coming the universal hostility of the Jews and Gentiles, as to effect its firm establishment, and rapid early propagation in the civilized world. A similar remark applies with equal force to that plenary inspiration of the apostles and their companions, with which their miraculous powers were on a level, and by which they were qualified to become original disseminators of the Truth. It was thus also that they were enabled to compose that sacred volume, which was destined, together with its precursor, to be in all ages sufficient (under the influence of the Spirit) for the religious instruction of mankind. Now in the whole of this spiritual machinery we see a precise adequacy-without either deficiency or surplus—of the means to the end; and we trace, in this fresh evidence of accordance, the perfect skill of that Being who adjusts all "his matters"-whether we are permitted to see it or not-in perfectly even balances.

The church of Christ, firmly established in the world -as a city set upon a hill which cannot be hid-and placed in posession of the whole Scripture, does not appear, as far as we can judge, to need the continuance either of miraculous powers, or of the apostolic office. If men will not hear "Moses and the prophets "-consummated as they now are by Christ and the apostlesthey indeed will not hear though one rise from the dead. Yet who will not admit that the church, for her edification and enlargement, requires those gifts of the Spirit which are suited to these purposes? who will deny that

gifts as well as grace are promised to her in every age? The promise is indeed clear: see Isa. lix., 21; Acts ii., 39. Nor are the origin and principle of the gifts of the Spirit altered. It is the same glorious Head who bestows them the same Holy Spirit who qualifies for their exercise. They are identical in nature with the gifts of the apostles, though different in degree. The Christian church, in her advanced age, is not left without her Evangelists, or her Pastors and Teachers; and it is by inspiration still-taking the word in its just and proper sense that they can alone be rightly qualified to administer and apply those materials, which prophets and apostles produced in days of old, under a far more abundant and exalted measure of the same influence. I do not make this remark in the peculiar character of a Quaker, because I believe that the serious Christian church, under every denomination, is, to a certain extent, prepared to adopt the sentiment. Nevertheless, I heartily long to see the day, when a greater degree of faith in the gifts of the Spirit-under their true character, and within their proper sphere-shall prevail amongst all who love and serve the Lord. The very same argument from analogy which prevents my expecting to find among Christians, in the present day, that miracle of tongues of which an account is given in 1 Cor. xiv. also satisfies me, that we may reasonably expect the continuance of the gift of "prophecy," mentioned in the same chapter. And why? Because it is a speaking unto

men for edification, and exhortation, and comfort: ver. 3. I can easily conceive that occasions might arise on which it would become highly probable that it would please Infinite Wisdom to ordain a miracle-such an occasion for instance, as the attempt of the apostate Julian to rebuild the temple at Jerusalem, when balls of fire issu ing from mount Moriah utterly frustrated all his efforts. I can also conceive that a miracle might be permitted, for some reason altogether imperceptible to the intelligence of man. But such a circumstance is remote from the region of probabilities. Strong must be the evidence which would serve to convince me of the reality of wonders, which scarcely appear to admit of any other comparison than with the unaccountable prodigies recorded in the annals of ghostery.

accompa

The evidence of accordance permitted us in spiritual things is remarkably analogous to what is on every hand visible in the order of nature. When nied Chalmers to the museum, he did not appear to her to be peculiarly well informed in the detailed natural history of the objects there collected; but his mind was called forth into its full energy, by the lessons of Christian philosophy which the whole scene presented—the wonderful contrivances of nature-the perceptible purposes to which they are applied-the combination of parts in the same creature having no tendency to produce each other, yet necessary to each other's right action, as well as to the completeness and use of the whole-for ex

ample, the wings and tails of birds, and the comparative length, according to the natural wants of the animal, of their legs and necks. It is delightful to trace, in thousands of such combinations, the benevolence as well as wisdom of the Creator.

CHAL. "Did you ever remark the way in which Cuvier goes to work to build a fossil animal: he finds, for example, the thigh bone of some unknown carnivorous quadruped; a large and intimate knowledge of the adaptations of nature enable him to determine the precise description of leg and foot to which such a thigh bone ought to belong. Having finished his picture of the whole leg, he perceives what ought to be, and therefore what is, the shape of the loins, the back, the tail, &c.; and so he goes forward until the whole creature is erected. He knows what are the usual demands of nature as it relates to each particular part, and he builds accordingly. Now this is so far from being a work of mere fancy, that he seldom or never fails to portray the animal aright—as has been found in a great variety of examples, by subsequent discoveries. What a delightful testimony does the philosopher, in pursuing such a method, bear to the regularity and harmony with which the Author of nature adapts his means to his ends."

Dr. Greville was mentioning to us another example of adaptation on a large scale. In temperate and cool climates, man requires animal food, and accordingly nature, in such climates, has provided abundance of pasture land.

In the tropics, where the natural food of man is fruit and vegetables, we do not find pastures, but the soil is immensely productive of fruit trees. Now the quantity of fruit diet obtained in tropical climates, on a given space of land, greatly exceeds that of animal food produced on an equal surface of pasture in colder countries. This provision of the Creator exactly corresponds with the fact, that a far greater quantity of vegetable than of animal food is required for the sustenance of our species.

It is evident that Dr. Chalmers is deeply impressed with the opinion, that an overwhelming tide is but too likely, ere long, to sweep down many of our civil, literary, and religious institutions. The spirit which prevails abroad, he apprehends to be in somewhat active operation at home, and he ascribes its existence and increase to the wide dissemination of superficial knowledge. In this respect he appears to be in agreement with his friend, Dr. Gordon, an eminent evangelical minister of the Scotch kirk, who accompanied him one morning in a very short call upon us. Dr. Gordon is a slender person, in middle life, with an expressive and even beautiful countenance, reserved and grave in his manner, and apparently accustomed to rather a narrow walk in the Christian church. Yet he bears the character of a devoted and even holy Christian; and I was glad to hear him express his belief, that evangelical religion is extending itself among the clergy of Scotland as well as England-in