no more.

The Bible as a Divine Revelation is a great gift to man. It at once reveals the immortality he longs for, and lights the way to its realization and enjoyment. It calms the troubles of the present, fills the bosom with hope in relation to coming time, and kindles a torch upon the dark and silent tomb-a torch which floods with an unearthly glory the gloomy valley of the shadow of death, and sends its rays forward through the night of darkness till they meet and mingle with the beams of the eternal morning, and finally merge in the heavenly sunshine of an endless day. Precious Bible! Nature can teach us much, but she cannot teach like thee! With thy great central facts of the Incarnation, Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension of the Divine Redeemer, and thy chief doctrines of Redemption and Reconciliation, Renewal and Restoration, thou hast come to enlighten the mind which Nature could not illumine, fill the heart with hopes which Nature. could not inspire, and guide the human spirit on its upward flight into the bosom of God, where Nature could never carry it. Whatever theory of Inspiration men may adopt, or however numerous the real or fancied discrepancies and

a

defects which the so-called Higher Criticism may discover, the Bible continues to be among all the books of the world like the sun in the midst of the planets-the great central instrument and medium of all spiritual light, life and power. Oh! that men would embrace the Bible with joy proportioned to the blessings it brings, study its sacred pages with an eagerness and a reverence in keeping with their transcendent teachings, believe and practise these teachings with a devotedness worthy of their inestimable value, and magnify the name of the Three-One God whose grace and mercy they unfold! Nature can charm the senses, elevate the thoughts, and show much knowledge, but it is the law of the Lord alone which is perfect, converting the soul. The thoughts of God as revealed in Scripture 'are true and righteous; more to be desired are they than gold, yea than much fine gold, sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.' Gold and honey are Nature's precious products, but they are not to be compared with the enduring riches. and the satisfying provision which the Bible brings. It is the most valuable of all our external possessions. We can afford to lose all earthly treasures and pleasures, but not the Word

of God. It is our only guide through the dark night of time, our only chart for the stormy ocean of life, our only conductor to a glorious and blissful Immortality. May we eagerly cling to it, devoutly meditate upon it, joyfully receive its instructions, and give to them a practical embodiment in our daily life.

Britain owes much to the Bible. What is the source and history of her freedom and greatness? Her freedom is ancient Grecian civilization passed into the Roman type, poured into the English mould, and finally baptized into the spirit and genius of Christianity. And it is the Bible which has given all its worth, grandeur and superiority to her greatness-a greatness which makes her national life,-in spite of its defects,―a pride and joy to her sons, the terror of despotism and the hope of all the oppressed. May she admire and cherish the Divine Book with an ever-increasing fervour, drink more and more deeply into its spirit, and manifest more of its life; so shall she increase her power and pre-eminence among the nations as the land of light and liberty, and scatter the blessings she enjoys over all the earth.

CHAPTER IV

DIVINE SECRETS IN THE DIVINE REVELATIONS

NATURE and the Bible as Divine revelations are meant to reveal. 'God is Love,' and it is the nature of love to declare and manifest itself. Instead of having anything to conceal, or secrets to keep, it longs to be fully understood and reciprocated, appropriated and enjoyed. This is true of our own little loves, how much more true of the perfect and unchanging love of God. The revelation of Himself to all the objects of His love, is the desire of the Supreme Lover. But a wise love, reveals itself with discretion. Parents can make known to their children, when they have grown up into manhood and womanhood, many things which they could not tell them when young. In like manner the Divine Father, whose love is infinitely wise, gives us revelations of Himself and His purposes according to our capacity to receive them. Therefore

N.B.S.

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He conceals even while revealing, because it is impossible for finite beings to receive all at once the communications He is willing to bestow.

is the glory of God to conceal a thing,' not because He is secretive, or holds back from telling men what they are capable of understanding and eager to know, but because in His infinite wisdom and Fatherly loving-kindness He sees that it would be for their injury to make known what He is concealing. In other words, He adapts the lessons which He teaches to the capacity of the learner. The secrets of God are the wise reservations of love. For instance, He did not tell Adam and Eve in Paradise that He and that He had

knew they would fall into sin, already provided a Saviour.

These were facts,

But

for He sees the end from the beginning, and Christ was the Lamb slain in the Divine purpose 'from before the foundation of the world.' to have revealed these facts before the Fall would not have been a blessing but a curse. It was soon enough to announce a Saviour from sin when the transgressors knew by painful experience what sin really is and also something of its miserable consequences. And from then