place to present a few as the multitude of a similar import.

sample of a great First I offer some

of Christ's own words, to wit: “I am the way, the

cometh unto the Father “If any man will come

truth and the life; no man but by me." - John xiv. 6. after me let him take up his cross and follow me.”— Luke ix. 23. "The disciple is not above his master; but every one that is perfect shall be as his master." —Ib. vi. 40. "Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart.” Matt. xi. 29. "Whoever will be great among you let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you let him be your servant ; Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many.” — Ib xx. 26-28. "I am the vine, ye are the branches; He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much. fruit."-John xv. 5, What do these passages teach but the duty of conformity to Christ; of Christlikeness of spirit, conduct, and character.

What now is the Apostles' testimony on the same point? Note the following: "If any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his." Rom. viii. 9. "Ye are the body of Christ and members in particular." - I Cor. xii. 27. "As many of you as have been baptized into Christ. have put on Christ." — Gal. iii. 27. "Let this mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus." - Phil. ii. 5. "Hereunto were ye called; because Christ also suffered for us leaving us an example that ye should follow his steps.". I Pet. ii. 21. "He that

saith he abideth in him, ought also to walk even as he walked."— 1 John ii. 6. "Herein we perceive the love because he laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." — Ib. iii. 16. "'Till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." - Ephs. iv. 13. Let these citations suffice. Can any intelligent person doubt that it was the motive and purpose of the Master to reproduce as far as possible his own moral and spiritual image in the souls of his disciples? Or that to do the same work, to make men Christlike in spirit, character, and life, is the first essential, cardinal end and aim of the true Christian Church?

OBJECT 2. "To propagate the true, primitive reli gion of Christ by all reasonably available means as far and wide as possible; to convert the wayward and sinful from darkness to light and from iniquity to righteousness, ever seeking as its ultimate aim, in this particular, the regeneration, holiness, and hap. piness of the entire human race." The next thing for the Christian Church to do, after putting itself in order internally, according to the Gospel standard, is to enter upon and prosecute with all diligence and zeal, its external work. The world which Christ came to save lieth in ignorance, folly, error, and wickedness. It is to be converted; converted to him, to his religion, and to that order of life in true righteousness which he exemplified. His command was, "Go ye into all the world and preach

the Gospel to every creature." The duty thus enjoined was imposed to begin with upon his earliest Apostles and through them as instruments in founding the church it passed over to that body and thence to all the churches of Christendom. And those that are in any way loyal to their acknowledged leader accept the duty and seek to be faithful to the trust thus confided to them. And this duty is to be performed and this trust to be discharged through the ministry established by the church for the proclamation of Christ's word of truth and through its entire membership by a living example of Christlikeness before the world. The work involved cannot be done in a day or in an age, but the responsiblity of attending to it is no less weighty and imperative on that account. It is a continuous, progressive work, and should not be permitted to lag or languish by the indolence or treachery of those entrusted with it. They should be on the alert at all times; they should be organized and equipped to carry it forward as fast and as far as possible wherever it is practicable; not forgetting for a moment the obligation resting upon them in this regard as disciples of him whom God raised up and sent into the world that through him the world might be enlightened, enfranchised, saved. To this end Christ labored when he was upon the earth, and, going hence, left the task for his church to take up and carry through to a glorious consummation, as the second cardinal object for which it was instituted and given a place in the providential order of the

world. As I have already suggested there are two ways by which this duty is to be discharged, by which the Christian religion is to be propagated, by which the church is to extend the influence and dominion of the Gospel to the ends of the earth,- by word and by deed; by the proclamation of the truth and by a living exemplification of the truth. And these two must be kept prominently in view and made to operate harmoniously with each other or the object to be attained will fail of realization to a proportionate extent. Preaching and practice must correspond and so supplement and aid each other or the contemplated and desired result will not be secured but seriously jeopardized.

I present a few sample testimonies from the sacred records for the purpose of showing that what I have declared to be a cardinal object of the Christian church was not only recognized as such by its early ministers but was a fundamental element of Christianity itself. And also to show that from the beginning that object was to be promoted and finally secured in the twofold way I have indicated by word and deed, by the promulgation of Christian truth and by the power of example on the part of those by whom that truth had been received and in whom it had found incarnation. It was in the very nature of the religion of Christ to be a missionary religion; its vital spirit prompted continually to the extension of its influence and the enlargement of its empire among men, and the positive teachings of Jesus and of his evangelists and apostles were to the same effect, as can be easily

seen. "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved."-John iii. 16, 17. "The bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven and giveth life to the world." —Ib. vi. 33. "Ye are the salt of the earth; but if the salt have lost its savor wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel but on a candle-stick, and it giveth light to all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matt. v. 13-16. "Go ye and teach all nations. baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.' Ib. xxviii. 19, 20. "I have set thee to be a light

to the Gentiles, that thou shouldst be for salvation to the ends of the earth." - Acts xiii. 47. "Christ sent

me not to baptize but to preach the Gospel." I Cor. i. 17. "Necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me if I preach not the Gospel." Though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant to all that I might gain the more."—Ib. ix. 16, 19. "Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that