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It appears from these passages that the truer view does rest upon the present transitory
phase with its varied and unequal experiences. A little more or less of pleasure, sorrow,
ease, or distress, is more than counterbalanced by the end.
It is also of great help, not only to think of the vast purpose and end that God has in
view, but also to consider the narrower circle of our own pilgrimage and to echo the
prayer of Psa. 39: 4:--
"Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may
know how frail I am."
The answer to this prayer immediately follows:--
"Behold, Thou hast made my days as an handbreath: and mine age as nothing before
Thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity" (Psa. 39: 5).
When we were tracing the theme of Ecclesiastes we were led to the conclusion that
life is a purposeless puzzle apart from resurrection (The Berean Expositor, Volume X,
pp. 122-127). The dominion of sin and death involves all in the bondage of corruption,
and were it not that there is "hope" in the "end" life would be unbearable. It is in this
spirit that the apostle wrote I Cor. 10: 13:--
"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is
faithful, Who will not allow you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will WITH the
temptation MAKE THE END, that ye may be able to bear it."
So in II Cor. 4: 17 he can call his afflictions "light" as he views the "exceeding
weight" of glory; he can speak of them as "but for a moment" when he knows the weight
of glory to be "age-lasting".
"If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But
now is Christ risen . . . . ." (I Cor. 15: 19, 20).
James bids us not only to dwell upon the "patience of Job", but also the "end of the
Lord". He tells us that temptations have a perfecting work, and with Heb. 12: directs us
to the "afterwards".
"Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be
rewarded, saith the Lord . . . . . there is HOPE in thine END" (Jer. 31: 16, 17).