We can hear some critical doubting one saying, "It isn't scientific to say that we have actually seen the Master. I will show the disciples what they have not thought of, and how to reason out the matter." Ah, critics will dwindle in that day! Some of them will be ashamed of what they wrote as well as spoke. Faith is not in the fingers. It is not found by analysis, by knife and dissection. Scientific methods don't help. Faith is an open eye and heart, an inward throb, a vision, a personal experience. I do not read that Thomas did as Jesus suggested. I think that the disciples would have hissed him out of the room had he been so coarse, rude, and vulgar as to prod those wounded hands and pierced side with his exploring fingers. We, too, are to gain a spiritual apprehension of divine truth. Except ye are converted and become like little children, ye cannot enter the kingdom of heaven."

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Remember, friends, that Christ is always here. Livingstone, writing home from Africa, adopted the words of the "May Queen," and said :

"I shall look upon your face; Tho' I cannot speak a word, I shall harken what you say,

And be often, often with you when you think I'm far away."

In a fuller sense the ever-present Master looks into our hearts and homes today. He sees our hopes and doubts. He is ready to relieve. Give not away to despondency. Doubting does not make you a Thomas. Lying under the juniper-tree does not make you an Elijah. Cursing and swearing does not make one a Peter. This is not the way to reason, though some commentators seem to think so. Elijah had his triumph, and Peter lifted up his voice, and three thousand were converted. Thomas was not all the time in an eclipse. There was light on the far side. He rose from his despondency. I come home weary and stretch out upon the lounge. My little four-year-old comes and stands by me. She looks down on me and says, "I'm bigger than

papa !'' But if he pulls himself up again and stands erect, she is not much above his knee. Thomas leaps from his supine posture. His faith conquers, and there rings out from his lips, as bells peal forth from a lofty steeple, the glad yet reverent exclamation, "My Lord and my God!" Gabriel before the throne could have given no better testimony. This is a rock on which Unitarianism splits to shivers. Had Christ been simply an honest man, He would have objected to such adoration. He received Thomas's uttered recognition of His divinity, for it was the intelligent and triumphant declaration of an enlightened soul that rose serenely above all doubt into the clear light of knowledge and of love,

"As some tall cliff, that lifts its awful form, Swells from the vale and midway leaves the

storm.

Though round its breast the rolling clouds are spread,

Eternal sunshine settles on its head."

Oh, for such a victorious faith! The Lord's Supper, to which some of you are now looking forward, is one of the helps to secure it. There at the feast it is your privilege to see the face, and grasp, as it were, the very hand of Jesus. There you may take a firmer hold on eternal verities and rest upon Him, whom having not seen, ye love, and in whom believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. I close this talk with His own words to Thomas, "Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed." He meant to be even with Thomas, as if He had said, "You have seen Me, looked upon and handled the Word of Life, but that will not last long, and I am to be off soon. But I'm coming back for good and all. We shall never part. Meantime, within the veil I'll be very busy; therefore, trust me, let not your heart be troubled. You shall soon see me again, and your joy shall be full." He looked down the ages and saw you and me in this century. Yes, "Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed." Endeavor to be worthy of

A GREAT QUESTION ANSWERED.

BY C. V. ANTHONY D.D. [METHODIST], SAN FRANCISCO, CAL.

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?-Micah vi. 8.

THE prophet wrote as though uttering the last words in a great controversy, as if settling a great question that would never be raised again. We shall see that that question-no doubt great in his day-is the question in ours. We shall see that this answer-the only one then-is the only satisfactory one we now have, or ever can have. We shall best see what that question is by a few plain statements.

1. Without controversy the highest, noblest element in man is his moral nature, with all that the word involves. It is this that most distinguishes him from the brute. It is this that leads him to look upward toward his God and cherish immortal hopes.

2. It ought to be conceded that a man's highest destiny, either as an individual or in society, can never be achieved if this element of his nature be neglected.

3. To gain this end of conformity to our highest nature in moral and spiritual matters, we need to know the law of our being on this subject, no less than on those interests pertaining to our lower nature.

4. No one can question but that man's greatest deficiency is and ever has been in this department of being. Here, then, he needs most instruction and help.

It follows that the greatest practical question man can ask is: "How shall

I live? What shall I do to meet the highest destiny of which I am capable, both for time and eternity ?" And somehow we feel instinctively that the answer to that question is bound up in another: "What is right and what is wrong? What is the true standard of virtue ?" This question the prophet answers. A few considerations will convince us that it can be answered in no other way.

1. No man can answer it out of the depth of his own judgment. His reasoning faculties are especially at fault when he decides duty in the face of prejudices and inclinations. He is ever engaged in bringing down his ideas of ethics to the standard of his conduct, instead of bringing up his conduct to a fixed rule of right.

