And what does all this teach us? Does it apply only to criminals, and not at all to such righteous people as we are? Is there, then, no one among us who is seeking to betray his conscience? Have you never discovered that, as with Judas, so with you, every step in sin turns behind you into an executioner of Justice, which draws you onward in your headlong course? Have you not heard those questions of love from Jesus, which follow the sinner even until he stands but one remove from the abyss? Are there none here who have become—and are daily acting the part of traitors to the love of the Son of Man? We may not, perhaps, have approached so near the abyss, upon that precipitous path along which Judas plunged-yet it must be said that every man is on that path, who betrays his conscience, or is wittingly a traitor against the love of the Son of man. Oh, ye secure ones-ye who, as often as the divine call, "Today if ye will hear his voice," presses on your heart, begin to storm, and say, "To-morrow will be time enough," oh, let that word of alarm, "Too late," fall with fresh force on your conscience. Learn from the instance of Judas, how when a man despises the grace of Jesus, God's angels of deliverance become to his hardened heart the ministers of vengeance. Behold in his example, how a sinner, who has rushed onwards, careless, and secure, without reflection, when he comes to the precipice and desires to retreat, can go back no more, but is hurried over into the abyss below, by the very despair of his own conscience. He that hath ears to hear let him hear! He that hath ears to hear let him hear!

DISCOURSE

XVI.

THE CHRISTIAN LIFE, A GLORIFIED CHILDHOOD.

BRETHREN in Christ, what a beautiful characteristic is it of our faith, that it is so simple in itself, and begets in us a like simplicity. Where, outside the sphere of the Gospel, do we hear singleness of heart praised as a high virtue. To us, nevertheless, who are in Christ, this divine simplicity shines with the brilliancy of a jewel, as the crown of all virtues, without which the rest appear dull and dim.

The Gospel makes us single-minded, when it proclaims to us that "one thing is needful," and, together with this, imparts an inclination towards the one eternal magnet and centre, to which all our endeavors should be directed. It carries on the work also, when, after that God in Christ has become the centre of our efforts, it again simplifies all our virtues and duties, by summing them up in this one injunction: "Become as little children." Where, in all antiquity, have you heard a precept like this? And does it not sound to your hearts as a greeting from home? Does it not move upon your souls, awakening there holiest longings and sweetest anticipations?

This happy destiny of Christians to become as children, let us this day once more bring before our contemplation; and consider anew the so-often heard, but, alas! so often forgotten precept of our Lord in Matt. xviii. 3 :

"Verily, I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, yo shall in nowise enter the kingdom of heaven."

The Christian life is a glorified childhood: such is the truth which these words teach us.

That in childhood certain attributes are manifested which exhibit to us the fundamental tendencies of a Christian spirit, is inferrible from the fact that our Lord at several times, and in various though kindred aspects, set before His disciples little children as their example. And does it not readily occur to you that what the Apostle Paul affirms of love, viz.: "It believeth all things, it endureth all things, it hopeth all things," involves just the conception we form of a truly good and pious child? Indeed, may we not say, that so far as it regards the three ground-tones of the Christian life, good children might be taken as our instructors, viz.: as teachers in Faith, teachers in Love, teachers in Hope? For a general apprehension of the meaning of our Lord's precepts, I certainly know of no statement more expressive than this, that good children are to be our examples in faith, love, and hope.

It will be understood, meanwhile, that the comparison here does not hold good in all respects. That in the child, as well as in the adult, the old Adam, the poison of selfishness, exists from its earliest unfolding, is a truth well known; and we may not suffer ourselves to be deceived in regard to it, by the evil appearing in forms which belong to that sphere in which childhood lives and moves. Whether it be the mighty conqueror, who, from envy ravages whole territories with violent hand, or the child, who, from envy, spoils its playmate's toys, the old Adam is the same, even though it is clad in a child's garb. Accordingly, the language of our Saviour cannot be taken as exhorting us to become children in all points; and at the very outset, we are to bear in mind, that in the stage of childhood there also exists something which we are not permitted to transfer into our Christian life. This fact has also been set forth with sufficient definiteness by the Apostle where he says; Brethren, be not children in understanding; how beit, in malice be ye children, but in understanding be ye men." From this you perceive why

we are not at liberty to say absolutely-the Christian life is a childhood, but are obliged to add the qualification, a glorified childhood. With the assistance of our Saviour, let us now proceed to consider more closely the nature of this glorified childhood, as it manifests itself in the faith, in the love, and in the hope of the Christian.

The Christian life is a glorified childhood in FAITH. The child confides in his superiors unhesitatingly; he trusts, nothing doubting, his parents and teachers. Is there, I ask, a more touching sight than to see a group of children, who, with thirsty, inquiring eyes, are hanging to their mother, or to their father, and imbibing every word from those hallowed lips as a gospel. Nothing, I am sure, would prompt me to strive, whatever my creed might be, with more earnestness and greater conscientiousness after religious truth, than to be planted in the midst of a company of child-like hearts. In conversation with adults, I think to myself, "They need not take all I say on trust; they can see for themselves, whether I am giving them bread, or a stone." But the little darlings, they cannot be so discerning; they are entirely confident that they are receiving from me nothing but bread. Oh, thrice cursed be that man, who gives children a stone instead of bread! Well has the old German proverb said: "He who deceives a child, is as if he had ravished a virgin." For are not children's souls virgin-souls?

As now children trust, without suspicion, their superiors who speak to them, so do we, whom the Son of God has purchased with his precious, noble blood, have like faith in our Lord. Woe to him who sows distrust in the soul of the child towards the word of its mother. Cursed also be he who plants a doubt of our Lord in our souls. We hang on him with a true, thirsting eye; let other masters, if they choose, give their disciples stones for bread-a serpent for fish- —a scorpion for an egg; the word of our Lord is always the bread of life-whether I understand it or not. If I understand it, then it nourishes me. If I understand it not, then is there something stored up for me in the future. At

any rate, this I am certain of, from the mouth of my Lord no other word has ever flowed but a word of life. He who has attained to this child-like faith in his Lord, is like one who has run in from a wide sea into a safe haven.

This faith of the child we are speaking of, is a precious stone -a diamond-but it is not yet polished; therefore, it does not glisten. The child does not know why it believes, and therefore it becomes the prey of error; the natural child-faith is a faith without light. Hence, again, the exhortation of the Apostle : "Be no more children tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine." The blind child-faith is that which believes, because others have believed and testified. The glorified child-faith is that which believes because it has known. The blind child-faith is that of the Samaritans, when they believed in the word of the woman who said to them, "Come, see a man who told me all things that ever I did is not this the Christ?" The glorified child-faith is that which these same expressed afterwards, when they said, "Now we believe, not because of thy saying, for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed Christ, the Saviour of the world." The blind child-faith was that of Peter, when he believed his brother Andrew, as he told him, "We have found the Messias." The glorified child-faith is that with which Peter afterwards spoke, "We have believed and have known, that thou art Christ, the Son of the living God."

Listen, ye youth; here you have a knowledge of the great object of faith, which is not learned from parchment, nor acquired in the lecture-rooms and in the schools; for it existed long be fore your lecture rooms were built, and your schools were founded; yea, ere yet books were written in vindication of the faith, did glorified child-like souls exclaim, "We have believed and known, and have sealed this witness with our blood." I am here speaking of that knowledge which comes from the light obtained in that school, where we all have been trained-both learned and unlearned-even the school of experience. All of us alike once believed the great history of our Redemption, as it was