that meets the requirements of man, and nothing short of its complete development can permanently satisfy the wants of the soul. The great decline in primitive Christianity was largely brought about, as we have observed, by the assimilating of paganism—by the substitution of an external, formal religion for that internal, spiritual religion that proceeded from God. Human nature could not bear this yoke forever. It sought for direct communion with its God. The result was a step upward in progress, a return to the Bible, which produced the Reformation. And since the Bible has become the Word of Life to the nations again, it is evident that its principles will gradually produce actual effects in the elevation of society and a return to the original standard of Christianity. A greater amount of apostolic truth has been brought forth by succeeding reformations, and the outlook is encouraging for still greater results. The truth can not remain silent; it must speak; and when its voice is heard speaking "as never man spake," millions are ready to yield obedience to the heavenly mandate. Already the trumpet of God is heard sounding forth truth in advance of the general standard of Protestantism. Another reformation is at hand. God is now calling his people together in unity as in apostolic days— not upon the narrow basis of a single sect, but upon the broad platform of all truth, independent of every sect. The true Christians of every denomination properly belong to this movement. When they hear the voice of Christ calling them into Bible unity, they willingly obey; they are glad to step out from or to take away the barriers that have separated them from the brethren and sisters outside of their narrow limits. It is reasonable to suppose that if Christ should come in person to preach the gospel on earth at the present day, he would not identify himself with any existing sect, but would set up truth as an independent standard and invite all men to forsake their divisions and be united in him alone. Such is Bible unity-the kind that existed before Christian denominationalism arose. The experience of Christ in the soul and life alone constitutes a man a true Christian; and when all who have obtained this internal experience learn to ignore all other bonds of union, the Bible standard of Christian fellowship and unity will be universally realized. Perfect unity was effected in the apostolic times by the preaching of Christ alone and by the forsaking of every independent position in order to unite with each other in him. Even the widely separated Jew and Gentile were unified in Christ by this means. The apostle Paul says with reference to them: "But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us. . . That he might reconcile both unto God IN ONE BODY by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby. . . . For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." Eph. 2: 13-22. "'Twas sung by the poets, foreseen in the Spirit, A time of refreshing is near; When creeds and divisions would fall to demerit, "Oh, glory to Jesus! We hail the bright day, CHAPTER XVII. THE PERFECT STATE. We have shown the origin and the nature of the religion of the Bible, and have briefly traced its progress during the long weary centuries. We now draw near the final scene of this great religious drama the grand climax of all the preceding acts. The spiritual works of God, like his operations in nature, move slowly, but stately. The Author of the plan of redemption is not limited by time; for with him "one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." After the lapse of centuries, during which preparatory steps had been taken, Christ appeared and proclaimed the gospel of full salvation. But this was only one part of the great redemption scheme. It restored man to the moral image of his Creator and brought happiness and peace to the soul here in time, but it left for the future the revelation and the fulfilment of that part of the original plan which comprehends man's complete development, and immortality in a perfect, glorified state hereafter. "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him: for we shall see him as he is." 1 John 3:2. We have before shown that while Christianity. foreshadows some ideal standards, its practical application is calculated to elevate mankind by degrees. But in the very nature of things it is improbable that this world in its present state should ever witness the complete revelation of God's plan relative to redeemed humanity. Sin originally drove man out of paradise, and it seems that man's sin has since driven paradise out of the world. We have the promise, however, that when the new heaven and the new earth shall have been brought to view in our future state, we shall again "have right to the tree of life and enter in through the gates into the city." Our present condition is only a preparatory one, and those who "do his commandments" here in this time-world shall have an abundant entrance into the future and everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In all ages of the world men have clung to the doctrine of personal immortality. The greatest names in philosophy are subscribed to its support -Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato, Cicero, Descartes, Bacon, Locke, Leibnitz, Kant, and Hamilton. And all the millions of earth, with a very few ex |