The New Life

The New lyife.
teachest out of Thy law." "Count it all joy when
ye fall into manifold temptations," " that ye may be
perfect, lacking in nothing." Regard the time of
trial as a time of blessing, as a time of close converse
with the Father, of being made partaker of His holiness,
and you shall also rejoicingly say: "It is good
for me that I have been afflicted."
Father, what thanks shall I express to Thee for the
glorious light that Thy word casts upon the dark
trials of this life? Thou wilt by this means teach
me, and make me partaker of Thy holiness. Hast
Thou considered the suffering and the death of Thy
beloved Son not too much to bring holiness near to
me, and shall I not be willing to endure Thy chastisement
to be partaker of it? No: Father, thanks
be unto Thee for Thy precious work : only fulfill Thy
counsel in me. Amen.
1. In chastisement it is first of all necessary that we should
be possessed by the thought : This is the will of God. Although
the trial comes through our own folly or the perversity of men,
we must acknowledge that it is the will of God that we should
be in that suffering by means of that folly or perversity. We see
this clearly in Joseph and the L,ord Jesus. Nothing will give us
rest but the willing acknowledgment : this is the will of God.
2. The second thought is : God wills not only the trial, but
also the consolation, the power, and the blessing in it. He who
acknowledges the will of God in the chastisement itself is on
the way to see and experience the accompaniments also as the
will of God.
3. The will of God is as perfect as He Himself: let us not be
afraid to surrender ourselves to it : no one suffers loss by deeming
the will of God unconditionally good,
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