The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1886-09-04

OF those obscure persons The pupils
and followers Of a poor peasant-the
adherents of man who was called by
every opprobrious term of that
day, cast out of the church
of their nation, looked upon
with contempt and with hatred By the
leaders of the people, as disturbers of
public order, and as persons deserving
nothing but torture and death. Men
thus considered and thus treated. and
yet having peace Men passing daily
through such tribulation, and yet pa
tiently enduring it all, for truths
sake, and for humanity's sake Men
yielding to death by torture at last, in
the battle for truth, and having peace
in their souls to the end How great
this is how sublime All worldly
greatness is insignificant by the side of it..
But all have tribulation in the world.
The pioneers who have led the way in
the march Of truth, and the martyrs
who have laid down their lives in it's
defense have had their peculiar and
mighty tribulation in the world. as we
have seen; while at the same time there
are fluctuations afforded by the world
that are common to all without excep-
tion. In this world nobody can utterly
escape all trouble. One of old truth
fully said, "Man is born to trouble as
NATURALLY as] the sparks fly upward. -
Job v, Every one has his share
of trouble" is modern proverb that
passes from mouth to mouth. Many
troubles come upon us from causes be-
yOnd our control, and, besides, we are
all the while bringing trouble upon our
selves through our own unwise action.
Say as often as we may, "there's no
need of tive ought to do otherwise"
it still is true, that we do, every day
almost, that which brings US trouble.
And the tribulation that we bring
upon ourselves is the worst of all-es.
pecially that grievous and bitter burden
of tribulation with which we load our
souls by our sins against the spirit of
truth-our actions that degrade the life.
There is no trouble like that of self
contempt and inner condemnation
pain like that Of remorse.
Poverty, sickness, bereavement and
numberless misfortunes attend us in
the world !; but all these are slight in
their severity when unmixed with any
reflections that occasion remorse; slight
as compared with the woes in all which
an upbraiding conscience is forever
confronting the soul, compelling the
inner confession-''my sin, alas, is ever
before me !"
But even in this greatest of tribula-
tions, as well as in all the woe of eal tn,
peace is still to be found for the peace
of Christ is not limited in its posses
sion to those disciples of Jesus addressed
in the text. 1t is the peace of God,
and it is designed for every child of
God TO enjoy.
We seek peace in our own worldly
ways, but we find trouble instead. The
idols in which we fondly trusted for
happiness are taken from us, and we
are left desolate. We think to accom-
plish cur wishes-to do our own will
and crafty our own desires, but in this
we find ourselves often going astray.
Our feet sometimes slip, Our judg-
ment fails. Our plans are defeated,
and disappointment, vexation, and sor-
row come instead of happiness.
In this world only there is no peace !;
because it is not in the nature of this
world to satisfy the longing OF the spirit.
Life-life in its eompleteness-life
perfectly manifest through mind in
other words, the sense Of harmony in
all the thought and feeling and action
of our being, is the thing that alone
can satisfy us-give us peace, rest, pure
and substantial joy.
But the outward world cannot give
us this. 1t is fleeting, forever chang
ing, delusive; it affords us only tenn
porary Judgment, mere sojourn, as
we pass on in our endless career; and
so, of course, it cannot satisfy us-can-
not give US peace. 1t gives US plenty
of trouble in our struggle with it, in the
bodily aches and pains we have to suf-
fer in it; in the disappointments with
out number that it forever brings to
us; in the sore bereavementst to which it
subjects us, as the idols of our own love
are moved forever from our sight; in the
injustice, oppression, and every kind of
wrong that undeveloped man, through
the animal nature that still rules him,
here inflicts upon his brother man and
finally, in those keenest of all pains, the
cravings of remorse at the sight of our
follies, our misdoings, our sins against
the spirit of truth and against our own
integrity. Yes, this world affords us
an abundance of trouble lots" of
trouble, as people phrase it nowadays,
and we are sure TO l1 arm that what
Jesus told his disciples they would
find to be true in their case turns out to
be true also in our case and as, in this
world, they had tribulation, SO also we,
in this world, have tribulation-not the