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training, that moral training, which laid the foundation of his greatness, that was my work." O Lord, verily thou art a God that hidest thyself. So says this scripture. And yet they say, "Look at this instance of heathen excellence," and put it up in contrast with something to be found in Christian lands, as if excellence anywhere is not the fruit of the Spirit of God.

See how broad, then, is this view of God's government, that he touches all the forces-even though he hides himself in touching them-that work changes and bring about revolutions in this world. If Spain, for instance, shall become morally rotten, if decay has gone on in the body politic until there are no more wisdom and power left in it, it is not an accident that an occasion arises between Spain and some young and mighty government, which, by one blow, shall shatter into fine dust all the remnants of her power and her glory. It is the government of God. When God said to those children of Israel, in bondage, “Seek ye my face," it was equal to the saying, "I am greater than Babylon. I have power to break up the chain of your bondage. I can raise up one who shall come and receive without the firing of a shot the surrender of this impregnable city," and it is true that to his generals the gates of Babylon were opened without the battle stroke.

Now, whenever mighty events are brought about, seemingly by accident, you may know a hiding God

is back of them, touching springs here and there, pushing out forces; and although man may see only natural causes operating, yet this hiding God is moving and bringing about the ends which he has purposed. Moreover, when that seeming accident occurs, events cannot stop at that one event, nor revert to the old status. For example, political parties in the United States may meet and pass resolutions concerning the Philippine Islands, and put their folly in platform resolutions. They may say, "We will turn them loose; we have taken them, but we will turn them loose." That might be true if there were no power back of you. That might be true if there were no ends to be attained beside your little pleasure, your designs, your commerce, your dollars and cents.

"Verily, thou art a God, that hidest thyself.” He said to Israel, "Seek ye my face," and Israel's unbelief said to him, "How can I pray God to remove the insuperable barrier of the Babylonish domination? How can I ask God to break a worldempire and shatter it to atoms?" God says, “I never did in vain say to you, Seek my face. If I tell you to seek my face and ask me that these bonds be broken, no matter if natural, physical, moral and spiritual impossibilities stand in the way, God never speaks in vain." If he tells you to ask him for anything, take him at his word. Ask him, seek him, and if it be necessary, a Cyrus will be raised up.

Let us look at the next point. How could that degraded people, even if consent could be obtained to return to their land, and to rebuild their cities, and even if the money would be gratuitously furnished for defraying their expenses on their return to the promised land, how, out of such elements, can you rebuild a nation? God declares: "I call upon you to seek my face and ask me to do that thing. Do not look at your sins. They are multitudinous, they are crimson-dyed, they are long-continued. There is not a thing under heaven that you deserve at my hand. It is not for your sake, O House of Israel, that I do this, but for my own name's sake I will restore you to that land, and will have that city rebuilt, and will re-establish that temple. Ask me that it may be done, and I do not say, Seek ye my face in vain."

That seems to me to be a greater miracle than the other. The revival of Judah is more marvelous than the downfall of Babylon. Now mark, for here comes another broad line of thought, when God says, "I called thee, O Cyrus, before thou wast born, and named thee before thou wast born, and when thou wast unconscious of it I was girding thee and holding thy right hand, and, invisible to thee, I was opening gates before thee, and giving power to thy army for the accomplishment of these purposes; thou didst not know me." Then he did it for the religious purposes back of it. Hear him in the text: "I have not spoken in secret, in a

place of the land of darkness. I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me, in vain. I the Lord speak righteousness. Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations. They have no knowledge that it was for you I did this."

And what is the outcome of it all? Let us see to the end of this line of thought. It is expressed here: "I have sworn by myself, and the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that to me every knee shall bow and every tongue shall swear." Here, then, back of all human exertion, and back of all kaleidoscopic presentations of seemingly chaotic views of men and their purposes, is the great purpose of God, to bring this whole world under the domination of his Son. Therefore it was not an accident that an entire fleet should have been destroyed in Manila harbor without the loss of a man. It was not an accident that another fleet should be destroyed south of Cuba with the loss of only one man. It was not an accident that the battleship Texas and other vessels of our navy passed over twenty-five or thirty contact mines and rubbed against them without an explosion. It is not an accident that to the new Western power opportunities are opening up in Oriental seas, in that great, populous part of the earth, where men now are going East by the way of the West-it is not an accident that seeming miracles are being accomplished.

And do you suppose that these things are happening in order that a few trusts and monetary combinations may be made richer? There is a reason higher and nobler than that, and that is, that every knee shall bow to God and every tongue shall confess his name; that old-time superstitions which have spread their dark wings over people, and left them in a benighted condition for ages, shall be dissipated as fogs and mists roll away before the rising sun. The time has come when the truth of God shall reach men's hearts, when the religion of Jesus Christ shall be published in the places of ancient idolatry, and every tongue shall say, "The Lord is God, and beside him there is no other."

We come to the next thought: If, notwithstanding the governmental difficulties in the way, and the moral difficulties in the way, growing out of the people's sins, it was not in vain that God said to them, "Seek my face; pray that these things shall be done," can you not make an application to your own case? Let me do somebody some good here to-day. Let me speak a word of comfort to some sad heart. Have you supposed that your way is to be dark all the time, and that there is no morning coming; that it does no good for you to pray; that you are in such a backslidden condition that you cannot get back to the Lord? Now, if God says to you, "Seek ye my face," then he does not say that to you in vain. There are no difficulties

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