The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 422

FAITH

382

and ignoble wretchedness and preferring to run their heads against the granite wall, with the cry, " Advienne qui pourra," cling to their ideals. And these men who can not be sufficiently loved and appreciated are said to believe. But even this faith has nothing in common with saving faith to speak of this as the same is but confusion of tongues and a joining together of things dissimilar. ;

;

Finally, the faith,

which

is

same

is

true of a

much lower

form, ordinarily called

the light-hearted expression of cheerfulness

;

or the

lucky guessing at something which accidentally comes to pass.

There are cheery, mirthful souls, who in spite of adversity never seem to be cast down or harmed, who, however much suppressed, have always enough of elasticity in their happy spirits to let the mainspring of their inward life rebound into full activity. Such people have always an encouraging and hopeful eye for all their surroundings. They are strangers to gloomy forebodings, and unacquainted with melancholy fears. Care does not rob them of and nervous restlessness does not send the blood to the heart However, they are not indifferent, only not easily affected. Things may go against them, the clouds may overcast their sky, but behind the clouds they see the sun still shining, and they prophesy, with cheerful smile, that light will soon break through the darkness. Therefore it is said that they have faith in persons and in things. And this faith, if it be not too superficial, should be appreciated. "With millions of melancholy souls, life in this country would be unbearable; and it is cause for gratitude that our national character, otherwise so phlegmatic, cultivates sons and daughters in whose hearts the faith of the cheerful burns brightly. And sometimes their prophecies are really fulfilled; everybody thought that the little craft would perish, and, behold, it safely reached and entered the harbor; and it appeared that their cheerful faith was actually one of the causes of its happy arrival. And then these prophets ask you Did we not tell you so? Were you not altogether too gloomy? Do you not see that it came out all right? But even this faith has nothing but the name, in common with saving faith. We must note this especially because, in Christian institutions and enterprises, we frequently meet with men and sleep,

at quickened pace.

:

women who

are upheld

tioning confidence, and

by

this spirit of cheerfulness

who by

and unques-

this hopeful spirit pilot

many

a

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