bid pleasure in rendering himself conspicuous, and glory in making his friends uneasy by his adoption of extreme views? Will he not,-if he has salt in himself, if he is in earnest, if he has any adequate notion of the position in which he stands, and of the work which he has to do,-will he not be among those who feel the truth too deeply to allow themselves to make it the subject of common, and therefore, of irreverent conversation? Of course, in saying this, I do not mean that people are not to make up their minds decidedly on the subjects which agitate us, nor to express their honest opinion upon proper occasions: but I do mean that it is a mark of a light, and vain, and frivolous mind (to use no harsher term) to be continually speaking on such subjects: it is a mark of a very undisciplined mind to speak at all in a tone of self-confidence, and as if none were wiser than ourselves: and it is a mark of a very uncharitable, and, therefore, unchristian mind, which allows itself to attribute evil motives to those who differ from it, to speak of them

slightingly, and unkindly; and above all, which is not afraid to gratify itself, by saying just the most irritating thing in just the most irritating way, when they who desire the peace of Zion would rather suffer anything personally, than increase the distractions which they see around them. 66 Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another."

While the world stands, there must always be points upon which the most devoted and conscientious servants of God will differ. There always have been conflicting opinions on the subjects which agitate ourselves, and there is no prospect or likelihood that it should ever be otherwise. It is a well-known fact that those who drew up the Articles of our own Church, did so with the wish of comprehending, not of excluding, as many as possible. They fixed, as it were, certain limits which could not be passed over by those who continued to hold communion with us but the space within those limits is a wide one, and there the exercise of individual judgment was permitted.

"There must always, as it has been most justly said, “be allowable points of difference in the opinions of good men, and it is only where such opinions are carried into extremes, or are mooted in a spirit which tends to schism, that the interference of those in authority in the Church is called for."

The rule laid down by the Lord for His disciples was, that they should have peace one with another. And we possess abundant evidence that in the first ages of the Church, among those who were Christians indeed, mutual forbearance, peace, and love was the distinguishing characteristic.

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See how these Christians love one another," was the confession of their very enemies. And yet we know that for all this, there was no time-serving concession of principles, or yielding up of truths which ought to be maintained. We all remember how, when St. Peter was to be blamed, St. Paul withstood him to the face; and how so sharp a contention arose between. St. Paul and St. Barnabas, that " they departed asunder the one from the other."

And yet we may be sure that there was no breach of Christian communion between them. In the essentials of religion, in those things, that is, where belief affects salvation, they walked by the same rule, they minded the same thing. And where, in things of lower consequence, they dif fered, each acted according to his honest opinion, and gave his brother credit for doing the like.

Let their example be a guide to us. Let us learn from them something of that spirit of Christian charity, which, "rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth, which beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." The better we think of our neighbour, and the worse we think of ourselves, the more likely are we to be right in our judgment. The more we have salt in ourselves, the more glad shall we be to have peace one with another.

It is a very easy thing to make a show of being religious. There is little difficulty in working ourselves up into a state of excitement about the so-called religious

questions of the day. A mere smattering of knowledge will enable us to talk boldly and fluently on the subject. A very little cleverness and assurance will enable us to silence grave, earnest-minded persons, for they will not condescend to argue with us. And we shall not have much trouble in deceiving ourselves into the belief that we are a great deal wiser and better than our elders, our appointed ministers, or even than the Church herself.

If to have these outward signs of religious fanaticism is to be held tantamount to being religious, religion is a much easier thing than the Bible represents it. But it is a thing which, though it may amuse the head, will never amend the heart. It may interest the fancy, and excite the imagination, but it will have no effect upon our lives or manners. From such a religion, and from those who so exemplify it, let us turn away. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is a widely different matter, and they who exercise it will find little in it that is easy, even though in its difficulties there is the