Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1907-10-18
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CURE FOR ANXIETY.
By Rev. Edward Judson.

That ye may study to be quIet.-I.
Thessalonians II.
Anxiety Involves extreme pain. 1t
comes from the same root as anguish.
The pain, however, Is not physical, but
mental, and for that reason all the
harder to bear.
How prevalent In society is this form
OF mental pain. How lnfrequent is
a tranquil face. Anxiety seems to be
a kind Of hysterla to which Americans
are susceptible. In suicide, at least, we
seem to be In a fair way Of outstripping
the rest of the world Some Hlndus
that Prof. James was showing about
Cambridge remarked upon the strained
faces Of Americans and their distorted
limbs, In contrast to Oriental placidlty
and grace. He said that 1t was the
custom Of Hindus to retire at certain
times, every day to relax their muscles
and mediate on eternal things.
Has Christianity cure for anxiety?
The Christian Is tranquil as regards
provision for the future. He provides
for the future, but without anxiety.
Over and over Christ bids His disciples
Be not anxious This does not mean
that we are not to work hard and lay
up against a rainy day.
The Scriptures teach that righteous
ness is the parent of comfort. "Seek
drst the kingdom Of God, and His
righteousness; and all these things
shall be added unto you" The uni
verse Is on the side of the man who
does right. Exceptions to this are only
apparent. The life of the Individual
Is tco short for the principle to work
Itself out completely, SO that 1t stands
out more clearly in the history of a
family or Of nation.
1t Is not only provision for the future
That Is apt to make us anxious We
worry over our past Now, the Chris
tlan revelation provides drug for
these painful memories. We learn, like
st Paul, to forget the things which are
behind. We cannot change the past,
but we believe that all our sins are for
given. Our very sins then become step
plng-stones. They prevent resumption.
They I'll us with sympathy for the err
Ing. We love God, because He first
loved us.
Our work, too, often makes us anx-
ious. We thirst for recognition or else
we grleve over the meager and lncon-
spicnous results of all our efforts. But
the value of our work Is determined not
by the bulk Of the result achieved, but
by the spirit In which the work is Gone.
1t Ia only as we go deep into the work
Itself, without thought Of the conse-
'quences, that we vitality affect the lives
of others. Besides the chief value Of
our work Is that 1t promotes ample
;and symmetrical self-development God
thinks more of a man than of his work
The work may be wood hay or stubble,
In the end burned up, but the man h,
saved.
We are employed by our Great Mas
ter to work by the day, not by the
piece. Every day should have Its ritual
and 1t Is more important to live by rule
than to accomplish some great RESULT.
This Is the secret of "Toil unsevered
rom tranquility"
The supreme crises Of life are an
even more fruitful source Of forebod-
Ing than our past or provision for the
future. This mind Is infested with the
thoughts Of bereavement and with pov.
erty, sickness and death and old age
Here, again, the Christians eye is
calmed by faith In the love of God
Providence Is only another name for
the love Of God which anticipates these
crises, so that when we arrive at them
we see the traces Of the Fathers hand
that has arranged them for us before
hand, either tightening the burden OIL
strengthening our shoulders to bear II
Some Of these things we may never
have to experience at ALL and why
should we allow ourselves to suffer
them In imagination? We have M
right to occupy the mind with unpleas
ant things. The Imagination has power
to mass untoward events so as to pro
duce the effect of their occurring stimuli
taneously, Real evils come to us one by
one and grace Is promised for eacl
days need.