—till disproportioned Sin Jarr’d against nature’s chime, and with harsh din Broke the fair music that all creatures made To their great Lord, whose love their motion sway’d In perfect diapason, whilst they stood In first obedience and their state of good. But from that day, that day of disobedience, the whole creation has been groaning and travailing together in pain until now. But to discover the fountain of the disease is also to discover the secret of the remedy. If the world owes its present misery to the fact that man has followed his own will, the world will see its perfect day when man submits his own will to the will of God. “Come and let us _return_” is the prophet’s cry, “let us get back to the old allegiance.” “Come and let us return” is the preacher’s call to-day. The way to the millennium is along the path of obedience. When God’s kingship is real and effective, because men everywhere are obedient, the Golden Age will have dawned. The new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness will be a blessed fact when— We learn with God to will one will, To do and to endure. _Thy Will be done!_ This petition teaches us that it must be our supreme desire that God may have His way with us. You will notice, as I pointed out a Saturday or two ago, that this petition comes before the petitions for personal blessing. It is infinitely more important that God’s will should be done than that we should have the things upon which we have set our hearts. “_Thy_ will be done!” Do you not feel humbled and reproached by this petition? I will speak for myself, and say that this petition and its place in the prayer put me to utter shame. Why, our very prayers are selfish! A secularist once said with a sneer that “prayer was a machine warranted by theologians to make God do whatsoever His clients want.” Have not our prayers given some ground for the sneer? Have not our wants and interests occupied too large a place in our petition? This is the true order in prayer—God first. This is the petition that must dominate every other, “Thy will be done.”