on the score of speculative science! It therefore appears to me to be of serious moment, and that we are called upon to reflect on that period of which the prophet Daniel so emphatically speaks, as seen in vision. He pronounces that "the judgment was set and the books were opened," &c. concerning which St. John likewise speaks more fully, saying—“ And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and the word of God." He further says " And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened and another book was opened, which is THE BOOK of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works."

May we not conclude, from these words, that sentence will be awarded according to our works? It should also be borne in mind that those awful announcements by St. John were written in the scientific language of the day, on which, in my correspondent's letter, great stress is laid. As

to Daniel, he completely demonstrates the total ignorance of the Chaldeans with respect to the Hebrew language.

Another remark may here be necessary. Over the communion table in most of our Christian churches, we see the ten commandments; frequently with a finger pointing to those ordinances, seemingly to impress their veracity on the minds of the congregation, as well as to inform them whence they issued. Of these commandments, it must be recollected that the second is merely a continuation of the first; and there we find a strict prohibition against erecting any likeness of the heavens. Perhaps it may be said, We do not bow down to our orrery. To this it may be answered, Our faith does, if not our knee. Nay, from hints contained in certain scientific works of the present day, the pleasures arising from speculative science are carried even so far as to create a craving and longing for such pursuits being permitted in the world to come! As an instance of this, I quote the following passages from Mr. Babbage's work, entitled "The Ninth

Bridgewater Treatise." Towards the conclusion of the fourteenth chapter, under the head of Thoughts on the nature of future punishments," we thus read :

"If we imagine the soul, in an after-stage of our existence, to be connected with a bodily organ of hearing so sensitive as to vibrate with motions of the air, even of infinitesimal force, and if it be still within the precincts of its ancient abode, all the accumulated words pronounced from the creation of mankind will fall at once upon that ear. Imagine, in addition, a power of directing the attention of that organ entirely to any one class of those vibrations: then will the apparent confusion vanish at once; and the punished offender may hear still vibrating on his ear the very words uttered, perhaps, thousands of centuries before, which at once caused and registered his own condemnation.

"It seems, then, that either with improved faculties or with increased knowledge we could scarcely look back with any satisfaction on our past lives;-that to the major part of our race

oblivion would be the greatest boon. But if, in a future state, we could turn from the contemplation of our own imperfections, and with increased powers apply our minds to the discovery of nature's laws, and to the invention of new methods by which our faculties might be aided in research, pleasure the most unalloyed would await us at every stage of our progress. Unclogged by the dull corporeal load of matter which tyrannizes even over our most intellectual moments, and chains the ardent spirit to its kindred clay, we should advance in the pursuit, stimulated instead of wearied by our past exertions, and encountering each new difficulty in the inquiry with the accumulated power derived from the experience of the past, and the irresistible energy resulting from the confidence of ultimate success."

One would really suppose, from the tenour of these passages,-the one half of which is devoted to the fancied ecstasies of delight to be enjoyed in the world to come,—were we permitted to apply our minds to the investigation of the

Newtonian hypothesis of the system of Baal, the sun, that even heaven itself would be insipid, if deprived of our researches in speculative science! There would be one advantage in such a speculation, viz. the Spirit of the Master would be there, i. e. Newton!-and the SPIRIT of his MASTER, who made the Works, would be there. But might not that Almighty Master be indignant at the spirit of man bringing face to face with HIM their topsy-turvy system of his works ? Could they expect that he would aid them in reducing Himself to a mere cypher! Mr. Babbage, however, makes a full confession that the truth of our solar system can never be ascertained in this world, in which I agree with him; for energetic measures, he remarks, are requisite to arrive at ultimate success, which is postponed until scientific vigour be given in a future world, where it is greatly to be doubted whether any new inventions and new methods will be permitted which would cast our Creator into the back-ground of his own celestial domains.

As to the soul's possessing the power of