VII
WHEN  THE  MIDNIGHT  CITY  WAKES

IN our last, eternal sleep our souls are home
with the Father. As we are sure of that we
will not deny that during our temporary sleep,
the sleep that comes nightly, at the end of our toil,
our souls must be very close to Him. It is a glori¬
ous thought to know that each night after the even¬
ing prayer our souls and bodies are free from ma¬
terial care, safe in His hands. How cosey, how
" comfy " it is to snuggle one's cheek deeper into
the downy pillow; how relieving to stretch and re¬
lax one's limbs under the warm blankets; how easy
we breathe the sigh of utter content and bless the
night of rest; how rarely our slumbers are dis¬
turbed, unless there is sudden illness or calamity
or depressing thought. And, speaking of depress¬
ing thoughts, how many of us have ever lost a
minute's sleep by the depressing thought of the
many sleepless, bedless creatures who walk endless
miles while you and I, brethren, snore away in the
sleep of the—can I rightly say it?—the just. And
there are many who spend their nights in tramping
and who, though He watches over them, are far
away from Him.

no