, abiding love, and light that does not go out in darkness. Even through months of pain, suffering, and weakness He stays near, loves His children, is able to help, and will restore in His own good time, so sufferers can know they are children of God, be sustained by the grace of Christ, keep praising the Lord, trust themselves in His hands, rest wholly there while others pray, and wait thankfully for His time to heal.
He knows the human frame and remembers people are dust, reads every secret of the soul, knows each heart, knows the end from the beginning and what lies ahead, and knows whether a person could endure the trial and test that would follow if life continued. Though His ways differ from ours, He does not grant requests He sees would not be best, and trusting His will brings calm and patient confidence; though people cannot see what lies ahead, He can be trusted not to bring suffering willingly. He is the One in whose hands life rests, the Giver of blessings, Provider of mercies, and Orderer of experiences, who numbers even the hairs of the head and works through natural causes, even whirlwind and storm, fire and flood, to lead His people to remember He has not forgotten them.
Suffering Comes From Sin
Affliction, suffering, sickness, and death are results of sin and are not part of the original design. Man was made for glory and pleasure, and when that design is carried out there will be no sickness or death. The present weak, sickly, degenerate condition of mankind is not in harmony with that design. Human sorrows do not rise by themselves out of the earth.
Suffering that follows a sinful course, abuse of nature, or disregard of the laws of health should not be blamed on the gracious and merciful Father. He is the source of life and not the author of sickness and death, and desires people to live by obeying the laws of life and health, for nature protests when abused. The suffering and death of little children is not evidence that He delights in afflicting them, but in this case follows from parents disregarding the laws of health and their responsibility for their children's care.
Purposes in Permitted Trials
When sorrow, trials, afflictions and bereavement are permitted, and when whirlwind and storm, fire and flood, and calamities through natural causes are permitted, it is not willingly but with purpose for human good and profit, that people may share in holiness. Nothing is permitted without a purpose for good, for all things are done well with constant interest in His creatures, doing for them whatever is seen to be best. Even in sorrow human frailty is remembered and His people are not forgotten, but He works for their good.
Received in faith, even bitter, hard and painful trials prove a blessing by turning eyes from blighted earthly joys to heaven, loosening attachment to earthly things, and leading people to know Jesus and seek comfort in Him who otherwise would never have known Him. Trials are His workmen to remove impurity, roughness, flaws, dross, chaff and selfishness from character, hewing, squaring, chiseling, burnishing and polishing like a stone pressed to the grinding wheel until prepared to fill its place in the heavenly temple, a careful thorough work bestowed only on precious material.
His chosen ones are permitted to be placed in the furnace of affliction as a blacksmith puts iron and steel in the fire to test what manner of metal they are and to see what temper they are of, to try faith more precious than gold tried with fire, to separate dross and chaff and melt selfishness out of life and character, to teach tenderness, compassion and pity learned only through trying circumstances, and to mold and fashion them into the image of Christ and fit them for His work. What fills hearts with sadness may be permitted to protect His people from greater unseen dangers and perils, to turn them from paths and from a way that if followed unchecked and unreproved would lead into great peril, and to prompt close self-examination, making straight paths for the feet, repentance, submission, obedience, and drawing near to Him that He may draw near to them. Suffering may be permitted to lead to submission and obedience and to warn against neglecting salvation, and is not a reason to rebel. He works through natural causes to lead His people to remember Him, as the One in whose hands life rests, the Giver of blessings, Provider of mercies and Orderer of experiences, who knows the human frame and remembers it is dust and numbers even the hairs of the head.
Warnings, reproofs, mercy and opportunities to turn from sin are given, and judgment comes only after people persistently reject given light and mercy; the suffering that follows pride, oppression and disregard for His law, applied to His dealings with the United States despite its blessings, is not inflicted willingly. In mercy many are laid away to sleep in Jesus before the fiery ordeal of the time of trouble comes upon the world, for He knows the human frame and remembers that people are dust, reads every secret of the soul, knows the end from the beginning, and knows whether a person could endure the trial and test that would follow if life continued. Even when a loved one dies the loss comes not because He delights in afflicting but because He knows what is best for the one taken and those left behind, sustaining the bereaved, mingling sorrow with joy, rest and peace in Jesus, and bringing light and the saving of souls out of incomprehensible darkness.
Trusting God Through Affliction
Earnest prayer for the sick should always leave the outcome to divine wisdom and will, trusting compassionate care and full knowledge of each heart, including whether the one prayed for could endure the trial and test that would follow if life continued. Such conditional prayer is never faithless, and those who are not raised to health are not to be judged as lacking faith. In mercy many are laid away to sleep in Jesus before the fiery ordeal of the time of trouble comes upon the world.
