The Secret of True Happiness
by Harvey Newcomb The secret of true happiness lies in a cordial
acquiescence in the will of God. It is sweet to lie passive in
His hand and know no will but His. The doctrine of a particular
providence is precious to the Christian's heart. It enables
him to see the hand of God in every event, hence the sinfulness
of a repining, discontented, unsubmissive temper. It is difficult
to reconcile the habitual indulgence of such a sinful disposition
with the existence of grace in the heart. The first emotion
of the newborn soul is submission to the will of God. We are prone
to lose sight of the hand of God in the little difficulties
and perplexities which are of everyday occurrence and to look
only at second causes. We often do the same in more
important matters. When we are injured or insulted
by others, we are disposed to murmur and complain and give
vent to our indignation against the immediate causes of our distress,
forgetting that these are only the instruments which God employs
for the trial of our faith or the punishment of our sins. In
this doctrine of the secret agency of divine providence, we have
the strongest motive for a hearty and cheerful resignation to all
the troubles and difficulties, trials and afflictions which
come upon us in this life, whatever may be their immediate cause.
We know that they are directed by our Heavenly Father, whose
tender mercies are over all His works, and who does not afflict
willingly nor grieve the children of men. Whatever may be our afflictions,
so long as we are out of hell, we are monuments of His mercy. Why does a living man complain,
a man for the punishment of his sins? We are assured that all
things work together for good to those who love God. The afflictions
of this life are the faithful corrections of a kind and tender
Father. For whom the Lord loves, He chastens,
and He scourges every son whom He receives. How consoling the
reflection that all our sufferings are designed to mortify and subdue
our corruptions, to wean us from the world and lead us to a more
humble and constant sense of dependence upon God. How ungrateful
for a child of God to repine at the dealings of such a tender
and faithful father. God will give us all that He
sees is best for us, and surely we ought to be satisfied with
this. For he who sees the end from the beginning must know
much better than we what is for our good. It is our duty to maintain
a contented and cheerful spirit in every situation of life, If
God directs all our ways and has promised to give us just
what He sees we need, we surely ought to rest satisfied with
what we have. For we know that it is just what
the Lord, in His infinite wisdom and unbounded goodness, sees
fit to give us. This Puritan devotional has been
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