"Happy art thou, O Israel; who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord?" (Deuteronomy 33: 29).
The person who feels Christianity makes men miserable is himself an utter stranger to it. It would be strange, indeed, if it made us wretched, for see to what a position it exalts us! It makes us sons of God. Do you suppose that God will give all the happiness to His enemies and reserve all the mourning for His own family? Will His foes have joy and His children inherit sorrow and wretchedness? No, we will rejoice in the Lord always and glory in our inheritance, for we "have not received the Spirit of bondage again to fear; but we have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father" (Romans 8: 15). The rod of chastisement must rest on us in measure, but it works fruits of righteousness; and therefore, by the aid of the divine Comforter, we, the people saved of the Lord will joy in the God of our salvation. We are married to Christ. Would our great Bridegroom permit His spouse to linger in constant grief? For a while we may suffer as our Head once suffered, yet we are even now blessed with heavenly blessings in Him. We have the earnest of our inheritance in the comforts of the Spirit, which are neither few nor small. Inheritors of joy forever, we have foretastes of our portion. It is true, "Happy art thou, O Israel; who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord!