all her joys and in all her sorrows. Even at home, Shortly after the period with which we closed the First Part of this Sketch, this devoted Christian was called to undergo a very severe trial in the loss of her beloved brother Henry. The bereavement was painful, but her heart was comforted by the peaceful and happy character of his death. Speaking of this subject, she says in her Diary,—— "Set out for Broad Marston to see my dying brother, Henry: but was too late, except to see him in his coffin! For my dear brother, as far as respected himself, there was no cause to grieve. The last three years of his life he had been wasting under a fatal disease; but he was ready for his removal. He was an ornament to religion-a light shining in a dark place. a small bag of dollars, which they gave into charge of the captain to carry to such and such parties. I saw this transaction, and marked the captain's carelessness; for, instead of putting the bag of dollars in a place of safety, he left it day after day rolling in the locker. For the simple purpose of frightening him, I hid it; he made no inquiries, and we arrived at —, and I still detained it till it should be missed; month after month passed away, and still no inquiry was made for the lost property. The parties to whom it was consigned, and who had notice of its being sent, came to the captain for it; he remembered its having been given into his charge, but nothing more: it might have been left behind. Letters to that effect were written to the correspondents, and a search was made, but nothing could be learned, no trace of the lost treasure could be discovered. All this necessarily occupied many months. I had now become alarmed, and was ashamed to confess, lest it should implicate my character. I then purposely secreted the property. The captain was sued for the amount, and, having nothing to pay, was thrown into prison, firmly maintaining his innocency of the theft, but pleading guilty to the charge of carelessness respecting his trust. He languished in prison for two years, and then died. Guilt had by this time hardened my mind. I strove to be happy by stifling my conscience with the cares and amusements of the world; but all in vain. At last I heard you preach, and then it was that the voice of God broke in upon my conscience, and reasoned with me of righteousness and of judgment to come. Hell got hold upon my spirit: I have prayed, | I have deplored, I have agonized at the throne of mercy, for the sake of Christ for pardon, but God is deaf to my prayer; Christ casts out my petition; there is no mercy for me; I must go down into the grave unpardoned unsaved!" O what a tale was this! how fine a scheme of Satanic device did it reveal! Mr Clarke suggested "And now both my honoured parents are inheritto the dying penitent, that God claimed from him noting the promises,' and, I trust, also seven brothers and only repentance but restitution. To this the gentleman sisters. Oh that each one left behind may be as safely willingly consented. The sum with its interest and landed! Thanks be to God for his unspeakable mercy compound interest was made up. The circumstances in having at length, after much obstinacy, made me of the case, without the name, were declared to the hear, (I trust so as to obey,) his long-neglected call of widow and the parties concerned, through the medium mercy. A few more waves of trouble, and I shall, I of Mr Clarke, who obtained an acknowledgment for the hope, join my blessed relatives, to sorrow and sigh no sum, which he kept till his death, and which still remore. Hasten, Lord, that happy day! and till it shall mains among his papers. Shortly afterwards the trou- arrive, O'guide me with thine eye.' Suffer me no bled mind of Mr was calmed; and in firm assur- more to go after lying vanities;' but keep me in the ance of the mercy of God, through the merits of Christ, midway of the paths of righteousness, which are pleathis penitent soul exchanged worlds; a warning to all santness and peace." the workers of iniquity; a lesson to all the ministers of Christ not to charge God foolishly, when any such cases come before their spiritual cognizance; an exhortation to such as received the wages of unrighteousness, not only to confess but to restore to the full all ill-gotten gain; and a loud call upon all who think, like this gentleman, that they stand, to take heed lest they fall. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. PART II. BY THE EDITOR. Ir has been often remarked, in reference to the Christian life, that the cross is the patent road to the crown. Such, in fact, has been the experience of believers in every age. Whosoever will be a faithful and consistent disciple of the Lord Jesus, "must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Christ." The trials to which Mrs Hawkes was subjected were numerous and diversified. At the very outset of her Christian career, she met with the utmost discouragement and opposition from him who ought to have sympathised with her in "A friend asked him in his dying moments if the prospect of glory opened to him. To which he replied with much animation, 'It opens! it opens!' and after a little time, spent seemingly in silent prayer, he died like one falling asleep. Oh that I may die the death of the righteous! and may I live the life of the righteous also. And the following week we find her mingling her tears with those of Mrs Jones, on the loss of a dear child, who they had good reason to believe also died in the Lord : "Reached Birmingham this day; found my dear sister a spectacle of woe, having passed many weeks of severe, suffering for her son Charles. His visitation was attended with some peculiarly distressing aggravations. Though young, being only ten years of age, the enemy seemed permitted to harass him in a way very wonderful. But a little before his death, he became composed and happy. His mother asked, what made him happy? He answered, 'Because I love God, and can pray.'" It is interesting to mark the anxiety which Mrs Hawkes seems to have felt that every word which dropped from Mr Cecil, whether in public or in private, might be blessed for her spiritual improvement. Thus, on one occasion, we find her remarking, "Wednesday, Feb. 16, 1792.