Oh! had

the children who looked up to him. you used such friendly arguments as these, I might not now have to struggle alone through all the trials of life, nor these babes have been deprived in their tender years of his labour to support, his wisdom to instruct, and his power to protect them!" If such a charge as this should be sounded in your ears, weigh and consider it well, and once more ask yourself, if you are indeed and in truth "not guilty."

If your heart still remains unmoved by such a scene as this, put your conduct to another test; try if you can as easily undo what you have so rashly done. Go to the murdered body, throw yourself upon it, warm the cold clay, breathe into its mouth and nostrils, try to resuscitate the lifeless lump; and when you fail, ask in the frantic agony that may follow,-Why, oh! why cannot I repair the injury I have helped to do? Be assured you will not be left without an answer; the "still small voice" will tell you, the breath of life is the gift of God; and he alone can restore what you have dared to take away. Then contemplate the living man, as the work of your. Creator, and the dead body, as your own; and put this awful question to yourself:-Who gave me authority to destroy the work of God? Am I, indeed, "not guilty?"

If awakened reflection leads you one step further, imagine the deceased standing before that dread tribunal which no man can or ought to attempt minutely to describe, and think what excuse you could suggest that would be sufficient to save that unprepared soul from the eternal destruction into which you have been instrumental in plunging it. If the awful truth shall then be forced upon your mind, that there is indeed no repentance beyond the grave, and that by his sudden and unprepared death in sin you have robbed an immortal soul of all the benefit of the great sacrifice of our blessed Redeemer, then think of yourself, and what may be your fate, when your turn shall come to appear before the judgment-seat of God; and by what plea you can then prove yourself "not guilty." If this mode of examination should lead to conviction of your fatal error, then prepare to pass the remainder of your life in bitter, unceasing, but, alas! (unless the grace of God shall visit you) in most unavailing regret for you can neither recal nor undo one iota of the past; you may indeed preserve a fair appearance to the world, for whose praises you have risked your soul; but there will be a canker gnawing at your heart, which will poison and embitter every enjoyment of life. The image of your bleeding victim will give terror

to your dreams, and disturb your waking hours. Remorse may take possession of your heart, and hope be denied it; and nothing be left you but that certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation," denounced in God's holy word against the wilful sinner. (Heb. x. 27.)

All this, and more than this, ten times told, may be experienced by every duellist and his Second. Oh! then, before you realize so dreadful a situation, fly, oh! fly to the only sure source of information; open the eternal word of God; prayerfully examine its records, and ponder them in your heart; search diligently, and you will assuredly find that not one sentence in that sacred volume, not one precept of our blessed Saviour's, can be wrested to the purpose of showing that the duellist is "not guilty," whilst the entire tenor of the gospel dispensation shows him deeply the reverse. Surely, surely then, it is the very height of human madness, voluntarily, and without any necessity, to encounter such a fearful hazard of misery in this world, and (if impenitent) absolute certainty of it in the next; for as sure as there is a just God in heaven, these pretended " men of honour," who now hold their heads so high, and dare to dictate to their fellowmortals an arbitrary law, so fearfully opposed to the revealed will of God, will one day have to

stand before his judgment-seat. They may glory now in having a law of their own, and delight in it, but a day of solemn trial must come, when they will be judged by the law of God alone; for although heaven and earth shall pass away, one tittle of God's word shall not pass away until all be fulfilled. And he has said (Eccl. xi. 9), "Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes; but know thou that for all these things God WILL bring thee into judgment."

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CHAPTER IV.

THE most common excuse the duellist makes, is-that "the world" sanctions and approves of the practice of duelling; and that unless he conforms to the custom of the world, he cannot maintain his place and station in society. He says, 66 Revenge is forbidden of God, but not selfdefence." That "the world having agreed to banish any man from society who receives an affront without resenting it in a duel, it is only self-defence to fight that duel, and therefore no crime."

Such is the naked sophistry of the most celebrated of the few literary men whose opinions in favour or excuse of duelling have been printed by them or for them. I say "naked;" because any plain reasoning man will see at once that to give validity to the conclusion which is thus drawn, to justify the taking away of human life, it must first be shown that the sole Giver of life, the great and glorious God, had authorized and allowed "the world" to make such an arbitrary law, and