come as tame as a May lamb. It's no my sort o' reprobates, Mr Nisbet, that is the warst to reclaim; but its that kind o' folk that hae been trained amidst Gospel knowledge, and prayers, and example, and hae scorned to profit by a' their privileges, that hae by disobedience to the truth brocht the grey hairs o' a gude father, or a gude mother, to the grave-that wear the outside, without the inside o' religion

That's a' true aneuch, Mr Nisbet: but as for me, I dinna need to hunt for fortunes. I've plenty. I'm ane o' the wealthiest lairds in the Merse; and let me speak it cannily in your ear, I like yon lass-I could marry Magdalene Nisbet. Do ye think she wad hae me, Mr Nisbet?'

'Hae ye? na, ne'er a bit, Mr Bertram, she'll no hae ye! How can a rattlin' billie like you, that's unregular in your manner o' life, that never opens a gude book, that never prays, that never crosses a kirk door, either Episcopal or Presbyterian; that every week rides hame frae Dunse, late at nicht, or far in the morning, mair often drunk than sober; that sometimes the cadger frae the Abbey sees at the grey dawn sleeping the drink aff ye at the hedge side, and yeer puir horse, mair sensible than yoursel', grazing beside ye; -how can ye think that a lass wad hae ye, even a lass that's true blue, a real Covenanter, an attender of conventicles, ay, and ane, I'll warrant her, that wad raither face a' the horrors o' the Bass, and endure a' the tortures o' thumbkins and bootkins, and a' the roar, and rabblement, and dead thraw o' the Grassmarket, than renounce her Saviour, or bring discredit on His Gospel. Hae ye? na, she'll no hae ye!'

'But, Mr Nisbet, if I should reform, wad she no hae me? I'm often in the opinion that I should turn a leaf. I'm a thochtless creatur, I ken, that has maybe never in my life considered whether I have a soul or no. I'm little better, if I'm ony better, than the beast I ride, or the nowt I sell; indeed, indeed, the puir brutes, that act jist frae instinct like, and hae never perverted reason, or laughed at religion, hae the south and sunny side o' the comparison. But there's something to be said on my behalf: I hae been ill brocht up-I hae heard naething, I hae seen naething, either as a bairn, or as a man, but cursing, and swearing, and drinking;-and I hae little manner o' doubt that if some gude Christian were to tak me aside, and speak kindly and earnestly to me about the Gospel, and pit up a word aboon for my soul, I might be

but after a' hae nae religion, and dinna want to hae religion, and jist act directly in the teeth o' all religion, neither fearing God, nor regarding man. Naebody will ever convert sich folk-John Knox himsel' couldna dae it. He might jist as soon try to whummel Cockburn-Law there, into the bed o' the Whiteadder.'

'Nae personality, Bertram! nae personality, sir! ye have the wrang calf by the lug if ye think to insult me with impunity. How, sir, did I bring the grey hairs o' either father or mother down wi' sorrow to the grave? Little lauds me frae bringing the heft o' my whip across your face.'

'Mr Nisbet! Mr Nisbet! what's a' yeer wrath aboot? what hae I said to kittle ye into sich a kippage? I declare, I had nae mair thocht aboot you in my mind than I had aboot the Archbishop o' St Andrews, and he should be gude.'

'James Sharpe, the Archbishop o' St Andrews, gude!-him gude! weel, Bertram, that jist shows your ignorance, your sort o' Pagan ignorance; for there's no a man, indeed, I might say, a bairn, in a' the country, be he Whig or Tory, but kens that Jamie Sharpe, for a' the chariot he rides in, and for all the great lords and earls he sits amang, in the bluidy chaumer o' the Judgment-seat in Embro, and for all the high favour he is in at Court, and for all his titles, and all his wealth, is jist an -; but naebody shall hear my tongue bring me into trouble. Least said, Mr Bertram, is soonest mended.'

'Weel, that's true at least,' replied Bertram;-but yeer no speering the news frae Dunse, and it sae important?"

'What's important? what is the news!

Is sheep up? Is wool up? Is nowt up? or is't some Whig conventicle that's scattered? or some lang-winded field-preacher that's harled awa to prison? or is't Sandy Martin, the Sheriff-depute, that's been herrying John Boston's nest, or haling him to prison for his non-conformity?'

