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Sketches from the Life of Paul
their feelings of bitterness toward the apostle, and accepted him as one
specially called of God to bear the gospel to the Gentiles, the Lord
would have spared him to them to still labor for the salvation of souls.
He who sees the end from the beginning, and who understands the
hearts of all, saw what would be the result of the envy and jealousy
cherished toward Paul. God had not in his providence ordained that
Paul’s labors should so soon end; but he did not work a miracle to
counteract the train of circumstances to which their own course gave
rise.
The same spirit is still leading to the same results. A neglect to
appreciate and improve the provisions of divine grace, has deprived the
church of many a blessing. How often would the Lord have prolonged
the life of some faithful minister, had his labors been appreciated. But
if the church permit the enemy of souls to pervert their understanding,
so that they misrepresent and misinterpret the words and acts of the
servant of Christ; if they allow themselves to stand in his way and
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hinder his usefulness, the Lord removes from them the blessing which
he gave.
Satan is constantly working through his agents to dishearten and
destroy those whom God has chosen to accomplish a great and good
work. They may be ready to sacrifice even their own life for the
advancement of the cause of Christ, yet the great deceiver will suggest
doubts, distrust, jealousy, concerning them, that if entertained will
undermine confidence in their integrity of character, and thus cripple
their usefulness. Too often he succeeds in working through their own
brethren, to bring upon them such sorrow and anguish of heart that God
graciously interposes to give his persecuted servants rest. After the
hands are folded upon the pulseless breast, after the voice of warning
and encouragement is silent, then death may accomplish that which
life has failed to do; then the obdurate may be aroused to see and prize
the blessings they have cast from them.
The great work for us as Christians is not to criticise the character
and motives of others, but to closely examine our own heart and life, to
jealously guard ourselves against the suggestions of Satan. We should
bear in mind that it is not the hearers of the law that are justified before
God, but the doers of the law. If the principles of God’s law rule in
our hearts, we shall have the spirit of Christ; we shall manifest in our
daily life that mercy which is better than sacrifice. Every Christian