regulation and direction, for much efficiency of action, in a world of permanent evil and resistance. Whilst the ranks are thinning, so are the spirits flagging, of those who have gone before. Animal spirits and physical energies are necessary in this material and fatiguing world. Each youthful soldier, though he be not yet trained, is yet joyful and hopeful; and his buoyant heart and his sanguine soul, convey to the aged or wearied veteran a powerful and sweet cordial. O, how important to have on the hill-top of expectation a reserved host of such buoyant and sanguine ones, ready to rush down to the Lord's work, in the heat and crisis of the fight, and decide the world's day!

rently in the rapids, rushing on into something which we have not yet known or felt. In science, in philosophy and religion, in church and in state, in Britain and over the world, there has of late been unusual commotion, and from its extensive throes it seems but as the beginning of a grand shaking and transition, which may turn to better or worse, just as every man may be found at his post or not. The prince of darkness is abroad with his legions every where in an unusual manner; and the servants of the Prince of life have of late in this metropolis, and over our empire, been called out to the field by a silent but powerful providence: so that transition is now become conflict, and every Christian must now gird on his armour, if he would make good his title to that blessed name. The cloud of darkness, which for a long period covered the enemy's host and concealed their frightful devastations, is being dispelled by the breath of the Lord of Hosts; and now there stand out before us in clear and full relief, 600,000,000 of our fellow-men over the world in the chains of a righteous condemnation, and 600,000 in London alone, bond-slaves of Satan, and leading captive at his will to endless perdition. This appalling discovery is now forced upon us, whether we will or no; the case MUST be met; but we are fearfully unfurnished with means. The selfish habits of the mighty mass of Christians are so confirmed and sealed, that only a remnant will come forth to the help of the Lord against the mighty: we have but a tenth with us. What are we to do? Whither shall we turn?Now surely if youth, standing in YOUNG MEN, our eyes are towards such relations, and possessing such You. Nay more, we put the trumpet characteristics, was ever of importance to our mouth, and in the name of the in society, it is so in the present age Eternal God, and of His Son Jesus of the world. We live in a period of Christ, we summon you to the Lord's transition; we are as a stream, appa- great and glorious work! Go each

We find in youth also a certain cooperative spirit, whereby those in that stage of life are easily banded and knit together: jealousies and feuds have not yet taken possession of them, though yet they are but too ready to be carried away by these in others: they are for the most part more taken up with their common object, than with their mutual relations to it, and to one another. The friendships and associations of youth are found to be more affectionate, close, and permanent, for the most part, than they are ever afterwards; they more resemble that of David and Jonathan, of whom it is said, that "the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul." How important to seize on this kindly, ingenuous, and co-operative spirit, and bind it in true Christian love to Christian service, even to that of the world's salvation, and in the Redeemer's glory!

What more common than to read of "the astonishing approach to reason,' or "the reasoning faculty of an ani

one of you in secret to the throne of grace there, in the blood of the everlasting covenant, render yourselves up in soul, body, and spirit, to the mal?"-representations which strike Lord your God. Go take his oath of directly at the immateriality of the service, and bind yourselves to Him soul, and tend to place the brute on a unto death; stand forth in your ranks level with man, by sinking the man and bands. Behold what is before you to the level of the brute. This subin London alone: then think of a whole ject is placed in its true light in the world lying in sin and misery! What following interesting article from doth that demand at your hands?" Ward's Miscellany." Let our readers Behold the Son of God suffering death on the cross to save and redeem lost man!--and shall we hesitate or be indifferent in the matter? May God forbid !

Young men of London, your position is peculiarly important in this the British capital. Here are you congregated in masses; here may you be easily associated; here are facilities for co-operation; here institutions to meet missing exigencies, are ever at hand; here are before you the congregated claims of the world, and here the endless variety of individual cases wherein good may be done to the souls of men.

Arise then, and know and consider the importance of your present position in the world! And whilst the Lord says, "Son, give me thine heart," let your reply be, "Lord, my heart I will give!"

not only peruse it, but let them master the principle which it contains, and make it their own; that they may carry it about with them as an amulet against the error at which it strikes. It belongs to a class of truths which they should feed on, as insects on a leaf, till the whole heart be tinctured and coloured with its food.

"Is man a mere animal? Though the answer of every person, who has learned after the right manner, must consist of the simple and single word 'No,' yet there are certain expressions made use of by persons of learning, and in the judgment of charity, of piety, which have virtually all the power of a 'YES.' With those who descant upon the wonders of creation, and in proper hands, no descant is more delightful; there is nothing so common as to hear of the wonderful sagacity— the marvellous forethought and purpose with which animals do this or do that. The bee, in the construction of her cells, is a profound mathemaIN the present day, natural history tician, and has found out that, of all is raised in popular estimation to the forms, hexagons are the ones which highest dignity, and is pronounced to can be applied to each other with the be a science capable of exercising the greatest capacity in the individual greatest talents, and of affording plea- cell, and the most complete occupasure to the most cultivated minds. tion of all the space over which the Of the several changes that have re- cells extend. Then the manner in cently taken place in society, this is which the planes at the bottom close not the least pleasing nor important. the cells, and make each cell support But owing to the incautious manner another with the strength of an arch, in which that department of it, which is the most consummate application relates to animal instinct, has been of the principles of statics. No human treated, it is attended with danger. ingenuity could by possibility come

IS MAN A MERE ANIMAL?

