Almighty, every object excites my wonder, and calls forth my admiration; it sets before me the high, the mighty, and the everlasting God; while the book of revelation tells me, that through faith this God is my God, and that He will be my guide even unto death.

The book of creation yields me unbounded pleasure while in health; the book of revelation tells me, through faith, that when health is gone, when flesh and heart fail me, God will be the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. The book of creation tells me, that the Father of mercies has given me unnumbered comforts in life; the book of revelation makes known to me, that he has provided for me abundant consolation in death. In the one, I read that he has given me many comforts while I live; in the other, I read, through faith, that he has given his own Son to die for me, that I might live for ever.

The book of creation is an estimable treasure for life and time; the book of revelation is an inestimable treasure for life and death, for time and eternity. While we enjoy the one, we should bind the other to our bosoms.

How shall I acknowledge the goodness of God, and with what song of praise shall I come before him, for the gift of the two books which now lie open to my view-the book of creation, and the book of revelation?

In each I trace the Lord of light,

And read a wondrous story;

And both set forth his boundless might,
His goodness, and his glory.

ON HOPE.

REFLECTED in the lake, I love
To see the stars of evening glow;
So tranquil in the heaven above,.
So restless in the wave below.

Thus heavenly hope is all serene;

But earthly hope, how bright soe'er,
Still flutters o'er this changing scene,
As false, as fleeting, as 'tis fair.

Bishop Heber.

THIS is a small quadruped, nearly resembling the hare or rabbit, both in its appearance and habits. "The conies are a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks," Prov. xxx. 26. "The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats, and the rocks for the conies," Psa. civ. 18. These are considered to describe the daman, or Syrian hyrax, also called the rock rabbit; also mentioned, Lev. xi. 5, Deut. xiv. 7, as unclean, and therefore forbidden to the Jews. The modern Abyssinians, both Christians and Mohammedans, also regard it as unclean. The Arabs eat it, and call it, probably in jest, "the sheep of the children of Israel." Good John Bunyan has said, "The hare cheweth the cud, but yet is unclean, because he parteth not the hoof. And this truly resembleth Talkative: he seeketh knowledge; he cheweth upon the word, but he divideth not the hoof. He parteth not with the way of sinners, but, as the hare, retaineth the foot of the dog or bear, and therefore he is unclean." Without enlarging on the minor points of the ceremonial law, this is, perhaps, as the same author adds, the true gospel sense of those texts. And he proceeds to quote 1 Cor. xiii. 1, 3.

The coney is, like some rabbits, of a brownish grey above, and white, with a tinge of yellow, beneath. Travellers describe it, as sheltering in the mouths of caves, or clefts of the rock, rather than burrowing as wild rabbits do; but they have the same timid retiring step, and their manner is mild and feeble, though when roughly used, they bite. Their feet are tipped with little rounded hoofs of slender TRACT MAG. THIRD SERIES, NO. 136, APRIL, 1845. E

horn, and behind is a sort of hoof tipped like a claw;-so well is their form adapted to their habits, as is the case with all the animal creation. They live on vegetable food, they are about two feet long, and eleven inches high.

When we read of these animals hiding in caves and rocks, we should remember that the true servants of God have sometimes been reduced to seek for similar shelter. Such were the Waldenses, whose haunts have been explored by recent European travellers; and others in earlier times, Heb. xi. 38; 1 Sam. xxiv. The Rev. R. Cecil has well observed, "David had been more than once preserved by finding a hiding place, yet he knew there was but one true place of safety; therefore he looks beyond the means, and says, "Thou art my hiding place," Psa. xxxii. 7. The language of the apostle Paul expresses the same sentiment- "I know in whom I have believed:" I can place every thing in his hands. How forlorn must that sinner be who has to meet the storms of time and eternity without a hiding place. "The rich man's wealth is his strong city, and as a high wall," but the wise man adds, "in his own conceit," Prov. xviii. 11. But he that has heard the voice of Jesus Christ, and has fled to him for shelter and for rest, shall find that he is indeed "an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land," Isa. xxxii. 2; Psa. lxi. 2, 3.

THE SPIRITUAL CHEMIST.

MEDITATION IV.-UPON STRENGTH AND LENGTH IN PRAYER.

