I cannot but forecast the new era of joy that will come to the world when the doctrine of Restoration is generally accepted. It will be like a burst of sunlight from behind a dark cloud. The world is sad; and I am convinced that one cause of its sadness is the dark view of endless torment that has so long prevailed. The view, from long habit, may be held almost unconsciously; but the dark shadow of it has cast a heavy gloom over human life. What an uplift all hearts will have, what a radiance of joy will be infused into life, we can now but dimly anticipate. Then we can adopt the dictum of Browning, and it will be no cheap optimism: "God's in His heaven; All's right with the world." After all, that is only our poor human way of expressing the majestic thought, "The Lord God omnipotent reigneth!" XVIII. NOT REALLY BELIEVED. Present Enthusiasm for Missions--Former Lassitude--The Basis of Missionary Enterprise--Supposed Damnation of the Heathen--If Really Believed, Would Drive Us to Frenzy--Ministers' Monday Meeting --Pretence Cuts the Nerve of Enthusiasm--Restoration the True Incentive --Effective Because Reasonable--Torment Not Really Believed--The Heart Often Truer Than the Head--Necessity for Preparatory State--Could not Have Details Revealed--Orthodoxy of the Torment View--Trying to Believe It--Be Not Afraid of the Truth--Extreme Calvinists Signally Honored--The Reason Why--Our Innate God-given Convictions--Meagre Expenditure for Missions--Tacit Acknowledgement That Endless Suffering Is Not Believed. Would not the doctrine of Restoration, as I have tried to commend it, cut the nerve of enthusiasm for missions? No, I think not; but it would provide a saner basis for them. For what is the true basis of missions? Is it not the command of our Lord to preach the Gospel to every creature? That the command extends down to our own time is clear from the fact that the disciples were commanded to go into all the world. They could not do so in their own time; so the command extends to their followers. Moreover, Christ said he would be with them until the end of the world. But they were not to continue to the end of the world; so the command was intended not only for them but those who would succeed them. Thus the duty comes home to the Christian church now, and cannot be evaded. INCREASED INTEREST AND SYMPATHY And all the Christian churches are agreed that this duty has been laid upon them, The churches are alive to this duty as they never were before. And this is one of the most hopeful signs of the age. It does seem at times as if society were getting worse at the core; yet in regard to sympathy and helpfulness, especially in regions remote, it is certainly improving. And this increased interest and sympathy relates both to the bodies and the souls of men. This age has witnessed marvels of kindness and enterprise that would have been impossible only a few years ago.