No. CCCCI. A Twofold Soul Sorrow. "FOR THOUGH I MADE YOU SORRY WITH A LETTER, I do not repent, THOUGH I DID REPENT: FOR I PERCEIVE THAT THE SAME EPISTLE Now HATH MADE YOU SORRY THOUGH IT WERE BUT FOR A SEASON. REPENTED OF: BUT Our subject is a twofold soul sorrow, and the following facts will introduce it. First: That the honest administration of Gospel truth often inflicts sorrow on its subjects. The Apostle tells us here that he made the Corinthians "sorry with a letter." He had written them a letter containing reproofs and admonitions and the document had made a painful impression on their hearts. The Gospel is a sword to cut, an arrow to pierce, a fire to burn. That hearer of an honest minister must be hardened indeed, whose heart does not at times experience the most poignant anguish. Secondly: That the sorrow is of twofold distinct types. The Apostle here speaks of the "Godly sorrow," the sorrow of the world which worketh repentance to salvation. Let us contrast those sorrows. I. The one is concerned with the PRINCIPLE of wrong the other with the RESULTS. Some groan under a sense of their sins because of the injuries which they have already inflicted upon them and the terrible doom to which they expose them. It is a selfish regret, an unvirtuous emotion. But others mourn over the moral wrongness of the act. They grieve, not because of the curse that has come or will come upon them, but because a moral enormity has been perpetrated. The sorrow of Judas represents the one, the sorrow of Peter the other. II. The one is concerned for OTHERS, the other for SELF. The "godly sorrow" or the sorrow according to the will of God seems to engulf all personal considerations. The claims of God, the interests of society, the good of the universe, these are the subjects that break open its floodgates, unseal its fountains. III. The one IMPROVES the character, the other DETERIORATES it. The "godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation," salvation from all that is corrupt in thought and feeling, from all evil tendencies and habits. Moral sorrows like waters at once cleanse, refresh, and fertilize But the other sorrow, the selfish sorrow does not improve the soul, nay it contracts and hardens it. The man who selfishly broods over his own ill doings, sinks into a miserable misanthrope, a desponding wretch. IV. The one issues in BLESSEDNESS, the other in MISERY. The "godly sorrow "need not be "repented of," for it brings a consciousness of forgiveness, a sense of the Divine favour, and a direction of the whole soul to all that is useful and divine. Over such sorrow there will never come repentance, but gratulation. "But the sorrow of the world worketh death." It leads only to remorse, despair and utter ruin. CONCLUSION: In connection with the sketchy thoughts above, read Robertson's beautiful sermon in his work on Corinthians, which we regret not to have read before our sketch was written. How exquisite for example is the following paragraph:-"Sorrow is itself a thing, neither good nor bad; its value depends on the spirit of the person on whom it falls. Fire will inflame straw, soften iron, or harden clay its effects are determined by the object with which it comes in contact. Warmth develops the energies of life, or helps the progress of decay. It is a great power in the hot-house, a great power also in the coffin; it expands the leaf, matures the fruit, adds precocious vigour to vegetable life: and warmth, too develops with twofold rapidity, the weltering process of dissolution. So, too with sorrow. There are spirits in which it develops the seminal principle of life; there are others in which it prematurely hastens the consummation of irreparable decay." No. CCCCII. God's Voice in Nature. "THEY HEARD THE VOICE OF THE LORD GOD WALKING IN THE GARDEN IN THE COOL OF THE DAY."-Genesis iii. 8. Whether their ears as well as their hearts only heard God's voice does not much matter. It would have mattered if their ears and not their hearts had heard. They doubtless often heard him in the evening hour-the twilight which all the faiths of all cultivated nations have chosen as their special season of devotion. When they heard and when men now hear God's voice in garden, meadow, wood, of what does it tell? I. Of GOD'S PRESENCE. Its clearest, plainest utterance is, "Lo Nature is a kingdom in which the king resides as well as reigns: a Home in which the Father dwells as well as which He supports. The blue bells peal their chime, "Lo, God is here," and the trees clap God is here." their hands with "Lo, God is here." Not simply God was here piling granite mountains or burying a universe of seeds and germs, but all the products of creation is the produce of Divine thought. II. Of God's POWER AND WISDOM. Of His power, "because that He is strong in power, not one flower or one star faileth." Of His wisdom, for the election of nature as well as the election of grace is Divine. III. OF GOD'S BOUNTY AND LOVE. There is profusion of life,—and there are the provisions not of strict justice, that gives only necessaries, but of a love that gives luxuries. IV. OF MAN'S MORTALITY. The voice saddened Adam-it travelled like a thunder storm, some thinkFor nature is a sepulchre as well as a shrine; it is covered with the emblems of destruction and death. "We all do fade as a leaf." V. OF MAN'S RETRIBUTION FOR BROKEN LAW. In the material realm there is a penalty for every broken law: and God's voice in nature suggests that it is so in the intellectual and moral realm. Its cry is, "Where art thou?" And law-breaking man is afraid. -so it saddens man. Bristol. URIJAH R. THOMAS. No. CCCCIII. Our Comparative Ignorance and Knowledge of the Future State. "BELOVED, NOW ARE WE THE SONS OF GOD, AND 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." -1 John iii. 2. THE sound of persecution is distinctly heard in the previous verse, "Therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not," "He was a light shining in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not." Owing to this ignorance persecution arose; He and the world did not breathe the