from the beginning, and He exhibits this ineffable foresight by enfolding within the very first manifestations of heavenly purpose principles which, although then unnoticed by other eyes than his own, are predictive, and do really, though rudimentally, contain the glorious fulness which the providence of after centuries developes. Thus, both the earlier theologies, Patriarchal and Mosaic, included teachings of God's universal love and world-wide purposes of blessing. But although existent, these truths were not prominent; they lay like germs waiting for the heat of a brighter day to quicken them into life. In Christianity the long-hidden mystery, that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, has been unveiled. The idea latent for ages has become pervasive, dominant, characteristic.

Heathenism had neither creed nor principle that could make it propagandist. Each tribe and nation worshipped its own deities, but cared not to interfere with the worship of others. Rome collected within her walls representatives of every faith: gave to all gods a place in her Pantheon. All were considered by the people as equally true; by the philosophers, as equally false; by the magistrates, as equally useful. On the banks of the Tiber the Greek saw temples sacred to his own Minerva and Apollo. There too the Egyptian found priests of Isis and emblems of Apis, Horus, and Anubis. Rome had in it followers of the Babylonian Mylitta, and the obsequious senate gathered reverently round Elagabalus, while with Syrian rites he worshipped the sun.

On these terms of fraternity Christianity, too, might have found a place. Nobody would particularly have objected to Jesus having a niche in the Pantheon. But Christianity did not humbly sue for a quiet place among existing systems. Its disciples declared that their Lord, the true and only Potentate, could receive no divided

:

allegiance that the Gospel must not only stand, but stand alone. The religion of Jesus sent forth its followers to a war of extermination against ritualism, philosophy, and idolatry.

Then commenced the strangest contest earth ever saw.

On the one side were the Jews, with their antiquity, their priesthood, their temple, their prestige. The Greeks, with their mythology, a chaos of mingled beauty and folly. The Romans, with their policy, and power, and pride. The philosophers, with their wonderful amalgam of shrewd ness and blindness, sublimity and absurdity. The barba rians, with their uncouth languages, distant homes and bloody rites. The world, with all that it could summon to its aid, from the pride of intellect or the passions of perverted nature.

On the other side were a few men, poor and ignorant, and ignoble and weak.

But you all know the issue. Judaism burnt out in the fires of its own temple; idolatry fell like a smitten dagon; philosophy, heathen and sceptic, became lifeless, and lies entombed in the death of the language in which principally it was uttered; the barbarous people were evangelised; Spain heard the Gospel voice; far off Britain, and "those northward and inclement Scandinavian shores, which the lordly Roman shivered when he named," listened to its call; Egypt, Ethiopia, and North Africa had apostolic missionaries; Gaul bowed to the cross; the inhuman superstitions of the Druids faded before its gentle lessons; the bloody war-gods of the Goths were given up for the rule of the Prince of Peace; wild Arab tribes and fierce men of Parthia and Bactria were among the converts; India was not so distant, but some gleams of that primitive light reached her coral strand; many a strange tongue swelled the Church's anthems; the noble army of martyrs bore the blood-sprinkled

banner further than imperial legions had ever carried the victorious standards of Rome.

How complete the victory! The false religions were not only rebuked, but destroyed; not only crushed, but annihilated. The idolatries-classic, Druidic, Scandinavian, Egyptian-are clean gone from the face of the earth, and their gods are perished from under these heavens. The artifice of priests-the might of the strong--the reverence of forms cherished for a thousand years-the armies of purple kings-all were impotent against the power of the truth and the plenitude of the Spirit. Every opposer was brought to the confession of the dying Julian-"Thou hast conquered, O Galilean!" A few more centuries like those early ones, and the world had been won. But, alas! the work so nobly commenced was soon relinquished, and for long ages seemed to be entirely forgotten.

At length, however, the apostolic enterprise has been most hopefully resumed. The high and beneficent designs of God towards humanity-miserable and fallen-are again clear to the view of the Church beyond the possibility of eclipse, and, accordingly, she has set forth on her errand of catholic mercy, and pledged herself to rest no more until the world is leavened with truth and won for Christ. The breadth of the modern missionary movement marked the divinity of the impulse which originated it. It stirred the heart of Moravian and Baptist, Prelatist and Presbyterian, Independent and Wesleyan alike. The progress of maritime discovery, and the increased intercourse with remote parts of the world, were secular preparations, unintentional on the part of their promoters, but, on the part of God arrangements preparative, marking his providential foresight and sanction of missions.

The French Revolution broke upon Europe like the outburst of a new volcano. Its molten torrent flowed over the

whole continent; and though our happy land escaped the devastation of its lava streams, yet its sulphury vapours, showers of hot ashes, and heavings of earthquake, reached

even unto us.

When the Royal George went gurgling down, the vast maelstrom of its descent sucked in the smaller craft, and made every timber of its mightiest companion quiver. So, the continental neighbour lands of France went down with her to the whirling deeps of anarchy; and even England, though happily she descended not the gulf, yet vibrates to this hour with waves which that event set rolling.

Go back to those times,-see England aghast,-her heart palpitating with horror of the bloody doings of the demon of infidelity during the Reign of Terror; see the nation disturbed by the pressure of taxation-the scarcity of food— the strife of factions and the stirrings of revolt; see the land transformed into a camp, and its quiet citizens enrolled and armed, to repel threatened invasion; see all Christendom tossing in the throes of the wildest political convulsions ever known. Who that had not learned of Christ would, at such a time, have had thoughts of kindliness to spare for distant people? Who unless baptized from heaven, would have had faith enough to send forth amid such a hurly-burly of the nations, messages of peace and goodwill to them all?

Young men, do you sometimes tremble for the ark of God amid the fierce contests of this age? Let the noble daring and God-honouring faith of your fathers encourage you. Those were not halcyon days in which they pledged their fealty to this glorious cause! No! tempest and thunder filled the air, and fiery were the stars that gleamed in the horoscope of the birth hour of modern missions, and they were cradled for conquest and empire amid storms.

But have modern missions accomplished anything?

Missions have furnished this age with its most touching illustrations of the value of Christian principles; they have enlarged the circle of Christian fellowship and prayer; they have made the Church at home more beautiful, by exercising her charities, and stronger, by creating for her foreign alliances, and winning for her filial love from far-off lands.

Missions have followed the track of the navigator, anticipated the researches of the traveller, outstripped the enterprises of commerce, kindled the Gospel lamp in the emigrant's home, and preached salvation to the perishing pagan. Missions have rendered theology more practical and less polemic; have made good men more inclined to weep and work for a world than to contend for a word.

Missions have blessed the world. As Peter walked at eventime, his lengthened shadow as it fell on the gathered sick in the streets of Jerusalem, healed as it swept over them; even so is Christianity going through the earth like a spirit of health, and the nations miserable and fallen start up and live as she passes.

Missions have already ground many a grim Moloch into dust; they have quenched the fires of Suttee, broken the fetters of the slave, gathered wanderers into towns, given elevation, strength, purity, and permanence to languages, originated literatures, conferred constitutions, created markets for trade, and laid the foundations of empires; they are leavening the countless populations of Asia, and have given the hand of rescue to sinking races, as did Jesus to the drowning apostle.

We now proceed to notice the influence of the Church upon the nation with respect to matters educational, sanitary, and philanthropic.

It is a frequent but unfair taunt, "See how these discordant sects have prevented national education.” Why, but for the action of those much-slandered sects the noisy