WE cannot allow the great railway calamity of Abergele to pass away without some special notice. Such of our readers as seldom stir further from their home to chapel and back again, may think little of railway calamities, although they are in their frequent recurrence, and dreadful in their results. We have travelled many thousands of miles in these steam-dragged bundle boxes; and although, hitherto, most wonderfully preserved, still we are never happy in these excursions, and if necessity was not laid upon us, we should thankfully prefer a quieter life; but "Aaron held his peace," and in silent sorrow we sometimes will try to say

Nouriso8” „586 "Father! thy will be done,

Whate'er that will may be."

It is not our intention to write any lengthened details of the frightful calamity to which we have already referred Our desire is simply to give a few sentences from one or two sources, which may be interesting to our readers; and none of us can tell how soon we may be called to the same affliction, although our prayer to the Lord is to preserve us, and all his servants, who through the land are flying to publish the glad news of salvation by the grace of a Triune Jehovah-Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

We know it is not in the power of man to prepare himself for the great change, still, there was a meaning and use, in the words of the great Master, "Be ye also ready, for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man cometh."

Mr. Edward Nangle, the great Irish missionary, says, it seldom falls to our lot to chronicle such an awful catastrophe as has occurred close to the peaceful watering village of Abergele, North Wales. It was an accident unparalleled in the annals of railway calamities in the United Kingdom. The uncertainty of life has never received a more signal and solemn illustration than in this melancholy instance. Thursday, the 20th of August, was as lovely a day as it is possible to conceive. The bright sun shone above in the blue sky, the peaceful sea was spread out as a mirror, studded with the white sails of many a vessel all along the Welsh coast, and the Irish Limited Mail train was speeding along at the rate of forty miles an hour, bearing its light-hearted passengers onward. They were a distinguished company of titled nobility and gentry some returning home to the bosom of their loved families, others going to visit the lovely lakes of Killarney-all filled with bright anticipations of future joy and happiness-when, suddenly in a moment, at a steep incline, and in rounding a sharpe curve, a collision took place, with some loose trucks on the line; the barrels of petroleum which they carried were instantly smashed, and the highly inflammable oil set on fire;

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the volumes of dense black smoke and deadly gases filled the three foremost carriages, and immediately suffocated the ill-fated occupants. There was no cry nor shriek for assistance, no scream of frightened women and children, no struggles of able-bodied men. In an instant all the lighthearted conversation was hushed in the stillness and silence of death, and the devouring element, with its fiery tongues, proceeded rapidly with its work of consumption. As they sat in their carriages, the poor victims were stifled by the deadly vapour, and thus presented no resistance or attempt to escape from the flames which rapidly followed.

Their charred, and blackened, and mutilated remains presented a hideous spectacle of mangled and undistinguishable mortality, It was indescribably awful! No words can adequately paint the scene. To be realized it must have been witnessed.

This calamity is truly no ordinary one, whether we have regard to the magnitude of the disaster, the suddenness and completeness of the catastrophe, or the social position of many of the unhappy victims. Lord and Lady Farnham, Judge Berwick and his sister, Sir Nicholas and Lady Chinnery, and Captain Edwardes were among those who perished. The Duchess of Abercorn and the Marquis of Hamilton were in the train, but being in a carriage farther from the engine, happily escaped without injury.

Few, if any, who witnessed the Churchyard of Abergele on Tuesday, the 28th of August, at 10 o'clock, a.m., can ever forget the solemn scene, as thirty-three black coffins were carried one after the other, in solemn procession, and laid side-by-side in a common grave; numbered, not named, for the names of those whose remains were within could not be identified. The utmost efforts of medical skill or devoted affection were baffled here. In the one huge grave, therefore, all that remains of the noble and the commoner, the strong man and the gentle woman, the hoary head and the infant of days, peacefully sleeps together till the morning of the resurrection. No heart was unmoved, no eye was dry at the sad sight, as the crowd of mourners, led by the present Lord Farnham-better known as the Hon. Somerset Maxwell-crowded around that grave, and let fall the bitter tear for the dead.

Surely this solemn event is God's voice to the thoughtless and frivolous. In His hand our breath is, and his are all our ways. How seldom do we realize this in our going out and coming in! And yet, we know not what shall be on the morrow, for what is our life? It is even as a vapour which appeareth for a little while, and then vanisheth away. What a call is this to readiness and preparation for eternity! Only in Christ is there safety. And what an unspeakable comfort it is for the survivors of those who had sought the Lord to know that their dear ones were ready, and that to them sudden death was sudden glory. And we rejoice to know that such was the case with many of those who perished.

We can but pray that God may bless this solemn event to the awakening and salvation of souls, and that he would pour down his choicest consolations on the bereaved, and lead them for comfort to Him who can be touched-can sympathize (Greek)-with his people in their deepest trials. "In all their afflictions he was afflicted: and the angel of His presence saved them. In His love and in His pity He redeemed them, and he bare them and carried them all the days of old."

Huntington on Executorship.

