The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-04-13
Mysteries of Providence.
A Word to the Troubled.
BY REV. S. E. ARSON OF ROME, GA.

BY REV. S. E. ARSON OF ROME, GA.
The mysteries of providencel So men
are accustomed to describe some of the
divine doings- especially such as bring
affliction and trouble to Christian people
But let us look at some of the things we
know about the divine doings, and we
shall see, perhaps, that they are not in
volved in so much mystery after all
First of all we know the principle of the
divine government on which they pro
coed: shat principle is discipline. The
rewai dableness of virtue and the punish
ableness of vice are primary beliefs of the
human mind. All men believe that vir-
tue ought to be rewarded, and that vice
ought to be punished. On this principle
they project all their governments. We
search the annals of the world in vain for
the case of a government that was pro-
jected on the opposite principle, viz,
that vice ought to be rewarded and virtue
punished. And if this principle pervades
all human government, it is natural for
men to conclude that it must pervade the
divine government too. And it is their
belief that it does pervade the divine
government that causes their surprise
when they see virtue go unrewarded of
God, and vice go UNPUBLISHED. How often
do we hear them give expression to that
surprise in language like this: "He is
the best man we ever saw, and yet he is
the most unfortunate: He does the most
good with his money, and yet he meets
with the most losses: He seems to |, We
God more than any man we ever saw
and yet he has more trouble than any
man we ever saw. 1t puzzles us; We
can't understand it, Well, there is
nothing in the world that is more easily
explained. The explanation is found il
the principle on which, for the present
the administration of the divine govern
ment is projected. That principle is dis
cl0llme, not rea0ards. God will reward
virtue, it is true: he must reward it
but he is not tied down to the present
time in which to reward it. His policy
now is to discipline the virtues of his
people hereafter he Will reward them
To one he says: You profess to have
faith in mel will put that faith to the
test: [ will cause your honesty and in
tegrity to yield you no return: You
shall see others outstrip you in the race
for wealth, and grow rich by their dis
honest gains, while the only fruit of your
integrity shall be poverty, deep and deep
ening. Will you, when tested thus, be
faithful still to me and still continue to
walk uprightly before me, though, as
measured by the world standard, it does
not pay? To another he says: You pro-
fess to love mel will put that love to
the test: will deal roughly with you:
1 will, tomorrow darken with the shadow
Of death, your home that is SO bright to-
day; the dropping Grape on the door
the dreadful stiffness in place of the echo
of little feet in the hall the empty era
die; the snow-white winding sheet, and
the little cofin-these speechless things
shall tell of the great sorrow that has
fallen on you; and if, out of your stormy
griefs, you can still lift up your eye to
heaven, and say: The Lord gave, and
the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the
name Of the Lord then I will know that
your love is true. Are these the mystic
ries Of providence that you speak of my
brother-mysteries which you say you
can't fathom-mysteries under the reign
of Him, whose government more than
any human government, must be pro-
jected on the principle that virtue ought
to be rewarded and vice ought to be pun
ished2 All the mystery vanishes when
you reflect that in this present time, the
divine policy is to discipline virtue, test
it, prove it. Restrain your impotence
Wait for the contamination Of God g plans
1t will not be long before you shall see