Whenever a Christian man yields to a mournful, desponding spirit, under
his trials; when he does not seek grace from God to battle manfully and
cheerfully with trouble; when he does not ask his heavenly Father to
give him strength and consolation whereby he may be enabled to rejoice
in the Lord at all times, he does dishonor to the high, and mighty,
and noble principles of Christianity, which are fitted to bear a man up,
and make him happy even in times of the deepest affliction. It is the
boast of the gospel that it lifts the heart above trouble; it is one of
the glories of our religion that it makes us say, “Although the fig-tree
shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vine, the labor of the
olive shall fail, and the field shall yield no meat, yet will I rejoice
in the Lord , I will joy in the God of my salvation.”