Difficulties of Love or Friendship
Often it is the safest way to shut the eyes and be half blind to many things in a friend's character, ... like pearls in the sea-shell — aberrations from healthful nature, if you will, but more tender and tinted with heavenlier iridescence than even the shell itself
Learn never to smooth away, through fear of results, the difficulties of love or friendship by concealment or a subtle suppression of facts or feelings. Reprove, explain, submit with all gentleness, and yet with all truth and openness. The deadliest poison you can instill into the wine of life is a fearful reserve which creates suspicion, or a lie which will canker and kill your own love, and through that your friend's.
— Frederick W. Robertson (1816-1853)
Looking Above and Beyond
Nothing doth so much establish the mind amidst the rollings and turbulency of present things, as both a look above them, and a look beyond them; above them to the good and steady Hand by which they are ruled, and beyond them to the sweet and beautiful end to which, by that Hand, they shall be brought. Study pure and holy walking, if you would have your confidence firm, and have boldness and joy in God. You will find that a little sin will shake your trust and disturb your peace more than the greatest sufferings: yea, in those sufferings, your assurance and joy in God will grow and abound most if sin be kept out. So much sin as gets in, so much peace will go out.
— Robert Leighton (1611-1684)
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