The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1918-10-17
THE PEOPLES FORUM.
AHIiction.

In the third chapter of Lamentations,
there is a melancholy strain that is
very pathetic. 1t is complaint of the
displeasure of God and it's fruits. His
soul is full of distress for he feels that
the Lord is dealing with him. Many
today are like the prophet. 1t seems
that the face of the Lord is hidden
from you. The sky is overcast and
with the prophet you exclaim, "surely
against me is He turned" He has
filled me with bitterness. Our crying
seems to be in vain, for our PRAYER is
shut out. 1t does seem sometimes that
the Lord is angry with His people and
that their prayers rebound on their
heads. Peace is far removed from
their souls
Just now adversely has swept IN up
on US as flood. Strength and hope
almost fail, and our griefs overwhelm
US. Instead of light, darkness deepens
and our hearts sink within us when we
remember that our calamities are the
result of sin. However lite is not all
clouds. There is sunshine as well as
clouds and in the night of our grief
there is JOY for the devout heart. By
and by the clouds begin to scatter and
the sky clears up. The complaint may
be melancholy that goes out now, but
the mourners will look more cheerful
for favor of the Lord will again return
to His people with comfort according to
the time He has afflicted them.
Though we may seem for a time to
be cast off, yet we are not. After all
our Affections are limited. This is true
from the nature of the case. At best
we are rebellious children. The in
dulgent father does not chastise his
child for every offense. Were the
Lord to chastise US as we deserve, we
would be afflicted all the time We
must admit that we do not receive
what we deserve We are born to
trouble, hence must expect affiicti ms.
But our tribulations are not only limit
ed, they are restricted to the present
time. They are temporary. We are
beset by them only while we pass
through this world. Though Affections
are the common lot of man and neces-
sary for the formation of Christian
character, they do not come by chance.
They are sent by divine love for the
good of those exercised thereby. They
are not arbitrary but always come by
appointment of God. Like Ezekel's
wheel they have terrible aspect, yet
they never go except where the Lord
sends them. The Psalmist says Thou
broughtest US into the net; thou laidst
affection upon our loins, and Paul
says, we are appointed unto affection.
They always come at the proper time,
for He sees what we need and can
bear and as of old when the Lord s
people were sent to Babylon He had
not cast them off entirely.
He shall sit as refner and purifier
of silver and if the metal in the furnace
is much corrupted it must be subjected
to more heat that it may be purified,
so the more dross there is in our nature
the more intense the heat that must be
applied; the more protracted the af-
Fiction and the longer we are kept in
the furnace but so soon as the Divine
Refner sees HIS own image reflected in
us we are taken out as vessels fitted
for His service. The continuance of
the trouble is not left to uncertainty.
To the Christian now may be spoken
the words of John to the church at
SMYRNA, Fear none of those things
which thou shalt suffer: behold, the
devil shall cast some of you into prison
that We may be tried; and We shall have
tribulation ten days, that is a little
season but be thou faithful unto deatf
and will give thee crown of life. Al
in a government the ruler finds it neces
sary to infilct suffering on recreant sub
iects, not that he delights to have
them suffer, but for the good of thu
community and because justice de
mands it. So the great moral Governo
lays the rod on His moral subjects who
have been negligent in duty, or rebel