Patrick, while he laboured, by preaching, by benevolent deeds, and by miracles, to convert the Irish from Druidism to the Christian faith.

The Son of God at the same time revealed to the faithful missionary, that whoever should enter that cave, and spend within it a day and a night, should thus obtain the absolution of all his sins. A monastery was erected by the saint beside the sacred cave, and the custody of the cave was intrusted to the monks.

Its fame had been almost forgotten, and its virtues slighted, when a certain soldier, repenting of the crimes of his military life, earnestly requested permission to atone for these by the penance of St. Patrick's cave. He was, after some difficulty, at length permitted to enter it, and the gate was again shut upon him. Advancing, he came to a plain, and on that plain perceived a spacious hall. He entered the hall, and for some short space surveyed with wonder the grandeur and beauty of its architecture. But there soon entered to him fifteen grave and reverend men, in the habit of monks. Seating themselves beside him, they praised the resolution with which he had entered the cave; and earnesly warned him, that, in the conflict with devils in which he was about to engage, he must certainly perish soul and body, unless he should retain a firm mind, and should from time to time invoke the name of the Lord Jesus.

Having thus warned and encouraged, they left him. Suddenly he heard around the hall, a yelling tumultuous noise, so loud and terrible, as if all the men upon the earth, and all the brute animals, had lifted up their discordant voices together. No sooner had this noise alarmed his ears, than a vast multitude of hideous demons rushed impetuously into the hall, scoffingly accosting him; and when they could not by terror or persuasion drive him from his purpose of remaining for the destined space of time within the cave, they dragged him away eastward to torment him. They conducted him to another plain, of immense extent, where he saw a vast multitude of men and women of all ages lying prostrate on the ground, and having their bodies transfixed with nails of red-hot iron, by which they were fastened to the earth. These wretched creatures howled bitterly, gnashed their teeth, and bit the ground in anguish. The demons trampled upon them, and tore their flesh with scourges.

They would have subjected the soldier to the same tortures; but he invoked the name of Jesus, and the devils had then for

the moment no power over him. From this scene, however, they forcibly conducted him to another vast plain, equally covered with multitudes of sufferers, but who lay in a supine torture. Fiery dragons hovered over them, and tore their flesh with their bills; fiery serpents twisted their folds round their bodies, and with their fangs stung them to the heart; toads, uncommonly large and horribly hideous, crawled upon their breasts, and laboured to tear out their hearts; demons ran about among them, and scourged them with whips, to embitter and augment their pains.

From this sight, the soldier was conveyed by his demon-conductors to another scene, which exhibited a multitude of sinners in torments, whose number was apparently greater than that of all the inhabitants of the earth together. Of these, some hung by chains of fire embracing their feet, legs, hands, or arms, or even fastening them by the head or hair; others hung upon hooks of red-hot iron, thrust into their ears, nostrils, eyes, jaws, or breasts, and all amid sulphureous flames; while ministering demons still scourged them as they howled.

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The wondering soldier was then hurried onward to where he beheld a vast wheel of red-hot iron, having its spokes covered with hooks, also of iron, equally glowing with heat. On these were a number of wretches, who were at once tortured by the burning hooks, and by a sulphureous flame which arose out of the earth beneath them; while demons still turned it round with a degree of velocity that made it seem one whirling ball of fire; others were transfixed with spits, and roasted before fires, while the demons dropped melted metals upon them; some were burned in furnaces; some boiled in kettles full of liquid pitch and sulphur..

From this scene, the wondering but still resolute soldier was next carried to the summit of an exceedingly high mountain, where he saw a naked multitude of miserable sinners of mankind, exposed, with all the horrors of death upon their minds, to the chilling blasts of the north. Suddenly a furious blast came upon them, and hurried them, with the soldier who gazed upon them, from the mountain into a river of cold and foetid water. When they attempted to arise and escape out of the stream, the demons eagerly pressed them down, and prevented their flight. Only the soldier, invoking the name of Christ, happily reached the bank.

He was then quickly conveyed southward by the attending demons, to where a noisome sulphureous flame was seen to

arise out of a wide and bottomless pit; it bore up in its current the forms of men half burnt, and like so many cinders, yet still alive to the acutest feelings of torture. "This," said the demons," is the mouth of hell, and our place of abode; here must thou for ever abide with us; enter here, and thou shalt perish soul and body for ever. The soldier, unaffrighted, would not yet turn back. The demons entered the burning pit, hurrying him with them. As they descended, its width seemed to be continually enlarged. For some moments here the soldier forgot to call upon the name of Christ. But at the invocation of that holy name, he was immediately borne aloft by the current of the flame. He was then seized by other devils, and carried to a broad and fiery river, over which was a bridge, so slippery, that it was impossible to fix the feet upon it; so narrow, that it was impossible to walk upon it; raised to so awful a height above the flaming stream, that to look down was giddiness and horror. The soldier invoked the name of Jesus, and walked along the bridge with ease and safety.

His trials were now ended, and the baffled demons fled from his presence. Thus delivered from their temptations, he now looked, and beheld a lofty wall reaching even to heaven, of the most admirable architecture, and materials the most precious. In the wall was one gate, radiant with precious stones, but shut. As he approached, the fragrance of waters issuing out_from it, refreshed his weary and exhausted spirits, so as to restore to him the same vivid energy of mind and body, as if he had not been exposed to such terrible trials. The gate was then opened, and there proceeded out of it, in solemn procession, a great company of holy persons, archbishops, bishops, abbots, monks, and priests, and many others of both sexes, bearing in their hands crowns of flowers, and branches with golden fruitage, arrayed also every one in the garments proper for his character. These, with joyful gratulations, received the soldier, and conducted him within the gate. As they led him in, they sang with ravishing harmony a song of praise and thanksgiving to God, who had given him constancy of mind to meet, without shrinking, the torments and temptations to which he had been exposed.

