the morning, and his faithfulness every night. During the night he would rise and give thanks;' in the night' God's song was with him." 'When old and grayheaded' his harp and psaltery were still his joy-sources of pleasure and instruments of usefulness. His 'last words' were prompted by the spirit of prophetic song. He was then permitted to lay claim to the highest inspiration, and to assume to himself the title by which he has been celebrated. At length he fell asleep. Harp and lute, psaltery and psalm, were heard no more. The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, were ended.' But he commenced with their close, and will continue for ever, the service of song' in the upper world.-Binney.

SELECTED POETRY.

LINES WRITTEN ON A SURVEY OF THE
HEAVENS, IN THE MORNING, BEFORE
DAYBREAK,

YE many-twinkling stars, who yet do hold
Your brilliant places in the sable vault

1

Of night's dominions!-Planets and central orbs
Of other systems; big as the burning sun
Which lights this nether globe, yet to our eye
Small as the glow-worm's lamp!-To you I raise
My lowly orisons, while, all bewildered,
My vision strays o'er your ethereal hosts;
Too vast, too boundless for our narrow mind,
Warped with low prejudices, to unfold
And sagely comprehend. Thence higher soaring,
Through ye I raise my solemn thoughts to him,
The mighty Founder of this wondrous maze,
The great Creator; him, who now sublime,
Wrapped in the solitary amplitude

Of boundless space, above the rolling spheres,
Sits on his silent throne, and meditates.
Th' angelic hosts, in their inferior heaven,
Hymn to the golden harps his praise sublime,
Repeating loud, The Lord our God is great,'
In varied harmonies: the glorious sounds
Roll o'er the air serene. Th' Eolian spheres,
Harping along their viewless boundaries,
Catch the full note, and cry, The Lord is great,'
Responding to the Seraphim. O'er all,
From orb to orb, to the remotest verge
Of the created world, the sound is borne,
Till the whole universe is full of him.

O! 'tis this heavenly harmony which now
In fancy strikes upon my list'ning ear,
And thrills my inmost soul. It bids me smile
On the vain world, and all its bustling cares,
And gives a shadowy glimpse of future bliss.
O! what is man, when at ambition's height,
What e'en are kings, when balanced in the scale
Of these stupendous worlds? Almighty God!
Thou, the dread Author of these wondrous works!
Say, canst thou cast on me, poor passing worm,

One look of kind benevolence ?-Thou canst;

For thou art full of universal love,
And in thy boundless goodness wilt impart
Thy beams as well to me as to the proud,
The pageant insects of a glittering hour!
O! when reflecting on these truths sublime,
How insignificant do all the joys,

The gauds, and honours of the world appear!
How vain, ambition! Why has my wakeful lamp
Outwatched the slow-paced night!-Why on the
page,

The schoolman's laboured page, have I employed
The hours devoted by the world to rest,
And needful to recruit exhausted nature?

Say, can the voice of narrow fame repay
The loss of health ?-or can the hope of glory
Lend a new throb unto my languid heart,
Cool, even now, my feverish aching brow,
Relume the fires of this deep-sunken eye,
Or paint new colours on this pallid cheek?

Say, foolish one, can that unbodied fame,
For which thou barterest health and happiness-
Say, can it soothe the slumbers of the grave-
Give a new zest to bliss, or chase the pangs
Of everlasting punishment condign?
Alas! how vain are mortal man's desires!
How fruitless his pursuits! Eternal God,
Guide thou my footsteps in the way of truth;
And oh, assist me so to live on earth,
That I may die in peace, and claim a place
In thy high dwelling. All but this is folly,
The vain illusions of deceitful life.

H. KIRKE WHITE.

THE COMING STRUGGLE.*

THERE can be little wonder that a pamphlet, with such a title as the above, should on its appearance create a considerable degree of interest, and even excitement. This would have been expected even at a period of calm tranquillity, but coming forth as it does at a time when the community is in a state of feverish anxiety and fearful expectation regarding the future, and professing to raise in some degree the curtain which hides that future from view, it could scarcely fail to find many readers, and receive much notice.

