Year: 1875

you will honestly try to do right
and trust his fatherly love, which is
yours, whether you know it or not.
| But there is another class, and
perhaps much larger one, whose
trouble comes from the other side
In every revival, especially, there are
persons who, having, as they believe,
entered on the Christian life, think
that they are out of all difficulty, and
that for them the essential thing is
ALREADY done. Now, that is as if a
child that has just entered primary
school should suppose that it had
got an education. It is as if boy
just bound apprentice to a mechanic
sholld think he had obtained a live
lihood for all his days. Beginning a
Christian life is only beginning.
There needs daily, hourly work to
follow it, clear to the end of fe.


There is some religious teaching
that is liable to mislead men about
this. We read of Mr.. Moody using
this illustration: When in the old
days a slave ran away he was in
deadly peril so long as he was on A
merican soil, but the very instant he
stepped across the Canada line, he
was absolutely sale. So, said Mr..
Moody, you may step in moment
from the kingdom OF sin to the king
dom Of Christ and be secure. Now,
that illustration seems to us likely
to mislead Practically, no man cs-
capes from the bondage of sin in a
moment, or in day, or in year.
He may set out to escape, he may
tnrn squarely roand and begin to
forsake his evil habits, aud from the
very first he may have a joyful sense
tha; God is his helper. But he is
somewhat like the slave when he
first SCI l,;s face toward the North
star with a thousand miles Of travel
before him. with difficulties and dan
GERS enDugh to tax his every resource.
In tlle New Testament the Christian
lie is continually likel:cd to the
soldiers l.ie. It's word is, ''De sober,
he r,g;ian.!" Put on the whole ar
NOR oi God, that ye may be able to
s;ansl against the wiles OF the devil"
w atchl" There is courage and JOY
III eves toae of the Gospel, but it is
the courage of the resolute and faith
!ul soldier; it is the JOY of pressing
on and always on, into noble attain
ment. Ii ever a man had a conver-
sion that was sudden and complete,
+. was Paul. But there is not the
least hint in Paul's words that he
looked back to find in that expert
ence his assurance or his hope. lie
said that he forgot those things that
dre behind, and reached forth unto
these things which are before. lie



had such sense of the glorious ideal
revealed in Chlist, the splendid pos
sibilities of divine manhood, that his
whole soul went out in the aspiration
to rise higher and into that life of
closest union with God. And our
salvation from ignoble and slothful
content lies in getting some such
sense of what God calls US to.


Religion is not an escape from
punishment. 1t is being good and
doing good. Any one who sees a
chance to do right where he is tempt
ed to do wrong, or to give SO much
as cup of cold water to one who
needs it, may begin in that very act to
live Christian life. He will never
reach the place to pause so long as
he is less good than his highest
thought of goodness, and so long as
there is one creature that needs his
Decentralization U1aion


(For the Educator.)


| Kr. Editor;