Maxims on Love, Trust, and Christian Character
By Jos. Clarke
Love softens and subdues anger; and if constantly exercised, prevents it. The good mechanic repairs his mistakes soon as possible; he does not stop long to mourn over them. So let the Christian hasten his work; there is no time for discouragement. Those who cavil at the Bible history of the deluge are obtusely insensible to the fact that more than three-fourths of our globe is yet under water; and that the small fraction out of water is all in disorder; all speaking in forcible language of former disaster and future ruin. Those who object to the Bible account of the future conflagration of the earth and of its inhabitants neglect to fully consider the fact that the earth is already on fire, trembling beneath our feet. No better evidence can be furnished to prove the weakness of man than his unbelief and hardness of heart. There is no real happiness in this world, out of Christ. Without this firm trust, all is uncertainty and gloom. A calm, settled trust in God and in his word, and a love for his character, form the basis of Christian character. As in time of war, the soldier guards his lines against spies who would pass for friends, so should we guard our minds against doubts and unbelief in God and in his word.