'Na, it's waur than a' that. Hasna Sinclair the cattle-dealer ran awa; and they say half o' the Merse farmers is like to be ruined. There never was the like o't; for ye see Sinclair has dealt on the principle o' lang and heavy credit; but let them laugh that win, Mr Nisbet,

for Alick Bertram was never the fool to be beguiled into dealings wi' Sinclair for a' the bribe o' high prices he held out. I hae ever dealt hooly and fairly, selled where I kend I wad get my siller, altho' at a lower rate; and sae ye see, Mr Nisbet, I'm no in wi' Sinclair, and I dare to say neither are ye.'

Mr Nisbet was in no condition to answer immediately. The news seemed to have taken his breath from him. It was only after several efforts he could exclaim'Sinclair aff? Tam Sinclair ran away? then, I'm a ruined man. That's six thousand merks at least to the bad! O, Bertram, Bertram! wherefore did ye ride up to me wi' sich news? I wish ye had been drinkin' in Dunse, or sprawlin' by the hedge-side!'

'Hear till him! That's maist unreasonable! How can I help the news? But are ye in six thousand merks? That's heavy tho'!'

'Heavy! ay, its heavy, indeed! and there's the rent-day jist at hand, and I have nae a merk to meet it wi'. Wae's me! there's surely a curse o' God on my

lot!'

'Hout! no be dowie-no be dowie about it, Mr Nisbet; I'll tell ye what I'll do. I'll pay your rent for ye, if ye will speak a kind word for me to Magdalene, your niece. I hae a great liking for that lass, and if ye will persuade her to marry me, I'll mak ye a present o' the rent siller: and, moreover, tell yeer niece that I will reform; that I will gang to the conventicles; that, for her sake, I will put mysel' in jeopardy o' the Bass Rock, if no o' the Grassmarket itsel'. Thae Covenanters, in my candid opinion, are jist an example to us a'; for while the like o' me is buying, and selling, and drinking, and swearing, and quarreling, and no caring a preen about either death or eternity, they are pairting wi' house and ha', wi' gold and silver, wi' fire-side comforts, wi' wife and bairns, wi' liberty and health, and life itsel', a' for the sake o' Christ and the Gospel. When men come to that o't, Mr Nisbet, there's nae room left to suspect them o' hypocrisy; they maun hae the root o' the matter in them, whatever their enemies may say. I fear, I fear, when the day o' judgment comes, it will be our side that shall wear the fools-cap, while the Covenanters shall enter into heaven wi' golden crowns on their heads.'

'Mr Bertram, I accept your offer-its the only thing between me and ruin; and if my niece do not accept o' ye, I'll hae her in the hands o' Sharpe and Lauderdale before a week flies o'er her head.'

'No sae fast-no sae fast, Mr Nisbet; fair means-fair means--mind!'

'Fair means? Neither you nor I shall manage the dour, fanatical monkey by fair means. Naething, I hae often said, but the thumbkins screwin' her flesh and banes through ither, will mak her yield to good advice.'

Is she sae dour as that comes to? What then wad ye advise?'

'Jist this: The first dark nicht that comes, yoursel', and I, and a band o' handy lads, weel mounted, but a' disguised, maun come down on the house o' Primrose-Brae, and carry Magdalene aff to some herd's house on the hill, and keep her there till ye succeed, either by fleechin' or by force, to gar her marry you.'

It's no a bad plan, tho'; for, ye see, if I could but see her, and get speakin' wi' her, I'm o' opinion that I might win her heart. Then ane has naething to fear frae the law; for, do ye no see, tho' you and me should kidnap, or even kill a' the Covenanters in the kintra side, neither Curate nor Sheriff wad say ill we did, but raither wad extol us for doing a gude turn to the king and the bishops. Here's my hand then, Mr Nisbet, I'll stand to my word about your rent, and I'll be ready to gang to Primrose-Brae the first dark nicht. Sae now, gude nicht, for here's my road to Brambletree.'

They parted, and we shall avail ourselves of this circumstance to conclude this Chapter.

