holily. That which should supply the means of getting rid of the sense of guilt and fear of its consequences, without also furnishing some means of getting rid of guilt itself, would be no boon, but a curse to men: a mere paralyzer of their noblest faculty, the conscience. The only possible way, whereby I can roll off from my mind a sense that I am guilty and have no right to the comfort set forth in my Bible, must be some provision whereby I can be made to share the qualities of them who speak that comfort, and to put on the character of that place from whence the tidings of it come.

And if a man be good for anything-be anything more than a selfish and sensual creature, this want also emerges sooner or later in his mind: the want of being better than he is.

treme case.

after another timid person trembled: there would be no religion left; the State would become unchristian; immorality and unbelief would swamp us all. What was the result? Why, that there was ten times more religion than ever; that the State, which had never done a Christian act in all its history, for the first time in its life became Christian, and proved its faith by its works.

66

I once heard the late Dr. Conolly (of blessed memory, if ever man was) relate an incident connected with his establishment of the kindly treatment in the Hanwell Asylum. A pauper patient was brought up to the gate in a strait-waistcoat, struggling and kicking. "Take that off," said the doctor; we allow no such thing here." "Bless'e, sir, he'd fly at your throat." Take it off, I say, or take him away." It was taken off, the man gazing in astonishment. He was led into the porter's lodge, and set down to a plentiful meal. The man covered his face with his hands, and burst into tears; and from that moment became tractable and kindly.

Now we have been taking hitherto an exOur champion of the un-faith might be supposed capable of doing without religion, if ever anybody could. And so we took him, as showing how the case lies with the most unfavourable instance we could produce. But the generality of men are not champions of un-faith. They are ordinary human creatures, gifted with common sense and the power of detecting falsehood: not very likely, at least in this wide-awake country of ours, to be led by the nose for the profit or pleasure of a few whose interest it is to lead them. And what is their verdict on the subject? They form the bulk of our community. What says our community about being able to do without religion? The verdict of that com-vered that it wanted religion. munity on this matter is very striking. First of all, in ruder days, it was convinced that the nation ought to have a religion, and it exacted that it should have a religion, and that that religion should be one and the same for all who dwelt within its frontiers, and partook of its rights. This was some evidence, but it was of necessity imperfect, because thus the want of religion might be not a real one springing out of the depths of man's heart, but one artificially induced by the will of rulers.

Now, what was done in this case? Just this: the disease was not removed, but its true treatment was discovered. The depths of the human heart were first sounded; and power over evil was educed, which none had suspected before. Even so has our community, since its emancipation from compulsory conformity, shewn what is in the depths of the heart of man with regard to religion. Being set free, the nature did not do without religion. It then first truly disco

But in the course of time, as light and knowledge increased, it became plain that such was not the way for a nation to have a religion; that the way for a nation to have a religion was for the individual men in that nation to have a religion, and then to group themselves into bodies according to their several religious feelings and convictions.

And now came the true evidence, as to what average men of common sense think about the necessity of religion for man. As the chains were taken off Englishmen, one

And the consequences of the discovery are becoming more momentous every day. The standard of right and wrong in the public mind is slowly, but surely, rising; the reverence for things pure and of good report is steadily on the increase; and there probably would be found, if the search were to be made, in spite of all the ferment of conflicting opinions, a greater consensus in favour of the great foundation doctrines of religion now, than at any former period of our history.

From all which things, private and public, we infer that the association for getting rid of religion is never likely to prosper among men; that the wants of our nature which lead it to have recourse to religion are not artificially created, but inborn and inevitable. The fear of death, the burden of guilt, the aspiration after good, these are facts, the existence and the effect of which will be manifested whenever the fountains of our nature are stirred, and as long as mankind exists on the earth.

PEEPS AT THE FAR EAST.

BY THE EDITOR.

