The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1905-12-09
The SOULS Possesslons.

OF course, st. Paul had something
very definite in his mind when he
made so strong an assertion as this,
but what it was the world does not
yet fully know. There is apparently a
kind of mysticism in the text, and
though two thousand years have near
ly passed, we have only just begun to
appreciate it's significance If we shall
ever be able to accept the statement
as literally true, and to assimilate
that truth in our spiritual life as the
Dcdy assimilates food and is made
strong and healthy thereby, we shall
have a religion so practical and so
priceless that we shall depend upon it
as we depend on the oxygen in the
air to give vitality to the blood.
In his second letter to the Corin-
thians he explains, but in way that
is somewhat vague. When this won
derful ownership Of all things has
been accomplished, he says, we may
still be troubled on every side" bot
we shall not be distressed; we shall
be "perplexed, but not in despair;
we may be "cast down. but we shall
not be destroyed.
Such prophecy stimulates our
curiosity, if not our ambition If It is
possible to develop a state of mind
which can look down calmly ami
hopefully on the evils which invade
our lives, and cheerfully regard them
as part of our discipline so neces-
sary to our welfare that we trust their
dispensation to One whose wisdom
and love we cannot doubt, then two
results must naturally follow-frst,
VIC shall see that cur heretofore CON
ception Of religion has been exceed
ingly defective and erroneous, and
second, that the religion Of the fu-
ture will be more beautiful than any
thing the world has ever dreamed or
What is this marvellous ownership
OF which the apostle speaks? 1t is
evidently ownership by the soul, not
by legal contract Let us think a mo-
ment When a man says he owns a
fine tract in the country, dotted with
hills and lakes, overarched by clouds
in the daytime and by the studded
armament at night, what does he
mean? Is it possible for him to own
the grandeur Of the prospect or have
certain other rights which no law can
ignore? Do his legal documents de-
bar you from the delights which the
extended landscape affords, or do you
share with him the undulating beauty
of the land the shimmering glory OF
the sky? Can he keep these things
for himself alone? Is it not true that
the best part Of his possessions is just
as much yours as his, and very much
more yours unless his ability to ap-
preciate is equal to your own? The
real owner of these things is God, and
there never YET was a landscape on
which the whole world did not have a
lien No man living can say that it is
all his, for the human law is power
less TO deprive you Of the right to
look and to have your soul warmed to
worship by what you see. 1t is your
privilege as well as his to say, "This
is all mine, and his registered deed
counts for very little The truly noble
souls literally own the whole earth
its beauty, its glory and the aspira-
tions which it fosters. All other own
ership IS petty in comparison and fos-
ters the greed Of gain, which is a dis
ease.
We shall never know what trre reli-
gion is until we understand that "all
things may be ours. and we shall
never really become religious until
we have entered upon the possession
of earth and sky, and God and Christ.
and SThatever may be included in the
"all things" of st. Paul.
Think Of living from day to day un-
disturbed by the worlds envyings and
standing on so high a
level Of thought and purpose that
heaven itself opens its doors every
now and again, that we may catch
glimpse Of what awaits us. That is
what God would have us do, that is
what the Christ actually did and that
is what the ideal man can do and will
do. Our present conception of spirit
ual possibilities Is crude, but the time
is not far distant when men will see
so much Of the other world that this
world will be transfgured and glori-
fed.-Rev. George II. Hepworth.