The Mena weekly star. (Mena, Ark.) 1904-1977, 1911-06-08
FAITH in GOD AND
FIDELITY TO JESUS

tVhEt Aht ffRtR - hRfft
yet learned He obedience by the
things which He suffered; and
being made perfect, He became
the author of Eternal Salvation
unto all them that obey Him. -
Heb. VS. and 9.
Jesus was educated in the school
of practical, every day life, and
reached the perfection OF His man
hood by the things that He ex-
perienced. This is the only sue
cessful way to educate or develop
any one.
The process Of spiritual education
and development is exactly anal0-
gous TO the physical and mental.
Beth are by Faith and both must be
labored for. The one is no more
arbitrary or unreasonable than the
other.
II is sometimes urged against
Christianity that il is arbitrary and
unreasonable; that the Deity has no
right to bring us into the world
without our knowledge or consent
and arbitrarily subject us TO a sys-
tenn of conditions or mode Of spirit
ual subsistence, and then dam us if
we do not see proper to adopt His
mode of subsistence. In other
words they boldly assert that they
repudiate the believe or be damn
ed religion"
This indeed would be a wise and
we'll founded objection If the faith
demanded were not as reasonable
and natural as any faith of which
we are capable. There is no such
thing as an arbitrarily imposed
faith in God, nature or anything
else. That the conditions and
mode of spiritual life are arbitrary
we grant, and so are the condition
OF all things arbitrary.
Why should we make our greatest
benefaction and our greatest bene-
factor an exception to general
rule?
mo man has any quarrel with
his natural father for arbitrarily
bringing him into this world with
out his knowledge or consent, where
he is arbitrarily compelled to earn
his bread by the sweat of his face,
or that he was born an Englishman,
Frenchman, German, American, or
even black man. Evene the pauper,
yea, even the greatly afflicted pau
per, struggles to live. The con-
lemned criminal even begs and will
give his last farthing to have his
ieath sentence committed to life
Imprisonment at hard labor on
bread and water. He would rather
be than not be. and to be as he is
and what he is than otherwise and
other what.
We don't care to transfer our
respect, confidence and devotion
from our natural Father (if ne be
our natural Father TO some other
more fortunate one, or to some
~ accept all Of these things with
out protest or murmur, notwith-
standing all the arbitrary limita-
lions and restrictions incident there
to. We would rather be than not
TO be.
When we come into the world we
come under the protection and care
OF our devoted parents, who nour-
ish and care for us until we are
abundantly able TO care for our
selves. How early and how natural
ly we learn to believe in and love
our earthly parents.
SO it is spiritually. We find our
selves here through the grace and
mercy of Jesus Christ, endowed
with all the infinite possibilities of
sonship in the family of God and
citizenship in the kingdom of heav-
EN-. Until we reach the years of ac-
countability we are nurtured and
cared for by Him without any
thought upon our part. When we
reach the years of accountability
we find that the condition of spir-
itual subsistence is common 10 all
faith and and fidelity of Jesus Christ
and that this is no more unnatural
or arbitrary than the law "by the
sweat of thy face thou shalt eat
bread. But indeed it does require a
mental and a physical effort to OBJ
tain and TO attain just as it does in
the physical life.
Upon investigation, however, you
will find, as arbitrary as it is, that it
is only one-seventh as arbitrary and
difficult as the physical law or mode
of subsistence. 1t requires six days
out of the week TO provide for your
body and but one to provide for
your soul. And any one who will
strive as diligently one day out of
seven TO understand the plan of SAL
walton as he does to support his
body, he will find to his eternal de-
light that it is the easier OF the two.
OF course you are to reach per-
lection in your religious life Just as
you do in other things, as as Jesus
did, i. g., by the things that you
suffer" or experience. The appren-
tice in any profession sometimes
feels that he is laboring in vain and
will never obtain the prize, but toll
on and after awhile men covet your
skill and ability and your services
and judgment in your line are at a
premium.
| have never known man who
has diligently and conscientiousIy
submitted To Jesus Christ for even