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Show Gospel Doctrine . . . THOUGHTS ON RELIGION by Harold Jacklin Following Is one of a series of articles on religious subjects, written for the Review by Harold Jacklin. former LDS Church missionary. On a street in Nottingham, England Eng-land I met a man who attracted my attention. As we approached each other I noted the stamp of despair written in the fellow's face and it claimed my sympathy. The attention his appearance had aroused in me was but poorly concealed con-cealed and this fellow was quick to see the interest I manifested and his reaction was seemingly spontaneous. Now this fellow was somewhat different from the ordinary. He had about him a faint touch of dignity and a breath of the air of refinement. refine-ment. He spoke good English and spoke it well. But over this inner record of a better past was a perfect per-fect mask of sordid degeneracy and sin, depicting depravity and hopelessness. hope-lessness. During the course of our conversation con-versation we came upon the topic of his excessive drinking. He searched for excuse time and again & salve for his conscience, mumbling mum-bling it was the only joy there was left for him in life. I spoke to him of will power. He replied in his excited manner, "there is no will, there is no providence, there is nothing good that helps. It is fate and luck, and to some it comes soft and to others cold and hard." I assured him there is a will, and there is a God. God is our loving Father. He permits us to choose good or evil, but in us He has planted a power of will and is always al-ways pleased to lend divine aid if we will but reach out for it. The will He has given us may be strengthened with use or allowed allow-ed to die for want of exercise. I urged that this fellow uncover the divine spark lying buried for want of exercise. I urged that this fellow fel-low uncover the divine spark lying buried so deeply in his soul and, instead in-stead of running away from or defying de-fying God, to appeal to Him for help. I assured him that there was neither sun, moon, nor stars to cast a ray of light or hope across the path he was traveling, but that if he would assert his own power of will and call upon God for help, he could yet climb the bank to better footing. It is a fact that God has lighted a candle within us all, but if we place a bushel over it, the light does not shine forth, and we may forget that the candle is there. I sometime wonder if that candle, by too long covering and too much smothering will in time cease to shine and its light go completely out. That is when man no longer has within him the power to re-p?nt. re-p?nt. But there is hope and great joy in him who will kindle his spark to repent. The greatest tragedy I can think of in life is the man who is drifting drift-ing down the rapids to the cataract catar-act of hell who fully senses the dread situation and yet will not put forth effort to pull ashore. Therefore, those who have their lives well-founded in Christ's principles prin-ciples are charged to act as stones in the stream of life by which those floating downstream can get i a hold and climb out. |