line than of yore between the church and the world, but we are willing to hope that it has been narrowed on the side of the world rather than on the side of the church. Still, we are not at all in a satisfactory condition, nor are we making our existence and power felt as they might and ought to be. Of this we are fully aware, and are pretty well agreed that the only remedy for this state of things is a revival of religion-the infusion of a fresh life and vigour into the action of the church. This we do most certainly need, and are not wanting in efforts of a certain kind to secure it. We talk about it, and in some sort labour for it, and pray for it; but talk and labour and prayer seem alike abortive: we fail and are laughed at for our pains. But, say some, "There have been revivals. These religious awakenings are linked inseparably with such names as Luther, Wesley, and Whitfield; and there are revivals now: witness the recent one in America." We do not deny any of these assertions. We would not seek to qualify or weaken them; but is it not too true that our local revivals are, for the most part, mere local excitements, arising from some temporary local stimulus, which, when it has passed away, leaves the church in a state of exhaustion-like that of a man who has overworked himself under the stimulus of some pressing emergency. We cheerfully acknowledge the reality and vast spiritual influence of the great religious movements which have taken place in Europe during the last four centuries; but no thoughtful student of history can fail to see that the leaders of those movements did not even pretend to claim originality for themselves, or to set up their modes of action as models for future ages; and it is obvious also that, as the specific hindrances to the progress of the church were greatly different in their respective times to what they are in ours, they must be met by an altogether different course of action to that which they adopted; though it is at the same time true that our action must spring from the same source, and be based upon the same great principle as theirs.

For these principles and facts in their relation to religious revival where shall we look, but to the first revival of religion in the early christian church-the "day of Pentecost," when "there were added to the church about 3,000 souls." If we can for a little while set aside all our pet plans of doing God's work, and come with humility and reverence to see how it was done by "the glorious company of the apostles; we may perchance learn a lesson which shall show us where and why we have so often failed, and how we may henceforth succeed.

The first revival was not a manufactured one: it arose spontaneously and naturally out of certain antecedents. It was not chaotic, but orderly, for its incidents were all natural and beautifully dependent upon each other. It was not spasmodic or intermittent in its character, nor exhaustive in its effects upon the church, leaving ít in a state of pitiable collapse or helpless coma; but its results were bracing, healthy, and permanent. The death, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord, had now become facts in history-surrounded no longer by the dim haze of prophecy, they stood forth things of the past, and the disciples were left to the fulfilment of their onerous mission in the world-the application of the healing truths underlying these facts to the diseased heart of humanity. They numbered, apostles and disciples together, about 120-" the day of Pentecost was fully come," and "they were all with one accord in one

place." Here was a concentration of the believers, not in person merely, but in will, purpose, and energy; for "they were all with one accord." Peter, the impulsive-Thomas, the dubious-John, the gentle-and all the Apostles, with their brethren, to the number of 120. For a little while, all their characteristics and idiosyncracies merged beneath the swelling tide of their newly found relationship of holy christian love, like islands lost beneath the rising waters. The risen Christ had promised to "indue them with power from on high." They had met with faith in that promise, and it was fulfilled. "There came a sound from Heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, which filled all the house where they were sitting, and there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them." There was no distinction. "They were all with one accord"; and they all shared the Divine Gift; " and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance." Their natural faculties were raised into a higher sphere, and powers unfelt before were awakened within them ;* perhaps, indeed, this was a momentary manifestation of what is possible to-and one day to be realized in-the nature of every man, who, by harmony with God, becomes an organ of the Divine Spirit. This possession of the Spirit gave a spontaneity and freshness to their indwelling life, and consequently to their outward acts. There was no mechanical formalism, no acting and speaking by the conventional rule and square, but the very opposite of all this: "they began to speak as the Spirit gave them utterance.” It was not like much of our christian communion in these days-the wearisome process of drawing water from a well or pumping it from a cistern; but the irrepressible gush of a spring, free, natural, easy and harmonious. Nor were the disciples selfish in their appropriation of the Divine Gift-exhausting it in intercourse with each other. They remembered the world lying in the arms of the wicked one, and the mission of the holy Christ "to destroy the works of the devil;" and they went forth to preach His gospel to the multitude, who had gathered to revile, and to attribute the holy enthusiasm of the saints to drunkenness with "new wine." They "preached Christ ;" and let us mark well in these days of "funny preaching," and "the gospel according to Punch," how the apostles preached on that day. They preached what Paul afterwards in his epistle to the Corinthians, called "the Gospel." "How that Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures, and rose again the third day, according to the scriptures." The burden of Peter's preaching was not that which is often called "preaching Christ" in these times. It was not sentimental talk about the "Joys of Heaven "-nor horrifying fulminations of the crude conceptions of coarse minds respecting the "terrors of Hell "-nor exaggerated statements of man's weakness and the Devil's strength-nor abstruse disquisitions on "fate, foreknowledge, and free-will"-but its burden was man's personal sin brought home to his individual conscience; God's great love to sinful man; and Christ's redeeming work-putting away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Nor did it satisfy Peter merely to state these things-repeating them again and again-he took the trouble to prove them by a reference to specific facts; and when that statement of truth and its proof had produced conviction, he gave plain

