Faith of Our Fathers

New Zealand Tablet, Volume L, Issue 33, 23 August 1923, Page 41

Faith of Our Fathers

[A Weekly Instruction fob Young and Old.] OF OUR HAPPINESS IN THIS LIFE, IF AVE KEEP I THE COMMANDMENTS. Q. 1. If true happiness even in this life, can only be found in the service of God, and in keeping His commandments, whence comes it that we are naturally so averse to His service? A. One of the tilings that chiefly discourage us from serving Cod and keeping His commandments, is the false persuasion we have, that all the rewards of virtue are reserved for another world, whilst in this present life, 't is accompanied with great difficulties and sufferings; and as we are naturally very much attached to present happiness, we cannot think of bereaving ourselves of those objects, in the enjoyment of which we imagine this happiness consists, or of suffering those miseries which we suppose would render us at present unhappy, even for the expectation of eternal bliss in the life to come. This however is --a very unreasonable conduct; for though it were true, that the rewards of virtue were all reserved for the next life, this would, by no means, be a just reason to hinder us from pursuing it, when we consider on the one hand, the imperfection, insufficiency, vanity, insecurity, mutability, and short duration of all present enjoyments: ami on the other hand, the perfection, excellency, dignity, stability, and eternity of that happiness and bliss, which God has prepared for us in His kingdom. But in fact, this is so far from being the case, that we can aver, with all truth, that the only real happiness even in this present life, can only he found in the service of God, and in the faithful observance of His holy commandments. It is true indeed, this happiness does not appear at first sight: the philosophy of Christ is like Himself, ''humble and mean" to the outward appearance, but within it is all divine: in the eyes of worldly minded people, nothing is more foolish or despicable, -'it is a scandal to the Jews, and a folly to the Gentiles; but to them that are culled it is the power of God" (1 Cor. i. 23). And it is only those that set themselves in earnest to study and practise it, who find to their happy experience, the admirable felicity which it brings to its votaries: so that we may justly say of it to worldly-minded people, what our Saviour says on a different occasion, "Oh that thou hadst hut known in this thy day, the things that belong unto thy peace!" (Luke xix. 14). It is therefore principally by trial that we can be convinced of this truth, as God Himself assures us by His prophet; for when His people proposed this very difficulty, and said, "He laboreth in vain that serveth God, and what profit is it, that we have kept His ordinances, and that we have walked 'sorrowfully before' the Lord of hosts? Wherefore now we call the proud people happy, for they that work wickedness are built up, and they have tempted God, and are preserved." To this God answers, by declaring the special care He has of the just; and ends with these words, "You shall return (to wit, from your evil ways) and shall see the difference between the just and the wicked; and between him that serveth God, and him that serveth Him not" (Mai. iii. 14, 18). Happy therefore are all they who set themselves in earnest to serve God; they will soon find to their delightful experience, how much it is their interest to do so. But although it be chiefly by experience that we come to be thoroughly convinced of this, yet both the sacred scripture and reason itself, founded on the Divine word, concur to assure us in the .strongest manner . of the certainty of this most important truth. Q. 2. What are the direct proofs from Scripture of the happiness of a virtuous life? / A. We have the following testimonies among others: (1) "0 taste and see," says the royal prophet, "that the Lord is good; blessed is the man that trusteth in Him" (Ps. xxxiii. 8); and a little after it is added, "they that fear the Lord shall not want every good thing" (verse 10). ' Here the royal prophet, from his own experience, exhorts all others to try, in order to be convinced of the happiness of serving God. (2) Solomon in his admirable book of the Ecclesiastes, after he has considered all the ways of man, and declared from his own experience the vanity and

folly of all the pleasures and enjoyments of this life, draws at last this_ admirable conclusion from the whole, "Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is all man" (Eccles. xii. 13). This is all man, says he; that is,. not only all his duty, all his perfection, but also all his happiness, his only true and real felicity; for be draws this conclusion in opposition to the vanity of all earthly happiness, which he had been exposing in all the former part of his discourse. (3) Our blessed Saviour tenderly invites us to His service from the consideration of the happiness to be found in it, and the sweetness and easiness of it. "Come to me," says He, "all you that labor and are heavy laden and I will refresh you; take up My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you shall find rest to your souls; for My yoke is sweet, and My burden light" (Matt. xi. 28). Consider each of these words; they are full of heavenly sweetness, and more than sufficient to convince us, that our real happiness, even in this life, is only to be found in the service of that Divine Master who pronounces them. Hut His infinite goodness, not content with so solemn a declaration in general, in another 'place descends to more particulars, and makes this sacred promise, confirmed with His usual asseveration: "Amen, 1 say tap you, there is no man, who hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or children, or lands, for My sake, and for the gospel, who shall not receive a hundred times as much now in this time . . . and in the world to come, life everlasting" (Mark x. 29). Here we see. that the Son of God, who is truth itself, expressly distinguishes between the rewards of virtue in the next life and in this, and passes His sacred word for the latter as well as lor the former. Now it is impossible that .His promise should be made void ; # for "heaven and earth shall pass away, but His words shall not pass"; consequently those who in earnest serve God, shall not only be rewarded with eternal bliss in the next life, but even here shall receive the hundred fold, that is the only true and solid happiness-of their souls, so that although those who have no experience of the happiness of a virtuous life cannot comprehend this, yet in reality those who sincerely love God, are alone the truly happy.