much after the manner of those whom he had unconsciously imitated; which accounted for the seeming rudeness of the reply to his question.

And so for a moment William seemed perplexed; but, recovering himself and bethinking that he had hardly shaped his question as he ought to have done, he said in a serious tone-"I think Mr Brown you ought to know why that young person called upon us, and what her object really was. I know that you don't like to hear tales about any people, and I have no tale to tell you."

Thus assured, William Brown was quite ready to hear what the younger William had to say; and evidently listened to his statement respecting the object of Susan Hopley's visit, with all the seriousness which he thought it required.

"Well," said the good old deacon, "I think you have acted very prudently in not behaving rudely or unkindly to this. young person. I know some people who would not have been so calm and considerate as you have been."

"Why," said Gregory, "as for that I do not see much to boast of. I wish to be civil to all, even if they come to do me an injury. When our Saviour was reviled, he reviled not again; and I certainly have not been reviled by Susan--at least not yet."

"Very good," said the old man, whose eye glistened approval of the sentiments just uttered; "very good; but the difficulty lies here, in keeping one's stand at the same time; in contending earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints, and yet contending with meekness, like our Lord."

The young Christian assented to the remark of his elder, and expressed a hope that he might be able always to act aright, especially when tried by those occupying a station above him. "I feel," he said, "a very strong temptation to do as my betters do, and wish me to do; and sometimes," he added, after a pause, “I have almost been tempted to leave our chapel altogether, and go to church, for the sake of worldly ease. I could tell you, William, of many ways in which I have been so tempted. But, thank God! he has never suffered me to come to that yet, and I trust never will.”

"I pray you may not," said the elder, who was moved by the feeling with which the cottager spoke; "No; may HE strengthen

you with all might, to do all his will!" and, thus speaking, the venerable man lifted up his eyes to heaven, as his Saviour had often done before, when praying to his Father; and doubtless that prayer was heard on the cottager's behalf.

But the morning was advancing, and the showers became less frequent, and the sun was shining forth in all his morning glory; and the passing and repassing of the villagers, whose shadows came across the latticed window, became more frequent; and everything indicated that the chapel-going or church-going hour, as the case might be, had arrived; and the village church bell began to ring as an additional remembrancer of the sacred hour. So William and Mary and the old man sallied forth from the cottage, not forgetting to take baby along with them, although it was not to be baptized on that day.

THE YOUNG MAN'S BEST COMPANION.

0.

MY DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS-When you have been at a bookseller's shop, or read the catalogue of an extensive library, have you never experienced a difficulty in knowing upon which, out of so many hundreds, to decide? It is my intention, by the following lines, to point out to you, not the best book in a library or bookseller's shop merely, but to the best in the universe; I therefore solicit your favour and attention.

Very recently I was inspecting my books: after glancing at several, I took up one entitled, "The Young Man's Best Companion," which I examined some time; putting it aside, I saw my Bible, in which I read some of the proverbs of Solomon. I had not read many before the thought occurred to my mind, that they had very improperly entitled the preceding volume. I felt convinced that the latter, and not the former, deserved, and deserved only, to be termed "The Young Man's Best Companion." Therefore, I have written a little on the subject, which I hope may not prove altogether useless unto you. Here are two individuals with a book each, and each confidently asserts that his is the best. My antagonist maintains that his book is "The Young Man's Best Companion." I maintain that the Bible is "The Young Man's Best Companion." I admit that my adversary's book is a good companion-that it is better than multitudes of others; but I deny that it is the best. I know not

whether he be an infidel or not, but this I know, that by the title he prefixes to his book, he most irreverently evinces his want of respect for the sacred volume.

I will now, with much brevity, attempt to demonstrate unto you the superiority of the Bible; i. e. the Old and New Testaments, to the mistermed book to which I have adverted. "The Young Man's Best Companion" has a human author, its design is to inform the mind, and the subjects of which it treats are, grammar, writing, arithmetic, algebra, &c., &c. The Bible is superior to it in reference to its author. It hath a divine author. Reason and scripture support this affirmation. Scripture supports it" Prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost; all scripture is given by (the) inspiration of God." Reason supports it. One writing upon the Bible says, "It must be the invention either of good men or angels; bad men or demons; or of God." It could not be the invention of good men or angels, for they neither would nor could make a book and tell lies all the while they were writing it, saying, “Thus saith the Lord," when it was their own invention. It could not be the invention of bad men or demons, for they would not make a book, which commands all duty, forbids all sin, and condemns their souls to the locality of misery to all eternity. I therefore draw this conclusion, the Bible must be given by divine inspiration. Its author is divine. Again, the Bible is superior to it in reference to its design. Its design is to save the soul. The soul is of infinite worth. Its salvation is unspeakably important. It will never-never die. Its existence will run parallel with the existence of that being, who from one general chaotic mass spoke this beauteous creation into existencewhose name is Eternal. Addison speaks very eloquently on this subject:

"The soul secur'd in her existence smiles
At the drawn dagger, and defies its point:
The stars shall fade away, the sun himself
Grow dim with age, and nature sink in years:
But thou shalt flourish in immortal youth,
Unhurt amidst the war of elements,

The wreck of matter, and the crush of worlds."

