. Religion must have its foundation laid deep in the truths revealed
by God for our acceptance. And does God tell us anything simply that we
may believe it, and there an end? What is the purpose of all the
principles and facts which make up the body of the Christian revelation?
To enlighten us? Yes! To enlighten us only? A hundred times no! The
destination of a principle, of a truth, is to pass out from the
understanding into the whole nature of man.

And if, as I said, the foundation of religion is laid in truths,
principles, facts, the second story of the building is certain emotions,
sentiments, feelings, desires, and affections, and 'experiences'--as
people call them--which follow from the acceptance of these truths and
principles. And is that all? A thousand times no! What do we get the
emotions for? What does God give you a Revelation of Himself for, that
kindles your love if you believe it? That you may love? Yes! Only that
you may love? Certainly not. And so the top story is conduct, based upon
the beliefs, and inspired by the emotions.

In former centuries, the period between the Reformation and our fathers'
time, the tendency of the Protestant Church was very largely to let the
conception of religion as a body of truths overshadow everything else.
And nowadays, amongst a great many people, the temptation is to take the
second story for the main one, and to think that if a man loves, and has
the glow at his heart of the conscious reception of God's love, and has
longings and yearnings, and Christian hopes and desires, and passes into
the sweetnesses of communion with God, in his solitary moments, and
plunges deep into the truths of God's Word, that is godliness. But the
true exhortation to us is--Do not stop with putting in the foundations
of a correct creed, nor at the second stage of an emotional religion.
Both are needful. Number one and number two are infinitely precious, but
both exist for number three. And true religion has its sphere in
conduct. 'Exercise thyself unto godliness.' That does not mean
_only_--for it does include that--cultivate devout emotions, or realise
the facts and the principles of the Gospel, but it means, take these
along with you into your daily life, and work them out there. Bring all
the facts and truths of your creed, and all the sweet and select, the
secret and sacred, emotions which you have felt, to bear upon your daily
life. The soil in which the tree grows, and the roots of