the wicked abominations that they do here. So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed upon the wall round about." Some writers boldly excuse licentiousness, they will even sometimes cleverly make out the goat to be a sort of scapegoat, having something of a religious character, and the calf to be the symbol of innocent festivity, and they eloquently plead for things not once to be named amongst us; yet these advocates of license are the few, the great majority of men being at least ashamed of their baseness. But men convicted of living sordid and ignoble lives usually flatter themselves that they are largely the creatures of accident, and that they do not in their heart approve the life they unhappily allow. Now they do. They carry out their ideal, and a man's ideal shows to a certain extent what he really is, and more completely, what he wishes to be. No ideal can be imposed upon us; it expresses an inward choice and sympathy, and is peculiarly a man's own, good or bad; it is of his essence, and springs from the depth of his personality. Our ideal is our true self seen in the glass. "As a man thinketh in his heart so is he." Let us look the fact in the face, that whilst we live lives of covetousness, indulgence, and wantonness, we are exactly that which in our secret thought we approve. "Each

man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed." The imagination imparts a mystic halo, a glittering gilt, a deceptive glamour and bewitchingness to the base things which our soul desires. The thoughts, actions, and habits of lust are disgusting and hideous when seen in their utter nakedness; but fancy transfigures them, and, too often, we find out their true character only in remorse, suffering, and ruin. Our false ideal beguiles into hell. In the depths of an illuminated and a penitent soul choose another and nobler ideal.

Is your ideal that in which noble aspirations are blended with ungodliness?—a peculiarly dangerous stage of thought and life. It may be accompanied by none of the libertinism which marks the gross transgressor, but only by legitimate and noble things divorced from their true centre, and mixed up with heathen thought and feeling. In George Eliot's Life we read: "Dessoir, the actor, was another pleasant variety in our circle of acquaintance. I was very much pleased by the simplicity with which he one day said, Shakespeare is my god; I have no other god'; and, indeed, we saw that his art was a religion to him." Literature and art are noble things, actually adored by a select circle. "Italy is itself a religion," said Mazzini, Patriotism in the life of the ancient Roman occupied the place of a religion; and many, like the modern Italian,

find in patriotism the highest thing they know. It is reported that when the attendant drew up the window-blind, and the morning sun shone on the dying artist, Turner, taking his last look of the rising orb, exclaimed, "That is my god." Such is the confession of, perhaps, an increasing number; they know no divinity beyond nature's loveliness and wisdom. John Stuart Mill held "his wife's memory as a religion"; and the sublimest thing that many hope for, and that which becomes the last object of their faith and reverence, is human affection. Patriotism, Science, Art, and Literature, Justice, Beauty, Goodness, Love, and Truth are the exalted ideals to which we may aspire, but altogether in the pagan spirit, ignoring God and the great hope which springs out of faith in Him. Worthy as such ideals are regarded in themselves, they do not yield satisfaction, strength, or the infinite joy of a pure and hopeful heart. They end in satiety and despair. "Thou madest for the high places decked with divers colors, and playedst the harlot upon them: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be The sense of God alone gives validity and efficacy to noble ideals. The high place may be very high, but if it does not touch heaven it is not high enough. To seek high and lovely things away from God is the saddest of idolatries.

"Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion, the city of the great King."

Let this be the ideal-noble things sought in the love and grace of God. In the Old Testament the glory of God is revealed as the glory of righteousness, and all high moralities and precious things are contemplated not in a vague, pantheistic way, but as summed up in the divine character and government. And in the New Testament the glory of God is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. This is the true, supreme ideal. Nothing lower than Christ. No sordid love of money, ignoble ease, selfish ambition, love of applause, love of power, or lust of appetite. Nothing outside of Christ. All legitimate and noble things brought within the sphere of His teaching, grace, blessing, and service. "Looking unto Jesus." Here you find the energy to reach the highest ideal which shall never mock you. May we be found in Him, conformed to Him, having the righteousness of God which is by faith. Let our high place be Olivet, Tabor, Pisgah.

XLIII

PERFECTION AND ITS PRICE

Jesus said unto him, If thou wouldest be perfect, go, sell that thou hast.-Matt. 19: 21.

E will not attempt any definition of what our Lord meant by being " per

W

fect," for definitions of high things are

generally unsatisfactory, and most of all are those unsatisfactory which aim to define the highest things. Christ is here speaking of noble character in its utmost completion or perfection, and He teaches that such character is attained only through severe sacrifice.

The very highest reaches of character should be the aim of all. Ruskin again and again seeks to impress his readers with the thought that they must not prefer the perfectness of the lower nature to the imperfection of the higher. That is a subtle temptation to which we are ever liable, to content ourselves with an easy perfection on lower levels rather than to brave faults and shortcomings in attempting a higher and grander perfection. Therefore," says Ruskin, "while in all things that we see or do we are to desire perfection, and strive for it, we are, never