Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1902-04-12
HOPE.
Christian Hope IL Grounded In Chris
tiaR Faith and Inspires to
Right Action.

Hope looks for the good and never
for the evil. The pessimist would
prefer the word expectation" for
we expect the evil as well as the
good. Doubtless evil will come,
but we do not hope for its COM
ing. We would work for the prog
ress of the good, we would pray for it's
triumph, and while we work and pray
we would also hope. The peSsimist
cannot do this, for the reason that he
looks for evil days, he expects the
the clouds and not the sunshine. He is
confident that the worst is yet to come.
Gloomy forebodings OF the future shut
ont the rays OF hope. To him hope is a
word that does not enrich his voosbu-
larry, nor has II much, IL any, reality in
human life. True, there are vain
hopes. But these are always ground
less hopes. Hope TO be realized must
have a basis. He who hopes for success
but does not work for the same finds
his hope is never realized. He must
meet the necessary conditions
Hope is based upon healthful condi-
lions Of body and mind. Disease pro-
duces dependency, and hope cannot
thrive under these conditions Exer-
tion is checked by despair What we
need is health. Medicine is a blessing
when taken at the right time Many
are unfit for hfe's duties on account Of
III health, and they feel discouraged
because OF human limitations. Such
conditions do not lead US to hope for
great things.
Hope Is grounded in faith. Hope has
reference TO the future only, while
faith has reference TO the past and
present. Our present belief OF events
and persons leads us TO hope for some
future good. Doubts are no inspira-
ton to hope. but faith is. If you have
no faith in virtue you need not hope
TO become virtuous. II you have no
faith in your success, why hope for sue
cess? According TO thy faith, SO is thy
hope. Hope can sing her sweet song
amid the trials, troubles and sorrows
OF life. With Keats we can say:
-'Sweet hopei celestial influence round me
shed
Waving thy silver pinions over my head"
Hope has its ground, it also has Is
object We may say objects We hope
for happiness for prosperity, for
progress. But all these come from God
The Psalmist says TO his soul: Hope
thou in God. The believer can have God
as the object of his hope.
Hope inspires action. Patience is
grand virtue, industry is praise
worthy, opportunities are valuable
self-relianee is necessary, but what can
these accomplish if we abandon hope
Patience may be exhausted, industry
paralyzed, self-rehanee may fail, but
In the midst OF all hope is the same
All the brightness you see upon the
face OF the toiler is an expression OF
hope. All the light you see on the face
of sorrow is hope.
A traveller going up one of the Alp,
came to a very difficult place to ascend
and was about to return, but a voice
within said, press on, press on. Amid
difficulties, fog and danger, he pressed
on. Soon he reached the top, an(
there he saw the beauty that could no
be seen from lower place. Hope saw,
TO you, press on, press on. Amid the diff
hculties, fog, danger of life, hope sayi
and will ever say to the pilgrim, pres
on, press on, there is beauty at the ton
Rev Henry c. Sperbeck, in n. Y. OBJ