C. M.

HEAVEN AND HELL. DIVINE Wisdom has so ordered the frame of the universe, that every thing should have its own appropriate receptacle, to which it shall be drawn by all the mighty force of an irresistible affinity. As all heavenly bodies press towards the common centre of gravity, so is all sin, by a kind of strong sympathy, and magnetic influence, drawn towards hell; while, on the other hand, all holiness is continually drawn upwards to heaven, to embosom itself in glory. Hell is nothing else but that orb, in which all evil moves; and heaven is the opposite hemisphere of light, where holiness, which is perfect love, eternally revolves. Remove sin and disobedience out of hell, it will immediately lose its darkness, and shine out in all the serenity and beauty of heaven: remove love from heaven, and its sun will set amidst the darkness and the storms of everlasting night. Heaven is not merely a thing to come: it is, in one sense, a present possession; for he that believeth in the Son hath everlasting life.' It is rather a state, than a place,—a state within us, rather than a thing without us. It is the likeness, and the enjoyment, and the service of God; that which every true

Christian carries in his bosom now, and into which he will fully enter hereafter, when he shall be made perfect in love. To this state, all true religion is ever tending: the spirit of love is the motion and progress of the soul towards its eternal rest in the presence of God. No man can be prepared for the celestial felicity, while his heart is destitute of this; and whoever has most of it, knows most of the unseen and ineffable joys of the righteous.-J. A. James.

THE JORDAN PASSAGE, AND FALL OF JERICHO.

JOSHUA, the son of Nun, is now the leader of the children of Israel. The thirty days of mourning for Moses have expired, and the common routine of camp duty was being resumed, when there came a mandate from the Most High, to the effect that the River Jordan must now be crossed, and the Land of Promise taken possession of. Promptly did Joshua prepare to obey this welcome command. He assembled his officers, and said unto them, 'Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days shall ye pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God giveth you to possess it.' Then he directed two men to pass over secretly, and view the ground upon and near the opposite bank of the river, together with the large city of Jericho, which lay a few miles toward the west. The people on the other side of the Jordan had now become alarmed about the mighty host which had approached so near them. Their terror was increased by the stories they heard of the strange things which had befallen Egypt before their departure thence, the great miracle and judgment at the Red Sea, and the entire conquest of the Amorites on the east side of the Jordan, within the last few weeks. This people, they perceived, was under the protection of a very powerful God, stronger and more powerful than any that they worshipped. They, therefore, feared them so much, that, when the spies returned to Joshua, they said, 'Truly the Lord hath delivered into our hands all the land, for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us.'

Early on the following morning, the Israelitish host was astir. It was a clear, bright morning in spring, though, in that land, 'the time of barley harvest.' The river Jordan ran very full. The snows, which had lain for weeks on the mountains of Seir and the lower parts of Lebanon, were melting fast under the balmy breath of spring, and running down in gushing streams into the valley, swelling the river,

and causing it to rise among the thickets that fringed its sides. The wild beasts, roused from their lairs by the invading waters, rushed angrily up the slopes, and took refuge in the mountains. The tall grass and waving reeds bent submissively to the current, and the stems of the small trees quivered, as the water rushed round their roots. Such was the condition of the Jordan on the day that the host of Israel was required to pass over to the Land of Canaan. Lipful it flowed between bank and bank, and midway the current swept on with fearful rapidity. But this obstacle dismayed not the leader of the cavalcade. He had received a promise from Jehovah, which set his mind at rest as to the watery obstruction, and he gave orders for the immediate march of the host to the west.

The tents were struck, the baggage secured, the camels laden, and all was ready. Silent and expectant stood the thousands of Israel, noting the movements of their leaders, and conscious that a mighty event was at hand. Joshua is now talking to the priests, and soon this sacred class form into a procession, with the ark of God at their head, and move slowly forward to the water. Nearer and nearer they approach to the swollen river. Those bearing the ark are within one pace of its brink. The uext step, and the soles of their shoes rest in the water, when, as if recoiling in fear, a mighty billow rolls upward, from bank to bank, and forms an impassable barrier to those swelling waves, that are coming down from above. These, suddenly checked in their progress by the bank of petrified water that lies coiled and motionless at the side of the ark, quickly rebound, and chase each other up the river in wild confusion. Meanwhile, the channel of the river below the priests is fast becoming dry. The supply being thus suddenly suspended, while the flow towards the Dead Sea remains the same, the great full river soon becomes, in this direction, a small stream, then a little brook, and finally a winter torrent yielding to the drought of summer. A few moments more, and the stones and channel, which for ages had been washed and covered by the Jordan waters, are revealed; every hollow is dried up, and a highway, dry and firm, lies between the children of Israel and the land of their possession.

