Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1855-04-12

I
the hairs of your head are all num-
bered. y1s.i11a Il 595,7 g trois
Moreover, the trials which Ged has
appointed for us, are such as are best
adapted to withdraw us from the world
and fix our hearts on him; and no soon
er has one trial failed, through our own
peryerseness, to answer the end, than
he visits us with another and then an
other. Or il, by the leffectual working
of his Spirit superadded.to the working
of his providence, we are at length
brought to repentance, he removes by
successive trials, one impurity after an
other, till the soul is fitted at last for
the paradise of God. a1ss t8.T
What condescension and goodness are
herel Why should the infinite God be
forever taxing his wisdom and his power
to Withdraw vile man from his purpose
and fit him for glory? ''What is man
that thou shouldst. magnify him, and
that thou shouldst set thine heart upon
him,-that THOU shouldst visit him
every morning, and try him every mo-
ment?"s r
REFLECTIONS.
I. The subject shows us the divine
wisdom and goodness in the vicissit4des
of human life. No one set of circum-
stances is adapted either TO correct the
wide range of evil habits we have
formed and of evil dispositions and
sympathies we are prone to indulge, or
to awaken and give exercise to the wide
range of holy feelings which are es-
sential to our highest happiness. We
need supplies TO awaken our gratitude,
and privations to teach US submission.
We need success to encourage our en-
terprise, and disappointments to show
US our dependence. We need friends
for the exercise of the social affections,
and enemies | apprehend) for the full
exercise of the benevolent Affections
We need to go to the house of feasting
that the social feelings may be awakened
and cultivated, and to the house of
mourning that our passions may be
subdued, the fountains of human sym
pathy be opened, and that we may learn
to think on our latter end. The privi-
lodges we enjoy and the labors we un-
dergo, the gifts we receive and the pri-
vations We suffer, are all wisely APP
pointed; for they are all suited to the
wants of our moral natures.
2. We learn from the subject that the
result of trials, rests in an important
sense with ourselves. We form our
own characters, and work out our own
destinies. The vicissitudes through
which we pass are adapted to subdue
our corruptions, and give exercise to
every grace; but their use may be per-
verted, and they made to answer entire
ly different ends. And it is with us to
improve or misimprove the trials by
which we are continually exercised
True, we need help from on high: and
this God is able and willing to grant
But he grants it according to one eter-
nal rule, which is "Ask and ye shall re-
ceiUe." We are responsible for the
characters we form; and that not mere
ly as good or bad, but also with refer
snce to the degrees of eminence to which
we shall attain as saints or as sinners.
Men do not enter the other world equal
y mature in sin, or equally complete in
livihe knowledge and spiritual great
ness. There are degrees in guilt, and |
'One star differeth from another star
n glory" By yielding to the allure
nents of the world, and giving way to
Evil passions when afflicted, men become
more hardened in impenitence. The
more of Gods mercies they abuse, and
he more of his paternal chastisements
hey pervert, the more mature in wick
,dness they become. In like manner
he christian, by every priviledge he i'm
proves, and every temptation he resists,
md every disappointment and affiiction
o which he meekly submits, grows in
,race and in the knowledge of his Lord
md Master Jesus Christ. 1t is the busi-
less of his life thus to put on Christ,
md approximate to the perfect likeness
If God.
We form, in this world, the charac-
ers we shall bear in the next; and our
IctIons here are the representation and
mage of that character. As we are
ried every moment, so every moments
rial brings out new beauty or deformi-
y of our nature, and develops new
eature of the character we are forming
or eternity. As the painter sits before a
mirror to paint his own miniature--draws
irst the outlines and then the more
features, and so labours upon
lis work till at length the lights and
shadows appear, and every stroke Of
he pencil makes the likeness more
'ivid, so we here are forming the image
If the character we shall bear hereafter,
md every act and word and thought is
Is stroke of the pencil that makes the
LIKENESS more vivid.
What glorious image it is the privi-
edge of the christian to put onl And
low lovely shall he appear, when every
lct, and word and thought, through a
ong life Of holy obedience to God, shall
add new beauty to his future character!
And what shocking portrait the sin
Ter is drawing for himself! How hid
,ous will he appear, when every act,
md word and thought, through a long
ife of disobedience to God, shall in
'rease the deformity of his future char
,eteri