The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-03-10

the money spent In running churches had
better be spent upon the poor and NEEDY;
from the churches. had no inspiration OF
motive there Is there 80 much taken
away from our pleasures snd even our
lusts and selfish appetites 20 feed the
poor and clothe the naked, that we neeu
To hush the voices of those who cry
serve. serve, and dun the ears OF those
who would catch even some faint note
OF their duty proclaimed In the house OF
God7
or such ones ask this question. What
message have you for the man who II
wicked on LIES stand2 What wiz you say
10 MN who IL down, crushed under the
weight of misfortune and slnY 1 know
what you will say. For n you search
heaven and earth, robbed OF religion.
there Is but one thing to say. You can
only ray up and act. Take new grip
on life, tighten the tension. stiffen the
muscle and all will be well.
CoWARDs. PHYSICAL AND MORAL.
There are some physical towards who
In the face OF duty 20 to bed draw mp
the covers and say they are sick. There
are some moral towards. who In the face
OF duty simply say they cannot do the
thing and never make the effort. Like a
balky horse they lie down In the harness.
To them let II be said. Up and TO your
task. But the man we have described is
not "A coward. lie has done his best ana
failed. Failed because OF outside condi-
lions. over which he had no control.
lie has failed in the sphere OF morality,
not because he has not used his strength,
but because he has used IL all up. As
Prof James has said: THE moralist must
hold his breath and keep his muscles
tense and SO long as this athletic atti-
tude is possible all goes well-morality
surrices. But the athletic attitude tends
even 10 break down, and IL inevitably
does break down, even I'm the most stall
wart when the organism begins 10 de.
cay. or when masked fear invades the
mind"
In the wreck OF friends and possessions
ana character with the ties OF life sew
cred and life itself stripped of ali that
graces and adorns, he is called upon In
his weakness 10 try again. Is II any
wonder that men driven to the wall and
hearing nothing that consoles them In
their weakness and powerlessness, de-
spair and surrender the battle. and IL
they ever go back again into the tight
go as one whipped and disarmed. They
despair because the remedy does not
touch the seat of the disease, In their
powerlessness they need consolation. once
again they need 10 feel that the universe
ls not after all against them, but for
them.
That there is a power that makes :or
righteousness that is stronger than the
forces that has laid them low. To ~
lieve this is OF the very essence Of relig-
ious faith. II was to put aside such
heights as this that Job rose.
A PLAGUE UPON HIM.
BS lfe messenger OF NrO1 ftlnSelI
had been swept away. plague had
been sent upon him. Life was still left
thought empty and void. yet out OF the
depths comes the cry: Though he slay
me, yet will j trust in Him" / quote
again from Prof. James words, pregnant
with meaning: There is n state OF mind
known TO religious men. but to no others,
In which the will TO assert ourselves and
hold our own has been displaced by a
willingness TO close our mouths and be
az nothing in the floods and waterspouts
Of God. In this state OF mind, what we
most dreaded has become the habitation
or our safety. and the hour OF our moran
death has turned into our spiritual birth
day. The time for tension in our soul is
calm breathing. OF an eternal present.
with no discordant future TO be anxious
about, has arrived. Fear is not held In
allegiance as IL was by morality: IL is pos
luvely expunged and washed away. IL
religion liz to mean anything definite for
us IL seems to me that we ought to take
IL as meaning this added dimension or
emotion, this enthusiastic temper OF es-
pousal In regions where morality, strictly
so called. can at best but bow its head
and acquicsce. 1t ought to mean nothing
short OF this reach of freedom for us.
with the struggle over, the key note of
the universe sounding In our ears, and
everlasting possession spread before our
eyes"
HAVE NOT LEARNED MEANING.
My friends, we have not learned the
meaning or this utter abandon OF faith.
Only occasionally do we. sheltered as we
are by home and friends and all the
guardian influences OF society, Gods In
sstlmable gifts, feel ourselves alone and
helpless. only now and then soul so
rushed by the world as out OF the depths
)f the soul to cry out for Gods mercy
md then to lie back I'm the everlasting
arms underneath.
But let us take reckoning Of one single
lay In our experience and that, too the
brightest and the best day, and ask our
elves how much anxious thought has
into IL, and let us measure the
ever ana the fret and care OF IL and we
hall known there for the first time how
many burdens we bear that ought TO |
10 hung aside, burdens that weaken us
md keep US back from our best achieve !
nents
There has been much in that day TO an
10Y and trouble us Regret of the past |
ear that In the future we shall not real
90 what we have hoped and what others !
Iopc for us. Much of all this in that |
ay. one thing. however, there has not |
een in that day. Christ's God. Jobs |
'od. has not been In IL. There has |
cen no consciousness OF one near us /
nto whose hands we have surrendered |
urselves, whose will IL our will and I'm |
Vhom we have absolute trust that he |
VII make the crooked paths OF the past
traight and step by step before us un-
old the futuer.
IL is out of such a faith as that that
nen get strength for the future That /
aith is more than faith In God. '"rhe fool
ath said In his heart that there is a