2. It cannot be answered by conscience. It is not the province of conscience to tell what is right or wrong in law. This seems to be the error of Pope when he says:

"What conscience dictates to be done,

Or warns me not to do,

This teach me more than hell to shun,
That more than heaven pursue."

The truth is, conscience never decides anything except to condemn us when we do what we think is wrong, and approve us when we do what we think is right. If we are mistaken about the question of right and wrong, our consciences will condemn for doing right, and approve for doing wrong. This is actually true to-day of millions of human beings in this world. Conscience needs an infallible law, and needs to be educated in it, and needs to know the authority that is back of it.

3. It cannot be answered by expediency. This is the great mistake of Herbert Spencer. He supposes the necessities of animal life, to secure the conditions of existence and the perpetuation of the species, led to the settlement of ethics in the brute world, and that ours is only a more complicated system growing out of our more complicated environment. As though our highest

nature was from beneath rather than

above, of earth rather than heaven; from the beast that perishes rather than from the Lord of Light and Glory! But no community can settle the eternal principles of moral conduct any more than the laws of physics can be settled by popular suffrage! He who planned the lowest did not forget the highest. He who "made us of clay" also "formed us men!" He only can determine what is good. He only can settle the question of His own requirements. And when so fixed, His moral laws are as universal as His natural laws. The laws of light that control the taper in your hand control the radia tions of the mighty sun, whose light has been hundreds of years reaching the instrument by which only you can know that it exists. God's moral law is His law, and is law wherever a moral being lives. What is right on earth is right in heaven. What is wrong on earth is wrong in hell!

4. Finally, the Church cannot answer it. This is the most serious error of the Roman Catholic Church; one that has its effect in producing nearly all other errors of that great Church. They suppose a council or a pope can determine what is right and wrong. Not only so, but they pretend to discriminate between mortal and venial sins. They further claim that they can measure the exact degree of an offence, and so prescribe the exact penalty in the shape of penance that will atone for it. The Church can no more be trusted than the community. The streams of Divine grace must flow abundantly and constantly through the Church, or it becomes corrupt as any political party. It would not be difficult to show by the bistory of the Church that its accredited authorities at some time or another have declared every right thing wrong, and every wrong thing right.

We see, then, that upon any human foundation we can build nothing solid in ethics. Our conceptions of right and wrong will change like the shifting sands on the sea-shore, where the winds break and the tides beat against them.

What a flood of light pours in upon this great darkness when we read again the words of the prophet: "He," God, "hath shewed thee, O man, what is good;" He has not left us in doubt and uncertainty in so great a matter. He has given us His Holy Word to teach us. Then, as though it were a small thing to tell us where to find the answer, He answers it in the most beautiful and comprehensive manner: "And what doth the Lord”—in the original, Jehovah-" require of thee but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" Let us now see the completeness of this answer.

1. The answer is practical. A great deal is said about truth, meaning thereby what is to be received intellectually. God don't put that in the foreground when He speaks to us. It may be that we magnify that subject too much. The man who asked in the New Testament,

What is truth ?" did not care enough for the answer to wait for it, but hurried off, like the tricky politician that he was, to extricate himself from the complications into which his official responsibility had plunged him. He returned not to find the truth, but to save himself by crucifying the Son of God! It is to be feared that thousands ask the question as an excuse for neglect. As though not knowing the truth about everything, they were free to do as they pleased about anything. Suppose we change the question, and, instead of asking what to think, we shall begin to ask what we must do? The prophet's words are a perfect answer. The truth God wants is "truth in the inward parts"-truth in conduct, truth in character. The man that dwells in His Holy Hill must walk uprightly and work righteousness, and speak the truth in his heart. He must be pious, profitable, and pure.

2. Again, the answer covers the whole ground. Its completeness may be seen both in its form and in the principles it contains.

Let us first look at the form. There is a beautiful blending of these thoughts,

and an inter-relation that may escape the attention of the careless reader. We begin with the injunction to do justly. This we can do. We are not told that we must love to do justly. This we ought to do, but we ought also to be honest and harmless, whether we like it or not. There must be a place in every right endeavor where the will triumphs over the inclination. And just as society will not excuse a crime because the man who committed it had a strong bias toward evil, so we should be strict with ourselves, and determine to do right whatever we desire or suffer. But there is a place in character much higher than this; and there we need a higher motive and stronger impulse. So God requires us to "love mercy." We shall not do much mercy unless we do love it; but for this the affections must be right. And here I find God's requirements take me beyond myself. I cannot love or hate at will. My nature must be changed. He has a perfect right to require of me what His grace will help me accomplish. So this step fittingly leads to the next. We must walk humbly with God. He never intended that we should live alone. Only as He leads us can we reach our highest destiny.

