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simple to see the quivering wires connecting our lives with the infinite plans of God; easy to see and acknowledge the righteousness of that plan God has, and to pray that it may be consummated in our lives. But it is quite another thing to stand amid the whirling duties of our life and to do God's will to do his will at any cost, at any sacrifice; to do his will in the face of fashion or custom, or public opinion; rejoicing to be peculiar and to suffer persecution if only God will whisper, "Well done"; to do that will day by day, though it antagonize the individual will in the home life, and the world life, and down in the silent chambers of thought and affection-always and everywhere to be learning to unlearn our own wills, and to do only as God wills. This is living the prayer, "Thy will be done "; this is spiritual royalty, and in this Christ-like obedience the believer is a conqueror and more than a conqueror, for he is hastening on the coronation day.

In the museum at Rotterdam is a rough, uninteresting painting-it is more of a daub than a painting, and the keenest eye of the observer cannot discover any mark in it of genius or skill. By its side hangs a masterpiece, whose value is almost beyond calculation. The artist of the two is the same-the renowned Rembrandt and years of patient, earnest study and toil intervene between the two paintings. It doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know if we toil on we can at least make daubs, and the touch of Jesus' hand will transform our daubs into masterpieces. Little by little we will grow up into him. And in this divinely established law of littles we see the hope of the church. Her future is gilded with a glory as bright as the promises of God. The work begun on the brow of Calvary will one day be consummated. Then from the

rising of the sun even to the place of its going down,

there will stretch one vast empire, one throne, one King and one people, for it is written: "The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ; and he shall reign forever and forever."

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In this verse Paul is writing to Timothy. were both Christians, believers in Jesus. One of them, the older Christian and the older man, writes to the other a letter in which he says, at the very beginning of it, "The Lord Jesus Christ is our hope." He does not say that any man is our hope, or anything that any man can do or say or think; but he makes it plain when he says, "God our Savior, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope." It is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is God our Savior and our hope. There can be no question about the meaning of the language employed here. There is no hope for us in man. The greatest men the world has ever known cannot help us; they cannot make us live, or stay the sure approach of death, or give us hope in view of what lies beyond.

We know as much to-day, naturally, of what lies. beyond death as Socrates did 2400 years ago; and we do not know any more than he did. He knew as much

* Mr. Wright was born at St. Peter, Minn., Sept. 23, 1856.. After graduating from Knox College, Ill., 1879, he took one year at McCormick Seminary, and graduated from Union Seminary 1882. Pastor at Mishawaka, Ind., 1882-92; at Petoskey, Mich., 1892-95, and at Traverse City, 1895-.

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