wearing away one fragment; yet they themselves have been repelled and scattered into empty foam. He, like Moses in the wilderness, can point out to the perishing multitude who have been stung by the Old Serpent, the sacred sign on which they may look and live.

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his own position. There is a like analogy in Christian tactics, though Christianity is upheld by him who poured the waters from the hollow of his hand. It never shines forth in in such splendour as when it has a clear and unclouded atmosphere to transmit its rays. The seed of evil sown in society long ages since, has It is a striking characteristic of the now grown into a gigantic tree, the Christian character, that it gradually "marvel of a thousand years ;" and, purifies and elevates all who frequentlike the upas, is gradually withering ly come in contact with it—even as under its deadly shade everything the violet imparts to the breeze which pure and holy. The Christian has sweeps along the green dell that is the power to lop off its branches ere her home, a portion of her own frathey produce more of its fruit, which, grance. If the world has not like the apples of the Dead Sea shore, hitherto believed, it is because Chrisare outwardly fair to behold, but in- tians have not in their own purity of wardly full of bitter ashes. The so- character, afforded it the necessary cial system of every European coun- evidence. When the Apostle James try is decaying to its very core; and defined “ pure religion," he said one as the social problems are now dis- of its attributes was to visit the facussed in every nation, in every work-therless and widow in their affliction." shop, at every fireside, the disciple This is a feature of striking beauty has now an opportunity of vindica- and benevolence, for on none do the ting the majesty of the Lord; and consequences of sin fall more heavily when from all voices is heard the cry than on the innocent widow or orphan. "Oh, miserable men that we are, who The worst feature in unregenerated shall deliver us from this body of human nature is, that it is fond of death?" he can say, in firm yet giving to the rich, of helping the suasive accents You are miserable strong, and crushing the weak; and because you have forgotten God-be- it is here that the follower of Christ cause you have disregarded the laws appears as a ministering angel, for the ordained for you, and adapted to your message of love never enters the heart nature by the God who made all na- with such thrilling power as when it ture-because God has suffered you has been preceded by some kind acto make your own laws, which you tion which shadows forth the boundnow find a burden too heavy to be less love of Him who is on high. The borne. You are miserable because spirit of Jesuitism, which has long you have voluntarily broken the been acquainted with all the lights golden chain of divine law, by which and shadows of human nature, has God bound you to himself and to his always made this principle of benevothrone, and put on the iron fetters of lence subservient to its own views, for sin, 'whose rust is a witness against whenever a fresh field has to be ocyou, and now eats your flesh as it cupied, the Sisters of Mercy are alwere fire.' You are weary, because, ways sent as pioneers to prepare the like the dove of the ark, you have way. And shall the Christian show swept over the dark waters of life, less humanity and less wisdom? His and find no rest for your souls. Re- course should be traced even as the pose, then, on the Rock of Ages: the hidden streamlet, by the freshness, waves of sin and infidelity have beat the verdure of heart, which his deeds against it for four thousand years, of kindness have left wherever he has without shaking its lofty pinnacles, or passed.

INDIVIDUALITY OF CHARACTER NECESSARY TO THE CHRISTIAN.

genius, the ebbs and flows of whose soul were as tides in the moral universe, and he will tell him that the thoughts which glisten in his pages are like the pearls which the diver brings from the bottom of the deep, precious, yet earned by a portion of his own heart's blood.

"He learnt in suffering what he tanght in song."

When night throws her shadowy veil over the fair face of nature, rendering the silent rivers mirrors of wandering worlds, a new evidence of the Divine attribute is presented to our view—from the splendid Uranus, whose distance is so vast, that the greatest scientific intellect can obtain But can the genius repine with no parallax, and consequently no con- truth? The man of talent will say ception of its relative position to that the knowledge he himself has the pale star of eve, we behold a obtained, by years of unremitting various degree of splendour and mag-research and thought, was acquired nitude; and when the morning sun again hides these stars with a veil of light, in the green oak and the tender lily, we still see that evidence renewed. Each offspring of Divine power is endowed with a beauty all its own; but as if it were intended to teach man, in a sublime allegory, the love and justice of God, there is every where visible a principle of compensation. The oak, clasping the earth with his mighty arms, may defy the storm, yet the lily only bows her meek head, and she, too, rests in peace.

by the former almost intuitively; and again, he will know that the well-poised and disciplined mind, which enables him to labour, at any period, with a certainty of success, is denied to the loftiest genius, whose soul is like those stars which move in so vast an orbit, that their light is seldom visible to the world. balances are still equal.

The

It follows, then, that a man's greatness and utility increase in proportion to his individual development of soul; nor is it contradicted by the actions of the Divine Being.