The soldier was then conducted by two - archbishops, to behold the beauties of that heavenly place. The meadows were enchantingly beautiful. Grass, and flowers, and fruit, and trees, of all sorts, overspread the ground in the greatest profusion.

| There night never comes. Multitudes of persons of both sexes, and of all ages, there continually sing in choirs the praises of their Maker and their God. Some wore crowns as kings, some wore garments embroidered richly with gold, some wore. robes of divers colours. They all rejoiced, each in his own felicity, and in the salvation and felicity one of another. They all blessed the soldier, and testified their joy at his fortitude and at his escape. There the torrid heat of summer, or the chilling cold of winter, was never felt. They told him that this place was the terrestrial paradise; that here were those first received who passed through the purifying pains and fires of purgatory; and that all whom he had seen afflicted by demons should reach this happy place, except those only who had entered within the mouth of the bottomless pit.

His venerable guides then conducted him up the side of a mountain; from the summit of which they shewed him the gate of the celestial paradise, which he beheld with transported wonder and admiration. After some exhortations to a pious life, they then dismissed him; and he returned unannoyed by the demons to the hall in which they had first assailed him. He proceeded then to the gate of the cave, which was opened to him by the monks. His subsequent life was pious, and his end happy.

Worcester, Sept. 14, 1827.

MR. WILLIAM Fox was born in the village of Clapton, Gloucestershire, in the year 1736, and was the youngest of eight children. His father dying when he was only two years old, the care of this large family devolved upon his amiable and pious mother, who at this time rented the manor estate, and her eldest and youngest sons were employed about the farm. From these circumstances, the opportunities of Mr. Fox to acquire useful learning were very slender. This he saw and lamented, even in his childhood, and when occasionally favoured with some schooling, he endeavoured to supply the deficiency by unwearied application, and by devoting to his books the time which his school-fellows spent in play.

His master, pleased with his diligence and improvement, after some time recommended him as an apprentice to his brother, who lived at Abington. This he gladly embraced, but being no more than ten years of age, he found the work too laborious for his strength and constitution, and after a trial of six months returned to his mother.

The farm again, and the same scanty portion of learning, occupied his attention, until he was about sixteen, when one of his brothers accidentally seeing some verses which he had written, insisted upon his being removed to a more advantageous situation, for the improvement of his talents. This brother, being at this time settled in York, placed him with a draper and mercer of that city. Here he conducted himself with so much propriety, that he was soon placed at the head of the concern; and about two years before his apprenticeship expired, his master relinquished business, and placed in his hands the house and shop, together with a stock amounting in value to between three and four thousand pounds. Nothing can speak more favourably in behalf of Mr. Fox's character than this circumstance, especially as the master was rather of penurious habits, and made no scruple of serving his customers on the sabbath-day, while Mr. Fox was liberal, and strictly regarded the commands of God. The former indeed told the latter, that if he did not serve on Sundays, he would lose his business but this only produced a reply, that he should pursue a very different plan; and he soon found that the event answered his calculations in a remarkable manner. Instead of losing his customers, his trade increased, so that in a few years he was enabled to pay to his old master the whole amount.

Prior to the expiration of Mr. Fox's apprenticeship, there was but one serious book (excepting the Bible) in his master's possession, and this, under the divine blessing, proved the means of his conversion. For some time he attended the ministry of Dr. Haweis, but being a dissenter from principle, and favouring the Baptist persuasion, he found his situation in this respect rather uncomfortable in Oxford, and sighed in secret for means of grace that were congenial with his own views.

His business increasing, and finding himself adequate to the support ofma family, he began to think seriously of altering his condition in life. As a preliminary step, however, he had resolved to keep these three points in view :1. Not to marry until he was satisfied he could support a wife in a creditable manner; 2. not to marry one that was not decidedly pious;

and 3. not to marry any one against the consent of her parents. Of these three points, the first rested with himself, and the other two he found in a Miss Tabor, the daughter of a respectable merchant in Essex. This lady was blessed witho every qualification that could render his union with her comfortable, and their marriage was crowned with every domestic felicity.

Not long after his marriage, as Mr. Fox still continued to feel a want of spiritual instruction, Mr. Hinton not having yet settled in York, he revolved in his mind the propriety of quitting this city, and of repairing to London; and after the lapse of seven years from his union with Miss Tabor, he put this resolution in practice. Arriving in the metropolis, he at first met with some discouragement. His business did not answer his expectation, and he was seized with a violent fever, which his friends. apprehended would terminate in his death; but when other resources failed, prayer being made to God in his behalf, his life was spared. He afterwards entered into the wholesale business, and at length into the mercantile department, and prosperity crowned all his efforts.

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Having now the happiness of sitting under the ministry of the Rev. Mr. Booth, whose friendship he enjoyed, he was chosen a deacon of the church in Prescotstreet; and being blessed with affluence, he turned his attention to the distresses of others. Among his various acts of benevolence, he clothed all the poor of his native village, men, women, and children, and established a daily school for all who were willing to attend it.