life mere harmony with environment. The power of growth is not merely increase in size or maturity of being; it is the bringing of outside elements into the self, to become constituent parts thereof. It is the overcoming of the environment and making it tributary to the king, life. According to a theory of the heathen world, the god of the Buddhist is but a still, pulseless, waiting space, before the circling motion begins, bringing into existence the universe, or after the universe disappears in the ceasing of the motion. These, caring for self and overcoming externalities, are always present where there is life-physical, spiritual, human, angelic, divine.

Steam is relatively

A force is lost if it has nothing to work through. powerless if it have not the engine. A life is the instrument of life-force. The plant has a physical life which uses for itself the atoms which make the plant. A tree branch is cut off. It is severed from the old life. Put it in the ground, it may become a tree having a life of its own Graft it, it becomes part of another life. It is the old tree while dominated by the life of the old tree. It is another tree, though having almost the identical atoms throughout, when dominated by the life of the tree to which it is grafted. It is an independent tree, though the same matter, when dominated by its own life. The identity of the dominating life controls or makes the identity of the being dominated. This is undoubtedly true in the physical realm, and is probably true in the spiritual. Analogical reason says so, and that must be accepted until we have full knowledge. of the spirit and its laws.

Man has a physical life and a spiritual life. He is incomplete without both. At physical death the physical life ceases to dominate the atoms it is then controlling, and which are, consequently, at that time its body. Man is incomplete until the body is restored to him—that is, until his physical life is again controlling, dominating, correlated atoms. These atoms may be few or many; the same that have been previously so dominated or others, assuming the same organic relations as the body previously worn, or be combined differently; but if they be dominated by that man's life they are his body.

"So also is the resurrection of the dead." Where they have been waiting does not matter, or whether they have been waiting at all. The promise is a body-changed in structure and attribute, spiritualized, immortalized, glorified, but dominated by the same life, therefore the same body used in this probationary experience. Our faith is not vain, our preaching is not foolishness. Christ rose from the dead-so shall he raise us to everlasting power at his side. Amen.

Hoquiam, Wash.

ERNEST VERNON CLAYPOOL.

THE ITINERANTS' CLUB.

HOMILETIC-MATERIALS FOR SERMONIZING.

IT is conceded by writers on homiletics that there is a form and method in the presentation of truth wherein the sermon differs from all other modes of public address. Exactly in what that difference consists is not so easily explained, but it is felt by all who take pains to reflect upon the subject.

No lecturer, lawyer, or orator would think of studying a treatise on homiletics in order to the attainment of the best method of presenting thought in his peculiar field. On the other hand, the preacher would not be satisfied without special study of the method of the great masters in the pulpit, both of ancient and of modern times. There are, of course, exceptional cases when men of special genius succeed without such aid. These, however, need not be considered here. As there are peculiarities in modes of preparation belonging to the pulpit, so also there are special kinds of material which must be employed.

In a previous number of the Review it was insisted that the minister's chief study should be the Bible. It was thus indicated that both for the culture of the spiritual life and for the pulpit the Bible must be first and supreme in the study of the itinerant. Whatever other book is overlooked the Bible must not be passed by. Its supremacy must be unquestioned. In what way, however, is the Bible the source of material for the pulpit? It is the best source of topics. This has been frequently noted, but cannot be too strongly insisted on. There are no topics so new as those which arise directly from the study of the word of God. This is mentioned here first because in these days there is nothing which the people desire more constantly than freshness. The young preacher is conscious of this and looks around for subjects to interest his people. The danger is that he will search for them in the literary, scientific, or political world. Freshness, he thinks, must be best secured by employing the topics of the day. In newspaper offices there is a great demand for what are sometimes denominated "timely topics."

Timeliness, however, in the pulpit is a very different thing from timeli ness in a newspaper office. As the aims are different so will the subjects of interest be different. The newspaper touches the affairs of daily life, so does the pulpit; the newspaper has to do with the changing modes and thoughts of men, so has the pulpit; the newspaper is for the instruction of its readers in all matters political, literary, and religious; the pulpit is also for instruction, but on different lines. The pulpit, however, by virtue of its divine calling, goes beyond this, while in another sense it is more restricted. It goes beyond in that it has to do with the inner soul-life and also with men in their relations to the eternal world. It is more restricted in that it has to do with matters literary, scientific, or political only incidentally and as subsidiary to its main purpose. We repeat, therefore, that

freshness in the pulpit is a very different thing from freshness in any other department of public speaking. It includes freshness of topics and freshhess of thought, but it is freshness in the conception and experience of spiritual truth.

Spiritual truth is so many-sided, so kaleidoscopic, that it can never be presented fully by one individual and from one point of view. The works of the most spiritual writers and thinkers show this. The field, both of feeling and of expression, is apparently boundless. This is very encouraging both to the preacher and to the hearer.

To secure this kind of freshness is one of the most important duties of the preacher, and can be best accomplished by a careful study of the word. When one in prayer and meditation opens his soul to receive spiritual impressions-when the sunshine of heaven pours down its brightest beams in his heart-then the eyes of his understanding are enlightened, and he is able "to know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe."

In this condition of deep religious feeling and of spiritual enlightenment the word of God presents itself under new and richer aspects than it had ever presented itself before. The historical portions of the Old Testament glow with suggestive truths. The prophetic scriptures become rich in their imagery and invaluable in their predictive quality. The gospels are warm with the presence and the marvelous personality of the living Christ. The epistles take on new meaning and force. In these moments of rapt experience the Giver of the Word becomes its Interpreter. And this process is never exhausted. No matter how often he reads the book, the freshness always reappears, and the more frequently it is examined the richer the discoveries are.

