Teacher who would show them their real condition and make plain the way of escape from the dangers that now await them.

When we look around and see how much teaching of “religion" there is, and how much expense is involved in being a Christian, the view is, indeed, discouraging, and many become disheartened and turn away from all church organizations. Oh, that these, and that all of us, would take lessons from our inward Teacher, who would first point to the line which separates Truth from error, and having made this plain, would then supply us with grace sufficient to enable us to keep on the right side of the line. If we desire to have Christ for our Teacher we must enter his school, where we shall find that the rules of discipline are all summed up in one word, and that word is the all-important one, OBEDIENCE. Observe this, and our daily lessons of instruction will broaden out before us and we shall feel our spiritual part expanding and strengthening, until we can realize what is meant by a growth in holiness.

I believe there are in this assembly not a few who desire to be found walking in the way of well-doing, and whose morning aspirations often ascend to the Father in the unvocal but soul-felt language, Teach me thy will, make known to me thy statutes, be my Guide and my Deliverer, that my soul may live. If such be the secret prayer of your hearts, dear friends, whoever you are, wherever you are, no sectarian walls can separate you from me, or us from each other. The love of God, when it fills the heart of man, breaks down every barrier; it obliterates all names; it reaches "from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth."

As we advance from one condition to another we are en

us.

abled to speak of "that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and our hands have handled, of the Word of life. That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with And truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ." The work of religion will thus be discovered to be a very simple one. And let us remember that it is God's work with ourselves, that it is not the cultivation of the moral or of the intellectual powers, but the listening to the voice of God as heard in the secret of the soul.

It is well for us to read the Holy Scriptures and reverently to accept what we find there recorded, but, at the same time, to remember that, though we may read them from youth to old age, they cannot save us, for there is but one thing that can save us, and that is the power of God. I want that we should understand these things, for my spirit at times travails in concern for the influences which are so moving the people in this day to teach religion, to explain the Bible. But when we attempt to explain anything so sacred how important it is that we explain it aright, for otherwise our explanation may do harm instead of good. There is grave danger of the young having stamped upon their understanding thoughts and opinions which spring from minds that have not been enlightened by the influence of Divine grace. Here comes the difficulty. The natural man can give only the letter. He cannot make clear the meaning, the interpretation of that which holy men of old wrote or "spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." If there is to you or to me, value in that Holy Book, with a capacity to comprehend

the depth of its meaning, it is as we come to be illuminated by God's power. For it is as this power breaks through the shell or letter that we can get at the kernel which is encased therein. Hence, how important it is that those who attempt to explain the meaning of the Holy Scriptures should themselves first have their understanding enlightened by Him who would enable them to penetrate the shell, and thus find the kernel. By all means let our children read these sacred writings, and let us have them read in our families and in our schools, and there let the matter rest, saying to the adult young people, as Paul did to Timothy, "And that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."

It is he who has grown up by faith, grown in grace, who is able to understand aright the writings of the holy men of old, who "spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." Until our eyes are anointed with the eye-salve of God's kingdom and we come to receive instruction from on high, we are unable to crack through the shell of the Scriptures and to extract from them the spirit or kernel; and when we, in our unenlightened state, attempt to explain them to others, is it not like the blind leading the blind?

When we come to realize the wisdom, power, love and grace of God, and are made willing to learn in the school of Christ, we shall be preserved from teaching for doctrine the commandments of any man, for we shall have the discerning spirit that will enable us to discriminate between those whom the Lord has anointed and those whom He does not anoint.

We may remember it is recorded that there were shepherds who watched their flocks by night, to whom the angels

declared that there had been born in Bethlehem, Christ the Lord, and that there was where they should find Him. These were they who, when they beheld the Babe, fell down and worshipped Him. I would to God that each of us may come to know the birth of this blessed Babe in our souls. Oh, come, come, surrender self, and let the blessed Saviour be brought forth in you and know Him as "Wonderful," "Counselor," "The Mighty God," "The Everlasting Father," "The Prince of Peace." I desire not to multiply words, but that we should weigh the value of the religion of our Lord Jesus Christ, of which every one of us may become the possessor, and by so doing he will add to his happiness in the present state of being, and, on arriving at the end of life's journey, will be permitted to join the innumerable company of the redeemed, who "sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are thy ways, thou King of Saints !"

CHAPTER X.

A RETROSPECT.

Having followed our friend through the different stages of his life, we are now prepared for a Retrospect. In order to discover the sources of the influences by which it was molded we must view that life from three distinct points.

As is the case with most lives, ancestry and environment

played an important part in the molding, but far above either of these, and more potent than both of them combined, was the influence of the Holy Spirit. In tracing the lines of his experience, unless we keep in view these three factors, we fail to form a true estimate of his character or to judge of his conduct aright. Inherited traits, surrounding conditions and devoted attention to the inward voice, made Samuel J. Levick the natural man, the social man and the Gospel minister that he was.

His ancestry was French, English and Welsh,* and those who knew him intimately could scarcely fail to observe the marked traits attributable to these three sources. He was alert, vivacious and social. He was candid, persistent and tenacious of rights. He was brave, honorable and very tender-hearted. Not only could the racial traits be noted, but also the characteristics of certain individuals from whom he had descended, though several generations removed. In "Besse's Sufferings of Friends" may be found the names of a number of his ancestors who evinced unusual courage and unshaken loyalty to their convictions, while they suffered the distraint of their property, the deprivation of their liberty, or left their native land to find an asylum where they would not be persecuted for conscience' sake.

In "Piety Promoted" is a very interesting account of Peter Fearon (son of John and Elizabeth Fearon, the greatgreat-great-grandparents of Samuel J. Levick), who came. out in the ministry before he was twenty years old, who traveled extensively and who was highly esteemed as a minister and as a man. In the life of this Burlington Friend,

* The Levicks far back were French; the Manloves, Wetherills, Nobles and Fearons were English; the Joneses, Lewises and Hayeses were Welsh.