scorns; carnal things are against the spiritual; the ruler of the darkness of this world, the prince of this world, is against Him who is the Light of the world; and the bolder the attitude which godliness may assume, so much the more does the spirit of the world rise up against it, and strain its whole frame to beat it down. Varied and manifold are the weapons with which the world strikes the truth; sometimes, as in St. James' case, it is literally the sword; sometimes it storms against it with words and tries to thunder it down; sometimes it uses taunts and expressions of scorn, so as to make men feel ashamed of the truth, afraid to acknowledge it; sometimes it tries to jest and laugh it down, using the lighter but, alas, the keen sharp-edged weapon of ridicule, a weapon especially dangerous to the youthful mind.

It is true, that at certain periods religion seems to be gaining ground upon the world, to be almost absorbing it, to be leavening the masses of men, to be taking new strides, to be enlarging its border, to be extending its dominion over souls, to be exercising more decided influence. And beyond doubt at certain periods through the Church's more faithful use of her spiritual gifts, there is not merely an apparent,

but a real substantial growth of godliness. There are various turns in the spiritual war; neither kingdom keeps exactly the same bound; loss or gain is ever going on; the waters advance or recede; the land gains upon the water, or the water on the land; sometimes the Church puts forth vigour, warms in love to her Divine Head, and having Christ in the midst of her, makes way, takes ground from the world. Consider what are called, in a good sense of the word, revivals of religion, in our own or in earlier days, after the light has become dim, and the heart of the Church cold; these, whether of a more or less perfect form, do wrest souls from the world, and though accompanied more or less by defects are an advance of Christ's Kingdom.

But is the advance ever made in perfect peace? Does the world turn its back and fly? Does it give way at once when holy zeal springs up? Does it bend like the reed when the strong wind of awakened faith is on the rise, to let faith march on with an unopposed and triumphant force? Are the victories of the Church won easily? Do the walls of the world, like those of Jericho, fall down at the mere sound of the trumpet? Not thus is the way opened out for

the feet of saints; never has an advance been made without strong stubborn opposition, without strife, strife of some sort, persecution of some sort, whether of the coarser or of the more refined kind, whether with the sword literally, or with words of contumely, indignity, scorn, and the like, that be sharper than swords. It has been ever the same as in St. Stephen's day; however different, according to the ruder or softer temper of the times, the mode of attack and persecution, there is ever an active hatred of the truth, of all true godliness, of the Church of Christ when it shews living power and puts forth spiritual life. There is no change in the nature of the world, no real submission. Whatever constitutes "the world," a world there always is, that is, souls acted on by the evil one, his tools, his vassals, who are set against the truth, who hate godliness, who spurn heavenly wisdom as foolishness, who despise saintliness of life, reckon the spirit of self-sacrifice to be foolishness, mock devotion to God, and treat heaven and hell as dreams.

Besides noting the storms which beat upon the Church when it first began to be formed among men, mark what has happened in all these revivals of religion; mark the way in which any

spiritual movement of an earnest kind has been received; even though gaining ground, see how it has had to bear reproach, what opposition it has met, what popular tumults and outbreaks it has provoked, what heat and anger it has raised. Every development of religious earnestness, whether of a purer or of a more defective cast, every strong effort to press forward higher religious principles, and to gather men together for the bolder confession of Christ Jesus, to win souls to Christ, and to array them on the Lord's side, has fared alike; it has had to make its way along a rough rocky road. It is impossible to call to mind any such movement that was welcomed gladly, that rose into favour, that had a smooth course spread before it. Sooner or later reproach comes in all such cases, and directly a movement loses its reproach we have reason to fear that it is losing its vitality; when the world has drawn what the world would call its sting, that is, its life, its energy, its high-minded members, then, and not till then, it ceases to harass or deride it; it lets the flickering candle go out; it will not stir the embers lest fresh fire should chance to break forth.

Instead of recollecting any developments of religious life which have enjoyed the sunshine of

the world, we can more easily recollect events of just a contrary kind in casting our eyes backward. Let us fasten our thoughts upon any of these revivals of godliness that have taken place in our own land, within the borders of our own branch of the Universal Church; must we not say that the world has gnashed upon them with its teeth? Even when violence and tumult and the coarser forms of strife have not been called forth, what terms of derision and reproach have been coined; what scorn has been cast upon persons or bodies of men whose mission it has been to rouse the sleepers; what jests, what exaggerated accusations, what imputation of base motives, of fanaticism, of extravagant views, have been brought to bear against the single-minded who loved God and their brethren's souls, and had the love of Jesus glowing in their souls. "Why do they trouble us and disturb us?

What will this

babbler say? Thou art beside thyself? What is this setter forth of new doctrine ?" in such terms is the world wont to speak.

High devotion, strictness, real crucifixion to the world, zeal, mixed as they must ever be with human infirmity, whenever they begin to put forth strength, to gather souls together, to attract, to exercise influence, begin also to gather round