the Book which records the Christ; of the Book from which we derive our only creed, our only code of morals and our only franchise of ecclesiastical life. Wherefore, we say to all who profess to be Christians, Stand by the Bible! Read it, search it, pray over it, love it, and live by it!

But, though we thus speak, we know that the 'Bible is in no danger. It is as Gladstone said, "the impregnable rock"; more impregnable than Gibraltar, which the fleets of centuries have bombarded in vain. No, the Bible is in no danger; but there is danger that multitudes will suffer shipwreck by following the leadership of those who speciously assail it. And there is danger that such false teachers will themselves fall under the denunciation of Christ: "It is impossible but that occasions of stumbling should come; but woe unto him through whom they come! It were well for him if a millstone were hanged about his neck and he were thrown into the sea."

The superstructure of the Church is its living membership. This thought is expressed by Peter where he says, "Ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house." This expression, "living

stones," is a singular one.

It is recorded that on one occasion, as Jesus was going out of the Temple, his disciples said, "Teacher, behold, what manner of stones and what manner of buildings!" Wonderful, indeed, were the stones of that Temple. Josephus says in his "An

tiquities" that some of them were twenty-five cubits by twelve; that is forty by twenty feet. By what engineering skill were those ponderous masses lifted into place? Wonderful stones! But the stones in God's spiritual Temple are more wonderful, for they are endowed with life. The bricks of the ruined temples of Nineveh are marked with the cartouches of contemporary kings; but the stones of this Temple have been touched by God's finger and thrilled through and through with the electric power of his life.

This means that Christians must do something more than merely lie in their places. It means that Church-membership is more than a name on a roster. It means that the church is devoted to something more than the letter of truth or liturgical forms or ethical precepts. "I came," said Christ, "that they may have life and may have it abundantly." And again, "You did he make alive who were dead through your trespasses and sins."

In one of Ruskin's lectures he defines architecture as "frozen music." But this is not true of the architecture of the Church. The stones of this Temple have hearts that pulsate with divine love; they have hands stretched forth in mutual service; they have voices that sing, "All hail the power of Jesus' name," and, "Blest be the tie that binds!" They have hearts beating in quick response to the world's need, hands to help the helpless, and voices calling like those of life-savers from the shore on a stormy night, "Throw out the life-line!" Frozen

music? Ah, no! What a picture of a living Church is here! Every part of this great superstructure palpitates with life.

Growth organic.-The Church, thus constituted, "groweth," as Paul expresses it. The word is not such as was customarily used of mere accretion, as when a fabric grows, thread upon thread, in the loom; or as when a palace grows, stone by stone; but it has reference to organic growth; that is, the growth of a plant or tree, by reason of life within it. It is, in brief, a word picture of the parable of Christ: "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a grain of mustard seed, which indeed is less than all seeds; but when it is grown it . . . becometh a tree, so that the birds of the heaven come and lodge in the branches thereof."

The growth of the Church is measured by that of the individual believers who constitute it. God's life is the germinating principle. This is the influence referred to by Paul where he speaks of the whole body as being "fitly framed and knit together through that which every joint supplieth, according to the working in due measure of each several part, making increase of the body unto the building up of itself in love."

But apart from the growth of individual believers there is a distinct growth of the mighty coherent unit which we call "the Holy Catholic Church." The record of this growth is history. And the ultimatum of history is the coming of Christ to occupy his Church and reign over it.

The story of ecclesiastical progress has been constant from the beginning until now. We sometimes place our finger on a notable epoch of history called "the Dark Ages," and say, "Here there was an arrest." I doubt it. If you put a plant in the cellar it will not cease to grow, else it would die; but it puts forth pale and sickly fingers, reaching toward every beam of light that creeps through crevices in the wall. It was so with the church in the Dark Ages, when the clergy repaired to cloisters and busied themselves in the illumination of missals and breviaries, while the people were famishing for the Word. But there was, in fact, no arrest of growth, because there was no real cessation of life. And what a marvelous advance has there been in these last days! The numerical increase of the Church during the nineteenth century was more than during the entire eighteen centuries which preceded it. Thus "God works in all things; all obey his first propulsion from the night."

End of the growth.- The Church "groweth into a holy Temple in the Lord." This marks the consummation. The Church, notwithstanding its marvelous progress thus far, is still incomplete. One thing remains to be done: the Lord himself must descend and by his Spirit take personal possession of it. All hail the parousia! The Lord cometh! "Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be

ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory will come in!"

The Temple of Solomon was completed in the eleventh year of his reign. At its dedication the priests and Levites, with the hereditary heads of the tribes, were assembled in the Holy City. The king sat upon his ivory throne, with his archers about him holding their golden shields and clad in Tyrian purple. The choirs and orchestras responded to one another in the Grand Hillel, “O that men would praise Jehovah for his lovingkindness and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" Then something occurred whereat all were instantly silent; a fleece of golden mist flowed outward from the Holy of Holies and enveloped all. It was the Shekinah, the most excellent glory. And thus the Temple became the Temple of God.

The time is coming when Christ shall appear in like manner to make his influence felt throughout the whole earth; when his angel shall proclaim, "The tabernacle of God is with men, and he shall dwell with them and they shall be his peoples, and God himself shall be with them and be their God."

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Arise, O King of saints, arise

And enter to thy rest.

Lo, thy Church waits with longing eyes
Thus to be owned and blest!'

Living stones.-The important question is as to our personal relation with the Church. It is