Trials

You have, at times, had deep sorrows. Thank God for them! They are testing moments. When the furnace is hot, it is then the gold is tried best.

The more bitter the vessel of grief, the sweeter the cup of consolation; the heavier weight of trial here, the brighter the crown of glory hereafter. In fact, the same word in Hebrew signifies “weight” and “glory.” A weight of trouble is a glory to a Christian, for it is an honour to him; and glory is a weight, for it often bows him down, and makes him lie low at his Master’s feet

Amidst all our daily conflicts, let us count upon the victory; let us anticipate the conquest by faith, and already seize the palm-branch, and put the crown upon our heads, with the ecstasy. of hope, with the full assurance of faith; for if we fight we shall reign — if we suffer we shall triumph — if we endure we shall obtain the “crown of life that fadeth not away.” Christ will make clean work of it, wherever he has begun.

We need not climb the mountains to water their heads, for our Cod is as high as the bills. High as are our troubles, and mountainous as are our difficulties sometimes, we need not climb up with weary foot to make them fertile, for they are all made to work together for our good.

Troubles are called weights, and a weight, you know, generally cloggeth and keepeth down to the earth; but there are ways, by the use of the laws of mechanics, by which you can make a weight lift you; and so it is possible to make your troubles lift you nearer heaven, instead of making them sink you.

Where showers fall most, there the grass is greenest. I suppose the fogs and mists of Ireland make it “the Emerald Isle;” and, wherever you find great fogs of trouble and mists of sorrow you always find emerald green hearts, full of the beautiful verdure of the comfort and love of God.

Afflictions are no proof of sonship, though sonship always ensures affliction.

It is mysterious that, when the black clouds gather most, the light within us is always the brightest When the night lowers and the tempest is coming on, the heavenly Captain is always closest to his crew. It is a blessed thing that, when we are most cast down, then it is that we are most lifted up by the consolations of Christ.

To throw the Christian into the furnace is to put him into Christ’s parlour; for, lo! Jesus Christ is walking with him! Spare yourselves the trouble, ye enemies; if ye wish to hurt us, spare yourselves the labour. You think that is the furnace. It is not; it is the gate of heaven. Jesus Christ is there; and will you be so foolish as to put us just where we like to be 1 Oh! kind enemies, thus to render us threefold blessed.

Fear not, Christian! thou earnest Jesus in the same boat with thee, and all his fortune! The same fire that scorches thee scorches him. That which could destroy thee could destroy him, for thou art a portion of the fulness of him that fills all in all.

All precious things have to be tried. You never saw a precious thing yet which did not have a trial. The diamond must be cut, and hard cutting that jewel has; were it capable of feeling pain, nothing would be more fretted and worried about. Gold, too, must be tried; it cannot be used as it is dug up from the mine, or in grains as it is found in the rivers; it must pass through the crucible and have the dross taken away. Silver must be tried. In fact, all things that are of any value must endure the fire.

It is not a smooth road to heaven; for those who have gone but a very few steps therein have found it to be a rough one. It is a pleasant one; it is the most delightful in all the world; but it is not easy in itself; it is only pleasant because of the company, because of the sweet promises on which we lean, because of our Beloved, who walks with us through all the rough and thorny brakes of this vast wilderness.

Every child of God will have some trial or other; but every man who has a trial is not necessarily an heir of heaven. The child of God may be in poverty — he frequently is; but we must not infer that therefore necessarily every man who is poor is a child of God; for many such are depraved and ruined, blaspheming God and going far into iniquity.

It is a fact that Christians can rejoice in deep distress; it is a truth that, put them in prison, they still will sing; like many birds, they sing best in their cages. It is true that, when waves roll over them, their souls never sink; they have a buoyancy about them which keeps their heads always above the water, and helps them to sing in the dark night, “God is with me still.”

Know ye not, brethren, we are offerings to God, that we are a living sacrifice unto Jesus Christ? But how could we be a sacrifice if we were not burned? If we never had the fire of trouble put about us, if we never were kindled, we should lie there without smoke, without flame, unacceptable to God. But because ye are his sacrifice, fire must penetrate you, and you must be offered a whole burnt offering, holy and acceptable unto God.

Though my head is in heaven, and I am on earth, my griefs are Christ’s griefs; my trials are Christ’s trials; my afflictions he suffers.

u The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold.” If you were nothing but tin, there would be no need of the “fining pot” for you; but it is simply because you are valuable that you must be tried. It was one of the laws of God, written in the book of Numbers, 31st chapter, 23rd verse — “Everything that may abide the fire ye shall make go through the fire, and it shall be clean.” It is a law of nature, it is a law of grace, that everything that can abide the fire — everything that is precious — must be tried. Be sure of this, that which will not stand trial is not worth having.

The spade of trouble digs the reservoir of comfort deeper, and makes more room for consolation. God comes into our heart — he finds it full — he begins to break our comforts and to make it empty; then there is more room for grace. The humbler a man lies, the more comfort he will always have.

Because ye are of value, saints, because ye are gold, therefore ye must be be tried. From the very fact that ye are valuable, ye must be made to pass through the furnace.

God always keeps a pair of scales — in this side he puts his people’s trials, and in that he puts their consolations. When the scale of trial is nearly empty, you will always find the scale of consolation in nearly the same condition; and when the scale of trials is full, you will find the scale of consolation just as heavy; for as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, even so shall consolation abound by Christ

Onward, Christian! The Captain of your salvation hath gone through the dark valley before you — therefore onward! Onward with boldness! Onward with courage! Onward with hope! that ye may be like your Saviour, by participation in his sufferings.

Soldier of Christ, if thou enlistest, thou wilt have to do hard battle. There is no bed of down for thee; there is no riding to heaven in a chariot; the rough way must be trodden, mountains must be climbed, livers must be forded, dragons must be fought, giants must be slain, difficulties must be overcome, and great trials must be borne.

I have sometimes heard religion described in such a way that its high colouring has displeased me. It is true “her ways are ways of pleasantness;” but it is not true that a Christian never has sorrow or trouble. It is true that light-eyed cheerfulness and airy-footed love can go through the world without much depression and tribulation; but it is not true that Christianity will shield a man from trouble; nor ought it to be so represented.

Hgitized by-Dost thou see thy heavenly Father, a pure and holy being, spotless, just, and perfect 1 Dost thou know that thou art one day to be like him? Thinkest thou that thou wilt easily come to be conformed to his image? Wilt thou not require much furnace work, much grinding in the mill of trouble, much breaking with the pestle in the mortar of affliction, much being broken under the wheels of agony?