-In returning home from Long-Acre Chapel this evening, among other things, my revered minister, with much solemnity said, 'Whatever your path in this world may be, whether smooth or thorny, I trust you will never be suffered to depart from God, or be unstable in your profession. I celebrated Mrs Fletcher, widow of the Rev. J. Fletcher Any thing but that. May I never become a witness of Madely. The account which Mrs Hawkes gives against you in the day of judgment. Any thing but that!' of this interview is exceedingly interesting :"And now, O Lord, in my secret chamber, my prayer unto thee is indeed, Any thing but that.' Ó let me suffer poverty, afdiction, and a thousand deaths, rather than forsake my God-rather than turn again to the lying vanities of this world. My eyes run down with tears lest my deceitful heart should again be entangled in the love of sin. What an awful idea, that my faithful minister should ever appear as a witness against me at the bar of God! O Lord, preserve and keep me in the right way lead me, and teach me in the way of thy commandments. Shall I ever be plucked out of thy gracious hands? Hast thou not said of thy sheep, that they shall not? cisterns, since thou hast given me to taste of the living water." And again, O let me not turn to broken July 1, 1792.-Was favoured to-day by a visit from my honoured minister. There is no such thing,' said he, in the Christian life as standing still. If we do not get forward, we must lose ground. If a child should be no larger in its growth at eight years old, than it was at four, we know at once that there is something the matter. So it is with the soul; if the graces of the Spirit do not grow and flourish, there is some latent cause which calls for examination. If our love to God, to his Word, to his ordinances, to his people, does not increase, and if our love of sin, and love to the world does not lessen, it is a sign we do not grow in grace. If we do not gain a greater mastery over ourselves, our tempers and affections, our bad habits, than we had at our first setting out in Christianity, we surely do not grow in grace.' 339 In the course of 1793 Mrs Hawkes was called to feel that not only "without were fightings," but "within were fears." She laboured for several months under a severe depression of spirits, which, in addition to her family trials, led her to walk in darkness and in deep humiliation. On this subject she records some valuable remarks made by Mr Cecil: "There is experience as well as doctrine to be taught in the school of Christ. We are to be brought out of nature, and taught to walk with God; and this is effected, not only by the gracious influences of the Holy Spirit, but also by wholesome corrections. To have a blessed evidence is not inconsistent with cloudy days, with temptations. We do groan being burdened,' says the apostle, and yet these are the men that are renewed day by day,-that rejoice in tribulation. "What is any thing without experience? Ask the philosopher, the artist, &c., if their experience cost them nothing, if no hazard, no expense was endured? and it would be strange if the Christian's experience also must not be made up by a thousand secret particu lars. Let us beg of God to superintend the process. We should mark well the peculiar duties of trying No time is more trying than when the believer feels any thing like a declining or a revolting seasons. state of mind. "There is a point in every man's life when, if God is speaking to the conscience, it will be said to him as it was to Peter, Will ye also go away?' For every believer, at some time or other, feels that religion is not the undertaking of a day, but that he must hold on, and hold out. He is a soldier, and he must fight. When temptation, persecution, or afliction come heavily upon him, then is the time when this question is especially put to him.” During one of the annual visits which she paid to her friends at Marston Moor and her sister at Birming ham, she accompanied Mrs Jones on a visit to the Thursday, May 15, 1794.-Mrs Jones and myself set out for Madely. We had a pleasant drive, but lost much time on the road, for which we suffered. We reached the house of that honourable Christian, Mrs Fletcher, about five o'clock. My spirit was awed and humbled, not only by the noble character of Mrs Fletcher, but by the recollection of the sacred roof under which I was. I would gladly have taken my seat at the threshold of the door, for I felt unworthy to advance any further. But I was soon made to forget my wretched self, my attention being turned to better subjects. While in converse with Mrs Fletcher, I felt that sacred influence which I desire ever to feel. Glory be to our adorable Saviour, He condescended to be present with us; and my soul found it a refreshing season. Here, indeed, the Sun of Righteousness has arisen, and seems to shine continually. Here the Lord giveth rain in its season, and the souls of the inhabitants are like a wellwatered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. Here is a Christian indeed. Alas! what