and benevolence of its Creator, and of that return of gratitude and affection, which his mercy and goodness every moment claim.

If such, then, be the character of sin, what shall we say to those who make a mock of it, who consider the grossest violations of the laws of God as venial trespasses, and indulge their sensual appetites without fear or restraint? Poor, deluded, infatuated mortals, whom the majesty of omnipotence awes not, who deride the terrors of his vengeance, who reject the gracious offers of his pardon and mercy, and, in the language of the New Testament, crucify Christ again. Yet think, ere the grave closes upon you, ere eternity opens to receive you, that hope then will. be no more. You will then call upon the mountains and rocks“Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb." May the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ere yet it be too late, awaken your fears, and rouse you to repentance; and may the Holy Spirit imprint this awful truth upon your souls, and enable you, through faith in Christ, to live up to a sense of it: "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord."

Blessed, thrice blessed, are those whom the Holy Spirit enables to see in Jesus, as it were personified, the love of God reconciling man to himself; who rejoice in their salvation through Christ, like a bird escaped from the snares of the fowler, like a child finding refuge in its parents' arms from impending destruction, or like a banished criminal restored to his country, and the society of his friends. Such is the joy of a true believer in Jesus, when he compares the period of his estrangement from God, with the consolations of his regenerate state. With passions subdued, and affections spiritualized, inflamed with love for God and Christ, and filled with charity to man, he finds all joy and peace in believing; he feels himself liberated from the chains of sin and death, and sees the portals of heaven unbarred for his admission, by the power of Him who first rose from the dead, and brought life and immortality into the world. He rejoices in hope, but with humility, trusting solely in Christ, who, he knows, will not suffer one of those to be lost whom God hath given to him. In this confidence, with all patience and gratitude, he prepares to attend the bridal feast of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, and assumes his wedding garment "washed white" with his blood. Believing yet humble, animated but not presumptuous, hoping yet fearing, he lifts up his eyes and his hands to God and his Savior, and joining the chorus of the angelic host, exclaims with pious rapture, "Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever."

C. O.

MISCELLANEOUS.

SPIRITUAL JOY.

The plain truth is this, that what hinders our joy is allowed sin. The power of sin to do this is great. This little hand, said Whitefield, placing his hand near his eyes, as he was preaching in the field, while the glorious sun was flooding creation with his beams, this little hand hides all the lustre of the sun from my eyes; and so a little sin may involve the soul in darkness, though the spiritual world be all bright as heaven itself. But should we there content to live in darkness, or set ourselves with more resolution against all forms and degrees of sin? The latter is the course of duty, and is it not also the course of wisdom? Is it idle to ask the question, What manner of persons ought we to be, in all holy conversation and godliness? Why is it we do not understand that our only concern in this world is, to keep a guileless spirit, a conscience void of offence? Alas, that we should suffer such things as love of lucre, or of pre-eminence, or of sensual pleasure, or jealous, and envious, and irascible feelings, to rest in our bosoms, and stay there from day to day, and week to week, and month to month, in the place which should be ever sacred to the gracious affections; in the temple of the Holy Ghost! Alas, that we should be so infrequent, so cursory, so cold in prayer; so seldom in fastings, so formal and lifeless in the duties of the sanctuary: that we should be so uncircumspect in speech, so little intent on walking in the Spirit; in all the pursuits of life so regardless of the great principle of Christian morals, which demands that we do all things, even to eating and drinking, to the glory of God. Here is the secret of our want of religious joy, of our spiritual doubts and fears; and also of our readiness to justify them.

PRAYER.

S.

A word, at parting, to the saint, the man of faith in Christ. Great, beloved brother, and manifold, are thy privileges; but what we now would humbly call upon thee to bear in constant remembrance, is, the power which thou, all impotent and helpless as thou art in thyself, canst exert through prayer. The feeblest of saints can chase a thousand-can put ten thousand to flightcan overcome the world-can elevate himself to higher honor than earth can give or appreciate. There is a kind of omnipotence in prayer; as having an influence on him who is Almighty. But why do we put thee in mind of this? Not because we would have thee inflate thyself with pride; but because we remember that the spirit of prayer is altogether benevolent. Its power is unto the destruction of nothing but sin and its fruits. Its power

nath the same scope and aim with that glorious Being on whom it depends. Pure prayer's first accents are, "Hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven." Faithful brother, man of prayer, a man who hath power with God,-forget not, we beseech thee, what, by means of prayer, we are capable of accomplishing. The world's conversion hath not yet been achieved. Means, with that great end in purpose, have been long in operation, and have recently been much increased. What those means are, thou knowest; and their powerlessness, independently of God's blessing, thou knowest also. We remind thee again of thy privilege, as endued with the spirit of grace and supplication. For Zion's sake, then, hold not thy peace, for Jerusalem's sake rest not, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.

A GOOD WIFE.

E.

The Rev. William Jay, of Bath, (Eng.), on the fiftieth anniversary of his ordination, gave his wife the following noble compliment: being presented by the ladies of his congregation with a purse containing 650l., after a few remarks, he turned to Mrs. Jay, and said, "I take this purse, and present it to you, madamto you, madam, who have always kept my purse, and therefore it is that it has been so well kept. Consider it entirely sacred-for your pleasure, your use, your service, your comfort. I feel this to be unexpected by you, but it is perfectly deserved. Mr. Chairman and Christian friends, I am sure there is not one here but would acquiesce in this, if he knew the value of this female, as a wife, for more than fifty years. I must mention the obligation the public are under to her (if I have been enabled to serve my generation), and how much she has raised her sex in my estimation; how much my church and congregation owe to her watchings over their pastor's health, whom she has cheered under all his trials, and reminded of his duties, while she animated him in their performance; how often she has wiped the evening dews from his forehead, and freed him from interruptions and embarrassments, that he might be free for his work. How much, also, do my family owe to her; and what reason have they to call her blessed! She is, too, the mother of another mother in America, who has reared thirteen children, all of whom are walking with her in the way everlasting."

