The Expositor's Bible: The Second Book of SamuelBlaikie, William Garden
Religion
The Expositor's Bible: The Second Book of Samuel
Blaikie, William Garden
Bible. Samuel, 2nd -- Commentaries
Yes, there is a mystery in it which we cannot wholly solve. But we
must remember that it is in thorough accordance with a great law
of Providence, the operation of which, in other matters, we cannot
overlook. That law is, that the cultivation and refinement of any
organ or faculty, while it greatly increases your capacity of
enjoyment, increases at the same time your capacity, and it may be
your occasions, of suffering. Let us take, for example, the habit of
cleanliness. Where this habit prevails, there is much more enjoyment
in life; but let a person of great cleanliness be surrounded by
filth, his suffering is infinitely greater. Or take the cultivation
of taste, and let us say of musical taste. It adds to life an immense
capacity of enjoyment, but also a great capacity and often much
occasion of suffering, because bad music or tasteless music, such as
one may often have to endure, creates a misery unknown to the man
of no musical culture. To a man of classical taste, bad writing or
bad speaking, such as is met with every day, is likewise a source
of irritation and suffering. If we advance to a moral and spiritual
region, we may see that the cultivation of one's ordinary affections,
apart from religion, while on the whole it increases enjoyment, does
also increase sorrow. If I lived and felt as a Stoic, I should enjoy
family life much less than if I were tender-hearted and affectionate;
but when I suffered a family bereavement I should suffer much less.
These are simply illustrations of the great law of Providence that
culture, while it increases happiness, increases suffering too. It
is a higher application of the same law, that gracious culture, the
culture of our spiritual affections under the power of the Spirit of
God, in increasing our enjoyment does also increase our capacity of
suffering. In reference to that great problem of natural religion,
Why should a God of infinite benevolence have created creatures
capable of suffering? one answer that has often been given is, that
if they had not been capable of suffering they might not have been
capable of enjoyment. But in pursuing these inquiries we get into an
obscure region, in reference to which it is surely our duty patiently
to wait for that increase of light which is promised to us in the
second stage of our existence.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account