promise of God stands good! Nay, but when the sailors attempted to take the small boat and flee from the ship, leaving the passengers to perish, Paul protested to the centurion and soldiers, saying, "Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved." What! and the promise of a foreseeing God to the contrary? Read the result in Acts xxvii.

"Infidel works." I thought as much! I would advise you to neither course-neither sell nor give them away. Do with them as those at Ephesus did with their wicked books-burn them, "before all men" if you please, but burn or destroy them, that they may do no more injury. (Acts xix. 19.) Make no such compromise with Satan. Now that they can do you no more harm, he wants to get them into hands where injury may be perpetuated; and offers to put money into your pocket if you will but let the books go. No such compromise, my friend! Burn them! Have you not read that when the French Revolution had brought to light the fatal consequences of Voltaire's writings, some half-scrupulous persons, no longer willing to allow his fourscore volumes a place in their library, resolved to get rid of them, and sold them at a low price. Thus, as one remarked, "this measure, though it'stayed the plague' in their own houses, caused the infection to spread wider." Burn them, sir! burn them!

CHAPTER XXXIX.

HINTS FOR CERTAIN HEARERS.

one of them."—"Woe to the land shadowing with wings," exclaimed one of the prophets. Opinions are

of ten but Satan's shadows! He is the spirit that worketh in the "children of disobedience." His shadow on the intellect leaves an impression, which resolves itself into an opinion. When Satan wishes to transfer an heretical opinion, he knows well how to do it. Adopting his opinions, you make them your own; once yours, they will attend you as the shadow of your person; when you go, the shadow goes; when you stand or sit, or bow or limp, advance, recede, or stop, so will your shadow.

2. Beware! of making a bridge of your own shadow! Have you never read the fate of him who was drowned by a similar mistake? or of those thoughtless fellows who mistook their united shadows for a bridge, and fell into the river? They were only akin to those who tried to span the gulf of death by infidel opinions, which were but shadows, without any substance of truth, of whom it was said, "They perished catching at their own shadows, and hanging on their own fancy!" which they falsely called faith; faith in all unbelief, it was. The race of such men has not become extinct. Oh! sir, cease

entirely to be one of them! In their consciences, if they have any, they will approve your course. "Believe as Christians do," said three or four professed infidels to a dying companion. "Believe as Christians do; because, if it be false, it can do you no harm; but if it should prove true, you will be a great gainer." The man replied, "I have already taken your advice." He had taken the alarm during his illness, feeling that his sickness was unto death; sought mercy through faith in Christ, and had found it, and was now enjoying that divine peace of mind which true religion can inspire. He was truly happy. These members of the old club, hearing of his dangerous illness, concluded to visit him, and volunteer the advice already noted. The man died well.

3. Far otherwise it was with poor The irresistible hand of God was upon him, and there was no escaping. Infidelity had made him daring in sin, and his conscience, now under the command of Heaven, seemed as if laying then all open before him. Recollections came crowding upon his soul, which were poor helps in his last grapple with the king of terrors. If he did drop into the fiery lake, it was not with a hard heart or a seared conscience; that is, if one might draw inferences from appearances. But God is judge. The day will declare it. We may find some in paradise we did not expect to meet there; and miss others we had no doubt of hailing there. We cannot say as much of Mr. "To justify myself is impossible; to make supplication is unavailable," afford but a slender hope, surely; eyes now rolling in horror or agony, and again, as it were, swimming in death; as if unable to sustain his affliction, as to repair his loss. He must either go into the eternal world unprepared, or reconsider

his avowed principles, and along with it a review of past life. "The cup of trembling" was in his hand; but, alas! with the words of Lucifer in Festus, we may drop the curtain:

"And giving bills which no man may decline;

Drafts upon hell one moment after date,

Terrors shall be about ye like a wind;

And fears come down upon ye like a house."

4. The serious remark of one is worthy of record; it was to this effect: that death is only a small drop from "the cup of trembling," mingled for the future portion of the soul, reluctant to leave the body. I love to think that God is merciful; but in view of the Scriptures, which Jesus declares "cannot be broken," one trembles for the fate of a soul departing from the body thus. Ah! sir, infidelity is a poor support in such an hour as this! Allow me to commend for your adoption the prayer of Austin of old, “O Lord, let thy holy scriptures be my pure delights, in which I can neither deceive nor be deceived." If so, their "delights" shall not be wanting in that honest and trying hour, which may come at any time, and must come at one time or other.

5. Ponder Ps. cxix. 11, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee." And again, 161st verse, "But my heart standeth in awe of thy word." He who thus gives "the word of God" a place in his heart will never be awed by death, nor find death armed with a sting, as did the poor skeptics alluded to. Isaiah xxx. 21 is worthy your attention, "And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, wulk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand and when ye turn to the left." That "word" is the voice of God sounding out from the Bible. He designs his word to

be a "a lamp unto thy feet, a light unto thy path." (Ps. cxix. 105.) Mark those two pronouns "thy," for they are significant, showing the individuality of the Scriptures-" thy feet," not anybody's feet or everybody's feet, but "a lamp unto thy feet,” as if you were the only person remaining upon earth to be guided into heaven!

6. The Bible is a teacher as well as a preacher. It is God's voice we hear there; and sometimes it is as if God were speaking directly to one from the sacred page. The word comes then with a force singularly striking and convincing. It is thus to me, at least. And now, a parting word for your ear alone; it is this: never expect to hear the voice of God to your comfort from the Bible, unless your believing eye is fixed reverently on the Bible, or to the idea of that book in your memory you offer the homage of your heart and the allegiance of your conscience.

To "A FRIEND."-1. So your "friend A. was disappointed;" no uncommon event among my over-curious hearers. When a boy I was never fond of throwing feathers! they strained the arm more than a substance a thousand times their weight. I confess to the same prejudice in preaching. My Master has not sent me into the fields, ripe already unto harvest, for the purpose of picking up a feather here and there, dropped from a wild or tame bird's wing. No, nor to gather sticks or straws, "hay, wood, and stubble;" but the wheat for the garner of the Lord. (Matt. xiii. 30, or Matt. iii. 12.)

2. Perhaps he has never read the story of Myconius, the friend of Luther, how that after his call to the ministry he had a remarkable dream; that he entered a field of grain, and was