Many a time, during an election, we have wished that we could see the church of God as much in earnest to send men to heaven as they are to send those they vote for to Parliament. It must strike some of the ungodly, when they have Christian men at them day and night

CANVASSING,

not taking No as an answer, but doing their utmost to win them How is it that this Christian, who knows that I never attend a place of worship, has not shown one-hundredth part of this zeal to get me to go to chapel or to begin to pray? Is he not likely to think; after all, he does not believe his Bible, or he could not be as careless about my soul as he is?

Men of business have no time to seek the souls of the lost; that is parson’s work; that must be left to Sunday; and yet, we have seen, during the election, keen, clever business men, up and down stairs, calling on their neighbours, and making sure that they have given their vote on the right side, and this in addition to many a visit paid since the candidates were selected, and the time drew nigh for getting them returned.

How freely they bear ridicule! Men who would blush to talk of religion do not hesitate to be sneered at for the sake of their party, wearing their colour and priding themselves on their opinions. We have nothing to say against this. Men ought to have the courage of their opinions, but why not own up and play the man for Jesus Christ?

We should like to know what the election has cost for

PRINTING.

Many thousands of pounds have been spent, and spent freely, without a grudge, for placards and cartoons. Any man who had a new idea in the shape of a striking advertisement could have it adopted by his party, regardless of cost. All this, too, we don’t object to, but we say that if any of us Evangelists wanted to spend a small proportion of this amount in trying to get men and women to come to God’s house during a Mission, there would be a tremendous outcry against his

EXTRAVAGANCE!

One interesting feature in this matter is the large number of

PRIVATE CARRIAGES

used to convey voters to the poll. It was very amusing to see some of the men riding in state, in the custody of the owner of the carriage! It was good to tell they had not been used to it, and felt that they were on their good behaviour. What struck some of us was the readiness of ladies and gentlemen to lend their vehicles for this purpose. We can have no possible objection to this, but we wonder what would be said to us if we counselled them to send their carriages to bring the aged and feeble to the house of God? We should be told that we had no idea of the fitness of things. This would be true if heaven were less than earth, and politics of more importance than religion.

It is a queer world, and we wonder sometimes if the time will ever come when men shall believe their Bibles as much as their newspapers? As we have seen during the last few days, professing Christians of the most apathetic order, going half wild about Whigs and Tories, we have said to ourselves,

WHEN THE SON OF MAN COMETH, SHALL HE FIND FAITH ON THE EARTH?

DON’T FLATTER THE DEVIL!
ACTS, xvii.

We read that the Apostle “was grieved” to hear this possessed woman speaking favourably of him and his companion. He could not bear for it to be even suspected that his mission was tolerated by the devil. Her masters made money by her wrongdoing, and he would not have their patronage. He and Silas were happier in the cell, sore and hungry as they were, than in listening to the praise given by the evil one!

It is better to have frowns than favour from those who are opposed to truth and righteousness. Let Evangelists and such like,

BEWARE OF THE FAVOUR OF THE WICKED.

Do not seek the smiles of those who live by wrong doing. We shall never cast out the devil while conniving at his crimes. It is not by popularity that we win our greatest victories. Paul had no converts he prized more than those who formed the Church in the town where he had been in jail. Let those of us who love an easy and painless life think of his words

“IF WE SUFFER WE SHALL ALSO REIGN WITH HIM.”