A Letter to the Lonely and Tried
By Mrs. E. M. Peebles.
DEAR CHRISTIAN FRIENDS: There are many precious words of encouragement and counsel, which, in these testing, trying times, we do well frequently to call to mind. The enemy has come down in great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time, but we must not fret and chafe under the peculiar trials which are sure to come to us, but rather we are to count it all joy when we fall into divers temptations, knowing that the trial of our faith is “more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire.” We know that we shall never carry a trace of the world or of poor fallen human nature through those pearly gates into the city of God, and we do not want to either. So we must submit to the purifying process, and the furnace heat can no more harm us than it could the three Hebrews if the “form of the Fourth” is with us. The fire will only sever the cords that bind us, and will set us free to walk with God even in the furnace. Then welcome the fire! and welcome the burning! How we should rejoice that we are counted worthy of such divine ministrations, when he who applies the fire stays with us in its burning. “In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them.” How can we murmur when we are assured that these light afflictions which are but for a moment are working for us a “far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory”? The narrow way has ever been strewn thick with tears, with sharp thorns and bitter trials, and there has no temptation taken us but such as is common to man. Why should we murmur when so many others have suffered just the same or worse, and even our sinless Redeemer came and walked the same thorny path, with bleeding feet and pierced hands, in his dying agony praying for his murderers, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” He, the sinless One, bore our sins that we might take his righteousness, and did we more “consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself,” we would forever still our murmurings. “Beloved, . . . it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” And yet we sometimes shrink from the purifying process. We want the prize without the trouble of winning it. “Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin,” that is, some of us have not, but we can see those who have done so, rejoicing in hope of a resurrection among the just. Stephen died praying, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” If we would keep our eyes continually fixed upon the prize we would in a measure forget the discomforts of the way. God lets us pass through these trials for a purpose, and when they have done their work, we shall “come forth as gold.” He is only preparing us to wear the wedding garment at the marriage supper of the Lamb, when he shall gird himself and serve us. Patience, that crowning grace of the Christian, is to be perfectly developed in the remnant church. So if we have unusual trials, we can remember it is to prepare us for unusual honor, even to be one of the reception committee to greet the King of kings when he comes with all his glory and the glory of his Father and the holy angels. Then “let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”