all important and fundamental duties, the consciences of men speak alike; and even where certain crimes are universal, as among some heathen nations, there is no reason to suppose that their consciences approve those crimes. But how is it, you may ask, that conscience is capable of being perverted? If God has placed her in the soul as an arbiter of right and wrong, why are her decisions ever erroneous? And this question we could not answer, if the Bible had not given us an account of the fall of man from his original state of innocence. So that here an apparent objection becomes an argument in favour of the Bible. There is in man a mixture of good and evil, of great and little, which can be accounted for in no other way than by receiving the Biblical account of his creation and fall. He still retains enough of his original brightness to show what he was, as he came from the hands of the Creator; while this brightness is so dimmed and sullied by sin, that to an observer without the guiding light of inspiration he must appear an inexplicable riddle. Justly has he been compared to a temple in ruins. He admires and approves the good, yet follows the evil. His

soul seems to be torn by an intestine war— passion and conscience each striving for the mastery, which neither fully obtains. Well may he be lost in perplexity at himself, until he opens the volume of inspiration; and well may the wonderful light which beams upon him from its pages convince him that it is the work of one who 'needeth not that any should testify of man, for he knoweth what is in man.""

"Yes," said James, thoughtfully, "it seems to me that this is a very convincing argument." "And it is one," added his mother, "which can be understood and felt by every man who has ever looked into himself enough to know his own character. It does not require any learning or talent to be appreciated. Accordingly, it is found that no argument is more convincing to men who are convinced of sin, while in a state of scepticism about revelation, than this. Most men are so ignorant of themselves, that they do not feel the force of this argument; but let the Spirit of God enter a man's heart, and convince him of his sinful and ruined state, and then he feels the truth of the Bible. Every line seems to flash evidence upon him; the secrets of his heart are made manifest, and he is in the same state of

mind with the woman of Sychar, when she exclaimed, 'Come, see a man which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?"

"I remember," said Fanny, "I have read anecdotes about wicked men who went by accident to a meeting, and who thought the minister had heard about them, and that his text and sermon were made on purpose for them."

"Such instances are not very uncommon," said her mother. "There is still another fact which shows that the same Being who created the soul of man originated the Bible; it is this: the Bible solves for men a problem which they are unable to solve for themselves; it tells them just what will make them happy."

Fanny looked as if she did not quite see the force of this remark.

"Suppose," said her mother, "a box had been given you, which had a lock of very curious construction, but no key. Suppose that hundreds of people should come, one after the other, with keys which they pretended would open it, but every one failed. At last there comes a man with a key which

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opens the wonderful lock, as if by magic, at the first touch. Would you not feel quite certain that he was the contriver of the lock?" "Yes, mother, I think I should."

"Well, now, men in all ages have been seeking happiness. One says, try this method of obtaining it, and another says, try that; but all confess that they have not found it. · The Bible alone contains the secret, and just the secret which men would never have found for themselves. It says, 'Do right; deny your appetites and passions; renounce your own will, and submit to the will of God; become as little children; and every man who has followed these directions confesses that he has found the secret of happiness. But we must bring our conversation to a close. Our next subject is, the harmony between the Bible and the course of Providence."

"That sounds difficult,” said Fanny; "I do not believe I shall understand it."

"Yes, you will, my dear. The course of Providence means the order of events which takes place in the world, and in life. You can see that it would be possible, by observing the conduct of a ruler, to determine by what principles he was governed. Now, God,

as a wise Ruler, must be regulated by certain fixed principles in the government of the universe. Our business, then, will be, to determine, from his acts, what these principles are, and then compare them with what the Bible teaches on the same subject. Do you understand me?"

DOES THE BIBLE HARMONIZE WITH THE REVELATION MADE OF GOD IN THE COURSE OF PROVIDENCE?

"MOTHER," said Fanny, "I believe I have found out one thing you mean,-one principle according to which God governs the universe; and I am very glad that I found it out without James helping me. Isn't it that one you spoke of some time ago that he punishes the wicked, and rewards the good?"

"Yes, Fanny, that is it. God so orders it in his providence, that the good are generally happy, and the wicked unhappy."

"But then, mother, it is not always so. I