Messages of Faith, Hope, and Love; Selections for Every Day in the Year (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1895 Excerpt: ...at the good side of things, because he has exercised and educated his organs of faith and hope. He disbelieves it because he has not exercised and educated them. July 9. DERHAPS it may be said, It is well for l those who are naturally hopeful; but what for us who are not so? How can we, who naturally look on the dark side of things, who are easily discouraged, learn to be more hopeful? The organic faculty of hope differs in different men. But the higher kind of hope, the religious hope, born of conviction, all men may have. All true religion is hopeful, because the difference between religion and superstition is, that to the religious man God is goodness, to the superstitious man God is terror. True religion is that which trusts in the goodness of God, which believes good stronger than evil, truth more powerful than error, right sure to conquer wrong. It is a kingdom of heaven coming to take the place of hell on the earth. It is, indeed, faith, not sight. But this faith comes to us in all our best hours. When we are in our highest mood, we believe in the goodness of God, in the commanding authority of duty, in the immortality of the soul. When we are true, brave, strong, generous, pure, we believe in God. When we are cowardly, mean, selfish, then we believe in the devil. If, then, we wish to cultivate and strengthen our hope, it must be by increasing our faith in goodness and a God of love. We must have faith in the true God, and that is essentially faith in goodness. Faith in God grows as we live in it and from it. As we believe in justice, truth, honor, and act from that belief, our faith in God and goodness continually becomes stronger. July 10. THIS, then, is one distinction between the true hope and the false one. The hope which deceives is that which ...