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ideals. Thou art the parent and the preceptor of our spirits. Words distance Thee, keep Thee aloof, instead of bringing Thee nearer Unto us. In silent enjoyment, in subdued suffering, in sweet communion, we see how Thou art the very Life of our lives, the very Soul of our souls, the very stamina, the very substance, the very vitality of our existence. Thou art the whole plan, the complete purpose, the entire progress, of all our lives. Thou hast designed, Thou hast determined, Thou hast prescribed, the destiny of our lives. All out days Thou hast counted out, each in its detail; laid out each along its entire course; all with a friendly solicitude and with a parental promise of fulfilment. Thou art the indescribable, the inconceivable, and yet the very true and verifiable Ordainer of our lives. How Thou leadest us step by step> day after day! How Thou fittest the present into the past and adaptest the future to the present! Oh Thou all-knowing, all-wise God, really and truly Thou art the Author of our destinies; and even
