barricade tempt oppression; a people addicted to the Bible render it impossible."

"Modern Infidel Philosophy," by the Rev. Hugh Stowell, is a dauntless attack upon another idol of the day. The lecture, however, loses so much in the perusal, for want of the hearty and warm eloquence of the speaker, that we shall do no more than call attention to it. It is not, indeed, distinguished by much strength or closeness of argument, but exhibits some of the dangerous tendencies of the age in such a light, as to forewarn, and thus to forearm, the double or doubtful-minded.

And now for the great apostacy of the age-its tendency towards Romanism and Puseyism. The Rev. Hugh McNeile, in the first lecture of the series (though we have placed it almost last), "The Characteristics of Romanism and of Protestantism, as developed in their respective Teaching and Worship," draws very eloquently and lucidly the opposite features of each system. In her teaching, Rome is legal; whilst the distinguishing characteristic of Protestantism is Grace. Another of the features of Popery is, its congeniality with our unrenewed natures; whilst that of Protestantism, which stands in vivid contrast to it, is its decided antagonism to humanity as it is. A third important difference, lies in the fact that Rome claims exemption for her ecclesiastics from civil jurisdiction, whilst all true Protestants believe that they, in common with lay offenders, should be amenable to civil tribunals. With regard to worship, the difference, vast as it is between the two creeds, is expressed in as few words,-in the first, it is "Sensuousness;" in the second, "Spirituality."

Nor unconnected with this subject is the lecture, yet remaining to be noticed-"The Characteristics of the Middle Ages,” by the Rev. Thomas Archer. Will "Young England," or any other precocious young gentleman, venture the assertion, that "the former days were better than these," after perusing the following clever and compendious sketch of Popish Europe eight or ten centuries ago.

"In glancing at the literary, philosophical, and intellectual phenomena of the middle ages, it is necessary to cherish the spirit of moderation and to avoid the extreme views of this subject; one of which represents the ignorance of the middle

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ages as of the most Cimmerian character, and the other exaggerates their learning and knowledge. Now it must be confessed, that many important and valuable discoveries occurred during the period in question. Peruvian or Jesuit's bark was discovered to heal the frame, and gunpowder invented to mangle it. Paper was invented for the cheap and easy transmission of thought from man to man, and generation to generation; and the mariner's compass constructed to guide the ship over the hitherto trackless deserts of the ocean. These were great things; and the ages that produced them could not strictly, critically, be called dark and barbarous. The elementary principles of education, however-namely, reading and writing—were rare acquirements. An uncovered, bare-footed, ragged, village urchin can now do what kings then, in many cases, could not-sign his own name. From the sixth century, the downward progress of letters is appalling. No favor was shown in the seventh century to arts or letters; and the means of instruction committed by pious zeal to the church were lost or perverted by a lazy, corrupt episcopate. The most tawdry eloquence obtained the sublimest topics were degraded, the simplest mystified-by vulgar, ignorant affectation.

“Perhaps I address no young man who has read history— who is ignorant of the fact, that what learning there was then was in the possession of the monks; and that to them it is owing that letters at all survived; and, above all, I believe that the word of God was preserved and transmitted. This, with all our sincere and conscientious opposition to Popery, we ought never to forget. We are not, however, to suppose that this was the general-much less the universal-habit and labor of monastic life. The complaint of Alfred was this: “that there was not a priest, from the Humber to the Thames, who understood the Liturgy in his mother tongue, or who could translate the easiest piece of Latin; and that, from the Thames to the sea, the ecclesiastics were, if possible, still more ignorant." In an ecclesiastical council, even dignified clergy were found who could not subscribe their own names to the canons declared and fashioned by themselves. Nor is it less observable, that the great points of thought were rather the subtilties of casuistry, than the profound broad matters of philosophy. The intellect

of Europe was moulded in scholastic forms-a dialectic phrase was more important than a grave weighty truth. The scholastic system, devised for the defence of the errors of a corrupt system of religion, fettered and thralled reason. Mind moved in a uniform circle. Argumentation became a mere syllogism. The expanded spirit of modern philosophy was unknown. Its great hierophant, Bacon, had not yet appeared. It was reserved for the Reformation at once to disinthral the heart from priestcraft, and the understanding from the chains of a cold contracted logic; from the worship of mere verbal subtilties,—— those verbal subtilties of which it has been justly said, that'a passion for them is one of the characteristics of a low state of improvement." The medieval philosophers were jugglers in words: the modern philosopher is an expounder of things. The one shone in the dexterity of his jeux de mots; the other in the sober daring of his research, the penetration of his intellect, and the magnanimous calmness of his submission to truth!

