Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1908-11-27
|. - a j |
Ez,f;'z11 PvLuT
THE FATHERS WILL.
By Henry T. Co

By Henry T. Cope.
''Thy will be done on earth as it is in
heaven. Matt 6:10.
Is that the prayer Of craven submis-
sion? 1t might be but for the first sen
tence of the petition. He who talks to
his Father and knows the affection of
that Infinite fatherhood, will know that
there can be nothing higher or better
for him than that Fathers will; that
this may be perfectly done will be more
than petition, it will become the SUI
preme passion in life.
This is not the cry Of one who says:
Let Gods will be done because it is
inevitable; he is almighty, l am i'm
potent before Him." but the cry of one
VIII says: LET His will be done he
cause it is best" Not in submission,
but in aspiration, does one thus pray
who has caught the spirit of this great
prayer.
There seemed something noble and
admirable in rebellion against the will
of the Deity so long as we thought Of
Him as a person who, in arbitrary fash
ion, decided what we must do, as one
who used his omnipotence for our sub
jugatiOn, while he seemed to be a cow
ard who bowed his neck in tame sub
mission to DEGREES and obligations i'm
posed upon him by one who sat in for
eign splendor in another world.
Even heaven appeared dull and unin-
fnrnSfjn0 a nr i041
the place where people neither would
nor could do any other than the divine
! DEGREES. LaW-abidinS communities are
attra ctive, but there would seem to be
little morality or merit where the laws
were mechanically obeyed without the
possibility of infraction
But if we think of the will Of this
Father as being the infinite law that
runs through all the universe, as that
which the least atom and the vast plan
cts obey, as that law of harmony which
means fullness and beauty of life, then
the constant hope Of every heart and
endeavor of every right life is to do
that will, to be in tune with that
universal harmony.
The will of heaven is not written on
tables of stone, nor can it be set down
in books, nor comprised in prescrip-
lions and regulations. The infinite, di-
vine will is not subject to the inter-
| probation of every passing regulator Of
the conduct of others. 1t is the mighty
intent Wdhich runs through the ages
Of all the universe; it is the handwrit-
ing of the infinite on the pages of eter-
nifty.
It is dreary and irksome business
trying to do the divine will by discov-
ering directions for the specific duties
and problems Of every day. It. is a
childish way Of living. It creates prigs
and bigots. We need to catch some
broad principles Of living; we need,
most of all, some high, impelling vision
that shall lead life on, direct, unfalter-
ing, through every difficulty, doubt and
fear, to worthy, heavenly goal.
The will of the Father is not this
or the other detail. We do His will not
by the scrupulous observance of any
round or routine of ritual Or duties
He is doing the will of God who is
making the dust the servant of the di-
vine, who is setting the soul above
the Sod, who is bringing the kingdom
! and rule Of the spiritual to this world
Here is the determinative, dominating
principle, that ever the life shall live
toward the things higher, hottest.
The will of the divine is that, since
we are His children, we shall all come
more and more to the family likeness
and to the freedom and fullness of the
divine life; it is the spiritualizing, MAX
ing heavenly and divine all our life
We who pray that prayer must pay it's
price, we must set character, the heav-
emily likeness before any other subject
or DESIRE
Such prayer subdues our individual
desires to it's high purposes. 1t
teaches us to see in pain the perfecting
of the life for the purposes Of divine
| affection; it sees in losses the cutting
away of that which might load the life
down and prevent it's moving in har-
mony with all developing life into the
heavenly glory of character.