and, in their houses and families, they were continually exposed to the most bitter opposition from their own kindred. Christianity, in such circumstances, seems to have sent not peace but a sword upon the earth. In such a situation, it was evidently the most decided wisdom to redeem the time, with all diligence, prudence and zeal to apply every moment of repose, and every opportu nity to the service of God; in every occupation to honour him, and to endeavour, by the whole of their conduct and conversation, their efforts and example, to glorify him. They could not count on the future; they could not promise themselves an hour of repose; and, therefore, it was as they fled, with all care, and to seize every present moment for doing what their hand might find to do. They knew not but the hand of the persecutor might instantly be upon them. Private exasperation and public fury might alike put a period to their opportunities or their existence. drive them from us; to bestow no cares on our | earthly interests or occupations, which shall prove a barrier in the way of our heavenly interests; rather patiently to suffer loss in temporal things, than by the engrossment, the care, the anxiety or irritation which it would cost us to repair it, to expose ourselves to an infinitely greater loss in the things of eternity. It seems to have been with a view to such cases, that our blessed Lord so earnestly cautioned his disciples not to labour for the meat that perisheth, to take no thought for their life, not to resist evil, rather to yield a little to the rapacity | and injustice of ungodly men, than, by the trouble, distraction of mind, and excitement of passion, which resistance would occasion, to let such insig-eminently incumbent on them to use the hours nificant things stand in the way of our advancement in the path of divine life. To redeem the time is, in such cases, just to win for God and salvation the period during which these things would have distracted, occupied and absorbed our minds, and left behind no happy vestiges of their presence, no good or lasting fruit. But let no misapprehension take place on this subject. Let no one imagine that indolence or carelessness about our temporal concerns, or want of economical diligence is in any way, or in any degree, pleasing to God. We are bound to provide for ourselves and relatives, things honest in the sight of all men; to labour diligently, that we may have to give to him that needeth. But, on the other hand, we are required to redeem, for God's work and the salvation of ourselves and others, all the time that might be spent in superfluous cares about worldly matters. It is not from cowardice, indolence, carelessness, or the love of popularity, that we are to resist evil, but from a paramount desire to devote our powers, with unbroken energy, to nobler objects. Blessed are they who so redeem the time, who, placing a wise and salutary restraint upon their natural inclinations and the passions so easily roused, purchase for their eternal interests the precious hours so swiftly told over, which would otherwise have been absorbed, and thus for ever lost in the petty cares, the frivolous objects, and the miserable passions that form the great business of the men of the world. II. The reason assigned for thus redeeming the time is, "that the days are evil." The days were, in a peculiar manner evil, at the period when the apostle wrote. By the votaries both of Judaism and Heathenism, the most violent commotions were excited against the disciples of Christ. They were often publicly persecuted and put to death. But we should form a very imperfect estimate of the evils which they endured, if we did not take into account the multitude and variety of private insults and annoyances to which they were daily exposed from their fellow citizens and relatives. They were constantly liable to be called before public tribunals, and to be torn to pieces by the violence of mobs, urged on by interested priests, by those to whom the prevalent idolatry was a source of emolument, or by the Jews, who saw in the growth of Christianity the downfall of their own law; This, however, is not the case with us, nor is it so in most periods of the history of the Church, with the people of God. They generally enjoy, in this respect, good days, and the Lord hath been very bountiful to us, he hath given us peace in our borders, the sword of the persecutor has long ceased to be wet with the blood of the saints in our land; and private persecution also must be confessed to be comparatively extremely rare. Is then the reason altogether without application to us? Let us for a moment consider. Is there nothing but decided hostility which stands in our way in the prosecution of our salvation, or threatens to deprive us of time and opportunities for God's service, if we delay or lose present occasions? Alas! periods of Alas! periods of repose and peace have their dangers, as well as periods of persecution, and these dangers are not less great, because they are less openly seen, because they glide as serpents among rich pastures, instead