VALUE OF OBEDIENCE.

BY JOSEPHUS.

TRUE religion, or the religion of Jesus Christ, consists in loving the "Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind, and with all thy strength; and thy neighbor as thyself." This has never been possible for man, save one, the God-man, who united in himself the human and the divine in one Person. It is, however, now possible for man to be exercised by that noble and divine principle, of loving "God with all his heart." By repentance for sin, and faith in Jesus Christ, as able and willing to deliver the sinner, by the Atonement he made for sin, the promise of the Holy Spirit is fulfilled in the Regeneration of the individual, so that his "life is hid with Christ in God." This being the case, the whole sum and substance of his life, is centered upon the one object of his creation-the glory of God. This becomes more and more perfect as he advances in the christian life, from a babe in Christ "unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." As he grows his affections become stronger, so that he sees the vanity of setting them upon the things of the earth, and he gives evidence to others that for him "to live is Christ."

The manifestation of such religion abiding in the heart, is obedience. Whilst love to God and man, is the sum and substance of true religion, yet love destitute of obedience, is nothing more than a counterfeit of the genuine. Obedience is the seal impressed by the Author of true religion, upon the heart of every new creation of the Spirit. By it, the new man, created in righteousness and true holiness, may be known. There need be no deception, if the individual will observe the impressions of the author's seal, with spiritual eyes. It is the fruit of fruits, by which we are to know and distinguish between true and false disciples. It is of great value in the sight of God, because it is infused into the heart, as a living organic principle! in the act of regeneration, and is a part of the new creation.

The obedience of Adam, had he obeyed the divine injunction, in not eating" of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil," would have been of great value in the eyes of God, and to the happiness of mankind. All have felt the effects of it, but none on this Earth more than the God-man, who suffered and bore the curse of that disobedience. None can call in question the value of Adam's obedience to the world, had he not listened to the voice of the Tempter. The effect of his disobedience is sickness and pain, and troubles of every kind and grade. Of what atrocities, crimes and misery has he been the source? Then of what inestimable value would his obedience have been, had he had respect to the divine authority? The value of it, or the injury caused by his disobedience, can only be known by the actual experience of the lost for all Eternity. Obedience, thou wouldst have been a precious boon to every individual, hads't thou been bound up in the affections of the first man— Adam!

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Value of Obedience.

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To the peace, happiness and comfort of every household, obedience, of the children towards their parents, and on the part of the domestic, is invaluable. Without it, there will be a constant clashing between a divinely appointed authority, and the idea of a false liberty, so prevalent at the present day in children and domestics, or a refined licentiousness. Sorrow must fill the hearts of parents, where children are so ungrateful for all the care, anxiety and sleepless nights, that have been endured for their sake, as to reward all this kindness with disobedience. It wounds the honor of the parents, and destroys the peace which would otherwise exist. Thus it was with God the Father, and the children of men. It was the cause of the sentence, "thou shalt surely die." How often have children been cast off for their ingratitude? Obedience is not only the cause of happiness and peace dwelling around the fire-side of a happy family; but carries its reward with it into the world, and gains the esteem and confidence of every intelligent and honorable person. It ingratiates itself into the affections and good grace of others. Where it is absent, it is the very reverse-all confidence and respect is lost, and the person is looked upon as an ungrateful being. It is worthy to be cherished and nurtured in the heart of every child, who loves peace in preference to strife, happiness to misery, and confidence and respect to distrust and disrespect.

A faithful and obedient citizen to the laws and magistrates of the country, is the salt of the country's peace and prosperity. There is need of no troops, no brandishing of swords, no glittering of bayonets and no displays of bravery to make him subject to "the powers that be." He has the power within himself, enabling him to yield a cheerful and willing obedience to the powers ordained of God. The smiles and blessings of God's are his-happiness and peace.

All disorders and mobocracies arise from those who are unfaithful, disobedient and unworthy citizens. They are governed and controled by their own wills and the evil passions of a depraved nature. All authority coming in contact with these things must be met and resisted by disobedience. The consequence is misery and wretchedness.