am I? what have I been doing? Surely no more than slumbering, creeping, dragging on in my heavenly journey. Lord, in mercy speak unto me, that I may go forward; and let me run the race set before me. "The first remark Mrs Fletcher made was on the shortness of her breath, occasioned by a complaint from which she had long suffered. With an animated countenance she said, She often thought death could not be far distant. Some time since,' she added, 'I had a dangerous illness, which my friends expected would carry me off, and I began to rejoice in the belief that it was my Lord's will I should speedily join my dear pected turn, I perceived my time of release was not to friends in heaven. But my disorder taking an unexbe yet, but that God would have me live a little longer; and blessed be his name, I found I had no choice; I could equally embrace his will either for life or death. I felt the will of my God like unto a soft pillow, upon which I could lie down, and find rest and safety in all the will of God in all things! Absolute resignation circumstances. Oh it is a blessed thing to sink into to the divine will baffles a thousand temptations; and confidence in our Saviour carries us sweetly through a thousand trials. I find it good to be in the balance, awfully weighed every day, for life or death.' "She then gave us a wonderful and pleasing account history of his voyage to the New Settlement—the of the Rev. Melville Horne, and read a letter with a storms and dangers he and his wife encountered, and how astonishingly they were preserved from any thing like repining, or questioning the goodness and mercy of God, or his own call of duty in the course he was taking, notwithstanding the opposition he experienced. They had both given themselves up for lost, expecting the next returning billow to have sunk the ship; and they were waiting and looking for death, not only with composure, but in a spirit of rejoicing: a strong evidence of great faith, especially when all the circumstances were considered. · Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God.' Mrs Fletcher remarked, Then is the faith strongest, when it can lay hold on God at the time every thing with thorns, or, as Habakkuk expresses it, Although seems to go against us, when the way is hedged up the fig-tree shall not blossom.' Lord increase my faith! plied, Come to Jesus!' adding, I feel sometimes as "Speaking of the diseases of my own heart, she rethough all I had to say to every body was, Come to Jesus! don't be kept back; if you feel you have done amiss, and have received wounds, where can you go but to Jesus? He has every thing to give that you can want. In every circumstance, in every situation, come freely to your Saviour!' But my treacherous memory will not retain the encouraging, inviting, persuasive expressions she here made use of. O Thou, who alone teachest to profit, write them upon my heart, and bring them to my remembrance when they will be most useful. "After our dear Mrs Fletcher had prayed with us, we parted. Three such hours I have not spent for a long season. I esteem this interview as one of my choicest favours. Oh that I may be the better for it!" The deep interest which Mrs Hawkes felt in all that concerned her dear friend and pastor, Mr Cecil, led her to sympathise with that eminent servant of the Most High in the severe domestic afflictions with which it pleased the Lord to visit him. The sudden and alarming illness of Mrs Cecil following almost immediately upon the death of a beloved and promising child, had thrown a melancholy gloom over the good man's dwelling. To mingle her tears with one so warmly beloved in the Lord, she repaired to the house of mourning, and the scene which followed is so beautiful, and yet so deeply affecting, that we cannot withhold it from our readers: "Saturday, May 31, 1794.-Venturing to call on Mr Cecil this morning, to inquire after Mrs Cecil, I found he had given orders that no one should see him. But my great anxiety for Mrs Cecil being well known, I was, as a particular favour, admitted into the study, where I found Mr Cecil sitting over his Bible, in great sorrow. He said the physicians gave him next to no hope. His tears fell so fast, that he could utter only broken sentences. Every look and every word was solemnity itself. He said, 'Christians do well to speak of the grace, love, and goodness of God; but we must also remember, he is a holy and a jealous God. Judg ment must begin at the house of God. This severe stroke is only a further call to me, to arise and shake myself. My hope is still firm in God. He who sends the stroke, will bear me up under it: and I have no doubt but if I saw the whole of what God is doing, I should say, 'Let her be taken.' Yet, while there is life, I cannot help saying, Spare her another year, that I may be a little prepared for her loss.' I know I have higher ground for comfort; but I shall deeply feel the taking away of the dying lamp. Her excellence as a wife and a mother, I am obliged to keep out of sight, or I should be overwhelmed. All I can do, is to go from text to text, as a bird from spray to spray. Our Lord said to his disciples, Where is your faith?' God has given her to be my comfort these many years, and shall I not trust him for the future? This is only a further and more expensive education for the work of the ministry; it is but saying more closely, Will you pay the price? If she should die, I shall request all my friends never once to mention her name to me. gather no help from what is called friendly condolence. Job's friends understood grief better, when they sat down and spake not a word." I can Through the kind