Article November 4, 1911 Issue

THE PEACE OF GOD

WILLARD S. MATTOX

The human heart has many longings, but desires nothing quite so much as peace. Some men crave wealth or position or fame. There are few, if any, who do not want to love and to be loved, but fundamental to every ambition, underlying all other expectations, is the reaching out of the heart of humanity for peace of mind and body. Wealth may be gained, but too often it is at the sacrifice of peace. Honor and reputation may be won, in the more sober walks of life, or "at the cannon's mouth." but not always are they the handmaids of a tranquil mind. The cry of the weary and heavy laden, of the burdened ones of earth, of pain-racked invalids, of the thousands discouraged by the weight of guilt and condemnation,—the universal appeal of all these is for peace.

And what is the answer to this cry? Is there no recompense for the disappointments of earth, no placid haven into which the storm-tossed bark may steer and be at rest? Must we be forever buffeted by "outrageous fortune"? Is there no solace for grief, no surcease from pain? And if there is a way of salvation from all of the discouragements and failures of life, where may it be found? If we seek our happiness in the pursuit of wealth, and find no satisfaction; if we bind to us many friends, and find, soon or late, the bonds are sundered, where and how shall peace be consummated?

These are every-day questions, practical questions, and since they touch every life, they require a practical answer. These questions do not press for answer upon all, at the same time, but into every human experience, at some time or other, there creeps the canker of dissatisfaction with mortality, with its sham substance, its sham pleasures, its unreal rewards, and then the individual faces these questions, and facing them it is inevitable that he shall find the answer. "This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him," epitomizes humanity's cry for peace, and the divine answer.

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