refers to the seven lamps on one candlestick, in the furniture of the tabernacle. These seven sacraments are the seven lamps that illuminate the Church. The Jesuit would have rendered his argument irresistible, had he but added, there were seven evil spirits that entered the house that was swept and garnished. These seven sacraments are the seven spirits whose united power and wisdom animate the ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. The COUNCIL of TRENT rested the proof of these sacraments mainly on tradition, and a supposed hidden and mystical meaning, in the number seven. And, in truth, there sometimes is a mystic meaning in that number; as for instance, when the seer of Patmos saw seven hills propping up the throne of the apocalyptic harlot. Protestants most willingly yield up to the Roman Catholic Church the entire merit of discerning these sacraments, as they also yield up to her the entire benefit flowing therefrom. The first two, baptism and penance, confer grace, the rest increase it. The first, therefore, are sometimes called the sacraments of the dead; the others, the sacraments of the living.-Rev. J. A. Wylie.

THE MARTYRED BLIND BOY.

In the reign of "Bloody Mary," of England, when the good Bishop Hooper was about to be burned to death, a blind boy, by much importunity, prevailed on the guard to bring him to the bishop. This boy had lately suffered imprisonment in Gloucester for confessing the truth. After the bishop had examined him concerning his faith and the cause of his imprisonment, he looked on him steadfastly, tears standing in his eyes, and said, "Ah, poor boy, God hath taken from thee thy outward sight, for what reason he best knoweth ; but he hath endued thy soul with the eye of knowledge and faith. God give thee grace continually to pray unto him, that thou lose not that sight, for thou shouldst then be blind both in body and soul."

The boy's name was Thomas Dowry. How often or how long he had endured imprisonment for the truth's sake is not known; but on his final examination he was brought before Dr. Williams, Chancellor of Gloucester, sitting judi

cial with the register of the diocese in the consistory, near the south door of the cathedral church, who administered the usual articles, chicfly urging that on transubstantiation, and saying:

"Dost thou not believe that after the words of consecration, spoken by the priest, there remaineth the very real body of Christ in the sacrament of the altar?”

"No," answered the blind boy; "that I do not."

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Then," said the chancellor, "thou art an heretic, and shalt be burned. But who taught you this heresy ?"

"You, Master Chancellor." "Where, I pray thee?"

"Even in yonder place," replied the boy, turning and pointing with his hand towards where the pulpit stood.

The chancellor again inquired, "When did I teach thee so?" Dowry answered, "When you preached there (naming a day) a sermon to all men as well as to me, upon the sacrament. You said the sacrament was to be received spiritually, by faith, and not carnally and really, as the Papists have heretofore taught."

The shameless apostate answered :

"Then do as I have done, and thou shalt live, as I do, and escape burning."

The blind boy said :

"Though you can so easily dispense with yourself, and mock God, the world, and your conscience, yot will I not do so."

"Then God have mercy upon thee," rejoined the chancellor ; "for I will read the condemnation sentence against

thee."

"God's will be fulfilled!" answered the young martyr. Hereupon the register, being moved with the scene, stood up, and said to the chancellor :

Fie, for shame, man! will you read the sentence against him, and condemn yourself? Away, away, and substitute some other to give sentence and judgment."

"No, register," said the fearfully hardened man; "I will obey the law, and give sentence myself according to mine office."

He did so; delivered him to the secular power, who on the very same day led the blind boy to the place of execution at Gloucester, together with one Thomas Croker, a poor bricklayer, condemned also for the like testimony of the truth; when both, in one fire, most constantly and joyfully yielded their souls into the hands of the Lord Jesus.-English Martyrology.

WHIPPED FOR READING THE BIBLE..

England was once subject to the Pope, and the common people were forbidden to read the Bible. The English nation became Protestants; and as it is one of the firm principles of Protestantism to allow all people to read the Bible which God has given us, the king ordered an edition of the Scriptures to be published in the English language. This was in 1538.

It was wonderful to see with what joy this book of God was received, not only among the more learned, but all England over, and with what greediness it was read, and how people came together to hear it. All that could bought the book, or busily read it, or got others to read it for them. Many elderly people learned to read on purpose; and even little boys and girls flocked, among the rest, to hear it read.

