lost or forfeited. Have we of England in our day built such a
Jerusalem that merely _to have it again_ is our dearest hope for the
end of this War?

"I come back to my main proposition, and will conclude with one word
of immediate practical advice--the best I can offer, as a plain man,
in these days when the minds of all are confused.

"My main proposition is that, all knowledge being one in its process,
our best chance of reading God's mind lies in thinking just as
practically, rationally, relevantly about divine things as scientific
men take care to do about scientific things, and as you or I should
take care to do about the ordinary things of life. If we only
thought of God as _important_ enough, we should do that as a matter
of course. If _we then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to
our children_ . . . We in England to-day are as yet a long way off
the philosophy of Jesus Christ. That is too hard for us altogether,
it seems. But we ought to be abreast with Isaiah, which is a long
way ahead of Joshua and the German Emperor.

"For my word of practical advice--I counsel you, as a people, not to
waste time in flurried undiscriminating repentance; not to _fuss_, in
short, until, having learnt where and how you ought to repent, you
can repent effectually. That knowledge may come soon: more likely it
will come late. Meanwhile the danger is instant. Every man in this
church," concluded Mr Hambly, "has a strong sense--a conviction,
which I share--that the cause of England is right, that she is
threatened and calls to him as he has never heard her call in his
lifetime: and the call is to fight for her, but as men not straying
to learn a new gospel of hate, remembering rather what at the best
our Country has been, and proud to vindicate that."

"Silly old rigmarole," commented Miss Oliver on the way home.
"If you can tell me what it was all about!"

"If 'twas no worse than silly there'd be no harm done. When it comes
to hinting that the Almighty hasn't a purpose of His own for typhoid
fever, in my opinion it's time some one made a public protest."

"I don't see what good that would do. On his own showing it 'd lie
between the Lord an' Scantlebury, the Sanitary Inspector. He'd no
business to speak so pointed: an' I always hate personalities for my
part. But I daresay Scantlebury won't mind, if it comes to his ears
even--"

"Scantlebury!" exclaimed Mrs Polsue with a sniff. "He only got the
job th