Page:The Message and Ministrations of Dewan Bahadur R. Venkata Ratnam, volume 1.djvu/423

 in Thy service. Thou art our Inspirer; so we lay bare our hearts to Thee. Thou art our eternal Companion; therefore we confide in Thy guidance. It is by Thy ordaining man lives, feels and thinks. At Thy summons man leaves this for nobler Regions. Yet O God, in Thy all-wise ordaining, Thy all-ruling providence, Thou hast formed this relation of friendship for an inspired example, as a sustaining strength. Thou who choosest to draw soul to soul and cement heart to heart, may we be sustained by the faith that, though the form may change and the scene may shift, yet unto the heart there is no permanent loss of vision or of communion! Ah Lord of life and death, dost Thou sanction that hope? Is it approved of Thee? Or is it a mere fancy? Mayest Thou grant us the grace to realise the endless fruition of the promising faculties budding forth in such progressive souls into truth confirmed, wisdom matured, goodness expanded and devotion deepened ever-more I Hope suggests, and the heart rejoices to feel, that we are here only to lay the foundations. Now wetted and nourished with