than sight, for by constant sight, as J. B. Walker has remarked, "The effect of objects seen, grows less, whereas by constant faith the effect of objects believed in, grows greater. Personal observation does not admit of the influence of the imagination in impressing a fact; while unseen objects, realized by faith, have the auxiliary aid of the imagination, not to exaggerate them, but to clothe them with living colors and impress them upon the heart. And so the fact is true, that the more frequently we see, the less we feel the power of an object, while the more frequently we dwell upon an object of faith, the more we feel its power."

FAITH, THe gift of GOD.

By

To the inquiry, How shall I gain this wondrous power? We reply: Faith is the gift of God, and a fruit of the Holy Spirit within the soul. Jesus is set forth as its author and finisher, and through his intercession, the Spirit is given in answer to prayer. diligent reading and study of the Scriptures, and hearing of the Word; by fervent, earnest prayer for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit; by devout meditation on heavenly truths; by discipline and trial, at length,the filmy mists of earth will break away, and the brighter glories of the upper realm begin to unfold. But think not to acquire this power of faith in all its fullness, suddenly; imagine not that God will pour it into your souls, as oil is poured into a lamp; but expect it only as the result of persevering prayer and protracted Christian experience. Faith, like every Christian grace, commences commences feebly, but groweth

brighter and brighter until it culminates in an open vision that shall be forever undimmed and uninterrupted above.

And in the pursuit of this primal Christian grace, Christ will be to us our best example. For he most emphatically was in the world, and not of it; he mingled with men, but was separate from sinners; he walked the earth, but his soul was ever in the skies with his Father. "And like some column whose base is enveloped in an atmosphere of pollution, but on whose summit there streams perpetual sunshine, so Christ walked the earth below, but his soul was ever above, and in the light of that other world he viewed the concerns of this, and conducted all his ministrations to men." So must all live who would be his disciples and followers. And when, like some way-worn traveler who is fainting beneath a burning sun, but gathers new vigor by thinking of his home and loved ones. at the journey's end, we grow faint from fatigue and are embarassed by a thousand cares, and are half heart-broken with grief, we must gather fresh inspiration and vigor by calling into exercise this faith-faculty of the soul, and through it viewing the King in his beauty, and the supernal glories of the land toward which we hasten.

"We need no change of sphere

To view the heavenly sights, or hear The songs which angels sing. The hand

Which gently pressed the sightless orbs erewhile,

Giving them light, a world of beauty, and the friendly smile,

Can cause our eyes to see the better land."

REGENERATION, OR THE NEW BIRTH.

"Poor, wandering soul! I know that thou art seeking
Some easier way, as all have sought before,

To silence the reproachful inward speaking-
Some landward path unto an island shore.

"For poverty and self-renunciation,

The Lord yields back a thousand fold;

In the calm stillness of regeneration
Comes joy we never knew of old."

MONG the many notable chapters in John's gospel, is that one detailing the interview and conversation of Christ and Nicodemus. It forms, as it were, the impassable boundary-line between truth and error in regard to the "new man" in Christ Jesus, and the new life which Christianity introduces. One is inclined to feel that had not John written this gospel to supplement the three that already existed, and had not this conversation with Nicodemus been recorded, the system of Christianity, as a whole, would have been left incomplete.

Let us glance for a moment at the striking features of this interview. It occurred in the night, and probably late in the night, when no other visitors would be present, and when there would be no fear of detection. It was an earnest, confidential inter

view; not one of mere courtesy. Very few, if any, hollow, conventional words and set phrases were uttered on either side. It was a fair, undisguised contact of two spirits, one human, the other divinehuman; one eager to learn, the other anxious to teach; the subject matter before them being the most vital and profound that could possibly engage either divine or human thought.

In a limited and modified sense, the two persons then confronting each other were representatives of two dispensations; of two great epochs of time; two marked stages of development in God's redemptive plan. On the one side was Nicodemus, a favorable specimen of the better, more intelligent, more inquiring class of the Jews. He was a ruler; had authority; possessed wealth and titles; was looked up to as a guiding mind. He was a teacher of the law; disposed to examine matters and inquire into principles, although blinded, as were all the Jews; he was evidently dissatisfied with the existing religious condition of his nation; was looking forward to a change for the better; had evidently kept his eye for some time upon the Prophet of Nazareth; had marked his life; had weighed his words; had closely studied his miracles. He was in a state of doubt and anxiety. "I will go to him," he thought, "and learn from his own lips." And so, when darkness had shrouded the city, and the streets had become still and deserted, he sought Christ's temporary dwellingplace. Over against him sat the Lord Jesus Christ, who alike baffles and needs no description.

Nicodemus had made his confession, and stated the condition of his thoughts. "And now, master,"

he doubtless said, "tell me what is the fundamental principle of the system you propose to introduce. Jesus answered and said unto him, "Verily, verily I say unto thee, except a man be born from above (as the words may read) he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus stumbled at the words, as thousands have since; asked an explanation, which was given; and, more perplexed than when he came, departed to his home. But the all-important declaration had been made, "Ye must be born again," and it never could be lost, nor never changed. There it has stood upon the page of Scripture, and ever will stand, as the fundamental principle of Christianity, the standard of a true faith, the touchstone of saving truth.

Out from this declaration of Christ, and this conversation with Nicodemus, there can come but one subject or doctrine, and that is, the new birth. This is the one specific idea which Nicodemus failed to grasp, and which thousands since his day, have also failed to grasp. What is it, therefore, to be born again, or born from above? What particular part of man is included in this expression? Where is the seat and source of the change?

The expression itself is figurative; still, it is a wonderfully apt and forcible figure. None other than unerring wisdom could have made so just and so happy a selection of terminology. Of course there is no literal, outward, physical birth. The mistake of Nicodemus was that he apprehended these words literally, and asked Christ, with profound amazement, how a man could be born when he was old. It is not strange, however, that Nicodemus made this