El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-12-05

n RIMITIVE man was bully. He
exercised his strength according
10 his pleasure. Power, brute
power, was the deciding factor in every
province of life. Whatever he desired
he snatched from the owner and should
the original owner be weak, then the
coveted possession was lost. II he de-
sired certain rights these rights were
seized and none dare say him nay, un-
less these could conquer in wager
OF DaItle. If he desired a certain
maiden he seized her and carried her
to his domain, only superior brute
force could save her from his passions.
And, because primitive man was bully
his gods were magnified DULLES. Men
made gods in their image and trans
ferred 10 an unknown shore magntfied
examples Of their own waywardness.
Dieties Gould Be Bought.
The men and women Of this world
were the playthings of such super
natural DULLES and these found no
greater pleasure than in Wanting their
power Such deities might be flattered,
or bought, and the kindness of their
countenance would be turned to men,
such deities might be appeased; their
anger turned to favor and their OPP
preston to helpfulness. Sacrifices and
ceremonies can reach their habitations
and bring favor for those who shower
ed such devotion.
The advance. of man brought an ad-
vance in his conception of deity. When
men ceased to be DULLES. to rule or
ruin by brute force and developed into
ethical beings, recognizing the rights
Of others and their own limitations,
then God became an ethical God, who
no longer forced his will upon man
kind, but dealt with men according to
their deserts.
If men are treated according to their
deserts then there is no problem! Yet
men learn from experience; they de-
velop through faults recognized and
corrected. Any solution of the ethical
problem must depend upon facts which
face US daily.
One seemingly unanswerable question
presents itself, one that has taxed the
ingenuity Of the thinkers of all ages
past and present, and one which sends
its challenge to US today:
IF God is an ethical God and judges
men according to their deserts why are
the wicked prosperous and why do the
righteous suffer-"
Job Faces Facts.
The drama of Job boldly faces this
question. 1t is the classic example of
all literatures, in answering this query.
But if you read the book, hoping to
find therein a solution, you will be
disappointed Job does not solve the
will ever be solved for all. But Job
does pass from the darkness of suf-
fering to the light Of faith; with a
vision of his God he feels satisfied and
I has found his peace.
1T is one thing" says a modern
commentator, Ito say that righteous
ness tends to fortune and quite an
other thing to say that the two are
inevitably and invariably Joined" This
states in n succinct form the problem
confronting all people and all religions
Religions too often say, and religions
too often teach, the thought he right
eous and you will be happy" when they
should emphasize the more simple and
truthful statement that righteousness
, tends to happiness though it may not
invariably bring happiness
shall not give in detail the story
of the book of Job. No effort of mine
can do it Justice. I refer you to this
book and would urge you to read it
It is one OF the masterpieces Of the
worlds literature. Job, a prOsperOu:
and righteous man. living in the lanC
! Of w. is Overtaken by misfortune anC
after losing all, is stricken with dis
! ease. Three friends, Eliphaz, Bilda6
and Zophar, come to comfort him. They
| represent the tradition of the ages