The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-03-14

the throne of the universe. worshipped
with dread and obeyed I'm fear and trem-
hing n Is Impossible Tor you to feel
very closely drawn TO Him. Your pray
ers viii assume more OF less perfunct0-
nv character and a kind OF freshness will
pervade YOUR religion. You may perform
Your various duties with rigid prompts
iude INT II will be done with a dread OF
consequences rather than a sense Of graf
itude.
in itirv fhan bv imprcssing on their young
minds such a thought OF God as Will keep
them AWAY from Him except IN case OF
dire necessity or such a conception Of the
future life as viii make heaven very
undesirable Mace 70 90 10 or 10 live In.
The more Ice you have Ia your theOlo-
O., fha more YOU Will have In your heart.
When your religion Is or 50 poor kind
that the wrath CT God Is It's chief feature
II may be better than no religion at all,
but not much better. IL takes the sweet
moss ont OF life and renders a large num-
Der OF the Christian virtues impossible.
IL Is a sort Of theological hallucina-ion
which drives the soul beyond the limits
Of spiritual sanity. Any attempt 70 hui
MAMIE GCd IS sure 10 result IN despirit-
have known family in which religion
was made so abhorrent 10 the young
members that IN later life they swung
to the other extreme and threw aside all
restraint whatever. They gave up God
altogether because they had been wrong
Nv TAUGHT With the best OF motives and
acting according 10 their light, the IA
Their and mother made religion perfect
nightmare, peopled with an Sorts Oh spec
tres and phantoms. me reaction was
something very unpleasant 10 think Of
IL was a mistake, a frlghtful mistake
a fatal mistake made by two OF the very
best OF parents.
But the world IS growing wiser. We
iar ID fryO
by them-nrst. that IL Is a cruel injus-
tice t. Deity 10 think of Him as an ON
nipOtent despOt who Tor Ills own pleas
ure" does what IS contrary 70 our hu-
man sense OF kind ana charity. ana,
second. that harsh conception OF God
makes a harsh WOrsnlpper CT God. Under
such circumstances our religion is sim
ply a system Of spiritual diplomacy and
We become courtiers who seek the KING.
favor in order to enjoy the gifts He Is
The dear Lord. whose precious nfa Is
the electric current which stimulates US
90 great thoughts and noble deeds, had
no such relations with high heaven. When
lie looked up lie saw fathers face and
not a kings. lie slept beneath the guar
dian watchfulneSs Of angels and conh-
IDENTIFY relied on the protecting care or
God I'm all emergencies. There was no
hour In that wondr0us career When lie
was not conscious o. the support Of in
visible arms.
Therein lies the great revelation that
lie made 10 suffering, tOiling. struggling,
and weary humanity. All Ills teachings
the demand for an all perVading unset
hshness, for u perfectly Quiescent resig-
nation lIndes anilctiOn-are illustrated
and emphasized by His assertion that
not a sparrow fllls TO the ground
without your Father" And the motive
which no makes the source Of nobility
and grandeur OF action comes from the
strictly paternal character or God. lie
sought heaven in prayer just as friend
seeks counsel from iriend-not with the
tremOr Of uncertainty, not M doubt Whe-
Their His petition would be received, but
with the run knowledge that the Father
saw everything, knew everything and
with Outstrctched hand stood ready 10
give whatever was needed Tor the ac-
cOmplishment Of His mission. There you
find the miracle OF miracles. n revelation
of the most marvellous truth that ever
dawncd on the mind Of man, truN
50 stupendOusly glorious that the word
finds 10 almost impossible 10 accept IT,
We have looked at IL, pondcrcd IT ana
been grateful FOR &c. but not yet nave
we put 30 90 practical use. We enshgine
our intellectual fcebleness In statement
OF doctrine, but We realize God actual
presence. His pity and sympathy no
more than the partially Dina man recos-
nizes the light that pdsse5 before his
dimmed sisl0n.
Feel that YOU are Gods child. and then
you VIII learn that you nave some luii5
90 DO and that 20 IS worth your while 10
do il. Know that in the dark hours you
are not alCne that fathers heart never
beats more warmly than for ono in dis
tress nor more pltyinsy than for one VINO
has gone wrong, and you know nearly an
you need 10 know, fer from That knowl-
edge will flow such incentives, such aspi-
ratiOns as Will make you calm and strong.
Without God the Father your days are
not worth counting. and your years are
81 shadow. His presence is the only sun
Urht ~ the soui. ano there IS no substi-
tufe for it. Keep thinking until that fact
becomes the blaze of q tOrchlight, and
from that moment YOU Will never miss
,-.ur xe4v-NfW York Herald.