of stalking like the lion upon the bare heath. The same evil passions, the same aversion to a Holy God and his holy service, the same hostility to the cross of Christ still prevail, as at the time of Paul's writing to the Ephesians. The world still holds forth its seductions. Satan still spreads his snares. The Christian is still liable to suffer the same loss, though the means by which the blessed purchase is snatched from him, be somewhat different. Hypocrisy now plays the part of persecution, and those whom it dare not attack, it lures to carelessness, sin and ruin. These things render the days always evil. These things make it constantly our interest and duty to redeem the time. But with regard to periods of persecution it may be said, that they have advantages peculiar to themselves in this respect. Then there are fewer temptations to an empty profession of Christianity. Then danger is apparent. The call is loud to prepare for death, to be always ready. Men are kept in continual watchfulness, ever warned and stimulated to cleave close to Christ, to labour with all diligence. In times of peace and external secu 1 rity, they are lulled into carelessness, they are then far more apt to be misled by the thought, that tomorrow will be as this day, and much more abundant. Time is then granted them with so lavish a hand, that they are extremely liable to lose their sense of its unspeakable value, and their consequent anxiety to redeem it. Even in such times, however, we may be robbed of our time, or exposed to the hazard of having it for ever snatched from us, quite as effectually as by persecution, torture or death. By violent political excitement, by the struggles in which we may be called to engage, even in pursuit of what we may deem strictly religious objects, we may easily be led to have our thoughts and conversation so completely engrossed with matters of a merely temporal nature, that the things of heaven and eternity run the risk of losing with us that constant and efficacious interest which they should ever possess, as the pearl of great price, the one thing needful. Amid the continual sounding in our ears of hostilities, of dangers which affect objects of an importance, by no means despicable, we are apt to be made forgetful of the perils of our immortal souls, and of the loss which we may be continually sustaining of these precious moments, which ought to be won for God and the salvation of ourselves and others. And often, too, at such periods, the most pious and benevolent schemes for advancing the work of God, and the eternal interests of men, receive from the inconsiderate, the lukewarm, the godless, or the men of engrossing political fervour, such a colour of mere carnal policy, that many are tempted to hold back from them in the moment of decision, and to allow the golden, the never returning, opportunity to slip away, and the time which might have been redeemed for God and the salvation of souls, to go to add to the dark catalogue of sin and folly. And this takes place most specially at those very periods in the history of the Church, when time is most precious, when mighty events are preparing, a tide rising to its height, which is to be turned by the time being redeemed or not, to the advancement of Christ's kingdom or of Satan's power. Then the opposition is, in general, great; suspicion, lukewarmness, calumny, hostility abound. But just so much the stronger is the call upon all to be zealous, active, unwearied in the prosecution of God's work, and not to suffer the precious moments to pass unredeemed away. "Redeem the time because the days are evil." Whether then it be in the cultivation of your own personal Religion, or in aiding to promote the salvation of perishing sinners around you, or in advancing God's cause in the world, let no insidious allurement, no superficial pretence, no engrossment of mind by secular matters, no opposition of adversaries, nor example or persuasion of the lukewarm, prevent you from giving all diligence to the holy work. Let not the deceitful thought weigh with you, let it never be allowed to enter your mind, that other seasons, other opportunities, will occur for doing any work for God and his Christ, which is now before you. The time, the opportunities, are now given you. Redeem them. Make them your own for eternitypossessions which will ever gladden you, as won to the honour of your Redeemer's grace, and to God's glory. Redeem them, that you may not be ashamed before Jesus at his coming. Redeem them, that you may not, at the judgment, be driven to plead the miserable excuse, that you expected other opportunities; an excuse of which you yourselves will be ashamed, when your own conscience will suggest the question:-How could I expect to be intrusted with other gifts, when I prized not and seized not that which was given? Redeem them, in obedience to the word of wisdom, which, by its express injunctions, destroys every plea for delay, and converts the very reasons which the slothful might allege to vindicate their inaction into arguments for energy. Would any of you be tempted to