first sight the most difficult point to determine in the whole inquiry. The difficulty arises from its being a mixed affection. The inferior ingredients of the tender affections, and the alliances to which they lead, having answered their purpose, will be finally extinguished in death; but it appears to me certain that the mental affinity, the tenderness of spirit, the intercourse of soul with soul, which are more or less experienced in all happy cases of this sort, will remain as some of the finest elements of the life, and will form a high and everlasting endearment betwixt those who were united in the days of time. Milton was as great a philosopher as a poet. His views of human nature and the social affections were the most exalted that ever were formed. To any one who delights to study the social constitution of our race, what eloquent wisdom there is in the following lines:

"Hail, wedded love

by thee,

Founded in reason, loyal, just and pure,

Relations dear, and all the charities

Of father, son, and brother, first were known."

And can it be supposed that an affection which produces a measureless flow of good on earth will lose all its charms with the extinction of life, and do nothing to augment the happiness of eternity? It is commanded to those who bear this relation, at least on one side, to love each other " as Christ has loved his church." The love of the Saviour is an immortal love; and this seems to convey an intimation that the other will also be immortal.

How infinitely solemn are these friendships of personal tenderness! They are frequently so slight and inscrutable in their commencement that no human thought is fine enough to trace them to their origin. The original fountain lies remote and concealed among the shades and mysteries of our wonderful nature; no intellectual Bruce has ever penetrated to their source. But, like the Nile, they flow on and bless, and sometimes desolate. They may flow to bless or desolate for ever.

Do you put this final question on the whole subject,-" Who, among all the friends I have ever possessed, will have most of my regard through eternity ?" The answer is certain. It will be the person who has done you most religious good, who has most drawn down the Divine benedictions upon you by his prayers, and who has added most to the riches of your being, whoever that may prove to be. Yes, this is certain, all persons and things will then be estimated by this reference to the sovereign Lord of our immortality. Let us adopt this standard of estimate now.

*The San Greal was the cup which our Lord was supposed to have used at the Lord's Supper. The legend concerning it was, that after it had long been kept as a priceless relic it vanished as a punishment of the sins of the Church. It could only be found again by a knight of fearless courage and blameless life; to such an one its discovery would be granted as a reward of his sufferings and devotion and self-sacrifice in the cause of God and man. Sir Launfals was believed to have spent his whole life in the quest, and to have recovered it from a leprous beggar whom he kindly helped at his castle-gate as he returned home to die.

Nor knight had ever passed its vaulted And sometimes, castled on a mountain

Knocked figure cowled or mailed, nor foot There gleamed out turrets bright in golden

But through the gloom those warriors Steadfast believing, till repose descended

THOUGHTS ON THE REVIVAL.

[At the recent meeting of the Essex Association a very able paper was read, on "The Recent Revivals in America." A general wish was expressed by the hearers that it should appear in the Magazine. Most gladly should we have printed it entire, but the American Revival has been so frequently and fully discussed in our pages that it seems superfluous to enter upon the subject again at any length. The concluding part of the paper, however, is devoted to an inquiry into the practical lessons which the Revival may teach us. This portion of it, therefore, we gladly insert. It may suffice to say that, in the portion which we omit, the writer arrives at conclusions strikingly similar to those announced by Dr. Wayland in the letter which appeared in our last number.]

In our attempts to come to a satisfactory conclusion as to the true character of the Revival we labour under the disadvantage of not seeing the movement on the spot, and with our own eyes. There are innumerable facts, favourable and unfavourable, with which we are necessarily unacquainted; and the day may not yet have arrived for arriving at a perfectly conclusive estimate of its results. Yet, arguing from the facts with which we are acquainted, the movement in America appears to us to be a genuine work of God, in the awakening of sinners and the revival of the church. Our object, however, is not so much to detail or to discuss facts as to offer a few remarks of a practical nature on some topics suggested by these American Revivals. We hope the observations to be made will be found of some value to us as associated Christian churches.

1. The first thought, then, that is suggested by the Revivals refers to the surprise with which the reports concerning them have been received. The church of Christ in this country must have sunk very low in her spiritual vigour if such tidings as have reached us awaken at first only astonishment and incredulity. Why should a great movement like this surprise us? Why should we suspect its genuineness when we can no longer resist the facts? Why not take the Revival as a matter of course? Or, if there be astonishment, let the wonder be its having been so long delayed. Is not this vigorous life which we denominate Revival what ought to be the normal state of the church in its aggression on the world? But in what condition must we be as Christian churches, when the present state of things among American Christians appears to us an unnatural degree of life and vigour? We seek revival at home; and it is well we do so. But let us admit that the state which we call “revival " is that state in which Christ's church ought always to be :-not an abnormal condition to which she can hope to be raised only at distant intervalswhy should the Lord be to us "as a stranger, that turns aside with us but for a night ?" He has promised to dwell with us for ever-" he, and the ark of his strength."

You need not be reminded that the church is Christ's "body." As this body of ours is the material organ of the soul that animates it, so the church is the outward and visible organ of Christ in the world. In her he is represented, and by her he is served. To this end she is animated by his spirit; and thus, changing the figure, becomes the temple of the Holy Ghost. This fact is equally true of every local Christian church, as of the one body scattered over all the earth. As is the relation of the whole church to the entire world in which it subsists, so is the relation of each individual church to the neighbourhood in which it is located. Let us try to realise this as Christian churches. It is our exalted privilege, as it is our important duty, in those towns or villages within which we labour, at once to represent and serve our Lord.

