August 1929
371
T h e
K i n g ' s
B u s i n e s s
Unfading Hope B y G. B. M. C louser (Philadelphia, Pa.),
But while hope with piercing eye sees far into the dis tance, at best she sees through a glass darkly, for now we can know but in part. The future will bring to us the per fect vision and .dulLrealiz&tipn.fetheh: shall we know even as we are known., ■T he I nfluence of H ope There are ‘many elements of life intended to spur man on to noblest character and conduct, but there is no heav enly messenger sent to ' saye and>bless mankind like the genial spirit of hope. It-is-the /f/p 'ofthe Heart. He who ceases to hope ceases to live- further progress is impos sible. A. T. Pierson is; not overstating1 the case when he says : “Leave to the soul reduced to a bèast’s level but the friendship of hope, and from the lowest depths of degra dation he will mount up higher and higher until he stands at last with cherubim in wisdom and with seraphim in love.” Hope is the joy o f the heart, the foundation of glad ness which gives energy to thought and action. Joy is strength and the kind of strength needed to endure and conquer. The “rejoicing o f becomes the strength of the soul, aiding forward weary feet that call for rest; the power to cleave to the sword when faint and weary in the conflict. It is also an anchor to the soul, entering into that within the veil, and linking the life with highest vir tues and values. It is this that gives direction to life, bringing one’s little bark to a desired haven. It is sure, for a soul thus anchored will never yield to the tempest, or sink in fathomless depths; it is steadfast, for it lays hold of the spiritual and eternal and thus gjves, purpose and aim to life. If hope’s vision is objective, it is also subjective. The prospect is rather a revelation to the soul of its capacity and powers than that of the distant and remote. In the last analysis, hope is the soul’s eye turned in upon itself and showing its own possibilities. Hope’s vision is that of an evolved nature whose powers are as yet unknown, even as the mighty oak embodies the possibilités of the acorn; or as the full-blown rose reveals the powers of the tiny seed. Her revealment is that of perfect manhood with normal strength, wisdom and full-orbed soul, all of which existed in the babe. It deals with the ideal and perfect, and keeps before the soul its true inheritance—its possible growth and greatness. Through anticipation, the pleasure and profit that fu ture good will bring are made a present possession. The large sense in which it is experienced here and now lends strength to courage and patience. To the weary traveler ready to faint by the wayside, hope points to the shade in the distance and helps forward his feeble footsteps; pr sights the end of the journey and remains by his side until the desired haven is reached. To the invalid, hope ad ministers with matchless skill her potion of nepenthe to banish pain and sorrow, and rosemary for the remem brance of joy. And when these fail she speaks eloquently of the pearls in paradise produced from earth’s wounds and pains, and of the forms of fadeless beauty fashioned alone in this vale of tears. To the afflicted one she speaks of return of health and strength, when lingering shadows shall give place to glad sunshine, and of this she gently whispers until fully realized. The toiling mother is sus-
TiihllM ANY are the influences divinely given to les- M M ) sen the burdens of earth’s toiling pilgrims a and aid them in preparation for a higher state of existence; but there is none so mighty and mm ) -1 nfjtBa» so merciful, so fruitful and so fadeless, as the element of hope in human life. “Hope springs eternal in the human breast; man never is, but always to be blest.” When the foundations of earth were laid, love was there to give meaning and beauty to the wondrous plan ; faith, too, -was there to pierce the shadows of time and see through distant ages a glorious future for creation. But when sin had snapped the sacred cord that united the creature and Creator in that fair paradise, faith’s sister, hope, was born. In the announcement of full redemption through the “Seed o f the woman” hope’s joyous youth began, but not to fade. Hope spanned the course, of time from a lost Eden to Calvary, and illumined the dark night of sin with the bright star of prophetic portent; and over the quicksands of doubt and fear she built a highway for the redeemed', who march on their shining way through the centuries. The first announcement of the incarnate Son brought with it that gentle spirit,—one of the three sent to give victory in life’s battle, solace in the hour of sorrow, and finally to lead mankind back to a lost paradise. Faith, Hope and Love represent to us the divine trinity seeking the redemp tion of the race, and working in man toward an ideal life. This trinity found expression in the three, apostles of our Lord. Paul excels as the teacher of faith; Peter is the preacher of hope; while John is master in the realm of love. If faith is “the first thing in the world,” and love “the greatest thing in the world,” hope is “the last thing in the world.” T he N ature of H ope A careful analysis of this potent factor will reveal the large place it holds in human experience. It has in it the element of expectation united to that of desire. Faith sees in the far distance the promised land of earthly achieve ment; hope anticipates it and makes it a present pos session, for “we live not in what we have, but in what we remember and in what we hope.” Faith sees from exalted pinion the palace of the King and the home of the soul; hope brings the sweetness of that home into all the expe riences of the pilgrim. Anticipation is said to be more than possession, but this is only true in a world of shadows where men only dream of the ideal. It is not true in the realm of the real. To anticipate that which is true and eternal is a solid and ever-enriching pleasure. It unites the present with the future and gives it undying interest. It gives a divine meaning to the common task, and assuages the grief of mortals. Through her aid we get visions of a future big with realization and achievement. Her hand beckons us toward golden fields of wisdom and untrod paths of rich and glad experience. Through her eyes we behold the battlements of the shining city whose glory lights up the shores of time and illumines the pathway of earth’s pil grims, and the blessings of unborn ages heal life’s deep est sorrows.
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