The Dur de ben the prose and the inference: but be tells us that the male mivers & God's Bevelio ed at the Bible. We admit the first part of this assertin bu day the last. It by no means flows that beatose the verse is a revention the Bible is n Both at vizmes from the same Great Author, but the first having bear wine before man's Fall is legile only by the hight of his primeval innocence, and consequently inadequate to the salvation of a dark and rained

BUL

The second comes therefore to the rescue. Diametrically opposed to all systems of natural religin with begin in selfrighteousness, and end in crimes of which it were a shame to speak, the Bible makes the very sin of man the occasion of his salvation, and lifts him at once from the horrible pit and the miry day of his utter degradation, to glory, honor, and immortality, through the righteousness which is in Christ Jesus.

It is surprising how many difficulties vanish when once we have arrived at a fall belief in the Divine authority of the Scriptures. Too many leap at once to this persuasion-assuming rather than proving, this first principle of the Christian faith; and many more are startled if we ask the poor and the unlearned to give us a reason for their faith in the sacred oracles. To us there appears to be nothing unreasonable in this requirement. Every man believes something-believes much; and we seldom hear of any one so ignorant as to know nothing of the

merits of a case in which he has a deep personal interest. Reason is the proper channel through which a man is to reach conviction, and we cannot imagine how it can be more easily obtained through other means. Extensive knowledge is not requisite to an enlightened belief of Scripture truth. The question lies in our own bosoms. We need not enquire whether men in all ages have been unable to find out God through any channel but the Bible; but simply ask ourselves if we can do So. Can we find peace without coming to the blood of sprinkling; or can we fail to find it there? If so, we have the highest evidence that Reason can furnish, of the truth of Inspiration. The sacred volume must have been written by One "who knew what was in man"-who could delineate every feature, and meet every want of his spiritual nature, and make plain and practical that mystery of mysteries, how God could be just and yet justify the ungodly.

THE MIDDLE AGES.

IT was a chilly day, and I wondered that the house was so quiet, as the children were in doors. I have heard it said, that as long as children at play are making a noise, you may let them alone, but if they become perfectly quiet, you may suspect that they are in mischief.

My mother, who was very poorly, was asleep on the sofa. I stole softly out of the room, and made a progress through the house looking for them, but they were not in their usual haunts. Sophy, I found upon inquiry, was pasting the labels on to some new books for papa, but the little ones were not forthcoming, till I bethought me of their favourite window in my room, where I discovered them nestling together on the window-seat, with a shawl drawn over them both, and their round faces peeping out.

They were deep in conversation, and as I advanced, I heard Charlie say, "I am sure they did, Hatty, and what a good thing that would be !"

"What would ?" I asked,

"Oh!" said my little sister, "we were only talking about the Middle Ages."

4

promist

vil no inugi-conte me her **

WIT, We were thinking what a good sing it would have been if we had lived in the minds ages.”

* Yes you can't think what beautiful things they had then. For did not see the exisition **

4 NL. THE WAF & pity: but we have better things now.”

• Bener' wiy Orris O the beautiful silver chatices and fagons that they had to drink out of, and we have nothing but CUIRILOR CRIS and sencers. Sc Charlie and I were pretending that these are the middle ages, and we were thinking how the house wolid look, if we had plenty of middle-age furniture to Civi

- Very well, then we will say without any pretence that I am & Modern young lady. I am come to see that the middle ages do not steal any of my property; and for every thing ancient that you bring into the house, I shall take something modern out of it. You may choose first, Harriet."

“Then I should like some of those curious books with carved ook covers and pictures, Orris; Froissart's Chronicles' some of them were called. How beautiful they were!”

"You shall have them, then, and I will take all the other books in the house away.”

Ff Every one?"

"To be sure; what do you want with books, you are middleage children, and cannot read them. Papa being a learned man can manage to spell through a chapter in the bible. But now I think of it, the bible is in Latin, and besides, being Roman Catholics, you might not listen to it."

"O, I never thought of that. I think you might leave us Robinson Crusoe and the Pilgrim's Progress.”

"I could not think of such a thing, I am a modern, and they belong to me.'

"Then at least we shall have no lessons," said Charlie. "Hurra! we can play all day, we'll have plenty of those beautiful bows and arrows, Hatty, such as Robin Hood used."

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'Yes, you may have them; and, at the same time, I take away the carpets, and the glass-looking glasses, wine glasses, window panes."

"Windows! What, are we to do without windows, and carpets too? the house will not be fit to be seen.'

"You luxurious child-cannot you be content with what satisfies the king and queen? Philippa, of Hainault, is the queen: her halls are strewed with rushes, excepting in the sleeping apartments, where her Majesty has bare boards. There are plenty of rushes in the river, let them be cut and strewed in the hall, and as to the windows, have some oiled linen, or thin sheets of horn."

"How horrid! Well, at least, Charlie, we will have some of those Mazer cups, with beautiful dishes under them, and some of those jewels, and swords, and dirks with silver handles."

Pray have as many as you please, and provide a strong oak table to set them on, for I am going to take away all the mahogany and rosewood tables and chairs, and papa will want a sharp weapon or two to use in cutting the meat at dinner according to the custom of the times. I am going to take away all the forks, and nearly all the knives. I shall leave two and a hatchet for chopping the provisions. Papa will carve for the household, he holds the shank of the leg of mutton in his hand, and cuts off lumps as well as he can with a kind of sharp sword. The plates being gone, you will of course eat off wooden trenchers. And as you all go to bed in the winter by seven or eight o'clock it does not much matter that there are no lamps." Really, Orris, you take away everything."

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"Not at all; you still enjoy all the advantages of the middle ages. Did I mention that I should want the tablecloths, and the clock? As to candles, if you are in bed early you do not want them. And it matters very little to you my taking the chairs, for if there were any you would scarcely ever be allowed to sit upon them. You never sit down in the presence of your

parents unless you are commanded to do so, which is very seldom. It is supposed too to be good for you to be knocked and cuffed about: that is nearly all the education you receive. If I were your sister of the middle ages, I should often give you a box on the ear--but I prefer being a modern. As for mamma, if any of the serving men or maids displease her, she thinks nothing of giving them a slap on the face."

"But mamma is a lady."

"She is a gentlewoman, but if she were the Queen, she might give a box on the ear and not be thought unladylike. You need not look so red, Charlie, it is all meant for your good."

"Don't you remember,” said Harriet, "that Queen Elizabeth gave the Earl of Essex a box on the ear, and she lived a great deal later than the middle ages?"

"To be sure she did; Charlie must bear these things like a man."

"Well," said Charles, with a deep sigh, "at least we can go out in the forest and shoot venison, and herons, and we can have venison pasty for dinner.”

"So you shall, but I must take away the potatoes, and the peas, and nearly all the other vegetables."

"That's a great pity, peas are very nice, and so are potatoes, particularly mashed ones."

"And you will not mind having no currant and cherry pie, because you have no sugar to sweeten it with. The Queen has just introduced currants, cherries, lettuces, and many other nice things, but they have not yet been heard of in these remote parts."

"Remote, Orris, we are only fifty miles from London!"

"That is true, but there are two nearly impassable bogs between us and London, so that we have to go thirty miles round, besides which the rivers overflow five months in the year, and then you forget the gangs of robbers and outlaws who infest the forests, and besides the roads are so bad that wagons often sink in them over the wheels. That reminds me, Hatty: did you see mamma unpack the grocery parcel yesterday ?"

"O yes; I helped to put some of the things into the jars.” "Tea and coffee, I suppose, sugar, some almonds and raisins,