convert the world is the complete fulfilment of the prophecy of Joel: "I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh." Let the Spirit be poured upon us from on high, then the wilderness will soon become a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest. Christians ready to die will be revived and strengthened: backsliders will be recovered: dead sinners will be raised to life. When Ezekiel was set down in the valley of dry bones, the Lord said unto him: "Son of Man, can these dry bones live?" &c. (Chap. xxxvii. 1-10.) So it is now. Our preaching cannot make men live to the glory of God. We may terrify them and clothe them with good resolutions; but only the Spirit of God can make them live unto God. Let us, then, offer the prayer of faith for the Spirit to come down upon our Churches and upon the world in all the plenitude of His power. A revival of God's work is needed in the Church, and the world needs converting; but we shall look in vain for either, until the Spirit is poured out from on high.

TRUE RELIGION AND ITS EFFECTS.

"Oh, that there were such a heart in them that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments always, that it might be well with them and with their children for ever."-DEUT. v. 29.

THESE are not merely the words of Moses; if they were, there would be something deeply affecting in them. When a man venerable both for age and goodness speaks, it behoves us to listen with attention and respect. When one who has long been employed as the messenger of heaven delivers his last lessons of truth and wisdom, we may well hang upon his lips with reverence and awe. Moses had for forty years been in direct communication with the Almighty. To him had been committed those mysterious tables upon which the finger of Deity had inscribed "the whole duty of man." He was the earliest of inspired penmen. His words and writings were destined to influence the minds of men to the end of time. And so, if the text had been the expression of his own heart's wish, it would at once have claimed our careful thought. But we find that Moses is here recording the words of Jehovah Himself. How infinitely ought this to raise our estimation of their significance and worth! How deep should be the impression on our hearts when the Almighty thus expresses, in the language of passionate desire, the good pleasure of His will concerning us: "Oh, that there were such a heart in them that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments always, that it might be well with them and with their children for ever." And the more impressive will these words appear if we remember the circumstances in which they were uttered. It

was upon the awful mount-out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and the thick darkness. Here we have a blessed proof of the supremacy of mercy. The lightnings of vengeance cannot outglare the brightness of love. The thunder of law cannot silence the voice of compassion. God is always good. Judgment is always mixed with mercy; and whatever may be the modes of the Divine manifestation, yet this is God's worst wish for all His creatures: "Oh, that there were such a heart in them that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments always, that it might be well with them and with their children for ever."

I. A DESCRIPTION OF TRUE RELIGION.

True religion is here shown to be inward and outward, exerting its influence both upon the spirit and the life. The great mistake which men have made has been to ignore either one or the other aspect of religion. Some have made it consist merely in emotions, meditation, inward peace, &c. Others have entirely neglected the religion of the heart, and thought it sufficient to observe the letter of the law in their outward conduct. But it is certain that the work of godliness begins within, and then exerts its sanctifying power throughout the whole being and life. There must first be the godly fear, and then the holy obedience.

1. True religion is the religion of the heart. By this we mean that it has its roots amid the fibres of the moral life of man; that it is firmly fixed in his affections and desires; that it is the subject of his deepest thought; the object of his most ardent wishes; the power which directs and governs all the passions of his soul. It sits as judge of his actions, as censor of his thoughts, as regulator of his will, and empress of his whole existence.

(a) It is of the heart, rather than the head: in other words, it is affection rather than knowledge. Intelligence is a gift of God, worthy of desire. All truth has come from God, and all is worth knowing. It is always a great advantage to a Christian to have a fair amount of general information. It often saves him from temptation, and keeps away vain thoughts; it often serves as the handmaid of piety, supplying illustrations of the Almighty's ways, and generally strengthening and expanding the mind to receive the most exalted truth. But knowledge alone will not do. Even knowledge of sacred things is not sufficient. The love of the heart is far preferable to the light of the understanding. It is possible to have a clear perception, a powerful mental grasp, a richly-furnished mind, and to have all these devoted to the study of the highest truth, and yet the heart may be untouched by the grace of God, and the affections may never kindle at the thought of Jesus' love. That is a

religion of moonlight-clear and cold. What is needed is a religion of heavenly sunshine, warm as well as bright.

(b) It is of the heart rather than the tongue. It is right, of course, that Christians should talk about their religion.

66 With the mouth confession is made unto salvation." But unless the preparation of the heart precede the answer of the tongue, the confession is a vain lip-service. (See Matt. xv. 8; Ezek. xxxiii. 3.)

"A man may cry Church, Church!' at every word,
With no more piety than other people:
A daw's not reckoned a religious bird
Because it keeps a-cawing from a steeple."

Some men are very

(c) It is of the heart rather than the knee. careful as to the forms of service, and justly so. But we do not think that the Almighty can be pleased with mere attitude and mannerism. He that sitteth in the heavens cannot stoop to observe the genuflexions of a mere posture-master. Man looketh on the outward appearance, but God looketh on the heart. Whatever may be the trappings and accessories of worship, the one thing needful is the sincerity of a loving heart.

