The grace of gentleness and sweetness under trying circumstances is so scarce in this world, that it is indeed refreshing when we come in contact with it. It is said of the mother of John and Charles Wesley, that one of the children once asked some privilege and was denied with a "no." The child was persistent and asked again, and the answer was again, "no." For some reason the interrogation was requested time and again, and the patient mother responded "no" twenty times, and the last time in the same tone of voice as the first. We might question the propriety of allowing a child to be so persistent, but we could not question the propriety of suffering long, with kindness on the farther end of it. We have been struck before now at the agitation and seeming impatience of some leading holiness preachers when some disturbance was made in the meeting; when a child cried, some one went out, or some unusual noise or commotion occurred. Almost anybody can keep sweet when everything goes their way, but the time to prove that a part of one's stock in trade is honey, is when the trying ordeals of life press in, and people are looking on to see if he has what he has been shouting over in the meeting. There is a clause in the Bible that reads thus: "The God of all grace." I do not know how much our God has, but it says in another place, "He giveth more grace." We believe that in every exigency of life, the grace of our God is sufficient. If a policeman on the street of some large city met with some opposition as he was endeavoring to do his duty, he would have the privilege, if unable to cope with the opposition alone, to call upon another officer. If these two were unable to overcome, they could have the whole police force of the city at their disposal. If this power was not sufficient they could have the state militia, and perchance this should fail, the whole government is back of him, and would call out the regular army. That police officer has the whole government ready to back him up in doing his duty. So it is with the faithful child of God. When he is suffered to pass through some trying ordeal, and the present stock of grace is not sufficient, "He giveth more grace," and the "God of all grace" is at his disposal, and "God is able to make all grace abound toward" him, and He would call out the whole stock of grace of heaven before He would allow the faithful soul to fail who relied upon Him. These testing trials are what make solid Christian character. What would the giant oak on the mountain side amount to, if it were not for the storms that surge against it? These storms cause the roots to take stronger hold, and thus they grapple with earth and rock and become practically immovable. When the storms of trial and persecution sweep up against the pure in heart, they cause them to cleave the more to their Protector and send the roots of faith and love deeper into the Rock beneath.