very first verse it states that "the Word was GOD;" and most of the facts recorded therein tend, more or less, to confirm the truth of this statement. In the first place we have a brief account of John the Baptist, together with the clear, unmistakable, and repeated testimony, which he bore to Christ. And here we have an account of Nathanael, where it is shown that he was a keen, shrewd, circumspect man, but was nevertheless so convinced of our Lord's Divinity, that he said, "Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel." But the narrative teaches us another important lesson— namely, the great value which Christ attached to genuine private piety. Even the most hidden movements of Nathanael, had been the objects of his special attention, and now received his public approbation: "Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig-tree, I saw thee."

We shall therefore proceed to make a few observations on Religion in Secret.

I. IT IS IN SECRET THAT TRUE RELIGION HAS

ITS ORIGIN.

Before that Philip called thee.”

Let no one imagine that Nathanael now, for the first time, directed his attention to religious matters— now, when he entered into conversation with Philip. He was well read in Moses and the prophets; he

had diligently meditated on God's precious promises to His people; Philip had no need to explain to him whom he meant, when he spoke about Him "of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write." Whilst musing alone under his favourite fig-tree, his thoughts would often turn to God, the source of all wisdom; and there, in the solemn stillness of solitude, he would pray to be enlightened from above, and to be led in the way everlasting.

Religion is described in the Bible as a living principle in the believer's soul. It is the mysterious union formed between the regenerate soul and the Saviour. It does not consist in orthodox creed, or ceremonial observances, or even virtuous conduct; it is known only to those who have experienced its life-giving power; if you would find it out, you must penetrate the inmost recesses of the heart. It lies concealed from the rude gaze of a godless world, nothing more being visible than the blessed influence which it sheds abroad. This is evident from the memorable words spoken by Christ to the woman. of Samaria: "The water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."

Thus we perceive that the rise of religion in the soul must necessarily be out of sight. The new creation is accomplished by the secret agency of the Holy Spirit. "The wind bloweth where it listeth,

and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is everyone that is born of the Spirit." A man may not, perhaps, be able to say when this wonderful change, called the new birth, takes place in his own soul; but, doubtless, he himself must be the first to know it; the fact is revealed to him through the medium of his consciousness, and that before anyone else can possibly discover it. The work is not always accompanied by many external signs-a man's most intimate friends. even may not be aware of it until after the eventso that the existence or non-existence of visible manifestations, in fact, proves nothing. We have seen men who for a time made great noise, and displayed much zeal, in God's service, but subsequently proved they had never been really changed; we have seen others who, through their extreme diffidence and retiring disposition, made us often doubt the genuineness of their faith, but nevertheless, in the hour of trial, gave sufficient evidence that they had passed from death unto life.

It is, therefore, most important that we should ask ourselves, Do we know anything about this secret rise of religion in our own souls? Do we know what it is to hold communion with God in solitude, as Nathanael did under the fig-tree? Do we know of any place that we have consecrated with our prayers -where we wrestled with God, and were victorious?

The origin of great rivers is sometimes wrapped in mystery; they rise in some inaccessible regions on which human eye has never gazed.

For centuries

the sources of the Nile were unknown; to discover them was the highest ambition of many an adventurous explorer; but till very recently every attempt had been of no avail. Indeed, the fountain-heads of of some of our own rivers lie far away from the haunts of men. If you would trace the Severn to its source, you must ascend the height of Plinlimmon, and there, in a dreary, wild, secluded region, you will find the obscure fountain, where the noble river rises. Truly, this is not an unapt representation of the beginning of the divine life in the soul. It is when man feels alone in the presence of the Eternal, when he trembles before the awful majesty of his offended Maker, when he implores mercy for the sake of a crucified Saviour, it is then that he becomes a new creature, receives the liberty of the kingdom, and is admitted into the Church of the first-born. What happens at that moment is unknown to the worldit must be so from the very nature of the case; but the character then formed will gradually develop itself, and reveal its beauty in a life of holiness.

II.—IT IS IN SECRET THAT TRUE RELIGION IS MOST IMPORTANT.

This is manifest when we consider that:

1. Man is a lonely being. It may be a startling statement, but it is profoundly true. Between man and man there lies a wide distance; beyond a certain point they cannot approach each other; thus everyone stands emphatically by himself. There is no difficulty in conceiving this to be the case with strangers; there is a distance between strangers whose reality cannot be questioned; but perhaps the distance between intimate friends is not so readily perceived. A moment's reflection, however, will show you that what is true in this respect of the greatest strangers, is true in a sense of the closest friends. Think, for instance, of the wife of your bosom-surely no earthly relation can be nearer than that which unites your soul to hers—and yet so impassable is the gulf between you and her, that what transpires in her inmost being, is ever hidden from your view.

He

A casual visitor to a large town is frequently overwhelmed with a painful sense of loneliness. feels more isolated amidst the busy, restless, surging multitude, than if he sat on a solitary mountain top. Thousands hurry to and fro, every corner teems with life, the din of business never flags; but not a single countenance gives him a smile of recognition, not one familiar voice calls him by name. wonder then that he feels desolate. But this is an exact picture of every man's real position in this

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