Sir Joseph Paxton, I have been told, actually sketched the first design for that great Palace of Glass on a piece of blotting paper in the waiting room of the Midland Station at Derby. He was not at home labouring in his study, but travelling when the idea flashed across his mind which took shape in the Crystal Palace. Was not that very much like accident?"

"That is, I must say," chimed in Mr. Holton, 66 a somewhat unfortunate illustration, for only the other day I heard of a lecture given by Sir Joseph Paxton himself, before the Society of Arts, in which he positively affirmed that the plan of the Palace was by no means a sudden idea or a blaze of genius, but the result of much painstaking and patient elaboration; and that in fact, the building which astonished everybody, and left all the professional architects far behind, cost him long years to construct."

"Still," said Mrs. Holton, eager, woman. like, to protect the weak, and to cover the retreat of her son Richard, "it must be admitted that accident seems to have had much to do with many of the inventions made by men of science, and with the success of some men of business; as, for example, our friends the Mistons, who could not succeed at all in this part of the town, but are doing well over in Hammersmith. Sir Joseph Paxton might have laboured long at such a building while he was the Duke of Devonshire's gardener, but suppose there had been no International Exhibition, where then had been his success? Moreover, I believe the apple that fell at Sir Isaac Newton's feet is credited with some share in the great discovery of the law of gravitation. Is'nt it, sir ?"

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Undoubtedly, but with what share? It is only a seeming share, and not a real one, for apples had been falling to the earth from the days of Adam, and men had known it; but then, they had not the quick wit, nor the keen and cultured intelligence to detect the law that was exemplified in the circumstance. The difference was not in the accident-the falling apple; it was in Newton, the observer. He looked at the event with a mind cultivated by years of profound and diligent study; a mind prepared to turn a common circumstance into a means of arriving at a general law; and the marvel about the Exhibition was this: when such a building was wanted, that gardener at Chatsworth was the only man in all England who had so far trained his mind, and so mastered the business of glass-house constructing, in which he was partly engaged, that he could supply that want, and turn it to advantage. You may see the same sort of thing in many other

that

discoveries. It was the observation of a spider at work, spinning his silken threads, and creating his bridges from twig to twig, that led to the Suspension Bridges over the Thames and the Menai Straits. Brunel found in the varnished perforations made by a tiny shipworm, his plans for the construction of the tunnel that runs under our great river; and Galileo, when only eighteen years of age, got the idea of the pendulum, as a means of measuring time, from a lamp swinging in the cathedral of Pisa."

"But," said Frank, "how came they to see so much where so many people had seen nothing."

"Doubtless because they had been plodding with their eyes open, as your father says. They had sought to discover truth by means of observation, and therefore, when the favourable event was before them, they could do what the untrained mind could not do, make use of it. Fortune, it is said, favours the brave, but they must be brave; so accidents favour those who are in a position to turn them properly to account. Dr. Chalmers was riding on a stage coach on one occasion, and seeing the driver whip one of the horses to prevent his taking fright at an object in the distance, at once resolved the matter into one of his best sermons, called "the expulsive power of a new affection." So Handel caught the idea of one of his great choruses from the ring of a blacksmith's hammer and anvil. The habit of observing must be cultivated very diligently. You must aim to be sharp, to use all your faculties, and to keep using them, if you would really succeed. Opie, the great painter, was asked once, what he mixed his colours with? and he replied, 'I mix them with brains, sir.' That's it, with brains, sir. Plod on with the eyes ever open, the whole mind wide awake, and the worthy goal aimed at will really come nearer and nearer every day, even though you may have to wait long before you actually touch it. Life is like the ascent of a hill. We are at a spot half-way between the foot and the summit. Some are before us, some behind. There are many and devious paths. Some go straight up to the top, making constant and undeviating progress. Others go up a little way, and then turning back, go down, and then have to retrace their steps, and climb again. We should always be climbing higher and higher, and never wasting our little time in retracing wrong or heedless steps."

THE AFTER LIFE. By Rev. Isaac Jennings. Stock.

ARE "the gates ajar?" If so, to what extent? Is it possible to obtain clear and distinct ideas of the after life, of the present and future condition of those whom the Lord has taken to be with Himself? We have seen no better answer to these questions than this treatise by Mr. Jennings. It has the merit of being a reverent and searching examination of the revealed will of God upon this subject, and is as refreshing and healthy in its tone as it is full and thorough in its investigations. The object of the work is to show the scriptural view of the after life in its three successive states; that after life being regarded as itself progressive, and rising at different epochs from a lower to a higher degree of perfection. The traces of the doctrine of a future life contained in the Old Testament are clearly arranged and succinctly expounded in the first essay. The next deals with the difficult subject of the condition after death of the saints of God who lived before the incarnation and sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. Their state is proved to be one of imperfection and of waiting. The pre-Christian saints were not in heaven, but in Sheol, Hades, or what our forefathers called hell, the under-world, the prison-house mentioned by Peter. They were without the veil. But after His sacrifice was offered Christ went and preached to these spirits, proclaimed the opening of the prison-doors to them that were bound, and their advent into heaven. So that they, with all succeeding saints, i e., with those forming the Christian church, should together be made perfect by Him who "first opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers." The writer maintains that there was no entrance into heaven before the death of Christ. The forerunner led the way in order to prepare a place for his disciples, and to welcome to that place those who, like Abraham and Simeon, had longed for the consolation of Israel. This subject is also further illustrated by appendices, one of which, on the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, shows that Christ spoke of the state of the dead under the old, and not as under the new economy. For both the rich man and Lazarus went to the same spirit world, although occupying distinct departments of it, marked off from each other by a great gulf, so that there was no passing or repassing by any who might desire it. They were in Sheol, and occupied places adjacent to each other, although one was in "torment" and the

other in "comfort." But we must pass on, merely adding that the same views, in many respects, may be found handled in an able manner in a sermon by the Rev. James Stratten on 66 the Intermediate State."