When a few more years, perhaps days, have glided away, our

spirits will be either intensely happy or most miserable. The scriptures elevate a dying Saviour, and urge us, in the most emphatic manner, to "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, that we may be saved."

But further, the Bible is superior to it in reference to the subjects of which it treats. The perfections of Jehovah-the depravity of man—the glorious promises of redeeming love—the realities of the future state-the means of personal salvation— are a few of the many glorious, important, and sublime themes of which it treats. Hence, the Bible has a divine author, its design is to save the soul, and the subjects of which it treats are of the greatest and most momentous importance. Thus you see in what respects the sacred oracles are superior to "The Young Man's Best Companion." But it is my determination, henceforth, to omit the superlative employed in this sentence. I will cease denominating it "The Young Man's BEST Companion," and term it "The Young Man's Companion."

I frequently see books entitled "The Youth's Instructor""The Youth's Preceptor"-"The Minor's Best Book"-"The British Jewel." The Bible is emphatically The Youth's Instructor, emphatically The Youth's Preceptor, emphatically The Minor's Best Book, and emphatically The British Jewel. It is more than the British Jewel, it is The World's Jewel. For though there are thousands of Africans, Asiatics, Americans, and I may add, Europeans, who do not esteem it a jewel, yet, as it is unrivaled in excellence, and so exceedingly valuable, it ought to be regarded as a jewel, and by way of eminence to be called THE JEWEL. As a Hindoo loves his Shaster-a Chinese the writings of Confucius-a Mahometan his Koran-and an Infidel his Paine-so love you the sacred record. We must not forget the brevity and uncertainty of time. It is possible we may die while young. Thousands die in the morning of their life. Blooming youth are snatched away. The Bible divulges Christianity, which prepares its subjects for the "early tomb." Grammar cannot do this-nor arithmetic-nor algebra-nor astronomy, nor aught else in "The Young Man's Companion." Let your zeal, then, for the dissemination of the great truths of Christianity be untiring and energetic; then will the period sooner arrive when all earth's inhabitants shall fully know, cordially embrace, and promptly practise the "truth as it is in Jesus.”

PICKERING.

235

ON SOCIETY.

YESTERDAY, calling on an intelligent family who had lately changed their place of residence, I inquired whether they found their situation agreeable. "Tolerably so," they replied, “as far as the comfort of the house and the beauty of the neighbourhood are concerned; but," added the youngest of the ladies, in a tone of disappointment, we find no good society."

66

Her words awakened a train of thought on my return home. I have heard the same words repeated a hundred times, sometimes with meaning, and sometimes without it.

And who does not love society? What mind does not pant after fellowship with mind? Nature girds herself with beauty, but her words to us are few. We may have pleasant moments of communion with her, when divinely instructed to interpret her speech. But in Nature herself-in Nature alone--the human soul would have poor companionship. She would gaze on us with an expression of love and peace, which might sometimes sink with a deep sense of calm into our spirits, and cause us to hope. But when we turned to the contemplation of our highest interests, we could gain no sympathy from her; when we questioned her of our immortality, she would have no voice. The lonely man, shut up to her converse, would be left without encouragement for the exercise of his highest powers. The noblest part within him would find no aliment. He would possess but half, and that the poorer half, of life. But this dreariness is not ours. He who gave us an intellectual being, knew the wants of the being which He had formed, and He said, "It is not good for man to be alone."

A glance at our own mental constitution is sufficient to show that we were not made for a hermit's lot. The desert plain, or the forest shade, is not the place where our affections may meet their appropriate exercise. Were we not formed to act as moral agents on one another, why this exquisite adaptation of means to such an end? See the involuntary tendency to imitation, which is so unvarying a law of our nature, that, to persuade another to a certain line of conduct, we have only to adopt it ourselves. See the wondrous faculty of speech, by which, with an effort so slight as to be imperceptible, one may communicate his hidden emotions at once to a thousand others. See the