Suffering Church

These are the feelings of all true and exercised believers when the church is in a suffering and depressed condition . They have many trials of their own , personal trials , relative trials , trials of a spiritual and trials of a temporal kind; but it is the afflictions of the church which ought to grieve them most , and which do grieve them  most - so far as grace is in exercise - they feel most keenly and most deeply . She is their common mother , and as her spiritual children they all more or less sympathise with her in the changes and vicissitudes of her lot , rejoicing when she prospers , sorrowing when she is in adversity . . It is to the latter exercise , we apprehend , that Zion's children are more especially called at this present time . We do not deny that there are some tokens for good , some hopeful signs on the horizon , and these are grounds for thankfulness and joy . But whatever signs or tokens of a favourable character may be appearing , and whatever comfort and encouragement we may be warranted to draw from them , still it must be evident to every intelligent Christian observer , that there are many thingsin the present state and prospects of the church which are causes of mourning .