He does all things well and does not choose to bring pain and sorrow, keeping constant interest in His creatures and permitting nothing without purpose for their good, doing for them whatever He sees is best. Personal burdens, sickness, affliction, and seasons of special danger and weakness can therefore be placed in His hands, and those anxious for loved ones can leave the burden with Him, believing He will carry them safely through. Home and children can be entrusted to Him and His angels with calm reliance whether present or absent, without too little faith and without distrust and fear that sees only the dark side when afflicted. His own ways and purposes and providences will be carried out despite human planning, fear, and efforts to avoid or lessen evils, and though people cannot see what lies ahead He can be trusted not to bring suffering willingly. Death is not to be treated as the greatest evil, since far worse things than death threaten parents and youth and require faith and firm religious principle to avoid.
The afflicted should put whole trust in the Lord, believing He hears prayer and will work with those who seek Him, clinging to the arm of infinite power and leaning the whole weight upon Jesus. They can press petitions to the throne of grace, keep the mind stayed on Christ, and wait thankfully for His own good time to help and heal. In doing so they find comfort, blessing, courage, sustainment, and prolonged life to honor God, with clear judgment, abiding love, and light that does not go out in darkness. He holds people precious in His sight, loves the sufferer with tender pity and loving-kindness, pities families in sickness and sorrow and does not leave them comfortless, stays near through months of pain, suffering, and weakness, and is able to restore in His own good time, so no one who trusts in Him fails. This gives reason to view affliction in the most hopeful light possible, to place hope in God alone, and to pray with expectation of answered prayer and healing.
This truth comforts in a child's sickness and in bereavement, quieting murmuring feelings and bringing calm and patient confidence and reconciliation to His will. Bereavement is allowed in love, and though His ways differ from ours He knows the end from the beginning and does not grant requests He sees would not be best. The parents place hope in Him alone and pray with expectation.
Outward providence and visible signs give no proof of disfavor, for the consecrated Christian often receives no more outward favor than the unconsecrated and is sorely afflicted, distressed, perplexed, and hedged in on every side with appearances against him. Affliction does not mean forsaking, as seen when virtuous Joseph was maligned and imprisoned yet given signal victories, Daniel was cast into the lions' den for loyalty yet triumphed, Job was stripped and bereaved yet lifted up with greater favor, Jeremiah was cast into the pit for integrity yet brought out to favor, Stephen was stoned yet his death led to Paul's conversion and thousands enlightened, and John exiled on Patmos yet met by Jesus with revelation of the last days, the heavenly home, the throne, and the white-robed redeemed who overcame by the blood of the Lamb.
Even when the heart aches near to breaking there is reason to trust on and hope on and not yield to despondency and mourning, discouragement, or rebellion. There is reason to be hopeful, cheerful, and happy with strength, fortitude, courage, and perfect trust, because Jesus lives to cheer, bless, and give grace to those who trust Him fully, and a brighter morning will yet arrive. God as heavenly Father stands as husband at hand to counsel, direct, and comfort in need, and to watch over and bless and save with His outstretched arm in answer to prayer asked for Christ's sake, giving only sure and unfailing protection. Bodily affliction with severe pain and sickness need not bring discouragement, but the sufferer can keep the mind clear upon Christ as He draws attention to Himself and rejoice in His love.
Confidence in Jesus as a personal, loving Saviour, whose character is lovely, tender, and compassionate with no desire to bring suffering and sorrow, grows by talking of Jesus and calling on Him in prayer. Knowing this brings rich feasts of love, nearness to Him and sweet communion with Him, distinct views of His tenderness, a heart broken and melted by contemplation of His love, Christ abiding in the soul, abiding at home with Jesus, full belief of adoption as His children, and a foretaste of heaven. His promises never fail and He is an unchanging friend who has pledged to work for those who take hold of Him by faith. Those who trust Him learn tender affection for others, stand united in fellowship on a higher platform, and glorify Christ and not self, so His light illuminates the way.
As a God of mercy He does not lay extra burdens on His workers beyond His appointed order, so no worker is required to begin and carry an effort alone in a way that taxes strength and is not best for the people. A man's feeling that his own ways and manner of address are quite perfect does not make them so.
