The Watchtower Society and John and Morton Edgar - A2Z.org

circum: t~nces which conduce to material prosperity, andthe Carbonic Acid gas those which lead to material adversity.The natural man thrives on material prosperity,just as he thrives on Oxygen. It is life-giving to him.Just see the effect produced on a man by giving him anincrease of salary and a better position. Doesn't hethrive l Doesn't he enjoy himself l The more prosperoushe is in a natural sense, the more he comes to thinkthat the evil in this world has been over-rated. Butsuppose earthly adversity comes, he is at once cast down.Should his adversity increase, so does liis depression, andwith its continuance he becomes more and more dejectedand despondent, till in extreme cases he falls into such astate of despair that he may finally commit suicide. Thus,material adversity, like Carbonic Acid gas, is poisonousto the natural man. "The sorrow of the world workethdeath."With the spiritual man, the New Creature in ChristJesus, the reverse condition obtains. If the New Creaturereceived no physical, financial, or social adversity, hewould wither away spiritually. "For godly sorro;worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of.He requires adversity for his spiritual growth. By meamof his patience, he splits it up, takes the good out of it inorder to .add moral fibre to his being, and gives off thedouble portion of prosperity to others.There is thus the same interchange and balance betweenthe man of God and the man of the world as there isbetween plants and animals. Just as men and animalsabsorb Oxygen and exhale Carbonic Acid gas, and treeson the contrary, absorb Carbonic Acid gas and emit Oxygen,just so worldly men, while themselves thriving onmaterial prosperity, inflict adversity on those who areendeavouring to live godly in Christ Jesus, and the latter,instead of being injured by the experience, make use ofavery earthly adversity which comes to them to do good'