PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Night of Weeping
Horatius Bonar, 1808–1889 · 38,522 words · 44 reading sections
PREFACE. y
THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES THE NIGHT OF WEEPING; WORDS FOR THE SUFFERING FAMILY OF GOD " Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." — PSA. xxx. 5. "We must through much,, tribulation enter into the king- dom of God." — ACTS xiv. 23. BY THE REV. HORATIUS BONAR. …
891 wordsSECTION 2THE FAMILY.
Yet it is a self-chosen one. God did not choose it for them. They chose it for themselves. God invites, nay, pleads hard with them to quit it, yet they will not. Wretched as it is, they yet prefer it to the friendship of him, with whom their heart is at enmity, and whose presence is to them all §loom and terror. Yet h…
877 wordsSECTION 3THE FAMILY. 13
To carry out this purpose, was the WORD made flesh. " He took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abra- ham."* "Forasmuch as the children were partakers of flesh and blood, he himself like- wise took part of the same."t Thus a new relationship was established, such as till then, could never…
828 wordsSECTION 4THE FAMILY. 17
from the King of kings. They are of the blood royal of heaven. And though their present condition be a lowly one, their prospects are the brightest that hope ever painted ; bright- er than what eye hath seen, or ear hath heard. It doth not yet appear what they shall be ; but they know that when he shall appear, they sh…
880 wordsSECTION 5THE FAMILY. 21
as it has no scope for elsewhere. It is in the family alone that the one thing we call affec- tion or love, is divided and spread out, like a sunbeam into the rainbow's seven-fold hues, there to display itself in all the rich tints of hidden beauty. So it is in the Church alone, that the love of God is fully seen, not …
903 wordsSECTION 6THE FAMILY LIFE. 25
has the whole of it. Even so with Jehovah our heavenly Father; even so with Jesus our elder brother. His is a special, personal, pe- culiar love, just as if he loved no other, but had his whole heart to spare for us. His is a minute and watchful care, bending over each, day and night, as if he had no other to care for.…
868 wordsSECTION 7THE FAMILY LIFE. 29
aions, their passing splendor, their glorious purity, their blessed peace. It shows us the happy courts, the harmonious company, the adoring multitudes. It opens our ears also, so that when beholding these great sights we seem to hear the heavenly melody, and to catch the very words of the new song they sing, " Thou ar…
904 wordsSECTION 8THE FAMILY BADGE.
shall put on incorruption, and death be swal- lowed up in victory. Shall privation move us? Faith tells us of a day when the poverty of our exile shall be forgotten in the abundance of our peaceful, plenteous home, where we shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more. Shall the disquieting bustle of this restless lif…
956 wordsSECTION 9THE FAMILY BADGE. 37
Yet it is but one family. There is a family likeness among all its many members ; and a family name by which they are known. They have many things in common ; nay, there are few things which are not common to all. They are all of earth. It is their native clime. They are all sprinkled with the same blood, and be- gotte…
950 wordsSECTION 10THE FAMILY BADGE. 41
Throughout life he was the " man of sor- rows." He was "acquainted with grief." And herein we see something more of the family badge, as it was displayed in the Elder Brother. Acquaintanceship with grief ! This is the description given us of it. It is not one visit that makes us acquainted with a fellow man. Companions…
879 wordsSECTION 1146 THE FAMILY DISCIPLINE.
We need not then count upon bright days below, nor think to pass lightly over the plea- sant earth, as if our life were but the " shadow of a dream." Joy within we may expect, — "joy unspeakable and full of glory," for that is the family-portion. But joy from without, the joy of earth's sunshine, the joy of the world's…
814 wordsSECTION 1250 THE FAMILY DISCIPLINE.
kept in mind there would be fewer hard thoughts of God amongst men, even when his strokes were most severe. I know not a better illustration of what the feelings of a saint should be, in the hour of bitterness, than the case of Richard Cameron's father. The aged saint was in prison " for the Word of God and the testimo…
917 wordsSECTION 1354 THE FAMILY DISCIPLINE.
provided for, most faithfully watched : and I may be most sweetly soothed by this fond and unwearied care : yet, if there be no power to heal, no resistless energy, such as sweeps all hindrances before it, then I may still lie hope- less there : but, if the power to heal be pre- sent, the power that makes all diseases …
890 wordsSECTION 1458 THE FAMILY DISCIPL3 VTE.
taken us down into the depths of Scripture, and shown us its hidden wonders. Luther used to say, " Were it not for tribulation I should not understand Scripture." And every sorrowing saint responds to this, as having felt its truth, — felt it as did David, when he said, " Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, and te…
899 wordsSECTION 1562 THE FAMILY DISCIPLINE.
true to him. Thus he makes us ashamed of our false-heartedness to himself, and to the Son of his love. Yet this is no easy process. This training is hard and sore. The heart bleeds under it. Yet it must go on. No part of it can be spared. Nor will it cease till the heart is won ! If the chastener should stay his hand …
900 wordsSECTION 1666 THE FAMILY RODS.
murmur, either of the lip or heart ? which opens up to us so much more of God, and lets us more fully into the secrets of his heart, must be blessed, however hard to bear. That which discovers to us the evils within ourselves, which makes us teachable and wise, which gives to the stiff wrill flexibility and obedience, …
856 wordsSECTION 1770 THE FAMILY RODS.
