dy-goody" as tacitly to avoid all
open-hearted, loving, reverent conversation about their Lord and His
truth? Are they much fonder of endless argument than of the Word of God
and prayer? Do their united devotions tend to be formal and perfunctory?
Do they (I come back to that point again) "bridle not their tongues"
about the absent, about those over them, about those who differ from
them? Then they are doing each other harm, at a rapid rate, by their
collocation. On the other hand, are they each for himself living close
to their Master and Friend in the secret chamber and in the inner heart?
Are they walking humbly and gladly with their God, much in prayer, and
having the Scriptures often open? And are they considering one another,
to provoke unto love and to good works? Are they remembering generally
and habitually the sacredness of the duty of mutual influence and
example, in personal habits, and otherwise? Are they determined each for
himself to help his brethren in all things pure, and just, and lovable,
and of good report, and to strengthen them to endure hardness, and not
to be ashamed of the blessed Name? Then they are blessing one another in
Christ, as few men otherwise can do. But personal, individual
consistency is the absolute requisite to this; each man must follow the
Lord _for himself_ in faith and fear.

THE DUTY OF EXAMPLE.

I spoke just above of the sacredness of the duty of example. It is a
theme on which I entreat my younger Brethren very often to reflect,
with self-scrutiny before their Master: I may be wrong, but I cannot
help thinking that here is a duty which is decidedly less remembered
now, among young Christian men, than it was in other days. With
exceptions many and bright, I yet fear that there is a decline in this
matter as a rule. That unhappy _individualism_ which is the bane of our
day, and which is the fatal enemy of all true and healthy
_individuality_, breathes its malaria through even earnest Christian
circles. In the formation or allowance of personal habits, in
particular, it is sadly common to see young Christian men practically
quite forgetful of the power and responsibility of example. I do not
think that this was quite so common twenty or thirty years ago. Not that
I wish to take up the futile part of a mere _laudator temporis acti_; I
believe that the phenomenon has its reasons, its law so to speak, in the
peculiar conditions of our day. But then the Christian man is never to