and tyrannical Overseer sitting in state to judge and condemn
to everlasting torment all but a few of earth's children--a
terror-inspiring God--has naturally turned the minds of many from
recognition of any sort of relationship between humanity and a
superior, divine and beneficent Power. The atheist glories in his
disbelief, and calls exultingly upon those whose faith has become the
stepping-stone to knowledge for proofs that he is not right in assuming
to occupy the superior attitude of mind. Suppose for a moment, that
all the world were brought to coincide with him. How would it benefit
the race to prove it to be wholly orphaned--utterly left out of all
consideration for its future care and happiness?

"Like as an earthly father pitieth his children," Jesus affirmed, is
the love of our Father, God, for the human-race. "I and my Father are
one." "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work." These are some of the
references made by Jesus to the relationship that he constantly
asserted was established between his own soul and that of his Father,
in the supernal world, and thus he taught his followers to pray:

"Our Father which art in Heaven." This is the first recorded utterance
of the modern shibboleth: "The Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of
Man." In this now universally employed invocation, Jesus claimed for
himself no other mention than that in which he instructed all of
earth's children to join.

"Hallowed be thy name." In a sacred name there is power to hold the
wavering thought; so may thy name be hallowed! _i. e._, held sacred.
It is affirmed that every created thing has a real appellation, a name
given to it by its Creator. We pass through this rudimentary state of
existence known as John or Mary, or by some other of the thousand or
more titles in vogue that are indicative of different personalities;
but it was long ago shown to an inspired teacher that, at a given point
of development, each soul should be given its true name, a new one that
should be "written in the forehead." Our Puritan progenitors had a dim
perception of a higher and inner meaning to names. By calling their
children Grace, Mercy, Patience, Charity, etc., they sought to embody
spiritual principles.

"Thy kingdom come." No heavenly kingdom can ever be "let down" to the
earth. The earthly must become developed and interpenetrated by the
spiritual, and thus be lifted up into an harmonious co-relationship
with the Divine.