543 inates them . When they begin to re joice in God, eager only for His sm ile of approval, and always happy in th e con sciousness of His “well done,” th eir sp iritual life is a t flood tide. Such a revival will make them do rig h t in th e d ark or in a strange city, w here they are not known, and in th e fam ily where they know th e ir sins will not be pub lished. “T ru th th en springs out of the earth , and righteousness looks down from heaven.” There is harmony be tween earth and heaven. “Thy will be done on ea rth ,” is being realized. If everybody on earth had th is a ttitu d e of m ind and h eart, th e re would be no need of going to heaven. Heaven would be here. God’s throne of righteousness and peace would be established among men. How Can I t Be P rocu red? , Now the burning question of the hour is, How can such a sp iritu al re vival w ith - such resu lts be brought about? By doing two things. 1.— By P rayer. Only God is equal to th e task, and God works in answer to prayer. Andrew Murray says th a t God, in His relation to His people, works only in answer to prayer. If we tru st sermon, song,"' money, education, and organization, we will get w hat these things can do, and th a t may be some thing. But if we tru st God and express th a t tru s t in prayer, we will get w hat God can do, and th a t in present condi tion s is th e one th ing worth while. “When they had prayed, th e place was shaken, where they were assembled.” Only God can shake a place. While P au l and Silas prayed, th e ja il doors were shaken open. When E lijah prayed for drought, th e rain ceased; and when he prayed again for rain, it came. While Jo n ath an Edwards preached one Sun day morning in Northampton, th e peo ple trem bled and a revival began, which shook th is continent, because a com pany of men and women had spent the previous n igh t in prayer and sat before
T H E K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S ag ain?” God is th e au tho r of life and gives life abundantly. The need of a revival implies life a t a low ebb. More life is needed. "W ith Thee, O God, is th e fountain of life.” Let us bring th e empty vessel of our need under th e overflowing fountain of God’s life, and we are revived. Is faith decadent or dorm ant? Bring it into touch w ith God, and it will be strengthened by th e in fusion of new life. Is love cold and life less? B ring it into touch w ith God. Is hope feeble and futile? B ring it into touch w ith God. Is moral courage fail ing? Let th e life of God touch it. The need of today is a realizing sense of God. “T hat th e people may rejoice in Thee.” In many th e God-conscious ness is gone. “He th a t cometh to God must believe that-H e is and th a t He is a rew arder of them th a t diligently seek H im”— no t His. We need an apprecia tion of th e Giver above th e gift, th e Lover above th e love, th e Saviour above th e salvation, th e Sanctifier above th e sanctification, th e Glorifier above th e glory. To do th is we must believe th a t God is. It is ra th e r easy to believe th a t He was: th a t in th e d istan t past He created all things and He has mani fested H imself to ancient peoples. But is He today “ Immanuel, God w ith u s?” It is easy also to believe th a t God will be. Things are out of joint, and He will sometime come on the scene and set them to rights. But our need is th a t we realize a God-consciousness in th e present tense and w ith all our h earts believe th a t th e God who was and will be is now, and th a t “He is a re w arder of them th a t diligently seek H im .” This is th e -index to a tru e sp iritu al revival, which will produce th e best ethical results. Such a revival is de fined in the words, “T h at th y people may rejoice in Thee.” While God’s peo ple rejoice in His blessing more th an in Himself, the Blesser, th e ir sp iritu al life is at a low ebb. A pious selfishness dom-
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