The Washington times., 1922-06-10
UPHEAVEL OF
!, SPIRITUAL IS
WAR PLAGUE
Pessimism Big Handicap IL
Worlds Attempt at
Normally Return. +.

WoTlu y HtteWpt dt
NormaIcy Return. H. :
. by DIR. WALTER A. MORGAN.
Pastor Mt. Pleasant Congregational
Church.
And he said unto them. behsid
Satan fallen as lightning from
heaven" Luke x:1s. .I| -
Every world calamity brings with
It q spiritual upheaval. When men
have lived through a great war they
are prone to question the moral
order Of life. Let plague be added
to war and God will be accused OF
being insane or else helpless before
the world he has made. Brave IL
the spirit who can see the morning
when such q night hangs over the
world.
When the war IL over and the
plague has worn itself out one
might expect the spiritual life to
gain q new poise. And 80 II has.
among great multitudes in America
today. But other multitudes are
still In the night of a black despair.
Seeing the awful calamity of mans
world caused by sin. they doubt
the potency Of the spiritual forces.
History, to them. reveals but O
march away from the light and to-
wards the bottomless pie. They be-
wall the times and rejoice as they
appear to grow worse. Their only
hope is the miracle Of the latter day
when God shall destroy our present
world and save the remnant who
have been wise enough to flee from
the wrath to come.
OF all diseases, the rnalady Of
pessimism In the last that should
old Jewish wall to become the ex-
today IL to overlook the gospel Of
the growing kingdom and to forget
the abounding optimism Of Jesus.
He sent His disciples forth to con.
quer the world. under God, not to
submit to 1t. Seventy came back
to report to Him one day. They
returned with Joy. The evil forces
could not stand before the majesty
Of their Masters name and spirit.
They told Him about their con-
quests In His name. His reply was
prophetic. 1t was more; in It He
gave expression to the eternal con-
viction Of His soul that before the
forward march Of the good the evil
must ever fall back defeated. II
beheld Satan fallen as lightning
from heaven"
Who could withstand the quiet
might Of good men? Already seventy
were with Him to win the world.
Even then seventy were laboring
for the coming of His kingdom. No
wonder Jesus exulted and His dis
ciples rejoiced. Christ saw the final
conquest Of evil in the faithful work
Of men of good will. The spiritual
forces were able to meet and TO
master the sins of men. The future
was to see the steady growth Of His
kingdom and Satan was already be-
ing chained and already falling.
Jesus entire gospel 10 one Of
growth. Here II reveals it's divine
nature and becomes an expression
Of the inner urge Of the world. Jesus
was at one. not only with the pur.
pose OF God, but with His method
as well. The faith He demanded OF
men was the faith that worked and
believed. Wherever a few were
world and laboring in confidence
that through them God was building
the Kingdom, there Jesus heart re-
joiced. There Satan was being
chained and there was he already
falling from the skies. The abso.
lutte confidence Of Jesus In the ulti.
mate downfall OF evil through the
conquest Of spiritual forces is the
Christians charter Of optimism.
What q tragedy Is despair. OF our
selves We may have cause to doubt.
OF God, never. This Is His world,
pilgrimage OF man is not a journey
to the everlasting fires. Through
the fires has he marched. and they
still are raging. But they shall be
duenched. The restless heart Of the
race has decreed II to be 90. Christ
saw the end when His disciples re-
turned to report concerning their
mission. The spiritual in time must
win because II alone has the power OF
abiding.
Humanity needs a tonic. The
strain Of the war has lowered It's
resistance. Susceptible TO disease.
despair has seized its life. Like all
plaques, It will wear itself out. 1t
cannot withstand the test Of time.
Neither can il chain for long the soul
of man. But now the disorder claims
it's millions. The cry Of the pessimist
is loud in the land. What better
can we do than to learn again Of
Him who sent His disciples forth to
suffer, but to win? The cure for a
despairing soul is found In new
vitality from Him who came to
bring, not death, but life.