Nor does this rule fail to apply to every individual Christian. You are a member of Christ's body, fellow-believer; know you not that ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular ?" The church, or any local church, is not an abstraction. It is an aggregate of persons, of whom you are one. It is your high privilege, as it is that of the whole church, to be animated by Christ's spirit, to reflect his image, and to do his work. Thus, you individually, as fully as though you were the only Christian in the world, should represent and serve Him who is your life.

And to what end is this visible organism, Christ's body, in the world? What is the work in which Christ is to be served ? It is to evangelise the world; while, in doing this, it is to edify the body of Christ in the gathering in of those that shall be saved, and to present to God every converted man "perfect" in his Saviour. Nor is this a hopeless enterprise. For this are we constituted the body of Christ, whose work it is. To this end are we filled with his spirit. While it is placed beyond doubt that Jesus shall reign "over all the earth."

to

Brethren, these are not new things in your ears. They are

familiar "

you as "household words." But do you not feel that, if we sustain such relationship to Christ, and are engaged in a work of such magnitude and glory; if, also, we have received for our encouragement in this mission indubitable assurances equally of power for happy labour, and of triumphant success, it is a bitter reflection on our fidelity when Christians express surprise, not to say incredulity, on hearing it reported that in a kindred community the church is blessed with a great accession of religious life? And, further, if this of which we hear be a revival, to what depth must the church have previously fallen ? Revival! nay, if we were now realising-we will not say all, but-half what God has promised, this Revival would be as much below what the church would then become as it is above her present condition.

2. But it will be unsatisfactory if we content ourselves with making this confession; let us therefore inquire into the cause of our present state as Christ's church.

Unhesitatingly every one will admit the cause not to be in God. He is not "slack concerning his promise." The cause must therefore be with ourselves. "We have not;" is it not because we "ask not," or 66 ask amiss ?" Being in this matter "far off from God," have not our sins "separated between him and us ?”

You are familiar with the sad history of the church from the apostles' days till now. Does not this reveal the reasons for her comparative want of success? But, not to dwell on the distant past, think of the present epoch of the church's history. What has hindered-what now hindersher aggression upon Satan's kingdom? Here, however, it must be admitted that the present age is a great improvement on the past in the church as well as in the world. We have no sympathy with those who say, "The former times were better than these;" still, our present state as to truly Christian prosperity is far from that which can be called a "Revival." But why? we would again inquire.

With great diffidence we would reply to this question in the presence of brethren who could more successfully attempt a right answer. But is it not because the church has been too worldly? And has not too much energy been expended on unimportant matters ? What time, labour, talents, and money have been devoted to things that, after all, have only embittered the asperities of denominational feeling, when every effort should have been exclusively concentrated on the work of Christ! The

result of all this has been disunion. It is admitted that God has overruled denominational independence for good. Still, Christian churches have lived far too much apart; far more effort has been expended on points of difference than has been devoted to Christ's work of evangelising the world.

Is it not further true that we have been "slow of heart to believe" what our Lord has promised. We fear that, were it reported to us that in a distant land these promises were being literally fulfilled, the words of the messengers would appear to many of us as "idle tales." While we give credence to the words of Christ, we seem not to believe them; as if their promises and predictions were not most surely to be looked for as matters of fact.

Not to continue our enumeration, if these things be true, will they not account in great measure for that state of the church which we deplore?

3. Confessing our want of success as Christ's church, and seeking its cause, we would attempt, in conclusion, to suggest a remedy. What should be our course of conduct, in order that our church life may become such as we hope and pray for ?

Obviously, if the church has sinned, her first duty is to repent. "Let us return unto the Lord; for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up."

And if our repentance be of value, we shall prove it by doing again the first works of Christian duty. These will be, as churches and as individuals, to yield ourselves implicitly to the influences of the Holy Ghost. Thus shall we obey every command, and carry out every direction, of our Lord; thus shall we "illustrate in all things the gospel" of God our Saviour, proclaiming on every hand the "glad tidings" of salvation. This will be doubly "testifying the gospel of the grace of God." While we shall take as the centre of all our effort our own homes and neighbourhoods, passing on in ever-widening circles to a circumference coincident with that of the whole earth. Reverting thus to the simple elements of Christian duty, we shall at once become prepared for the blessing to be poured out upon us, and efficient for the labour in which we shall be engaged.

But it must be distinctly recognised that the responsibility of all this efficiency and work can by no means be delegated to another. The individual cannot throw the onus on the society. Ministers, associations, or churches cannot relieve one person from the pressure of accountability. Every man in the church of Christ has his post of duty, and is adapted for the peculiar work to which he is called. This post it is at his peril to quit; for his labour he is bound to be efficient, and in his work to be faithful. All have thus a "ministry," and all are required of that "ministry" to "give full proof.' When these facts become generally and adequately realised we may expect, through the divine blessing, results of the greatest magnitude.

As it is incumbent on all Christians and on every church thus to be ready and faithful, so is it required that they shall use the means which God has appointed for the achievement of his work. These are the usual and recognised means of grace; but to be adapted with the utmost skill, and employed with the utmost assiduity. These means may be classed as, 1, those which bring the workers and the work into immediate and constant fellowship with Christ; and, 2, those which place the gospel, with that Holy Spirit who gives vital power to its announcement, in contact with men. To the former class of means we may apply the generic term