1.-OUTWARD BOUND.

mistaken for fancies even in the land of Ossian. And as mere dreamers evince a remarkable and very persistent determination to tell others, to their great annoyance, what they saw and heard during their night-like adventures, so I must tell my Indian experiences. But those who do not wish to be bored with them can, I am glad to think, easily escape the infliction.

I call my visit to India by the mild and well-known name of "a peep," chiefly to indicate its very transitory character, and to avoid all comparison between my superficial jottings, and the accounts given by those who have been gazing at India and its people for years from under their suntopce. Still, as a few peeps only are necessary to produce photographs when the light falls on the prepared slips, so have I received impressions that can never perish from under that bright eastern sun,-impressions which I should much like to transfer to paper, even with the coarse pen and ink effect of the nonprofessional artist.

given in other forms. Nevertheless, the subject which most engaged my attention will naturally be touched upon now and again in these papers.

Having said this much, we can now proceed on our outward journey. We chose the overland passage, and at Marseilles joined the Tanjore for Malta. I feel that justice is scarcely done to the beauties of this route. It is looked upon very much as a mere drudgery to be got over as speedily and as sulkily as possible. No doubt the journey to Marseilles is a long and tiresome one, but the scenery is extremely beautiful between Avignon and Marseilles, where, ever and anon, there are delightful glimpses of the Rhone, and views of the enclosing hills. Again, on nearing Marseilles the coast scenery towards Toulon is very fine, with the wild bare islands scattered, broken, and worn into strangest shapes by the ceaseless attacks of winds and waves. And farther on, the Straits of Bonifacio are themselves worth a visit. Corsica reminded me of Arran in its general character. Both it and Sardinia, in their rugged boldness, their jagged peaks, and the broken fantastic forms of their skyline, are not surpassed by anything in our western highlands. I enjoyed the scene immensely, and not the less so from getting an excellent view of Caprera, and of Garibaldi's home. It is a lonely spot, but I gazed on it with affectionate interest, and with as much respect as on any palace upon earth. He was absent, seeking to gain Rome for Italy. Whether the Eternal City shall ever be freed from popedom I know not, but when this chapter of the long history of Italy comes to be read by future generations, I venture to think that no man now in Rome, be he priest or abbot, Monsignor, cardinal, or Pope, will excite as much interest or inspire as much respect as the exile of Caprera. We passed Sicily with all sails set, and followed by a delicious breeze. Here again was a coast view of great beauty, with fine mountains, whose green sides, as well as the plains at their foot, were dotted with white hamlets and villages. Several islands broke the occan line seawards.

When four years ago I sailed "eastward" for the first time, I went for mere pleasure, if by such a holiday phrase one can allude to a tour in Palestine. I said, when telling my story to fireside travellers in "GOOD WORDS," that I did not go in gown and bands, with official responsibility, or with any weighty matters on hand to compel me to mark, learn, and inwardly digest," as I pursued my journey. But it was far otherwise on this occasion. Nothing, I feel, could have induced me to go to India on a tour of mere pleasure. As the grounds for this feeling however, are wholly personal, arising out of many peculiar circumstances, they do not concern the reader, and need not be stated. He must not suppose, however, that I consider India as being unworthy of a visit by the traveller for its own sake. Enough to state here that my Church did me the honour to request me to visit India, to inquire into the true state and prospects of Christian misSons there, with special reference to those of the Church of Scotland, and that I felt it to be my duty, at all hazards, to accept the commission. Dr. Watson, an old and dear friend, was my fellow deputy, and we sailed together from Marseilles on the 6th of November, 1867. Just one word more of a semi-personal Tature. I give these sketches, not in the formal character of the deputy from a Church, bat in the less dignified, although much more easy and untrammelled, character of the mere traveller. The weightier results of the tour, with details bearing on missions, have been mittee of the Church of Scotland.

Sailing in mild weather amid such scenes of beauty, with a large number of cheerful passengers to share the enjoyment, the overland journey is not the dull monotonous affair which people going abroad for the first

* "Address on Indian Missions." Blackwood and Sons. Is. Unpublished Report ride to the Foreign Mission Com