Meantime the enemies of Chrysostom had been determined to persecute him more and more. A band of soldiers were sent to convey him away from the friends who had followed him to Taurus, and to place him in the extreme desert of Pityus. He was upon this painful journey, and had not yet reached the coast of the Euxine sea, when he expired at Comana in Pontus, the 14th of September, A.D. 407.

The succeeding generation did justice to the virtues and talents of this illustrious Saint. His innocence and most distinguished learning and piety were acknowledged by all the best authorities. The Archbishops of Constantinople and Alexandria were most anxious to restore honour and fame to the venerable name of the virtuous and pious Chrysostom. Ten years after his death, the Clergy and people of Constantinople transported his coffin to that city, where the Emperor Theodosius the Second advanced as far as Chalcedon to meet the procession. He fell down upon his knees by the coffin, and prayed to God, that, for Christ's sake his guilty parents, Arcadius and Eudoxia, might receive pardon for the sins committed against the injured Saint. The name of Chrysostom was greatly revered at Rome by the most pious and learned Christians.

In all ages of the world, and above all from the death of Christ, there has been a number of wise and pious men, who were the honour of human nature yet all of them were more or less destined

to be tried by various persecutions in this transitory life. God made man like a free agent, who was to choose good or evil. Pain, sorrow, death, and eternal life and happiness, have been fully explained by the Gospel of Christ. Before that appeared, mankind saw only darkly " as through a glass," of the will of God; yet mercy and goodness always appeared where virtue and truth were seen the wicked propensities and passions of mankind were sure to punish every great sinner, but virtue and piety were fully rewarded.

"For as by Adam all

die, so by Christ shall all be made alive."

The young mind should be early impressed with a deep sense of the omnipresence of God, whether in the crowded city, or in the wild desert, where the good Bishop prayed and preached with a few friends with patience, good faith, and hope. He had the Bible to be his comfort; he read the Psalms to his friends, viz. " O Lord! thou hast known me and searched me; thou knowest my downsitting and my uprising, thou understandest my thoughts afar off. For there is not a word on my tongue, but lo, O Lord! thou knowest it altogether. Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up to Heaven, thou art there. If I make my bed in Hell, behold, Thou art there. If I say, the darkness will cover me, even the night shall be light about me: for the darkness and the light are both alike to Thee. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of

the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall uphold me. I will praise Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvellous are thy works! and that my soul knoweth right well. Search me, O God! and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts'"

While the pious St. Chrysostom read the Psalms of David and the book of Job, also the Proverbs of Solomon, and the most important Gospel of Christ, he also prayed. We here shall conclude this Memoir with his prayer, which is read in the Church every Sunday.

A Prayer of St. Chrysostom.

"Almighty God, who hast given us grace at this time, with one accord, to make our common supplications unto Thee, and dost promise, that when two or three are gathered together in thy Name, thou wilt grant their requests: Fulfil now, O Lord! the desires and petitions of thy servants, as may be most expedient for them; Granting us in this world, knowledge of thy truth, and in the world to come, life everlasting. Amen.

It is remarkable that this prayer was written and pronounced at Constantinople in the year A.D. 400, and we are now using it in Divine service to God, A. D. 1829, with millions of Christians.

1 See Psalm cxxxix.

CONSTANTINOPLE.

Ar this time we find the religion of Mahomet is greatly reduced in strength by the will of God. He has permitted the Russians to gain great ascendancy in the east. The Turks conquered the Romans, and took Constantinople in May 1453, and planted the Mahometan faith. The Emperor Constantine the Great had fully believed he had fixed a sure and permanent Christian city, when he built it in A.D. 336. He carried there the greatest part of the wealth of the world. He built there many Churches and furnished them magnificently. He built Convents and Monasteries. He built a grand palace and spacious amphitheatre, with baths of all kinds. The situation was beautiful, the sea came close to the city, with the finest harbour for ships in the world. Constantine appeared to be master of the world at that period by immense wealth and power. He was converted to be a Christian by a miracle by which a cross appeared in the sky when he commanded a great victorious army: this is recorded in history; from that time he was a sincere Christian. He dedicated the new and great city to the service of God. He had severe domestic affliction

before his death, and his three sons were to succeed their father, whose empire was divided amongst them, but the strength of the government was diminished in general; after the death of Constantine the Goths and Vandals came from Germany and the north in multitudes to Italy, and attacked Rome again and again, while the emperors at Constantinople were not distinguished by virtue or talents. Theodosius the Great appeared a bright and noble exception; his courage and merits were most remarkable; he was also pious, temperate, and just, he died in A.D. 395. The prosperity of the Roman empire expired with him: his two sons, Arcadius and Honorius, were declared the emperors of the East and the West. But the decline and fall of the Roman power was rapid for two hundred years after Theodosius. The Goths, Vandals, and Huns, adopted the Christian religion ; they were greatly improved by it, they established themselves in Germany, Italy, and France, yet Constantinople retained the most magnificent grandeur in A.D. 1010, when the crusaders passed through that city on their way to conquer the Turks, and force them to resign Jerusalem and all Palestine; vast armies from Europe appeared in Asia, a great number of them passed through Constantinople. The historians of that army have described the city to be at that time thirty-six miles in circumference, including the suburbs, all full of inhabitants; with grand buildings of temples and palaces, with fine harbours full of ships,