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hearts; but now I know that we must worship to you all." About noon, being informed that God in spirit and in truth. Father, the Messiah her mother had had some rest, she requested to is come: you must all believe on him: I know see her again, as well as her grandmother, and him. He is my only hope. Father, it is my last, exhorted them with great clearness and strength my dying request! I have no fear of death; for to seek the Lord Jesus, assuring them that there my blessed Saviour has procured my pardon. is no "salvation in any other;" that none can be Again Mr. desired her to remember that saved without coming to Christ as the Atonement all her family were Jews, and that she must not for their sins; and repeated, "It is he who has forsake her religion. Maria replied, "No, I have given me all the peace and comfort I enjoy." It not forsaken my religion: it is the poor Jews was remarked, "There is repentance for all." who forsake it. If they would read the scrip- "Yes," she replied; "but it must not be put off tures, they would then know that Jesus is their till death; and, if it be true repentance for sin, we Messiah. He saves from sin. He alone has shall feel our need of a Saviour. It is scorning made me happy under all my pains. He died for God's offered mercy, to put it off till the last, lest me. It is my dying request." the day of mercy should be passed. The scripture says, 'Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation.' O mother! when we see our need of a Saviour, then we can rejoice that God so loved the world,' that he gave his Son to die for us all. Our sacrifices were all types of Christ: they were shadows of good things to come. Christ bore the sins of many, and was sacrificed once; and there is now no more offering for sin, because by Christ there is pardon for all that will believe on him. Faith in this Saviour is now my support: my sins will he remember no more: the knowledge of him has given me peace: it is because I have found him, that I am now so happy." Her mother replied, "Yes, my dear, we are all sure you are going to happiness." "But I could not attain heaven without Christ. It is only through him that our souls can be saved;" then, endeavouring to raise her head, she said with great emphasis," Mother, we must go to the Father through the Son: he ever sitteth at the right hand of God, making intercession for us:" "Jesus gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity."

These sentences were uttered at intervals; and Maria now lay gasping for breath; but, when again enabled to speak, she renewed her entreaties in the most supplicating tone. Mr. then observed, "But, Maria, what will your mother say?" With as much strength as her exhausted state permitted, she answered, "My mother has said it is for you to decide, father: I beseech you, do not refuse me." He appeared agitated, was silent for some minutes, and at length said, "Maria, if I should be brought to consent, remember you must be buried wherever your friends may choose." Father, I care little where you place this poor body, provided my soul be with Jesus." However reluctant her grandmother might be to add her consent, yet the state of suffering in which Maria lay, the alarming symptoms threatening immediate death, the intense anxiety evinced by her countenance, all operated so powerfully on the feelings of Mrs. --, that she declared she should never know a moment's peade if this dear grand-child should die in such distress of mind, with her last, her only request, refused.

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The rev. Mr. B., the curate of the parish, was requested to attend, and soon arrived, accompanied by a clergyman who had been much interested in Maria's spiritual progress... None of those who were present can forget the tone of entire dependence on divine assistance in which her replies were uttered (particularly in her answer to the fourth question), "By the help of my God I will do it:" nor could they fail to note the imploring expression of those uplifted but sightless eyes, which sought not the God of Jacob in vain.

But we must pass over the interesting account which this memoir contains of the workings of faith, and the patience of hope, as exemplified in the experience of this dear Christian, and hasten to the closing scene.

The morning preceding that of her death, she told Miss P. how powerfully it had been impressed upon her mind during the night, that she must confess Jesus more fully to her relations before she could be released; and, having called her attendants to her bed, bade them mark that it was the Lord who had sent her mother to sit up this second night, that she might hear and believe. During its sleepless hours she inquired whether her mother was convinced that her senses were yet perfect. "Yes, my love," was the reply. Maria then proceeded to say, "The Lord has told me he will not take me out of my present sufferings till I have more fully confessed Jesus

This avowal of her views and feelings, though spoken only at intervals, had nearly exhausted Maria's little remaining strength: her sister therefore proposed to read Rev. v.; but he ardent spirit did not permit her to listen in silence. At the 5th verse she again raised her head, saying, Mother, the Lion of the tribe of Judah' is Christ Jesus. He was of the tribe of Judah, of the family of David, then in low estate; and Isaiah prophesied that he should be as a root out of dry ground.'" At the 6th, "Yes, Jesus was the Lamb slain for us."

After taking some refreshment, and appearing revived, she said, "Pray read St. John xx. 29. Mother, it was from this passage I found such comfort: Thomas was faithless, and would not believe till he had seen Christ; but Jesus said unto him, 'Blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed.' I thought much about these words, I wanted to be blessed, and often prayed very earnestly, that I might believe according to the will of God; and then, mother, I was blessed also; for I found Jesus was my Saviour.

