Page:MyPrayerBookHappinessInGoodness.djvu/83

 happiness follows  close  upon  kind  words,  and  is  their legitimate result:  But,  independently  of  this,  kind words make  us  happy  in  ourselves. They soothe  our own irritation,  they  charm  our  cares  away,  they  draw us nearer  to  God,  they  raise  the  temperature  of  our love. They produce  in  us  a  sense  of  quiet  restfulness like that  which  accompanies  the  consciousness  of  forgiven sin. They shed  abroad  the  peace  of  God  within our hearts.

here is  always  one  bright  thought  in  our  minds when all  the  rest  is  dark. There is  one  thought out of  which  a  moderately  cheerful  man  can  always make some  satisfactory  sunshine,  if  not  a  sufficiency  of it. It is  the  thought  of  the  bright  populous  heaven. There is  a  joy  there  at  least,  if  there  is  a  joy  nowhere else. There is  true  service  of  God  there,  however  poor and interested  the  love  of  Him  may  be  on  earth. Multitudes are abounding  in  the  golden  light  there,  even if they  that  rejoice  on  earth  be  few. At this  hour  it  is all  going  on  so  near  us  that  we  can  not  be  hopelessly unhappy with  so  much  happiness  so  near. Yet its nearness makes  us  wistful. Then let  us  think  that  there are multitudes  in  heaven  to-day  who  are  there  because of kind  actions;  many  are  there  for  doing  them,  many for having  had  them  done  to  them.

e must  say  something  about  kind  suffering. Kind suffering  is,  in  fact,  a  form  of  kind  action. With the  Christian,  kind  suffering  must  be  almost  wholly supernatural. There is  a  harmonious  fusion  of  suffering and  gentleness  effected  by  grace,  which  is  one  of  the most attractive  features  of  holiness. What is  more