played on the stage of Europe in very recent years. The hungry northern bear has had his giant paws almost on the prize along the Hellespont he has coveted so long. The British lion, somewhat discomfited, showed signs of war, but was appeased for the time, by a liberal share of the incidental spoils. While the master spirit of the continent looked on, from the safe distance of the German court, marking out the map of Europe as he intended it should be. Never were planned more daring schemes, and never was ambition more ambitious. But all history proves that ambition has its limits and its checks. And that there is a Power above the world that is more than any power in the world, ought to be sufficiently apparent, in the fact that the abortive schemes of designing men are somehow turned to good account, in the progress of the human race. "All new languages," says Bunsen, quoted by Dr. Hedge, "have arisen from the breaking up of some great political bond which imposed one speech on its constituents."

Lesson of the ages.

The breaking up of the Latin empire gave birth to no less than five of the languages, that are spoken in Southern Europe now.

And this is only one of the many facts to be considered in the contemplation of this subject. The youth who would accomplish anything must

not remain in leading-strings, but strike out for himself. The same is true of nations as

of individuals. The nations that spread Conclusion. out into all the earth, after the great dispersion, accomplished more in the way of discovery and invention, of enterprise and progress, than would have been possible had they remained grouped together, in any single section of the world. When Cæsar sat upon the throne, Rome was accounted mistress of the world. Discord and confusion entered in and her imperial dignity was sacrificed. But all Europe since, is peopled with nations that vie with one another, in industry and enterprise such as Rome never knew; and so the defeated schemes, of here and there a single man, promote the happiness and progress of the human

race.

XI.

ANTIQUITY OF MAN.

"What is man? .

Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of
Thy hand.

Thou hast put all things under his feet."

-The Psalmist.

"Chronologists are agreed that about 2,000 years B.C. Abraham migrated from Mesopotamia to Canaan, and, that at this time, Egypt at least was old in civilization. Beyond this, we have no positive scale of time.”—PATTISON.

66 Tongues, that syllable man's name, On sands and shores, and desert wilderness."

-MILTON.