WHEN Cicero was asked which of Demosthenes's orations he thought best, he wittily replied, the longest. But, if the question should be which of prayers are the best, the answer then must not be, the longest, but the strongest: not the prayer that exceeds in quantity, but that which excels in quality. In moral actions the manner of working is a swaying circumstance; a man may sin in doing good, but not in doing well; how few then are there which manage this duty of holy prayer aright! Some mistake the language of prayer, and think it consists of nothing else than the clothing of their meaning in apt expressions, with a tunable delivery of it: others presume, that if

<< BUT JESUS WENT TO THE MOUNT OF OLIVES." 63

necessity have put an edge upon their requests, and stirred up some passion of self-love, that they cannot fail of acceptance. Others again put much in the length of their prayers, measuring them by the time which is spent, rather than by the intention which is exercised in them. But alas, how wide are all such apprehensions from the truth! and how fruitless will such duties be to those that are not otherwise busied in them! The prayer, which is as delightful music in God's ears, is not that which hath the quaint note of the nightingale, but that which hath the mournful tones of the dove. Broken sighs and groans are the best eloquence with God, and become prayer; as unexpected stops and rests (made by musicians) do grace the music. It is not the prayer that indigency and natural desires do sharpen, but which the Spirit doth enliven, that is prevalent with God. The one is as the cry of the young ravens, and the other is as the voice of children that are taught to cry Abba, Father. It is not the many words of a proud Pharisee that obtain the blessing, but the pithy and short confession of a penitent publican, who is sent away justified. "Abba, Father!" may sometimes be more effectual with God, who searcheth the hearts, and knoweth the mind of the Spirit, than a prayer that is stretched forth like an evening shadow to a wonderful length. The one, though it be short, may, like a small figure in a number, stand for much and the other, though great, like a volume of cyphers, may signify nothing. Let therefore such who are frequent in the duty of prayer, especially young converts, who are apt to think above what is meet of their own enlargements, endeavour to turn their length into strength, and to remember that there is a wide difference between the gift and grace of prayer; and that it is one thing to have commerce with God in duties, and another to have communion with him; the one is such which strangers may have in their mutual traffic, but the other is proper to friends, who are knit together in love.

"BUT JESUS WENT TO THE MOUNT OF OLIVES." THE Bible is well known not to have been at first divided into chapters and verses as we have it now. This arrangement is useful for purpose of reference. But we are in

danger occasionally, especially in the epistles, of losing much, by beginning a chapter without referring to its connexion with the close of the preceding one. Sometimes, too, even in the Gospel narrative, the sense is impaired by this artificial break between the chapters. There are few who notice all that is implied in the first verse of the 8th chapter of St. John, especially as in this case the little word "but," which is in the original Greek, has been left out. This verse should certainly be read in connexion with the preceding, thus—“ And every man went unto his own house, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives." His hearers had houses of comfort to return to; perhaps happy domestic circles to welcome them there. But the Saviour -after a day spent in the arduous duties of his public ministry-had no where but the "cold mountains to which to retreat. "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head," Luke ix. 58.

LAST SICKNESS OF THE REV. J. SCOTT.

MEMORANDUM OF A CONVERSATION WITH THE REV. J. SCOTT, OF HULL, A SHORT TIME BEFORE HIS DEATH.

I SPENT a most delightful hour with Mr. Scott this morning. His soul seems filled to overflowing with love to God and man, and the most precious influences of sanctified affliction rest upon him. Before they fade from my memory, I should like to recollect and record some of the many striking things he said, for future benefit.

"I have been thinking," he said, "how I could express to you the sense I have of God's great goodness to me, and this text of Scripture, I believe, will best do it: 'My cup runneth over.' My consolations have really abounded, during this affliction, in a way and to a degree I could not have expected. Hitherto my experience has been of a chequered kind-light and darkness interspersed-but now all has been light: one text of Scripture after another has been brought to my recollection, replete with comfort. Sometimes, and I would say it with self-abasement of soul before God, the Scriptures have appeared barren and uninteresting to me, and I have read them from duty alone; yet even then it was all watering the root, and now, in the hour of need, the flower of joy has burst forth to refresh