This is a much wiser course than to search for the subjects which have been discussed by others. No thought or view of any subject can exercise the power over one's intellectual and moral movements that will be done by that which is freshly discovered by himself. As a means of freshness we urge the continued and prayerful study of the Holy Scriptures. There are other advantages which cannot be considered at this time.

EXPOSITORY "THE LAW OF THE SPIRIT."

THIS phrase," the law of the Spirit," found in Rom. viii, 2, is a part of a passage of surpassing preciousness to all who are the children of God. It is the contrast, or, rather, antithesis, to the thought of the last chapter, which closes with that almost despairing cry and that wonderfully precious answer, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. vii, 24, 25).

In the first verse, the Revised Version, in harmony with authoritative manuscript testimony, omits all the latter part of the verse, so that the verse contains simply the great proposition of evangelical Christen

dom, "There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." Then follows immediately the statement of the reason why there is no condemnation to such as are in Christ Jesus, namely, "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death." The Revised Version inserts no punctuation mark in this verse. Yet a careful analysis of subject and predicate will show important relations between them. Is the subject "the law of the Spirit," or is it "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus?" Very different meanings will appear as one or the other of these subjects is accepted.

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Let us begin by placing a comma after Spirit and after Jesus. Two things will result. First, that which the apostle asserts made him free is"the law of the Spirit." This will at once raise the inquiry, What is meant by the law of the Spirit?" Is its meaning to be gathered from the context, or is it explained by the next clause, " life in Christ Jesus?" That the latter interpretation is possible is apparent. We have merely to regard this clause as an appositive clause, and the way is clear. We then have the proposition that the "law of the Spirit," namely," life in Christ Jesus, ""made me free from the law of sin and of death."

We thus confront the difficulty growing out of the peculiar use of the word "law," which needs investigation. The ordinary meaning of law, namely, a rule or regulating principle, is a safe one, only we need to be careful to avoid confusion growing out of its varied applications. The law in its technical sense as employed in the Scriptures means the law of God as revealed on Sinai, or in the Jewish ritual, or in the heart of the Gentile world—that is, the law of right, either ceremonial or moral. And yet even in the previous chapter, where the emphasis is emphatically on the moral demands of the law, the apostle without notice employs it of any rule of action. "I find then the law, that, to me who would do good, evil is present" (Rom. vii, 21). The apostle here affirms that he finds this to be a general principle, namely, the presence of evil when one would do good.

The meaning of "law," in the passage before us, is also not the moral law of God, or the regulating principle, or the power by which sin and death are to be overcome. The great purpose of the divine administration is the overthrow of the two great powers hostile to men-sin and death. They are so closely identified in Scripture nomenclature that for the present purpose they may be regarded as one. The destruction of sin in the human heart and life—that is, the freedom from its power-is to be secured by the law of the Spirit, which the apostle defines to be life in Christ Jesus.

The propriety of this use of the word "law" will also be apparent if we notice that the same word appears in the last clause, "law of sin and death." What is that which the "life in Christ Jesus" antagonizes, and from which it frees the believer? It is sin and death-that is, this life destroys sin and its consequences, and not merely the law, the transgression of which produces sin and death. Hence this clause correlates very suitably with the former ones.

We thus reach a conclusion rich in its applications as well as in harmony with the general trend of the Scriptures elsewhere. Christ is our deliverer, and we overcome by our union with him. "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God."

This "life in Christ Jesus," which is the law of the Spirit, makes indeed free from "the law of sin and of death." This is the blessed privilege to which the Gospel invites all people.

A TIMELY STUDY-THE GENERAL CONFERENCE.

(Concluded.)

In the previous discussion of the above subject, as contained in the September-October number of the Review, were noticed some advantages possessed by a member of experience in the General Conference over one who sits for the first time in this great body. Alike in knowledge of parliamentary practice, in the ability to bring forward business before the house, and in the management of the proposed measures in the midst of vigorous debate, the experienced member was shown to be at the greatest advantage over the new legislator. The study of this aspect of the case will raise the question, "What proportion of the members of each General Conference should be new men, and how far is the continuance of competent men essential to the prosperity and progress of the Church?" A wise division of new and of experienced men will, on reflection, appear to be the wiser plan.

By the study of the General Conference, also, the young preacher may learn much of methods of procedure and of Church and parliamentary law. We doubt if any body of men is more devoted to the forms of parliamentary practice than the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Its rules are formulated with great care. The bishops are acknowledged authorities on parliamentary law. On the floor there are always men both in the ministry and in the laity who have made this subject a specialty. The watchfulness of the body is great. The frequency with which "questions of privilege" and "points of order" are raised is marvelous. In the view of many this devotion to strict parliamentary forms, when it is scarcely necessary, is overdone. Nevertheless the study is a very interesting and profitable one, is very helpful to the minister, and the records of the Advocates afford ample material. This study must also include what has been actually achieved by and for the Church at this gathering of its representatives. In order to do this well, the student should take his Discipline and go consecutively over the changes that have been made. He will find that the omission or the insertion of a word or phrase has materially changed the meaning of a paragraph. Then new sections will be found, of which he will not be aware until he proceeds to a careful investigation.

It is often erroneously said that a General Conference has done nothing or but little, when in reality it has accomplished a great deal. It has often accomplished much by what it has failed to do. It has checked or