saw.

which constitute the most splendid series of moral facts that man or angel ever And they are the proof, the argument, or the demonstration, that "God is love," that those two names convey but one idea. When these facts are understood and believed, they delineate the image of God upon the human soul. All the means of grace are, therefore, only the means of impressing the seal upon the heart-of bringing these moral facts to make their full impression on the soul of man.-A. Campbell.

THE BROAD ELLIPTICAL HALO.

THE less frequent example of halo is that white ring which we see drawn at a good distance from the moon, when a soft and fluent haze invests the sky in the night season. This seems to be occasioned by reflection. The moon's rays fall upon the watery particles, which act like so many mirrors, and reflect the light upon the object that is placed within its range. We see in the example of the common reflectors which we use for our microscopes, that the plane surface must not only receive the light from the clouds, but be so turned as to cast it upon the eye that is placed over the object to be inspected. Light, therefore, that is reflected at a certain angle only will reach the eye; all the rest will pass either above or below it. In the case of the halo we are considering, the point of this certain angle of reflection describes a circle round the moon. The

lunar rays may be reflected from the

cloud or haze within and without this circle, but they do not reach the eye, because the angle is not the due one for vision. If spectators stood at different elevations, they would see different halos. This observation might be verified, if the breadth of the ring were measured by a sextant on the top of St. Paul's cathedral and on the ground at the same time.

light to the eye, was founded in truth. He never noted any exhibition of colour, and the haze always appeared too thin and even to occasion any kind of irridescence by the different densities of its surface. The nights in which this phenomenon takes place are remarkable for their softness, which is not surprising; for if a strong wind were to spring up, the gentle suffusion would be dissipated, and the mirror, if we may use a figurative expression, would be broken into a thousand pieces. A thin, even, and continuous sheet of vapour seems essential to the production of this kind of halo, and such a thing can only happen when the breezes are asleep, or sweep in gentle breath near the surface of the earth or

the sea. This is the time for musing upon the works of God both within and without us, either to exercise the judgment, or, under the Divine blessing, to improve the heart.

:

The elliptical form of this halo is a curious circumstance, and deserves our attention it seems to suggest to the mind of a mathematician, that at night the zenith appears further from the spectator than the edge of the horizon. This is perhaps owing to the haziness that prevails in the lower parts of the sky. This haziness arises from this cause, namely, that we are obliged to look through sheets of vapour by their long diameter, and hence our view is more obstructed than when we see through some of their shorter diameters. We know that all the luminaries appear larger nearer the horizon than they do a good distance above, and so are virtually nearer to us, though not actually so. G. T. L.

THE ANALOGY OF FAITH.

No sense is to be given of any text but what is agreeable to the analogy of faith, has a tendency to advance the Divine perfections, stain the pride of all flesh in the sight of God, and promote practical godliness in all its branches.-Dr.Ridgley.

DEATH.

LAODICEA.

THERE were four places named Laodicea, which it may be well to distinguish, to prevent their being confounded with one another. The first was in the western part of Phrygia, on the borders of Lydia; the second, in the eastern part of the same country, denominated Laodicea Combusta; the third, on the coast of Syria, called Laodicea ad Mare, and serving as the port of Aleppo; and the fourth, in the same country, bearing the name of Laodicea ad Libanum, from its proximity to that mountain. JUNE, 1848.

The third of these, that on the coast of Syria, was destroyed by the great earthquake of Aleppo, in August, 1822, and at the time of that event was supposed by many to be the Laodicea of Scripture, although, in fact, not less than four hundred miles from it. But the first of these, lying on the confines of Phrygia and Lydia, about forty miles east of Ephesus, is that which claims the attention of the reader, as having contained one of the seven churches of Asia, to which John was commissioned to deliver his epistle.

