solemn call; and then advancing, a mournful train, casting themselves down, and lying prostrate at the foot of the throne of grace, and, as the representatives of the church, exclaiming, "Behold, O Lord, a poor company of creatures gasping for life! thy Spirit is vital breath; we are ready to die, if thy Spirit breathe not. Pity thine own offspring, thou Father of mercies. Take from us, keep from us, what thou wilt, but oh! withhold not thine own Spirit." Such were the actual terms in which the great and pious Howe led the supplications of a solemn assembly in his day, convened to cry for the Spirit. And has it not been on the lips of the mourners in Zion, an unbroken procession, ever since? And does it not express the sense of the church in the present day? As we have fallen into the train, and brought up the rear of the moving suppliants, have we not deplored the absence of the Spirit as the great affliction of the church, and implored his impartation as our great want, our only remedy? But the Spirit will be poured out from on high. Would that the importunity and loud cries of the church, warranted the expectation that the event were near! And when He does descend, among the many blessed effects which will accrue, this, doubtless, will be one-that the teaching of Christ concerning him, will be hailed and studied, as if it were a new revelation; will be traversed and explored like a newly-discovered continent. The reasons of Christ for amplifying the subject, and for laying so much stress on it, will then be felt in the inmost soul; each of his declarations concerning it will seem to expand into a page, and be consulted as a charter fresh from heaven; promises which we now repeat with freezing accents will then burn on our lips, and be pleaded with an earnestness not to be denied; but which will open the windows of heaven for the emission of still larger outpourings of the Spirit.-Harris. SCRIPTURE ILLUSTRATION. "Command the children of Israel, that they give unto the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and ye shall give also unto the Levites suburbs for the cities round about them," Numb. xxxv. 2. IN Deut. xviii. 1, it is said, "The priests, the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor inhe ritance with Israel." They were to have no portion of the land allotted to them, as the other tribes had; but out of the portions of all the rest, they were to have forty-eight cities, six of which were to be cities of refuge, that the refugees might, during the period of their exile, be within reach of religious institutions. The forty-eight cities were also scattered over the land, that so the Levites might preserve and teach knowledge throughout the whole. Learned men are not exactly agreed about the dimensions of the spots allotted to the Levites; some supposing that the width of the outer suburb was double that of the inner one, and others that it was only of the same dimensions. We have adopted the former opinion, which appears to us to be the most natural; for as the inner suburbs are generally considered to have been used for gardens of herbs and flowers and outhouses, barns, stables, etc., and the outer suburbs for vineyards and fields, in which the flocks were reared, they seem to have demanded a larger portion of ground. This allotment of the priests and the Levites was intended to afford them sustenance when they were not in waiting in the sanctuary; for then they were supported from the dues arising from the sacrifices, the first fruits, and the money paid for the redemption of the first born. They were not, however, left wholly dependent upon their glebes, perhaps from the uncertainty of crops in the ordinary course of things, as well as to maintain a spirit of universal benevolence towards the ministers of the altar: "Behold," saith God, "I have given_the_children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve," Numb. xviii. 21. This tithe was paid both from the animal and vegetable produce of the lands, and was received immediately by the Levites in their several cities, a tenth of these being again devoted by them to the service of the priests. Those relating to real knowledge were not within the span of her comprehension; nor had she, I regret to add, any of that benevolence of disposition, which leads its possessor to satisfy the demands of one disposed to draw upon its store. My aunt has been dead more than forty years, and even if she were alive, I doubt much if she would bother herself by reading the compositions of her nephew, for whose capacity she felt great contempt. I have, therefore, no grounds, on the score of delicacy, for suppressing any circumstances with which she was concerned. My aunt was never married; probably because she had never been asked to wed, as far as I could learn. Why she never was asked to do so, is a point of little interest to the world, nor could I myself answer the question very satisfactorily. Perhaps but this is mere conjecture -the dread of receiving in reply, "Don't bother me," may have terrified the timid from popping the question to her; though, to the best of my opinion, she never would have turned the bothered ear to that tender inquiry. Be that as it may, my aunt had neither personal beauty to attract admirers, nor wealth enough to