When the gospel was to be proclaimed to a whole world, twelve men only were chosen, each with varied faculties. There were the learned, logical, and eloquent Paul; the daring and impetuous sons of Thunder; the tender-hearted and woman-like John; besides the other Apostles, whose characters are manifested in their writings or labours. And yet again, when the brightest jewels were to be plucked from the Pope's triple crown, there arose two men, Luther and Melancthon ; the former daring, impetuous, with the spirit of the warrior rather than of the priest, unrivalled in controversy, with an energy that increased in proportion to the need; the latter pro

To us, reasoning analogically, there appears the same primary difference in the souls of men. It is urged that circumstances have immense influence over minds. True. The diamond may be cut, so as to increase its beauty, or it may be defaced, so that it shall be almost valueless; but still it is a jewel-it cannot be changed into common earth. Even so with human minds; they have characteristics which circumstances may defy, but which they can never change or destroy. And here we may remark, that the appearance of a galaxy of intellect, at certain epochs in the world's history-such as the Augustan age, or the Reformation-ought not to be ascribed to chance, that which man terms chance being either unin-foundly learned, meek, yet with a vestigated or unfathomable law.

The man of talent cannot impute injustice to God, because he does not possess genius. Let him ask the

martyr's firmness, winning as many converts, by suavity of manner and personal holiness, as his colleague by force of argument: the one admirably

fitted for prostrating the walls of the temple reared by the superstition of so many ages; the other skilful, in collecting the loose materials, and reconstructing them into a "living temple," meet for the dwelling-place of God; yet each, according to a law pervading the physical and moral universe, drawing to himself souls of a kindred nature, which should operate on others in a like manner.

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every evil thought subdued, is but another ray of glory added to our eternal crown.

LABOUR ESSENTIAL TO MAN.

When God made man in his own image, placing him in an abode of surpassing loveliness, the day glided not away in a voluptuous dream; he did not let the hours run by, while he reclined on the mossy bank, watchthe clouds as they floated over the summer sky; but, in the fulfilment of God's law of labour, he was to bind up the drooping flowers, to gather the mellow fruit, or the golden grain-to remove aught that was withered or decayed, in order that every spot might be fresh and fair as his own nature, and at intervals to rest and refresh his soul by communion with Jehovah. Even after his fall and banishment from Paradise, the law was again ordained; Every one of these men would and that man might not avoid the labour in a different cause, yet with fulfilment, the primal curse fell upon unity of purpose. Each man would the earth, causing it to bring forth regard himself as the sole represen- weeds, which should contend with tative of his cause. Alas! the child-man for the empire of the soil. Yet ren of darkness are wiser, much wiser than the children of light!

The Jesuits have always held more power than any other society, solely from the adoption of this principle. The general of the order once showed an English noble the interior of the Roman College. Behold," said the superior, "I have here poets, statesmen, orators, philosophers, generals, aye! and if they are needed, I have martyrs." In an unguarded moment, he had disclosed the arch secret of power.

his

Shall the Christian suffer it to be so always? Does he not know that individual efforts, combined for one great end, shall conquer the world? Yet there is another motive which will have greater power over the human heart.

Life, if properly understood, is more awful than death. Death is but the entrance into eternity; life is the preparation for it. It is here that the soul of man fashions its own destiny. The king shall lose his gemmed diadem - the warrior his laurel wreath-the spirit of the grave shall clasp us in his cold arms; but the consecrated intellect, the pure and devoted heart-these are distinctions which shall remain when time shall be no longer; and as our suffering is but an inverted image of our nobleness," we can still rejoice, knowing that every trial endured,

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love was still manifested; from the weeds do we gather the harmless medicinal balm, which can cure our diseased frame. Adam might, perhaps, have evaded the law for a short time; but he would have ultimately been compelled, from necessity, to obey the law, even as we are.

When the pro

The Christian can join to necessity the pure motive of gratitude. When Jehovah appeared to his chosen people, he was shrouded in a robe of fire; the earthquake, and the sound of the trumpet, shook the land, filling the hearts of the assembled thousands with fearful terror. phet Elijah said in anguish, “I have been very jealous for the Lord God of Hosts, for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thy altar, and slain thy prophets with the sword, and I, even I, only am left, and they seek my life to take it away," the Lord heralded his approach to that suffering, that

Their leading "view" in this stricture is, Redemption is a commercial transaction; and to make it appear such, they treat us to a metaphor-mixture of debt, price, crime, payment, purchase, ransom, forgiveness, substitution, and offering; and these are so jumbled and confounded, that one doubts whether the writers knew what they meant. They insist DEAR SIR-Whatever diffidence that man is in debt to God, and first the Liverpool stricture-writers may say man owes obedience." They have had on other subjects, they seem seem, however, unaware, that as to feel none on the doctrine of re- money debts are paid in money, so demption or atonement, "which," debts of obedience must be paid in they say, we find most glaringly obedience, and not in sacrifice, nor perverted in the 'Christian system;' in blood. But, secondly, they repre