Finding on his arrival that the very posterns were secured against him, and that all access to Brude was denied, the saint nowise dismayed, calling to mind this promise of his loving and divine Master, "Amen I say unto you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard-seed you shall say to this mountain, pass from hence and it shall be removed, and nothing shall be impossible unto you," [1] fearlessly advanced to the palace gate, and impressed upon it the sacred sign of the cross; and lo! by the power of Him who dying for us thereon, shivered "the brazen gates," and burst the chains of Satan; the royal portals yielded on the moment, and expanded widely, to the amazement of the Pagan bystanders. This was sufficient; confounded at "the power which was given to" the holy missionary, the monarch came forth, attended by all the members of his council, welcomed him with every demonstration of kindness and respect, gave him all the permissions he required, and never failed in their after intercourse to evince the courtesy displayed at this first meeting. The magi, or ministers of the national superstition, were the only persons from whom the missionaries had now any reason to fear opposition, and they gave it; for, despite of the sanction of the king, they used every artifice to render unavailing the labors of the saintly men. An entire family being converted by the blessed Columba to the Christian faith, their deadly hatred was so provoked, that they were disposed to view with pleasure any misfortune befalling its individual members. To their great joy one of the children grew sick, and died soon after baptism, which they at once proclaimed to be the punishment of its parents' apostacy, and a certain proof of the superiority of the potency of their gods, over the God of the Christians. Columba being apprized of this circumstance, and fearing for the faith of his neophytes, repaired without delay to their abode. On arriving there, he first endeavored to console the sorrowing parents by enlarging on the Divine power, and by exhorting them to look with confidence for relief to the one true God, and next proceeded to the room where the body of the deceased lay, whence he obliged all to withdraw while he poured forth his prayer to God for the restoration to life of the departed child. At the close of his fervent orison, directing his eyes towards the lifeless remains, he exclaimed, "In the name of the Lord Jesus, arise, and stand upon thy feet!" The command was obeyed, the child was instantly restored to life, and the saint taking him by the hand led him to the apartment in which his parents disconsolately remained. We may guess at, but cannot speak their joy, their gratitude. Surely now they blessed the hour in which they embraced Christianity, and were more strongly confirmed in the belief of its mysteries: the people, too, assembled in crowds to witness the wonder which Columba had wrought, testified by their acclamations their grateful