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 before this is effected, where would be his love ? What poor, what foolish affection ! He knew this when he said, " let them alone ;" and it was the last thing that his love consented to do, after all else had failed. One of the sharpest, sorest words he ever spoke to Israel, was, " why should ye be stricken any more." Let us remember this, and not faint, even though the heart has been long bleeding. Let us remember it, and seek to make the sorrow shorter, by gladly joining with him in his plan for getting possession of our whole heart. We need not grudge it. He has " good measure" to give us in return. His love will taste the sweeter, and it will abide and satisfy us for ever. And it is well for us to be thus trained up to love him here, with whom, in love and fellowship unbroken, we are to spend the ever- lasting day.
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4. It is the training of the conscience. A seared conscience is the sinner's heritage. It is upon this that the Holy Spirit first lays his hand when he awakens the soul from its sleep of death. He touches the conscience, and then the struggles of conviction come. He then pacifies it by the sprinkling of the blood, shewing it Jesus and his cross. Then giving it to taste forgiveness, it rests from all its tu- mults and fears. Thoughts of peace are ever breathed into it from the sight of the bleeding sacrifice. It trembles no more ; for it sees that that which made it tremble, is that very thing concerning which the blood of Christ speaks peace. " Their sins and their iniqui- ties will 1 remember no more." Thus it is softened. Its first terrors upon awakening could not be called a softening. But now conscious forgiveness and realized peace with God, have been to it, like the mild breath of spring to the ice of winter. It has become soft and tender. Yet only so in part.
God's desire, however, is to make it alto- gether tender. He wishes it to be sensitive in regard to the very touch of sin, and earnest in its pantings after perfect holiness. To effect ihis, he afflicts ; and affliction goes directly
60 THE FAMILY DISCIPLINE.
home to the conscience. The death of the widow's son at Sarepta, immediately awaken- ed her conscience, and she cried to the pro- phet, " O man of God, art thou come to call my sin to remembrance ?"* So God, by chas- tisement, lays his finger upon the conscience, and forthwith it starts up into new life. We are made to feel as if God had now come down to ITS ; as if he were now looking into our hearts, and commencing a narrow search. Moreover, we see, in this affliction, God's esti- mate of sin. Not, indeed, the full estimate. No, that we only learn from the sufferings of Jesus. But still we gather somewhat of his mind regarding sin, from this new specimen of sin's bitter fruits. This teaches the con- science, by making the knowledge of sin a thing of experience, — an experience that is deepening with every new trial. " If they be bound in fetters, and be holden in cords of affliction, then he sheweth them their work and their transgressions that they have ex- ceeded. He openeth also their ear to disci* pline, and commandeth that they return from iniquity."t In these last days how little is there of ten-
* 1 Kings xvii. 18. t Job xxxvi. 8, 9, 10.
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derness of conscience ! The world seems to know nothing of it save the name. It is a world without a conscience ! And how much do we find the church of Christ a partaker in the world's sins. " Evil communications cor rupt good manners." It is sad to observe in many saints, amid much zeal, and energy, and love, the lack of a tender conscience. For this God is smiting us, and will smite us yet more heavily, until he has made it thoroughly tender and sensitive all over ; u hating even the garments spotted by the flesh." This training of the conscience is a thing of far greater moment than many deem it. God will riot rest till he has wrought it. And if the saints still continue to overlook it ; if they will not set themselves in good earnest to ask for it, and to strive againct every thing that would tend to produce searedness and in- sensibility, they may yet expect some of the sharpest strokes that the hand of God ha3 ever yet administered.
Such, then, is the family discipline ! We have seen it as it comes forth from God, ard we have seen it as it operates upon man. And is it not all well 1 What is there about it that should disquiet us, or call forth one 6
62 THE FAMILY DISCIPLINE.