Notwithstanding the consequences of Adam's disobedience was misery and wretchedness for time and eternity, yet the obedience of the second Adam-Christ-has been of an inestimable value to the world. Who can compute its worth?. Can any one this side of the grave? Nay. None, but the redeemed in the mansions of glory; and the lost in Hell. The one experiences its blessings, whilst the other bewails in the deepest anguish of soul, the want of those blessings. Disobedience brought sin into the world, or made every individual a sinner, and nothing short of obedience, passive in suffering the consequences of sin, and active in doing the will of God, can change the curse into a blessing; can make that which is worthless-valuable. It was of the greatest importance that Christ obeyed in all things, "written in the book of the law to do them." Had it not been for the value of his obedience, he never would have received the commendation, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Never would he have spoken unto us, "hear ye Him." By his obedience he merited heaven with all its spiritual blessings, for believers; and by it he has increased ten-fold the misery and wretchedness of the disobedient.

Obedience on the part of the believer to all things, commanded of God by his divinely commissioned ministry is of great value in the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. Without it there can be no salvation, as love is the predominant characteristic of the redeemed in heaven. Obedience is made by the Saviour the touch-stone of the presence of that love, abiding in the heart, which gains admission to the heavenly throng. "Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you;" "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love;" "If ye love me keep my commandments;" "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me;" "If a man love me, he will keep my words;" "He that loveth me not, keepeth not my sayings." The word keep in the above quotations, is synonymous with the word obey. His disciples, now, as well as then, are to observe and practice those commandments. The value of the believer's obedience is of great price, in evincing his title to mansions in the skies. If love is the sum and substance of the religion of Jesus, obedience is the manifestation of that love in the heart of the true christian.

Do you ask what makes the believer's obedience so valuable? We answer, because it is the obedience of Christ, implanted in his heart, in the act of his regeneration. As God said to his Son, the living Head of all believers, he can say to the members of that Body, "I am well pleased."

How sadly deficient is the obedience of the great majority of believers now, that calls forth such a commendation. The commandments are set at nought. God's mercies are disregarded, so that their tendency is rather to harden the heart and make it more bold in sin, instead of softening and making it more thankful. The divine commission of God's embassadors for Christ's sake, is ignored in reality. Their reproofs for sin are received as reproaches. Like the Jews in the time of Christ, they cannot have their sins set before them in a faithful exposition of God's word, without becoming angry. They wish to be carried to heaven sleeping in their sins. They believe, if they believe any thing, that if they sin, grace will abound. Not so the true child of God, who obeys God's commandments. His mercies have their proper effect. They hear through the divine commission, a voice, saying, "He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me." Reproof for their sin is rcceived in the love of it, and the language of their heart is the language of true penitence, "I have sinned, and done this evil in thy sight." Instead of sinning that grace may abound, they show by their obedience the impossibility of those being dead to sin, living any longer therein.

Reader, art thou a true child of God? then thou knowest the value of obedience. It is more precious to you than many jewels. Think not that yon shall see the kingdom of heaven without it. It is the only safe guardian of the triple crown of righteousness, life and glory. Obedience makes an affectionate child; and a child beloved. It makes the best citizens of the Earthly and Heavenly kingdom. Cherish and practice it.

THERE is a kind of physiogomy in the titles of books, no less than in the faces of men, by which a skilful observer will as well know what to expect from the one as the other.

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Light, or Darkness.

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LIGHT, OR DARKNESS?

BY PARVUS.

IN nature light and darkness are opposed to each other. The absence of light produces darkness; the presence of light dispels the darkness. When, during a rainy night, the moon, "pale empress of the night," and the myriad of bright stars, are hid from our view by a black curtain of intervening clouds, then pitchy darkness hangs over the face of our side of the earth, this is, because the sun has set, as we say, and gives light to the inhabitants of the other side of this globe, and because the dark clouds above us, intercept and shut out from our view the light of the sun, which would, otherwise, fall upon our side of the earth by reflection from the moon and stars This accounts for the fact that during a cloudy night the darkness is so much thicker than it is when the sky is clear, even when fair Luna is absent, or has her dark side turned towards

us.