"But, even with such disadvantages, no provision was made for the intellectual progress of the masses. The science of the day was locked up in a dead language. The democracy was almost utterly and uniformly abandoned to ignorance. Few of their number, if guilty of crime, could challenge the benefit of clergy. I would not say it was the policy of their age to keep the people in ignorance, but we know that our policy is different-to scatter the light of knowledge and the germs of thought; and such is not only the policy, but the practice of the modern church and modern times, since the imaginary interview of Luther and the Devil, at whose head the reformer threw his inkstand, showing in that myth the great truth, that ink is stronger than holy water. Before that time the many were the ignorant-light-hearted, and faithful, manly as they were even in bondage, but still ignorant. The few are the ignorant now; and there lies the difference of the past and the present times. Go back to the period when, according to Hallam, most contracts were verbal, because notaries could not be found fit to draw up charters; when treaties were written in an ungrammatical and barbarous form, almost to an incredible degree ;to those times, of which Hallam says that scarcely any monument of their literature has been preserved, except a few jejune

chronicles, the vilest legends of saints, or verses equally destitute of spirit and metre. Go back to Rome-the centre of papal power in the civilized world, of which a council, held in 992, asserts that scarcely a single person was found in that city who knew the first elements of letters! Pass to Spain, in which, in the age of Charlemagne, not one priest in a thousand could address a common letter of salutation to another! Then overleap the distance of time and space, and enter this hall in December, 1848, and upon this platform you see standing a day-laborer, to receive from the hands of a prospective peer— not a swineherd's collar-not the vassal's brand-not the monastic penance—but a prize, for an essay in vindication of the blessedness and benefits of the Lord's day; the creation of his own mind, and the writing of his own hand! And he was but one of a thousand-honest, though hard and horny-handed men, toiling for their daily bread in the mines beneath the earth, or the manufactories upon its surface!"

AURORA BOREALIS.

We live in an age of progress of improvement—we trust we can say, in some things-of reform. Wonderful are the advances made, lengthened the strides accomplished within the last dozen years, in the march of intellect, in science and art, in literature and education, oh, that we were more alive to our responsibilities! Oh, that in morals and piety also our age had advanced to the same extent!

The desert is no longer a barrier to commerce; railroads unite countries and continents in the bonds of brotherhood, that before were almost strangers; seas and rivers, and even oceans, are made one broad universal highway, by the triumphs of human labor, and new wonders in the firmament are brought within our gaze by improved telescopes. Unthought of substances are brought into every day use, and made subservient to our comforts; extraordinary combinations in medicine are found productive of the happiest effects in mitigating human suffering; literature is brought within the reach of all classes; artificial light is evolved from water; and the ere-while terrific electric fluid is rendered available for the most important pur

poses; while still more lately, as if to favor and forward the progress of luxury and refinement, an inexhaustible supply of gold is likely to flow into society, so that the era of Solomon may be recalled, of which it was said "all the vessels in his day were of gold, silver was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon." These things, and more which might be named, make us feel irresistibly that man, favored no doubt by the providence of God, is putting forth all his energies to raise his nature towards its highest pinnacle of merely earthly learning and luxury.

Amidst all this turmoil, where human passions and Satan's devices are also too apparent, it is refreshing at times to recur to communion with Nature, her loveliness, her might, her mysteries, and through these look up to nature's God. Blest with human wisdom and inventions, we find so little of God, the ORIGINATOR, the BENEFACTOR; and so much of the inflated pride of talent, and "oppositions of science falsely so called," that we are tempted to imagine men again engaged in the impious attempt to shut the Deity from his own creation, and “build themselves a city and a town," which should withstand even the weapons of omnipotence.

"Man, weak man!

"Dress'd in a little brief philosophy,"

fondly dreams he has subjected, or may subject, the realm of nature to his will; and until he is " I weighed in the balance of the sanctuary," he wots not how frail, how impotent he is. Let him listen to the words of heavenly wisdom, "Hast thou an arm like God, or canst thou thunder with a voice like Him? Hearken unto this, stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God. Dost thou know when He disposed them, and caused the light of His cloud to shine." Job xxxvii. 14, 15.

Ought not we humbly to reply, "Teach us what we shall say unto him, for we cannot order our speech by reason of darkness." Job xxxvii. 19.

In confirmation of these views, we shall instance only one natural phenomenon which has baffled all attempts to discover its cause, or account for its appearances. This is the Aurora Borealis, or northern lights, so called because it generally occurs in the northern sky. Among the peasantry, by whom it is regarded with superstitious dread, it is designated as "pretty (or merry) dancers."