ceptible and willing to a higher plane of moral and social life, without impairing the legitimate result of the efforts of those whose purposes and plans are not yet conformed to the requirements of the great Teacher.

And in this respect we can but note the moral difference existing between the genius of pure Christianity and that of Democracy or any other form of worldly civil government. The former insists on abstinence from all forms of brutish violence in prosecuting its work and in reliance only upon the benign might of truth and love; agitating for no violent upheavals or revolutions involving bloodshed and slaughter for the redress of grievances, the extinction of abuses, or the promotion of needed reforms. While the latter is ready to inflict vengeful punishment upon offenders; to repel insults and invasions by fire and sword; to appeal to selfish ambition to maintain supremacy; to keep alive the spirit of warlike enthusiasm; to gratify the baser elements of its constituency and intimidate enemies; and to proclaim to all the world its haughty motto, "Peaceably, if we can; forcibly, if we must." Ready too, is it to wade through seas of blood to crush out tyrants or display its own. power; reckless of whether or not it may better the condition of mankind. Whenever the church has led, or aided and abetted human governments in schemes involving bloodshed and death, it has turned its back on Christ, or crucified him afresh, been shorn of moral and spiritual power, and proved a curse to the world. Not by destroying men's lives.

but by saving them, not by causing men to emulate the tiger and hyena is human progress promoted, but by rendering them personally Christlike, and inducing them to act in all their relations to each other in obedience to the Christian law of perfect love. And thus is indicated most clearly the purpose, the character, the proper business of the true Church, the sole reason for its existence.

Just to the extent that any family, community, state, or nation is illumined with the light and imbued with the spirit of Christ's Gospel is its elevation and progress in all that ennobles and blesses humanity. Without that light and that spirit no amount of mere intellect, of industrial skill, of material wealth, of worldly power, of aesthetic attainment, will avail to bring in the kingdom of God. Nor will any number of legislative restrictions, or police regulations, or political changes, or governmental revolutions, however promising, insure that much to-be-desired, glorious result. It is the power behind all worldly powers that noiselessly and slowly lifts the human race to purer airs and grander visions. This is not implying that other agencies and forces are of no account in the mat. ter do no good- but that they are inferior to, and insufficient without, those higher instrumentalities whereby men are rendered more and more like Christ in spirit, conduct, and character. The wisdom of this world thinks otherwise and will, no doubt, repeat, perhaps for ages yet, its old everflattering, ever-disappointing experiment; striving to redeem the world by worldly devices, policies,

and instrumentalities; striving to cast out Satan by Satanic means, striving to establish Christ's kingdom by unchristian agencies.

Such being the case it becomes of indispensable importance that the church itself be delivered from its degeneracy; that the blindness and illusion whereby the mass of nominal Christians are infatuated with the notion that the world is to be Christianized by worldly methods and devices, be put forever away. Through this infatuation the church fell from its primitive estate in the days of Constantine, as I have before shown, deceived by promises of increased numbers and influence, by the deceitful sophistries of ecclesiastical domination and political ambition, which led to the formation of an unholy alliance with the state, that robbed it of much of its power for good to the human race; that proved a practical surrender to political, worldly supremacy and dictation. Thinking to use the state for Christian ends, or to employ the policy and mechanism of the state to Christianize the world, the church became de-christianized and was made a tool of by the state for purposes of aggrandizement and fame quite foreign to the spirit and aim of the Gospel, And this practical treason to Christ this subserviency to the state has continued to this day. And it is a curious fact that a majority of even liberal and progressive Protestants, while denouncing the union of church. and state, still hold fast to the idea of political Christianity, of making Christian politicians, Christian patriots, Christian legislators, Christian warriors

even, and Christian mammon-servers; thus building up what they call Christian civilization, which is little more than a semi-barbaric civilization at best. The church has, to a large extent, capitulated to the state, caters to its wishes and plans, and in the last resort bows implicitly to its behests.

What sort of a Christianity or Christian church is that which thus demeans itself; which waits upon, bows to, and quails before the civil power? Which will not or cannot be the vanguard of the world's progress ? Which deems it an honor to be the handmaid of governments that are characterized largely by political chicanery and rest on deadly force? Which waits on state or national legislation, governmental machinery, penal coercion, constabulary vigilance, and the combined might of armies and navies to put an end to sin and bring in righteousness? Which pleads the impracticability of living by the precepts and example of Christ till the march of civilization or the coming of the millennium makes it easy and comfortable to do so?

It is a Christianity from which Christ has been in important respects eliminated; a church emasculated and shorn of much of its original, Godderived power to renovate and perfect humanity. Such a Christianity and such a church as its representative and working agency befit those who put confidence in princes, who trust worldly instrumentalities for gaining heavenly attainments, who think the divine kingdom can be built on the insecure foundation of political expediency and state policy. We need to transcend all such delusions, and come into the possession of that excellency which the

Master taught and exemplified. Oh, Christ of God, illumine and sanctify the minds and hearts of thy people that they may know and do thy holy and perfect will! Oh, Church of the Lord Jesus, arise, shine in thy pristine splendor; move forward on thine own plane of being and action, morally above and independent of all merely human devices and associations. So shall thou be the light of the world, the salt of the earth, the regenerative agency by which a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwell righteousness and peace, shall be built, and the divinely appointed destiny of mankind in this present state of existence shall be fulfilled.

O Bride of the Lamb, as thou claimest to be,
Why seemeth the world so attractive to thee?
What sinful ambition inclines thee to roam,

With strangers and enemies far from thy home?
Say, why are thy garments, once modest and white,
Now torn and polluted and hateful to sight?

What wiles of the tempter have led thee to stray So far from the Lord's required straight, narrow way? To surge to and fro with the worlds selfish train, And pay thy devotions in Mammon's false fane? How strangely thou cleavest to objects of earth! To things that in flesh and in sense have their birth! Yet we hope in God's time thy conversion to hail, When the light of His mercy shall with thee prevail; When the voice of His spirit shall speak from the skies, Shall bid thee from treach'ry and guilt to arise. Then thou wilt cast off thy garments of shame, Be clothed in new raiment and worthy Christ's name. No more wilt thou be the handmaid of the state, But its leader in all that is true, good, and great; 'Neath thy scepter the kingdom of God will embrace All the children of men, the entire human race.