But, not only in the natural world are light and darkness in conflict with each other. This truth reaches much farther. In the sphere of morality and religion, the same law holds good. So also in the sphere of the intellect-the mind. We speak of the light of knowledge and the darkness of ignorance-of the light of truth and the night of error. These are, of course, figurative expressions, but are most suitable for the purpose of illustration. Who sees not the fitness of the remark: "He is an enlightened man," applied to one who is highly cultivated, and who, in all his words and actions, shows, that he is able to see, as it were, right into matters and things? When we meet with a person who is up to the age in which he lives; who knows how to take care of himself in every way, and who stands prepared to make the best of everything that may turn up, we are at once ready to say: "this man has a clear head," and conclude that he must enjoy the benefit of a good education. On the other hand, when we see one stumbling along like a man in a dark night, blundering on all occasions and acting as if he had not the faculty of thought in his cranium, then we set it down for certain that he has no training-that he is in the dark. The night of ignorance and error is upon him and he sees but a faint glimmer of the light of knowledge and wisdom which illumines the pathway of his neighbor.

By nature we are all in this darkness. Light must be made to fall into our minds in order that we may learn to see. As in the physical world around us, two things are necessary to enable us to see, so it is in the intellectual. In the former we must have light, the element, and the eye, the organ of wisdom, the eye, is defective, or destroyed, or covered over by a thick film, derives no benefit from the light. It may surround him on every side and may fall upon his covered, or dead eye-ball, yet does he not see, because his eye can not drink in the light. So, when thick darkness surrounds us, the organ of vision may be good, yet we see not, because the element of vision is absent.

Thus also in the sphere of the intellect must two things be present, namely the mind, the organ of intelligence, and put in its innumerable shapes and forms-the element of intelligence. But these two, the organ and the element the mind and truth must be brought into contact. The mind must be placed into a receptive posture, so that it may receive the truth when it is presented. So must truth be applied to the mind in order to be received by it. This involves a process, which we call educating training.

Now, by a little reflection we will see, how easily and in how many ways the light of truth may be shut out of the mind, so that it will remain in, almost, its natural darkness. In the world of sense there are many ways to exclude the light from the eye, and some of these are very easy. A man need not put his head into a bag, or creep into the earth to do it. He need but close his eyes and darkness will shroud his organ of vision. Thus a man can shut up his mind so as to exclude almost every ray of the light of knowledge. Then he will walk in darkness and will have a chance to stumble and fall to his heart's consent, during the journey of his life upon earth. Even if he were altogether indifferent in regard to this matter, allowing as many rays of light to burst into the dark chambers of his mind as could penetrate, unassisted, through the different openings leading to them, yet, being not actively engaged in opening the portals of his mind, and in directing the rays of light to these openings, he could, at best, have only a dim twilight and would have to walk very carefully and circumspectly in order not to stumble and fall, or become entangled in the many snares, laid for his feet by the wicked and designing. In order to enjoy the full blessings of the light of knowledge, we must begin early to apply the truth to the mind, having first placed the mind into a proper, receptive posture. We must be untiring and must try to catch every ray of light that may come within our reach. Thus may we become privileged to walk in the light and to enjoy all its manifold blessings.

All should be engaged in cultivating their minds. There are few whose minds are not capable of training and improvement. As the good Lord has furnished nearly all with heathful organs of vision and also supplies the necessary element, so has he also furnished nearly all with minds capable of great development. The element is not wanting, either. Truth surrounds us on all sides. Yea, truth is within us, in our body, in our mind and in our spirit. How much light can we not gather by studying ourselves-physically, intellectually and morally, or spiritually. And then, think of the objects around, beneath and above us! Who can comprehend the infinitude of their number and variety!

The advantages which a proper cultivation of all our faculties, physical as well as intellectual, affords, should be a strong motive to induce us to give all diligence to this great work. Besides the temporal advantages which we may derive therefrom, there are innumerable spiritual blessings connected with it. Only the wise and good can be truly happy. Fountains of bliss and happiness bubble up their sweet waters on both sides of their path and they drink deep of their contents, whilst the rude, the uncultivated and ignorant pass them by, unconscious of their existence.

Who would, then, remain in ignorance? Who would wish to walk