It is not our intention to enter into a critical examination of the work. Our readers will see from its title that the author builds on the foundation of the prophets;' but as many and varied structures have been reared on the same basis, and fallen before the inexorable development of time, this is no guarantee of its

The Coming Struggle among the Nations of the Earth: or, The Political Events of the next Fifteen Years described in accordance with Prophecies in Ezekiel, Daniel, and the Apocalypse; showing also the important position Britain will occupy during, and at the end of, the Awful Conflict.' London: Houlston & Stoneman. burgh: Thomas Grant.

Edin

strength or durability. Suffice it to say, however, that to our view it promises better things than its predecessors or crumbling contemporaries; and has at least this merit, that it only asks fifteen years to test its reality. The author begins by saying

'Never was there a time, in the past history of the world, when such a terrible and universal excitement prevailed regarding political affairs, as at this moment exists in the social mind. Wherever we turn, or into whatever society we enter, the same restless anxiety is apparent, the same question passes from circle to circle and from friend to friend, but no reply comes forth to cheer or satisfy the alarmed interrogators. "What is about to happen?" is murmured in all the assemblies of men; and whether the sound floats along the noble halls of the great, vibrates among the rafters of the straw-roofed cottage, or wanders through. mazes of tobacco smoke in a village ale-house, echo only answers, What! Conjectures, indeed, are made and opinions delivered, but as these rest solely on the shifting sand of political appearances, and assume the various aspects with which faction and party-spirit invest them, they are uttered only to be rejected; the same question is again asked by the same individual on the morrow, and with like success.

"That such an excitement should prevail at the present time is not at all wonderful. The position in which the powers of Europe and Asia are placed, render it evident to every thinking mind-and in this age of boasted intelligence all should be thinkers-that we are on the very eve of a crisis, and a crisis unparalleled in the annals of the past. It is not at one part merely, or in one or two nations, that we discern the signs of an approaching storm; but from one end of Europe to the other, the ominous cloud has gathered, and when it bursts, as soon it must, the deluge will be not only overwhelming, but universal. Such a prospect as this is entirely new. The shadows which preceded the advent even of the most devastating hurricanes that swept over the world in the ages that are gone, were not so gloomy or portentous as those which now hover above our whole horizon; and as the image must resemble the reality, that reality must be awful indeed. We are in the midst of that oppressive calm which reigns when the elements are fully charged with all the ingredients of a storm, and, like the mariner, we long for its inevitable outbreak, in order that we may escape from our suspensé, and learn at once how we are likely to cope with it.'

After sketching those Bible prophecies which appear to intimate the nature of the

storm about to burst, pointing out the errors which he supposes former commentators have committed, and explained the events which are about to happen on the Continent, the author comes nearer home, and points out the noble part which our country is destined to play

'But what, it will be eagerly asked, is Britain about all this time? Surely she must have an important part to play in this direful game of war. No such thing -so far as we have yet gone Britain is exempted from the affray, though her proximity to the scene of the unequalled struggle will keep her in a continual state of alarm, and her rulers anxious and watchful. But yet, though beyond the eddies of the whirling vortex, she must not, can not, will not be idle. She has a mission to fulfil, and she must feel straitened till it is accomplished-a mission of the strongest necessity, and she cannot evade it a mission of the noblest nature, and she will not shun it. To her-to the whole Anglo-Saxon race, of which she is the head and representative-is the task assigned of carrying forward the religious, moral, and social progress of the world, and in this she must be well assisted by her children in the west and south. America is to be united with her in the noble work, and Australia must grow in strength for the same purpose; and thus supported on each side by a strong and stalwart son, the brave old empire will feel equal to the task. Talk of America and Britain going to war! the thing is impossible; nature forbids it, and the Bible forbids it too. When they do fight it will be on one side, and against a common foe; but they have a far different battle to fight and win, in these coming years, than the sword or cannon can accomplish. The great moral contest of spiritual freedom and social morality must be sustained, and the cause must unite them and us in an eternal bond of brotherhood. A people must be prepared for the Lord, that this kingdom may be populated when it is established, and Britain with her sons is called on to rear, cherish, and protect them.