interposition of a gracious and merciful God, and in answer to the earnest prayers of many, Mrs Cecil was restored to health; not, however, without a long-continued subsequent weakness. The impression produced upon the mind of Mr Cecil was deep and salutary. He felt, to use his own words, that it was "a call from God to preach better, and to live better;" and the beneficial result was quite apparent to his hearers in the sermons which immediately followed this painful dispensation. The Christian experience of Mrs Hawkes was of that chequered description which marks the history of every true believer. Now she is walking in the lowly vale of humiliation and self-reproach; anon, she ascends the mount of communion, and rejoices in the Lord. Now her faith has almost failed, by the incursion of her spiritual enemies, and anon she raises the shout of victory and triumph. Her trials were complicated; and it was surely none of the least, that he, with whom she was united in the closest earthly ties, gave no evidence of the slightest regard for the concerns of his immortal soul. Thus exposed to the chilling influence of worldly company, her spirit mourned in secret, like the Psalmist, when he exclaimed, "Woes me that I sojourn in Mesech, and dwell in the tents of Kedar." In addition to the other sources of grief arising from her family relations, she was visited with pecuniary embarrassments of a very serious kind. Mr Hawkes having been prevailed upon to become security for a friend to a large amount, and the speculations of his friend having been unsuccessful, his property became irretrievably involved. Mrs Jones was naturally anxious lest this threatening storm should endanger the health of Mrs Hawkes, and therefore she procured for her a temporary shelter in the house of Mr Cecil. TO AN AFFLICTED FRIEND. Thou hast not lost-thou'st but restored But meekly bow beneath the rod That chastens thee in love; RESTITUTION OF HUMAN NATURE. Minister of the East Church, Perth. THEY who take a pleasure in vilifying human nature, on account of the wants and infirmities connected with it, are not entitled to any respect, either as theologians or philanthropists; for they show both a callousness to human misery, and a complete ignorance of a scheme which brings into prominent view the riches of the mercy and the grace of God. True it is, no creature is at first so helpless as man: nearly one year of his existence is passed before he can stand upright; many years must pass over his head before he can procure subsistence by his own exertions; the whole of his existence, to whatever length it may be extended, is barely sufficient to initiate him in the principles of profitable knowledge. In all these respects, the lower animals, to a thoughtless observer, would seem to possess a great superiority. Every species of beast, bird, fish, or insect, can soon move and procure their food as well as the parent stock from which they proceed; | repented sincerely; and he had received the pledge of and they soon become as knowing as their progenitors, without education or instruction. But these apparent advantages constitute their permanent inferiority; the perfection of their nature is reached as soon as they have attained their perfect strength, and they can advance no farther; man, on the contrary, commences in the most absolute helplessness, but the farther he advances, the more conscious he becomes of power, and the more is he convinced that there are capabilities in his nature which never can be gratified in this world. From utter ignorance, he proceeds, under the guidance of divine tuition, in the career of unbounded knowledge; and from the grovelling propensities of his mortal nature, he rises to the contemplation, the fellowship, the enjoyment of the living God. His very weakness becomes his strength; and whilst he perceives his inferiority to the other creatures, in point of natural resources, he discovers that he has powers of a different description, which, from the smallest beginnings, train him to moral strength, to intellectual acquirements, to spiritual graces, and immortal hopes; and he feels so much the higher satisfaction when he perceives that these principles, desires, and hopes are not inherent in his nature, but implanted by the grace of God, for he regards them as pledges of his adoption, and considers himself as bound to "walk worthy of the vocation where with he is called." Man, thus exalted, dignified, and adorned, is transformed into the divine image; and he himself can discern the resemblance; for, in so far as he is enabled to recognise and admire the power, wisdom, and grace of God, manifested in the works of creation, providence, and redemption, he is conscious that there is in himself a kindred spirit, whose dormant energies have been kindled and called into activity by the vivifying influence of that spirit which pervades the universe. He feels himself exalted above all earthly dignities, when he recognises the impress of the divine Spirit on his soul; but, instead of undue exultation, he is filled with humility, from the consciousness of his infinite distance from God, from sympathy with the natural infirmities of man, and from the recollection of his own numberless and continued short-comings in duty. Amidst our lamentations, then, for the forfeited honours of man, we cannot but perceive that he was intended for great things; and, from the short record of his primeval history, we can perceive that he was capable of great things; being a stranger to sin, he had immediate intercourse with the Source of all holiness; his knowledge was so perfect, not by instruction, but by intuition, that