The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1902-01-23
GOD AND THE souI.
'tInan Depsnil.nse UDos ne DavfaS
Strength a riyotal ThousAt~in
the Christian Religion,

| Like as a father pitisth his Children.
Psalms. GILL, 49,
In the gallery of my memory there
hangs very simple picture which l
I never look at without peculiar salts
faction. The incident occurred many
years ago, but it is as fresh in my
mind as thie mornings rosebud
A father and child were roaming
through wide country pasture. The
little one prattled in the suns hiue, now
clinging to the fathers hand in an
ecstasy of confidence and now flying
as fast as its feet could carry it to u
thicket whete, ths vivid flowers grew.
When away from ] Ahe immediate
presence ~ ,ths, NsyyAtor the child
would tHfa eyerSsa94ysnd again to be
sure thafth fafHsfsaEas there, as
though forsths moment 1t had forgot
ten that il was not alone, and then.
with the delightful certainty of being
carefully watched, would roam still
further, intent on some new object.
Suddenly danger appeared in the
ominous bark Of dog. The child felt
the instant need Of guardianship, and
with trembling hAste rushed to the ia
Tiers embrace, its cheeks blanched
with fear, its eyes filled with tears.
The strong arms, however, were no
sooner round him than he grew calm
again and The Old smile returned rhe
consciousness Of absolute safety de-
stroyed the terror of the dogs bark,
because father and child were heart to
heart.
That is a very imperfect symbol of
the true reIatio between God and the
soul. Nothing will exactly typify that
relation. but strong and wise ia ther
and little child dependent on him will
serve our purpose.
A thorough appreciation of the fact
that God is always close to us, is al
ways interested in our welfare, is al
ways within call when We stand in
need of help, would he equivalent to
a revolution in the life OF The world.
To-day it is a blind fact. or fact to
which we are blinded and its practical
value is therefore reduced to a mini
mum. We assent to the statement as
boy in school assents to delnonstra-
ton on the blackboard, but who does
not assimi!a,e the truth and after re-
cess forgets all abou, it. If he could
once fix it in his brain it would last
a lifetime and help him to solve many
a hard problem.
Whether it is too large fact for our
presen mt intelligence, or whether we are
so absorbed in maieriA things that
we thrust it aside, | cannot say. But
this | know. that if | could convince
YOU that though you are but an atom
in the great aggregate of humanity
and your life is only single thread
in the vast fabric Of progress, still
the sun by day and the moon and stars
by nigh, shine for you as though you
were the only being on earth and they
were created to serve you in just that
way, that God is your personal God,
filling your life with His presence,
ready, willing. anxious 10 serve you as
though heaven and earth were made
for you alone, | would fill you with
conscious dignity. and So enlarge Your
conception Of your destiny that you
would be transformed and fig
ured.
That thought is centraI in he Bible.
The decalogue and the sermon on the
mount swing on it as on pivot. That
one thought constitutes true religion.
For 10 centuries it has been vibrating
through the generations, and you and
] have looked at it and not recognized
it. ], is, indeed, The whole Of religion,
for he who has God in his heart owns
the universe and must needs keep his
face turned toward heaven.
To know that all the forces Of the
universe are on your side and will
assist in your development, is a heri-
tage into the full possession of which
we have not yet entered, Il truth so
grand that he who receives it becomes
ennobled; truth SO precious that
when the shoulders bend beneath the
burdens of life the soul still. reioices,
for the power to bear is given by Him
who is AT your side, though invisible.
The religion which has that for its
pivotal point is like the hugle call
which announces victory. Human ard
divine have met and become one. God
and man are working for he same sub
lime purpose. The Christ has at last
achieved His mission. What is to be |
borne will be borne in he sublime
consciousness that even the hard pas
sages of life lead to greater light. |
Some may weep. bu, wet eyes see be-
yond the clouds the ou'stretched |
hands of loved ones. reckoning the
weary soul TO its rest. Tha, thought |
Is the beginning, mean and end Of all
things, and man rises to a knowledge |
of his sonship TO the Father.
God in the heart is welcome guest!
Life a school from which to graduate,
the lessons learned into the Nearer
Presence! Grasp this truth. guard it,
and every day will become stepping
stone to higher things. -George II.
Uepworth, in y. y. Herald.
The Hungry Man No Epicuve.
A hungry man is never a discrim"
mating epicure. If you think the
sermon was poor and your neighbor
thinks it was good il is pretty re-
liza BILE sign that your neighbor came