Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-01-16
THE PROSPEROUS WICKED.
And the Unfortunate Rfgbteous-Con-
illusions Reached by n Sane view
of Things i'm General


I Notwithstanding the philosophy of
Job and despite all the teachings of
history, every fresh illustration OF
worldly success on the part of wicked
men and o. disaster to the rich per-
pJeXes many minds, says the Boston
Congregationalist. A Napoleon of bust
ness corners a market and amasses a
fortune In day. A tragic accident
removes in an instant an Emma Booth
! Tucker Lingering disease fastens
upon an Alice Gordon Gulick, and
thousand on both sides the Atlantic
ask why these royal women are taken
away from interests which so much
need their strong, guiding arms. Look
ing upon world in which God allows
such things to take place day by day
We ask why are they permitted, why
this seeming success of the wicked and
these great apparent reverses to the
forces of the righteous
But it betrays limited view of life
When one is troubled by such painful
contrasts. If accurate statistics could
be gathered, it would be found. we
think, that the righteous prosper reIa-
lively no less than the wicked. Who
nils our jails, warehouses and hospi-
.als? Are there not as MANY we'll
dressed people in a gathering of church
attendants as in the average public as
sembly? Religion fosters thrift. indus
try and economy and kindred traits.
which are the foundation of prosperity.
he who promised His disciples that
"all things should be added unto them"
never intended that they should fall
utterly behind in the race of life and
! be to man victims of misfortune and
disaster.
1t betrays also superficial view of
life to be troubled by these marked
contrasts. We do not know our fell
lowmen well enough to Judge most of
them by their exterior appearance. The
rich have troubles of their own. Who
knows what secret sorrow may be eat
Ing the heart out of some one who has
reached the pinnacle of earthly success
and popularity? On the other hand.
the poor and they that mourn and the
lonely often have peculiar compensa-
lions. As Bryant sings:
For God who pities man ath shown.
blessing for the eyes that weep
But the crowning reason why we
should not fret ourselves because of
evil doers," is that it is contrary to the
precepts and spirit Of Christianity to
ask or expect that God should provide
special exemption for the good and
speedy punishment to the evil. What
world it would be if Christians could
thus command every outward benefit
at the hand of Almighty Godl In ear
Her times houses, lands and herds
were the mark of Gods favor; but Je-
Sus taught that ii was enough for the
disciple that he should be as his Master.
To gauge mans dearness to his
Heavenly Father by what that Father
does for him in material blessings or
spares him from of sorrow, is to lose
the entire perspective Of the Christian
Gospel. The one thing God wants to
do with us is to make us partakers of
His own nature. In this process of
securing likeness to Himself IL has
pleased Him to use discipline. chasten-
ing, oefeat, bereavement, as means
whereby the earthly, the sensual. the
mean and the sordid elements in us
are refined away until the pure gold of
character remains. II in bringing His
many children into glory it pleases
Him to make the captain OF their SAL
walton perfect through suffering, who
are we to crave exemption from the
same Divine method? Not the pros
porous wicked man alienated from
God is to be envied. but the unfortu-
nate righteous man, for his very mis-
fortune may be the token of Gods low
Ing purpose for him.