1 Samuel 4:21

"I-chabod." 1 Samuel 4:21 .

When the daughter-in-law of Eli, the wife of Phinehas, heard that the ark of God was taken, and that her brother-in-law and her husband were dead, she called the child that was born in that hour "I-chabod," saying, "The glory is departed from Israel." Thus children are born into distressing circumstances. Men come into the world when the world's history is deeply shadowed, when there is indeed little to be seen but cloud and storm. How fortunate, as we say, have some men been in the time of their birth; they came into the world when everything was budding with promise, when the vernal air was awakening the whole earth, and beauty was about to clothe every plant that grew. Others are born under circumstances that depress the spirit; everything is backward, disheartened, utterly without hope as to the future; nothing answers the touch of fire or the cry of inspiration; there is no contagion in enthusiasm, and prayer itself is an empty vessel. We have no control, of course, over the times when we come into the world, but we should take their character into account in estimating our influence. He may do a great work who comes into the world in a dark hour, though it may contrast but poorly with the work which is done by men who were born under radiant advantages. The thought that applies to the matter of birth in relation to an age applies also to all positions of trust and usefulness; ministers come to churches under infinite disadvantages; merchants undertake the conduct of businesses that have been blighted or complicated and thrown into the most uncontrollable disorders; men are called upon to discharge the duties of life who have been born into bodies that are heavily afflicted, all these things ought to be taken into account in estimating the work which we are doing in our day and generation. Herein it is well that God himself is judge, and not man. He knows our parentage, our difficulties, our disadvantages, our constitution, the peculiar conditions in which we have begun our work, and in adding up all these, and assigning our reward, he will be just with the justice of love.