say, there is great opposition, much calumny, a false colour is given to every scheme, however wise and godly, it is a season of great engrossment, let him listen to the decision of God's spirit upon them all; therefore, "redeem the time, because the days are evil.” CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHY. No. IV. PROPERTIES OF HEAT. BY THE REV. JAMES BRODIE, THERE is nothing more familiarly known to us than the properties and effects of Heat, (or Caloric, as it is scientifically termed,) and nothing more mysterious been ascertained regarding it, and these, when classified, than its relations and its cause. Various facts have point out some of the laws which the Creator has given for its guidance, but the nature of its operation remains, in a great measure, obscure. The benefits derived from it are almost innumerable, for whether we admire the verdure of the fields, the fantastic form of the floating clouds, the lustre of the waters, or the elegant plumage of the birds, it is to the agency of Heat that we are indebted for them all. It animates, invigorates, and beautifies all creation, it dissolves the icy chains that bind the winter streams, it raises from the surface of the deep the fertilizing shower, it makes the vegetable sap ascend to form the leaves, and flowers, and fruit of plants, and it causes the vital fluid to circulate in the veins and arteries of man. Thankful for so great a blessing, we cannot reflect upon it, as we ought, without feeling gratitude to Him by whom it is bestowed; and an examination of its properties, while it affords us rational delight and valuable instruction, will deepen and confirm our sense of obligation to the great Author of be all arranged under the three following heads. The effects of Heat, though exceedingly varied, may 1. Heat expands or enlarges the bulk of those bodies to which it is applied. Solids, fluids, and airs, all expand on being heated, and contract when they are cooled. An iron rod which just fits a hole when cold, will not enter it if made red hot; and an iron bar that exactly fits a space in length, if taken out and put in the fire becomes fluids and airs is yet greater than that of solids. too long to be replaced till it cools. The expansibility of cury or spirits of wine, when put into the bulb of a thermometer, are so enlarged, by the application of heat, Mer as not only to fill the bulb but a great part of the tube | attached to it, and we judge of the degree of temperature by the space which the fluid occupies. Air heated in passing through the fire is so much expanded, and consequently rendered so much lighter than the cold air around, that it floats upwards, carrying with it the particles of smoke which would otherwise fill our rooms. The word Heat, and other terms expressive of its modifications, are often used in Scripture as metaphors and emblems to denote the various states and feelings of man. Christians are exhorted to be "fervent in spirit, serving the Lord," and their love is said to wax cold" when they decline in religious affection. When David was musing the fire burned, then spake he with his tongue." The expansive and elevating property of Heat peculiarly fits it for these representations. 2. Heat changes solids into fluids, and fluids into vapours or airs. The most familiar illustration of this property is the melting of ice when exposed to a fire, and its subsequent conversion into steam, when the Heat is continued. All solids that do not suffer decomposition at low temperatures may be converted into fluids, and most of them into vapour, by the intense Heat produced by modern ingenuity; while, on the other hand, many kinds of air have been brought into the state of liquids, and every liquid excepting alcohol has been rendered solid by the art of man. Different substances, as is well known, require different degrees of Heat to effect these changes; the boiling and freezing points of water, for instance, are not the same as those of mercury or spirit of wine; and we may remark the wisdom of the Creator in ordaining that this should be the case, for if all bodies had melted at the same temperature, the world must have entirely consisted either of solids or of fluids, and without a variety of solids, liquids and airs, life could not exist; in a globe of melted matter we could not find a resting-place, in one entirely destitute of fluids we could not quench our thirst, or draw a breath. melting of the snow the hills are saturated with moisture, and the fountains are fed that refresh the plains. If, again, water, on reaching the boiling point, passed im mediately and wholly into steam, no culinary process could be carried on; it would be as dangerous to put a vessel of water upon the fire as to apply a torch to a loaded cannon or the fusee of a bomb; the burning bil. let of wood, if not perfectly dry, would explode in the flame, and its blazing fragments scatter destruction, and instead of gathering round the cheerful hearth, we would shun it as the scene of imminent danger. 