he gave distinctive names to all the creatures placed under his dominion, characteristic of their natures, habits, and dispositions. How unlike to his degenerate offspring! How unlike was he to himself in his state of happiness and purity, contrasted with his condition when sunk in misery and sin! Yet, though fallen and ruined, how superior must the first man have been to any of "his sons since born!" He could not forget all the knowledge which he had by intuition from heaven; it would be considerably obstructed in its exercise, still he had advantages which no other man ever had; though not omniscient, his knowledge, so far as happiness and duty were concerned, was perfect; though he had sinned grievously, he had forgiveness by God's making a covenant with him by sacrifice. We may infer this with certainty, from the brief record of unexplained facts in Scripture. To conceal their shame, it is said that "God made coats of skins" for the first human pair; which I firmly believe means nothing more than this, that God having directed them to sacrifice, as the symbol of the great propitiation which was to be offered by Christ, they necessarily found, in the skins of the slaughtered victims, suitable materials for necessary and decent clothing, which is properly said to be of God's providing, as he suggested the means of obtaining it. If it should be said that we have no evidence that Adam ever offered sacrifice, I can only reply that it is extremely improbable that he would neglect a duty which was performed by his sons, with which it is evident that God is well pleased, when performed in a proper spirit. But let us not waste our time in wailing over the lost dignity of man: such feelings spring from pride rather than humility: for the humble man does not despise himself, he only despises the vain pomp and glory of the world; as for himself, he glories in his infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon him; and he knows that Christian humility is the first step to that dignity and honour to which he may warrantably aspire. He that humbleth himself shall be exalted, is a maxim true in natural as well as in spiritual things. The man of modesty and of merit generally succeeds in obtaining honours which he did not covet; and even with worldly men" Lowliness is young ambition's ladder," the semblance of which they assume to divert the public attention from the deep-rooted purposes of their hearts. The original dignity of human nature is announced in the remarkable terms in which the Almighty intimates his intention of creating man. "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." It is generally supposed that these words are to be understood in a figurative sense, and as intimating that man resembled God in the habit and frame of his mind, rather than in the conformation of his body. In this way the apostle speaks of the new man, which, he says, "after God is created in righteousness and true holiness;" and it is thought presumptuous and preposterous to suppose that man was formed visibly and externally "in the image of God." The Prophet Isaiah appears to have taken this view of the subject, when exposing the absurdities of idolatry; he represents the Almighty as “measuring the waters in the hollow of his hand,"—as 66 weighing the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance," and he concludes with asking, "To whom, then, will ye liken God, or what likeness will ye compare unto him?" Isa. xl. 18. This is, indeed, a forcible and conclusive representation, for showing the folly and impiety of idolatry; nevertheless, there is perhaps more mystery concealed under the intimation that man was made "in the image of God," than is generally supposed, or than it may be safe for man to attempt to explore. Setting aside, then, all conjectures on this subject, let us contemplate the real dignity and honour conferred on human nature, by its assumption by the Lord Jesus, who was made in the form and likeness of man, and who, when manifested in that likeness, was said to be "the brightness of his Father's glory, and the express image of his person," who ascended into hea ven in the nature, the form, and the fashion of man,who, in that nature, pleads our cause at God's right hand, and who, in that form and nature, will come again "to receive his people to himself, that where he is, there they may be also," and which form and nature he shall retain for ever, as the head of the family of God. In these circumstances, we see the unspeakable dignity conferred even on the mortal frame of man. Let those, then, who are disposed, from the generally degraded state of human nature, to exclaim, "What is man, that thou art mindful of him!" consider the high honour and exalted privileges conferred on our nature by Jesus Christ. Sin is, indeed, our natural inheritance; but God has erected for himself an altar within our hearts, on which we are enabled to offer up spiritual sacrifices, well-pleasing unto God. Let us not form our estimate of human nature by what we have made it by sin; but let us consider what God intended that it should be, and what it is yet capable of being, through the grace of Jesus Christ, which is freely granted to all who seek it in sincerity and truth; and whilst we contemplate our own littleness, let us admire that new creation, by which the sinful sons of men are transformed into the sons of God. (To be continued.) THE DOCTRINES OF GEOLOGY ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE BIBLE. It has been too frequently a favourite topic with superficial speculators to dwell upon the imaginary opposition between the truths of science and those of