vides in the long interval it affords between the original creation and the epoch when the earth assumed its present shape and aspect. Science does no more. All the researches of geology, and all its discoveries, affect not the integrity of the Mosaic record. Not a single fact is invalidated—not a single statement falsified. The Bible has anticipated science; and had the philosopher studied the book of God as deeply, and with the same interest, as he explored his motherearth, he would have learned that all the remains of a previous existence-an existence ages anterior to the creation of man-were carrying him back, and still back, to that "beginning," when the great Eternal called for things that were not, and they were.

Chronology has been a fruitful subject to the sceptic and the infidel. Not only did Bailly labour to verify and defend the remote chronology of the Indians-a chronology which threw Moses into the distance, but Playfair taught it before one of the most learned bodies of the land, and, for a time, infidelity seemed to triumph. It was thought that the chronology of the Bible was irrevocably damaged—that revelation would now fall into discredit. Subsequent calculations, however, proved Bailly to be in error, and demonstrated that the same Indian tables, which professed to include a period of twenty millions of years, could claim no greater antiquity than that of eight centuries! On which side now lay the triumph? Whether had revelation or infidelity the greater reason to hide its head and blush? But, not satisfied with this defeat, the enemies of truth made another attack on the credibility of the Bible. When the Zodiac of Dendera was brought from Egypt to Paris, it was broadly asserted, that evidence now existed of a religion and civilization long anterior to Moses and the deluge. This doctrine soon spread, and found followers in France; as did that of Bailly in our own country. But infidelity was doomed to another overthrow. Two French philosophers visited Egypt, examined the ruins of the temples, from one of which the Zodiac had been taken, and—mirabile dictu!-they discovered, amid the characters, and hieroglyphics, and mysterious paintings with which these temples were adorned, and which, it was supposed, must contain the first records of the world's infancy, that they were built towards the beginning of the Christian era; for they deciphered the names and titles of Ptolemy, Cleopatra, and the Roman emperors in whose reigns they were erected. What a demonstration this of the truth of revelation! How complete-how satisfactory! Nor have the researches of travellers, in that land of pyramids and antiquities, discovered anything of an earlier date than the epoch of Abraham-nothing which carries us farther back or higher up the stream of time. "Time is not the father" of those ages which have been claimed by the Chaldeans, Egyptians, Indians, and the Chinese. The writings of Moses give us the earliest and most certain dates; and nothing has yet transpired to affect the authenticity and integrity of his record.

If we turn to Astronomy, that highest of human sciences, still we find the Bible in advance of discovery. Revelation teaches the plu

rality, magnitude, and immensity of the heavenly bodies. "He made
the worlds;" by which we learn that these worlds are not only to be
ascribed to his creative power, but are so countless in number as to
exceed all finite computation;—that He who made them can alone tell
them. "He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by
their names.
Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created
these. He bringeth out their host by number; he calleth them all by
names. By the greatness of his strength (for he is strong in power,)
not one faileth!" Here is an effect worthy of Omnipotence. And,
when we think how these worlds stretch away into the immensity of
space-how one heaven rises above another, and firmament ascends
above firmament, each brighter and still more resplendent, what sub-
lime conceptions have we of that august Being, who clothes himself
with light, and retires to an infinite distance from every created thing!
All the discoveries of astronomy, with all the aids it now commands,
are yet inferior to the sublime representations of the Bible. We are
told that, in forty-one minutes, Herschell found 258,000 stars had
passed through the field of view in his telescope; and yet, what are
these compared with "the hosts" which bestud the heavens, or
"the
hosts by number" which adorn the heaven of heavens-each ascending
sphere and firmament? Revelation takes in more than the telescope,
and opens up a field over which no eye, neither instrument, will ever be
able to travel.

And if we refer to those laws by which the heavenly bodies are
governed, revelation differs not from the facts of science. Gravitation
is that power by which one body is attracted to another, in consequence
of its gravity.
Now, it has been justly said, that "gravitation is fixed
in matter eternally and inseparably. No lapse of time wears it away;
no modification of circumstances in which it can be placed, can remove
the slightest conceiveable portion of it. There is no matter known to
exist in our system of the universe which does not gravitate; and, if
we carry on our inquiries beyond the limits of our system, into the
fathomless depths of space, we find there the stars gravitating towards
one another." In the solar system, then, each planet gravitates towards
the sun as its centre. And of this law revelation informs us, when
says, that the great Creator " hung the world on nothing." This

it

same law extends to every other system; and hence the order and harmony which pervades the entire universe of God. He not only upholdeth all things by the word of his power, but preserves them, in their mutual relation and dependence, by a law in themselves eternal and inseparable.