The site of this city, which was distinguished as Laodicea ad Lycum, from its

S

situation on the banks of the Lycus, a tributary of the Mæander, is marked only by the remains of public buildings; and hence the neighbouring hamlet, inhabited only by a few squalid Turks, has received the name of " Eski-hissar," or "The Old Castles." It derived its scriptural and classic name from Laodice, the wife of its founder, Antiochus 11., the son of Stratonice. Long an inconsiderable place, and repeatedly laid in ruins by earthquakes, the fertility of its soil, and the superior energy of its people, raised it to importance towards the Augustan age. Hiero adorned it with many offerings, and left the people his heir of more than two thousand dollars. Zeno, the celebrated founder of the Stoic philosophy, and his son, Polemo, lived here; and the latter was buried near the Syrian gate of the city.

It suffered much from a siege by Mithridates, but was enlarged and strengthened by the Romans; so that about the Christian era, it became, next to Apamea Cibotos, the largest town of Phrygia, and vied in importance with those bordering on the coast. Of its subsequent history during several centuries little is known; it was generally in a prosperous condition under the Roman emperors, and was flourishing even in 1190, when Frederick Barbarossa visited it on his way to the third crusade. Early in the following century the neighbouring country was the scene of a conflict between the Turks and the emperor Comnenus, who finally took the city and repaired its defences. These, however, were again destroyed, and the people killed or carried away by the

conqueror.

The hill of Laodicea is considered by Dr. Chandler to have been of volcanic origin. It consists of dry and porous ground, which reverberates beneath the horses' tread; and while the stones consist of masses of pebbles, or stones consolidated, they are as light as pumice-stone, though, on digging, they are as hard as cement. The country about the Meander is light and friable, and full of salts generating inflammable matter, which are undermined by fire and water. Hence hot springs abounded, which, after passing underground from the reservoirs, appeared on the mountain, or bubbled up in the plain, or the bed of the river.

It was not, therefore, surprising that earthquakes were common, for the nitrous vapour compressed in the cavities, and

*Philostratus, p, 543.

sublimed by heat or fermentation, burst its barriers with loud explosions, agitating the atmosphere, and shaking the earth and waters with a violence as extensive as destructive. The pestilential grottoes, which had subterranean communication with each other, emitted noisome effluvia. Many regarded these caves as apertures of the infernal regions, or as passages for deadly fumes arising from the realms of Pluto. Thus the hills around Laodicea have been supposed to be the formations of volcanic eruptions, a supposition by no means unnatural or improbable.

The remains of the old city, as they now appear, are very extensive; and the whole surface within the walls is strewed with pedestals and fragments, indicating by their size and workmanship the former luxury and magnificence of the city. It is now deserted, its only inhabitants being the wolves and jackals of the wilds around, who find among the ruins of a fallen city a shelter and a home. The remains of three theatres and a circus attest its former greatness. One, which has its entrance from the north-east, is very large, and might have contained between twenty and thirty thousand men, having about fifty steps, a yard broad, and a foot and a quarter high, one above another, the plain at the bottom being about thirty yards over. The second opens to the west, and the third to the south. The circus has about two-and-twenty steps, which remain firm and entire, and is above three hundred and forty paces in length from one end to another, the entrance being to the east. Many of the seats are still in tolerable preservation, and at the west end is a vaulted passage, about a hundred and forty feet long, designed for the horses and chariots entering the arena. A Greek inscription, on the mouldings, informs us that it was completed in the reign of the emperor Vespasian, A.D. 82, after having occupied twelve years in building.

There are remains also of an odeum, two theatres, and a fabric, which Chandler supposed had been a senate-house and exchange. In the amphitheatre an inscription has been found, and, by com paring the date it gives, we find that it must have been in course of erection when the message was sent to the church of Laodicea, and that it was not long after finished. There is also a cave that has a very handsome arch, on which Dr. Smith found an inscription, purporting

that the building occupied twelve years in the construction, was dedicated to Vespasian, and was completed during the consulate of Trajan, in the eightysecond year of the Christian era. The Turks have made a multitude of excavations, for the sake of the stone, and have thus brought large and fine sculptured fragments to view, which sufficiently proves that the larger part of the ancient city, whether by earthquake or other causes, is buried much below the present surface of the earth.

