Spirit of God continuing to bless the preaching of the Word, the whole land had been possessed-the earth had been the Lord's, and all the kingdoms of this world had become the kingdom of our Christ. Though it tarries now, that vision shall come; and to Him whose hand is not shortened that it cannot save, nor his ear heavy that it cannot hear, be the prayer offered till the answer come, "Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days, and in the days of old."

CALEB THE SOLDIER.

T is not the quantity, but the temper of the

IT

metal, which makes a good sword: nor is it mere bulk, but a large measure of nervous and muscular force, which makes a strong man; and, in accordance with the saying of Napoleon I., that "moral is to physical power as three to one," the wars of all ages have proved that success in battle does not turn so much on the multitude as on the morale, on the numbers as on the character, of the troops.

The triumph of the Prussians, for example, in their late brief but bloody contest with Austria, was due less to the superiority of their arms than of their education, intelligence, and religion; under Providence, these, not numbers, or the needle-gun,

turned the fortunes of the campaign. To the same, or similar, moral causes Oliver Cromwell owed his remarkable success. Fanatics or not, right or wrong in their religious and political views, his troops were thoughtful men, of strict and even severe manners, within whose camps there was little swearing but much psalm-singing: soldiers who, if they did not, because they could not in conscience, honour the king, feared God. It was from their knees in silent prayer, or from public assemblies held for worship, those men went to battle, who almost never fought but they conquered, bearing down in the shock of arms the very flower and pride of England's chivalry. By heroic deeds which history records, and John Milton sang, and Christians agree

all denominations of Protestant

in admiring and approving, the valleys of Piedmont teach the same lesson. Strong were their mountain fastnesses; the dizzy crag they shared with the eagle; the narrow gorge, where, with a roaring torrent on this side, and a dark frowning precipice on that, one brave man, spear in hand, or with boys and women at his back to load the rifles, could hold the pass against a thousand. Yet the salva

tion of the Waldenses did not lie in "the munition of rocks." To the morale which endured three centuries of the cruelest persecution, turned every rock into a monument, faced death on every meadow, and gave to every village its roll of martyrs, was chiefly due the illustrious spectacle of a handful of men defending their faith and country against the arms of Savoy and the persecutions of Rome. It was this which braced them for the struggle, and repeatedly rolled back on the plains of Italy the bleeding fragments of the mighty armies that invaded their mountain homes.

The true defence of a country lies far more in the moral character and spirit of its inhabitants than in ships or arsenals of war; or in the numbers that, soldiers by profession, form its standing army. This was demonstrated by America in its War of Independence, and also by the issue of that gigantic conflict which ended so well in Negro Freedom. Yet, where a country, surrounded with dangerous neighbours, has its shores, its commerce, and also widely-scattered colonies, to defend, a body of men whose trade is arms, is an institution with which it may not be able to dispense. Such is the situa

tion of our country. Numbering nearly 200,000 men, our standing army forms a very important branch of the public service; and, though a costly, a useful one, so long as, kept at the lowest possible figure, and confined to its own proper duties, it is maintained, not for the purpose of attacking others, but of defending ourselves. No doubt, as in those days when gentlemen wore swords, and were ready to draw them in every petty quarrel and drunken brawl, nations which maintain standing armies are tempted to commit acts of violence. It has been too much their custom to bring ordinary questions to the arbitrament of the sword, and rush without consideration into the unspeakable horrors and cruelties of war. These, however, are not the legitimate uses of such an institution. Circumstances may make it necessary to carry war beyond our shores. We may require to follow the example of Hannibal, who, to draw the enemies of his country from Carthage, invaded Italy, and thundered at the gates of Rome; but the proper motto on the banners of a standing as well as of a volunteer army is, Defence, and not Offence. In no other way can it receive, I venture