Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1884-10-06
8eli9ipas department.
PERFECTED PATIENCE.

are so many laborers in the field seek
inc to remove or to ameliorate the ills
of our suffering world. Yet there is
danger even here. Are not the pas
Size graces apt, at such a time, to
fall into neglect? We come to think
that nothing is real work except what
flows from outward activity and ends
in outward results. But you see here
that the Lord speaks of the auork of
patience, and pronounces very high
commentator upon it. The apostles
words suggest three thoughts: the
root of patience, the perfecting of
patience, and the result of perfected
patience.
The root. What is the root of
patience? 1t is faith, for there can be
no true patience where there is no
faith. We must be justified by faith,
have peace with God, access to Him,
and rejoice in the hope of his glory,
before we can exercise true patience.
A man without faith may bear trouble
in stoical, stupid, obstinate spirit,
but he cannot bear it meekly, loving
ly, hopefully, Leithel frettlng against
God nor man. You must have faith,
and then, as it is said here, "the try
ing of your faith worketh patience.
For example: God gives promise,
faith closes with it; then comes de-
lay, difficulties, unlikelihood, human
impossibility, heavy Affections, and
so there is need for quiet waiting and
endurance. This waiting and endur-
ing is patience; and it is the trying
of faith that brings it into existence,
strengthens and exercises it. When
Abraham quietly waited for Isaac
that was patience. When Job meek
ly bore the loss of family, substance,
and bodily health,-that was pa
thence. ''The Lord gave, aud the
Lord hath taken away; blessed be
the name of the Lord" that is the
language of patience. "Shall we
receive good at the hand of the Lord,
and shall we not receive evil Pr
that is the language of patience.
The Greek name for patience (atpo
naone) is very expressive. 1t litel-
ally means waiting, or remaining I'M
der some heavy weight; not strug-
Cling to cast it off or get from under
it,-but from sense of duty to God,
in the sense of duty to God, in the
spirit of love and obedience to Him,
remaining quietly under it all his ap-
pointed time. The length of the tri-
al is, of course, a great aggravation,
and makes many a sufferer cry,
How long, o Lord, how long? Is it
forever? This indispensableness of
trial, for the production and promo
ton of patience, perhaps explains the
frequency of affiiction in the house
hold of God. He wishes to cultivate
patience in his people; and hence
their many, deep, varied, protracted
sorrows and sufferings, which often
seem so mysterious and unaccounta-
BILE. Hence also the strange exhor.
tation here, ''My brethren, count il
all JOY when ye fall into divers temp.
tations." This is high keynote
but it is right one. 1t is sum
mons to the high places of the field
where the Master can be most glori
fed and the creature most benefited
Hold fast, therefore, your confidence
and grudge not at trial, for thus pa
thence is produced, strengthened an,
made habitual. Observe that all de
ponds on faith, for she who believet
shall not make haste" he will wait
he will endure.
PeJecting of patience. sBut lie
patience have her perfect work" !
is easy to be patient for little while
easy to wait while the blessing seem
at hand easy to endure when the de
Hverance appears near. But whe
time passes, and the blessing come
not, but rather seems farther off
when the burden still hangs on us
and only seems to grow heavier an
heavier,-then the struggle, the fight
begins. Sloth, self-will, self-enjoy
ment, self-importance, all rise up an
repine against such dispensatior
We grow weary; life seems runnin
to waste II am of no use; ] al
like vessel broken and cast aside
free among the dead: / am as DO
tie in the smoke" The flesh mu
murs; unbelief springs up; Sata
presses his temptations. Friend
grow weary, or, if not-as, than
God, many never do-yet, in OF
morbid state of mind, we fancy the
must be worn out with such thankles!
hopeless work. We are IN u heate
furnace. consuming, consuming, an
oh it is a hard sore fight of affiictiol
1t is SO much easier TO work than
suffer, TO run than to wait. There
nothing for the flesh TO feed upo
nothing for it to boast or glory i
Night and day there is no pain, a
guish, temptation, casting dow
Such a one endures many marty
dom. 1t is the bush burning, al
not consumed. To be patient in su,
tribulation, even unto the end, is,
think, the perfected patience. St
to think kindly of God and his way
to say, Il will bless the Lord at
times" mot my will, but thine
81 delight to do and bear thy will