up to this perfect science of the bee; the plants in their growth; every and, as the cells answer a purpose, metal and every mineral in its crystal: these wise ones say, that the bee has how wise the earth is, that never this purpose steadily in view when wanders from its path! With what she constructs the cells. So, also, as forethought does the spring come at every parent insect is charged with its appointed season! With what the continuation of her race, before matchless arithmetic does the crocus her own body is given to the dust, she work out the day upon which it shall deposits her eggs in that plant, that open its golden cup! And with what animal, or that other substance, which perfection of geometry does every miis best fitted for giving nourishment neral form its crystal, without devito the animal; she does it all of fore-ating from its normal type the milthought, purpose, and with far more lionth part of a degree in a single certainty in the execution, than man angle! Where is the cube so perfect can do by the exercise of all his as in sulphate of lead? And what boasted reason. The sagacity of the oblique prism is so contact to its dog, of the elephant, and of countless other animals, is referred to the same class of faculty, and the beasts get credit for being most profound thinkers. "We shall not swell the catalogue, neither shall we particularize any of those very wonderful operations performed by animals; and we have alluded to the subject solely for the purpose of laying the axe to the root of a most mischievous error, from the trammels of which it appears that men of learning and piety are not always able to disenthral themselves.

angle as carbonate of lime? These things cannot be denied; and, therefore, if they construct by reason, the reason of man is chaff compared with the dullest of metals, or the most common of minerals!

"But shall we thus peril the glories of our own immortality? Because God is all-wise and all wonderful, shall we be fools? May he in his mercy forbid, and guide us to a more rational use of that delightful faculty of speech with which he has endowed

us.

If we grant reason and understanding to the bee, or any other insect-to the dog, or any other animal-how dare we deny it to a flower, a leaf, a crystal of stone, or even to water, which not only finds its own level, but teaches man how to find the level whenever such a finding is necessary?

“We bid them calmly and solemnly to reflect of whose work they are speaking, when they attribute this reasoning and sagacity to those animals, and, by so doing, offer up the immortal spirit of man as a sacrifice upon the altar of foul idolatry. Did not the Almighty create the world? Did he not see the end of all things from the beginning? Did he not set the signal of his wisdom and his power equally upon what we call the mighty and the mean? Let them look round that glorious world, that mighty universe which he has made; and, when they do so, let them say where the point is in it, in which wisdom superior to the wisdom of man Why is this? Why should it be is not displayed. The planet in its that among all the parts of so delightorbit; the seasons in their revolution ; | ful a creation, there should be a single

"These creatures never err: they are all the same, 'yesterday, to-day, and for ever;' and they know no more variation from their regular form, and the customary time of their development, than the planets in their orbits do from their courses. But man errs: and, in most instances, for once that he is right, he is twice wrong.

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blunderer, and he, in other respects, | planatory than abstract description, I the most highly gifted of the whole? will proceed at once to EXERCISE THE We answer, and the spirit of the re- FIRST. And what can be a more vealed word of God answers along suitable subject for a beginning than with us, that the doings of man are THE EVIDENCES OF THE TRUTH OF the only part of creation in which CHRISTIANITY? The principal of plans are to be formed, and carried these are the evidence arising from into effect by an intelligent principle, prophecy; from miracles; from the which is limited in its powers; and character of Christ; from the inman fails, because God has delegated ternal harmony and universal adapto him that which has been delegated tation of the Christian system; from to no other creature. It is thus that the success of the Gospel; and from the very frailty of man stands up a its transforming practical influence. witness of an immortal spirit within him; for while all the rest of nature is fixed, and confirmed by the laws of nature, man is the only creature that can err."

USEFUL EXERCISES-No. I.

YOUNG MEN,* with your permission, I intend to invite you occasionally to an exercise of judgment and piety, calculated, I think, to interest and benefit both those who may engage in it, and those who may content themselves with merely looking on. As these exercises will necessarily vary with the nature of the subject to which they relate, I can only now say generally that, instead of proposing a topic for discussion in the ordinary way, they will present the subject in its discussed and prepared form, and will only invite you to assign the reasons for the conclusion at which it arrives; or to state the particular part of it which you consider most instructive and impressive, and the reasons why you so consider it; or to point out what should be its practical application. In this way we shall avoid the evil of controversy, and yet obtain all the benefit which could result from it-we shall enjoy the rose without

the thorn.

But as example will be more ex

*An Article in the next Number, on the import of the appellation, Young Men.

Here are evidences many and various; and He who made all things for himself, no doubt willed this number and variety, partly, in order that as the minds of men are variously constituted, there might be one argument adapted to impress one order of mind, and another to impress another, preparatory to each of those minds being brought under the full influence of all these evidences combined. Now the question for your consideration is twofold: First, Which of these evidences is most impressive and convincing to your own mind? Second, Supposing you have been able to determine this point, can you assign any reason, or reasons, why it is so? In other words, what do you conceive invests it with that superior power of producing conviction on your mind?

If concise answers to these questions are forwarded to the YOUNG MEN'S SOCIETY'S OFFICE, 20, Red Lion Square, addressed to the Editor of the Magazine (post paid), by the 20th inst., the result will be reported in the next Magazine, in connexion with Exercise the Second. Let me affectionately advise that you do not make this a mere intellectual effort; for your own sakes let it be rather a religious exercise.

(From Nature considered as a Revelation, by resemblance to those we last occupy.

Illustr. Our character is what our most common habits are. Thos. V. is a rich man; has a large connexion; agrees with every one, because he has no stability; and has not the weight of character of some of his own servants.

The Snail teaches that most things leave a mark behind them. Let yours be virtuous: you know where the snail has been by its slime.

Illustr. We never leave a company without having added to its virtue or to its vice. What is the influence that follows? The stench of the pole-cat, or the odour of a rose?

The Tadpole teaches that our ear