The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1911-09-07
THE SERENITY OF FAITH.
From the New York Herald. I

From the New York Herald
Injunctions to maintain, even under try
ing circumstances, serene and placid
spirit are scattered throughot the Scrip
lures. These injuctions are reiterated with
such marked emphasis that it would seem
as though quietness and placidity were of
prime Importance in our daily life.
Without doubt quietness of soul has a
great deal to do with happiness; it has
also great deal to do with achievement.
A restless man is neither happy man nor
strong man. If one wishes to do what is
very difficult to do he must needs have full
possession of himself and if one wishes to
bear what is very difficult to bear he must
first of all seek that quietness of soul which
puts him at his best. Restlessness is only
another name for misery, and misery and
weakness go hand in hand.
But quietness depends on faith, and can
not exist without faith. If you are on board
ship with captain who has weathered a
hundred tempests, the lowering skies and
the threatening winds produce no terror.
If the captain tells you to keep quiet, and
you have confidence in him, you can even
find in danger a kind of stimulus, and the
roaring of the gale and the rush of mighty
waters do not disturb your equanimity in
the least. Your quetness or your disquie-
tude depends entirely on your trust in the
captain. If you feel that in any way he is
incompetent, you become restless, wretched
and despairing. Your attitude toward the
captain, therefore, settles matters of great
Importance. Of yourself you can do moth
ing, for the government of the vessel is a
mystery. What the emergency requires,
what will avoid danger and what insure
safety you are wholly ignorant of. You
look to the man on the quarter deck, and
if he is a skilled sailor who laughs at the
storm your heart is quiet and your soul is
at peace.
So in your daily life, your state of mind
do, but on your confidence in the power and
love of God. 1t is impossible to be quiet
if you doubt the Lords ability to see you
safely to the end of the journey.
The habit of serene quiescence must be
formed before we can make any real prog
ress. 1t is habit worth many hard
struggle to attain. It makes life more
profitable to yourself and to every one else.
The person who looks at things calmly is
apt to look at them charitably, and SC
quietness and charity, two of the noblest
elements of character, go hand in hand
On the contrary, if you render judgment
on mere impulse you may possibly do a
great injury, and SO restlessness and
harshness stand side by side.
Ii your lot is a hard one, and there are
many such in the world, no better advice
can be given than that of the apostle, "In
your patience possess We your souls" The
man who can keep quiet in the midst oil
difficulties has the broadcast shoulders and
the strongest arm. The restless seldom
hit a telling blow, the merely impulsive
beat the air, while the quiet man fits him
self to the burden, and after awhile may
find it a blessing. We cannot meet Gods
providences with a fair prospect of making
the best of them, and we cannot endure
Gods discipline with any hope of putting
it to its highest purpose, unless the soul is
first trustful and then quiet. There is moi
only a dignity, but also an energy, q
stamina, vigor in the serene mind which
commands our respect and excites oul
envy.
This habit of quiescence mustbe acquired
before we can have any right to be satisfied
with our spiritual condition. The duty il
imperative if we are to become our mobiles
selves, and we know of nothiag better as 9
stepping stone than solitude and introspec.
ton. We are in the world too much anc
away from it too little. The world makes
US restless. God makes US quiet. Seren.
ity of mind, born of perfect faith, enables
us to feel the pressure of the Almighty arm
that is beneath US and to see the faces Of
the angels who have charge over thee, te
keep thee in all thy ways"
Be still, for God liveth; be still, for nc
harm can come to him who trusteth in the
Lord; be still, and though the day be dark
at eventide there shall be light.