But the " rod of the wicked " may mean that rod, with which he smites the wicked in his fierce anger. In this sense there is no rod fo.r the righteous. Such a rod never either lights upon them nor rests upon them. Their rod is not the rod of the wicked. It is the family rod. They have done with wrath. Over them no curs…
863 wordsSECTION 1874 THE FAMILY RODS.
blessing, seeking so to profit by each bodily ailment, slight or severe, that it may bring forth in us the peaceable fruits of righteousness. " I know," says one, " of no greater blessing than health, except pain and sickness." •' 2. Bereavement. This is the bitterest of « all earthly sorrows. It is the sharpest arrow …
926 wordsSECTION 1978 THE -FAMILY RODS.
are broken off, even the thoughts of my heart."* " He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and he hath set darkness in my paths ; he hath stripped me of my glory and taken the crown from my head ; he hath destroyed me on every side and I am gone, and mine hope hath he removed like a tree ; he hath put my brethren …
905 wordsSECTION 2082 THE TYPES.
rience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed." We should learn not merely to praise God in affliction, but to praise him for it. We should see that the lot of the afflicted is far more envia- ble than that of him who is " let alone ;" and, instead of trembling when we see the dark cloud of sorrow coming over us, we should …
828 wordsSECTION 21THE PROVING. 87
But there was another ordinance in Israel setting forth the tribulation of the church. The mercy-seat and the cherubim were to be both made of pure gold, " of beaten work."* Now, as the cherubim were doubtless the symbols of redeemed men, the church of Christ, this type, is very striking. Both the mercy-seat and the ch…
867 wordsSECTION 22THE PROVING. 91
Moreover, we are not at all persuaded that there is so very much evil in us. We do not know ourselves. Our convictions of sin have been but shallow, and we are beginning to ima- gine that the conflict between the flesh and the spirit, is not so very fierce and deadly as we had conceived it to be. We think we have got q…
902 wordsSECTION 23THE PROVING. 95
It is remarkable that when the saints of old were tried and proved, there was found in them not only evil, but the very evil we should least of all have anticipated. We should have said for instance of Noah, he is one whose sobriety and self-restraint will be carried with him to his grave. He stood alone amid a luxurio…
894 wordsSECTION 24THE REBUKING. 99
May he not expostulate with us and ask us, "Dost thou well to be angry?" Would not this question close our lips for ever? Dost thou well to be angry 01 desponding, when God hath forgiven all thine iniquities and re- moved them from thee, as far as the east ia from the west? Dost thou well to be angry wheu thou art deli…
887 wordsSECTION 25104 THE REBUKING.
Yet while the rebuke of God is thus mild and loving, it is both faithful and solemn. It is faithful, for it hides nothing from us. Its tone is soft, yet the words are full of meaning. They are quite explicit in their condemnation of the sin perceived in us. And the rebuke of Jehovah is a solemn thing. It is not the 10…
908 wordsSECTION 26THE PURIFYING. 109
lesson in an easy, pleasant way. Every trouble, however light, comes fragrant with blessing. Shall we then overlook it or thrust it away ? It is a new opportunity of getting nearer God, and learning more of his love. How foolish, how sinful, to disregard it ! God is saying to us, improve this light cross, and you will …
882 wordsSECTION 27THE PURIFYING. 113
ment, for there is no sin. Angels know nothing of it, for they know no sin. They see it afar off. They hear the sad story of earth. They witness the tribulations of the church, but that is all. For it is only where there is sin that there is chastisement. Its existence here is just God's voice, saying, " I have found i…
881 wordsSECTION 28THE PURIFYING. 117
hewing and squaring begin. And God uses affliction as his hammer and chisel for accom- plishing this. Many a stroke is needed : and after being thus hewn into shape, the polish- .. ing goes on. All roughness must be smoothed away. The stone must be turned round and round on every side, that no part of it may ) be left …
894 wordsSECTION 29THE AROUSING. 121
the divine nature." It implies something very exalted, and very blessed ; much more so than if it had merely been told us that God's aim was to " make us holy." Partakers of his own very holiness, — his very nature ! This is more than angels can glory in. It is something pe- culiar to " the redeemed from among men," — …
808 wordsSECTION 30THE AROUSING. 125
In arousing us, God proceeds at first most gently. He touches us slightly, as the angel did Elijah, under the juniper tree, that he may awake us. He sends some slight visitation to shake us out of our security. He causes us to hear some distant noise ; it may be the tumults of the nations, or it may be the tidings of f…
860 wordsSECTION 31THE SOLEMNIZING.
