“Christiansoften have occasion to remark that God’s ways are not as man’s ways, nor Histhoughts as man’s thoughts. Likewise,His measure of time oft far varies from our own estimations. This holds true ina vast variety of respects—but it holds especially true in connection with theremoval of the righteous from this scene of things by the hand of death. If the affairs of the church or the worldwere entrusted to the management of man, he would protract the life of thefaithful to the extremest limit of human existence, and while the life wasprolonged he would take care that the mind should retain all its vigor, andthat the experience and public usefulness should ever enlarge. Widely different sometimes is theDivine method of procedure. The servants of God are often unexpectedly takenaway, not when enfeebled in gifts, or graces, or influence, but when theirpowers are most matured, their minds most thoroughly disciplined for futureservice, having successfully weathered trials and temptations readied by morefavorable circumstances for exerting propitious influences upon men andnations.” John GordonLorimer (1808-68), Pastor of Free St. David’s, Glasgow
