Where Did He Get That Law

An aged lawyer of great eminence and talents, who frtm early life had imbibed infidel principies, one day met an eider of the Presbyterian Chnrch, who wüs also a lawyer, and said to him, '■ I wiah, sir, to examine iato the truth of the Christian religión. What books should you advise me to read on the evidenees of Christiauity ?" The eider surprised at the inquiry, replied : li That is a question, sir, whieh you ought to have settled long ago. You ought not to have put off a subject so importaut to this late period of life." " [t is too lata ?" said th'o inquirer ; " I never knew much about it, but I always supposed that Christianity was rejected by tha groat majnrity of learned men. I intend, bowever, now to exnm ine the subject thoroughly mysulf. I uave upon me, as many playsiciatis say, a uiortal disease, undi.r which I have lived a year and a half, or two years, but not Drobably longer. What book, air, would you advise me to read ?" " The Bible," said the eider. " I believe ynu don't understand me," resuined the unbeliever, surpnsed in his turn ; " I wish, sir, to investígate the truth of the Bible." " I would advise you, sir," repeated the eider, "toread the Bible. And I will give you my reasons : Most iufidels are very ignorant of the Scriptures. ííow, to reason on any subject with cor■ectness, we must understand what it is about which we reason. In the nest ilaco, 1 eonsider the internal evideuce of the truth of the sacred Soriptures stronger than the esternal evidence." '■' And where shall I begin ray investi gations ?" 'inquired the uuboliever -lAt the New Testament?" " No," replied the eider, ''begin, at the eginuing - at Genesis." The iufidêl bought a commentary, went home, and sat down to the serious tudy of the Seriptures. He applied all lis st'ong and weli discip' iue:i power.i of nind to the Bible, to try rigidly but im ïartially its truth. As he went'on in his perusal, he reeived occasional calis frota the eider ?he infidel (reely remurked upon what' je had read, and stated objectiona He iked th:s passage - he thought that, ouching and beautiful, but he could not redil a third. One eveninff the eider called, and 'ound the unbeliever walking the room with a dejected look, his miud apparenty absorded in thought. He contiuued, ot noticing that any one liad come in, )usily tc traoe and retraoe his steps, 'he eider at length spoke : " You. seern, sir, to be in a brown tudy. Of what are you thinking ?" " I have been reading," replied the indel, "the moral law." " Well what do you thiuk of it f" sked the eider. " I wiil teil you what I used to think," nswered the infidel. "I supposed that loses was a leader of a horde of bandit; that having a strong mind, he acuired great iurluenee over a aupe rat i.iouspeople; and that on Mount Sinai ie plnyed off sotne sort of fireworks, to ie amazement of his iguorant followers, ho imagined, in their mingled fear and jpr8tition, that this exhibition was su)ernatural.)) " But what do you think now f interosed the eider. " I have been fooking," said the infidel, into the nature of that law. I have een tryiog to aee whether I can add lything to it, or take anything frorn it, o as to make it botter. Sir, I cauuot. t is perfect." " The first commandment," said he, directa us to make the Creator the object of our supreme love and reverence. That is right. If he be our Creator, Preserver, and Sunreme Benefactor, wa 1 ' ought to treat lnm, and none other, as such. The second forhids idolatrv. Tliat eertainly s right. The tbird forbids profanity. The fourth fixes a time for religious worship ; and if thore be a God he ought surely to be worshipped It ín suitable that there should be an outward homage, significant of our inward regard. If God be worshipped it is proper that some time should be set apart for that purpose when all may wi.rship hitn hurinoniouslj and without interruption. One day in seven is certainly not too little. The fifth defines tbe peculiar duties arising Lrom l'amily relations. Injuries to our nuighbors are then olassified by the moral law, They are diivided into otfenoes against life, chastity, property, and character. "And," said he, applying a legal dea with legal aeuteness, "I noticed that the greatest otfence to life is murder; to ohastiiy, adultery; to property, thef't ; to character, perjury. Now, the grairter otlence must include the less of the saine kind. Murder must include every iujury tolife; adultery every injury to pui ity ; and 83 of the rost. And the nioral code is closed and perfeeted by a ciminand forbidding cvüiy imjimper desire in regard to our neighhors." " I have been thinking," he proceeded, "where did Mosea get that law ? The Egyptians and the adjacent nations were idolatora ; so were the Ü-reeka atid Romans ; and the wisest and best Greeks or Romans never gave a code of mor;. In like this, Where did Mosen get this law, which surpasses the wisdom and philosophy of' the roost enlightened ages ? Ho lived at a period comparativelv biirbaroñs, hut he has givon a law in which the wisdom and saaci tv of all snbsequent time can detect no flaw. Whero did heget it ? He onuld not have soared so far above his ngo as t.o have devised it himself. Vthèfe did he obtain it ? It carne down from heavert. I am convinoed of the truth of the religión of the Bibla." The infidel - infidel no longer - remaiued to his death a firm believer in