massive mine? It is to quarry, and smelt, and prepare its precious boon for the readier reception of others. But let there be no monopoly of mining. That the priests only can understand and interpret the Bible, is one of the giant lies of papacy. Let every man quarry and smelt for himself. Let not the young convert neglect the Bible for a moment, because, in his first introduction to it, he may find many things "hard to be understood." He will also find many things easy to be understood, and the products of the pens of the wise and the good will help him to wade, with the intrepidity of the angelled prophet, far into the depths of the river of life. "And he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles : again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins. Afterward he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass over; for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over." What the angel visitant, with his measuring line, was to the prophet Ezekiel, the living teacher and the printed teacher are to the sinner and to the young

convert. The Bible, in the work of reform, conversion, and development, was never designed to supersede the anointed, holy tongue, and the consecrated pen. Brethren, do we duly appreciate the evidently heaven-ordained mission of the latter no less than the former ?

CHAPTER XIII.

THE POWER OF KINDNESS.

WHAT CHRISTIAN KINDNESS IS NOT-CHRISTIAN KINDNESS DEFINED -ERRONEOUS VIEWS CORRECTED THE ESTHETIC ELEMENT OF KINDNESS—THE POWER OF KINDNESS ILLUSTRATED RELATION OF KINDNESS TO GOOD MANNERS — KINDNESS AS A REVIVAL ELEMENT CONSTITUTES A WANT OF THE CHURCH - KINDNESS A TEST OF CHRISTIAN CHARACTER.

"IF it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." It is a Scriptural principle, then, that it is not always possible to live peaceably with all men. Differences of opinion, inducing pungent resistance in argument, occurred even among inspired apostles. Paul "withstood Peter to his face, because he was to be blamed." Perfect non-resistance on all occasions when right is at the risk, or character hazarded, is but mawkish piety, the straining of a virtue beyond its natural bounds, until it ceases to be a virtue. In such persons, all positiveness, all aggressiveness of character is sacrificed. Self-defense is by no means to be confounded with "rendering evil for evil." The cause of innocence and truth may require such

defense, even if their assaulter should be made the sufferer by it. By kindness, then, we do not mean that insipid, affected, and water-gruel sentimentality that fears the ill-will of the sinner more than it desires and burns to rebuke the sin; and apologizes with the waft of a white handkerchief, cologned for the occasion, for portraying in Scripture language that outer darkness and hell of fire and brimstone which are the terminus of the sinner's course. Nor do we mean that wishy-washy piety that talks much of persecution, of suffering in silence, and claims that it is its duty to do no more than throw up its hands in prayer for its enemies, whatever dastard tattler, insidious whisperer, or open calumniator may undertake to inflict, in the indulgence of a morbid appetite, upon its reputation. Nor does it care to busy itself to chase down every latest edition of a lie. Christian kindness is a masculine virtue. It is strong to bear the infirmities of the weak, but equally prompt to defend the right, when assailed in its own person or otherwise. Its controlling power is love, and not fear. And it is always more ready to resent injury done to innocence, or to repel a thrust at truth, than to count the cost-weigh the consequences. And yet it is not rash. It

always makes haste slowly. It is always in haste, but never in a hurry. "It doth not behave itself unseemly." There is a morally esthetic beauty about it, to which we give the name of courtesy. This virtue leavens the administration of its rebukes, and makes them admired, even where they are repulsed; but not wholly repulsed. An appreciation of the fitting and a love of the beautiful are primary sentiments in the mind. And the man who differs with me in kindness, and points to the Delilah of my ruin, has begotten a species of conviction, even in spite of my most obstinate opposition. There are those among Christians, and even Christian ministers, who contend that they can do nothing with some, without making them mad. Such persons are, certainly, rare exceptions to the power of kindness, and we think kindness itself demands they should never be mentioned. This is a dangerous doctrine, and very full of mischief.

True kindness must be inbred. It is the fruit of grace, under the husbandry of self-discipline. Some temperaments are vastly better adapted to the development and exercise of this virtue than others. But no temperament is so perverse, no constitutional peculiarities too obsti