benefit also, seek it with singleness of heart. Let no unworthy desire of carnal happiness or worldly advancement interfere with your earnest striving after regeneration. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God," and that alone, and all things needful shall be added unto you. You have only to place your deepest faith in the Lord, and He will do all that is good for you and your country. Bestir yourselves then, my brethren, and strive earnestly, humbly, and prayerfully, to attain that faith which alone can give you true life, and remedy all the manifold evils to which you are individually and nationally subject. Freely and frankly confess your sins, and neither hide them nor palliate them; but with sincere contrition and remorse fall beneath the feet of the great God, the Father and Saviour of us all. Put your entire faith and trust in that ever-living and ever-present Reality; that Personal God of righteousness and mercy who encompasseth you; prayerfully depend upon His redeeming grace, and, with resignation, say ever and anon-Lord, Thy will be done. Such faith, accompanied by repentance, resignation and prayer, such childlike faith, the Merciful Father will abundantly bless. His holy spirit working through such faith will effect individual and national regeneration, and establish the kingdom of heaven in all hearts, in all families, and amongst all the nations of the earth.

HЕ love of freedom is the chief characteristic

Tof the present age. This would be at once THE

evident if we consider the boastful spirit of self-gratulation in which men talk of their living in the "nineteenth century." Aspirations for freedom and aversion to all manner of slavery so thoroughly pervade the spirit of the age that they find their expression in the very name of the present century, and mark it as pre-eminently and emphatically the age of freedom. This love of freedom manifests itself in all departments of speculation and practice. In politics, men aspire to that form of government in which every section of the community may be fairly and fully represented. In education, the cry all over the civilized world is-enlighten the masses, and deliver them from the bondage of ignorance. In society, there is an earnest struggle to break through the fetters of tradition, custom, and conventionalism. In religion also we see the effects of a strong desire to enfranchise the spirit. It has unsettled men's faith in old doctrines and dogmas, and shaken their respect for authority, It has led men to believe that nothing short of the most fearless and independent investigation will enable them to obtain truth. The infallibility of established churches has been disputed; and amidst the confusion and perplexity of countless and multiplying sects, men are anxiously looking forward to, and speculating about, the probable Church of the Future, wherein they hope to find truth and peace. Dantisfied with the present, many are seeking in the future the realization of their ideas of the true church, It is beginning to be felt that the past

cannot be the ruler of the present, and the theology of the present day must give way to something higher and better, and more in keeping with the advanced state of men's intelligence. In solving the question of the future church, each person is naturally guided by his own peculiar ideas, convictions, and inclinations. Each religious sect concludes that its dogmas and doctrines will prevail at last, and that all other creeds will ultimately yield to its power. It is of great importance to theology to harmonize, if possible, such conflicting opinions and hopes, and determine, honestly and dispassionately, where all religious movements will most likely meet and unite in future; so that the hearts and minds of contending sects may be brought together, and made to pursue the common path which leads to the future church. The problem before us is not only of vast theological importance, but is full of religious interest. Our faith and our best spiritual interests depend upon its issues. It must be admitted that the future and the past both influence our life and conduct. Hope is as mighty a motive of action as the lessons suggested by experience. The prospects of what is before us, and the convictions of what is behind, lead us forward by a double force. It is therefore necessary for every believer to be assured that the church to which he belongs has not only a glorious past, but also a glorious future. Such assurance will intensify his faith, and make him labour to abide by his church faithfully. To know that my church will give way to another would be to give up my church as false. The true church must be the future church. Hence every sincere believer is bound, for the sake of truth and salvation, to decide the interesting question of the future church of the world.

The method I intend to adopt in the treatment of the subject before us is to follow, as far as possible, the lessons taught by history, and to make facts of the past the basis of my arguments. It is to be regretted that speculations about the future church generally contain more of poetry than philosophy, and show more of what men wish than what facts warrant. It will not do to soar into the heights of fancy, and behold, looming at a distance, a church fashioned after our own hearts, grand and magnificent, adorned with all the richest colours of heaven which our own imagination could conjure up. It will not do to allow the wish to be father to the thought in this matter, and to argue such must be the nature of the future church because one wishes it. I purpose to avoid all imaginary schemes and poetical sentiments, and to accept for my guidance the light of actual facts as recorded in history. Every sensible man must have due respect for history, as it portrays the actual manifestations of the human mind, and gives us accurate data for all our reasonings about its future action. It will doubtless be foolish to speculate about the future without the aid of the past. For it is only from an induction of facts which have actually happened that we can divine with tolerable accuracy what may happen in future. And this is all that I purpose to do to-night. It is not for me to make a prophecy as to the exact character of the church of the future; I can only speak of probabilities, and shall humbly endeavour to give the general outlines of what appears most likely to be the future church of the world, according to the light of the past.

If we study the human mind we shall find that there are two poles, if I may so express it, of the axis of thought on which the mind revolves.

There are two opposite and antithetical ideas in the mind which always struggle with each other in the history of individuals and nations. When indifference or disgust drives the mind from the one, it is generally impelled towards the other. Men seldom pursue the golden mean of truth in which the two are harmonized. The majority of men, thoughtful as well as thoughtless, miss it, either through carelessness or bigotry, and are carried about by extreme and one-sided views. Should any cherished idea prove after a time disagreeable, erroneous, or mischievous, they not only renounce it and hate it, but with the zeal of renegades rush impetuously to its opposite extreme. Sometimes it so happens. that when the latter again in course of time appears wrong, they run back with reactionary violence to their former position. As an illustration, let me refer to the two opposite ideas of matter and spirit. So long as men simply try to perform their domestic and social duties all goes on well; but when some are struck with the evil effects of too much devotion to worldly pursuits, they abandon materialism and worldliness, hate riches and sensual pleasures, and fly into the regions of idealism and mysticism. So also in the case of authority and freedom; if we put men's souls long in fetters, and subject them to the control of books, priests, dogmas, and other theological and religious restraints, no sooner are their eyes opened to their degraded position than they indignantly fling off their bonds, and often, alas! convert their new-bought freedom into license, and become free-thinkers. Again, when scepticism is found to be a great evil, men run back to superstition for safety. Various instances of this kind abound in the history of mankind; and they deserve our serious consideration.