The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-11-11

When Hard Times Come.
Recently the American Astronomy
association gave out the official opin-
ion that the universe is a million light
miles in extent. Now light travels one
hundred and eightysix thousand
miles a second-Or seven times around
the earth in one tick of the clock
yet it will take a million years to go
from end to end of the universe, say
these savant. And the great God who
operates on such vast scale is never
theless interested in individual man!
The personal concern of the Almighty
for human beings inethe light of His
interests in an infinite creation, re
veals somewhat of the greatness of
the nature of the Supreme Being
Whom we call our Heavenly Father
1t is easier to understand God as
He deals with a single spirit than
to know Him in nature, the poets to
the contrary Notwithstanding. God
in partnership with the man Paul is
more comprehensive than God in the
procession of the seasons. A man sig
nifies more to God than mountain.
The heavens declare the character of
Jehovah less clearly than does the
heart of man.
Whose Other Name Is Father"
We do not know what the Lord is
doing in the far-distant planets and
celestial systems, but when He draws
near to a lonely, burdened disciple,
as He did to the Apostle Paul in prison
and says BE of good cheer!" then
we understand that God is simply
constant to His own character as our
Father. Science may try to remove
the Creator to an infinite distance, as
an indefinite. Cosmic Force; religion
and experience bring Him near as a
soliciteus parent. of whom His own
testified, Like as a father pitieth his
children, so the Lord pitieth them
that fear Him. and, Casting all
your care upon Him, for He careth
for you"
This is the truth that our study of
Paul, the prisoner, brings us: God is
a near. personal and faithful Friend
in the dark days Nothing happens
to the children that does not also af-
feet the Father. How wonderfully
the word of Christ is being fulfilled
in these times of trouble to disciples
who seem as sorely storm stressed as
Paul, 10, I am with you all the
days" We shall have to possess far
more wisdom than even the astron-
omers who weigh the stars and at
tempt to measure the universe before
we can understand how great Is the
stake that God has in every mortal
child of His.
When the Hard Times Come.
Anybody who can think beyond the
uSplA O1 d newspaper COI41AC ShI1p
knows that one of the riddles of life
is why hard times come to good peo<
pie. The Hebrew literature of the
Old Testament abounds in musings
upon the adversely of the righteous,
and the prosperity of the wicked. The
Book of Job has this for its theme.
This morningsI received a letter from
an English friend, lately out of a Boil
shevik prison, with whom, during the
war, I trav -rsed the perilous roads of
Persia, zKurdistan and Armenia. We
saw together the horrors of the Ar
menians. After a survey of present
in the Caucasus, my friend
writes, zone cries out from the depth
Of sOne's soul Where is justice to be
found p"
Our present Lesson is a study of
Paul as a prisoner on trial before d
cuted by lying, INSCRIPTIONS, enven-
omed ecclesiastics. A short view of
the situation would lead us to exclaim,
why should Paul. the noblest and
most useful man of his day, after
thirty years of saerific.al service, have
roic veteran of sixty years not to have
relief from mobs and prosecutions and
arrests and prisons? What is God do
ing to let His chief lieutenant on'earth
suffer such wrongs?"
It is not for us to attempt, like
Gods ways with man. We only know
that Paul priced the fellowship of
Ch1Tst'S sufferings. which he expert
enced; and that he learned, IF we
suffer with Him, we shall also reign
with Him." These trials made the old
warrior more of saint; and God
seems more concerned with earth's
output Of sainthood than of any other
product. Too, Paul. lifted up for
punishment and execration, only raised
higher the cross and the Christ; his
hardships every one gave him a bet
ter opportunity to proclaim his Cos
pei. And then. we know that PauPs
destination was Rome, the worlds
capital; and, if necessary, God could
set into operation all the intricate i'm
perial machinery in order to get him
there. Whether he went as prisoner
or traveller, he was bound to get to
Rome.
Every one who surveys the apostles
life now knows that AN things which
befell him turned out to the further
ance of the Gospel Likewise. some
of US will be able ourselves to see, as
we look back upon our present diff
ficuh experiences, that they were
Gods way of doing with US and for
us better Things than we knew how to
do for ourselves.
The CRATER on the Bench.
Carried secretly and by night. under
a, heavy armed escort down to
Caesarea, Paul, the prisoner, having
been saved from the lynch law at the
hands of the Jews by the strong arm
of Rome, was hailed before Governor
Felix to face the shrewd charges of
the temple eeclesiastics, who had fol-
lowed hot foot. We may be sure that
High Priest Ananias, with PauFs
burning brand of "whited sepulchre"
upon his memory, would never rest |
until he had done his worst to the |
Christian missionary.
Insolent and contemptuous Roman |
officialdom, operating with cold jus |
tice, had delivered this man. into the |
power of Felix. This man." a mere |
victim of the law, a prisoner less re- |
garded than the least of the legion !
aires, was historys biggest human. !
The governor before whom he was ar !
was a profiigate, rotten in |
character. shameless in crook edness, a !
hardened CRATER. How often the years !
have seen the great and the good in |
the prisoners dock, while petty pride |