The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-02-22
THE REALM OFF nEsTFuLNEss.


ii VIII walk at liberty; for seek
Thy precepts."-psalm cxix. 49,
In other words: The only way to 90
free from fenr Is to keep Gods law,
tho only way to avoid the brambies is
to walk In the beaten path. The Biblc
Is overlooking with this thought: .srhe
wicked foe when no man pursueth
but the righteous arc bold as a lion
Literature is full OF 1t. That lis the
meaning OF Tito. depicted by Mrs
George Henry Lewes. writing under
tho name of George Eliot. That is the
meaning OF King Lear, depicted by
Lord Bacon. writing under the name
OF William Shakespeare. That is tho
meaning OF Alfred Tennyson,
MY strength Is Az the strength of ten,
Because my heart Is pure"
There is wonderful lesson con-
tained In that ancient saga, which I.
recorded In tho Book OF Genesis: that
Tor each of us Eden must be found In
side the line of Gods limitations, and
that whom wo break through those rn
tional and natural restrictions which
l1e has commanded. and attempt to
force destiny. then. for us Eden lies
In the past: an angel stands at the
gate with flaming sword turning
every WHITTIER, and wo go forth here-
after to journey through the world
now cursed for us. which might have
been fragrant with all forms OF Gow-
ors, and fructif1ed with every manner
OF fruit ~ man has made great prog
ress towards useful and happy llfe
when at last he has become sufficiently
acquainted with the moral laws OF his
being TO be able to say 10 his Maker;
"Henceforth as the rule of my life.
Will walk ut liberty, for / seek Thy
preccpts."
This world has been making history
very rapidly lately: moral history as
well as political Can you fill in the
portrait while l draw the picture in
outline? There have been men stand
Ing In the Garden of Eden, and God has
said to them: "Of all this fruit thou
maycst freely cat. This was Intended
10 be for you a glad world. 1 have
filled II with fragrance and beauty.
have painted It from the palette of
tho sunlight. 1 have adorned II with
tho landscape. and tho evening and the
morning Sky. II may BIO yours 70 re.
)o'ce and to sing every day. But ac-
cording to the way In which YOU nrc
constituted. this mood of mind can
only abide with you while you are In
conscious obedience to Ny law. There
Is tree of which thou shalt NOT eat"
And they have eaten Of II, and the
declaration has been fulfilled. I'm the
day that thou catest thereof. thou
shalt surely die From that time
whatever was innocent and Godlike
In them has been marked with n blight.
and the thing of which they wore most
conscious was their own .mpurity; that
they were naked"
Here is a letter received several
years ago by Il pastor In Chicago. The
writer had occupied a position OF trust
In that city. He might have lived and
died happy, innocent, believed in by
his employers, tried and triumphant
But he began TO appropriate what was
not his. Little by little the thought
grew upon him. Like the people In the
saga he looked and saw that the
tree WAS good for food, and that IL
was pleasant TO the eyes and tree
TO be desired to make men wise, and
hc took OF the fruit thereof and did
eat He forgot that the life OF Eden
was life of lawful restrictions. Then
no fed. He became "A wanderer, and
years after. lonely and heartsick, he
wrote this letter:
with what heartburninp and con-
triton look back upon n ruined, ship
wrecked lifc can only be known TO the
Great Searchcr OF hearts. always
knew what was right, but religion WAS
with me only an intellectual convlc-
ton. not an active life within, infu-
encing and controlling my actions: and
Hence. when temptation came to ac-
cumulate riches. ! yielded and fell, and
have lost my good name; have made
my family miserable ana caused dis
tress upon wide circle. battered
myself that there would be time and
some way 10 avert any calamity. and
thus, between tlattery and lf-decep-
ton. the day OF accounting came. and
I woke 10 find the ship run into and
the water pouring In at all points,
going TO the bottom"
He sought to overieap the proper
which God had placed about
him. He took Satan's road to heaven
and 1t led to hell
My friend. sometimes you are FESTIVE
because in order TO live good life you
must accept restrictions. But rernem-
Der this: You are like man crossing
4 long and danger footbrldge; and
the rails along the sides limit your
liberty; they shut you out from some
things, but they shut many more
things out from you. Perhaps the
night is dark, and you can only grope
your way. The very stars have been
put out. But there Is one path OF
safety. ana only one. You may walk
at liberty while you keep His statutes
AS you love your happiness and life