'The many and severe wars which our country has had to sustain, in order to preserve her Eastern territories, have by many been considered as too dear payment for their possession. We do not here, however, enter on this question, but beg to inform such, that a far higher purpose than commercial interest or extended empire is to be served by the presence of the British power in the East. So far indeed as she herself is concerned, this may have been the real aim; and now that she is in possession, the physical advantages which accrue from them will be a sufficient incitement to their retention. To preserve

the East Indian market, and keep a path open to it, Britain will strive much and do much; but while her rulers may think they are merely serving the nation, they are really accomplishing one of the grand designs of God, and evolving events, while they cause her to take measures for the preservation of this distant part of her empire, will really and only produce occurrences which will facilitate the great design of Jehovah. Both God and Britain had a special design in the annexation of the Indian territory to the lion power, but these designs were as different in nature and object as the finite is from the infinite. While Britain thought only of wealth and conquest, God thought of his ancient people, and of his covenant, and placed the British Lion in the East to prepare a way for his ransomed, and to become their protection in the infancy of their restoration. Such is God's design, and he has enlisted the energy of the Anglo-Saxons in its accomplishment, by making it their interest to bring it to pass. The value of these lands to the nation is the inducement he has given it to retain them at all risks; and one means of their retention, which will by-and-bye become very obvious, will be to do that which will tend immediately to the accomplishment of Jehovah's long promised purpose the restoration of the Jews. The idea has long been held, by those few who do believe in a restoration, that it must be preceded by a conversion. This is erroneous. The Jews will return to their own land in as great ignorance regarding Christ as when they left it. They will be converted-of this we are assured; but it will be subsequent to their re-establishment in Palestine, and by the immediate operation of the Divine Being. In the many passages of Scripture which speak of this people acknowledging the Messiah, we can never identify the agency to be employed in bringing about the change as human. The Lord invariably speaks of it as his own work, and to be done, as only Divinity can do it-all at once. The veil is to be taken away, the blindness is to be removed, and this after they are brought back to the hill of Zion: Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. THEN ye shall know that I am the Lord."-(Ezekiel xxxvii. 12.)

'It is needless, therefore, to look for the conversion of Israel as an indication of the coming of the latter days. It is their restoration that becomes an evidence of this; and we can imagine with what surprise the conversion-theorists will witness the approaching colonization of the land of Israel. by its former inhabitants.

But how, is it asked, will they be restored, and how does Britain become the agent? In this very simple manner. When Britain sees the Emperor of Russia in possession of Turkey, and preparing to conquer continental Europe, she will become alarmed for her darling Indian possessions, and strengthen her position in the Mediterranean Sea, to prevent the autocrat dominating there.

'Having succeeded in dethroning the Sultan, and annexing the Turkish dominions to his sway, he will naturally endeavour to take possession of Palestine, as that country forms a part of the Ottoman Empire. This, however, Britain cannot permit. To let him occupy this territory would be a virtual relinquishment of the Eastern market, because the road to it by the Red Sea would be shut up. What course Britain will actually adopt to prevent this we cannot learn from the prophecy, but that she will prevent it we are sure. Not only will her own interests demand it, but the word of Jehovah is concerned in the matter, and demands it too. These political and commercial interests are but the means employed by God to cause his great nation to perform his long expressed determination, to preserve the Holy Land for the elected, eldest born of his children. Were the Russian Emperor allowed to take possession of it, he would carry the land tenure of the north along with him, and thus the soil of the land of Canaan would become part and parcel of another nation, its peculiar character as an inalienable possession would be gone, and being common " it could no longer be called sacred or "holy." But this cannot be. Jehovah hath said, "the land shall not be sold for ever, for the land is mine.” It is therefore impossible that it can ever be occupied by a power that would at once incorporate it with other territories. attempt has already been made to do this, but, as was to be expected, it signally failed. Shortly after Mehemet Ali established himself as "king of the south," he attacked and conquered Syria, and, as we before stated, "pushed at" the Sultan's throne. The powers of Europe, however, interfered to prevent him from gaining his point, and in negotiating terms of peace between the two countries, ordered Mehemet to restore Palestine to Turkey. This the king of the south refused to do, and claimed the land as his for ever by right of conquest. He was, however, at length compelled to yield to the demand, and the land of Israel was given back to those whose creed will not allow them to claim the soil. They have indeed "divided the land for gain," but those pachas who occupy it hold it by no tenure, and may be, and indeed often are, deprived of their

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The

possession, without having the right to complain. According to the Mahommedan creed, the land is God's, and though it may be occupied, cannot be owned by any mortal; and certainly, whatever doctrine of the Koran is false, this is true. The Jews cannot even sell any part of it from one to another, far less can the uncircumcised Gentiles get it for a prey.

