“Would you mind telling me anything you have asked of Him?” “I have never yet required to ask anything not included in the prayer, 'Thy will be done.'” “That will be done without your praying for it.” “Pardon me; I do not believe it will be done, to all eternity, without my praying for it. Where first am I accountable that His will should be done? Is it not in myself? How is His will to be done in me without my willing it? Does He not want me to love what He loves?--to be like Himself?--to do His will with the glad effort of my will?--in a word, to will what He wills? And when I find I can not, what am I to do but pray for help? I pray, and He helps me.” “There is nothing strange in that!” “Surely not It seems to me the simplest common sense. It is my business, the business of every man, that God's will be done by his obedience to that will, the moment he knows it.” “I fancy you are not so different from other people as you think yourself. But they say you want to die.” “I want nothing but what God wants. I desire righteousness.” “Then you accept the righteousness of Christ?” “Accept it! I long for it.” “You know that it is not what I mean!” “I seek first the kingdom of God and God's righteousness.” “You avoid my question. Do you accept the righteousness of Christ instead of your own?” “I have no righteousness of my own to put it instead of. The only righteousness there is is God's, and He will make me righteous like Himself. He is not content that His one Son only should be righteous; He wants all His children to be righteous as He is righteous. The thing is plain; I will not argue about it.” “You do not believe in the atonement.” “I believe in Jesus Christ. He is the atonement. What strength God has given me I will spend in knowing Him and doing what He tells me. To interpret His plans before we know Himself is to mistake both Him and His plans. I know this, that he has given His life for what multitudes who call themselves by His name would not rise from their seats to share in.” “You think me incapable of understanding the gospel?” “I think if you did understand the gospel of Christ you would be incapable of believing the things about His Father that you say you do believe. But I will not say a word more. When you are able to see the truth, you will see it; and when you desire the truth you will be able.” Alexa touched her pony with her whip. But by and by she pulled him up, and made him walk till Andrew overtook her. The sun was by this time far out of sight, the glow of the west was over, and twilight lay upon the world. Its ethereal dimness had sunk into her soul. “Does the gloaming make you sad, Mr. Ingram?” she asked. “It makes me very quiet,” he answered--“as if all my people were asleep, and waiting for me.” “Do you mean as if they were all dead? How can you talk of it so quietly?” “Because I do not believe in death.” “What _do_ you mean?” “I am a Christian!”