revelation. The infidel clamour which has been raised upon this subject, particularly on the Continent, is matter of astonishment rather than of alarm to every intelligent Christian. Astonishment it may well excite; for what science has arrived at such certainty and completeness as to admit of being placed on a level with the unerring declarations of Jehovah? Is there any one department of knowledge in which discoveries are not constantly in course of being made which go to change the whole aspect of the science to which they belong, and are we to speak of the varying phases of human knowledge as if they were to be preferred to the fixed and unvarying truths of God's Word? No. The idea is extravagant. Every day is convincing even the infidel that the more steadily the truths of science are evolved they are seen the more clearly to harmonize with the statements of the Bible. This has been recently found to be very strikingly the case with Geology, a science which, though as yet in its infancy, is capable, even in its present stage of immature growth, of being turned to very useful purposes. Our attention has been drawn, in connection with this subject, to a very interesting article in a late number of the "American Biblical Repository," from which we make the following extracts, serving to show how far Geology, though still in an imperfect state, illustrates the truths of divine revelation. 1. Geology teaches that this world had a beginning. To be sure, it places its origin at a very remote period. Still there was an origin-there was a beginning. The organizations on the earth, and in the earth itself, have uniformly taken place in an ascending series, from the less to the more perfect. Trace now this series backward, and we at length arrive at a period when there were no organizations, and when the earth itself was not. The geological conclusion therefore is, that the earth was originally created from nothing. The same also is a doctrine of the Bible. "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God." Psalm xc. 2. "I was set up from everlasting, or ever the earth was." Pro. viii. 23. The geological conclusion, that this world must have had a beginning, is of very great importance in connection with natural theology. The most plausible of all the atheistical hypotheses are those which assert the eternity of the world. Without undervaluing any thing which has been written with a view to refute these unreasonable suppositions, the proper refutation of them is to be sought, and is found, in the world itself. Tracing back geologically the history of this globe, and after successive generations, we arrive at a period when it contained no living thing, and when it was incapable of sustaining any form of life with which we are acquainted. We arrive at a period, when nought terrestrial existed but the bare elements of nature, and when, in all probability, an existence was imparted even to these. 2. Geology teaches that the earth we inhabit is the workmanship of one God. This is evident from the unity of design every where exhibited in the structure of the globe. The Bible also teaches the same doctrine. The God of the Bible is one God-to whom the work of creation is ascribed. 3. Geology teaches that the Creator of the world is a being of infinite wisdom, power, and goodness. No one can look into the interior of the earth, and oband not be convinced that its Maker is possessed of unserve its massive structure and multiform organizations, limited wisdom and power. As little can we doubt the goodness of the Creator. To give but a single indication of this. Was there no goodness manifested, on the part of the Creator, in his treasuring up, at a period long anterior to the creation of our race, those measureexhumed for our comfort and benefit? No reader of less coal formations, which are now beginning to be the Bible needs be informed that the creation of the world is there ascribed to a Being of infinite wisdom, power, and goodness. 4. Geology teaches that the earth, compared with its Creator, is a very little thing; that he holds it in his hand, and can rock it on its base, and upheave it from its deep foundations, at his pleasure. In literal accordance with this, is much of the language of the Bible. "He taketh up the isles as a very little thing." "He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth; he toucheth the hills, and they smoke." "He stood and measured the earth; he beheld and drove asunder the nations; the everlasting mountains were scattered; the perpetual the earth saw and trembled; the hills melted like wax hills did bow." "His lightnings enlightened the world; at the presence of the Lord." At language such as this, infidelity has been accustomed to sneer, and shake her head. "She would not believe that there lives a being able or disposed to effect such stupendous changes in our firmly established world. But geology confirms the solemn facts, as taught by revelation." 5. Geology teaches that, previous to the creation of man, the earth was chiefly, and often perhaps entirely, covered with water. Most of the animals of that period were either marine animals, or of an amphibious character. Most of the plants and vegetables were such as grow in marshes and fens. The stratified rocks, from the lowest to the highest, are all to be referred to the action of water. The bowlders which occur in the tertiary formations; the regular layers in clay-pits and other places below the diluvium, all proclaim that, at the period immediately preceding the creation of man, the earth must have been almost entirely covered with water. This conclusion is in literal accordance with |