The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1911-02-09
Is Life Worth
Living
By REV. r. M. HUBBELL
Pastor Of Congressional Church
M.yville. N. d.


fell upon him. The Sabeans carried
off his oxen; the lightning fell upon
his sheep; the Chaldeans took away
his camels; storm buried his sons
under fallen building; he himself
was smitten from head to foot with
loathsome sores. And Job began to
wish that he was dead-perhaps he
even thought Of committing suicide.
But calamity stricken Job is only
one Of a vast multitude who, crushed
10 earth by the relentless weight OF
adversely, have eked out miser4 BILE
existence, while perhaps the mind has
been crowded with thoughts of self
destruction. We are moved therefore
TO ask, with Job of old and with the
poor wretch, the tragical ending of
whose life Is noted in last nights pa.
per,
Now ones answer to this question
depends, not so much upon the expe.
riences, painful and pleasurable,
through which he passes. as upon the
significance which he attaches to those
experiences. This is conclusiyely
shown from the fact that from no
quarter are the answers uniform.
Out of similar conditions one be.
walls existence while another rejoices
in It. From the fires of persecution
there comes back to our question, now
positive negative, now as possible
an affirmative, and again mere ques-
tion point. Such different estimates
OF life grow out of a mans funda.
mental belefs-they seem often to de.
4 pend absolutely upon his experiences
the experiences often affect the be-
lieis; but a mans philosophy of life
is the determining factor.
One man declares there is no God;
another believes In the Christ reye-
& lation of God-and they reach differ.
ent conclusions as to whether he Is
4 worth living.
Take the first man who denies the
y existence Of personal God. Then, for
Y him. there's no conscious, intelligent
a yolitional cause for his existence His
z own mental and heart powers are sim.
. ply unique products OF such materials
aud forces as food, water, light, air,
s heat and electricity. He is but crea.
ture Of circumstances, developed from
a material thing-call 1t a protoplas.
4 mic germ-into sentient being that
burgers and thirsts, suffers physical
pain, writhes in mental agony.
Moral responsibility is excluded:
there's no moral source for it-no
higher moral to be held responsible to.
3ILen there's no obligation resting up.
on the strong to regard the weak; the
midnight ruliian Is as innocent as the
babe he murders, groveling millions
must suffer to no purpose, for no di.
rectlng God means no directing pur.
pose. To endure for a time Is OF no
ayail, for immortality has no mean.
The soul is but figment of the inag.
1naton; imagination is but bubble
oozlng out OF brain tissue; human
love merely the effervescence which
passes off from chemical reaction
'W The bald pessminism of Won Hart.
nan and Schopenhauer is a widely &C
tepted doctrine OF life today Won
bartman finds no purpose in history;
4 progress simply increases mans con.
1ciousness OF the vanity of life. Schop.
enhauer says: ITO live is to desire,
70 desire Is to want, to want is TO suf-
Per, hence, to live is to suffer.
But the average man cannot escape
" conviction that God lives and
'Slelshs. What answer, then, does the
pan make who knows only the sIern,
relentless God discoverable from ma.
pre! This man admits controlling
purpose. The apparent invarlabloaess
natural law seems shut out the pos
nbllity OF special Providence. Though
AZ whole nature cries out to God in
prayer, he has no assurance of being
neard And he feels the burden OF
sln with no hope of mercy. Conscience
cries out his guilt; swift penalties fall.
lng when physical law is violated sug.
sesl dire consequences for the viola
uon Of moral law.
10 square himself with an angry
9od he mutilates his body, consigns
nls children to the flames, expects TO
oecome an lxyon bound to a revolving
"heel a Tantalus with an Unsuitable
iIsI TO drown the voice of con.
sclence he plunges into dissipation or
nioWs himself into the turmoil of
<hue' and yet conscience speaks.
'rles to fulfill its behests, but the
ah' tempted In all points like as he.
et without compass or rudder, he
uBgles In turbulent waters to enter
? harbor of safety.
'Ahd that harbor may be the very
~leA OF a Whirlpool for he knows
no' his own destiny. To this man who
lows not Jesus Christ, 1t is a real
sNon whether life be worth living.
never doubted the existence OF
w out he knew him not as a faith.
ana IN the hour of calamity he
Ised the day Of his birth.
the Christian man. however,
~ can be only an affirmative an
1"er TO our question. God is Christ
e'ealed to him; and he is borne ire
loly onward through all circum.
nces murmuring: AN things work
4. 'ner Tor good Not sparrow fall.
Whom the Lord loveth he chas.
u' Adyersity yieldeth the peace
w fruits of righteousness, Surely
na'h borne our griefs and carried
oaF sorrows.
Germ of Republic.