again, crawling through the channels of thousand-folded difference, from animal to animal, until at length a human brain be given him, and after generations he become once again capable of being born of the spirit into the kingdom of liberty. Then shall all his past life open upon him, and in shame and dismay will he repent a thousand-fold, and will sin no more. Such, at least, are the thoughts of our wise men upon the matter; but truly we know not.' 'It is good,' I said. 'But how are men guided as to what lies to them to provide for the general good?' 'Every man doeth what thing he can, and the more his labor is desired the more he rejoices.' 'If a man should desire that he could nowhere find in the city?' "Then he would straightway do his endeavor to provide that thing for all in the city who might after him desire the same.' 'Now, sir, methink I know and understand,' I answered. And we rose and went further.

"I think that could be!" said the curate, breaking the silence that followed when Rachel ceased.

"Not in this world," said the draper.

"To doubt that it could be," said the gate-keeper, "would be to doubt whether the kingdom of heaven is a chimera or a divine idea."

The following is Ferrar Fenton's translation of the Lord's Prayer; regarded by many of the most learned scholars as the exact translation of the Greek words:

"Our Father in the heavens Your Name must be being Hallowed; Your Kingdom must be being restored; Your Will must be being done both in Heaven and upon the Earth. Give us today our to morrow's bread and forgive us our faults as we forgive those offending us; for You would not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from its evil."

Nothing except what flows from the heart can render even external manners pleasing.—Blair.

THE GOLDEN RULE-TEMPERANCE LESSON. -Matt. 7:1-12.

1. Judge not, that ye be not judged.

2. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you.

3. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

4. Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me cast out the mote out of thine eye; and lo, the beam is in thine own eye?

5. Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote of thy brother's eye.

6. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs neither cast your pearls before the swine, lest haply they trample them under their feet, and turn and rend you.

7. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

8. for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

9. Or what man is there of you, who, if his own son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone;

10. or if he shall ask for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11. If ye then being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

12. All things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye also unto them: for this is the law and the prophets.

GOLDEN TEXT-All things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye also unto them for this is the law and the prophets.Matt. 7:12.

The charge is sometimes made against metaphysicians that they are not champions of temperance, even that they do not consider it necessary to be temperate in order to be Christ-like. This, of course, is untrue, and it arises from our attitude toward the popular methods for decreasing temperance.

come.

We are in hearty sympathy with all restraint and the doing away with temptation, but do not favor the condemnation which is such a prominent factor in most temperance movements. Nor do we deem it wise to talk about the power of the evil that we are seeking to overWhen a lot of people in their zeal to stamp out an evil condition, see it as a great opposing force, and so proclaim it day after day, they actually infuse into it. through their own thought currents a stability and combative power that fights them back with an energy equal to their own. With this steady current of combative thought feeding the flame of false appetite and affirming for it great power, there is no end to the conflict.

The first step in overcoming an evil is to undermine it with the silent word sent forth that it is powerless. All falsities rest upon the no-thing of existence, and they are without power. Let us so declare silently and aloud, and they will be weakened as we tell them the truth. The next step is to tell those who foster them that they are not evil, that they are of the One Good and that they are seeking that Good. That Good is Spirit instead of matter. The stimulant that is desired is not material but spiritual. Satisfaction is found only in the now apprehension of this omnipresent spiritual energy that, as on the day of Pentecost, fills men with dynamic force and intelligence.

The man of sense is confused by wine-he puts into

his stomach that which "steals away his brains." This is but a mortal belief, and the realization of the truth of man's spiritual being quickly restores this sense confusion. Let the drunkard declare his spiritual selfhood, and continuing in its affirmation, all desire for material stimulant will be surely removed far from him. Let his friends make this declaration for him and he

will be helped to overcome. It is in the power of every mother to reform her son, or the wife her husband, through the steady declaration day after day of the truth of man's being, and its now manifestation in his This means the withdrawal of all accusation and

case.

condemnation.

There are confusions of mind other than those produced by strong drink, and their effect is even more demoralizing upon the true character. These are the false states of mind produced by the personal will seeking to gratify the desires of sense. It is this that our

lesson refers to rather than the confusion of wine drink

ing.

Pride in personality leads to lowering of the mental status-the crown of the man, the understanding, is trodden under foot. To become intoxicated with one's own personality is a debasement. To become intoxicated with the affairs of this world is mentally demoralizing. The business man who is intoxicated. with his money-getting, the woman of fashion intoxicated with the desire for social distinction, the priest intoxicated with his creed, the scholar intoxicated with his intellectual achievements-these are all in greater "woe" than the common drunkard, because they are more fixed in their delusions and have no spirit of repentance.

The "flowers of glorious beauty" is the sweet simplicity and naturalness of the Divine Selfhood. When this is manifest it is "a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty."

Lesson 9. February 27.

FALSE AND TRUE

DISCIPLESHIP

Matt. 7:13-29.

13. Enter ye in by the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many are they that enter in thereby.

14. For narrow is the gate, and straightened the way, that leadeth unto life, and few are they that find it.

15. Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves.

16. By their fruits ye shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17. Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but the corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

18. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

19. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewd down, and cast into the fire.

20. Therefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

21. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven.

22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works?

23. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

24. Every one therefore that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them, shall be likened unto a wise man, who built his house upon the rock:

25. and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon the rock.

26. And every one that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand:

27. and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and smote upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall thereof.

28. And it came to pass, when Jesus ended these words, the multitudes were astonished at his teaching:

29. for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.