2. An important element in true religion is the fear of God. And what is that? It is nothing contrary to the most confident trust or the most fervent love. It is not being afraid of God; it is the reverence of His Name, the veneration of His every word, the horror of offending Him; it is the lowly worship, the adoring wonder, the silent rapture; it is that which dwells in highest seraphim, and wakes their song of praise, or sets upon their lips the seal of speechless admiration. Now all this is the fruit of love to God-the natural result of knowing God. And if this were but diffused amongst men, then earth would share the spirit of the skies, and the gracious purpose of redemption would be realised.

3. True religion is manifested by obedience. All pretensions to piety without goodness are the merest sham. All religious profession without godly living is hollow and worthless. All the benefits of redemption are dependent upon our obedience. Christ is the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey Him, and to them only. This is the end of our sanctification (1 Peter i. 2); by this we must prove our loyalty to Christ (John xiv. 15); by this we must gain the loftiest spiritual experience (John xiv. 23).

.

The obedience required is unreserved in its character: "All My commandments." All are of equal authority, if not of equal importance. In view of God's righteousness and heaven's purity, every sin appears a cursed and a ruinous thing—an abomination to God and an unmitigated evil to the soul of man.

Let us remember the absolute right of God to command our whole conduct; that we cannot atone for the breach of one command by the more diligent discharge of another. (See Matt. xxiii. 23; also, v. 19-20.)

And this obedience extends to every moment of our lifealways. There are no circumstances in which it is excusable to sin. We may sometimes be tempted to suppose that our position is so peculiar as to excuse a slight deviation from the law of God. But the law admits of no exceptional cases. Consider the case of Saul. (1 Sam. xiii. 6-15.)

II. The EFFECTS of this true religion: "That it might be well with them," &c.

Here we get an evidence of the infinite goodness of God. The reason of His intense desire for our obedient service is our benefit. The motive given might have been His unquestionable right; but God ever seeks His glory in our good, and so all blessedness is joined to obedience.

The blessed effects of religion are both present and future. (1 Tim. iv. 8.) The habits induced and the qualities developed by godliness tend to prosperity in this life. All temporal blessings are heightened and perfected by the peace of God within the soul. The hope of heaven brightens earth, and the end is eternal life.

"No

But notice particularly the effect of the parent's religion upon the child's welfare. Of course, religion is not hereditary. No man can make a legacy of his piety. [Sammy Hick: religion for Matty and the bairns."] And it is also true that "the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father." Yet the character of the father will certainly influence that of the child. Consider

(a) The power of example.

(b) The power of holy precept, supported by example. (c) The strength of habits formed in youth.

(d) The mighty influence of a holy memory.

Have pity on your little ones. Be not the murderers of their souls; blight not their everlasting future by your folly and sin; live for their sakes according to the Gospel. If you join to a holy life faithful teaching and fervent prayer, there is little fear but that God will send upon your children His converting grace. It shall be well with you and with your children. The peace of God shall dwell in your home and brighten your life, and so prepare you for a place in the great family on high.

S. T. BOSWARD, B.A.

MORAL CONTRASTS.

No. I.

HATRED AND LOVE.

"Ye that love the Lord, hate evil.”—Ps. xcvii. 10.

THERE is "a time to love, and a time to hate." This implies that there are things to love and things to hate; and that we have a capacity for both.

We can offer no explanation of the unity of these two affections -love and hatred-in our moral nature. But that they exist in the heart, and manifest themselves in the life, is without doubt. What we love we cannot hate, and what we hate we cannot love. When we love God our enmity to Him ceases, and when we hate sin, our love to sin ends. These two principles of our moral nature do not exist in comparative relative degrees-loving God more than sin, or sin less than God. But each is positive in respect to its specific object. All persons possess these opposite affections in regard to good and evil; and, as they are manifested in the life, so they develop in their personal character. Here we "discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not."

I. MORAL HATRED.

That is, hatred to "evil." This hatred manifests itself in ways that harmonise with itself.

1. In the rejection of sin. Sin is the transgression of law. It is the discord of the universe; it is the impurity of the universe. It is the mischief and ruin of all who are subject to it. Hence those who love God hate it as the accursed thing that He hates. 2. In opposition to Satan. He is "the accuser of the brethren, an "adversary," "the wicked one," "the father of lies," "the prince of the devils," "the God of the world," "the angel of the bottomless pit," "the unclean spirit," &c. Hence to hate a being of this description is perfectly in accord with moral rectitude.

II. MORAL LOVE.

This is an affection of the heart, evinced by certain attributes in the life. (1 John v. 3.) It is shown in

1. Love to God. (Matt. xxii. 37; Luke x. 27.)

2. Obedience of His commandments. Love to God cannot be confined within our hearts, but manifests itself in a desire to please Him, and in prompt and hearty practice of His commands. John xiv. 15.) As the obedience of a child is a proof of his