first things first-the man before his surroundings, the soul before the body. Well I know that the two act and react upon each other, and I do not mean to say that in point of time ministry to the soul should invariably precede ministry to the body. Often the two will be simultaneous, as was often the case in the mission of Jesus. But first in point of importance the soul must always be, and even in point of time the work of our city missionaries and the Salvation Army show that even in the slums it is possible to bring life into the man without changing his environment. That may come later. Nay, it must come-a changed man will soon produce a change in his surroundings. Set a man right with God, bring the love of God to bear upon him, the hand of God near to him so that he may have some one to hope in, something to hold on to, and you have taken the first great step to elevate him and fit him in turn to become a helper of others.

It takes a soul

To move a body: it takes a high-souled man
To move the masses to a cleaner stye.

It takes the ideal to blow a hair's-breadth off
The dust of the actual. Ah, your Fouriers failed
Because not poets enough to understand

That life developes from within."

E. B. BROWNING.

But because first things are to be put first, it does not follow that secondary things should be neglected. By all means let the preacher's first aim be so to present the great truths of the Gospel that they shall touch the conscience, move the heart, meet the deepest needs of each individual man and bring him

But rather than

into "the kingdom of God." spend all his time in elaborating a full scheme of theology, "new" or "old," let him so use those fundamental truths as to evoke the spirit of our Redeemer in such as have received them; the spirit of love and brotherhood, the spirit of which Paul was the exponent when he said, None of us liveth unto himself." And if this be the tone of the pulpit, let the Church respond. Freely have we all received, let us freely give; not money merely-though it were to be wished that the money given for the uplifting of the degraded, deluded and down-trodden at home and abroad were in larger proportion to what the churches spend on their own comfort and edification. But more than such gifts, let there be the gift of service to others outside its own borders. Let some of the time that is now spent on the pursuit of wealth and the pursuit of pleasure be diverted to the needs of the people. Let them acquaint themselves with those needs. Let them go and see for themselves, or let them read and learn how large a portion of the population are eking out a bare subsistence on the meagre result of ceaseless toil, and how many are in the bonds of economic slavery. Let the preachers of the churches from time to time bring these terrible needs vividly before their hearers, and rouse the spirit that will go forth to meet them.

But how? Here we must part company with some earnest Christian Socialists, who would have the churches in their corporate capacity identify themselves with this or that political party, and would have their preachers advocate this or that

measure of politico-economical reform. I doubt the wisdom of this on more grounds than one. In the first place all our preachers are not experts in political economy, nor can we expect them to be so. We do expect them to be deeply versed in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to be steeped in his spirit, to understand and inculcate its underlying principles; but the working out of those principles in the domain of politics and social reform must largely be left to the intelligence and the conscience of their individual hearers. For a man to attempt to teach what he very imperfectly understands, can lead to no good result and will only weaken his influence in other directions. In the second place, be he ever so well instructed in these subjects, for a minister to lay down authoritatively from the pulpit (where there is no one to answer him), such and such courses of action on these matters, would be unreasonable and intolerable. Surely every broadminded man, whether Christian or Socialist, must admit that while agreeing on the ends to be aimed at, it is possible that good men, thoughtful men, altruistic-minded men, may differ as to the best way of attaining those ends. But if the course I now deprecate were pursued it would result in practically (though not formally) excluding from the Church those who could not adopt the social shibboleths of its leaders. Now a church is a union of all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, and there ought to be room in it for the Conservative, the Liberal, the "Labour man," and the Socialist. There are associations outside the Church in which each of these can enrol himself

for the more effective carrying out of what he conceives to be the best method of social reform. Let not the Church be so narrow in its conception or its teaching that it must cease to be a spiritual home, where all who have the mind of Christ may dwell together in brotherhood. There are numerous good works in which all may unite in helping and uplifting the populace around them, and in which they do unite.

I cannot close without appealing to our Socialist friends for a fuller recognition of the social work our churches are actually doing, instead of the wholesale disparagement of them which one so often hears in socialistic speeches.

Taking up the manual of a church in my own neighbourhood, we read of two Sunday Schools, a Boys' Brigade, Boy Scouts, Young People's Guild with Band of Hope, Temperance Committee, Men's Club with billiard room, reading room and library, Women's Labour Bureau, Girls' Guild for Domestic Servants and Shop Girls, Maternity Society, Benevolent Society, Medical Mission, Adult School, Men's Brotherhood, Industrial Society, Provident Society, Distress Fund, etc., and this church is by no means exceptional. Surely this is social work of no mean order. Beginning with boys and girls in their earliest years, it aims at instilling the principles that should guide a good citizen, the practice of truthfulness and honesty, temperance and purity, industry, thrift, thought for others, good fellowship and the pursuit of knowledge; while at every age it provides assistance in times of special need. It takes no steps to propagate Socialism as an economic

theory, but leaves freedom to every individual to join any party or association which in his judgment will best promote the common weal. It puts first things first, strives to make true men, true women, after the pattern of Christ. Without such men and women you may raise wages, provide better houses and fine recreation grounds, but you will have done comparatively little for lasting social reform.

Socialists and churches should not vituperate each other, but work hand in hand as far as their convictions permit, and where they differ give credit for honest intention and exercise mutual charity. Each is doing what the other cannot do in its corporate capacity; but working side by side they will hasten the time when the brotherhood of man, as Christ taught it, shall be a living reality.