real, apprehensible personality. The Christian
communes and walks with him daily as a tender, loving, and wise father.

But I hasten to a third class of differences, with which I shall deal more
at length: I mean those which appear in the Christian's conduct respecting
those things which he uses in common with the world. Under this head falls
that large class of actions, which, _in themselves considered_, have no
moral value, but acquire one from the end they are made to serve, the
manner in which they are pursued, or the motive in which they originate.
On these arise the most perplexing of all moral questions, the most subtle
cases of conscience, and too often, I grieve to say, the most acrimonious
discussions. Under this head are included most of those vexed questions as
to amusements, dress, meat and drink, and the like. And this text, I am
sorry to say, has been made the basis for inculcating some most false and
pernicious doctrines concerning these things.

Now it seems to me that very many of the difficulties which arise on these
subjects are quite unnecessary, and would be in great part destroyed by
resting upon the simple, unequivocal testimony of the Bible. I do not
think that God's Word is at all wanting in explicitness on these points.
Here is this text for instance. Nothing can be plainer. It tells us our
first great duty is to submit our wills to God's will; to commit ourselves
to his guidance without reserve, a living sacrifice; to be transformed;
and that when this shall have been done, we shall know what the will of
God is; we shall practically prove what is good and acceptable and
perfect, and, as a matter of course, shall not be conformed to the sinful
principles and practices of the world. Now it follows from this that
whatever is good and acceptable and perfect, not opposed to the new
principle of life in us, is ours, given us by God to use and enjoy; and
that in the use and enjoyment of it within the limits he prescribes, we
_are not conformed to the world_ in any bad sense. I say this, well aware
that every one of these things contains capabilities for abuse, and that
the world does most sadly abuse them; and this brings me directly to my
point that the difference between Christians and the world as respects
these things is to be developed _in the proper use and regulation by
Christians of what the world abuses_. Christians are not to be driven from
every point which the world sees fit to occupy by