THERE have been some warm debates lately among the wise and the learned, which is the greatest enthusiast, Mr. Brothers, for styling himself God Almighty's nephew, or William Huntington, for making Christ his executor; and many shillings have been expended to hear this great point discussed. Now that my reader may be at no more expense upon this most important matter, I will endeavour to show my opinion, and set him down contented at once with the truth of God on his side.

First, then, let it be observed that there are two distinct natures in Christ, divine and human; "I am the root and offspring of David," saith the Lord. Now the Godhead of Christ was the root that gave David his existence, his life, and being; as a man and as a saint; the humanity of Christ was David's offspring; for want of knowing this mystery the Jews could not answer the Saviour's question, "What think ye of Christ, whose son is he?" They answer, "The son of David ;" He replies, "Why then doth David call him Lord, and if David in the spirit call him Lord, how is he is son ?"

Thus as God he is David's root and David's Lord, but as man, or respecting his humanity, He is David's seed, David's son, or offspring, and thus He is Emmanuel, God with us, or God in human nature, by incarnation. Now as the Spirit makes a difference between the two natures of Christ in one person, calling the human nature man, the Son of man flesh, seed of David, child born, David's offspring, &c., in this sense, doubtless, Christ had many relations; and in covenant relationship, also, any one that hears his word, and keeps it, is, saith the Saviour, my mother, my sister, and my brother; yet as God Almighty, (which glorious name can be applicable to nothing but to the Godhead, and as God is one and there is no more) and as infinite divinity can have no brother, we may safely conclude that the Omnipotent Jehovah, or the Almighty God hath no nephews.

This

Now to the other momentous point in hand. Christ as man and mediator, is appointed heir of all things; and all power in heaven and earth is given unto Him, and it is clear that He is an executor in a twofold sense. 1st, a covenant of peace was between them both. is called the will of God in Jesus Christ, concerning us; this covenant was to be confirmed and ratified by Sacrifice. "Sin-offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me; then said I, Lo, I come, to do Thy will, O God." And at the death of Christ the will of God was confirmed, and turned into a testament. "This is the cup of the New Testament in my blood," for where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator, says Paul. Whatever God gave us, He gave it us in Christ Jesus, and when Christ died, He being the testator, after His death the Testament was of force; and when Christ rose from the dead, the executor of that Testament (He died for sin, but rose again for our justification (Rom. iv. 25,) to see the legacies distributed to all heirs of promise. And what are the legacies? why life, peace, the Holy Spirit, grace and glory, and these he gives, "I give my sheep eternal life,' 27 66 My peace I give unto you," ," "I will send you a comforter,

to us.

The Lord will give grace, and

that he may abide with you for ever." He will give glory, and thus He will fulfil, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom," &c. And thus the blessed executor sees all the heirs of promise in possession of the promised legacies and inheritance. But then it may be objected, this is God's good will in Christ And now since the death of Christ, this covenant of grace is the New Testament in his blood, and hands, who will, as judge of quick and dead, open the book of life, and introduce every heir of promise to the happy enjoyment of God's blessing, and of God's kingdom in the great day. But what has this to do with man's will and testament? how can man appoint Christ to execute his will? I answer, who was Abraham's executor? he gave gifts to his sons by Keturah, and sent them away; but he left his blessing and all that he had to Isaac. This was Abraham's will and his gift, but who executed it? I answer the Saviour did, “Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold, and the Lord blessed him," the Lord was the whole and sole executor of Abraham's will. Isaac also makes his will in favour of Jacob, and appoints the Lord to execute it, "And he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine." And thus he says to Esau; "Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants, and with corn and wine have I sustained him." But who is to execute this, seeing that Jacob was driven from home with nothing but a staff? Why, we are informed that the Lord blessed him in Bethel, and sent him home no less than two lands. But who was this Lord? I answer, the Saviour Jesus Christ; and the faithfulness of his executor Jacob acknowledges on his death-bed; "And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, the angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads, and let my name be named on them, and the names of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac." Jacob blesses his twelve sons, tells them what shall befall them all in the latter days, he promises the sceptre to Judah, and gives Joseph a portion of land above all his brethren, which he was not to inherit till four hundred and fifty years after, and leaves no executor to his will but the Lord, who is ever faithful to them that trust in him, so that I have been the only enthusiast in this business of executorshp; all the antediluvian saints and patriarchs have set me the example. It is true, the fool in the parable did not act this enthusiastical part; he had goods laid up for many years, and intended to take his ease, to eat, drink, and be merry. At the end of the term of many years, no doubt, he intended to make his will, but that night his soul was required; and though the Lord was not consulted about the lease of his life, not intrusted with his personal effects, yet he interferes in the business and therefore asks "Whose shall these things be which thou hast provided?" No doubt, but he intended them for his heir-at-law; but we are told, that the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just, not by the donation of the sinner, for sinners love sinners; not saints, for they are hated of all men; but this comes about by the sovereign_disposal of Jehovah, who was so offended with Nabal for denying David a morsel of bread that he killed him, and gave David