same atmosphere, did not live in the same world. His true disciples also are not known by the world; they have hopes and aspirations, and are governed by motives of which the world has no knowledge; therefore the world hateth and persecuteth them. Though exposed to sufferings, still they were the children of God, and a glorious future was before them. Beloved, now are we the sons of God."' I. OUR COMPARATIVE IGNORANCE OF THE FUTURE STATE."It doth not yet appear what we shall be." (1.) This arises partly from our inability to know the capabilities of our spiritual faculties. In the teaching of the Saviour there appears to be a desire to impress upon the minds of men their greatness and value in the sight of heaven. Whilst going about doing good He came across many a wreck of humanity, characters expelled from society; persons whose moral home was sin and crime; still He treated them as persons who possessed qualities worth restoring, and taught them the truth that they had powers of almost endless capabilities. Our physical powers are unknown to us till they are developed; the power of endurance is almost incredible; the strength of the muscles can be wonderfully increased by constant exercise. We are comparatively ignorant of our mental resources. The young man when he left the plough had no conception of the eminence he has now reached among the thinkers of the age; he would have smiled incredibly, if any of his friends could have suggested the amount of knowledge and information he would obtain. But by industry, perseverance, and determination, his mental powers have been developed beyond even his most sanguine expectations. So it is impossible for us to know what we shall be; because the powers of the soul and spirit are not manifested to their fullest extent as yet. They must be engaged in unravelling the mysteries of eternity; they must be exercised in the solving of spiritual problems. There are certain limitations at present which confine and cramp our energies; when these are removed we know not what the extent of our powers will be. (2) 'It doth not yet appear what we shall be," inasmuch as we are ignorant of the conditions of being in the future world. Evidently, for some wise purpose we are left in the dark as to the conditions of life in the future. The Son of Man, who was in heaven whilst on the earth, did not speak much about the heavenly life, only a few words about the Father's many dwelling places, and that the saints will be like the angels of God. One fact is clearly revealed, that we shall be ourselves there, death will not change us, as some suppose, so as to become angels, or something akin to them; we shall be ourselves, and our character transparent; all the folds we wrap around ourselves here shall be removed. We shall retain our individuality after entering the higher state. In the chain of being on earth there are different conditions and states. So hereafter. There are certain negative statements made in the Bible, such as there will be "no night there," no pain, no sin, no sorrow; so our activities will be greater, and our happiness more perfect than at present. There are also certain positive statements to the effect that the inhabitants are filled with love and purity; that the Lamb is the light of heaven, that the presence of God is enjoyed without a veil. Under those conditions, though it is beyond 66 The our power to realize their full meaning at present, it is impossible for us to know how much we will be able to love God, to what extent we will be able to serve Him, and to what degree we shall put on His likeness. II. THE LIMITED KNOWLEDGE WE HAVE OF THE FUTURE STATE.-" But we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is." (1) This knowledge is based on our present experience. If the fact of our sonship be established the result is inevitable. great ambition of every Christian is to become Godlike in character; this goal is set before the mind, and all the man's efforts are to reach this high ideal. The great struggle of every renewed soul is to become free from the terrible power of sin; to cultivate a love for the righteous and the true; to nourish a passion for the holy and the divine. This is a standard worthy of the ambition and enthusiasm of all men, nothing higher than this can be set before us. The statement of the Apostle appears nobler, almost too good to be true, that we, who are so frail and imperfect, shall become like unto the Most High. Still our present experience goes to confirm the truthfulness of it. We are conscious of being nearer heaven than when we believed; our selfishness to a great extent has been destroyed; our humility is greater; our forgiving disposition is stronger; our sympathy with the pure and Christly is deeper now than a few years ago. We have been looking upon the Father's glory as it is reflected by the Son, and have caught a few rays of this unspeakable glory, and are being changed from "glory to glory." If this process continue, we are certain that, "when He shall appear we shall be like Him." (2) This truth is based on our present knowledge of God. Our character is moulded to a great extent by the influences surrounding us. We know not how much we are indebted to secret and invisible influences, for the mental habits we have formed. The books we read, the speakers we hear, and the persons with whom we mostly associate, either consciously or unconsciously to us, leave their impress on our minds, which is likely to become permanent. So when we enter the circle within, where Divine influences have their full sway, our character is moulded after the Divine image. Our knowledge of God enables us to have the fullest confidence that the work of transformation in our hearts will be carried on from day to day till it be completed. God's great heart is set upon this glorious work, to eradicate all the terrible effects of sin from our souls; His love will continually burn all the evil, and remove all the imperfections of our nature, It is impossible for us to have fellowship with God here without becoming daily more like unto Him. He moulds us E |