Though her weakness was rapidly increasing, yet so perfect was her possession of her faculties, that soon after one o'clock she said, "Open the window, I think Miss P. is at the door." Being told the hour, and reminded that her friend was not expected till three, Maria then entreated her mother to lie down, and endeavour to rest, saying, "Pray do so; and, when you are all quiet, I

think I can sleep too." Miss P. arrived at the time appointed, and, finding her in a most peaceful and apparently-refreshing sleep, sat down, and watched beside her till nearly six, when, on looking anxiously, to ascertain whether she had been disturbed by an unusual noise in the street, her forehead was observed to have become as white as marble: not the slightest movement was perceptible: she quickly, though softly, breathed, drew one faint sigh, and the redeemed spirit passed into the presence of God her Saviour.

LOVE OF NOVELTY*.

THE love of novelty-the pleasure men have in the idea of being original thinkers, or at least of being able to shake off established prejudices often impede the pursuit of truth for its own sake, and make it a secondary object.

A man, who is excessive in his dread of excessive deference, will be very apt to fall into the opposite extreme of courting paradox and striving after originality.

Some men are zealous for truth, provided it be truth brought to light by themselves.

As custom will often blind men to the good, as well as to the evil effects, of any long-established system, we must never alter for the mere sake of altering, nor indulge the craving after novelty for its own sake.

In philosophy, the pursuit of novelty and of truth may often chance to coincide; in religion, seldom, if ever.

possess, in what we already know, the means to ascertain the truth of it, that we have a right, in short, to bear our testimony to its truth. Suppose there is a vein of metal on a man's estate, which he does not know of, is it part of his possessions or not? and, when he finds it out, and works it, does he then acquire a new possession or not? Certainly not a new possession in the same sense as if he had a fresh estate bequeathed to him, which he had formerly no right to; but, to all practical purposes, it is a new pos session. Again, reasoning has been aptly compared to the piling together blocks of stone; on each of which, as on a pedestal, a man can raise himself a small, and but a small, height above the plain; but which, when skilfully built up, will form a flight of steps, which will raise him to a great elevation. Now (to pursue this analogy), when the materials are all ready to the builder's hand, the blocks ready, dug, and brought, his work resembles one of the two kinds of discovery just mentioned, viz., that to which we have assigned the name of instruction; but, if his materials are to be entirely, or in part, provided by himself, if he himself is forced to dig fresh blocks from the quarry, this corresponds to the other kind of dis

covery.

"Man," says the illustrious lord Bacon, "baving the office of attending on nature, and studying to ascertain her meaning (naturæ minister et interpres), is limited in his knowledge and his power by the observations he has made of the course of nature; for nature can be controlled only by submitting to her laws: in all our performances we can do nothing more than apply or remove bodies already existing; the rest nature accomplishes." Just so with revelation. Man, i. e, uninspired man, by attentive study of the scriptures, may learn niuch of God's dealings with our race, and of his gracious offers and promises, and may so apply this knowledge, and avail himself of those offers, as to become "wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus ;" but he can no more make or alter a revelation, than he can set aside the physical laws of the universe.

A new truth, in the sense of something neither expressly nor virtually asserted before-not implied (involved) in anything already knowncannot be properly looked for in religion. A full and final revelation having been made, no dis

There are two kinds of "new truth" and of "discovery," the distinction between which is most important. First, such truths as were, before they were discovered, absolutely unknown, being not implied by anything we previously knew. Such are all matters of fact, strictly so called, when first made known to one who had not any such previous knowledge as would enable him to ascertain them à priori, i. e., by reasoning; as, if we inform a mau that we have a colony in New South Wales. The communication of this kind of knowledge is properly called information. We gain it from observation and from testimony. No mere internal workings of our own minds, or mere discussions in words, will make such a fact known to us, though there is great room for sagacity in judging what testimony to admit, and in the form-covery, properly so called, of any high importance ing of conjectures that my lead to profitable observation. The other class of discoveries is of a very different nature. That which may be elicited by reasoning, and consequently is implied in that which we already know, we assent to on that ground, and not from observation or testimony. To all practical purposes, indeed, a truth of this description may be as completely unknown to us as the others; but, as soon as it is set before us, and the argument by which it is connected with our previous notions made clear, we recognize it as something comformable to, and contained in our former belief. We are conscious that we

From "Detached Though's and Apophthegms extracted from some of the writings of the archbishop of Dublin." London: Blackader. 1854. His grace is well known as a most acute logician; there is therefore much material of valuable thought in this volume.-ED.