tempt the avaricious; and her mental qualities were not such as to captivate the intellectual. I remember, as if it were but yesterday, the animation with which I presented to her, when I was about seven years old, from an early hotbed, in which I had sown some seeds, a plant which had just appeared above ground, and I yet feel the timorous anxiety with which I asked her, how the little seed which I had sown had become a growing plant. If my own glimmering intellect had received a ray of light, the "Don't bother me" of my aunt, on this and every such occasion, would have been a sufficient extinguisher; and as far as her agency was concerned, would have totally put out the feeble spark that the God of nature had kindled within me. is pleased to give me credit for some knowledge of agriculture and gardening, I surely am not indebted to you for it. Had this matter depended upon you, I should not, at this day, be able to distinguish the difference between a sheep's head and a carrot. What an opportunity had I afforded to my aunt, of unfolding to me, at least, one leaf of the pages of revelation, illustrated by the grain of mustard seed! Here was an opening for exemplifying to me the death of the body and the im mortality of the soul, in the dying and quickening of a bare grain to which God giveth a body, as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. But my aunt thought not of such things at all, or if she did, she had no heartfelt interest, and therefore took no trouble in discussing them. Now, does not our heavenly Father point out, in the very nature of inquiring childhood, that the acquisition of new ideas and knowledge is the object to which curiosity irresistibly leads? And ought not the mental power to be exercised and employed accordingly? But my aunt, who had no notion of the philosophy of the mind, cut short my investigations, with her favourite phrases, "Don't bother me," and, "I have something to do besides answering nonsensical questions." Yet she detained me, at the same time, with a five minutes' lecture on the naugh tiness of dirtying my fingers with nasty clay, and soiling my pinafore. "Look at this, Martin," said she, as she held up the dirty dimity to my weeping eyes, 66 see what muddling in the garden comes to go, sir, this moment, and get that washed!" I was thus sent off with a flea in my ear, as the saying is, and a smart box on my cheek besides, which bothered me considerably, in return for any little botheration which I might have occasioned to my very affectionate relative. Now, in all this, my aunt was very ill judging, as any one who considers the case will readily perceive. Here was a fine intelligent boy, such I can easily imagine myself to have been, asking information on a subject extremely interesting to the opening mind, offering to his instructor a good opportunity for leading from the creature to the Creator, from the mysteries of nature to the source of light and power. But my aunt Catharine, like too many others, was too indolent, or too unreOh aunty, aunty! though the world flecting, to give me any elucidation of what was dark to my comprehension. under God, has the talent to form the She did not perceive that those faculties character and disposition of a child; and of the mind which God gives us, should my aunt was very far indeed from havbe exercised in proportion to their growing the requisite qualifications for this ing force; that they are not intended to office; but though no scholar, she was lie dormant; that they will exert them- by no means absolutely ignorant, and she selves with more or less activity; and ac- might have helped me a little in my procording as the objects are to which they gress. are directed, so will the future character in all probability be. What watchfulness, what judgment, then, does it not require in parent and instructors to fix the ripening mind on those objects upon which it may rest securely, as regards both the present state of existence, and that which is to come! And how selfish or stupid is it to withhold that information which the natural curiosity of the child solicits, and which has been implanted for the very purpose of leading unto knowledge! God says that he is to be inquired of, and we are desired to seek the kingdom of God: can it be sought too early? But to return to my aunt, and her system of instruction. In the course of my education I was sent every Sunday to repeat the church catechism in the village schoolhouse adjoining my aunt's residence. I found it difficult to learn its meaning, and would have been much obliged to my aunt if she would have explained it a little to me; but though she was exact and rigid in making me get it by rote, and hearing me repeat it word for word, I never could get any explanation of it out of her mouth. One day I overheard her saying to a visitor, "Ma'am, I'm tormented by that boy; he bothers me so with his questions." If there is any human composition, which more than another requires to be familiarly explained, it is the catechism, which being a very condensed summary, should be unfolded and measured out according to the capacity of the learner. My aunt's reply to me, whenever I ventured to catechize her upon any of its points, was "Don't bother me, it is quite enough for me to have the plague