[Rollin A. Sawyer, D.D., in Christian Work and Evangelist.]

At this moment we are in the process of waking out of a slumberous state of the public conscience. Society is passing before a new mirror. Public men find new tests set up by the old paths. It is a time of readjustment, a period of reform, a turning of a new leaf in the book of life, a taking of new observations, fixing the place and progress of our age in the history of man. We are getting some new glimpses into that mystery of the ages, the ultimate significance of human life. Some people are content to call it a time of unrest, as if the world of man were simply turning over in its sleep. But the mighty fact is that the moral sense of the world is quickening into action, the whole world's conscience is waking up. We are told that the morals of men are falling below old standards or finding a frail footing on new ideals. There is hurry and scurry to prop up the ancient levels of conduct by new devices underneath and readjustments up above. There is haste in the new evangelism of old doctrines of living that savors not only of distress, but of despair. The missionaries are out with cry and placard of alarm. It would seem that society was in danger of collapse and the signs of last-day catastrophes would blaze out of our serenest sky. There is no sort of objection to activity and vigilance on the part of our conspicuous workers for religion and righteousness, but the peril of mistaking the meaning of all social and religious change is not only very great, but it is menacingly very nigh. What is needed at this moment most of all is a recognition of the roused spirit that is abroad, moving on the souls of men as the creative spirit marched on to kindle light and life out of the primitive "deep." These unwonted stirs are not a refluent, but an advancing, tide. The sea is coming in. Humanity swings in response to heaven, that call from its own deep answering to the deeps on high. All this restless, yearning struggle is a sign of health, a symptom of irrepressible growth. Why treat it as a signal of decline, decay, and death? The world is not waxing evil. The patient we are called to treat is alive and going on to higher life. The mistake in treatment may produce the very ill we fight and fear. [Theodore G. Soares in Standard.]

In the midst of the pressure of our modern problems, social, educational, ethical, political, religious, it is vastly encouraging to realize the degree of unity of purpose to which we have come. Differences even of method scarcely divide us. We are coming rapidly to appreciate that he who is not against us is on our side. Everywhere we find a passionate longing to aid our youth toward strong, pure manhood and womanhood and a like determination to express our deepest religious life in the humanizing of all our social relations. The school, organized for efficiency, insists upon an ethical interpretation of its task. The church, concerned with religious interests, will not allow itself to interpret spirituality apart from vocational, recreational, and all social interests. Those concerned with physical philanthropies find themselves beset with moral problems. Those preaching salvation find that they must save men and not merely souls. We are all busy with the same aim, bringing life to its fulness. It is time that we realized our unity, felt the strength of it, organized our endeavors, economically and scientifically, and brought the whole great complex movement to its full significance in our federation for religious leadership. [Zion's Herald.]

There can be no question of the need of a message from the living church to every varying generation of human life. In the words that living men and women understand, touching the spheres of thought and action in which they dwell, the church must give a message to humanity in the twentieth century as she did in the first century. This is essential to her permanence; it lies at the heart of her mission. Whenever the church is uncertain about her message, when she is aimlessly seeking it instead of definitely declaring it, she comes into a sorry pass.

The new social accent must be strong and clear. There must be no wavering in the definition of the moral issues of the good news of a living Christ. Behind these as their warrant, however, lies the profounder message of the risen Lord. It is because of his present ministry that we declare the moral sanctions of the gospel and believe in the kingdom of God.

The world is waiting for this accent of authority. It is a spiritual and not an institutional certainty. The old message is the new message; salvation is by a living Christ. If this fact can be declared by the message and proved by the life of the Christian church, she will save the world. [Western Christian Advocate.]

They who live close to Jesus are apt to have a certain childlikeness of spirit. It will probably cause them to be misunderstood by the world, and suspected by the vulgar. Fortunately it is possible to keep this simplicity of character, and yet understand the dark plots of worldly men. When the childlike spirit is safeguarded by knowledge it is a divinely beautiful thing. They have it who know the Lord. They see the truth clearly and calmly. They do not fret or grow anxious. The laws of life are very fair to them. All duties are made welcome, and the will of Christ is their supreme delight. Jesus loves these trustful hearts. They are his nearest kin. He loves them because they are like him, because it is in his companionship that they have grown to be what they are. [Outlook.]

There is, indeed, no safety for man except in the path the Master trod, and no safety for society except in the daily practice of his principles. One by one, slowly and painfully and imperfectly, the truths which men once rejected have been accepted; slowly, painfully, imperfectly, love as the supreme principle of life gains way, and weary hearts and despairing minds turn to it more and more as the one power that can save society and make the world a place of justice and hope and peace; and every triumph of the truth he taught and every acceptance of the faith in the Father in which he lived and died adds new weight to the Christ's testimony to immortality. The rejected teacher of this sublime truth has become the commanding witness in history. [Rev. R. J. Campbell, M.A., in Christian Commonwealth.]

The ideal life, the unconditioned life of God, the life eternal, knows nothing of the conflict between right and wrong, for there is nothing to give rise to it. And oh, how glad it will be when you and I get home to that life! I long for it; I long for the day to come when there will no longer be in our experience any question of good and evil, right and wrong, but we shall simply live, and by being what we spontaneously are, and doing what our nature prompts us to do, we shall be fulfilling our divine destiny to the uttermost. That day is coming, but to a large extent its advent depends upon ourselves. [Universalist Leader.]

It can be said that there is a vast deal of Christianity outside of the church, and it is the real thing; it is in the well-conducted business house, in the faithful labor, in the small or great movement for human betterment, in the example of patience and endurance obscured from public gaze, in the heroics of many a humble life. These things, wherever they are, are sacred, religious, Christian. Too long we have set sacred things apart by themselves, in a separate class.