is to be expected; not merely because the book, which contains all we know of the divine will, has been so long before us (for so also has the book of nature, in which, nevertheless, we are daily reading new truths, which had escaped the researches of our predecessors), but because that book was designed by the Almighty to convey such instruction as he judged needful for all, which purpose it would not have answered if its true sense and doctrine were not understood by any for so many centuries. Could it be materially altered by any new mode of interpretation from what has been uniformly received, it cannot be called (at least a final) revelation. Elucidation, indeed, of valuable: fresh topics of evidence may be exminor points may be looked for, and be very pected (in these later times) to supply the defect of recent miracles: prophecies may become intelli

ble by their fulfilment, and fresh arguments in support of the essential doctrines may be brought forward. All this furnishes ample scope for the utmost conceivable ingenuity and originality of thought; and the unremitting labours of a whole life would be insufficient for accomplishing all that would be desirable on each of these points; so that no excuse is left for indolence and continued ignorance; but still, unless our faith be the same in the main with that of the early Christians, we may be well assured that it is unsound.

The temptation of novelty cannot be too sedulously guarded against, when we consider how powerful a principle of human nature that must be, which could seduce even the hearers of the apostles themselves; who were led away by daring innovators, corrupting, with their own devices, the pure stream of divine truth, even close to the fountain-head.

the wounded from boats which lay below: as soon as a party of these soldiers approached, a sergeant, having a book in his hand said, "Halt." Then he addressed the wounded man: "What is your name? what regiment? where wounded?" The replies to the last question aroused all our sympathy. Sometimes the answer was, "I have lost my right arm;" then another, a musket ball in the thigh, then four lance wounds, a sabre wound, and so on. When opportunity afforded, we spoke to the sergeant, and presented him and others with small books and tracts. They said they were much obliged to us, that they were at a great loss for books or something to read at times. I particularly noticed the great care with which the bearers carried their comrades, halting or laying them down on the ground when desired; and we could not but notice the manly and soldier-like spirit evinced by the sufferers. The sergeant told us of a cornet of horse, lately received, who had ten wounds, and stated that when he received the last woand, he cut off the arm of his assailant, and that the hand and arm of the enemy still hung on the lance which was fixed in the English soldier's side. He also mentioned the name of an officer, lord Chewton: this nobleman had fourteen wounds when he entered the hospital: he never complained, but endeavoured to cheer his comrades in suffering till his death, which took place three weeks after his admission. After con

We must beware of an idle craving after novelties of our own devising, while the infallible and final revelation of God's will is before us; and, studiously repressing all care to be "wise above that which is written," endeavour to divert into some other channel any eager desire we may naturally and reasonably feel for discovering what may strictly be called new truths. A boundless field lies open before us; nor need we fear that the stores of useful knowledge to be drawn from the study of nature and of science will ever be ex-versing with the soldiers about, and giving all our hausted.

VISIT TO THE BRITISH HOSPITAL AT

SCUTARI.

SINCE our departure from England, we have endeavoured to keep constantly in view the great work to which, through the good providence of God, we were appointed, by conversing with military men on our journey; making known to them our mission to bring the word of God more immediately before the soldiers' minds, and to endeavour to sustain and promote the religious feeling we might find already existing among those brave men who are called to defend their country's cause, and, I may add, the cause of civilized Europe.

...

On arriving in this city, we found that the army, or rather that part of it which was not actually in the field, was quartered at Scutari, on the Asiatic side, occupying a large barrack; while the sick and wounded were quartered in a very extensive building (the hospital) which is erected on a hill just opposite to the barrack. Under these circumstances, my friend Mr. Spencer resolved to accompany me. We proceeded to the hospital: it is built on the top of a high hill overlooking the sea. Outside, between the walls of the hospital and the brow of the cliff before it, is the burying-ground for soldiers: several graves were open, and a great number of newly-covered graves were all around. We walked to the gates of the hospital, and to our great sorrow saw groups of soldiers at intervals ascending on the opposite side from the shore, they were carrying From correspondence of "The Soldier's Friend Society," 15, Exeter Hall, Strand, London,

books away, we returned to the village of Kade Keui, resolving to go to the hospital about two o'clock. In the afternoon we set out again on our way. In a little valley near the hospital, several Turks-about one hundred or more-were sitting in a circle, and in the midst of them three dervishes howling and dancing as if they were maniacs or possessed: it was horrible to see human nature so debased.