This sublime spectacle was witnessed in silence by the host. Amazement and awe sat on every countenance, while round every heart was gathering a feeling of gratitude and joy, and on every lip hovered the last words of Moses, 'Great is the God of Jeshurun.' The priests, with the ark, now began to walk solemnly along the side

of that glittering watery wall, and its glassy surface reflected back the procession as it passed. Having reached the centre of the river's bed, they halted, and the body of the people now prepared to pass over, at some distance below. A long line was formed, and, in regular order, they entered the newly-opened path. At this point, the scene must have been grand and imposing in the extreme. The march of that mighty company over the rough channel, and the stones sounding beneath their feet as they trode upon them; the small company of priests, clad in their sacred vestments, stationed above, supporting the symbol of God's presence, and those towering masses of water, getting every moment higher, fronted by that impregnable embankment, presented a picture of unparalleled sublimity. There might be fear and trembling in the breasts of that human throng, as they marched through the bed of the river, and saw the watery mountain frowning above them; but between it and them was 'the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth,' a mighty guard, a glory and a defence. With that Omnipotent Presence between them and danger, they had nothing to fear. Not a degree farther could the towering billows come, so long as that little company of priests kept their place, with their holy burden; for the mandate had gone forth for the time, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no farther,' and here shall thy proud waves be stayed.

་

Onward went the host. Many had reached the farther side, and were forming into companies, as before. A line of human beings stretched from one bank to the other; and the assembly on the eastern shore was getting small by degrees, and beautifully less.' At length, the last of those who were to cross had entered the river-bed; and the line which for hours had extended across the channel, gradually contracted; the last few strag glers, the little ones and the camels, gained the western bank, and the passage was safely effected. The leader then selected a man from each tribe, and directed them to return to the middle of the river, where the priests and the ark still stood, and bring each a stone from the channel, and place them in a heap at their first encampment, for a memorial of this miraculous interposition. This was done, and Joshua, with his own hands, set up twelve stones where the priests stood, in the middle of the river, according as the Lord had commanded him.

All was now finished. Forty thousand fighting men, and the other members of the host-with the exception of the wives, little ones, and camels, which belonged to the tribe of Reuben, Gad, and the half

tribe of Manasseh, who were directed to remain on the other side, where their selfchosen inheritance lay-had reached the Promised Land, and none now remained in the Jordan but the priests. Their turn had now come. Nobly and patiently had they stood all day by the side of the accumulating waters, while the thousands of Israel passed slowly over below. They had gazed so long at the miracle, that their faces of fear and awe, which they had seen at first reflected in the watery mirror, were now beheld in the same clear expanse full of confidence and joy. Welcome enough, however, was the summons to move forward, and with willing feet they trod the other half of the channel to the western shore. The moment the last of them had gained the bank, the watery wall gave way with a noise like thunder, and the pent-up waters rushed, leaping like a relieved wild beast, into the chasm, glad to enjoy once more their eternal freedom. Never before had the Jordan thus been chained and confined. It was, therefore, like a young horse, when first subjected to the bridle-chafed and boiled with anger when restrained, and mad with excitement when released. But the time came when it did not thus start and writhe when the power of its Lord was exercised upon it. This first separation of its waters was not the last; and when again it was commanded to open its bosom, and leave a dry pathway across its channel, it quietly obeyed. This was the first of those mighty wonders which took place by its waters, and rendered it the greatest of all rivers. The sublime drama of sacred Jordan history is now opened: the first scene has just been enacted; and let all generations say whether it is not a worthy introduction to those which succeeded.

But the turmoil and confusion of the emancipation has ceased, and the river runs calmly on as before, pouring its volume of water into the Dead Sea; and when the shades of evening descended on the earth, the people were encamping in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho. In the dim light of twilight, their leader was seen setting up the twelve stones, which had been brought up from the midst of Jordan; and when the ceremony was performed, he turned to the onlooking people, and said, 'When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones? Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land. For the Lord your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up from before us, until we were gone over; that all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty;

that ye might fear the Lord your God for

ever.

