Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-11-20
OCR AGENTS.


to the highest honor and happiness, of
both our Father and ourselves, that
We have true fellowship with him.
In order to this we must become &C
quainted with him; not with some the
Org of him, not even with some per
fect1y correct account of him. but with
himself, so as to understand something
Of his spirit and power, and to know
by personal experience the relations we
sustain to him.
But in order to this personal know
ledge there must be direct and person
al communication between him and Us.
But to secure this, it must, to begin
with at least, be made necessity on
our part. That is, in the childhood of
our being. before we have learned our
Father, and 80 learned TO love him and
to rejoice in him. we shall not seek
him, or come into personal communion
with him except as We are in some
sort compelled to. Yet this compel
ling must not be by physical force, but
by means of needs that shall continu-
ally press US to go where they can be
supplied. and which shall be supplied
only as we go; this is one reason Why
Our Father bids us ask for bread
Again, Our Father must be anxious
to educate us into the consciousness
OF, and proper exercise Of true free
dom. Hence he must leave it with
US to say what we shall. have, as also
what We shall do. What freedom
should We possess if We could be only
what he determined?
Our character that case might not.
indeed, be vicious, but it is true also
that it could not be virtuols. Virtue
is not possible, except where there is
freedom 10 90 OF not 20 90.
But the same may be said II regard
70 the matter OF possession. /: it j.
determined for us. just what and when
and how we shall hare, and we are to
have that at all events, just as the Sun
has light and heat; how, in that case
are We free? Indeed: what we may be
depends almost entirely on what we
may hare, so that If the one is deter
mined for us, then is the other also.
The beasts that perish are in precisely
this case. God gives them their meat
in due season, determining beforehand
just what they shall have and just
what they shall be. But Gods child
rem. made free like himself, must be
treated as free.
While our Father seeks to guide us
into the best choices, those choices
must be our own. Hence he bids us
ask. As if he would say, my child
rem you are free, you have your own
choices, | wish you to be wise in your
freedom, hence | am anxious to devel
op the consciousness Of it within YOU
and to encourage its expression. l
shall not act for you then except as
you counsel with me, and make known
your will.
Again; God is king Now if the
government is to be government Of
the free children of God and not the
control Of mere machines, the king
must have reference evermore to the
will Of the citizens If he does not
they can neither respect themselves nor
him.
This is just what Gods appointment
Of prayer means as relating to his
government. 1t is his testimony to our
freedom. has proclamation of our right
Of petition, and his pledge to consider
duly out preference. SO far from in
tending, by teaching rs to pray, to
swallow up our Will, he means to edu-
cate us in, the use and expression of it.
And 1t must be a great JOY to him to
to see s's"s'stiny upon what We be-
Ileve TO be the right thing
Again; we have no interest in a thing
which can neither affect US nor be affect
ed by us. There is no being III which
we may not have some interest. fer
there is no being, but may more or less
nearly affect us, but the interest will
be a. the amount of difference which
the life aud action Of each makes to the
ether. Our Father therefore will make
that difference as great as possible.
he will therefore d" whatever he can
to increase our dependence upon and
interest In each Other. What now is
more calculated to 90 this, than to
make certain precious gifts and prov
licences, conditional to each. upon the
asking OF others The need Of each
others PRAYERS. becomes TINS 2 ora,t