Year: 1876

CHURCH OF THE DISCIPLES.
REV. GEORGE H. HEPwoRTH ON THE MEANING


OF AFFICTIoEs.


Rev. George H. Hepworth preached to his flock yes
terday morning from John, XVI, 33-"These things
have spoken unto you, that in ye might have
peace In tho world ye shall have tribuationi but be
Of good cheer, have overcome the world"


The juxtapositIon of two startling clauses In this
verse has, said Mr.. Hepworth, often attracted my at
tenton Sin the world ye shall have trbulaton" and
''in peace" think that is the experience of
every one brethren. The world keeps no promise;
God keeps all promises. The world is deceitful God
truthful The world is heavy hand a mans head
bearing him down; God is everlasting beneath
lifting one up. Why are there many trbulations in
this world? you ask. Why we subjected to morti-
lcaton, disappointment and allictions on all hands 2
There two events in the history of the universe
which account for the presence OF evil
events startling in their nature that we
cannot think of either OF them without amazement
and wonder-two events which make sharp and
abrupt contrast when compared with the genteness OF
our Fathers will First, the rebellion right around
the throne of Coda rebellion that crushed by the
wrath OF the Lamb, which ended in utter and COM
pcte dismay and defeat all engaged in it, but which
nevertheless left behind 1t


STAIN on THE BLUE PERMANENT
OF heaven And next the fall of man, for the samo
cause and with the result. 1t
prompted by personal pride and personal conceit
These the only two acts of dsobedlence be found
the historic pages of Gods dealings with HIS uni
verse, the only TWO instances of actual open rebellion
against the commands OF the Almighty. From their
consequences (whether we recognize the iact or not
you and suffering at this moment. We are in
volyed in the defeat, we among the captives,
We are in that great number against whom the
condemnation has been uttered, and
looking round about us to find If there be some
exit, II il be possible for to make peace with
the conqueror, possible be released from captivity
possible get rid of the cankng chains OF sin that
We are dragging at every step. Now, brethren, in
consequence OF this man presents 10 us double ma.
ture. lie Is twoiod in his ambitions and ongngs and
desires. From side oil him you the face OF
God reelected. lis the side that is gentle and lovely
and faithful and kind. No man has the image OF God
entirely obterated. Some men like piece Of
French plate glass, in which the Fathers face is
almost perfectly reflected. There very few flaws
IN the surface OF the glass Some of us, on the other
hand, nearly resemble that glass OF poorer and
cheaper manufacture that is u of detects that the
face of him that looks into II rs distorted and de-
formed; aud yet the glass is there, and God looks in
and sees Himself He is able to discover His fca-
lures IN every human SOUL however marred and deled
IL may be.


Then, tho other hand, every has n side in
which Satan looks and sees himself Some mems lives
wholly given his than when he looks he
himself perfectly, and other men have, II
were drawn a curtain between them and Satan and
when he looks II is with great but unavang envy
When this short lite shall be ended we shall stand at
the bar of God, and our eternal destiny viii depend





upon the triumph or defeat which by the help Of
God or


THE ALLURgMENTs OF SATAN
we have either won or lost. And so God is acting all
the time your hie and mind in a variety OF ways.
Sometimes He reveals himself in light; sometimes He
shuts himself IN darkness; sometimes He is like a
day in winter, cold ana freezing; sometimes He
like an August day, which falls shining on our path.
God acts according TO His wisdom and accord
ing TO our desire. 1t is utterly impossible always TO
understand why He acts, and His blessings scat
tered with such strange and apparent confusion that TO





ing blessing comes where it is not deserved, ana
curse lights upon n saints head. The ways of God
10 be discovered by and that is the that
faith is enjoined in this blessed Book TO submit
TO whatever fortune may attend our way.


Let us find out what the Bible says in this matter
In the first place. the universally of sorrow and
bic is open to all OF u.s. II everywhere Job
God commit my cause, Tor he wound
eth and bndeth up;' and IN Lamentations we find the
prophet OF God saying "That he doth offend will
ingiy" 1t is not then for any purpose of His own
but for some disciplinary object lie has view. No |
matter what your sorrow is it is then that you find
HIS face Every great eriet is great opportunity and
learn of spiritual life from their tears
than they would learn by their smiles God comes !
nearer 10 us in our trouble than He appears como
al least in our successes II is for our good that we
are afflicted; il is for our development that the trials
are sent and II is these alone that bring near to
God Our own experience corroborates this. When n
has all ne wants here il havo nothing In the
other world and the alarming tendency human
success hes just there. Let man


A
and everything go right with him. and he lives as
though he were to live forever he casts his eye
beyond the present. The WORST thing that can happen
10 man is uninterrupted success.
On the other hand when Affections come two things
come with them. First, tho CONSEQUENCES of de-
pendcncc upon higher powcra sense OF our absolute
hclplessnessand instead OF trusting ourselves
constantly looking up and trusting in a higher power
faith Is born when self dies God a mans soul
sometimes by crowding IT into the dust We are to
feel that must submit and be resigned and
IL is the hardest lesson have TO learn.
A1lctlou is the cradle in which God rocks
salvation; this is the mill that grnds slowly and
ceedlny small There is thing only TO be done 1t
is this:-Don suffer alone with rcbelhous heart and
spirit, but suffer with your lace toward Ged. IL is
more easy to bear when you have the encouragement
of the Father with you, and hard when you il
all alone by yourself. The signincaDce OF suffering is
Heaven, and when Affections then you can ieel
you suffering with Christ and HIS is beneath
you and He Will surely hold you up. know hard
and yet neither you nor l would dare look up
Heaven and cry, 80 Lord stop now; have all can
bear 1t is 20 Lord give inc strength to bear it,"
and the comes, Gas thy day Is so shall thy
strength be-" That is the promise of the dear Lord