it says in Revelations, "If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book; and Paul says in Galatians, "Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed."*

Mother. They believed it just as many people do now, who embrace notions no less absurd than those of Mohammed. Even in this country, where so much light is shed on the Holy Scriptures, there are multitudes called Christians, who deny the most important truths of the Bible; and some of them have made a new Bible, called "The Book of Mormon;" yet they find a great many followers.

Elizabeth. Do they pretend to believe the Bible, too?

Mother. Yes; they profess to believe the Bible, and to have the gift of tongues and of prophecy; and they pretend that there is authority for all these things in the Bible.

Peter. Mother, if people can prove what they please from the Bible, how can we know when

* Rev. 22: 18; Gal. 1: 8.

we are right? I heard a man say, there were so many opinions about what the Bible means, that he could not tell what to believe.

Mother. My son, we are not to ask what others believe; but what does the Bible teach? 1 And, if we will come to the Bible in an humble, teachable frame of mind, we shall find little difficulty in understanding what it means, so far as it is necessary that we should understand it. Many people give themselves much unnecessary trouble about the different opinions of men ; but, if they would carefully examine the Bible, they would find that it is foretold there that false Christs and false prophets shall arise and deceive many." * So this very thing, which makes so many people think there is no reality in the religion of Jesus, is itself the fulfillment of prophecies recorded in the Bible, and so an evidence of the truth of that blessed book.

Samuel. But, what is the reason, mother, that people of equal understanding judge so differently about what the Bible means?

Mother. My dear son, the Bible gives us the reason:- "The natural man receiveth not the

* Mat. 24: 5, 24; II Thess. 2; 9-11; Jer. 14 : 14.

things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."* This explains the whole mystery. The natural or carnal heart is too proud to bow to the humbling truths of the Gospel; and as the unrenewed man has no experience of the power of reliion in his own heart, he cannot understand the spiritual things revealed in the Scriptures. Indeed they cannot be experimentally understood and realized, but by the influence of the Holy Spirit, opening the heart, as the Lord opened the heart of Lydia, † to receive the truth. But people whose hearts have not been changed by the Holy Spirit, are too wise in their own eyes to submit their reason to the simple word of God; and the Bible tells us that there is more hope of fools than of such persons. ‡

Peter. But how can we know whether we rightly understand the Bible or not?

Mother. The Bible answers this question also, my son. The Lord Jesus tells us that, if we will do the will of God, we shall know of † Acts 16: 14.

*I Cor. 2: 14. Prov. 16: 12.

this doctrine, whether it be of God or not.* And the Apostle John says "He that believeth on the Son of God, hath the witness in himself."+ This means that the true Christian, who receives the truth of God in the love of it, will experience, in his own soul, the feelings described in the Bible, as the exercises of the newborn soul; and so his own heart will witness to the truth of the Bible.

Elizabeth. But, mother, there are many different denominations of real Christians. Why do they not all believe alike?

Mother. They do believe alike in relation to the essential points of Scripture truth. They agree in Christian experience, and the way of salvation by Christ. The reason why Christians err in judging of the truth is, that they are not wholly sanctified. They are not entirely free from sin, which blinds their eyes. But, the opinions which we form of religious truth will be correct, just in proportion as we submit our reason, with child-like simplicity, to the word of God, willing to believe just what it teaches.

1

* John 7: 17.

t I John 5: 10.

Caroline.

O, mother, I want to hear the rest

of the story about Mohammed.

Mother. Well, after he had gained over his wife, he continued to live in an austere manner, so as to make people think he was very holy. Not long after, his servant, Zeid Ebn* son of Hareth, embraced his religion. Mohammed immediately set him at liberty. In imitation of his example, his followers always let their slaves go free, when they embraced their religion. Ali, son of Abu Taleb, and cousin of Mohammed, was his next convert. He was a young man of a zealous, fiery temper. He called himself the first of the believers. His fourth and most important convert was Abubeker. He was a powerful citizen of Mecca; and by his influence, a number of persons of rank and authority were brought over to the faith. These were Othman, Zobair, Saad, Abdorrahman, and Abu Obeidah. They afterwards became the principal leaders of Mohammed's armies, and his chief instruments in establishing his religion and his empire. He was four years in bringing over these nine individuals; and they were all the followers he

* Ebn means son,-thus, Zeid son of Hareth.