The true wakeful life is different from all these. It is a thing of intensity and depth. It carries ever about with it the air of calm and restful dignity ; of inward power and greatness. It is fervent, but not feverish ; energetic, but not excited ; speedy in its doings, but not hasty ; prudent, but not timid or selfi…
850 wordsSECTION 32THE SOLEMNIZING. 133
Yet we live in a gay world that rings everywhere with hollow laughter. Around us are the sights and sounds of mirth, by which vain men are seeking to cheat away their ever-fretting uneasiness, to soothe their ruffled consciences, or to drown their bitterer sorrows. Oftentimes the saints seem to catch the tone of levity…
887 wordsSECTION 33THE SOLEMNIZING. 137
Trials awaken us to a sense of our self- pleasing ways, and our indifference to the con- dition of the world we live in, not only as being a world of sin, but thoroughly, and all over a 12 134 THE SOLEMNIZING. world of misery. They bring us into con- tact with solid certainties, and that produces thoughtfulness. Th«y…
887 wordsSECTION 34142 THE WARNING.
Even without the positive infliction of chas- tisement, there is enough to solemnize a saint, in what he sees and knows of things as they are. A dying world ; a groaning creation ; a / V 138 THE SOLEMNIZING. curse-laden earth ; a divided bleeding church ; an absent bridegroom ; — these are, at all times, enough to s…
808 wordsSECTION 35146 THE WARNING.
This selfishness is of various kinds, and shows itself in various ways. It is selfishness in reference to the things of Christ; or in re- ference to the Church of Christ ; or in reference to the work given us to do; or in reference to the sacrifices we are called upon to undergo, and the toils we are called upon to end…
809 wordsSECTION 36150 THE WARNING.
ing on the person of Jesus (blessed necessity !) affliction strikes at that which was the root of selfishness. By bringing before us another and far more glorious self, it absorbs our own miserable self ; till in the person of Jesus, we lose sight of our own selves altogether. There is nothing that so makes us acquaint…
865 wordsSECTION 37THE RECOLLECTIONS. 155
Why should we whose home, whose treasure are above, ever again seek our home 01 v»ur treasure here 1 Why should we stoop from our heavenly elevation to mingle again with the company which we have forsaken ? Have we repented of our choice ? Are we ashamed of our pilgrim-staff, and our pilgrim- weeds ? Surely not. Oh, if…
904 wordsSECTION 38THE RECOLLECTIONS. 159
pleasure in recalling our tears and griefs. But this is often mere selfish melancholy, brooding in solitude over a strange history. Sometimes, too, it is pride. We take a proud pleasure in thinking that none have ever suffered as we have done. Sometimes it is worldly sentiment, sitting down to muse over faded blossoms,…
884 wordsSECTION 39THE CONSOLATION. 163
erring, mellowing influence which has been often observed in affliction. During the actual pressure of the sorrow there was less of this. Perhaps we were so stunned and stupified, as almost to be deprived of feeling. Or if we did feel, still there was so much of sharpness and bitterness about it that we were bruised ra…
815 wordsSECTION 40166 THE CONSOLATION.
The glory which he has in reserve for them must be surpassing glory, for it was to bring them to it that he was willing to bruise his Son and to put him to grief. Eye hath not seen it; ear hath not heard it ; it is far beyond what we can comprehend, yet it is all reality. God is not ashamed to be called our God because…
918 wordsSECTION 41170 THE CONSOLATION.
5. There is special grace for every trial. As trials bring to light the weakness that is in us, so they draw out to meet that the strength THE CONSOLATION. 167 of God : — new resources of strength and grace which we never knew before. In affliction we may be quite sure of learning something more of God than we were a…
753 wordsSECTION 42THE CONSOLATION. 173
8. We are preparing for usefulness while here. We have but a few years below, and it concerns us much that these should be useful years. We have but one life, and it must be laid out for God. But we need preparation for usefulness. We need a thorough breaking down ; a thorough emptying, a thorough bruis- ing. God canno…
875 wordsSECTION 43THE ETERNAL RESULTS. 177
.11. All is love. Affliction is the expression ol t atetnal love. It is from the deepest recess of the fountain of love that sorrow flows down to us. And love cannot wrong us. It blesses, but cannot curse. Its utterances and actings are all of peace and gladness. It wants a larger vessel into which to empty itself, and…
897 wordsSECTION 44A 001 181 369 8
"Now the soft peace-march beats, home, brothers, home." This is the joy of the saint. He has fought a good fight, he has finished the course, he has kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for him the crown of righteousness. His battle is over, and then for him there are rest and home. Home ! Yes, home. And what a…
853 wordsSource & rights
Public-domain historical work by Horatius Bonar, 1808–1889. OCR from an original historical scan hosted by Internet Archive; OCR may contain recognition errors.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.