man, a friend and relative of the parties. The glory to God, and encouragement to his people it is calculated to afford, must plead my excuse for introducing here an incident of private life.

Young N was the delight of all who knew him. High-spirited, ardent, affectionate, and kindhearted, full of all those winning and generous qualities that so often grace the spring-time of life, it was no wonder that he was universally beloved. Of him, however, it might be said, in the words of our blessed Lord to the young ruler, “One thing thou lackest." He gave no heed to the things of eternity, and while occupied with the gay pursuits, the amusements, and studies of his age, his immortal concerns were forgotten. This was a source of much uneasiness to his mother, who was a person of decided piety. The more she loved her son, the more proud she felt of his attractive and graceful qualities, the more concern it gave her to see his total indifference to his best interests. Her anxious thoughts and fervent prayers followed him to the university, where he enjoyed his usual popularity, and took the lead in every thing, among his young companions. She hoped, however, that when time had a little sobered the buoyancy of youthful spirits more serious feelings would ensue, and continued to put her trust in, and offer up her petitions to that God in whose bands are the hearts of all.

Meantime young N

pursued his collegiate career with ardour and success. His friends exulted in his brilliant prospects, and were looking forward to his return among them, at the expiration of the term, when suddenly a letter arrived from his tutor, conveying the dreadful tidings of his having been

seized with a brain fever so violent that little hopes were entertained of his recovery. His parents set off immediately for the university, and when after travelling day and night they stood at his bed-side, he was already past all medical aid, in a high state of delirium, and quite unconscious of their presence. Thus he continued for some days, not a glimmer of reason appearing, and evidently sinking rapidly. The feelings of his distracted mother, as she watched beside him, may be better imagined than described. She saw her beloved son on the brink of that world upon which he had never bestowed a serious thought; about to enter into the presence of Him who requires from his creatures a strict account of the talents committed to their care. She knew that his fine disposition, and all those interesting natural qualities that so endeared him to his friends would avail nothing now. "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." This was the declaration of Him whose word must stand, though heaven and earth should pass away. Alas! Mrs. N-- well knew that no such saving change of heart had taken place in her dying son; he had never earnestly sought his Saviour, or knocked for admittance at that only door, by which if any man enter in he shall be saved. Thoughtless and unheeding, like Gallio of old, he "cared for none of these things," or perhaps had dismissed the intrusive thought with "Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season I will send for thee." Now his day of grace was nearly over, death was approaching with rapid strides, and what was to become of the immortal soul that was about to be freed from its tabernacle of clay?

These reflections were intolerable to the unhappy mother. Her agony of mind, while keeping her weary

vigil beside the dying young man, as she listened to her incoherent ravings, and poured forth her supplications to the Lord "in bitterness of soul" is not to be described. At length, exhausted with weeping and fatigue she sank into that heavy stupor which so often follows great mental suffering:

'For there's a mighty lethargy in woe.'

On awaking out of this she received an answer to her prayers, and an assurance of mercy extended to the object of her solicitude, perhaps the most signal and direct to be found in the experience of any believer-" Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit; I have found a ranson." These words seemed actually to sound in her ears as a message from God, and she found herself repeating over, with the most rapturous feelings, "I have found a ransom;" though at the time she was not aware of having met the passage in the bible, and could not tell in what part of the scriptures it occurred, until a friend pointed it out afterwards in Job xxxiii. 24. All anxiety was now over: and when, in a few hours, her beloved son expired, without giving any signs of consciousness, or expressing any of those blessed hopes of salvation through the blood of Christ, which it is so cheering and consoling to mourning friends to dwell upon, the mother's sorrow was not aggravated by a shadow of doubt as to the final state of her child. She felt assured that his happy spirit was among the redeemed, rejoicing before the throne of him who had" found a ransom," and she took comfort from that blessed promise, that as "Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus, will God bring with him.”

M. F. D.

MOSAIC GEOLOGY.

BEING A COMMENTARY ON THE FIRST CHAPTER OF GENESIS.

"Thus saith the Lord thy Redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things, that stretcheth forth the heavens alone, that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself; that frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad, that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish."-ISAIAH xliv. 24, 25.

How great their folly is, who thus

Absurd conclusions make,

And yet their children unreclaimed,

Repeat the gross mistake.

PSALM xlix. 13.-" New Version of Psalms,"

in Book of Common Prayer.

VERSE 1. This may refer, as some geologists consider, to many ages before the creation of man, and it is confirmed by this and the following verse being separated from the third, which commences with a capital letter in several of the ancient English bibles : and in Luther's bible, the third verse has 1. attached to it.

So that this interval, say they, may consist of millions of millions of years.-Dr. Buckland; Dr. Pusey; Dr. Chalmers; Bishop Gleig, &c.; Dr. Buckland's Geology, page 21.

This division, however, may have been placed to explain the notions of the writers of that age on this subject: the latter part of the second verse is also

evidently in connexion with the third. Besides which, the reason is not manifest why the earth should have been created so long before, to remain in a state of chaos, till the time spoken of in the third verse but these geologists will say, Yes, but this time is necessary for the formation of the rocks and strata of the earth; and the order in which animal remains are found in the greatest depths, prove it to have been the case.

But we must not consider the assertions of these geologists as conclusive on this subject, for there are many others of the opposite opinion; and besides, the wisest of them are liable to error, as may be seen by some of them retracting what they had formerly advanced; not that I believe that any of these would say a word against the truth of the Mosaic account; indeed they all think that they are confirming it; but that they merely differ as to its interpretation.

But it must be remembered that we have only penetrated the crust of the earth, and that only in a ̧ few places; and that favourite theories of geologists are continually being upset by fresh discoveries; these theories being founded on too general and often false conclusions from a few facts, and then filled up by mere suppositions.'

I With regard to the various opinions of those who wish to, or of those who, sooner than own their theories fallacious, try to upset the Mosaic account of the creation :-Boubée says the world must have been created 300,000 years at least. From appearances of the mines at Elba, one author affirms them to have been worked 40,000 years ago; another author allows only 5,000. The canon Recupero assumed the earth to be 14,000 years, from the circumstance of a bed of lava taking 2,000 years before its surface is decomposed into a rich bed of soil; and from seeing, near Etna, seven lava beds, with a stra