We entered the hospital: Mr. Fellows went to his ward, No. 12: I went into No 6. There were about fifty, or perhaps sixty beds ranged ranged the whole length of the corridor. The hospital is full, and part of the barracks: there are numbers in the ships, and many hundreds of poor fellows on their way from the terrible coufict. From all that I have heard since my arrival, it appears to be the hardest service that the soldiers of England have seen for many years: it is most distressing to think of the mourning which must take place in good old England over the brave men who have fallen. I stopped at the second bed in the ward, and, seeing a fine manlylooking fellow lying there, I sat on the side of the bed, and asked him if he desired to hear a portion of the word of God? He said he would be glad to hear it. I read the thirty-fourth Psalm, and the first part of the fifth of Romans: this man was seriously wounded; so, after a few words of counsel and comfort to him I passed on to the next. He was from Wales, and had heard the gospel in his youth: he had lost an arm: he listened with deep attention, and said he would be thankful to receive another visit: he had a gun-shot wound in the thigh: the ball had not been extracted: he said he hoped to be able to return to service soon: this was spoken in a spirit worthy of a soldier; and there are great numbers of the wounded of the same mind; but, though I

I was compelled to give it up without any redress. |
We are now very comfortably settled in a Turkish
lady's house, whose husband was killed in the
war: I hope we shall there be comfortable. I
have had many most pleasing interviews with
the wounded and convalescent, and hope soon to
report you more. We have only got our chests
open to-day, after many fatiguing journeys and
much expense.
I assure you the gratitude
of the poor fellows is very great; and, when I
offer them a book, the inquiry, "Is it a religious
book, sir?" and the thanks afterwards cheer me
in the work.

....

To-day I have assisted in dressing wounds through the chest, stomach, thigh, arm, &c.; and the agony of the poor fellows has been excruciating: I found it a good opportunity to speak of God's mercy, love, and grace.-Believe me to be, most faithfully and affectionately,

G.S. SPENCER.

Kade Keui, Constantinople,
Scutari, Nov 14th, 1854.

A PRAYER FOR THIS TIME OF WAR. (FOR FAMILY OR PRIVATE DEVOTIONS.) O GOD, our only help in time of need, regard, we beseech thee, with thine especial favour, the armies and fleets of England and France, employed in righteous warfare. Watch over them with thy wakeful eye defend them with thy mighty arm: direct them by thine unerring wisdom. Preserve them from all perils on the deep, from all contagious diseases, from vicissitudes of climate, from the violence of sword and sickness, from evil accidents and crafty designs, from carelessness and fear, from trust in self and forgetfulness of thee. Deliver them from all irreligion, from all needless bloodshed, from all malice and revenge. Look down with tender pity on the sick and wounded: make thou all their bed: support them with thy heavenly succour. Bless all those that minister to their temporal or spiritual relief, and crown such patient labours of love with success. Be near the dying make their repentance sincere; give them a lively sense of their Redeemer's compassion, and receive them with the arms of thine everlasting mercy. Comfort also, we pray thee, the hearts of sorrowing relatives and friends at home, and give them a happy issue out of all their anxieties and afflictions. And, O most wise and merciful God, if it may be, enable us to bring this war to a speedy and honourable close, and thenceforth to serve | thee in a holy, happy peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. St. James's.

Weekly Almanac.

J. G. C.

"Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost."' ACTS ix. 17.

COLLECT. CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL-0
God, who, through the preaching of the blessed

THE SPIRIT AND THE WORD." Every effectual movement of the human mind towards God, and every saving change in the human character, are universally ascribed in scripture to the Holy Spirit as the agent,' and to the word as 'the instrument.' The word reveals the truth; and the Spirit applies it to the heart. The word displays the path of duty; and the Spirit disposes and enables us to walk in it. The word points to our crucified Saviour; and the Spirit prompts us to take refuge in his bosom. The word cannot operate effectually without the Spirit; and the Spirit, at least in the case of intellectual agents, refuses to act without the word. If he "enlightens" the soul, it is by directing upon it some ray from this heavenly lamp. If he quickens' the men dead in trespasses and sins,' it is by some living coal from this altar of God, If he alarm, it is by the threats of the sacred volume: if he comforts, it is by its bright and blessed promises. The law of the Lord,' says David, is an undefiled law, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, and giveth wisdom unto the simple: the statutes of the Lord are right, and rejoice the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, and giveth light to the eye,' Search into the history of man, and, setting aside the miraculous occurrences of other days of the church. you will find that every case of real, sober, and practical conversion from a life of sin to a life of holiness and purity, is to be ascribed to the word of the Lord' applied through the medium of our rational powers by the Spirit to the soul. And, even in the cases of conversion which partake most of a miraculous character, the law of the divine government is preserved. When Paul fell to the ground, it was a voice from heaven' which stretched him there. When three thousand' were at once added to the church, they were converts to the word preached by Peter. And thus in every other instance the word is that 'sword of the Spirit' by which he fights the battles and wins the trophies of religion" (Rev. J. W. Cunningham's sermons).

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"Spirit of light, explore

And chase our gloom away,
With lustre shining more and more,
Unto the perfect day.