the love of science or the love of literature, instead of starting from the love and appreciation of Christianity. Our whole being must be developed in harmony with the will of God. This is the highest and most sublime point of self-culture. The man who aims at culture without God is sure to fail in regard to the sublimest end of all improvement. But the man who aims at success in accordance with the will of God will attain the highest and grandest manhood. Religion as an essential element of culture is too commonly lost sight of in the methods of men to-day. If we were not redeemed, immortal men, it would not matter so much; but when we take into account that the education of earth is to fit us for the life and service of heaven it becomes a very different thing, and we should pay supreme attention to it. Education has been defined as 'the educing or drawing forth all that is potentially in man'; it is the training of all the energies and capacities of our being to the highest pitch, and directing them to their true ends. But this must take in the soul and religion. It will be necessary to repress what is evil and strengthen what is good; to cultivate a lofty Christian ideal, and struggle bravely and nobly till you attain it. Can scientific or literary culture ever make us into real men as Christianity will, if we bring our whole nature properly under its influence? Culture must principally aim at developing our nature in a Godward aspect, or it is a gigantic failure. Religion leads on to culture, rightly understood, when perfected in its working. Some who plead for culture ignore Christianity, and some who plead for Christianity ignore culture; but we cannot divorce them since God Himself has joined them together, and they D must beautifully combine, according to the divine ordination, to perfect our nature. God's law as revealed in Holy Scripture must be our guide in these matters; and there is a marvellous difference between the Bible and ordinary literature as to human nature and culture. We need not stay to discuss which is safest to follow. Young men entering upon life must calculate on the severe and repeated test of their virtue. One will be tried in one way, and another in another way; but trial of Christian principle will be sure to come. The man of business is tried by the love of gain, the artist by the love of art, the scholar by the love of letters, the philosopher by the love of philosophy, the scientist by the love of science. We are all in danger of pushing things to an extreme, and so of getting wrong in a path that is right if we walk in it with Christian moderation. In this age young men are especially in danger of being tried by doubt. Living a pure life is one of the best cures for doubt. Many doubts are born of impurity. Breathe upon glass, and you cannot see through it. Impurity has the same effect upon spiritual vision. Another help to conquer doubt and sin is earnest work for God. Some of the holiest and best of men have had the fewest doubts. They have walked in the pure and glorious light of the Gospel till they were taken to heaven. Do not think it evidence of cleverness to doubt Christianity; it may be evidence of dulness or darkness of a moral and spiritual character. But do not think it strange, if when you begin to cultivate your mind you find. old traditional beliefs give way. When you commence thinking for yourselves you begin to define, to separate things from accidents and circumstances, and to endeavour to get down to facts and plant your feet on realities. When for example young men try to look into the character and government of God, or Christian redemption, or man's relation to God, or the soul's life and immortality, they find that there are formidable difficulties in the Christian revelation. This is a time of danger, of sore temptation, of painful perplexity to most Christian young men; and if they get over the difficulty it is often at the expense of spiritual vigour and fervour. Perhaps they are wiser but weaker men. They have more knowledge but a feebler' piety. It is pitiful to see the increase of intelligence at the sacrifice of spiritual devotion. It is possible to get through doubt to deeper and stronger faith, to find a more precious, spiritual Christianity after perplexing fears and misgivings. But the soul must keep humble, sincere, and reverent while in the dark, looking up to God in earnest prayer till light comes. We must not only be Christians ourselves, but spread Christianity in order to complete personal self-culture. It is impossible for us to get the fullest and most perfect culture unless we take our fellows onward with us. Our circumstances and surroundings will impede our progress at every point unless we make our fellow men Christians. It is painful to see in every age how great the influence of the world has been upon the Church. The ideas, the spirit, the example of those about us are continually influencing us, consciously or unconsciously, for good or for evil. So that unless we get people converted to Christ, we cannot be placed in the most favourable conditions for the highest culture ourselves. In order to obtain the most advantageous circumstances for the development of soul and intellect we should persuade those around us to travel with us in the glorious path of mental and moral improvement. They will tend to drag us down, and we shall find the struggle upward a fearful one, unless we can enlighten and elevate society around us. COMPL CHAPTER IV. THE CULTURE OF THE WHOLE NATURE. OMPLETE self-culture embraces the education of the whole being. There is no doubt a very close and intimate connection between physical and intellectual education. To have a healthy, active, and energetic mind, a mind capable of sustained and lengthened effort, it is necessary to train, educate, and fully develop the body. Socrates, in Plato's Republic, is made to say, 'Gymnastics for the body, music for the soul.' The more men think, the more they will be persuaded that it is wrong to neglect the training of the body. In modern schemes of education the body is more attended to than in former times. But even now little children are too commonly compelled to be quiet for mere trifles, and not allowed to develop their physical nature by activity, as nature ordains. Perhaps they are not properly fed, not allowed sufficient food, and that food not sufficiently nutritious, or not sufficiently varied. All kinds of prejudices interfere with physical education, as is so clearly and forcibly shown by Mr. Herbert Spencer in his excellent book on education. And when exercise is allowed in schools, it is frequently for so short a time, and so violent in its character, as greatly to interfere with the proper development of the body. When it is remembered how the mind is dependent on the body, how sickly, feeble children, made so by under-feeding or by |