The only way that seems likely for Britain to preserve her Eastern market open in this emergency, will be to place a Jewish colony in Palestine; and thus, it will appear, that the river was dried up in order "that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared." The drying up of the river, or the destruction of Turkey, will render it necessary for the "kings of the east," or the British power which rules there, to promote the return of the Jews to their own land, by placing its mighty banner of guardianship over it, and holding out every inducement for the sons of Abraham to repair to it. Be this, however, as it may, it is Britain that restores the first portion of the Jews, as we learn from the eighteenth chapter of Isaiah, where the prophet is furnished with a command to "the land shadowing with wings, that sendeth ambassadors by the sea," enjoining it to put forth its power for the protection of "a nation scattered and peeled, a nation terrible from their beginning hitherto, a nation rooted out and trodden down, whose lands the rivers have spoiled." What a powerful and graphic description is this of the present and past state of the Jews! How their former greatness and present degradation and desolation is associated and contrasted! But how, it may be asked, do we identify the "land shadowing with wings?" We are told that it is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia. Now, going east from Judea, across the Euphrates and Tigris, we reach Hindostan, the most important of our Indian possessions, and therefore governed by a power that "sendeth its ambassadors by the sea," in other words, by an island state, which shows that the reference is to Britain, and to her alone. The allusion will, however, become more apparent in a short time, when our empire is greatly extended in that quarter, and when the lion-flag waves o'er many an island and country, proving as much its protector as its ruler. There can then be no doubt as to the fact that this country will open up a way for the despised and persecuted race of Abraham, to stand once more in their father-land, and raise anew the songs of David upon the holy hill of Zion, and it is probable that the event will be brought about in some such manner as we have indicated. But, first of all, this country must seize a

great amount of territory adjacent to the Holy Land. In the present state of affairs, there would neither be peace nor safety for the Jews in their own country. The Sultan has "divided it for gain," and his pachas lay it waste and hold it waste at their pleasure. It will, therefore, be necessary to occupy Egypt, Ethopia and Seba, besides other places, in order to make these a wall of defence for the Jewish colony, and hence the language of Jehovah to his restored people-"I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee." By possessing these she will also lay her hands upon Edom, Moab, Ammon, and other places on the Red Sea, till at length, being shadowed on every side by the wings of this mighty power, the new commonwealth will grow and prosper, like a cedar on their own mountain of Lebanon.'

Then follows a description of events down to the Battle of Armageddon, after which is the following paragraph, with which we shall close our notice of the work:

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'We pause at this point of the prophecy, considering it unnecessary at the present time to enter into a minute examination of the nature or duration of the millennial period. We have already followed the subject beyond the limits indicated by our title page, and it would swell this pamphlet far beyond its intended size, to enter into a discussion of these points. A great obscurity rests on the events that immediately follow the battle of Armageddon, so that although we might come pretty near the reality, our remarks would be essentially conjectural. It is probable that Assyria, Persia, and Britain will be the only three powers that will exist in the old world, besides the kingdom which the Most High will establish in Jerusalem ; for it is stated by Daniel, that "the rest of the beasts" lived for a season and a time" after the destruction of the dragon. It is very natural to suppose that Britain will continue to hold a high place among the nations, on account of the noble and important mission she will have fulfilled, though what that position will be, or how long she will, retain it, it is impossible to say. The Anglo-Saxon race must, from the very nature of their constitution, be a leading people, and will probably continue unrivalled in intellectual greatness; but it is evident that the Hebrews will have the chief place during that glorious era which these stirring changes are to usher in. They will become officially greater than any of the other nations, and that in virtue of their covenant agreement with Jehovah, but this appears to be the extent of their privilege. In point of intellectual attainments, the Jewish race can never soar above the Saxon mind, and

therefore they can never become morally greater than Britain or America. These two countries, especially the latter, will continue to move forward the chariot wheels of the world's progression, and carry the human soul through endless stages of development, till the highest point of its earthly compass is reached, and the wider sphere and nobler pursuits of eternity shall unfold themselves.'

