The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-06-05

ing of thirst, while we'll OF water
was close at hand, unseen, until an
angel showed it to her. Very often
we mourn when consolation is close
by, and unseen. We bitterly lament
when the water of life is at our side.
We are weak and despairing. we cry
in the dark, when 6 ID is very near
with help.
1t is a common failing of humanity
to easily get discouraged. We all do.
1t is because we lack faith. What a
glorious gift faith is! What boon
to mani How strong it makes the
weak arm, how brave the timid, how
hopeful the respondent. He who
possesses not this blessed thing
called faith,-.he substance of things
hoped for, the evidence of things
not SCENTS poor indeed. Every
business man knows that faith is an
essential capital. Faith led Colum-
bus to the New World, and faith re-
clothed it with civilization. Faith is
one of the great sources of all of mans
activities. Faith, hope, love are the
fountains from which flow the stream
of life, and with the merging OF their
waters, mans activities begin.
How miserable must he be who is
so pessimistic that he lacks faith liz
God, in his goodness and in his mani
fest purpose in the creation of his Off
spring. But | believe him to be
still more miserable who lacks faith
in his fellow men; who is always
viewing the acts of others with suspi-
cion; who can neither trust nor be-
lieve. The world has little need of
such narrow souls as these.
We become discouraged also be-
cause we are blinded. IL we only
could see things as they really arel
81 never saw an atmosphere the color
of that" said critic, to my artist
friend, glancing at newly painted
landscape. NO." was the reply,
"Don't you wish you could?" All,
we go through this world near-sight-
ed, if notwholly blind; seeing not the
beauty, perceiving not the virtue,
knowing not the good. Man yearns
for love and yearns in vain, while
that which could supply his famished
heart is close at hand, with no angel
to point it out to him. He longs for
knowledge, and the opportunity for
acquiring it is at his very door, but
he knows it not. He wishes to be
charitable and to alleviate the suffer
ings of his fellowmen, but somehow
the chances which are presented to
him every day, are overlooked in
his endeavor to find great opportun
tiles, and the suffering continues.
Would that some angel might point
out to him the opportunity. He
loves the beautiful, and hears with
JOY of the beauty of distant chimes;
longs to view it, frets away what
should be happy hours, because he
cannot, while beauty runs riot all
about him. We need some angels
hand to point out to us the beauty
which
'Iies around us like cloud,
A world we do not see"
We are discouraged because we do
not know or realize that "all things
are working together for good"
Hagar left her boy to die, turning
her face away, SO as to not see his
agony, not knowing that Ishmael was
destined to live and to found great
nation. Then it was that divine help
interposed, and heavenly messen
ger pointed out to her the we'll of wa
ter, which was to redeem the dying
son.
l care not whether you think this
account literally true, or with me,
believe it based upon the fact of Ha-
gar and Ishmael's wanderings, and
the writer's great faith that they were
protected and saved only by divine
interposition, thus becoming one of
the sacred legends, born of faith,
which adorn the pages of Jewish and
Christian scriptures, - the lesson
which we are to derive from it is the
same, namely: 1t is always the dark
est just before dawn. Help appears
in our distress when we least expect
it, and from a source little dreamed
of. Our case would never seem hope
less if we could but see what sur
rounds us. From our misfortunes
spring our blessings; from our de-
feats our victories. When discour-
aged and well nigh broken hearted,
we fall; then some angel hand, per-
chance of flesh and blood, will come
to our rescue, help us to arise, and
lead us to the fount, whose perennial
waters will cleanse, refresh and save.
The bitter agonyis to give way to the
gladstone JOY. That which appears