(4.) An attempt is made to show that Luke and Mark contradict Matthew, by saying that "only one" man possessed with devils came out of the tombs and met Jesus, while Matthew asserts that there were two men, p. 69.

But this difficulty is obviated, by reminding Mr. Bell that Luke and Mark do not say there was only one: they simply say there was one. Does that prove there could not be two?

(5.) The Saviour is reprehended for cursing the fig tree because it did not bear fruit" out of season," p. 69.

This is another specimen of infidel carelessness. The expression, "the time of figs was not yet come," does not necessarily mean that it was not their season, but rather that the time of their gathering was not yet come; and hence the reason why Jesus expected to find fruit.

A French Priest on Religion.

[We take the following from a "Book of Curiosities," and present it to our readers as a literary curiosity. We need hardly say that we do not endorse some of the opinions of the priest.ED. Y.M.M.]

(PUBLISHED IN 1798.)

A FEW days after the Archbishop of Paris and his vicars had set the example of renouncing their clerical character, a rector from a village on the banks of the Rhone, followed by some of his parishioners, with an offering of gold and silver, saints and chalices, rich vestments, &c., presented himself at the bar of the Convention. The rector, a thin venerable-looking man with grey hairs, was ordered to speak.

where the only good

"I come," said he, "from the village of building standing is a very fine church. My parishioners beg you will take it, to make an hospital of sick and wounded for both parties, they being equally our countrymen. The gold and silver, part of which we have brought to you, they entreat you will leave to the service of the State, and that you will cast the bells into cannon to drive away the foreign invaders. For myself, I come with great pleasure to resign my letters of ordination, of induction, and of every deed and title by which I have been constituted a member of your ecclesiastical polity. Here are the papers; you may burn them, if you please, in the same fire with genealogical trees and patents of nobility. I desire, likewise, that you will discontinue my salary. I am still able to support myself by the labour of my hands; and I beg you to believe that I never felt sincerer joy than I now do in making this renunciation. I have longed to see this day! I see it, and am glad."

When the old man had thus far spoken, the applauses were immoderate. The rector did not seem greatly elated with these tokens of approbation. He retired back a few steps, and thus resumed his discourse :

"Before you applaud my sentiments, it is fit you should understand them: perhaps they may not entirely coincide with your own. I rejoice in this day, not because I wish to see religion degraded, but because I wish to see it exalted and purified. We resign without reluctance our gold and silver images, and embroidered vestments, because we never have found that looking upon gold and silver made the heart more pure or the affections more heavenly. We can also spare our churches, for the heart that wishes to lift itself up to God will never be at a loss for a place to do it in; but we cannot spare religion, because, to tell you the truth, we never had so much occasion for it. I understand that you accuse us priests of having told the people a great many falsehoods. I suspect this may have been the case; but till this day, we have never been allowed to inquire whether the things which we taught were true or false. I cannot but hope, however, that the errors we have fallen into have not been very material, since the village has in general been sober and good-the peasants honest, docile, and laborious -the husbands love their wives, and the wives their husbands-they are

fortunately not too rich to be compassionate, and they have constantly relieved the sick and fugitives of all parties whenever it has lain in their way. I think, therefore, what I have taught them cannot be so much amiss.

"You want to extirpate priests; but will you hinder the ignorant from applying for instruction, the unhappy for comfort and hope, the unlearned from looking up to the learned? If you do not, you will have priests, by whatever name you may order them to be called; but it is certainly not necessary they should wear a particular dress, or be appointed by state letters of ordination. My letters of ordination are my zeal, charity, and my ardent love for the children of the village. If I were more learned, I would add knowledge; but, alas! we all know very little. To a man, every error is pardonable but want of humanity. We have a public walk, with a spreading elm tree at one end of it, and a circle of green around it, with a convenient bench. Here shall I draw together the children that are playing round me. I shall point to the vines laden with fruit, to the orchard, to the herds of cattle lowing round us, to the distant hills stretching one behind another; and they will ask me, How came all these things? I shall tell them all I know-what I have heard from the wise men who have lived before me; they will be penetrated with love and adoration. They will kneel: I shall kneel with them ;-they will not be at my feet, but all of us at the feet of that Good Being whom we shall worship together, and thus they will receive within their tender minds a religion.