This act of duty done, which formed at once a memorial and an Ebenezer, the children of Israel sought their tents, and dreamed over again the strange events of the day. When the silence of night rested over Gilgal, and the stars came forth to shine over the wilderness of Judea, they looked for the first time upon the seed of that old man, to whose promise they were a witness, when the Almighty uttered it on the plains of Mamre. Here was that seed, resting at last in the land promised to their fathers; and they brightened with new lustre, when thus made to attest the faithfulness of the great Jehovah.

But,

Consternation filled every Canaanitish bosom, when the news spread that the Israelitish host had crossed the Jordan, and was now on the western side. They had calculated that, for a time, at least no danger of an invasion was to be apprehended, since the Jordan was in full flood, and could not be forded for weeks. alas! they had forgotten that strange tale they heard about the passage of this same host through the Red Sea. If they had remembered that, they might have dreaded their appearance in their country, even though the river which rolled between had been impassible to all besides, since the power which was required to open a pathway through its waters, was not greater than that which rolled back the waves of the Egyptian Sea. They remained passive, however, and when the tidings of what had happened reached Jericho, its inhabitants were almost paralyzed. But the city was a strong one, surrounded by a high thick wall; and they concluded that, unless the besiegers were provided with very strong battering-rams, they could not effect an entrance. Closing the gates, therefore, and guarding them very carefully, they awaited with mingled hope and anxiety the near future.

Battering-rams, or similar instruments of warfare, the Israelites had not; and as Joshua marked the strong bulwarks of Jericho, he began to despair of reducing such a fortress. One day, while wandering near its walls, in this desponding mood, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold there stood a man over against him, with His sword drawn in His hand.' His form was majestic and imposing, and a fainter heart than Joshua's would have quailed at his presence; but the leader of Israel, the successor of the bold, courageous Moses, could not possibly be a timid man; he therefore went boldly forward, and accosted Him thus, Art Thou for us, or for our adversaries? Nay,' returned the warlike form, but as Captain of the Lord's host am I now come.' This was

joyful intelligence to Joshua. All was now right, since the Most High had come to the aid of His people. He, therefore, in a transport of gratitude and adoration, fell on his face and worshipped, saying at the same time, 'What saith my Lord unto His servant?' Like Moses before the bush at Horeb, he was commanded to take his shoes from his feet, and then a communication was made to him respecting Jericho, which filled his heart with joy; and he returned to the camp with alacrity, to prepare at once for the performance of acts, which the Lord had eujoined as the prelude of a successful assault upon the city.

It is early morning, and the people are running in great haste through the streets of Jericho, towards the city walls, for intelligence has arrived that the host of Israel is in motion. Soon the walls are thronged with multitudes of anxious faces, gazing earnestly to the east, and sure enough the Israelites are approaching. In the van appears a mighty regiment of armed men, tramping silently, yet steadily forward; and these are followed by a company of strangely-dressed men, bearing a large, curiously-shaped box. Immediately before those who carry this burden, walk seven individuals, clothed with the same flowing garments, and each has a trumpet in his hand, while in the rear come a large miscellaneous multitude. On they come,

and pass along one side of the city; not a sound escapes them, except at intervals a blast from the seven trumpets of rams' horns, which sound wildly, almost like a knell in the ears of the watchers on the walls, and the listeners within the city. In the intervals between the blasts, nothing is heard but the slow, regular tramp of the host; and the very absence of all other noise, renders this sounding tread terrible and appalling. It conveyed a forcible feeling of undefined danger-the approach of a calamity which could neither be perceived nor averted: and the sudden blast from the trumpets, rising shrilly and loudly on the silence, seemed emblematic of the shock of destruction, which was about to descend upon them.

The host have now marched along the southern boundary of the city, and turned up by the side of its western wall, followed in its course by the astonished inhabitants on the ramparts. The northern side is reached, the eastern side is traversed; and now the whole city has been encompassed, and the Israelites return in the same order to their camp. What a strange'procedure!' exclaim the citizens, as they perceive the retiring enemy; and they wonder about it all day, and retire to rest, half-inclined to laugh at such an apparently insane manœuvre. But scarcely has the morrow