Shelley, in his Cenci, says: Worse than despair, Worse than the bitterness of death, is hope! Such a hope is the will-o'-the-wisp of men's desires; the ignis fatuus that lures them into danger; the false light on the rocks during a storm that beckons them to death. Hence the songs of hope of this character cannot be the songs God would have us sing. Our hopes must be real in order that our songs may be real accompaniments to the God-chorus of the universe. A few ques Is there any way, then, that man may know when his hopes are real and when false? For, if not, how can he sing knowingly with God? There, as elsewhere, fundamental principles apply. tions will soon reveal the character, and therefore the origin and nature of your hope. Is it a selfish hope? Is it purely for your own gratification? Is it reasonable? Is it based upon Love, Truth, Justice, Mercy, Helpfulness, Brotherhood, Divine Wisdom? If so, it is real and may be exercised to the full; if not, the sooner it is abandoned the better. Columbus's hope was based upon Divine fact. The earth was and is round. Hence he had a right to listen to the Song of Hope that sprang up in his heart, and to join in the song and compel his superstitious sailors, who were determined to go back, to "Sail on, and on and on!" The Wright Brothers had a singing hope that was a God-given hope, hence they were right in joining in God's song, until at last they sang as they flew on swift pinion through the air in triumphant joy. If the sick man can realize that God is the God of health, and not of disease, and that he, the man, is a reflection, a likeness, an image of God in health, as in everything else, he can hope, nay he can know, that he can speedily dissipate the dream of his illness and sing the song of the healthy, the well, the joyous, in his radiant fullness of life and power. There are those who "hope" for a fuller supply to meet earth's daily needs, but their hope is false and foolish as it is not based upon their own activities or on God's essential nature. These are intimately connected. God is the Divine Source of all. He has enough of all needful things in His universe to supply every proper demand, and man's activity resolves itself into an understanding of this fact and a reaching out to take of that Divine abundance. Those who understand this law are truly enabled to go through Life Singing with God. It is more than the mere teachings of a church to grasp such significant words as: "My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Why should He withhold these things if they are needful for the happiness of His children? The very thought is absurd. Here He is, supplied to the full with those things His children need. His heart is full of love, of tenderness, of compassion. He wants to give. Yet, at the same time He wants us to take. There is but one condition and that, in the nature of things, is imperative: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." One must be in harmony with the Divine, in tune with the Infinite. There must be no antagonism, no failure to co-ordinate. The general in chief calls for harmony in his army and assures victory when this is accomplished. Who shall refuse to obey? From highest officer to lowest private it should be the desire of each man gladly and readily to meet the general's demand. Every intelligent man sees this need for co-ordination in an earthly army. And this readiness and universality of perception is a proof that it is based upon a universal or divine principle, and that all real and permanent success must rest upon it—and that principle is that the Universal Demand for Harmony, for oneness, for Obedience must be met. Then-and not until then -the words of Jesus are instantly realizable. Are you seeking first a Oneness with the Universal, Kingdom of Love, Truth, Purity, Justice, Peace, Brotherhood? If so, reach out and take what you will from the universal storehouse of Good. The words of David become instantly translatable into fact: "No good thing will God withhold from them that walk uprightly." Hope, based upon what God has said in the experiences of His children in this or past ages, or resting upon His actual voice heard in the hearts of men, or upon His dealings with all Nature, is not an elusive or a deceptive thing. It may be relied upon. It is a promise sure of fulfilment. It was that which led Whittier to write: When the Christian sings his death-song, all the listening heavens draw near, And the angels, leaning over the walls of crystal, hear How the notes so faint and broken swell to music in God's ear. Let it be God's hope, therefore, that sings to you and you will find no ashes on your lips instead of the food of fulfillment. He doeth all things well, and in nothing more so than in His dealings with the sons of men: Ye fearful souls, fresh courage take; The clouds ye so much dread, Are big with goodness that shall break God's hope is real hope, based upon that which never fails. Such a hope may well produce joy, happiness, singing, so that he who knows it can yield to it with assurance. Hopes like this are mighty and make us men, women, inspired, uplifted, confident, healthy, pure-hearted, strong, radiant, to go forth and battle for the good. To such men and women gloom, sadness, disease, poverty, loss, failure are unknown. Triumphant they march, keeping step with and Singing through Life with God. CHAPTER XVI SONGS OF ABUNDANCE ONE of the first songs every child of God should learn to sing is the Song of Abundance, the Song of God's Sufficiency to Supply All Needs. Why are so many people poverty-stricken? It is because they are not Singing through Life with God. He owns, controls, disposes of the Universe. He is its Creator, its Maintainer. He holds the worlds in the hollow of His hands. "The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament showeth His handiwork." His richness is beyond the paltry conceptions of men. The millions, billions, owned by the few who seem almost demi-gods to the unthinking multitude, are but as a few grains of sand when one compares them with what the Creator possesses. Words, indeed, are feeble, nay foolish, to try to express the vastness of what is His. For all is His. Why cannot man learn this lesson, and at the same time grasp God's generous goodness? Go out into Nature and witness the abundance there. How flooded the earth is with sunshine; how vast is the ocean; how extensive are the forests; how widesweeping the winds; how generous the rains and the |