SUICIDE PREVENTED.

The Rev. Basil Wood once related in a sermon, that a person belonging to his congregation, who had for some time been confined by sickness, derived great benefit from reading a certain tract. While thus confined, he was visited by an acquaintance

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THE HOUR-GLASS AND TIME THE VALUE OF THE SOUL--ETC.

who appeared to be laboring under great depression of spirits. His sick friend, observing his dejected frame of mind, pointed to the tract lying on the table, and requested him to sit down and read it to him. He assented, and had not proceeded far in his task before his whole attention became absorbed in the contents of the tract. As he read on, his heart became more and more affected, till at length, unable to control his feelings, he burst into tears, and pulling a weapon of destruction from his pocket, threw it upon the floor, exclaiming, "There, with that weapon I was just going to take away my own life, but thought I would first look in to see you once more before I committed the horrid deed. What I have now been reading has saved me."

THE HOUR-GLASS AND TIME.

Coming hastily into a chamber, I had almost thrown down a crystal hour-glass; fear lest I had, made me grieve as if I had broken it; but, alas! how much precious time have I cast away without any regret! The hour-glass was but crystal-each hour a pearl; that, but like to be broken-this, lost outright. A better hour-glass might be bought; our time, lost once, is lost ever! Thus we grieve more for toys than for treasures. Lord, give me an hour-glass, not to be by me, but to be in me. Teach me to number my days; an hour-glass to turn me that I may turn my heart to wisdom.

THE VALUE OF THE SOUL.

What, if it be lawful to indulge in such a thought, would be the funeral obsequies of a lost soul? Where shall we find the tears fit to be shed at such a spectacle? or could we realize the calamity in all its extent, what tokens of commiseration and concern would be deemed equal to the occasion? Would it suffice for the sun to veil his light, and the moon her brightness; to cover the ocean with mourning and the heavens with sackcloth? or were the whole fabric of Nature to become animated and vocal, would it be possible for her to utter a groan too deep, or a cry too piercing, to express the magnitude and extent of such a catastrophe ?

AFFECTIONATE MINISTERS.

Mr. Simeon has somewhere observed respecting pastors (and the remark is equally applicable to Sabbath school teachers), that, "of all men in the world, the Christian pastor should be a man of an affectionate heart. When he preaches, he should be the shepherd in search of the lost sheep, the bereaved parent in pursuit of the lost child; for as well might you have a marble statue to supply the place of a real father, as a marble-hearted preacher to supply the place of a real and affectionate pastor.”

CONSTANTINOPLE.

SEE ENGRAVING.

E

We have the pleasure of presenting to our readers in this initial number of our new Series, a beautiful engraving of a part of the "City of the Sultan," the magnificent and picturesque capital of Turkey. Independently of its his toric associations, which render it an object of deep interest to the scholar and the Christian, Constantinople possesses peculiar and unrivalled natural advantages. Its position, at the junction of two seas; its lofty mountains, extended forests, and thickly peopled hills; its crowds of shipping, and groups of human beings varying in language, feature, and costume; its tall and graceful minarets pointing towards heaven, and the cloudless azure of its sky; these are some of the distinctive features which make the "City of the Faithful" a scene of enchantment to the traveller which can never be forgotten. Seraglio Point, constituting the obtuse angle of the triangle on which Constantinople is built, appears in the engraving with its long line of airy and elegant kiosques or pavilions, fronting the water; its clustering domes, and groves of cypresses and palm trees. The celebrated Mosque of St. Sophia towers above the surrounding minarets, while in the distance, Mount Olympus is seen white with eternal snows, “with one fantastic rock looming out of the blue waters beneath it, like a marine monster sleeping in the still sunshine." Stretching along the same line of coast, is a cluster of islets once known as the " Demon Islands," and said to have been haunted by a foul spirit; but which are now known by the pleasanter name of the "Princess Islands," a favorite place of resort for the Greeks during the summer months. Scutari, "the place of thousand tombs," with its splendid barracks and mosque, over which the Guz Couli, or "Maiden's Tower," seems to stand sentinel, lies on the extreme left; while the narrow point of land running out into the sea, is occupied by a miserable Greek village, built on the site of the ancient Chalcedon. The view of the harbor on the right, is partially obstructed by a portion of a quaintly fashioned house peculiar to that locality, occupying the fore ground of the engraving.

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The Serai Bournou, or palace of the ancient Caliphs, gives its name to Seraglio Point, and constitutes one of the most interesting features of a city where all is mysterious, strange, and exciting. This palace with its extensive grounds, occupies the site of the ancient city of Byzantium, and is in all respects truly and wholly oriental. European innovations have crept with spirit step" across the land of the Moslem, and fixed their abode in the imperial residence of the Sultan. "But in the hidden recesses of the palace of Amurath, all is unchanged, as though the genius of mutability had never waved his wand over the children of the Prophet."

Constantinople is interesting to many of our readers from the fact, that Constantine the Great, the first Christian emperor of Rome, took up his residence there. The city had been nearly destroyed by Severus, and in A.D. 329, Con