Even in sorrow He remembers human frailty, has not forgotten His people, and works for their good as the One in whose hands life rests, the Giver of blessings, Provider of mercies, and Orderer of experiences. He numbers even the hairs of the head and works through natural causes to lead His people to remember Him, with light ahead beyond heavy clouds of gloom and despondency. He exercises tenderest care and pity toward people in weakness and sorrow as a father pities his children, with an eye to pity and a heart to love in every suffering and affliction.
He does not willingly bring affliction, pain, sorrow, suffering or grief upon people. He takes no pleasure or delight in human suffering, affliction or death, but is merciful, gracious, loving, tender and compassionate, pitying his children as a father pities his own. Affliction, sickness and death are not part of his original design, but are the result of sin, and suffering that follows abuse of nature or disregard of the laws of health is not to be blamed on him. When he permits sorrow, trial, bereavement and calamity, he does so unwillingly yet with purpose for human good, to turn hearts from earth to heaven, to remove impurity and selfishness from character, and to mold his people into the image of Christ. Therefore burdens, sickness and anxious care for loved ones can be placed in his hands with calm trust, with prayer that surrenders the outcome to his wisdom and knowledge of what is best.
God Does Not Willingly Afflict
He does not bring affliction, pain, sorrow, suffering, or grief on people, the children of men, willingly, but does all things well and permits nothing except with a purpose for their good, doing whatever He sees is best. Affliction, suffering, sickness, and death are results of sin and not part of His original design, for man was made for His glory and pleasure, and the present weak, sickly, degenerate condition of mankind is not in harmony with that design, while when that design is carried out there will be no sickness or death. He can be trusted with personal burdens, sickness, affliction, and seasons of special danger and weakness, keeping a constant interest in His creatures, so that those anxious for loved ones can place them in His hands and leave the burden with Him, believing He will carry them safely through. He pities those who fear Him as a father pities his children, and earnest prayer for the sick should always surrender the outcome to His wisdom and will, with such conditional prayer never faithless, nor should those not raised to health be judged as lacking faith. He is merciful, infinitely more willing to pardon than to condemn, gracious, touched with the feelings of human infirmities and knowing human weakness, long-suffering and kind, with love without parallel, slow to anger and of great kindness, having waited and waited for the sinner to give Him the affections and an undivided heart, and He will never leave nor forsake one penitent soul that looks to Him in faith, but accepts today the best a feeble, repenting, humble one has to give, supplying deficiencies through the merits of Christ.
He takes no pleasure, delight, desire, or willing purpose in human grief, suffering, affliction, or death, including the suffering and death of little children. When He permits sorrow and trials, He does so unwillingly yet for good, that people may share His holiness, with discipline needed to loosen attachment to earthly things and lead people to seek lasting happiness beyond this world. Received in faith, even bitter, hard, and painful trials prove a blessing by turning eyes from blighted earthly joys to heaven and leading people to know Jesus and seek comfort in Him who otherwise would never have known Him. He gives warnings, reproofs, mercy, and opportunities to turn from sin, and judgment comes only after people persistently reject given light and mercy, so that the suffering that follows pride, oppression, and disregard for His law, applied to His dealings with the United States despite its blessings, is not inflicted willingly by Him.
He is not the author of sickness and death but the source of life, and He desires people to live by obeying the laws of life and health. Nature protests when abused, and suffering that follows disregard of those laws is not to be charged to Him.
His character is merciful, gracious, good, loving, tender, compassionate, and sympathetic, pitying those who fear Him as a father pities his children, touched with human infirmity and weakness, long-suffering, kind, slow to anger, without parallel in love, more willing to pardon than to condemn, and unfailing in promise as an unchanging friend. The Lord is good and merciful, full of tender pity and loving-kindness, bringing affliction and grief only unwillingly and not from desire, loving the sufferer, hearing prayer, and working with those who seek Him. Jesus is a personal, loving Saviour whose character is lovely, tender, and compassionate, with no desire to bring suffering and sorrow, and confidence in this grows by talking of Jesus and calling on Him in prayer. Knowing this brings rich feasts of love, nearness and sweet communion, distinct views of His tenderness, a heart broken and melted by contemplation of His love, Christ abiding in the soul and abiding at home with Jesus, full belief of adoption as His children, waiting on the Lord in faith, and a foretaste of heaven. The afflicted should therefore put whole trust in the Lord, believe He hears, cling to the arm of infinite power and lean whole weight upon Jesus, and in doing so find comfort, blessing, courage, sustainment, prolonged life to honor God, clear judgment, abiding love, and light that does not go out in darkness. Even through months of pain, suffering, and weakness He stays near, loves His children, is able to help, and will restore in His own good time, so sufferers can know they are children of God, be sustained by the grace of Christ, keep praising the Lord, trust themselves in His hands, rest wholly there while others pray, and wait thankfully for His time to heal.
