nearer. But it were better to hunger after righteousness for ever than
to dull the sense of lack with the husks of the Christian scribes and
lawyers: he who trusts in the atonement instead of in the father of
Jesus Christ, fills his fancy with the chimeras of a vulgar legalism,
not his heart with the righteousness of God.

Hear another like word of the Lord. He assures us that the Father hears
the cries of his elect--of those whom he seeks to worship him because
they worship in spirit and in truth. 'Shall not God avenge his own
elect,' he says, 'which cry day and night unto him?' Now what can God's
elect have to keep on crying for, night and day, but righteousness? He
allows that God seems to put off answering them, but assures us he will
answer them speedily. Even now he must be busy answering their prayers;
increasing hunger is the best possible indication that he is doing so.
For some divine reason it is well they should not yet know in themselves
that he is answering their prayers; but the day must come when we shall
be righteous even as he is righteous; when no word of his will miss
being understood because of our lack of righteousness; when no
unrighteousness shall hide from our eyes the face of the Father.

These two promises, of seeing God, and being filled with righteousness,
have place between the individual man and his father in heaven directly;
the promise I now come to, has place between a man and his God as the
God of other men also, as the father of the whole family in heaven and
earth: 'Blessed are the peace-makers, for they shall be called the
children of God.'

Those that are on their way to see God, those who are growing pure in
heart through hunger and thirst after righteousness, are indeed the
children of God; but specially the Lord calls those his children who, on