The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1867-11-27

hey may at times seem dark, mysterious
md inexplicable, and the heavens appear
co hide their smiles in frowns; but even
when the lightnings are thickest, and the
thunders are heaviest, an unseen hand is
lire citing the storm in mercy for the ac-
,omplishment of our highest, even our
permanent good.
He who bore our lnfrmities and car
ried our sorrows while he tabernacled in
;lay, still writ,s them on his throbbing
aeart above the skies; and there is not a
pang that shoots across Christians
breast that does not touch the sympathy
Of our glorifed High Priest in heaven.
Let us go and doIikewise. Nay, there
is no alternative. It's not for us to say.
Nay; we must copy the Master in this as
in all other thing. Our love thong it
may not equal, must resemble his. The
griefs which yonder Christian feels, are
a brother grisis: rs temptations the
temptations of a brother; his Affections
and his pains, his poverty and his want,
his cold and his hunger, all, the suffer-
ings of one for whom Jesus died, and
who is bound to us by ties which eternity
shall never sever. Shall he bear them
then, all uncared for and alone? Shall
he weep briny tears of anguish because
he is unpitied and left companionless in
his trials. Shall our hearts be steeled
against the pathetic pleas which his suf-
ferings are constantly urging? That
we're not to follow Christ. 1t might do
for the maxim of selfish, worldly philos-
ophy; but it is not to initiate our Lords
example, or to commend his Gospel to an
ungodly, unbelieving world.
All there is too much closeness of
heart among professors of religion; too
much concentration of our gaze upon per.
sonal toubles; too much contracting of
our sympathies into an absorbing atten-
ton to our own griefs and selfish indlffer-
ence to those of others; too little of that
expansive charity which rejoices with
those that do orejoice, and weeps with those
who weep; too little desire and effort to
initiate our Great Exemplar, who always
had fellow-feeling for others woes, and
exalted as he nowis, can still "be touched
with feeling of our in6rmities.
Church Of theliving God, arise Clothe
thyself with thy beautiful garments, and
shake thyself from the dust.
III. Our love, in order to be conformed
to Christ's, must be active and practical,
and must incite US to the alleviatlon OF
the bodily sufsrings of our brethren, and
to their spiritual edifcation. a
Wh1 list was on the earth, how
pure was bis philanthropy, and how active
were his hands in ministering to the ply
scal wants of suffering men, Its need
less to specify instances, as crowds Of
them will throng the mind of every
thoughtful reader. In this respect, our
love should follow the leadings of his.
And perhaps one reason, why the provi-
dence of God presents go many objects
that call for active help, is that the calls
to commiseration and charity which ap-
peal to US from every quarter, may coun-
teract our natural selfshness, and by
giving scope to our benevolence may de-
velop it into more of warmth and expand
ed love. We must do good unto all men,
especially yunto them who are of the house
hold of faith. So far as we have means
and opportunity for carrying out the
bene6cent purposes of Christs love, We
must recognize ourselves as his instru
ments. "Whoso," says the Apostle
John, hath this worlds goods and
seeth his brother hath need, and shutteth
up his breast of compassion from him,
how dwelleth the love of God in him 2"
And why not? Just because love to God
begets love to the brethren, and love to
the brethren cannot be contracted, selfish,
parsimonious, grasping.
And if this divine principle must i'm
pei US to care for the bodies of Christ's
people, how much more for their souls!
The body is but the casket, the soul is
the real pearl. How careful then ought
we to be, lest we lay a stumbling block
in our brothers way! How watchful
lest, even in that which we believe to be
innocent and allowable, we furnish
temptation to the conscience of weak
er and more ignorant Christian, and our
liberty occasion his fall! How full of
Joy should we be, when the souls of be-
levers are prospering and the Church is
growing in grace! How deeply grieved,
when the ways of Zion mourn, when few
come to her solemn feasts, and when ruin
and desolation drape her beautiful gates
in mourning! How active in promoting
the spiritual growth of Christ's people,
reclaiming backsliders, comforting the
mourner, supporting the weak, teaching
the ignorant, edifying one another, and
so much the more as we see the day ap-