Evening star., 1906-03-11


and the weeds; look at the broken hearts;
look at the crowns OF thorns and the hills
of Calvary look at the pinched faces and
the sad hearts and the broken-down consti-
tutions and all the failures and cripples.
Tell me that this is a world of wisdom, that
a wise person is on the throne, that there
is any integrity in the universe. that there
is a sound basis underlying the world of
things. I tell you II Is all thorns and weeds
and suffering and unwisdom and blackness
and tragedy. I care not If God exists. God,
under such circumstances. isn't wise, God
isn't good"
You find a great many folk who look out
at life like that. And many of them are
serious, too Their unfaith isn't necessarily
no faith In fact. in their unfaith they are
more deeply religious than those whose
faith is only credulity. There Is balm in
Philistia as we'll as in Gilead." There is
balm IN the hearts protest against Its en-
vironment as well as the hearts confidence
in It's environment.
stupidity In fact, that is Just what 1t is.
Urnfaith is the failure TO see Into the heart
Of things. the failure to penetrate beneath
the surface, to go TO the springs of action.
1t looks only on the one side of the uni
verse II isn't patient enough to work down
into the hidden and inner reality OF things
1t isn't scientific. 1t DOESN'T look at all the
facts It won't compose itself and hear the
whole story 1t won't wait for all the re-
turns
When some political crisis comes upon our
nation the wisdom of our wise men is call
ed into action. And they plan and delibe-
rate. They work through the long and try
Ing hours that the threatened calamity may
be averted, that the crisis may pass. But in
the meantime the people-who are IN the
dark and hear only what Is noised abroad
rave at the rulers and rage against the ex-
listing order OF things. The press. echoing
the superficial sentiment of the people, de-
clares that the whole national constitution
is out of joint. But there Is wisdom working
through that national crisis which only the
discerning eye of faith can detect Our
leaders are graphing with the problem and
the national life. which seems falling to
pieces, is sound at heart.
And the individuals who are skeptical of
the supreme wisdom of the universe are as
Ill advised the people who are skeptical
of the wisdom which presides over their
national affairs. Because we see only clouds
and darkness. that shouldn't make us
think that there isn't any sun. Because we
see only suffering and failure, that shouldn't
make us think that there are only suffering
and failure.
Children often think that there isn't any
wisdom In the home and that everything is
out of joint there. They have to be in of
nights when they want to be on the
streets. They have to go to day school
when they want to be Ioafng.
They have to study arithmetic when they
want to read Robinson Crusoe" They
have TO go to Sunday school when they
want to be out In the woods. They have
~ "a" So many Things tHdt are so unpleaS-
ant and endure so many things that are SO
annoying. And they often wish that they
were grown men and women SO that they
could get away from the home restraint
But when they are men and women and get
out of the home they look back and praise
the wisdom of their parents which planned
for them and did for them, and which, In
the chiId's estimation. was foolish thing.
And in this matter of faith the majority of
us only children. God is good The
universe Is sound at heart But so many
OF are not matured enough to see It.
We weep over our sorrows. We rage over
sufferings. But when We get away out of
this world. this mansion OF Gods home
where we have been born. and go into some
other mansion of Gods house we will look
planned for US. God is good. The universe
is sound at heart. That's the language of
faith OF course God is good Why
shouldn't He be good? Isn't II easier for
sensible to think that He should be wise
person than an infinite maniac7
What would be the motive in placing us
In a world which was unsound ar heart?
Wouldn't IT be easier and pleasante for
Him TO place US in world that was sound
at heart? That's the way faith reasons.
And. standing amidst all the clouds and
darkness. amidst all the thorns and weeds.
amidst all the heart pangs and tragedies,
faith refuses to believe anything else than
that God is good and that love Is creations
final law. And the man who has faith is
the man who trusts. Is the man who be-
lieves that the world is Gods world and
therefore, rational and good world There
have been such triumphs of faith and there
can be again.