the horrible idea of Purgatory.-The End of Controversy Controverted.

GOPKINS, MARK, an American educator and

philosopher; born at Stockbridge, Mass., February 4, 1802; died at Williamstown, Mass., June 17, 1887. He was educated at Williams College, graduating in 1824; was tutor there for two years, then studied medicine, and began practice in New York. In 1830 he was appointed Professor of Moral Philosophy and Rhetoric at Williams, and in 1836 President of the college. He resigned the presidency in 1872, but continued to teach mental and moral philosophy in the college until his death. He was a prominent educator of his time, and drew students from all parts of the country. In 1846 he published Evidences of Christianity, a course of the Lowell Lectures, delivered the preceding year. He also published a volume of Miscellaneous Essays and Discourses (1847); Lectures on Moral Science (1862); Baccalaureate Sermons and Occasional Discourses (1863); The Law of Love, and Love as a Law, and The Outline Study of Man (1873); Strength and Beauty (1874); The Scriptural Idea of Man (1883); and Teachings and Counsels (1884).

THE BIBLE COINCIDENT WITH NATURE.

The Bible is coincident with Nature, as now known, in its teachings respecting the natural attributes of God. The New Testament seldom dwells upon the natural attributes of God; but when it does to any extent, as in the ascription of Paul, "To the King, eternal, immortal,

invisible, the only wise God," it plainly recognizes and adopts the doctrines of the Old, and they may, therefore, for this purpose, be fairly taken together. Let us go back, then, to those ancient prophets. If we exclude this idea of revelation, nothing can be more surprising than the ideas of God expressed by them. These ideas, of themselves, are sufficient to give the stamp of divinity to their writings. Even now, when Science has brought her report from the depths of infinite space, and told us of the suns and systems that glow and circle there, how can we better express our emotions than to adopt the language of Isaiah, and say, "Lift up your eyes on high and behold who hath created these things. He calleth them all by names by the greatness of His might; for that He is strong in power, not one faileth." And when Science has turned her glance in another direction, and discovered in the teeming drop wonders scarcely less than those in the heavens; when she has analyzed matter; when she has disentangled the rays of light, and shown the colors of which its white web is woven; when the amazing structure of vegetable and animal bodies is laid open; what can we say of Him who worketh all this, but that He is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working!" "There is no searching of His understanding."

And when, again, we can look back over near three thousand years more, in which the earth has rolled on in its appointed way, and the mighty energies by which all things are moved have been sustained, what can we do but to ask, "Hast thou not known, hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary?" With them we find no tendency, as among the ancient philosophers, to ascribe eternity to matter.

Now that men undistinguished from others around them by learning in an age of prevalent polytheism and idolatry, and of great ignorance of physical science, should adopt such doctrines respecting the natural attributes of God, as to require no modification when science has been revolutionized and expanded as it were into a new universe, does seem to me no slight evidence that they were inspired

by that God whose attributes they set forth.- Evidences of Christianity.

OPKINSON, FRANCIS, an American jurist and

humorist, and one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence; born at Philadelphia, September 21, 1737; died there, May 9, 1791. He was graduated from the College of Pennsylvania, studied law, and after a stay of two years in England, took up his residence at Bordentown, N. J. In 1776 he was sent to the American Congress as one of the representatives from New Jersey. In 1779 he was appointed a Judge of Admiralty of Pennsylvania, holding the office until the formation of the Federal Government of the United States in 1789, when he was appointed by Washington District Judge for Pennsylvania. His political writings were very effective during the War of the Revolution. Among them is The Battle of the Kegs, a humorous ballad, and The New Roof, a song for Federal mechanics. A collection of his Miscellaneous Essays and Occasional Writings, in three volumes, appeared in 1792. Many of his satirical and humorous writings have been frequently reprinted.

"The rebel dales, the rebel vales,

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With rebel trees surrounded;

The distant wood, the hills and floods,
With rebel echoes sounded.

The fish below swam to and fro,

Attack'd from every quarter;

Why sure, thought they, the de'il's to pay
'Mongst folks above the water.

"The kegs, 'tis said, tho' strongly made
Of rebel staves and hoops, sir,
Could not oppose their powerful foes,
The conq'ering British troops, sir.

"From morn to night these men of might
Display'd amazing courage;

And when the sun was fairly down,
Retir'd to sup their porridge."

-The Battle of the Kegs.

A CASE LEGALLY ADJUDGED.

This was an action on the statute called "The Statute of Nails," which prohibits all subjects within the realm from cutting or paring their nails on a Friday, under the penalty of twenty shillings for every offence, to be recovered by the overseers of the poor of the county in which the offence should be committed. The overseers of the poor for the county brought their action, under the statute, against the defendant. And it was in proof that the defendant had paired his thumb-nails and his great-toe-nails on Friday, to wit, the -day of ——, at twelve o'clock in the night of the same day.

Counsel for the defendant demurred to the facts, observing that, as this was a penal law, it ought to be strictly construed; and thereupon took three points of defence, viz: first, it was urged that night is not day, and the statute expressly says Fri-day, and not Fri-night; and proof is that the cutting was at night. Secondly, it was contended that twelve o'clock on Friday night is, in fact, the beginning of Saturday morning, and therefore not within the statute. And, thirdly, that the words of the statute are "Ungues Digitorum "- Anglice," the nails of the fingers," and the testimony only affects thumbs and great-toes.

دو

The jury gave in a special verdict; whereupon, after long advisement, the judges were of unanimous opinion,