The Alaska citizen., 1916-06-26
. . . c . Q c c . . . cHRtST's VIEW OF SUFFERING.


 The cup which the Father hath gwen me shall I not drink it"' John 18:11
 The character ot Jesus was Le- tually chiseled out upon the anvil of sorrow All the troubles distributed to other men seemed 10 have been heaped upon His single life Men lion any event that destroy men'@ lives and you will find that troutle carried up to the highest pow er in the life of Jesus. Other men have t+aen deserted in their hour of need by an unerateful public, but Jesus was deserted by his most intimate friends IL is easy to stand up against the shock of great dramatic sorrow, il is hard to endure the pin bricks that drain the blood drop by drop Livingstone crossed the Dark Continent, wading swamps and sealing heights, reaching the other shore in safety, and he tells that it was not the poisoned arrows. the bite of snakes; the midnight at tack of lions that troubled him most: what killed him was the burrowing of insects under the skin the bite of the myrfads of mosQui- toes. the incessant fall of the drops from the trees of the forests. Some tho tho hinp CkE while again the tornado shuts out the view of the sun. but the life of Jesus was compassed by both forms and through them his character was chiseled into beauty and perfection
 The most pre-eminent feature in the life of Jesus was the joy anl victory above the atmosphere of His life Jesus was not man poetic about pains, but a real phil osopher of life's experiences. Other men consider trouble as a penalty but Jesus considered it gift from a loving Heavenly Father. kind of lOve-letter, setting forth God s
 
 ministers of manhood Troubles were the steps upon which he was lifted to the temple of perfection, always alluring Him upward. As a bad man goes toward wicked ness his penalties increase; as good man goes toward virtue his ph ct v{yo ir1y nipIlp in HiS Saviorhood Jesus was unique in His eutferings. Other men flee from trouble and sorrow Jesus hastened to meet the angel of sorrow with outstretched arms. He met the ap palling loneliness of Gethsemane with resignation, Not My will but Thine be done" When the betrayer was to come he bid His disciple fare well with the sweet words, My peace l give unto you Forcasting the piteous tragedy of His execu- tion He lifted His hands into the realms of silence and mystery, say ing: Let not your heart be trou- 
 He did not say, Tt Is the worst possible world" He did not hold as some that suicide is left as back door of exit He welcomed the oncoming storm, for beyond he saw the beautiful rainbow of inf nite promise.
 Nnur it iS tho ranapitV for main that ranks souls in the scale of man. hood. Men going toward suprema cy go towards sensitiveness to suf fering Dead rocks and clods sut- fer not at all The oyster feels no pain; 1t is not high enough. Birds robbed of their nests and deer of their lawns finger around the stop and pass on soon, but man made In the image of God Is a bundle of susceptibilites. Each new faculty unfolded is a new ave nue for sorrow. Peasants have few interests and suffer little anguish, but as man grows toward grest ness and becomes a citizen of the universe, all things that concern his fellows touch his heart, and therefore the greater his capacity for sorrow Who is the Greatest Suf ferer? Look to the hills and be- hold that throne in the midst of the heavens. It is not the massive granite, although it has suffered greatly; it is not the iron and the gold and the silver although it suf- fers in proportion as it is pure; it is the Infinite God who sits on the Throne of His Glory and looks down with pity and sympathy, and suffers with His creatures made in His own Image It was this Hea- venly Father who sent His Son to suffer that men might know the meaning of suffering in the words that He left which was indeed His own life: "The cup that the Father hath given me shall not drink it." It Is this kind of suffering that IS the real balm to the aching heart, that soothes in bearing the pain so filled with mystery.
 God has endowed man with a wor- derful body. In his eye he carries a telescope, in his ear a photograph. in his tongue a telephone and mani