He knows the human frame and remembers people are dust, reads every secret of the soul, knows each heart, knows the end from the beginning and what lies ahead, and knows whether a person could endure the trial and test that would follow if life continued. Though His ways differ from ours, He does not grant requests He sees would not be best, and trusting His will brings calm and patient confidence; though people cannot see what lies ahead, He can be trusted not to bring suffering willingly. He is the One in whose hands life rests, the Giver of blessings, Provider of mercies, and Orderer of experiences, who numbers even the hairs of the head and works through natural causes, even whirlwind and storm, fire and flood, to lead His people to remember He has not forgotten them.
Suffering Comes From Sin
Affliction, suffering, sickness, and death are results of sin and are not part of the original design. Man was made for glory and pleasure, and when that design is carried out there will be no sickness or death. The present weak, sickly, degenerate condition of mankind is not in harmony with that design. Human sorrows do not rise by themselves out of the earth.
Suffering that follows a sinful course, abuse of nature, or disregard of the laws of health should not be blamed on the gracious and merciful Father. He is the source of life and not the author of sickness and death, and desires people to live by obeying the laws of life and health, for nature protests when abused. The suffering and death of little children is not evidence that He delights in afflicting them, but in this case follows from parents disregarding the laws of health and their responsibility for their children's care.
Purposes in Permitted Trials
When sorrow, trials, afflictions and bereavement are permitted, and when whirlwind and storm, fire and flood, and calamities through natural causes are permitted, it is not willingly but with purpose for human good and profit, that people may share in holiness. Nothing is permitted without a purpose for good, for all things are done well with constant interest in His creatures, doing for them whatever is seen to be best. Even in sorrow human frailty is remembered and His people are not forgotten, but He works for their good.
Received in faith, even bitter, hard and painful trials prove a blessing by turning eyes from blighted earthly joys to heaven, loosening attachment to earthly things, and leading people to know Jesus and seek comfort in Him who otherwise would never have known Him. Trials are His workmen to remove impurity, roughness, flaws, dross, chaff and selfishness from character, hewing, squaring, chiseling, burnishing and polishing like a stone pressed to the grinding wheel until prepared to fill its place in the heavenly temple, a careful thorough work bestowed only on precious material.
His chosen ones are permitted to be placed in the furnace of affliction as a blacksmith puts iron and steel in the fire to test what manner of metal they are and to see what temper they are of, to try faith more precious than gold tried with fire, to separate dross and chaff and melt selfishness out of life and character, to teach tenderness, compassion and pity learned only through trying circumstances, and to mold and fashion them into the image of Christ and fit them for His work. What fills hearts with sadness may be permitted to protect His people from greater unseen dangers and perils, to turn them from paths and from a way that if followed unchecked and unreproved would lead into great peril, and to prompt close self-examination, making straight paths for the feet, repentance, submission, obedience, and drawing near to Him that He may draw near to them. Suffering may be permitted to lead to submission and obedience and to warn against neglecting salvation, and is not a reason to rebel. He works through natural causes to lead His people to remember Him, as the One in whose hands life rests, the Giver of blessings, Provider of mercies and Orderer of experiences, who knows the human frame and remembers it is dust and numbers even the hairs of the head.
Warnings, reproofs, mercy and opportunities to turn from sin are given, and judgment comes only after people persistently reject given light and mercy; the suffering that follows pride, oppression and disregard for His law, applied to His dealings with the United States despite its blessings, is not inflicted willingly. In mercy many are laid away to sleep in Jesus before the fiery ordeal of the time of trouble comes upon the world, for He knows the human frame and remembers that people are dust, reads every secret of the soul, knows the end from the beginning, and knows whether a person could endure the trial and test that would follow if life continued. Even when a loved one dies the loss comes not because He delights in afflicting but because He knows what is best for the one taken and those left behind, sustaining the bereaved, mingling sorrow with joy, rest and peace in Jesus, and bringing light and the saving of souls out of incomprehensible darkness.
Trusting God Through Affliction
Earnest prayer for the sick should always leave the outcome to divine wisdom and will, trusting compassionate care and full knowledge of each heart, including whether the one prayed for could endure the trial and test that would follow if life continued. Such conditional prayer is never faithless, and those who are not raised to health are not to be judged as lacking faith. In mercy many are laid away to sleep in Jesus before the fiery ordeal of the time of trouble comes upon the world.