3. Heat destroys or decomposes compound substances, and sometimes enables us to form new combinations. By the application of Heat, the metals are separated from the earthy matters with which they are mixed when first dug up from the mine; by similar means the fixed air contained in limestone is expelled, and the lime left pure supplies us with mortar for our buildings. Its decomposing power is, however, chiefly remarkable in the burning of animal and vegetable products; when cast into the flame, plants and animals are alike consumed, no trace is left of their former beauty, nor can we tell from their ashes what once they were. The bones and shells of living creatures may leave behind them a little lime, some potash may be found where plants have been consumed, but all that once delighted the eye is dissipated into air, and, totally changed in appearance and character, is scattered on the winds of heaven. The general consequences resulting from these effects of Heat are so varied and so great, that the mind is bewildered when we attempt to describe them. By means of Heat the philosopher is enabled to investigate the nature of the substances he examines; the workman melts the stubborn ore, and fashions his various tools; the mechanist puts in motion his steam-engine; "the leviathan of modern contrivances" impels our vessels against wind and tide, draws out the thread that is to form our clothing, and in ten thousand different Large quantities of Heat must enter into bodies and ways contributes to the enjoyment of man, and by its be concealed, or, as it is commonly expressed, become means, in our several homes, food is prepared and comlatent, to enable them to pass from the solid state to the fort diffused. But let us confine our views to the ope fluid, or from the fluid to that of vapour. If a portion rations of nature, and trace its agency as exhibited in of ice be brought into a room, it gradually gets warmer the laboratory of the Creator. Let us look at the till it attains the temperature at which water freezes, it dreary prospect presented by the regions of perpetual then begins to melt, but does not increase in Heat till it snow, and enquire into the cause of their sterility; let is all dissolved, and then it again becomes gradually us contemplate the luxuriant foliage of the tropical cline, warmer till it reaches the same degree of temperature as and ascertain the source of its fruitfulness; let us exathe air of the room. In this case all the Heat that was mine the insect closed up in its winter cell, inactive, communicated to the ice, while melting, is absorbed or and all but dead, or mark the bewildered traveller laying rendered latent. In the same manner, every addition of himself down in the snow to die, and search out the Heat that is applied to a fluid produces an elevation of cause of this death-like sleep; let us look on the insect temperature, until it arrives at the boiling point; but sporting in the sun-beam, or on the cheerful labour of however violently the fluid may boil, it does not become man when warmth sufficient is given, and ascertain the hotter, nor does the steam that rises from it indicate a cause of their activity, and then will we form some taint greater degree of Heat than the water, so that all the idea of the mighty influence of Heat in promoting the Heat applied to the boiling liquid must have entered growth, and preserving the life, both of animals and into the steam and become latent. If water be put into plants. Yet this same power, when its intensity is a close vessel, and no vapour be allowed to escape, it increased, becomes an insatiable devourer. When the may be raised many degrees above the boiling point; forest is in flames, its leafy honours are soon laid low, but so soon as an opening is made, a quantity of steam and a dark desolate wilderness occupies the place where will rush out, and the temperature, both of the steam verdure smiled. When the city is on fire, the works, and of the remaining water, will be reduced to the boiling the wealth, and the abodes of man are speedily con point. Many other proofs of the same fact might be ad-sumed, and great is the agony endured by those who be duced; though the expression, therefore, be not philoso- come its victims. phically correct, we may call steam and water mixtures of ice and Heat, differing merely in the one having a greater proportion of it than the other. And here let us again observe the wise provision of Him that made us. If large quantities of heat were not required to liquefy ice and snow, the effects of a thaw would be instantaneous and dreadful, irresistible torrents and inundations would in a moment sweep over the valleys, every trace of vegetation would be carried away, and the inhabitants would scarce escape with their lives; but, by the gradual Of all material things, Heat is our best friend, and at the same time our most formidable foe: it most effe tually purifies and refines, and it blackens and destroys it is essential to our comfort, and yet it is the mo fearful instrument of torture. These seemingly contradictory qualities naturally remind us of the character of God, as shewn forth in his word. Like