See Neander's "History of the Planting and Training of the Christian Church by the Apostles,” pp. 7-16. ~ Bohn's edition.

directions as to how salvation could be secured. The conviction thus produced, was not a dim ill-defined sense of guilt and disharmony with God, but a consciousness of personal rebellion against Him, and personal insult offered to Him in the rejection of His mercy and the crucifixion of His Son. The preaching of Peter had been very personal: he had set their own "sins in order before their eyes" in all their hideousness of nature and aggravation of circumstance; he did not take the edge off his charge by saying "they" and "we." His sermon was by no means free from what uneasy critical hearers of modern churches would call " personalities" and "egotisms." "God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ." They felt the force and saw the truth of the appeal-an appeal not to terror, or hope, or selfishness merely, but to facts, and man's conscious relation to them. They saw that it was 66 an evil and bitter thing to sin against God," and that they stood exposed to all the consequences of so doing; and they hailed with gladness the "remission of sins" proclaimed to them "in the name of Jesus Christ"; "and on the same day there were added to the church about 3,000 souls." The men were faithful, the means simple, the success glorious. Thanks be to God! that graven in the imperishable annals of history, there lives such a record as this-at once an encouragement and a rebuke to the church-a rebuke, when it neglects the Master's work, or seeks to do it with the devil's tools, or those of mere human wisdom-an encouragement when it wakens up from the mistakes of the past to a clear recognition of the work it has to do in the world, and the way in which Christ would have it done. And what of these 3,000 converts, the result of this day's revival, was their religion the temporary effect of mere excitement-physical and mental? No! it was the offspring of deep conviction and earnest faith, for "they continued steadfast in the apostle's doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread and in prayers;" brotherly love and sympathy bound them together; they regarded themselves practically as members of a body of which, if one member suffered all the rest suffered with it; "they were together, and had all things common, and sold their possessions, and. goods, and parted them to all, as every man had need; and all was crowned with sincerity and joy, the sap and flower of religious life"they did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God"; and He visited their faithfulness with his continued presence and blessing; "the Lord added to the church daily such as

should be saved."

Such was this Model Revival-the first in the Christian church, and placed on record for the instruction of all ages. The more carefully it is examined the more apparent will be its beauty, and the more will it be seen to be a development of the religious life in complete harmony with the genius of Christianity-the dignity of truth-and those laws of mind by which alone truth can gain a passage to the roots of our spiritual nature; and we think we shall not be far from the truth in asserting that every true revival will-in the main-reveal the same plan as this; and that if we would see a revival, we must, in its great features, take this as our model; we mean, that a true revival of religion cannot be manufactured mechanically, but must arise spontaneously

and naturally out of certain antecedents which are easily ascertained. It is one of the vainest things in the world to say "Go to now: let us have a revival of religion," as men band together, and say, "Let us build a church :" and to set about manufacturing it by advertisements and special meetings, as men get up a political excitement. It cannot be thus made to come. We may proclaim our own folly, and compromise the dignity of Christianity, and do permanent injury to the church; but not so is the work of the Lord to be revived in the midst of the years.

There must be unanimity of will and concentration of effort. These must mark the fellowship, labours, and prayers of the church; they must be "agreed " as touching the kingdom of God. Jealousy, religious recrimination, sectarian rivalry, are all fatal to the spread of religion. When a church is thus bound together, it becomes the possession and dwelling place of the Spirit of God; and that Spirit lifts the whole nature into a higher light, and a holier life; the church thus becomes " a city set on a hill," and men, beholding the good works of the citizens, are led to glorify their Father who is in Heaven.

