THE ORIGINAL OF " ROBERT ELSMERE."

The Rev. Dr. RobertCollyer, of Chicago, preached a sermon on " Robert Elsmere •* recently, making use of the words " From faith to faith "as a text. In the course o' his discourse he said—l cannot divest my. self of the idea that I have seen Robert Elsmere—at any rate the perfect Image of the man. Ten years ago a friend and I were wandering in Westmoreland near a graveyard, and we saw him; we didn't speak to that tall, slender man, with grey eye 3 and holy face, al though he looked as if he desired to com municate with us. He was evidently a man born to wear the «acred robes—a man In holy earnest to be about his Master's business. So he stands before us, the noble and beautiful young priest, He married such a woman as we all like to read about, but as only Robert Elsmere married. She was not learned, except in wholesome household ways; not an angel, but dipped in angel instinct. Well, there come« into the life of the young priest a man who had never any particular creed, and this man was to be come Elßmere's evil genius. The latter felt that as a minister he must keep his heart and mind open to reasoning, and he found that before long he couldn't accept the Hible in the old unquestioned way. The result was perilous. He no longer appeared at his work with the old light in his eyes. His wife couldn't follow in the search. She could only weep and wait in sorrow. He was drifting away from his old, quiet moorings into an un known sea. Pleadings and prayers availed not, for there was now a spirit within the man that led him on. The story is an old one; I knew it thirty years ago. There was only one thing for Robert Elsmere to dor-to throw up his hand and off bis robes and give up the sacred ministry. He save up with a dull head and a heavy heart.
