The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1896-07-12

! tions, from accepting the nearness OF
heaven, or the ability and willingness
OF God TO exercise providence over
our lives. III a word. we walk around
the outside OF the temple and admire
its architecture, but We have not Yet
opened the door and explored its in
terror
II Is not SO IN some other matters,
For example. when some gifted seer
experiments with steam or electricity,
and tells us how they can both be utf-
ized to make lie more comfortable and
to furnish us with unexpected conven-
iences, we always take him seriously
and literally, We apply steam as a
means of transportation and use It in
the ten thousand ways In which It viii
1 suhserve our commercial and domestic
purposes. We accept the assertions "
the electrician literally, and In full con-
ddence stretch the mystic wires from
ocean 20 ocean. That confidence Is
repaid by series of miracles, FOR the
harnessed lightning is a wiilinS S2"-
vitoc, carrying our words under At
lantic waves and across continents
with incouceivable speed. In this way
life is practically prolonged, FOR we
can accomplish in our seventy years
more than the old sages dreamed OF In
their seven hundred
There have been those who have had
the same kind OF implicit faith In re-
liglous truths, and who have utilized
them IN the same way. We look at
them with wonder. and with something
Of envy also, contessing that, while
physical laws properly applied may
produce admirable results. It is still |
more admirable to capture spiritual
law and make II the servant Of a di- !
Christianity strong men and weak
women were cast into lions dens or
tortured 10 death by devilish contri- !
vances. They faced their fate with a |
smile, because their faith was an om- |
nipotent reality. They believed in God
just as we believe in the law Of gray |
itation. and were Just as sure Of going !
to heaven as we are that the sun will |
rise tomorrow-so sure that they would |
not compromise one jot or little in or
der 10 save their lives. II you say, as
the agnostie does, that their faith was
nothing but dream. my reply is that |
the dream which can make such heroes /
Of men and women is worth all the So
called truths in the world II they serve /
no better end than TO make us cow
ards. These men and women died with |
God in their hearts, and human nature |
never rises TO such a pitch OF heroism |
unless 1t has that kind OF faith. The di-
vine in humanity is developed by faith
rather than by intellectual attainment.
The most important part OF man is
his soul, and If that stands plumb moth
ing can go crooked.
believe that we should all have what !
the martyrs had-not a conventional.
but real trust in the Almighty, a
trust like that which the sea captain
has in his compass. 1t may not be
easy TO attain. but We ought to be
satisfied with nothing less. Without
it we drift. but with it we weather all
storms and are headed for heaven.
You need II in all the emergencies OF
life. and there are many which try the
soul to its utmost. 1t is not easy TO
live well, TO resignedly put your shoul-
ders to a heavy burden, to meet temp
tation s9uarely and thrust it from your
path, TO bury dear one and feel that
the best thing has happened for all
Easy? Is there any task
that will compare with II? Do you
not know that it is harder to acquire
an athletic soul than an athletic body?
Because it is harder you need to take
certain simple religious truths and feed
on them until they are thoroughly as
simulated with your spirit. II God is
taken from the realm OF myths and
made a downright fact, il heaven is
not up in the clouds, but all around
you: IL love never dies, and cannot be
destroyed by death or changed in any
and If these glorious revela-
tiOns are not guesses, but certainties,
what is your life but a school in which
angels are teachers, and what is this
old earth but spiral staircase leading
10 eternity? II religion is good for
anything it is good for everything. and
no man is at his best until spiritual
truth is just as practical and practica-
bic as any fact in physics. After that
all will go we'll but not before.
GEORGE II. HEPWORTH.