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with the inclinations of his creatures. It were wonderful if it should-wonderful indeed, if the will of an omniscient and infinitely perfect being should uniformly fall in with the capricious desires and inclinations of those who are finite, fallible, and sinful. Our own inclinations do not agree with each other. We are the subjects of conflicting desires: the will of God could not coincide with our inclinations without coinciding with contraries. Well, the prayer Thy will be done," which we all consent to use, recognizing this want of coincidence, begs that in all such cases God will cause his will to be done

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rather than ours. It is a most reasonable request; no wonder God should comply with it. And yet we complain that in such cases of disagreement he does not carry out our inclinations instead of his own will. It is well, in view of such perverseness, that we have to do with a God of infinite patience. How very slow to anger our God is!

But I have not stated the case yet in all its strength. Complaint against God would be altogether unreasonable, if he caused only his will to be done. But

hile he causes his own, he causes our will also to be done; for it is our will, as we have told him, over and over again, that his will should be done. Why should he not gratify the inclination of ours, that his will should be done, as well as any other inclination which we have; for example, the inclination to retain a certain earthly enjoyment? He cannot gratify

our every inclination, for the gratification of one would be the denial of another. He must make a selection. It is not his fault that we have warring inclinations. He did not make us so; it is one of the inventions we have sought out. It belongs to us as marred by ourselves. Will it be said that God selects the less worthy inclination to gratify? I think not. What worthier inclination can we have, than that God's will should be done?

Is it the pain of having an inclination crossed, of which we complain? But let us complain of ourselves, that we have inclinations which need to be crossed. And, besides, would it give us no pain were we to discover, that in a particular instance, God submitted his own will to our inclination, and suffered us to be gratified in a certain respect, when his judgment was against it?

Fellow-Christians, we must give up the use of that petition, "Thy will be done," or else act more consistently. It will not do to be daily asking a thing, and daily lamenting that the thing is granted. If we would have our will done, let us alter the petition, and say, "Our will be done." Let us be sincere, if we are nothing else. Let us tell the Lord the very desires we have, however wrong they may be. That is better, certainly, than to have such desires, and tell him the contrary.

But I would by no means advise the alteration. 1 think we had much better keep to the old form, and

pray as the Lord taught his disciples. Yes, let us go on to say, "Thy will be done." It is our hea venly Father whom we address. Surely his children need not fear to have his will done. Let us consent with our whole heart that his will should be done, and towards us as well as towards others; and not merely in some things, but in all things; for why should not all his will be done, as well as any part of it? If we do so, by and by we shall have no inclinations contrary to his will. We shall be incapable of cross or disappointment. Every thing being as he would have it, would be also as we would have it.

If now a part of his will be hidden, until events disclose it, yet in other respects it is already revealed. We know, for instance, that it is our Father's good pleasure to give us the kingdom; and that it is our divine Savior's will that we should be with him where he is, that we may behold his glory. For the present let this suffice us. We shall be satisfied, when we awake in his likeness. In this expectation we should be satisfied now. Let us suffer God to reign, and let us not aspire to be his counselors. He taketh no counsel of any,

33. What very Strange Beings we are.

Yes! What very strange beings we are! We, who are sinners, expect to be treated with more deference than the innocent and holy. Their will is not done; nor do they desire it should be. We, who are of earth, expect privileges, as we in our ignorance account them, which they of heaven never think of claiming the privilege, if not of holding the reins of government, yet of directing how they should be held; and of having things move on according to our inclinations. But should men, who are "of yesterday, and know nothing," rule, when angels, of an intellectual growth of thousands of years, cast their crowns at Jehovah's feet, and decline every thing but the most entire subjection?

But this is not all. We, who are the sons of God but by adoption, expect to be treated better than even God's only-begotten Son. Did not he suffer? And is it a mystery that we should? Was he "acquainted with grief," and shall we deem it strange and inexplicable that we should have experience of the same? Why should we marvel that the cup we deprecate does not pass from our lips, when a far more bitter cup did not pass from him? Shall we conclude that God is not a hearer of prayer, because a prayer of ours is not answered in kind, when he whom the Father always hears, prayed "let this cup

pass from me," and it was not done? Ah, you say, what a dark and mysterious Providence this is! But that was darker and more mysterious, which left the Son of God to be betrayed and crucified by his enemies. And what if his sufferings were to accomplish an immensely important object; how few, it may be supposed, of the intelligent mind that looked on, were aware of that? Besides, may not your sufferings be intended to accomplish an important object? Are they not certainly so meant? Do we not read of chastening, that "it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness, unto them who are exercised thereby ;" and of affliction, that it "worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory?" Doubtless our sufferings are in their place as indispensable as were those of Christ.

Again, how reasonable and fit it is that the followers of a suffering Savior should themselves sufferthat they should drink of the cup of which he drank, and be baptized with the baptism wherewith he was baptized! How could we be like him without suffering! The Master was made "perfect through sufferings." How suitable that the disciples should not be made perfect, until after they "have suffered awhile!" He went through suffering to his dominion and glory. Why should we expect to reign with him, except we also suffer with him? Have we not always known that the cross is the condition of the crown? "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him." Jesus

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