A S the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so the consolations of Christ abound. Here is a blessed proportion. This is a matter of pure experience. 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.
Trials make more room for consolation.
There is nothing that 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. 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. The humbler a man lies, the more comfort he will always have.