But it is not necessary to multiply examples. We have said enough to establish the harmony which subsists between science and religion. Every scientific discovery, of any consequence, not only leaves the facts and doctrines of the Bible unimpaired, but goes to augment the amount of evidence which the Bible prefers in favour and support of its claims. Revelation is infinitely less indebted to science, than science is to revelation. It is only necessary to glance at this inviting topic. It has

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been justly said, that there is no science without civilization. Now, civilization is the result of religion. In proportion to the spread and power of Christianity in any land, has been the spirit of information, taste, and active industry. On social improvement are engrafted the more useful arts, and in the train of both, follow the sciences; while the sciences have been carried farthest where civilization was most advanced. See what Christianity has done for the older states of Europe, the cradle of most of the sciences-what it has done for the New World, the islands of the Pacific, the interior of Africa, the islands and continents of every sea. Mark how, beneath its renovating and transforming influence, "the wilderness and the solitary place have become glad, and the desert has rejoiced and blossomed as the rose;" while science has proportionally extended her domain, and added to the number and grandeur of her discoveries. Nor is this all:-Chemistry has been taught by Christianity to resolve all its laws of affinity and combination into the arrangements of infinite wisdom and beneficence;— Anatomy, to trace all its organizations and structures to unerring design and benevolent purpose;-Jurisprudence, to derive its principles and means for the amelioration of morals; the principles most equitable, sanctions the most powerful, precepts the most just and benignantmost admirably adapted to promote the happiness of mankind, whether personally or in society;-History, to distinguish between the fictitious and the true;—and Philosophy, whose province it is to inquire into the nature and perfections of God, the existence and destiny of the human soul, the relations which subsist between the creature and the Creator, with that endless chain of antecedents and sequences which makes the universe a single whole, and leads us up to one first great Cause of all -even this philosophy, which is more entitled than any other to be designated the great and the true, has drawn its clearest light from the burning lamp of inspiration. There is not a science which has not laid Christianity under contribution; and, therefore, to Christianity all are indebted.

It appears, then, that revelation comes to man attested by no common evidence; its authenticity is beyond refutation. It is true;—and because true, prefers its claim to universal belief. As a "faithful saying," it

is "worthy of all acceptation;" and he is the wise man who bows to its authority, and receives its doctrines. Men may affect to trifle with revelation, make light of its doctrines and claims, turn away from it as something in their estimation ineffably weak and little. Such men belong to the class described by Bacon, when he says, a taste of philosophy prompts them to atheism;" while those who take a larger draught are led back to religion. They may be gay, with Voltaire, and others of the same school, at the expense of revelation, but then, as has been most justly said, "they must unite two things, which will render this gaiety sad enough-ignorance the most profound, and frivolity the most deplorable!" They may look upon the Christian as a man of weak and drivelling intellect; we are content to be classified with Pascal, Newton, Leibnitz, and men of equal distinction in the world of

science and of letters. We are not ashamed of our Christianity. It has shed lustre on the brightest names, and elevated the sublimest genius;—it has given dignity to the greatest, and nobility to the noblest; -it has embellished their life, and sanctified their death. This religion we profess. To forsake this faith would be to cut ourselves off from the true, the great, the divine-to fall from the throne of the Eternal, with which it connects us, and, at an infinite distance from his glory, to wander with the spirits of the lost. He that believeth shall be saved.

ON THE STUDY OF HISTORY.

HISTORY-the memorial of nations-the record of the past, is a book which has ever instructed and delighted mankind, since the first page was penned by the first historian. In the early ages of the world, when nearly all its inhabitants possessed equal information, the sayings of the wise, or the deeds of the valiant, would be repeated from circle to circle, till the whole were acquainted with them; but as tribes increased, and families were scattered, their peculiar characteristics would be treasured with more than ordinary care, and each race would become the repository of particular incident, which it was the province of history in due time to form and frame into order and regularity. Although the origin of writing is intimately associated with the origin of history, in a connected form; yet it is evident that tradition originally supplied its place, and the story of a remarkable event must have been handed down from one generation to another of the family, people, or nation in which that event occurred. The ballad and the tale would certainly perpetuate the remembrance of distinguished acts; but the introduction of writing created a new era,-a surer path was found to immortality, and the men of genius and of might had a new stimulus imparted to them. Instead of being remembered merely in the wild and uncertain tradition, by those to whom they were related, or whom they had served, they knew that their names and their deeds would be subject-matter for the chronicles of the times, and that after-ages would learn to venerate and copy them, when they should have passed hence. Tradition, here and there preserved scattered fragments, leaves, and pages, which the invention of writing collected, arranged, and bound in the grand historical volume. In one family or people were kept pictures of celebrated circumstances, which this glorious art brought together, and formed into one magnificent gallery—the gallery of history.

