The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-12-29

can only be answered that these both,
hope and doubt, peace and struggie ne
both find their way into our souls because
We. too. are divine eternal linked with the
universe heirs 10 all that have gone be,
come. heirs with God and Joint heirs with
Jesus Christ. II matters little when or
where we live, II matters much whether
we enter into the inheritance or the
saints. That Is to enter all things. TO oe
all things. to be nature. 10 be the bud
ding flower. TO be the river the noun
tain. 10 be the animal. TO be man, 10 De
Christ. to be God, dwelling In Him per-
feet. as He is perfect. We can never be
cattle because we are men. we can
more than grass or meat. His discontent,
his restlessness Is because he IL bound.
Tantalus-like 10 the soul that msnifestss :
Itself I'm the universe. which is God. All
nature groaneth and travaileth together
until now awaiting. We are a part OF
that The blacker our doubt the deeper
our DESPAIR. the iierGer the battle; one ,ne
being. and II we are sincere In al THIS
the more we are led. when DOUBT Is piack-
est and despair is deepest and the paIue
strongest 10 cry out 10 the mus Wnehcc
cometh our strength.
MADE IN GODS IMAGE.
We hope. we believe we yearn for
peace. for the same reason that we de-
spair and doubt and struggle, because W. W.
are made I'm Gods Image, because We
are His sons by nature ana because a.,
and through us He Is working out MS
eternal purpose. These things, this
duality of experience Is MOI therelore
something that We have spun ior our our,
selves out Of our day dreams. IL Is hot
something that has been Imposed upon
US from without by society or God, II Us
bone OF our bone and flesh OF our nesh.
because b. is see God Sesnq brSatSed o upon man the
breath Of l!fe. and he became nVihs
soul instead OF tree or an ape
we are away from God. but just because
''in Him we live and move and have our
being" II we are 10 have peace IL Is hot
by going out from the divine ,n ire; urcs 1rs % OF
life itself. There Is peace for some IN
this world. as there Is peace for some
upon ,sd the battIeieldt fe6m the eht They have
gotten outside the range or shot .,., ana
she'll. AS the deserter only hears from
time to time the boom OF distant guns, 80
only from time To time the fragment OF
a song watts In or an old memory stirs
and touches their dying souls.
PEACE OF CowARDLY DEATH.
But this peace is the peace OF cowardly
death. That they rejoice that they are
safe and 90 not hear the noise or tne
battle does not prove that the battle 10
over. IL does not convince that all
have turned traitor TO their cause
and that no longer there are those
who are finding peace and JOY not IN de-
sertion but in the thickest OF the fght.
That there where death rules and blood
flows and smoke blinds and shot rat
ties and war OF cannon deafens there
are strong souls rejoicing that now they
may fight and die Tor the truth tnat IL
dearer than life.
The thought clears their eye and steels
their arms that that truth shall live
through them and 80 in the midst OF the
shouts of battle there broods within the
quiet OF peace II this struggle within us
ever ceases Il will not be by shirking. by
turning back By putting God out OF our
thoughts and endeavoring to escape
him. No No. II will be by pressing on
and on farther into life itself. lt VIII
not he by living less but by living more.
BY dying TO self. and living into God. BY
being able TO say that not l but Christ
,iyeth I'm me. 1t will not be by staying
out on the sea where now comes hope
and now the storm OF blackest doubt but
by going farther in toward the haven
where doubt is caught up and transform
ed by faith and where hope swallows up
despair into a larger hope and fuller fu-
ture.
INTO NATURES MYSTERIES.
BY this process man is not led away
from nature but led into natures mys-
terry through fellowship with natures
God Those who have seen deepest and
truest into the flower and spring and dew
have beheld God face 10 face.
Wadsworth could not have written the
Lines Written Above Tntem Abbey
had he not first had fellowship with that
God whose hand in the autumn was
painting the landscape in types OF beauty
and whose hand was pressing the waters
ha their their
sea.
1t does not lead men away from ones
fellow man but leads one back with
more sympathy, with Gods sympathy for
those who mourn and Gods laughter to
those who rejoice. II does not lead men
to bondage for bondage is found not in
law obeyed but I'm commands broken. IL
leads to perfect obedience through live
and that is wings TO soar and flight and
freedom.
THE CRowNING GLORY.
It's this freedom that Is the crowning
achievement and the glory OF II. Freedom
from our restless desire and discomfort.
content Il brings as desire satisfied. This
then is salvation. But whence comes 1T
We are not to forget that Simeon said:
Mine eyes have seen thy salvation" he
was speaking of the child Jesus. That
we have spoken OF him as the eternal
Christ. Nor ought we to forget that we
have Just celebrated his birth and are
now endeavoring TO enter into fellowship
with the spirit OF his life. The religion
which we profess Is not Buddhism or
No more Is Il merely
pure thesm For our religion Is histori-
cal our Interpretation OF religion itself
Is through the character and teaching of
Jesus Christ.
IL we have a Christian conception OF
God II Is the conception OF God revealed
In Christ. Whether that conception be
true or false Is not the question. The
Christian conception OF God with all Its
truth or falsity il a conception OF God
as Christ revealed him. The Christian
OF man. OF society. OF institu-
tions is Christ's conception. 1t Is not the
OF the world or the church
that we are anxious TO seek this morning
but Christs conception OF man and his
relationship TO God. in other words
mans religion.
MAN S~TELATIONSHIP
This involves mans relationship TO the
world This question concerns itself lit
tie with mans past but Is terribly In