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The third essay is on "Heaven, or the Saints with Christ." In this it is shown that Hades does not exist for believers, but that they pass at once from the body to be present with the Lord." The disembodied spirits of all believers immediately enter upon the joys of the heavenly state. There is no stage of unconsciousness. This section, with the appendices bearing upon it, supplies an unanswerable refutation of the views of Dr. Whately on the sleep of the soul in the intermediate state.

The

The closing essay deals with the Resurrection as completing and perfecting the bliss of the redeemed in heaven. resurrection body is shown to be incorruptible, spiritual, powerful and glorious, and the numerous ways in which, at the date of the resurrection, there will occur a positive increase of the blessedness of the saints, are forcibly described. This earth having been regenerated, is clearly destined, according to scripture, to be the future abode of the completely glorified church.

And what about the future state of the wicked? On this we have but one brief note, in which the author states the way in which this solemn and uncongenial topic should be approached; and a second in which he intimates that he may take up this question at a future time. We shall gladly welcome, from so temperate, reverential, and devout a writer, a contribution on this subject.

THE LIFE AND LABOURS OF HENRY CRAIGIE, W.S. By Rev. W. Watson. Edinburgh: J. Menzies & Son. CHRISTIAN stewardship is forcibly illustrated in these reminiscences of Mr. Craigie, in the source from whence it springs, the spirit in which it should be undertaken, and in some of the results which attend it, both during life and after death. The generous and beneficent spirit of this large-hearted Christian man found in enormous wealth an abundant opportunity for aiding every good work; and set forth in his life what may be achieved for God and men by those who, having riches, have also their hearts sanctified by God's grace to make a right use of them. The work is divided into three portions-the first containing biographic incidents and reminiscences of his life and labours; the second, the observations of the press upon

THE PETERBORO' ASSOCIATION. ALL intending delegates and visitors should apply for accommodation to the Rev. T. Barrass, Peterborough, on or before June 7.

CHAPELS.

ASHBY-DE-LA-ZOUCH.-The Baptist chapel in this town was built in 1862, at a cost of £1,610. After the opening services there remained a debt of £350; this was reduced by a bazaar last September to £139. A large quantity of goods remained unsold. During the last four months the ladies of the congregation have had their weekly sewing meetings. The Countess of Loudoun again kindly lent the use of the Bath Rooms for a bazaar, and on Wednesday, May 10, the goods were offered for sale. The teas at the sewing meetings, and a few sales of goods prior to the bazaar, with two or three subscriptions, had yielded £20 17s. 10d. The sum of £100 was taken in the Bath Rooms on Wednesday. On the following evening the goods left were sold by auction in the school-room for £17 5s. 5d., making £138 3s. 34d. The expenses of the bazaar and interest due on the debt still left a deficit of £21. But on Sunday evening, after the service, the Rev. C. Clarke, B.A., detained his congregation to make the gratifying announcement that this sum had been secured by subscriptions, making a total of £159 3s. 1d.-that the building was the Lord's, presented to Him by His servants as their free-will offering; and after the expression of a hope that the Divine presence might fill the place, making it the home of His children, and the birthplace of many souls, the minister and congregation joined heartily in singing the doxology, and all went home with gladness of heart.

In nine years the church has

raised for their Ashby and Packington chapels £1,976 12s, and now both are entirely free from debt.

The

In

DERBY, St. Mary's Gate.-The anniversary services of this place of worship were held on Sunday, April 30, and Monday, May 1. Sermons were preached on Sunday by Mr. Henry Varley, of London. In the afternoon the children connected with the various schools of the Baptist denomination assembled in the chapel, when Mr. Varley conducted a "Scholar's Service," his motto being, "Feed my lambs." On Monday a tea-meeting was held in the school-rooms, when upwards of three hundred persons sat down to tea. tables were elegantly decorated by a large number of stove plants, &c., kindly lent by Mr. Frettingham. After tea a public meeting was held in the chapel, the Rev. H. Crassweller, B.A., in the chair. teresting addresses were delivered by the Revs. H. Ollard, F.S.A., (Congregationalist), J. Stevenson, M.A., J. S. Fordham (Wesleyan), T. Goadby, B.A., and Mr. Varley. The collections and proceeds of tea amounted to £80, which was devoted to the reduction of the debt on the chapel. Mr. Varley continued his labours in the town during the week, preaching on Tuesday evening at Osmaston Road chapel; on Wednesday evening at Traffic Street chapel (Primitive Methodist); Thursday evening, King Street chapel (Wesleyan); and concluding on Friday evening at St. Mary's Gate chapel. Immense congregations attended all the services. Many were impressed with their need of a Saviour, and it is hoped much lasting good was done. [Let all our churches try to get a visit from Mr. Varley.-ED.]

LEICESTER, Dover Street.-The anniversary services were held on Easter Sunday. Rev. T. Goadby, B.A., preached morning and