"How came it, men of faith, to pass

That ye were mighty-handed?
How break ye down the gates of brass
When few of ye were banded?
It was that through your open soul,

God like a tide did onward roll,
And left no vessel stranded."

To these must be added a setting forth of Christ before the people: a preaching of His Gospel as Peter preached it-bringing sin home to them by pointing to the facts of their own individual everyday life— thus awakening in their souls a sense of personal guilt; and then directing them to Christ as a Saviour. These two points are the great themes of a christian teacher-the exposition of individual sin—and the exhibition of God's love and pardon in the gift and grace of Christ. In these preliminaries we have a three-fold cord which cannot be broken-Christian Unity, for which Christ prayed in order that the world might recognizein Him "the Sent of God;"—the indwelling Spirit, which Christ promised should be given to His church to "convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment;"-and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is "the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." When these three become combined, a revival is inevitable-all hell cannot keep it back. Without them a true revival is not possible, the whole church cannot bring it about.

Brothers! let us have a revival based upon these principles, and noblest results will follow. Our converts will then not only be numerous, but what is better, they will be steadfast-steadfast because natural. We may force plants in a hothouse, but they will not live when exposed to the wind and rain and frost; if we would have them live, we must, grow them naturally. So we may base a spurious chapel and Sunday religion upon physical and mental excitement-upon mere hopes of Heaven, and fears of hell; but it will not live in the blights of the workshop and market, and in the-now keen and now debilitatingatmosphere of every day life. It has no stamina wherewith to sustain

itself amid corruption, or to resist temptation; but let a revival be based upon the New Testament model, and it will be durable and strong. Our converts will be jubilant with praise, and radiant with gladness and joy. Let us be with one accord, in one place. Let us each be organs of the Spirit of God. Let there be in our lives a constant setting forth of Christ-a condemnation of sin in the flesh, and then "God shall bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God."

TWELVE MONTHS AMONG THE JESUITS IN ENGLAND.

(Continued from page 97.)

I HAVE more than once referred to the father of the novices. No other Jesuit with whom I ever conversed left so pleasing an impression on my mind. Gentle as a nurse, considerate, patient, and thoroughly sincere, I dearly loved him. Not so the minister, his deputy. At his first appearance, six months after my entrance, a shadow fell on my heart. His countenance repelled me. Of all the Jesuits I saw at Stoneyhurst, he seemed the most insincere. I never heard a word from his lips that could edify or inspire devotion. He always seemed tired in body or mind of something that was never to be disclosed. But this last trait was evident enough in all the fathers I knew. Cold and unimpassioned on the most vital topics of religion, they never brightened up except when the affairs of the Society were discussed. Had I gone among these men as an enemy, I might suspect my impressions; but I went as a friend, as a passionate admirer. It was scarcely my fault if the peculiarities of their minds did not please me.

Cool cleverness is essential to a Jesuit, whose joy at success is subdued, and whose annoyance at failure has no voice. Means where given us in the novitiate to acquire this frame of mind. We played at backgammon, chess, and draughts, and even football. Our times of play were recreation days. Although these days came round every week pretty regularly, they were occasionally stopped; they were always announced, thereby giving us to understand that they did not come as a matter of course. But on the great festivals, such as Christmas, Easter, the feast of St. Ignatius, Xavier, Aloysius, and Holy Innocents, we invariably made merry. We now and then went out a walk in the vicinity, but generally selected the unfrequented paths. Before starting, a list was read over, dividing the novices into companies of four, each under the guidance of a second year's novice, and the litany of the Virgin Mary was then repeated rapidly. The sound of our voices reminded one of that husky guttural tone with which the palanquinbearers in the East supply the place of a pedometer, and kill monotony : to their own satisfaction at least, if not to that of the traveller. The list was in Latin, the litany was in Latin, and we talked Latin for the first hours of recreation, on all occasions. To those whose tongues are habitually tied, I doubt not that Hebrew or Chinese would soon be sufficiently mastered as a vehicle of thought, if they were the only languages permitted to be spoken. We avoided other companies, and were not allowed to speak with one another if by any chance we met. We raised