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head of the pure river of life, whose waters, clear as crystal, flow in Heaven's Paradise.

The mount of duty up which the Christian must ascend is of tertiary formation. The primary rock is the Love of Christ; and that which lies directly on it, is Faith in His precious sacrifice. Then rise all the duties and graces which Scripture enjoins; "add to faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness, charity." Love is the base, and love is the crowning peak; even as the primary granite, the foundation of God's mountain pyramids, is likewise the rock that forms the highest peaks, that overtops all the other layers, and points its naked summits towards the sky. Let the mountain clamberer's first step, therefore, be, to believe in the love of the Son of God; and as he clambers from ridge to ridge, as he surmounts duty after duty, still let his eye be on the highest point, the preserving love of Jesus. And when the last step is taken, when the highest summit is reached, the Everlasting Arms, which have continually preserved him, shall bear him from the Pisgah of earth to the Canaan of heaven. Transforming grace shall then become transforming glory, and for progress from strength to strength, shall be substituted change from glory to glory.

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We have reason to believe that they who highest climb earth's mount of duty, shall throughout eternity ascend higher heaven's mount of glory.

Arise, then, Christian! time is short, and the ascent is long. Gird thyself, and thou shalt attain. Onward the path hath been trodden by thy Saviour. Upward! Jesus standeth at the right hand of God. With one hand He helpeth thee throughout the struggle, in the other He holdeth the purchased crown, with which He will reward thy toil.

In this simple tale of mountain-clamberers several true incidents are mingled. May God condescend to bless it all, for the furtherance of His honour, by permitting it to promote the good of His people, rousing some that rest in the valley, and quickening others, who linger in the ascent. Especially, may it lead the young to plant their footsteps on the mount of God -to strive in the days of youth-to clamber high— to "covet earnestly the best of gifts,"-and to "press toward the mark for the prize of their high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

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