We offer our apology to the talented author for extracting so much from a pamphlet which can be procured for a mere trifle, and which we advise all our readers to possess and carefully peruse, Bible in hand.

THE CABINET.

CHRISTIAN CONSISTENCY.

OH! you who are the children of God, how are we walking worthy of our high and heavenly calling? What is there in us that indicates a heavenly mind? What have we to show that we are Christ's, beyond the mere outward profession of his name, and the approval and adoption of an evangelical creed? They who have not the Spirit of Christ in the least degree can approve and adopt an evangelical creed; can enter into religious conversation; can be very charitable, even to the giving away of all their property; can be very active and laborious in forwarding the cause of religion and religious institutions: What have we to show, that these have not? What have we to distinguish us from those, whose religion is thus the child of the earth, the effect of nature only? Believe me, we ought to be known by something more than this; something more peculiarly spiritual; something more eminently divine. Those who see us ought to see something in us, by which they may take knowledge of us, that we are the seed that the Lord hath blessed; that we are the tree of righteousness, which the Lord hath planted; whose fruit, though it may grow from a stock in which the world may see no beauty, and which the world may despise, is yet not only more lovely, more approved in the sight of God, but more luxuriant and plentiful also, than any thing the most imposing trees of nature's growth ever bore. Rev. M. Vincent.

THE SPIRITUAL TEMPLE.

GOD has from eternity determined to erect an edifice in the world exceeding in glory all the works of his hands; but there was no foundation here on which to build it-and why not? There is an alarming

deficiency—an awful void. Direct your attention, however, to Scripture, and see the Rock of Ages rolled down from heaven to earth, filling up the dreadful abyss created by sin, and forming the foundation of all our hopes. Behold Deity becoming the foundation of his Church. Here is a living stone; and who can he be but one who is possessed of essential life? He says of himself, I am the life.' Had he been a finite being, he could not have used such language; for it cannot be said of any finite being that he is life. Of the highest intelligences it can only be said that they live. Life in God is essence. They are only the offspring of essence. In this living Rock the life of the foundation ascends and prevades every stone; this is the reason why they adhere to each other. Here, then, is the edifice rising; God himself is the architect, God himself is the life prevading not only the foundation but every stone in the building. His truth and his ministers are the means made use of in erecting it, and he will ere long present it to the wondering gaze of universal being, as the grand master-piece of infinite wisdom and love. Are we part of this noble building? If so, O could we but form an idea of the honour conferred upon us by God in uniting us to such a foundation, all our little joys and sorrows in travelling through time to eternity would be absorbed in the overpowering thought. Thoughtless sinner, consider the expense of Doity in laying this foundation; and shall the corner-stone be despised with impunity? Consider the peril that attends its rejection. Every sin must be visited with punishment equal to its desert; but this ascends above every other: the choice is -a throne in heaven, or the lowest bed in hell. Happy is he who knows what it is to prize the Saviour, and cling to him in exact proportion as he discovers the depth of his own depravity; verily he is a living stone in that building which will appear, in a short time, in all its glory.-Howels.

The

THE TEMPLE OF GOD DEFACED. THAT God hath withdrawn himself, and left this his temple desolate, we have many sad and plain proofs before us. stately ruins are visible to every eye, that bear in their front, yet extant, their doleful inscription,-Here God once dwelt." Enough appears of the admirable frame and structure of the soul of man, to show the Divine presence did sometime reside in it; more than enough of vicious deformity, to complain he is now retired and gone. The lamps are extinct, the altar overturned, the light and love are now vanished, which did the one shine with so heavenly brightness, the other burn with