He does all things well and does not choose to bring pain and sorrow, keeping constant interest in His creatures and permitting nothing without purpose for their good, doing for them whatever He sees is best. Personal burdens, sickness, affliction, and seasons of special danger and weakness can therefore be placed in His hands, and those anxious for loved ones can leave the burden with Him, believing He will carry them safely through. Home and children can be entrusted to Him and His angels with calm reliance whether present or absent, without too little faith and without distrust and fear that sees only the dark side when afflicted. His own ways and purposes and providences will be carried out despite human planning, fear, and efforts to avoid or lessen evils, and though people cannot see what lies ahead He can be trusted not to bring suffering willingly. Death is not to be treated as the greatest evil, since far worse things than death threaten parents and youth and require faith and firm religious principle to avoid.
The afflicted should put whole trust in the Lord, believing He hears prayer and will work with those who seek Him, clinging to the arm of infinite power and leaning the whole weight upon Jesus. They can press petitions to the throne of grace, keep the mind stayed on Christ, and wait thankfully for His own good time to help and heal. In doing so they find comfort, blessing, courage, sustainment, and prolonged life to honor God, with clear judgment, abiding love, and light that does not go out in darkness. He holds people precious in His sight, loves the sufferer with tender pity and loving-kindness, pities families in sickness and sorrow and does not leave them comfortless, stays near through months of pain, suffering, and weakness, and is able to restore in His own good time, so no one who trusts in Him fails. This gives reason to view affliction in the most hopeful light possible, to place hope in God alone, and to pray with expectation of answered prayer and healing.
This truth comforts in a child's sickness and in bereavement, quieting murmuring feelings and bringing calm and patient confidence and reconciliation to His will. Bereavement is allowed in love, and though His ways differ from ours He knows the end from the beginning and does not grant requests He sees would not be best. The parents place hope in Him alone and pray with expectation.
Outward providence and visible signs give no proof of disfavor, for the consecrated Christian often receives no more outward favor than the unconsecrated and is sorely afflicted, distressed, perplexed, and hedged in on every side with appearances against him. Affliction does not mean forsaking, as seen when virtuous Joseph was maligned and imprisoned yet given signal victories, Daniel was cast into the lions' den for loyalty yet triumphed, Job was stripped and bereaved yet lifted up with greater favor, Jeremiah was cast into the pit for integrity yet brought out to favor, Stephen was stoned yet his death led to Paul's conversion and thousands enlightened, and John exiled on Patmos yet met by Jesus with revelation of the last days, the heavenly home, the throne, and the white-robed redeemed who overcame by the blood of the Lamb.
Even when the heart aches near to breaking there is reason to trust on and hope on and not yield to despondency and mourning, discouragement, or rebellion. There is reason to be hopeful, cheerful, and happy with strength, fortitude, courage, and perfect trust, because Jesus lives to cheer, bless, and give grace to those who trust Him fully, and a brighter morning will yet arrive. God as heavenly Father stands as husband at hand to counsel, direct, and comfort in need, and to watch over and bless and save with His outstretched arm in answer to prayer asked for Christ's sake, giving only sure and unfailing protection. Bodily affliction with severe pain and sickness need not bring discouragement, but the sufferer can keep the mind clear upon Christ as He draws attention to Himself and rejoice in His love.
Confidence in Jesus as a personal, loving Saviour, whose character is lovely, tender, and compassionate with no desire to bring suffering and sorrow, grows by talking of Jesus and calling on Him in prayer. Knowing this brings rich feasts of love, nearness to Him and sweet communion with Him, distinct views of His tenderness, a heart broken and melted by contemplation of His love, Christ abiding in the soul, abiding at home with Jesus, full belief of adoption as His children, and a foretaste of heaven. His promises never fail and He is an unchanging friend who has pledged to work for those who take hold of Him by faith. Those who trust Him learn tender affection for others, stand united in fellowship on a higher platform, and glorify Christ and not self, so His light illuminates the way.
As a God of mercy He does not lay extra burdens on His workers beyond His appointed order, so no worker is required to begin and carry an effort alone in a way that taxes strength and is not best for the people. A man's feeling that his own ways and manner of address are quite perfect does not make them so.
Even in sorrow He remembers human frailty, has not forgotten His people, and works for their good as the One in whose hands life rests, the Giver of blessings, Provider of mercies, and Orderer of experiences. He numbers even the hairs of the head and works through natural causes to lead His people to remember Him, with light ahead beyond heavy clouds of gloom and despondency. He exercises tenderest care and pity toward people in weakness and sorrow as a father pities his children, with an eye to pity and a heart to love in every suffering and affliction.