It is good for a man to be checked, crossed, disappointed, made to feel
his own ignorance, weakness, folly; made to feel his need of God; to feel
that, in spite of all his cunning and self-confidence, he is no better
off in this world than a lost child in a dark forest, unless he has a
Father in Heaven, who loves him with an eternal love, and a Holy Spirit
in Heaven, who will give him a right judgment in all things; who will put
into his mind good desires, and enable him to bring those desires to good
effect; and a Saviour in Heaven who can be touched with the feeling of
his infirmities, because He too was made perfect by sufferings; He too
was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin.

And, therefore, my dear friends, those words which we read in the
Visitation of the Sick about this matter are not mere kind words, meant
to give comfort for the moment. They are truth and fact and sound
philosophy. They are as true for the young lad in health and spirits as
for the old folk crawling towards their graves. It is true, and you will
find it true, that sickness and all sorts of troubles, are sent to
correct and amend in us whatever doth offend the eyes of our Heavenly
Father. It is true, and you will find it true, that whom the Lord loveth
He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. It is true,
and you will find it true (though God knows it is a difficult lesson
enough to learn), that there should be no greater comfort to Christian
persons, than to be made like Christ, by suffering patiently not only the
hard work of every-day life, but adversities, troubles, and sicknesses,
and our Heavenly Father's correction, whensoever, by any manner of
adversity, it shall please His gracious goodness to visit them. For
Christ Himself went not up to joy, but first He suffered pain; He entered
not into His glory, before He was crucified.

So truly our way to eternal joy is to labour and to suffer here with