The old men will come sometimes from having deposited under the green sod one of their companions, and place themselves by my side; they will look wistfully at the turf, and anxiously inquire, Is he gone for ever? Shall we soon be like him? Will no morning break over the tomb? When the wicked cease from troubling will the good cease from doing good? We will talk of these things; I will comfort them; I will tell them of the goodness of God; I will speak to them of a life to come; I will bid them hope for a state of retribution.

"You have changed our holidays; you have an undoubted right as our civil governors so to do [?] It is very immaterial whether they are kept once in seven days or once in ten [?] Some, however, you will leave us, and when they occur, I shall tell those who choose to hear me of the beauty and utility of virtue, and of the dignity of right conduct. There is a Book out of which I have sometimes taught my people; it says we are to love those who do us hurt, and to pour oil and balm into the wounds of the stranger. In this book we read of Christ Jesus. Some worship him as a God; others, as I am told, say it is wrong to do so; some teach that he existed before the beginning of ages; others, that he was born of Joseph and Mary. I cannot tell whether these controversies will ever be decided; but, in the meantime, I think we cannot do otherwise than well in imitating him; for I learn that he loved the poor, and went about doing good."

SOFTNESS OF DEMEANOUR SUSPICIOUS.-Always suspect a man who affects great softness of manner, an unruffled evenness of temper, and an enunciation studied, slow, and deliberate. These things are all unnatural, and bespeak a degree of mental discipline into which he that has no purposes of craft or design to answer cannot submit to drill himself. The most successful knaves are usually of this description-as smooth as razors dipped in oil, and as sharp. They affect the innocence of the dove, which they have not, in order to hide the cunning of the serpent, which they have.-Colton's Laconics.

CHRISTIAN MORALITY.-Here, i. e., under Christianity man appears to me bound to his duty, if I may thus speak, by two or three cords at most, but strong and properly stretched, holding on the one hand to what is most vital without him, and on the other to what is most profound and vital within.— Bungener's Priest and Huguenot.

Critical Notices.

THEODOXIA, OR GLORY TO GOD AN EVIDENCE OF THE TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY. By Rev. J. B. Dickson, Paisley. London: Nisbet & Co.-The purpose of this work is to establish the propositions in the following syllogism:

1. "Whatever system of religion makes the glory of God the ultimate end of all its principles, and of all its precepts, is Divine.

2. "Christianity makes the glory of God the ultimate end of all its principles and of all its precepts.

3. "Therefore Christianity is Divine."

In proving this, Mr. Dickson endeavours to show,

1. That whatever system of religion comes from God must contain his principle," viz., that the glory of God is its ultimate end.

2. "That, the Bible aside, no system of religion does contain it.

3. "That man is unable to embody it in a religious system.

4. "That the Old Testament contains it.

5. "That Jesus Christ gave expression to it, and acted upon it.

6. "That it governed the plan of creation, providence, and redemption, and regulated the accomplishment of that plan by a creative, provident, and redeeming Mediator.

7. "That it moulds every doctrine of Christianity.

8. "That it forms the basis of every precept of Christianity.

9. "That the love of this principle is a prominent feature in the adherents of Christianity."

Thus the conclusion that Christianity alone is Divine is established.

Mr. Dickson also indicates how the principle may be applied to the systems based on Christianity, with the view of showing that Calvinism is the only one which stands the test, and therefore that Calvinism is the right exposition of Christianity.