of hearing you repeat what is in the book: the clergyman will, I suppose, teach you all about it; but even to him you must not be too inquisitive, for little boys should only listen, and ask no questions.' Thus, by the ignorant, or the indolent, is the door of knowledge closed against those who would enter in. It is not every grown-up person, who, Though her tongue could not be compared to choice silver that enriches, she might have given me a little small change now and then, if it was only a halfpenny worth at a time; but she kept all her knowledge to herself, and did not deal out to me any common nourishment for the mind, far less any portion of "the children's bread," which is the best food of the soul. She seemed to have no perception of the force of the exhortation, "And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up," Deut. vi. 7. The task by rote concluded, and the saying of it occupied but a few minutes, though it cost me many hours to commit it to memory, the subject was entirely dismissed by my instructress. And now I may dismiss my poor aunt, and reason a little upon the whole matter. Knowledge is said to be power so it is, and worthy of being sought for. Nor would I confine the search altogether to the knowledge of heavenly things, for the affairs of the world require wisdom suited to them; but this, which holds the first place in general, ought to be in the second: the wisdom which God gives freely, and without being wearied by our importunities in asking, is more easily attained than any other wisdom, if the disposition be teachable, even though the capacity be feeble. What says the wise man?" My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding," Prov. ii. 1-6. The Divine Teacher is ever ready to instruct us, and loves to be inquired of; he never refuses to answer an inquiry, nor turns a deaf ear to him who applies for instruction, and is willing to learn of the Father! who gives "the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him," Eph. i. 17. It was the saying of an ancient satirist, "My son, get money-if you can, honestly; if not, get it by any means!" Solomon gives better advice, "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding," Prov. iv. 7. Get wealth, says the world; Get heavenly wisdom, the principal thing, the true riches, says the word of God. Therefore get it, even if you should have an aunt Catharine ungraciously and repulsively saying to you, "Don't bother me.' M. D. SKETCH OF OSTEND. THE desire of visiting other lands is peculiarly strong in some minds, and with these each of our party must be classed. And now the feeling was about to be gratified. Happily, one obstacle was removed from the outset. Only a few years ago, we must have committed ourselves to a sailing packet, unsettled as to its time of starting, liable to long detention on its voyage, from the want of wind, or unfavourable breezes, and without the possibility of calculating, with certainty, on the period of reaching land. But art, of recent date, has rendered steam subservient to travelling; and with different emotions to those which in former days we must have experienced, we entered a vessel on a fine summer's evening. Some of our party shortened the voyage by slumber; one remained all night on deck; and I arose at an early hour. It was indeed a delightful morning: the sun shone forth in unclouded brightness; the atmosphere was calm and mild; and so steadily did the packet glide on the bosom of the ocean, that its passage seemed to be over "a sea of glass," distinctly reflecting the ever-varying objects above. The countenance of the helmsman, sometimes marked with anxiety, was devoid of care; the sailors seemed to enjoy an easy idleness; while the company looked as if they had left their solicitudes at home, or forgotten them in sleep. And yet a feeling of solemnity is appropriate to every voyage, and to every journey. Though the intended absence be short, yet, during it, many important events may occur. Poverty, sickness, death, may visit some of those who were left in far different circumstances; and he who bade them adieu, may not live to return! The golden light of the declining sun was pouring forth, on the low coast of Holland, when we approached the flat shore of Ostend. Almost as soon as any land can be discovered, the steeple of Dunkirk church may be seen. This, with the lighthouse, and the town hall, showed that we had traversed the mighty waters, which have been one means of Britain's security, and that they rose from a foreign shore. The harbour is so narrow, as to render dangerous a landing in rough weather. The town is surrounded by a noble wall, and a fine walk may be enjoyed on the top of the ramparts, open to the sea. strong fortifications recall to mind the wars of former days. Ah! had they the power of consciousness and of speech, of what horrors could they tell! In one memorable siege, during the seventeenth century, eighty thousand Spaniards perished in its trenches, and fifty thousand of its inhabitants and of the garrison were the prey of famine, pestilence, and the sword. Its Surely war furnishes one strong proof that we live in an "insane world.' Degrade man to the rank of a mere animal, conceive of death as an eternal sleep, and such strife is madness; what is it