Heat, whe it diffuses warmth, he is the great source of life, actvity, comfort, and joy, long-suffering and gracious to all men while the day of mercy lasts, the fountain of #L 66 glory, and of bliss to his people for ever: but, like Heat, when its intensity is kindled, "The Lord our God is a consuming fire" to the workers of iniquity. We are told that he casteth his people into the "furnace of affiction," refineth them as "silver is refined, and trieth them as silver is tried," that he may purely purge away their dross, and take away their tin;" while on the wicked, "the fury of the Lord is poured forth like fire, and they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry." Surely statements such as these should arouse the careless, and make them seek unto God while he may be found, and call upon him while he is near; for if we contend with him in judgment, who shall be able to bear his wrath? Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with endless burnings? Who shall endure with flame above, beneath, around, to be, like the bush of Moses, ever burning, yet never consumed? Propagation of Heat. 1. Heat is propagated by touch or contact. If, for example, we take any heated substance into our hands, warmth is immediately communicated; or if one end of a rod of iron be put in the fire, the other soon becomes so hot that we cannot lay hold of it without burning our fingers. Some bodies give out Heat much more rapidly than others. If a piece of metal and a piece of wood be made equally warm, the one instantly scorches the skin when we touch it, while the other may be held for a little while without inconvenience. Those bodies which allow it to pass with facility are said to be good conductors; those through which it passes with difficulty are termed bad conductors. Metals conduct Heat most readily. Stony substances are the next in order. Glass conducts Heat slowly; wood and charcoal still more so; and cork, feathers, silk, wool, fur, and hair, are still worse conductors than any of the preceding; and hence the utility of the latter substances in keeping warm the bodies of those who wear them, or of those animals on which they grow. and putrefaction and it is generated by the functions of animal life in the mysterious process of digestion and breathing: in all these cases, inflammable substances, which are generally of animal or vegetable origin, are decomposed, and that species of air which chemists call carbonic acid gas is formed. 3. Heat is also produced by different chemical mixtures, by compression of soft substances, and by electricity. 4. The great source, however, from which it proceeds is the Sur, whose rays are the ultimate material cause of winds, and clouds, and streams; of every current that moves in water or air; and whose vivifying action makes vegetables grow out of inorganic matter, to be in their turn the support of animals and of man. Considering the Sun as the grand source of Heat, two circumstances deserve more particular remark,-the vast quantity that is emitted, and its penetrating character. When we observe the effects of a clear summer day, and when we reflect on the oppressive climate of the tropical regions, it is evident that the quantity of heat received by the earth must be very great; yet that is not the millionth part of the prodigious radiation which proceeds from the Sun. The temperature of his surface far exceeds that of a furnace, though, like Nebuchadnezzar's, “heated seven times more than it was wont:" even at the distance of many thousand miles from it, the solid substances that form our globe would not only be melted, but dissipated into vapour. This Heat, too, has a degree of penetrating power, which no other kind possesses. If we hold a pane of glass before a common fire, it intercepts almost all the warmth, while it keeps back but little of that which comes from the Sun. This peculiar property enables the Sun's rays to penetrate our cloudy atmosphere, and to warm not merely the surface, but the bottom of our streams. Both in quantity and in quality, therefore, if the expression may be allowed, the Heat of the Sun excels every other. And, like the great source of material Heat, the Sun of Righteousness pours forth, in inconceivable profusion, his quickening rays. The warmth of his affection is alike intense and unchangeable; for, continually bestowing gifts upon his creatures, it knows no diminution: and, blessed be his name! his healing beams have a penetrating character too. He is not only the great source of comfort and joy, but barriers that created love could never pass, his tender mercy has overcome. "While yet sinners, Jesus died for us," and having loved his own, he loves them to the end." 2. Heat is propagated by radiation. We feel, for instance, the warinth of the fire, though we do not touch the burning embers. This radiant heat, in so far as its properties have been ascertained, seems to follow the same laws as light. Like that mysterious substance, it proceeds from those bodies that emit it in straight lines as from a centre; it moves with prodigious velocity, and, independently