The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-03-19

The closing speeches OK Jesus in
Johns Gospel are 81 great storehouse
of comfort and strength for the
church. Nowhere IN 80 brief a com
pass can the believer find so much to
lift him above the cares and limita-
tions OF earth This result Is not
gained. however, by ignorings but by
rising above the hostile facts Of life,
The world is taken for what ii is
neither better nor worse, fairer nor
uglier. kinder nor more cruel, and
the disciple is taught how to be in
it. though not of IT.
The existence of these hostile facts
is what Christ aiiirms in the first
part OF our text when he says: In
the world you have tribuiation." This
statement is in thorough keeping with
the uniform frankness of Jesus as 20
the meaning of His gospel He viii
not hide the facts from His disciples
He viii not paint in rose color when
the scheme of things is drah. HE
will not trick his friends into follow
ing Him by misrepresentlng life, nor
lay the foundation of future defec-
tion by coucealing me likelihood of
persecution for the gopei's sake. On
the contrary. He insists, almost harsh
~ We are apt to think at times, on
the hardshfps of the good confession.
f+v-1+t+i -{ft.S,--+4+ .-tttf+-tfse
oost---every penny OF IT, beware of
men" He tells them, for they viii
deliver you up To the councils"
Nor is this altogether peculiar to
the Christian profession. From no
point Of view is4the world "a bed of
roses: he who finds It SO has never
really lived. 1t may not indeed, be
-vHtr of tcars. ms the otd FuTtr
tans were wont IL call ii, but there
are enough cruel facts in Ii to give
even the least serious pause. None
OF the great maralists or philosophers
who have really looked the facts in
the face have found il easy To be
optimists--easy to laugh and sing
Theirs has ever been u forced ana
desperate peace" They have had TO
light their way Ia the mountain tops
The pessimists on the other hand
can always md material enough to
make out IA superficial case against
the universe. When we read SohG-
penhaur or Neitsche. or poor Crazed
Dean Swift. we are hurt, indeed as
though they had struck a fricau ia
the face. but have, nevertheless, To
admit that their jibes and bitterness
are really truer to the heart Of Things
than the heap optimism that dances
and sings on the hp III the volcano.
attitude toward lite is not that of
optimism, which Is So often the sign
of shallowness Of soul. but rather 10y
altp--4 sort ef Vasmtc patriotism
which loves even this sorry scheme
Of things iHst as the good citizen
loves his country. none the less he
cause of its shortcomings.
But To- revert To the specifically
[ hristian point Of view. we must
understand that Chrst's warnings
were not meant for Ills own age
alone. IT He speaks az fluctuations.
He is speaking not tp His disciples
on y, but to- His church for all time
Trihulatinn, is no monopoly OF the
first century IT it were so, IL must
have been harder Ia have been II
Christian then than now--a PROPOSE
tion which rofllies itself, Dnr mod
crn martyrdoms are not done with
the rack and Thunderstorm. as Rob-
ertson Of Brighton used to say, they
arc DONE in print. in tiat--sfs-t4s'e
of our fellows. in the misunderstood