at
stands in some relation to God, who is the source of all truth."

"Just my meaning," replied Mr. Allison.

A pause of some moments followed.

"Then it comes to this," said Mr. Markland, "that only through a
religious life can a man hope to arrive at truth."

"Only through a life in just order," was the reply.

"What is a life in just order?"

"A life in harmony with the end of our creation."

"Ah! what a volume of meaning, hidden as well as apparent, does your
answer involve! How sadly out of order is the world! how little in
harmony with itself! To this every man's history is a living
attestation."

"If in the individual man we find perverted order, it cannot, of
course, be different with the aggregated man."

"No."

"The out of order means, simply, an action or force in the moral and
mental machinery of the world, in a direction opposite to the right
movement."

"Yes; that is clear."

"The right movement God gave to the mind of man at the beginning,
when he made him in the likeness and image of himself."

"Undoubtedly."

"To be in the image and likeness of God, is, of course, to have
qualities like him."

"Yes."

"Love is the essential principle of God--and love seeks the good of
another, not its own good. It is, therefore, the nature of God to
bless others out of himself; and that he might do this, he created
man. Of course, only while man continued in true order could he be
happy. The moment he obliterated the likeness and image of his
Creator--that is, learned to love himself more than his
neighbour--that moment true order was perverted: then he became
unhappy. To learn truth is to learn the way of return to true order.
And we are not left in any doubt in regard to this truth. It has
been written for us on Tables of Stone, by the finger of God
himself."

"In the Ten Commandments?"

"Yes. In them we find the sum of all religion. They make the highway
along which man may return, without danger of erring, to the order
and happiness that were lost far back in the ages now but dimly seen
in retrospective vision. No lion is found in this way, nor any
ravenous beast; but the redeemed of the Lord may walk there, and
return with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads."

"It will be in vain, then, for man to hope for any real good in this
life, except he keep the commandments," said Mr. Markland.

"All in vain," was answered. "And his keeping of them must involve
something more than a mer