of surrounding objects, and like light, it may be reflected from mirrors, refracted through prisms, and collected in a focus by lenses. The rapidity with which Heat is given off by radiation, depends on the nature of the heated body; generally speaking, those substances that conduct it ESSAYS READ AT THE FIFTH PUBLIC EXAmost readily, emit it by radiation most slowly. Hence we find, that boiling water retains its warmth much longer in a vessel made of polished metal than in one of earthen ware; and stoves constructed of brick, ac cording to the German plan, diffuse a more equable temperature than those that are made of iron. All bodies whatever seem to emit Heat, both by radiation and contact. When their temperature is greater than that of surrounding objects, they give out more than they receive, and become colder; when their temperature is less, they acquire more than they receive, and become warmer. By this means an equilibrium or equality is promoted, and the Heat of every individual substance is made to contribute to the warmth of the whole. Sources of Heat. 1. Heat is produced by rubbing and striking hard substances against each other. A bar of iron may be hammered till it become red hot, and various savage tribes kindle their fires by rubbing one piece of dry wood against another until one of them becoines ignited. 2. It is also produced by the burning of inflammable substances in our furnaces and common fires--it is evolved during the process of fermentation MINATION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY'S MISSION SCHOOL.* * ON WEALTH-BY MOHESH CHUNDER BANNERJIA. ALL the precious gifts of God to mankind were meant to do them good. Wealth is one of those gifts; therefore it also was meant to do good; and not, as many suppose, to lead astray from the paths of morality and Religion. Indeed, some have gone so far as to class it amongst those plagues that are often sent to punish men for their sins. But no error can be more evident than theirs. A little consideration might teach them, that the human heart is so cunning and wicked as to be able to draw evil from any thing whatever. The eye, for instance, was given to man for his support, and that by reading he might acquire knowledge, and examine the Religion he takes. It was given that he might glorify God on seeing his beneficent creation, the sky studded with innumerable brilliant stars, and the moon shining among them, so that it gives light to the world; yet, at the same time, so gently and softly, that we can look * [Extracted from the Calcutta Christian Observer for Oct. 1835.] at it at any time without hurting our eyes. And in the day time, a brighter light comes into view, without which the earth would be a pit of darkness, in which nothing could exist, rather to be dreaded than to be inhabited by men; no tree would bring forth fruit, and no plant or herb would grow; so that, even were it possible for men to inhabit an earth that had no light, it would be impossible for any living creature to live without food. Yet this very eye, given for such useful purposes, is abused in a thousand different ways. With it, men deceive; with it, they covet; and with it, they do every sort of wickedness imaginable. In short, no member of the body is more liable to be abused than the eye. Would any one, therefore, blame the great God that gave it? Are not the miseries attending blindness obvious to every man? 66 kindness and love towards their neighbours, pay for the education of the poor? Charity begins at home;" and if they had not sufficient to support and educate their own children how could it be expected they should do so to those of others? 3. Wealth enables men to cultivate their minds, and to improve in Religion and morality. For if wealth had not been accumulated, a man's whole time would be employed in the search after food and clothing, with out which his frail body, being exposed to the sunshine and cold, would cease to exist, and therefore he would have no time to think of the great God, the Creator and Preserver of himself, and of the universe. Thus, wealth feeds, clothes, and supports a man, educates Lin and makes him a blessing to society, and teaches him to know his God, and to serve him; by doing which, bis soul shall be happy for ever and ever. ON ATHEISM-BY KHETUR MOHUN CHATTERJIA. Atheism means a disbelief in the being of a God The subject is therefore of universal interest, and has a high claim to earnest examination. For without a God in this world man is a degraded and wretched being, It is Religion which exalts human nature; and the first truth in Religion teaches us that God is. There is not a single spot in this world, where we cannot find ample materials for confirming this truth; for the creation loudly declares the existence of the Creator. In like manner, wealth was never meant to be the instrument to commit sins with, but to be the instrument with which men were to do good to themselves, and to their fellow-creatures. Neither does the true use of wealth consist in grand shows, such as marriages, nor in the nautches, the viands, the