Genre Religion. Page - 2

To understand allmysteries, to have all knowledge, to be able to comprehend with allsaints, is a great work; enough to crush the spirit, and to stretch thestrings of the most capacious, widened soul that breatheth on this sideglory, be they notwithstanding exceedingly enlarged by revelation.Paul, when he was caught up to heaven, saw that which was unlawful,because impossible, for man to utter. And saith Christ to thereasoning Pharisee, "If I have told you earthly things, and ye believenot, how shall you believe if I tell you of heavenly things?" It isgreat lewdness, and also insufferable arrogancy, to come to the Word ofGod, as conceiting already that whatever thou readest must either bythee be understood, or of itself fall to the ground as a senselesserror. But God is wiser than man, wherefore fear thou him, and trembleat his word, saying still, with godly suspicion of thine own infirmity,What I see not, teach thou me; and, Thou art God only wise; but as forme, I am as a beast before thee.

t eat Chinese food? They won't be able to go to the country and minister in all the little country churches that are so much in need of help--they can't get Western food there! They had better have stayed at home!

After a few years had passed, however, the young man mentioned above did start to do country work, and he did it very acceptably. What is more, he even came to prefer an ordinary country meal of local food to the best Western dishes that his wife could give him at home! Seeing that, I began to realize a thing that should be a comfort to all young workers who find the food or the living conditions difficult. Over a period of time familiarity not only turns difficulty to ease, but often even removes the "dis" from dislike!

The young worker goes with an older one to make a call or two. Everything is new. Everything is strange. Everything is nerve-wearing. If a seat is offered, it is uncomfortable. If food or drink is offered, either may be unpleasant. Even if he understands more

'to live in love with Onas'--as they called him--'and with the children of Onas, as long as the sun and the moon shall endure.' 'This treaty of peace and friendship was made,' as Bancroft says, 'under the open sky, by the side of the Delaware, with the sun and the river and the forest for witnesses. It was not confirmed by an oath; it was not ratified by signatures and seals; no written record of the conference can be found; and its terms and conditions had no abiding monument, but on the heart. There they were written like the law of God and were never forgotten. The simple sons of the wilderness, returning to their wigwams, kept the history of the covenant by strings of wampum, and, long afterwards, in their cabins, they would count over the shells on a clean piece of bark and recall to their own memory, and repeat to their children or to the stranger, the words of William Penn.' The world laughed at the fantastic agreement; but the world noticed, at the same time, that, whilst the neighboring colo

hon, in Loci Communes, or system of Divinity, &c., in Augsburg Confession, and in his Apology to it.

CHAPTER VIII.

GENERAL NATURE OF THE SACRAMENTAL INFLUENCE.....121 Doctrine of the Plea-not fully developed. Scriptural view of Sacramental Influence. Man a sinner by nature and practice, Divine truth the grand instrumentality of the Spirit in our spiritual renovation. The stage of progress in this renovation, morally requisite for pardon, is that of living faith, or entire surrender to God. Evidence of this pardon or justification, is internal; peace, love, joy, testimony of the Spirit, fruits of the Spirit, and not any outward rite-Sacraments therefore only mediate and not immediate conditions of pardon-proofs, Mosheim, Reinhard, Knapp.

CHAPTER IX.

BAPTISMAL REGENERATION.....135 Is taught in Symbolical books and by the Reformers and early Theologians, Hunnius, Gerhard, Buddeus. Influ

was in China the LORD wanted me. It seemed to me highly probable that the work to which I was thus called might cost my life; for China was not then open as it is now. But few missionary societies had at that time workers in China, and but few books on the subject of China missions were accessible to me. I learned, however, that the Congregational minister of my native town possessed a copy of Medhurst's China, and I called upon him to ask a loan of the book. This he kindly granted, asking me why I wished to read it. I told him that GOD had called me to spend my life in missionary service in that land. "And how do you propose to go there?" he inquired. I answered that I did not at all know; that it seemed to me probable that I should need to do as the Twelve and the Seventy had done in Judæa--go without purse or scrip, relying on Him who had called me to supply all my need. Kindly placing his hand upon my shoulder, the minister replied, "Ah, my boy, as you grow older you will get wiser than tha

ed great, heavy childish sobs, shedid not dare to strike him, and raged the more.

