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INTENSITY OF MOBAL CONVICTIONS. 19righteoTisness, wilt thou not cease to that which is evil; cleave to thatpervert the right ways ot the whieh is good." Here are the twoLord?"—Aets xiu, 10. If error is strongest words. "Abhor," hateharmless, truth is worthless. We from yonr inmost soul, loathe, forsake,eschew, abominate. " Cleave,"are commanded to preach the Wordas positively revealed, and not our adhere to, link to, join, espouse. Abhorthe one as a horrid and deadlyown " latest thoughts," or some finehuman theories, to please iteliingears.monster, and cleave to the other asa beloved frrend. The two are coupledMoral distinctions are founded intogether. If yon do one, you" the eterual fitness of things," and will also do the other. Accordingthey are defined and proclaimed tous, by the moral rules of the universe.to the laws of nature, if you lovetruth and right you will hate errorThey are as real as the exist­and wrong with corresponding in­ence of the soul itself, as thought, tensity.feeling, pleasure, pain, or even material'things. They are as real as the one is as mnch a virtne of holi­A good lover is a good hater, andthe difference between the character ness as the other. " Ye that fearof God and Satan, or heaven and the Lord hate evil," is a divine command..It is as much your duty toheU.Our conceptions may indeed sometiinesbe confused or feeble, but this sin as to love hoUness, to hate im­hate evil as to love virtue,—to batedoes not affect the objective reaUty. purity, drunkenness and dishonesty,The eye may be color-blind, but as to love the opposites.color remains a reality, and so men When a pastor asked a candidatemay be conscience-seared, but still for admission to the church, " Doright is right and wrong is wrong. you love Jesus?" a Scotch elderGod pronounces curses upon those suddenly put in the interjection,"Dowho seek to confuse moral convictions." Woe unto them that call Christianity stimulates, intensifiesy ou hate sin ?"evU, good, and good, evil; that put and strengthens all our moral powers,and makes man strong and cour­darkness for Ught and light fordarkness; that put bitter for sweet, ageous. If teaches us to strive,and sweet for bitter."—Isa. v, 20. fight and agonize.Again, we should realize that When we read of the meek andthese moral distinctions are of tremendousimportance. They consti­Christianity a pale, colorless, blood­lowly virtues, we are apt to thinktute the great difference between less, weakly and pusiUanimousmen and devUs.thing ; but this is a capital mistake.They constitute the basis of aU This is a one-sided view. It bmlds upreligions, and of the great " conflict characters that can love -with a tendernessof ages." Moral evU is essentiaUypassing the love of woman,the worst thing in the universe, and but that can also hate with almostand moral good is the best. The introductionthe vigor and intensity of Satan.of moral evil has chang­Read Christ's awful woes and hised Paradise into a groaning creation. sweet invitations blended in the" Sin, when it hath conceived, bringetheleventh of Matthew.forth death. The distinction Christ calls and commands ns asbetween truth and error, right and a military captain, to whom we arewrong, is then as important as that bound by the sacred " sacrarnentum"like the Roman miUtary oath.between woe and weal eternal-God hates error and wrong with He does not say, " If ye love me,infinite hatred, aud loves truth andright with infinite love. "Abhor* Sit and sing yonrself away,To everlasting bliss;"'