ll be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and
did commit things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes.
For unto whomsoever much is given of him shall be much required; and to
whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more." All is
absolutely _right_. Nothing more now to be _made_ right The ages of
eternity may roll in unbroken peace; with God--manifested in all the
universe as light and love--all in all.

And now, dear readers, the time has come to say farewell for a season
to our writer and to each other. Let this leave-taking not be with the
groans of Ecclesiastes' helplessness in our ears. We have stood by his
side and tested with him the sad unsatisfying pleasures connected with
the senses under the sun. We have turned from them, and tried the
purer, higher pleasures of the intellect and reason, and groaned to
find _them_ equally unsatisfying. We have looked through his wearied
eyes at this scene, restless in its unending changes, and yet with
nothing really new. We have felt a little, with his sensitive,
sympathetic heart, for the oppressed and down-trodden "under the sun,"
and groaned in our helplessness to right their wrongs. We have
groaned, too, at his and our inability to understand or solve the
contradictory tangle of life that seemed to deny either the providence
or the goodness of a clearly recognized Creator. We have followed with
him along many a hopeful path till it led us to a tomb, and then we
have bowed head with him, and groaned in our agonizing inability to
pierce further. We have seen, too, with him that there is not the
slightest discrimination in that ending of man's race, and worse, even
than groans to our ears, has been the wild, sad counsel of despair,
"Merrily drink thy wine." But quickly recovering from this, we have
wondered with great admiration as our guide's clear reason led him, and
us, still on and on to discern, a final harvest-judgment that follows
all earth's sowings. But there, as we have stood beside him in spirit,
before that awful judgment-seat to which he has led us, and turned to
him for one word of light or comfort in view of our sin and wrong
doings--the deepest need of all--we have been met with a silence too
deeply agonizing, even for the groan of vanity. Groans, groans,
nothing but groans, at every turn!

And then with what relief--oh, what relief, ever increasing as the
needs increased--have we turned to the Greater th