lights, the music, and processions of the holidays, as they call them. Were these the only uses of wealth, I must confess that it would be of much less value than is commonly thought. But no! wealth has better uses than these. Not to mention any other, how much good might be done by the wealth that is going to be thrown away in this single approaching festival,† were it rightly directed. Wealth is truly one of the greatest blessings from on high; and those to Mankind generally, in every age, and in every part of whom it is given must take care to use it well. On them the world, have believed that there is a God because they lies a double duty, not only to educate and support their are accustomed to see every day that not the least thing own children, but to bring education within the reach of can be got without labour. Yet the formation of the the poor; to relieve their wants; to encourage their in- meanest insect is beyond the comprehension of man; dustry, and to help them in a thousand other ways which and the formation of man himself is much more incoit is needless to mention, for they are well known to all. prehensible than that of an insect. How then was ma The only thing that these rich people are in want of, inade? We may naturally reply, that he sprung from is a little inclination. How much good might be done his parents; but as population constantly increases, by to our countrymen by those who are most nearly con-going back, we shall come to the first man, and aga nected with them, if they were to follow the example of a nation, foreign and wholly unknown to India a few centuries ago, who diffuse knowledge, and thus unlock the fountain which is to flow through all generations, and which shall know no end. "This stream," (as it is said in our Political Economy,)" though life and health to all who are nigh, from the moment when it struggles into light, is, at first, only as a drop to the deep waters below; but it is the forerunner and token of copious floods, which will not cease to gush forth until the trickling rill becomes a mighty river, swelling and rolling through the dry places, and causing them to abound for ever with the fair fruits of knowledge and truth." To number all the other advantages that flow from the possession of wealth, is beyond the capacity of my feeble pen; however, I shall try to mention some which are obvious to every discerning eye. 1. Wealth, in a degree, prolongs life. Bad food, bad clothing, and bad beds tend to introduce lingering diseases, from which poverty is frequently unable to get free. 2. Wealth educates men. "No man labours for labour's sake," therefore a teacher must be paid for his labours, and books must be bought-things which are as much beyond the reach of the poor as the sun or moon is. It may be asked, how then is a Hindu boy (as the writer himself is) taught, many of whom give for their education and books nothing in return-no, not even gratitude, which a poor man can spare at least as well as a rich man? It is true that the Hindus pay nothing for their education; but certain benevolent individuals, seeing the miserable condition they are in, have been pleased to pay for them. Had there been no wealth, how could these people, who thus show their The Durga Puja. See Ward" on the Hindus." we ask the same question. By whom was he made? The Atheist says, he was formed out of the earth by chance, which involves an evident absurdity; and therefore we must acknowledge a being who possesses all power, and exists from eternity to eternity. Thus the belief of a God does not rest upon tradition or hypothesis; but it is stamped upon our minds by the appearance of the world, and the formation of man, and other visible creatures. There is a spirit within us which teaches us to inquire about all things we see; sometimes from seeing the effects, we inquire into the cause, and sometimes from seeing the cause, we inquire into its effects. Now we see the world as an effect, and we wish to know the cause of it. Some are of opinion, that the world has existed from eternity; others maintain the doctrine of chance, or that chance was the author of all; and others, that matter in motion is sufficient to account for every thing we see. Now in the first place, let us turn our attention to the eternity of the world. The traditions and early histories of all nations oppose this doctrine; because, although every nation under the sun pretends to be ancient, none dreams of eternity. But if we admit the eternity of the world, we must admit also that the whole system is eternal. But if all be eternal, then we have ground to imagine that every par is so. But how can we think that mankind has existe from eternity? I cannot imagine that I bring mysel into existence; my parents were not their own creators and though I go back as far as the wings of imagination can bear me, still I am unable to find a cause (apar from God) for the existence of those from whom I pro ceed. Besides, the argument from population entitles me legitimately to conclude, that mankind have ne existed throughout the whole of eternity; and as one |