threads the whole narrative of Christ's life and ministry. In this we find the precious secret of his mission; in this the varied incidents of his life and death find a unity and an explanation. Nothing does he so constantly and consistently demand of his disciples as the sacrifice of worldly interests. He will have no compromise beween God and the world. He insists on the undivided homage of the soul to God, and its entire estrangement from the service of the world. He rebukes and disclaims all who, after holding the plough, would still look back; he would have his followers forsake everything and follow the truth; he would have truth prized and loved far above father and mother, wife and children, far above all earthly honours and felicities. Thorough resignation to the will of God, without any fear of consequences or solicitude for food and raiment, constitutes the chief feature of Christ's teachings. His death on the cross affords the highest practical illustration of self-sacrifice. He sacrificed his life for the sake of truth, and the benefit of the world. In obedience to the will of his Father, he laid down his life, and said -Thy will be done, O God! (Cheers.) And surely there is deeper meaning in the fact than even the orthodox attach to it, that the death of Christ is the life of the world. (Applause.) Fellow-countrymen, it is your duty to follow these precepts, and imitate this example of self-sacrifice in the cause of truth. By doing so, you will not only remove the great stigma of unprincipled selfishness which attaches to your national character, and learn to regulate your life by high moral principles, but you will be enabled to promote effectually the true welfare of your country in the peculiarly momentous crisis in which it is at present placed. In these early days of Indian reformation, when a huge mass of old errors and corruptions has to be swept away, and a firm foundation to be laid for a reformed social system, nothing is more necessary on our part than a proper appreciation of the value of truth, and a readiness to sacrifice all our temporal interests for it. Our selfishness has been our country's ruin, and even now, in spite of education, this odious selfishness is prolonging the days of India's degradation and suffering. That we may be better men and a better nation, we must eradicate selfishness. Neither the big talk of enlightened hypocrisy, nor the cold calculating policy of prudence, can remedy the evils which afflict our country. Nothing short of total self-abnegation will save our country. (Loud applause.) I assure you, brethren, nothing short of self-sacrifice, of which Christ has furnished so bright an example will regenerate India. We must love God with our whole heart; we must live and die for truth. With singleness of purpose, and with unwavering fidelity, we must obey the call of duty, and under no circumstances should we compromise our conscience. Let not sordid selfishness any longer make us indifferent to the deplorable condition of our fatherland; let us rise and bring self a voluntary victim before the throne of God, and dedicate ourselves wholly to His service and our country's welfare. (Cheers.) Enough has been the degradation of India; her sufferings are brimful. Already, through Divine grace, a transition has commenced, and the dawn of reformation is visible on all sides. But such transition is only the precursor of a mighty revolution through which India is destined to pass, and which will come with its tremendous trials in the fulness of time. With all the fury of a hurricane it will shake Native society - to its very centre, shatter to pieces all strongholds of error, and sweep off all that is evil. Then will India rise reformed and regenerated. Prepare yourselves, then, for the trials which await you. Prepare yourselves, I say, for the time is coming when you shall be called to undergo heavy self-denials, and encounter struggles and sufferings of no ordinary kind. You may not have to suffer bloody persecutions, you may not be tortured to death for truth's sake, the British Government may protect you from such extreme violence. Nevertheless, privations and sufferings of a most trying character will gather round you, and your dearest and best interests will be imperilled. Honour and wealth will forsake you, your friends and kinsmen will excommunicate you, and you may be exposed to a life of utter helplessness, in which even daily sustenance will be precarious. Be, therefore, ready and willing to meet the worst that may befall you, that you may not be found wanting in the day of trial. Fill your hearts with the love of truth, and resign yourselves to the will of God, and with self-sacrificing enthusiasm go forth to discharge your duties to your country, regardless of all consequences. (Cheers.) And the better to stimulate you to a life of self-denial, I hold up to you the cross on which Jesus died. May his example so influence you, that you may be prepared to offer even your blood, if need be, for the regeneration of your country. (Cheers.) Let my European brethren do all they can to establish and consolidate the moral kingdom of Christ in India. Let them preach from their pulpits, and exhibit in their daily life, the great principles of charity and selfsacrifice. And, on the basis of these principles, may brotherly intercourse and co-operation be established between them and my countrymen. Oh! for the day when race-antagonism shall perish, and strife, discord, and all manner of unbrotherly feeing shall for ever pass away, and harmony shall prevail among us all! May England and India, Europe and Asia, be indissolubly united in charity and love, and selfdenying devotion to truth! (Applause.) THE GREAT MEN. THE age in which we live has its advantages as well as its disadvantages. In these days of civilization and enlightenment, of industry and enterprise, of trade and manufacture, of steam and electricity, of scientific discoveries and inventions, there are on all sides cheering indications of material improvement and prosperity. But the age does not seem to be very favourable to the spiritual interests of man. In the midst of all this pomp and splendour of material prosperity, ill fares the spirit. While the senses enjoy an endless variety of physical comforts, the soul droops and pines in an uncongenial atmosphere. Modern civilization is eminently and essentially materialistic. All departments of thought and speculation are more or less of this character. The politics of the age is Benthamism, its ethics Utilitarianism, its religion. Rationalism, its philosophy Positivism. All seems dull, mechanical, unspiritual, and lifeless. In the discharge of moral and religious duties especially, and in all concerns affecting the interests of the soul, men follow not the high and immutable principles of conscience, but the low and convenient standard of conventionalism. All the nobler instincts and aspirations are smothered by the ignoble worship of custom and tradition. The orthodox fondly look through the vista of bygone ages to a romantic past, peopled with saints and prophets and angels of God, adorned with all that is fairest and goodliest and holiest, and illumined by God's direct revelations; and they fancy that by believing in that they will be saved. Those, on the other hand, |