Although the work is only a sketch, the argument is wrought out with much clearness, force, and eloquence. We are not prepared to homologate every statement made either by way of proof or illustration of some of the positions, but we cannot see how it is possible to escape from the general inferences. The book, therefore, we regard as a most valuable contribution to the Christian Evidences, and we commend it most earnestly to young men as a work which, if studied with care as it ought to be, will invigorate their minds, and at the same time put them in possession of arguments that will enable them to meet readily and with power the opponents of our Faith. Mr. Dickson has shown himself a vigorous and original thinker; and we trust that he will be spared to complete a work of which his present publication is only an outline.

TRACTS FOR THE TIMES: The Révéillé; The Christian Soldier's March; The Christian Sentinel, &c. By an Officer of Artillery. London: J. Younghusband. -We have been much pleased with these Tracts for their earnest tone, and their clear expositions of Gospel truth. Though written for our soldiers and sailors, they will be found suitable for all classes. Indeed we have not met with tracts for some time which we conceive better fitted to awaken and enlighten sinners. Let our missionaries, sabbath school teachers, and visiting agents, turn their attention to them. By gratuitous distribution, or otherwise circulating them, they will do much to further the cause of Him who is the Captain of our Salvation.

Intelligence.

HAMILTON YOUNG MEN'S LITERARY SOCIETY.-This Society was fully organised in the beginning of the present year, and is actively pursuing the objects contemplated, viz., the intellectual, moral, and religious improvement of young men. A library is formed in connexion with the Society, and is open to any person by subscribing the sum of one shilling a quarter. Evening Classes for various branches of popular education, conducted by the members, are also formed during the winter months on the same footing as the library. The Society has also in view the early closing movement, and has a committee appointed specially for that purpose. A course of Sabbath evening lectures, on the evidences of Christianity, is anticipated during the winter months. The Rev. Dr. Keith, patron of the Society, has kindly offered his assistance to procure lecturers. Messrs. Donald Campbell and James Gilchrist are the Secretaries.

MARKINCH YOUNG MEN'S MUTUAL IMPROVEMENT SOCIETY.-This Society was instituted in January, 1852. It comprises two associations, which meet weekly to read essays and extracts on religious and scientific subjects. There is also a library in connexion with this Society, which contains some valuable books.

CANONBIE YOUNG MEN'S BORDER DEBATING SOCIETY.-The society was constituted in December, 1851, for the moral and intellectual improvement of its members. Upwards of 30 different subjects have been debated, and about a dozen lectures have been delivered on various scientific and other subjects.

GALASHIELS YOUNG MEN'S MUTUAL IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION.-This Society was formed in February by fourteen members, and now there are upwards of forty. The object of the Society is to place the means of education within the reach of the young men of this town at the least possible expense. The members have various classes for instruction in several branches of education, and the second Wednesday of every month is set apart for discussion.

AUSTRALIA-MELBOURNE.-A Society is vigorously at work in connection with John Knox's Church, the Corresponding Secretary of which, we are happy to observe, is Mr. Murray, formerly President of the Glasgow Young Men's Christian Association. From the first annual report we observe that 37 essays on important subjects have been read.

The Conjurer.

THERE is a mighty conjurer
Who, with a glittering wand,
Goes tracing magic circles

Of light through every land.
Away upon the lonely hills
Where little cots are seen,

Surrounded, midst the barren wastes
With pleasant fields of green.

Low down among the fertile vales
Where gentle rivers flow,

Where peaceful villages are spread,
And loveliest flowerets blow;

Amid the noisy sound of life

In the gay and bustling street,

Undimm'd by the dust of the crowded town,
Those shining circles meet.

And onward ever gracefully

They sparkle and they run,

Like the eddies in the silvery pool,

Increasing one by one;

Not like the wizard's ring of old

Where darkest works were wrought,

But bright with deeds of holy trust,

And gems of happy thought.

There sweetest tales of hope are breathed,

Truth beams from kindly eyes,

And flowers are nursed which yet may bloom

Beneath immortal skies.

