The Penn's Grove record., 1914-01-23
TOO UQHDARKNEss
Faith, Hope and Love Should
FIJI the Christians Heart With
the True Light.

IN the fourth chapter of st. PauIs sec,
! ond epistIe to the Corinthians, begin.
ming at thu sixth verse, he says: God
who commanded the light to shine Out
OF darkneas, hath shined in our hearts
to give the light Of the knowledge OF
the glory in the face Of Jesus Christ
But we have this treasure in earth.
an vessels, that the excellency Of the
power may be OF God. and not OF M.
We are troubled on every siderthe
apostle in speaking out OF the depths
Of q heartfelt experience-yet not dis.
tresssed: we are perplexed, but not in
despair; prosecuted. but not forsaken:
cast down. but not destroyed: always
bearing about In the body the dying
OF the Lord Jesus. hat the life also
OF Jesus might be manifest In our
body"-that is. the life OF him who
Is the life and the light Of men.
You know that light is used as the
symbol of all excellence, of all good.
ness, Of all truth. OF all purity. Of all
power. In opposition 70 darkness,
which is the emblem Of their oppo-
sites.
We have been living too much in
the darkness Of fear. Take a man
who is full Of fear, bring him before
your mental gaze; see how he is crop.
ing and trembling in that darkness:
hands ~outstretcned, knees shaking,
heart beating wildly, nerves in a rack
ing tension. No mar can be himself
In such a state.
Afraid OF God.
We have been afraid Of God. afraid
Of man, afraid OF ourselves. We have
been afraid of life, afraid OF death.
We have been afraid Of things we see
and Of things we do not see; afraid
Of things that are and of things that
are not In that darkness we are
jostling our dearest friends and mis-.
taking them for enemies.
There is the darkness Of anger. See
the angry man. Reason Is blinded,
judgment is hooded, thought is dis.
tracted. language is disjointed, right
is choked to blackness OF vision and
truth itself is bludgeoned into insen.
sibility.
There is the darkness Of doubt. All
too often we have been wandering in
that darkness which, like Egyptian
darkness, could be felt; God cannot be
seen; goodness is hidden from view:
the stars have ceased to shine: the
sun to In IN eclipse; there is no honor
in man; there is no virtue In oma
there Is nothing but hypocrisy in the
church; nothing but rottenness In co
ciety.
There is the darkness Of worry.
The man perturbed cannot find the
way to gain the thing desired. He
says. T can't do II, can't see the way
He wants to accomplish a purpose. but
Is like the blind man cropping. because
In that state of worry the faculties
are all out of joint
Sees Men as Trees.
He sees men as trees walking: his
vision Is Opaque. II any of US have
been in darkness, let us rejoice in the
light which streams today from the
face of Jesus Christ, who came to dis.
pei all u darkness regarding the ma
ture of God, the love Of God, the rela-
ton OF man to God and the relation OF
mar to his fellow men.
God is Jul Father. God is love. We
are all his children. Life is Gods gift.
He will help us meet all its duties,
bear all its burdens, endure all its
SORROWS.
He has brought life and immortality
to light and has abolished death. wiped
It out, annihilated ii.
BE We angry and sin not, embodies
his teaching. Doubt not the ultimate
reign of goodness, truth and love
among men, is the very command Civ
en- in his coming into the world, for
the tabernacle of God Is among
men
Be not solicitous; do not worry
he says So I plead. wait Gods good
time to bring you out Of your diflcul.
ties and trials. He win bring you into
"a wealthy place" Be patient.
Let the light Of his divine human
FAC stream upon you. Be transformed
into his image. Let faith, hope and
love rule your hearts. Then your life
will be filed with light and you shall
rejoice with the joy that is unspeak-
able and full Of gIory."-Rt. Rev. sam.
uel Fallows.