The study of this history, we should imagine, had always formed a prominent part in the instructive amusements of youth: before the knowledge of the art of writing was general, the patriarch of a tribe would collect around him the patriot youth, and lead them into many a glorious reverie of former days, enlivening the fancy, awakening their thought, and rousing their energies. They, in listening to the relations of greatness, learnt to be great; and went forth from their lesson to perform deeds of high emprise, to gather laurels for their own brows, and renown for their own names. When the facts of history were suitably recorded, then it would appear that the youth sat at the feet of the sage, who, from the precious manuscript, recalled the ages past, and animated his auditory by relation of mighty feats and wondrous conquest. And even now, when history is a school-book, and printing has brought the inspiring page within the reach of every one, so that, so common is the blessing, it is not duly appreciated,—yet we learn from our infancy to live in past times, as well as the present; and our country's records, rich in fact, abundant in interest, are sources of high gratification and continual enjoyment.

There are certain feelings which appear natural to us, such as veneration for our ancestors and love of our country;-no facts are so interesting, no descriptions so pleasing as those of by-gone days, and the olden time; and if, when we hear, and when we read of a grand achievement, and of a noble action, we can trace the connexion of the magnanimous hero and the generous man, with our own kindred and country, how

do our hearts warm at the thought that we breathe the same air, tread the same ground and have a portion of the same blood as they. There is another feeling in our nature, strong, powerful, and stimulating; namely, the desire for immortality. This is the secret spring of great resolves and greater efforts; for this men will toil till the midnight hour, and again be found at their labour in the morning's dawn; for this they will dare the danger of the battle-field, or the tempest of the ocean; for this they will ascend the Alp, and climb the Apennine, or try to pierce the icy barrier of the Pole. To be but once mentioned in history, in connexion with some noble undertaking, they will embrace all difficulties, triumph in all disappointments, surrender time, talents, ease, luxury, nay even life itself. It was a continual interrogatory with Napoleon, "What will history say? What will posterity think?" He often observed that, with him," the opinion of posterity was real immortality."

Example was ever more powerful than precept; but when both unite as in history— when appended to the relation of a virtuous action, is the advice, “Go and do likewise," then the effect is almost irresistible. Let continence be recommended, and enforced by arguments, moral and religious; we shall approve the reasoning, and own the duty; but let the example of Scipio be added, and, in addition to the knowledge of duty, we shall have a character to emulate; other motives will spring forth, and the fact, preserved by history, shall immediately induce decision for the right, when by its absence, we might have held a parley with temptation, and fallen victims to our passions. Let patriotism and bravery be extolled; let oratory spend itself in proclaiming the virtue of the one, and the magnanimity of the other:-the ear will be charmed, and the mind be convinced; but call in the aid of history, bring home to the heart and feelings the brilliant examples of a Leonidas, in Greece, and a Hampden, in England, and we at once are won. We are ready to imitate their actions; our energies are called into play; to live the life of a Hampden, is our ruling desire; to die the death of a Leonidas, is our choicest wish.

The study of history is eminently calculated to expand the powers of the mind; by observing the character and conduct of others, we learn to form and regulate our own; and, in history, instead of studying a single character in one situation, marking its individual excellencies or defects, we take a wider range we confine not ourselves even to the bounds of a single nation or era; we view the causes and consequences of human actions throughout the annals of mankind; and, thus we are enabled to profit by the experience of ages. By merely studying an individual character, while the page of history lies open before us, we should be like the astronomer, who would confine all his observations to one single star, while the begemmed firmament of heaven was shining in beauty and brightness around, but unheeded by him.

History is a fount of living waters, at which all may drink-a parterre of choice and exquisite flowers, which all may pluck; a mine, rich and inexhaustible, which all may work; it is the voice of the past, sounding warning, instruction, reproof and stimulus to the present generation. History, is a volume suited to every man; here is a chapter for each, be the character what it may. Is the student a statesman? What a fount of instruction will he find opened up to him in the study of history; here, he may read of the rise, decline, and fall of the mightiest empires which this world could boast; here, he may learn how states became powerful, and by what means that power waned away. The record of the past affords beacons to warn him of the shoals and quicksands on which others have been wrecked. It hangs out lights, whose admonition tells of danger nigh, and offers a chart, by the examination of which he may learn how to pilot, in safety, the vessel of the state, over the raging billow or in the deceitful calm. Is he a painter? Where are the subjects which can surpass those upon the page of history? the cartoons which swelled from the canvass, under the hand of Raffaelle, the paintings which bear witness to the magic of a Martin, or the greatness of a West, triumphantly prove, that history is the choicest repository to which genius can resort, and that some of the finest pictures are representations of historical events. And does the poet, when the spirit of inspiration comes over him, seek a subject over which to breathe his life-giving lay? does he look for a theme, which, clothed in beautiful language, adorned with the graces of imagery, and surrounded by the halo of genius, shall convey his name to remotest posterity? Where shall he look but in history? where shall he seek, but in that page which speaks of war and chivalry; which tells of ambition, hate, fear, revenge, and of generosity, mercy, gentleness, and love. Here