of an after-converted state, is to subvert the very elements on which you build, and the very instincts to which you appeal. The whole Bible, from beginning to end, takes it for granted that there are in men separate notions of truth, of honor, of justice, of rectitude, by which they are to compare, to judge, and to accept; and if you take away from men the thought that in morality is found the basis on which you can build the higher life, you destroy their courage and paralyze their effort.

Men say, "Is not morality good?"-I say it is good. "Is it enough?" No; no!.

When the vine first throws out leaves in spring they are great, broad leaves; and men say, "There, those are fine leaves; do you tell me that they are good for nothing?" No, I do not tell you any such thing; but I say that it will be a good while before you will make any wine out of them. What are leaves good for? Why, to make blossoms. What are blossoms good for but to smell good? They are good for evolving the final form of fruit. Leaves and blossoms are relatively good, but their purpose is not fulfilled until they have developed something better.

Now, morality is a seed which is relative to something higher, which it is to produce. It is that out of which is to grow the better states of men. It should therefore be precious in men's sight. I would not say to young men in my parish, It does not matter whether you are good or bad, truthful or untruthful, just or unjust, pure or impure. On the contrary, I say, Your morality is good so far as it goes. I say to you, Love God in such a way that your love shall in

N

flame your whole spiritual nature; but if you will not rise to that, the highest and truest conception of manhood, then at least do the next thing below that. If you will not do that, I beseech of you, do right things even from selfish motives. It is better to do right things from feelings of personal interest than to do wrong things. When a man begins on this ground, he begins, although the beginning is but as a grain of mustard-seed. It is not enough to end with, but it is enough to begin with. A man who begins at the lower foundations of motive is in a situation such that you can inspire him and lift him higher and higher. In dealing practically with men you are obliged to act on that principle or method of dealing with him. You can never, by revival after revival, no matter how powerful it may be, take a coarse, rude nature, whose inward states and outward habits are those of sin and sinfulness, and bring him at once into a condition of high spiritual vision and of glorious Christian development. What can you do? You can transform his purposes at once; you can set them on inward elements of character; but a whole life's work is to be employed to carry that character up, little by little, and little by little.

Men are like vagabond boys in the street. They are lying, thieving, dirty, ragged, uncombed rascals; and they who love them go out after them; and going out after them, they never take the children that are rosy, sweet-faced and cherry-lipped, well taken care of at home. They may love these most; but they are after the sinful; and they take the little ragamuffins and bring them into the reformatory house, and wash their

skin, and take off their rags, and clothe them aright, and persuade them, in one way and another, to submit. themselves to the necessary restraint, and abide in the asylum, and become scholars, until at last, after weeks and months of instruction and drill, and after various experiences under the pressure of moral influences, the boy says, "I am going to make a man of myself." When he says this, so far as his determination is concerned he is converted. He has made up his mind to live a different life; but the object which he has before him is not yet accomplished.

Now, transfer that idea to the case of a man in a congregation. This man is converted. He has been living on a lower plane of moralities, and he makes up his mind that he will rise to a higher plane; but has he reached that higher plane? Has he developed in himself the spiritual knowledge towards which he aspires? Has he wrought out the corresponding elements, social and moral, which belong to true manhood? No, but he has made a start for it. He has laid the foundation of the building, and it will rise gradually, through various stages of evolution and care, until the last perfect form is attained.

If you preach to rude congregations you must do as missionaries do. When missionaries come home they generally have a less opinion of theology and a greater opinion of the Bible than almost any other class. They find in missionary life how wonderful are the adaptations of Scripture to the treatment of men in lower conditions. They find that there is nothing that requires so much patience, so much charity, and so much waiting, as human nature in its primitive states. They

find that nothing is slower in unfolding than undeveloped men. Men are so extremely low, so very imperfect, so thoroughly sinful, that when they are preached to, and they turn about and begin to do right, it will be at a point very far down in the scale; and it is only step by step, gradually, that the Divine Spirit can be developed in them. It is long afterwards that they reach the higher life. After death they will be perfected, but not before.

OPPOSING DANGERS OF GENERIC PREACHING.

Let me say one more thing in this direction, namely: that in preaching the doctrine of sinfulness to men there is danger of overaction. It works in two ways; producing discouragement on the one side, and presumption on the other.

Have you never heard men say, in a rallying, bantering manner, "O, well, of course I did wrong; but you know it is human to err. To be sure, what I did was wrong; but all men are sinners, and I am one of them"? There springs up from this preaching a sort of impression in the mind that a man is a sinner anyhow. "Yes," they say, "of course he is, everybody is, a sinner. We are all going along together. We keep step one with another." Such a generic method of presenting the doctrine of sinfulness tends to destroy conscience in men, and they seem to think that when they sin they are walking in accordance with the constitution of things, and that whatever may be the mischiefs resulting from their action they are no more responsible for them than a sour-apple tree is for having sour apples, or than a thorn-tree is for having thorns. If you con

tinue preaching, "All men are sinful, all men are sinful, ALL MEN ARE SINFUL, O, ALL MEN ARE SINFUL," they will all of them justify your opinion, but not one of them will feel sinful because he lives as he does, any more than I feel so because my hair was naturally brown, or than you do because your hair was naturally black.

Yet, as I shall show at another time, this generic doctrine of universal sinfulness has its place, and is a power, in the active work of the ministry; but after all, you must specialize. Otherwise men will go to one. or the other extreme, that of presumption or that of discouragement. Sensitive natures will brood the matter inwardly, and will feel such a sensibility to sin, and will have such a sense of their own vileness, as shall take away from them all spring and all hope, and really leave the mind almost paralyzed. I have heard of not a few cases of this kind. I have known of persons (for instance, women) who, without any sense of special sinning, were made unhappy and wellnigh insane from a general impression of their own sinfulness. I have one in my mind now.

There are women who are martyrs. If there are what may be called Protestant Saints, I think they are the women who forbear a loving wifehood, and go into a sister's family to be a mother to children that they have not themselves borne, to take care of them, and to labor for them, loving them and nourishing them and sacrificing self for them, asking no name and no reward outside. And yet, I have known women of that sort who had such a withering sense of their unworthiness that they hardly dared to raise their eyes