The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1896-01-03


and man must have a peculiar ma,
ture II such regrets have never paid
him visit and tinged his memory Of
tive past with unspeakable sorrow.
The man is butsa larger boy, and
the providence Of parents is replaced
by that OF the Almighty. As the
boy was not broad enough to under
stand the severity Of the earthly
father, so the man Is too narrow or
too selfish or too wilful 70 sect stiiessie.
nitlcance OF the Heavenly Fathers
commands. He longs intensely to
have his life governed by bis own,
wisdom, and cannot conceive that his
wisdom should be ignorance. He res
bells againststhe statement that any
one can better know what Is best for
Him than aaa~does himself. Resigna-
ItiOn Is, therefore. TIE afae&. s~irt,,a
which he, cares 70 cultivate. His
faith runs along smoothly until God
contradicts him, and then 1t is swal-
lowed upin the vortex of doubt. He
makes his own brain the measure OF
Gods knowledge, and Cod becomes
more or less OF q myth to him when
ever the divine will and his human
will are in opposition. The Atheists
doubts may have their origin in his
logical faculty. bu; the Christians
doubt has its origin in self-conceit.
The atheist can SEE, no God at all {;
the Christian sees God and then In
sists that this God shall not follow
His own judgment; but shall act as
the prayers Of His creature may indi-
cate.
If you will think Of the matter very
carefully you will discover that the
purging fire of affliction and the high
est nobility OF character have a very
close relation to each other. Onemay
even go So far as to say that the man
who has never known profound sorrO N
has never known profound happiness.
| confess that it Is a mystery TO me,
but still the best men and women l
have ever known are not those who
have not sailed on peaceful seas, but
those who have breasted many a
storm. There is something In a pro-
longcd calm which demorallzes the
strongest nature, and something in a
tempest which draws the grandcst
elements OF the soul to the surface.
You must weep II You would make
the acquaintance of your best self.
You can never definitely locate heaven
until you have closed some dear ones
eyes and stood by an open grave. An
gels voices are better heard in dark
than in the garnish day. Solong as you
feel strong God appears to be at an i'm
measurable distance, but when you
know that you are helpless, and so cry
for succor, the rustic OF unseen gar
ments fill the airsand mellow influ-
enees straight from the Throne steal
into your heart.
W 1t may possibly be true, therefore,
that what you call the worst things
Of life shall turn out to be the best.
The crude iron ore buried in the hill
has nocommercial value, but when 1t
has been forced through consuming
fire men are glad to buy it. In like
manner the unframed and undiscl-
plined soul Is of incomparably less
worth than the soul that through Bit
ter grief has learned to obey the mys-
ferrous Christ as the mariner Obeys
the mysterious compass. -
One thing is certain-that il this
life is all, religion is an intrusion and
a delusion; but II another life over
laps this one, and il the chief purpose
OF this one ia to prepare for the life
to come, and II you believe this with
all your heart. then religion is your
prime necessity. AS food nOurishes
the body, SO religion nourishes the
soul, and as physical growth is the re-
suit of 4 csx.asgs xxtag labor, and cannot be
had without it, SO spiritual grOWCh'6
impossible without burdens and dis
appointments and tears.
With no heaven to Took forward to
human life is prolonged cruelty Buff
feting the storm with no home in the
distance is untold hardship; but when
every weary footstep brings you near.
er to rest and peace the heart can sing
a song which drowss the roaring OF
the Wind and take a~kipd Of heroic
delight In the valply opposing ele-
mcntGr q @
1t viii be well at last. The fight is
not forever. Each setting sun brings
you nearer to yourgoal. Patience for
a little while, aad f0r little while a
calm endurance. Then comes sweet
sleep, from which you wake to hear
the angels Sing, "Wcll done, good and
faIthfal servant; enter into the Joy
n thy Lerdv
/