Page:The Message and Ministrations of Dewan Bahadur R. Venkata Ratnam, volume 2.djvu/275

 der all our foolish desires, fond lingerings and frail leanings towards the cravings of the flesh and the allurements of the world? Shall we not sacrifice before Thee, even as the proofs and pledges of our sincere self-surrender unto Thee, our pet passions, our fond fashions, our absorbing ambitions, our secret schemes, our insatiable indulgences? Shall we not trust into Thy hands all our concerns and interests? Shall we not say unto Thee, with unalloyed sincerity and soul-deep devotion, "Let Thy will be done"?

Long have we foolishly run and sought after the vain things of the world. Not that we would now be shielded and saved from what are called the trials of life; but we would seek the incoming of Thy spirit into all the concerns of our life; that thus the old, irksome responsibilities may become new, quickening obligations, our self-imposed tasks may become Thy divine ordinances, the vows of our renunciation may become the mandates of Thy mercy, and the associations of our establishing