If it were known that she had harbored him, the priests would be uponher, and all that she had would be taken from her and burned. She wouldnot even let him put his clothes on in her house.

"Take thy rags and begone in thy nakedness! Clothe thyself on thehillside! Let none see thee until thou art far away! Rot as thou wilt,but dare not to name me! Begone! begone! begone!"

And with his rags he fled naked through the doorway, and hid himself inthe little wood beyond.

Later, as he went on his way, he had hidden himself in the daytimebehind bushes by the wayside or off the road; he had crouched behindrocks and boulders; he had slept in caves when he had found them; he hadshrunk away from all human sight. He knew it could not be long before hewould be discovered, and then he would be shut up; and afterward hewould be as Berias until he died alone. Like unto Berias! To him itseemed as though surely never child

west? He often asked himself that question in some amusement as they approached the coast of China. They entered a long winding channel and steamed this way and that until one day they sailed into a fine broad harbor with a magnificent city rising far up the steep sides of a hill. It was an Oriental city, and therefore strange to the young traveller. But for all that there seemed something familiar in the fine European buildings that lined the streets, and something still more homelike in that which floated high above them--something that brought a thrill to the heart of the young Canadian--the red-crossed banner of Britain!

It was Hongkong, the great British port of the East, and here he decided to land. No sooner had the travelers touched the dock, than they were surrounded by a yelling, jostling crowd of Chinese coolies, all shouting in an outlandish gibberish for the privilege of carrying the Barbarians' baggage. A group gathered round Mackay, and in their eagerness began hammering each other with

nd Joseph took Jesus to Jerusalem openly soon after the supposed decree.[2]

There is dispute as to whether Jesus was born in Bethlehem or Nazareth, and the date of his birth has been placed anywhere from 4 B.C. to 7 A.D. Matthew says that Jesus was born "in the days of Herod", while Luke says it was "When Cyrenius was governor of Syria." Herod died in 4 B.C., while Cyrenius did not become governor of Syria until 7 A.D.

The romantic story of the Christ-child is not corroborated by the historians of the time and is in opposition to the theory of evolution by natural processes. And yet it is still one of the main sources of Jesus' fame, being repeated at Christmas-tide in the churches, thus connecting Jesus with God in a superhuman manner.

The consensus of scholarship is in practical agreement that the theory of the virgin birth as a link between Jesus and God is a mistake; but whose mistake was it? Jesus never referred to his miraculous birth. If he was merely a man and never heard of the r

ou," says Christ, "that he will avenge them speedily."

But now, forasmuch as this parable reacheth not (so directly) thepoor Publican in the text, therefore our Lord begins again, and addsto that other parable, this parable which I have chosen for my text;by which he designeth two things: First, The conviction of the proudand self-conceited Pharisee: Secondly, The raising up and healing ofthe cast down and dejected Publican. And observe it, as by the firstparable he chiefly designeth the relief of those that are under thehands of cruel tyrants, so by this he designeth the relief of thosethat lie under the load and burden of a guilty and disquietedconscience.

This therefore is a parable that is full of singular comfort to suchof the sinners in the world that are clogged with guilt and sense ofsin; and that lie under the apprehensions of, and that are driven toGod by the sense of the judgment that for sin is due unto them.

In my handling of this text, I shall have respect to these things

o whathappened under their eyes, they drew from the fountain-head ofthe past. The events in the ancient history of Israel, which wasnot only studied, but lived over again daily, stimulated thedesire to criticize it. The religious reflections upon naturelaid down in the myths of the people, the fairy tales, which havethe sole object of pleasing, and the legends, which are thepeople's verdict upon history--all these were welded into oneproduct. The fancy of the Jewish people was engaged by the pastreflected in the Bible, and all its creations wear a Biblical huefor this reason. This explains the peculiar form of the Haggadah.

But what is spontaneously brought forth by the people is oftenpreserved only in the form impressed upon it by the feeling andthe thought of the poet, or by the speculations of the learned.Also Jewish legends have rarely been transmitted in theiroriginal shape. They have been perpetuated in the form ofMidrash, that is, Scriptural exegesis. The teachers of theHaggadah, cal