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bers of which it is composed, of some of the leading religious aspects of the time. There is a clever young man, tinged, though still untainted, by the prevailing neologic infidelity; a young lady, his sister, who has just begun to dream of stained glass, carved images, crosses, candlesticks, and mystic Gothic steeples that point upwards, and whose embryo Popery, taken up rather as a matter of taste than feeling, forms the true complementary colour, if we may so speak, tc the incipient infidelity of her brother. Their aunt is represented as an old-fashioned Scottish Episcopalian lady, amiable and simple-hearted, but whose religion consisted mainly in attending, on Sabbaths and the principal holidays, the services of her church, and whose religious adviser is well hit off as an equally old-fashioned clergyman of the same persuasion, who, so far as his light extends, is an honest man, but very considerably moderate in his leanings, and not a little teased and annoyed by the newly-awakened rage for the medieval which he saw prevailing around him. Such are the dramatis persone on the one side. Those on the other are a lady and son, earnest evangelical Christians; and an able and thoroughly excellent clergyman of the same vital school. There is scarce any incident in the work; but much ingenious and interesting dialogue, and many a sound and judicious reflection; and all is represented as coming right in the end. The semi-infidel becomes wholly a believer, influenced not more by the argument than by the disinterested excellence of his friend, and by his devotion to the Christian cause, for which he is described as giving up fair prospects of advancement in life, and welcoming the hardships and perils which encircle the life of the missionary. And the Puseyite lady loses in thoroughly awakened feeling, all her fancies, and discovers that religion is not a coloured window or a symbol, but a great life-influencing reality, that has its home in the heart. As a work of art the story is defective; but from the concluding sentences, we infer that it is not a work of art, but a sketch from nature, and that the mingled tissue of argument and reflection which forms the prevailing tissue of so many of the chapters, has been woven with an eye to the benefit of actual characters, who stood in need of the teaching thus imparted. We need scarce say that the doctrines specially dwelt upon are emphatically Protestant, and that the 'Pole Star of Faith by which the work teaches to steer, and from which it borrows its title, is the guiding star of Divine Revelation."

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HUGH MILLER'S FAVOURITE PRAYER, MADE BY JOHN KNox al THE FIRST ASSEMBLIE OF THE CONGREGATION, WHEN THE CONFESSION OF OUR FAITHE AND WHOLE ORDERS OF THE CHURCH WAS THERE RED AND APPROVED.

"O Lord God Almightie, and Father moste mercifull, there is none lyke thee in heaven nor in earthe, which workest all thinges for the glorie of thy name and for the comfort of thyne elect. Thow dydst once make man ruler over all thy creatures, and placed hym in the garden of all pleasures; but how soone, alas, dyd he in his felicitie forget thy goodness! Thy people Israel, also, in their wealth dyd evermore runne astray, abusinge thy manifold mercies; lyke as all flesh contynually rageth when it hath gotten libertie and external prosperitie. But such is thy wisdome adjoyned to thy mercies, deare Father, that thou sekest all means possible to brynge thy chyldren to the sure sense and lyvely feelinge of thy fatherly favour. And therefore, when prosperitie wyll not serve, then sendest thow adversitie, graciously correctinge all thy chyldren whome thow receyvest into thy howshold. Wherefore we, wretched and miserable synners, render unto thee most humble and hartie thankes, that yt hath pleased thee to call us home to thy folde by thy fatherly correction at this present, whereas in our prosperitie and libertie we dyd neglect thy graces offered unto us. For the which negligence and many other grevous synnes whereof we now accuse ourselves before thee, thow myghtest most justly have gyven us up to reprobate mynds and induration of our hartes, as thow hast done others. But such is thy goodness, O Lord, that thow seemest to forget all our offences, and haste called us of thy good pleasure from all idolatries into this citie most Christainlye refourmed, to professe thy name, and to suffer some crosse amongest thy people for thy truth and gospell's sake; and so to be thy wytnesses with thy prophets and apostles, yea, with thy dearely beloved Sonne Jesus Christ, our head, to whome thow dost begynne here to fashion us lyke, that in his glorie we may also be lyke hym when he shall appear. O Lord God, what are we upon whome thow shuldest shewe this great mercie? O most lovynge Lord, forgyve us our unthankfulness and alle our synnes, for Jesus

Christ's sake. O heavenly Father, increase thy Holy Spirit in us, tc teach our hartes to cry Abba, dear Father! to assure us of our eternal election in Christ; to revele thy wyll more and more towards us; tc confirme us so in thy trewthe, that we may lyve and dye therein; anl that by the power of the same Spirit we may boldely gyve an accompt of our faith to all men with humbleness and mekeness, that whereas they backbyte and slaunder us as evyll doers, they may be ashamed and once stopp their mowthes, seinge our good conversation in Christ Iesu, for whose sake we beseche thee, O Lord God, to guide, governe, and prosper this our enterprise in assemblinge our bretherne to prayse thy holy name. And not only to be here present with us thy chyldren, according to thy promesse, but also mercifullie to assist thy lyke persecuted people, our bretherne, gathered in all other places, that they and we, consentinge together in one spirite and truethe, may (all worldly respectes set a part) seke thy onely honour and glorie in all our and their assemblies. So be it."

THE END.

CATALOGUE

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RUDD & CARLETON,

130 GRAND STREET,

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