Our Father never causes us a tear-not one-needlessly. He afflicts, not for His pleasure, but for our profit, and to make us partakers of His holiness. This I believe cannot be done apart from much trial. Some medicines sicken us; but often the disease cannot be healed without it, and our great Physician is well content to have us sick for a day, that we might have the blessing forever.
Oh! blessed be the discipline of love, which wisely seeks our cure, and grudges neither care on His side, nor suffering on ours.