then, where is a term of sufficient force and emphasis to characterize it, when the body is considered as the tabernacle of the soul; when this world is considered as a merely temporary state of being, and the porch of immortality, not only to one, to a few, but to all, without exception, of human kind? Popery is now of ancient date. Its history may be made truly instructive, as well as deeply painful. It is, in fact, a corrupted, a paganized Christianity. It holds a modicum of truth in a mountain of error. It accepted of whatever was favourable to its purposes, and increased the mass of evil by successive accumulations. Could those identified with it in early days, behold its present state, they would be confounded at its magnitude. The fetters, forged for a few, have been riveted on millions not to be counted, and by millions they are still borne. The subtle poison, which at first brought on an inconsiderable number "the sleep of death," has worked to the ruin of souls, only to be told at the judgment day. How vigilantly and devoutly then should we guard against the beginning of evil! How firmly should we adhere to the true sayings of God! How fervently should we desire the diffusion of the gospel, accompanied by the energy of that Holy Spirit, to whom its success in regenerating and sanctifying man is, and must be ever attributable! Belgium has long been almost proverbial for superstition and bigotry. The church of St. Peter, at Ostend, has a showy exterior; for Popery is a system for the senses. At the altar of the virgin, were many small waxen models of arms, legs, teeth, and other parts of the human body; the memorials of some benefits or cures supposed to be received through her agency. We also noticed various praying stations, marked out by pictures representing portions of the life of Christ. As the churches are without pews, persons may be seen, each taking a chair, that they may go in succession to these stations, and there repeat their form of devotion. On the outside, and between the buttresses of the building, is a place railed off, called "a Calvary," having a large crucifix, and beneath, a painted representation of purgatory. At one of the doors, there is an image of the virgin, the size of life, with a flowing white muslin veil, and a long taper at each side. An inscription says, that she is the help of man, particularly in death! Another case contains an image of the Saviour; but that of the virgin appears far more attractive. Such is the course of superstition: however it may begin, and however specious are its pretensions, it issues in idolatry. The antidote for a thousand evils is for Christ to have the preeminence. May this be proved in the experience of the reader and the writer. AMICUS. STUDY OF THE SCRIPTURES. We must never devise more spiritual meaning for Scripture passages than the Holy Spirit intended; but, considering God to be virtually addressing us in his word, we should concern ourselves, first, to understand Him, and then how to communicate it to others. He is great, and past finding out; no wonder, then, that he does not teach us every thing in this life, which is but a pilgrimage; though he discloses enough for our direction and progress. More than this would not be useful just now; it is reserved for home.-Bengel. A BLIND MECHANIC. aged sixty-six, Mr. J. Strong, who, IN February, 1798, died at Carlisle, though blind from his infancy, distinguished himself by a wonderful proficiency in mechanics. At an early age, ledge of such an instrument was by once he constructed an organ: his only knowsecreting himself in the cathedral after the evening service, and thereby getting an opportunity of examining the instru ment. Having disposed of his first organ, he made another, upon which he was accustomed to play during his life. himself almost every article of dress, and At twenty years of age, he could make was often heard to say, that the first pair of shoes that he made, were for the purpose of walking to London, to visit the celebrated Mr. Stanley, organist of the Temple church. This visit he actually paid, and was much gratified with the journey. He indulged his fancy in making a great variety of almost every article of furniture. miniature figures and machines, besides ADVICE TO A SON. In a letter to his son John, when quite a youth, dated September 18, 1812, the Rev. John Griffin, thus expresses the great anxiety of his mind respecting the future character of his children: "I hope my dear son is the stay and the comfort of the family. Remember, my dear son, you are the eldest: as are your sentiments, tempers, and actions, such will those of your brothers and sisters be, most likely. It is therefore of vast importance to them, to us, and to yourself, that your character should be well formed. Our anxieties for your best interests are very great, and I am very sanguine in my hopes. Remember the following maxim: Intelligence, diligence, economy, punctuality, civility, integrity, generosity, and piety, are essentially necessary to form a good character, a happy man, and a useful member of society.' THE LAW OF GOD. GOD's putting his law in our hearts, and writing it in our inward parts, is the surest evidence of our reconciliation to God, and the best earnest of our happiness in him.-Henry. |