God the Known and God the Unknown
lives; whereas the commonly receivedopinion is true with a stage truth only, and has little permanenteffect upon those who are best worth considering.Neverthelessthe expressions in common use among the orthodox fit in soperfectly with facts, which we must all acknowledge, that it isimpossible not to regard the expressions as founded upon aprophetic perception of the facts. Two things stand out with sufficient clearness.The first is therarity of suicide even among those who rail at life mostbitterly.The other is the little eagerness with which those whocry out most loudly for a resurrection desire to begin their newlife.When comforting a husband upon the loss of his wife we donot tell him we hope he will soon join her; but we shouldcertainly do this if we could even pretend we thought the husbandwould like it.I can never remember having felt or witnessed anypain, bodily or mental, which would have made me or anyone elsereceive a suggestion that we had better commit suicide withoutindignantly asking how our adviser would like to commit suicidehimself.Yet there are so many and such easy ways of dying thatindignation at being advised to commit suicide arises more fromenjoyment of life than from fear of the mere physical pain ofdying.Granted that there is much deplorable pain in the worldfrom illhealth, loss of money, loss of reputation, misconduct ofthose nearest to us, or what not, and granted that in some casesthese causes do drive men to actual self-destruction, yetsuffering such as this happens to a comparatively small number,and occupies comparatively a small space in the lives of those towhom it does happen. What, however, have we to say to those cases in which sufferingand injustice are inflicted upon defenceless [sic] people foryears and years, so that the iron enters into their souls, andthey have no avenger.Can we give any comfort to such sufferers?and, if not, is our religion any better than a mockery-a fillingthe rich with good things and sending the hungry empty away?Canwe tell them, when they are oppressed with burdens, yet thattheir cry will come up to God and be heard?The questionsuggests its own answer, for assuredly our God knows ourinnermost secrets: there is not a word in our hearts but Heknoweth it altogether; He knoweth our 39