knife away,--
there's a good man!--for it's too fine for me, and bring me a good steel
knife with an edge as'll cut.'--Now, if you'll excuse my long story,
gentlemen, it seems to me that the sort of religion you say is getting
popular among the swell people and men of science in our country is
uncommon like that fruit-knife as couldn't suit me. It's a deal too
fine for common purposes, and common people, and common homes, and
common hearts; it hasn't got no edge--it won't cut. We want a religion
with a good usable edge to it, as'll cut the cords of our sins and the
knots of our troubles. Now, that's just the religion of the Bible. It
tells us what we're to do for God and for our fellow-creatures; it tells
us how we're to do it, by showing us how the Lord Jesus Christ shed his
blood to free us from the guilt and power of sin, and bought us grace by
which we might walk in his steps; and it shows why we're to do it,--just
from love to him, because he first loved us in giving Jesus to die for
us. I don't see what use religion or the Bible would be to us if these
things weren't laid down for us clear and sharp; if p'raps they was
true, and p'raps not; or true for me, but not true for my neighbour; or
half true, and half false; or true for to-day, and not true for to-
morrow."

"Bravo!" said Dr Prosser, delighted, and clapping his hands. "I
believe your rough workman's hammer has hit the right nail on the head,
and hit it hard too."

"I'm very glad, sir, if you think so," said Bradly, "I've had chaps
crying up to me now and then some such sort of views as the vicar and
yourself have been talking about; but I've felt sure of this, however
well they may look on paper, they'll never act. What's the use of a
guide, if he's blind and don't know where he's taking you to? I
remember I were once spending a night at a gent's house, and the next
morning I had to walk to a town twenty miles off. It were quite a
country-place where the gentleman lived, and when he were saying good-
bye to me I axed him for directions, for I'd never been in that part of
the country before. So he said, `You must go for about a mile and a
half along this road, and then you'll come to a wood on your left hand.
You must go through that wood, and then any one'll be able to direct you
for the rest of the way.'--`And pray,' says I, `which path must I take
through the wood? For I daresay there's more than one.'--`Oh, you can't
mistake,' says he; `you