be of practical advantage. Stand, then, in the way, and see, and ask,—and you shall find rest. It is not attempted to conceal the difficulties in religion, the doctrines which involve mystery, and which must be viewed rather as subjects of faith than of intelligence. "Great is the mystery of godliness." "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." There is, however, a Teacher mercifully engaged to instruct in all truth necessary for us to know, and promised to those who ask him: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.' With such a promise the professed Christian must earnestly implore gracious teaching, before he complain of mysteries and perplexities; and with such a promise, it is worth the pains of the sceptic once more-has he ever done so ?—once more to examine the evidences of Christianity, if haply they may be conclusive in its favour, and, if the gospel should appear credible, to receive the instruction which it gives, the saying which it utters, as faithful, and worthy of all acceptation. Each reader of this little address is, in conclusion, reminded, that a voice is to be heard at every stage of the old paths, full of benignant authority, of awful sweetness: “ Incline your ear, and come unto me; hear, and your souls shall live." "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." Those who may feel disposed to aid the Society in continuing and extending the gratuitous circulation of these Tracts, are respectfully solicited to give their Subscriptions or Donations to the distributors of the Tracts, or to send them to the Secretary at the Office, 27, Red Lion Square, London: THE ENGLISH MONTHLY TRACT SOCIETY, J. & W. Rider, Printers, Bartholomew Close, London. THE DEATH OF HUME. THE account of the closing part of Hume's life has long been very well known to the public; but we are inclined to print it once more, as exhibiting what would probably be admitted, and even cited by infidels, as an example of the noblest and most magnanimous deportment in the prospect of death that it is possible for any of their class to maintain : an example indeed which very few of them ever, in their serious moments, dare promise themselves to equal, though they may deem it in the highest degree enviable. It may be taken as quite their apostolic specimen, standing parallel in their history to the instance of St. Paul in the records of the Christians, "I have fought a good fight," &c. Hume had visited Bath, but was returning to Scotland under an increase of his fatal malady. At this period, however, Mr. "His cheerfulness never forsook him. He wrote letters to his literary friends, informing them of his intention to be at Edinburgh on a certain day, and inviting them to dine with him on the day following. It was a kind of farewell dinner, and among those who came to partake of the hospitality of the dying historian, were Lord Elibank, Dr. Smith, Dr. Blair, Dr. Black, Professor Ferguson, and John Home. "At his return to Edinburgh, Mr. Hume, though extremely debilitated by disease, went abroad at times in a sedan chair, and called on his friends; but his ghastly looks indicated the rapid approach of death. He diverted himself with correcting his works for a new edition, with reading books of amusement, with the conversation of his friends, and sometimes in the evening with a party at his favourite game of whist. His facetiousness led him to indulge occasionally in the bagatelle. Among other verbal legacies, in making which he amused himself, the following whimsical one has been related. The author of Douglas is said to have had a mortal aversion to port wine, and to have had frequent disputes with the historian about the manner of spelling his name. Both these circumstances were often the subjects of Mr. Hume's raillery; and he verbally bequeathed to the poet a quantity of port wine, on condition that he should always drink a bottle at a sitting, and give a receipt for it under the signature of John Hume. "Dr. Smith has recorded an instance of Mr. Hume's sportive disposition; and it also shows the placidity of his mind, notwithstanding the prospect of speedy dissolution. Colonel Edmonstone caine to take leave of him; and on his way home, he could not forbear writing Hume a letter, bidding him once more an eternal adieu, and applying t› him the French verses in which the Abbé Chaulieu, in expectation of his own death, laments his approaching separation from his friend the Marquis de la Fare. Dr. Smith happened to enter the room while Mr. Hume was reading the letter; and in the course of the conversation it gave rise to, Mr. Hume expressed the satisfaction he had in leaving his friends, and his brother's family in particular, in prosperous circumstances. This, he said, he felt so sensibly, that when he was reading, a few days before, Lucian's Dialogues of the Dead, he could not, among all the excuses which are alleged to Charon for not entering readily into his boat, find one that fitted him. He had no house to finish ; he had no daughter to provide for; he had no enemies upon whom he wished to revenge himself. 'I could not well imagine,' said he, what excuse I could make to Charon, in order to obtain a little delay. I have done every thing of consequence which I ever meant to do; I could at no time expect to leave my relations and friends in a better situation than that in which I am now likely to leave them; I therefore have all reason to die contented. He then diverted himself," continues Dr. Smith, "with inventing several jocular excuses, which he supposed he |