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


like theleagle toward heaven. His en-
terprises, though planned with consumatt
sagaeity,, fail ofSsuccess. His friends
become Jealous, and treat him first with
suspicion, then with neglect, and finally
become his enemies. His reputation il
assailed and blasted by the breath oI
SANDER. Sickness enters his dwelling
His children are laid on beds of suffer,
ing;-he sees the destroyer steadily ad-
vaneing;-skill, assiduity, prayers are
unayailing;-iin their fathers arms they
droop, and wither, and die. He must
plaa - their coffins. take his last
loq though hfeless forms,
am with the silent dead.
Here is q TRIAL indeedi but atrial of what?
Not of meekness surely, not of humility
not Of gratitude, not of benifcence: but
atrial of confidence in a heavenly Father,
| and of submission to the will of God.-
The christian, who knows God, and has
taken the King of Jacob for his portion,
even in these circumstances will not COM
plain, nor charge God foolishly. He
viii still believe in the rectitude, and
wisdom and benevolenee of the divine
government. He will still look up to
God as to kind and heavenly Father,
whois able to make all things work to-
gether for his good, He will still cling
. to the throne of Jesus Christ, as of a
Being whose will is not only sovereign
but right, and whose glory is of more
Importance than worlds. He will still
say, in full view of all his adversities
and bereavements, "The Lord reigneth,
let the earth rejoice" His faith in
Gods his confidence in the divine gov
ernment and his supreme attachment to
the cause. of Christ, are tried, and ex-
hibited, and perfected by this frey dis
cipline through which he is made to
pass.
But prosperity and adversely, like the
sun and the rain, fall alike to the evil
and the good. To both alike they are
trials which serve to develop and perfect
the real character The impenitent
man, whose very selfshness may have
rendered him mild, forbearing and pa
cifc while in poverty, on being elevated
to circumstances of prosperity and pow
er, becomes proud, naughty, arrogant
and oppressive. His appetites are in
dulged without restraint, and his pas
sions allowed to rage without control
He looks upon his wealth and power;
and instead of gratefully acknowledging
God as the Author, he says in his heart,
"By my wisdom and by the might of
my hand have 1 gotten these" Every
additional gift but increases his selfish
ness, and renders him more forgetful of
God and eternity. And if he be over
taken by afiiction. he either presumptu-
ously hardens himself against the pa
ternal chastisement, or violently COM
plains of the dealings of God with him,
as if the Father of mercies were void of
mercy. and delighted in affecting his
creatures.
Thus the sinner is fitted for destruc-
ton by the same means which serve to
prepare the righteous for their rest
Nor is it the fault of God, that the same
trials which develop and perfect the
graces of the christian, do also develop
and perfect the vices of the sinner
Wealth, friends, influence, domestic
comfort and gospel privileges are in
themselves considered, no less blessings
to the sinner than to the christian
They lay him none the less under obi
cations of gratitude to the Giver of all
good, and make it none the less his duty
humbly to acknowledge the source of
his enjoyments. They afford to him
no less than to the christian, opportuni
ties of doing good to his fellow men;
and it is by criminal perversion of
their use that they serve to increase his |
guilt and consequent misery. So with |
Affections. They are of themselves
adapted to soften and to sanctify the
heart. When duly considered and sub
mitted to, they have their legitimate eff
feet of weaving the heart from earth,
and directing it to God and heaven: and
it is only by a criminal disregard of
them and perversion of their use, that
they are ever attended or followed by a |
contrary result. 1t was not the fault of
God, but the fault of human depravity,
or of the individual himself, that the
same trials which purified the patriarch
Job, did also harden the heart of the re-
bellions Pharaoh. .
Let it not be thought that the particu-
lar trials to which have adverted, are
the only ones incident to our lives
These are but specimens of the endless
variety of trials by which we are exer-
cised from the day of our birth to the
day of our death. Every event of di-
vine providence by whcih we are af-
fected Immediately or remotely, is a
trial, which serves to develop some holy
or unholy temper, and show our con-
formity or want of conformity to the
divine will. The suns that rise andthe
storms that lower, the books we read
and the company we meet, the sermons
and prayers which we hear, with the
imprecations and revilings, the allure
ments of vain world addressed to the |
outer sense and the glories of heaven
addressed to the inner soul, every op-
portunity of doing good or of doing
evil, every admonition of our own con- |
sciences and every insidious suggestion
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