No envious wish may mar its peace,

No angry word profane,

No harsh discordant voices break

The soft melodious strain,

There is no human soul so dead,

It hath not joyed to stand

Within this calm and hallowed spot,

Whate'er its clime or land.

And the brightest star shines ever there,

For weary hearts that roam,

For the mighty conjurer is Love,

The magic circle Home.

GLASGOW, SEPTEMBER, 1854

C. P. C.

Printed at 62 Argyle Street, by WILLIAM RANKIN, residing at 35 Charlotte Street; and Published by STARK & KIDD, at 33 Glassford Street; all in the Parish of Glasgow.

Young Gngland, its Ins and Outs;

With Characteristic Sketches of the Lounger, the Theorist, the Roué, and the Sceptic. A LECTURE BY THE REV. J. B. OWEN, M.A., VICAR OF ST. MARY'S, BILSTON. THE title of this lecture, "The Ins and Outs of Young England," means the inner man and outer man of our English youth-their motives and movements the mind as it regulates and develops the man. Twenty years of my own manhood have been spent among multitudes, and I have marked, with the interest of a fellow-feeling, the rise and fall of the young flood-tide, as the waves of its "living waters" jostled and broke against each other in their chase for the shore, and the few that rolled calmly and peacefully into harbour were few indeed, compared with the many that sunk in the surf or foundered on the rock. If I were asked, what in my observation has proved more commonly than any other, the first step in the downward course of youthful irreligion and depravity, I should unhesitatingly make the same answer which has uniformly escaped in the confessions of the wretched convict, the miserable harlot, and the unhappy backslider of every shade of apostasy-viz., the neglect of the Sabbath. It is absolutely astonishing what a petrifying effect upon the whole man succeeds his overcoming the many hallowing associations and instinctive obligations of that sacred day. It is the first realised escape from God. It initiates a case-hardening process upon the heart and mind, and soul and strength, till the youth becomes impervious as an enamel to every softening and saving influence. I always tremble on the first symptoms of irreverence for the Sabbath. It is at that turning point the youth must be arrested or lost. A word of expostulation on that critical point may suitably introduce our general subject. The rest of his moral character will not long withstand the breach which the demolition of the Sabbath uniformly effects. The age in which we live has many privileges, but its results demonstrate there are many perils, still character is the life-boat that ultimately weathers the storm. Yet, young men generally seem insensible to the value of character, either as to the means of its formation, or its outward indications. Some youths foolishly enough take pains not to do themselves justice-make themselves appear worse than they are, and to avoid a possible charge of inexperience or moral hypocrisy, assume a brazen domino of precocious knowingness, if not spurious depravity. They seem to think it manly to ape the vices of manhood, if only as a contrast to the natural innocence of boyhood. By and by they wake to the value of character, but not until it is lost, and are then driven to an opposite course of dissimulating virtue, that so haply their reputation might be repaired. In neither case are they their real selves-it is a moral derangement in which they are something beside themselves—and their other selves are always a caricature of their real selves, and the world's derisive laughat their clumsy pantomime is drowned in their disappointed kinsmen's tears. This habit of unreality, imbibed from the loose fictions of romance, or bad examples in real life, extends itself to the whole youth, taints his every phase of duty and personal respectability, till he is reduced to a soft lump of imitativeness, on which, as on a blotting pad, every passing folly leaves its indefinite and ridiculous impress. Yet, the tact with which some such youths support their folly often indicates a talent worthy of a wiser employment. Their success in rendering themselves ridiculous, is the proof of what they could have done to make themselves respectable. It is hard, however, to persuade them of the fact, even in this palatable shape, and notwithstanding the hosts of other causes, so like their own, that the likeness could not be mistaken, which crowd under their observation daily in evidence of the folly and fatality of such a career.

I ask your serious attention to some home truths upon this matter. Let common sense have an audience to-night, not to say religion, for I would not practically distinguish between them-the longer I live, the more I find Religion is the highest style of common sense. Hence its inspired revelation

K