The Brandon news., 1903-04-30

which means steadying vision Of the di-
vine unseen and the divine eternal; pro-
found consciousness from moment to mo-
ment of what the poet has called the deep
below the deep and the height beyond the
height" nobler conviction within, US, be-
coming ever more ineradicable and uncon-
querable, that the real value of things is a
spiritual value. their real meaning spirit
ual meaning. their real end a spiritual end.
This is the faith upon which depends ulti-
mately our strengthening and saving; the
faith which our Bibles, our churches, our
creeds, our dogmas. our devotions were
meant to inspire, and which, if they do not
inspire. they are but as sounding brass and
tinkling cymbal. This is the faith wo
need. to pray for, kneeling in our pews on
Sundays, or busy at our work on week
days, increase of vision, of faculty, to see
and feel below the earthly deeps and be-
yond the earthly heights, and when we
mental faith, be tempted to dictate to
God how He shall answer us or when. We
may want one answer; He may know that
we need another. We may choose to have
our answer in full all. at once: He may
choose to give us but the first syllable of il
to-day, and to prolong the giving OF it
through the years of a lifetime, perhaps
undertake in our wisdom to impose condi-
tions upon God that we imagine He must
fulfill if He would answer our prayer, for
getting the' one fundamental condition,
that we must impose upon ourselves hon.
est eagerness to hear the higher voices that
may call to us from day to day, and to
obey them when they do; honest struggle
to beat back the unholy temptations that
beset us. darkening the way to our feet:
honest purpose to do the duties that
throng us hourly. momently, and in their
doing ultimately illumine any darkness the
soul can enter!
The prayer of the apostles was answered
hardly as they expected certainly it might
be, but answered nevertheless and to a de-
gree of richness that they were not able
all at once to fathom; answered for them.
as it has been through the ages for all
their successors by right of spiritual inher-
itance; for them .as for him, great and good
apostle unto us of our modern time, who
walked through the fires of sacrifice and
came in and out here among us for score.
OF years, fighting his good FIGHT, his fight
of good his fight for God and man. whose
words are vital vet within these walls, and
beyond them where men speak the Eng
llsh tongue: answered, say, that prayer
for them of the earlier time. for him of
this later. not by any flashing miracle of
word or deed; not by any startling revela-
ton OF new heavens and a new earth;
not by any suddenness of divine destruc-
ton and reconstruction; nav, but by and
through a gradual growing sympathy
with the purposes of the Redeeming Mas
ter; by and through the deepening, widen
ing. atonement of their souls and his; by
and through their effort to live the life
that worshiped His, and suffering and cru
citixions, it meant to them to be and do
what should bear true witness to Christ.
And thus only is it that God can fulfill
for any of us the prayer, Increase our
faith. The eternal Father of our spirits
can meet their deeper yearning for larger
faith. for clearer vision, only through and
by the human experiences He has made
possible for us from day to day, the life of
effort. of struggle, of heroism. He has
| made it our privilege to live. The readiness
to do His will reveals it; the seeking to re-
alize His purposes interprets them, and
| closer, ever closer, becomes the meeting
point of our actual earth and our possible
heaven, as we resolve that our earthliest
efforts shall be noble enough to bespeak
heavenly meaning, and our earthiest hopes
heroic enough to prophesy heavenly con-
summation.