Let us now turn our attention briefly to these principles. They are placed in an order that presents a climax beginning at the lowest and ending with the highest. To do justly is the negative side of a pure and right character. It is very important that we be innocent, that we do no harm; but it is not all of a true character by a great ways. When Pope says:

"A wit's a feather and a chief's a rod,

An honest man's the noblest work of God,"

he says what may be true enough of an honest man when compared with a wit or a chief, but what is infinitely defective when compared with a saint. When Divine power taxed itself to complete its highest work, it did not stop with a mere negative character. "To love mercy" is to be like Him. It is not only to forgive offences, but to help the needy, instruct the ignorant, evangelize the world. All relations of love and goodness open to our vision under this head. But we only reach the finish when we add, "To walk humbly with thy God." It is fashionable with many to sneer at piety. But even if there was no God, it is ennobling to believe in one. But there is a God; and what wonderful honor is this that we can walk with Him! This means to agree with Him, to co-operate with Him. We humble ourselves to do it, but are never so highly exalted as when it is done. This is God's answer to this great question; let us accept no other.

Two conclusions are reached :

1. Let us as individuals take no man's authority in matters of duty. He may advise, he may instruct, but he must refer all authority to the Source of all authority and power. Infinite evil is bound up in a departure from this rule. The essence of our Protestant faith is found in placing every man directly before his God, listening for the word that sets duty plainly before him.

2. National security and prosperity depend upon the use and teaching of the Bible. A free Bible, freely read and carefully studied, will save us from the wreck of which all the nations that forgot God have been such fearful examples.

Going Well.

Prov. xxx. 29-31.

WE are all of us travellers. To each of us is appointed a journey. It begins at the cradle and ends at the grave. To

some the pilgrimage is measured by years, while to others it is but a matter of days. Whether long or short, it behooves us to travel it wisely and well.

What is it to "go well?" What does

the wise man mean? He calls our attention to certain objects, each of which he declares has a certain beauty in its going. Let us discover their teaching.

I. "The lion is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any." Two qualities are indicated - Strength, Courage.

1. Strength is a matter of very great importance. This world is an uncomfortable place for the weak. Go into the business world, into the professions, and success is very largely a question of power of endurance. The moral aspect of the question is especially important. Men were never so severely tried. Be strong!

2. The lion also teaches us the value of Courage. Conscience is to be followed. New ideas call for champions. Popular evils are to be assaulted. Be brave!

II. What is the lesson of the greyhound?

1. Celerity of movement. Life calls for haste. Too much time is lost. Men loiter. They fail in punctuality.

2. Certain varieties of the greyhound have not only great speed, but great scent. There is in man a quality which answers to this power of scent in the hound. We call it conscience, moral sense, spiritual discernment. It exists in varying degree. No man is more to be despised than he whose moral sensibilities are wholly blunted. On the other hand, no man is more to be desired than he whose moral nature is keen, alert. "Blest is he to whom is given the instinct that can tell," etc. III. What may we learn from the goat?

1. Notice his ability to attain to ap parently inaccessible heights. Where others fail he succeeds.

2. Observe his security in places of peril. We want men who are safe anywhere-not only in the protected places, but in the places of danger as well.

3. See how he finds subsistence where almost any other animal would perish. Life is not alike to all of us. We do Blessed

not all feed in green pastures.

is he whose moral nature thrives not only in the luxuriant meadows, but upon the barren mountain-side. It is possible. IV. "A king against whom there is no rising up."

1. Joseph Benson puts it, "A king and his people with him." He has their confidence and support. Wanted men in whom the world has faith ! What a power is he "against whom there is no rising up."

2. A king, carrying with him everywhere the consciousness of royalty. Noblesse oblige. God hath appointed to us a kingdom. Go to it kinglike. So shalt thou "go well," and so at the end it shall be said unto thee, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." NATURA.

Self-Examination.

Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?-2 Cor. xiii. 5.

A DISPUTE about the claims of Paul to apostleship called forth this stirring appeal.

The text calls for activity in several very important lines.

I. Examination.

Specially important to these Corinthians because of ignorance and disorders. It is always proper for Christians, and especially when they would come to the Lord's table. It (1) should not be merely of outward conduct, but should include the inward life also; (2) must not make some doctrine a test; one may substitute a doctrine for Christ; (3) should be held on a principle of independence of opinions of others; (4) should use every means which reveals our characters; (5) should take into account small things; a very small leak will finally destroy the dyke; (6) needs to be a real casting up of accounts. Probing deeply is difficult, disagreeable, painful.

The examination should have two objects in view, viz.: (1) to know we are