Sometimes they suffered severely for it, as poor William Maldon did, whose parents had not learned to love the Word of God. When the king allowed the Bible, immediately several poor men in the town of Chelmsford, where William's father lived, bought the New Testament, and on Sabbaths sat reading it in the lower end of the church. Many would flock around them to hear them read; and he, among the rest, being then about fifteen years old, came every Sabbath to hear the sweet and glad tidings of the Gospel. But his father observing it, angrily fetched him away, and would have him say his Latin prayers to him, which grieved him much. And as he went at other times to hear the Scriptures read, his father would still fetch him away. This made him think to learn to read English, that so he might read the New Testament himself; which when

he had by diligence done, he and his father's apprentice bought the the New Testament, joining their stocks together; and to conceal it, they hid it under the straw bed, and read it at convenient times.

One night when his father had gone to bed, William and his mother sat up and talked about the crucifix, or representation of the cross, that the priests sometimes carried round to the sick, and about kneeling down to it, and holding up the hands to it when it was carried by in a procession. This he told his mother was plain idolatry, and against the commandment of God, which says, "Thou shalt not make any graven image, nor bow down to it, nor worship it." His mother, very angry with him, cried out, "What, wilt thou not worship the cross, which was about thee when thou wast christened, and must be laid on thee when thou art dead!" at which they separated and went to their beds.

This talk the wife repeated to her ignorant and bigoted husband. Boiling with fury against his son for denying worship to the crucifix, he rose up, and going to his son's chamber, took him by the hair of his head, and whipped him unmercifully. And when the lad bore this beating, as he afterwards said, with a kind of joy, because he considered it for Christ's sake, and shed not a tear, his father seeing that was more enraged, and ran down and fetched a halter and put it about his neck, saying he would hang him. At length, with much entreaty from the mother and brother, he left him almost dead. But nothing frightened William. He grew up a steady friend to the Bible, and all his life did everything he could to spread abroad its precious and saving truths.-Ibid.

BRITISH ENTERPRISE IN THE 19TH CENTURY.

British railways spread like a net-work over Great Britain and Ireland, to the extent of 8,054 miles completed— thus, in length, they exceeded the ten chief rivers of Europe united, and more than enough of single rails are laid to make a belt of iron around the globe. The cost of these lines has been 286,000,000l., equal to one-third of the

amount of the national debt. Railway works have penetrated the earth with tunnels to the extent of more than 50 miles. There are eleven miles of viaduct in the vicinity of the metropolis alone-the earthworks measure 550 millions of cubic yards. St. Paul's, in comparison with the mountain this earth would rear, would be but as a pigmy beside a giant, for it would form a pyramid a mile and a half in height, with a base larger than St. James's Park.-R. Stephenson.

ATTACK BY JACKALS.

The following extraordinary instances of what jackals will do when pushed by hunger we have received from a party whom we can rely upon for their truth :-" While in the refreshment-room at Raneegunge on the 10th instant, along with five or six friends, at about nine o'clock in the evening, a jackal came and laid hold of one of our party's legs, passing under the table, and walked out of the room as if quite accustomed to it. At about ten o'clock the same night one of Mr. Rose's bearers was laid hold of, but fortunately escaped with his blanket split in two. At about three in the morning a Coolie employed on the rail was laid hold of by his cloth while asleep; finding something pulling, he awoke, having just time to save his cloth, when a jackal seized him by the eyebrow and there hung. The Coolie, endeavouring to shake him off to no purpose, caught him by the throat, and thus held him until the brute was cut through with a sword by a chowkeedar. The wound on the eye was frightful; he was sent up to the surgeon at the camp, where our friend went also, and had two pieces cut out of his leg the size of rupees. Thus you will see that the residents have more to fear than the Santhals."-India Paper.

SPIRITUAL INFLUENCE.

The rain is not more necessary to raise the seed, the sun is not more necessary to bring it to maturity, than is the work of the Holy Spirit in the conversion of men. But it is one thing to believe that there is an agency of the Spirit,