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 their last  brave  struggle  and  you  will  feel  as  though your heart's  blood  might  well  up  to  your  eyes and you  could  shed  tears  of  blood  for  very  pity. And pity  is  akin  to  love,  for  he  who  can  and  does  feel a hearty  and  practical  pity  for  a  suffering  fellowcreature  is  very  near  to  the  love  and  the  kingdom  ol God. From nothing  else  can  we  derive  such  solid spiritual comfort,  such  an  uplifting  of  our  whole  being, as  from  an  earnest  effort  to  relieve  the  unfortunate. When a  man,  his  heart  swelling  with  sympathy, hastens  to  comfort  sorrow  or  relieve  affliction, he is  truly  God-like. Bearing in,  his  soul  the  image of God,  he  presents  in  his  outward  demeanor  a  likeness as  perfect  as  may  be  of  the  Christ  sympathizing with sorrow  and  healing  the  diseased. Nay more,  his charity has  Christ  Himself  for  its  object,  "  for,"  says He, "  whatsoever  you  do  unto  them  you  do  likewise unto  Me." Tribulation, therefore,  is  but  a  form  of God's  mercy. Spiritual ills  and  spiritual  death  render men unclean,  but  worldly  trials,  on  the  contrary,  tend to ennoble  and  to  sanctify. They are  blessings  in disguise,  affording  us,  as  they  do,  opportunities  for atonement, detaching  us  from  the  world,  evoking all that  is  purest  and  best  in  our  natures,  and,  when sin has  been  done,  sending  us  like  frightened  children back  into  God's  arms  crying:  "Jesus,  Son  of David,  have  mercy  on  me."

A clean  heart,  a  prayerful  soul,  a  generous  hand. In this  order,  Brethren,  we  agreed  to  consider  these three, but  alas! it was  an  error,  we  deceived  ourselves. The sinless  can  afford  to  confine  their