When approaching the town from Gu zel-hissar, the road equals in quality, and the scenery in beauty, many of the finest districts of England. "We spread our mattresses," says a traveller, in a coffee-hut at Cushak; but the smoke of charcoal fires and a host of pipes, and the interminable concert of dogs, cats, (crawling over our faces,) horses, asses, cocks, and snoring Turks, gave us a sleepless night." The view of the Mæander adds greatly to the beauty of the scene, while orchards of figs and other fruit trees, with corn sown under them, and the hedges and water-courses; in excellent order, afford views which, for cultivation and beauty, are unsurpassed by those of our own favoured land. Arundell, who observed the town from an eminence whence a considerable view could be obtained, says "The village and its flat-roofed houses and trees lay on the right; behind them a ridge of hills, over which rose mountains capped with snow. In front, separated only by a narrow vale, in which is the amphitheatre, (called by Smith the circus,) on a long ridge, lie the ruins of Laodicea; directly behind them is seen the city of Hierapolis, appearing like a large semicircular excavation of white marble, on the side of Mount Messogis; between which and the ruins of Laodicea is seen part of the plain of the Lycus. At the left, higher up the hill, is a long line of arches, in large masses much decayed, once an aqueduct, before which were Turcoman black tents, and thousands of goats and sheep of the same colour."

At a short distance from Eski-hissar is Denizli, which has been compared to Damascus for beauty. It is a large walled town, containing four thousand Turkish houses, besides those of the Greeks, and several mosques. The numerous fragments of buildings which, in all directions, excite the attention of travellers, do not fail to impress forcibly on

his mind the grandeur of the city that has passed away. There is, in fact, not one of the seven churches, the overthrow of which has been so severe, and the deso lation of which so entire, as that of Laodicea. It is, indeed, little other than a heap of ruins; from which, however, ample evidence may be collected of the magnificence for which it was anciently celebrated. These ruins cover three or four small hills, and are of very great extent.

Tradition states, that the neighbourhood of this city was the scene of the labours of Bartholomew and the martyrdom of Philip; and its bishops are frequently mentioned in the councils of the church. The apostle Paul visited Phrygia on two occasions; and Macknight, Lardner, and Tomline are of opinion that the churches of Laodicea, Hierapolis, and Colosse were established by him. It is maintained, on the other hand, by Calmet, Horne, and others, that none of these places were ever visited by the apostle, for his route was in a more northward direction.

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Turning to the inspired record, we find that, "After he had spent some time there, (at Antioch,) he departed, and went over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order," Acts xviii. 23—a statement which intimates that he made a regular tour through both districts. "Though the historian," says Mr. Milner, votes only a single verse to his notice of this journey, it is obvious from his manner that it was not a hasty visit, but occupied the apostle's time and labour a considerable period." Macknight says that Paul, in his travels, appears to have gone directly to the chief cities in every country where he proposed to introduce the gospel. "The policy and advantages of this plan are obvious; for in the great towns he would have an opportunity of making known his doctrines to multitudes at once, thus most rapidly effecting the diffusion of Christianity." Two other journeys of Paul are noticed in the book of Acts, in which he must have passed in the neighbourhood of Laodicea; for he traversed Pisidia and Pamphylia, the neighbouring provinces to Phrygia, and within a day's journey of the apocalyptic city : "And after they (Paul and Barnabas) had passed throughout Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia," Acts xiv. 24. On the other hand, it is maintained that, in the epistle to the Colossians-whose contiguity renders it highly probable that the means used for implanting Christianity in

one town was employed in the other-he says, "Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus," Col. i. 4; which is considered as implying that they were not converts under his instrumentality, and that his knowledge of their faith was received from the testimony of witnesses. Again, the apostle says "I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh," Col. ii. 1.

The inspired charge to the apostle John was:" And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous, therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches," Rev. iii. 14-22. The church which had been built up in the faith at Laodicea appears, by the epistle addressed to it, to have fallen away from its "first love." These words were, therefore, sent in exhortation and reproof by the "Amen," who demanded of those who worshipped him that they should do so in spirit and in truth. He asked not the cold acknowledgment of their allegiance-he sought not a formal attendance on his ordinances; but denouncing evil tempers, unholy actions, and attachment to the world, he intimates that a combination of these, with a profession of love to Christ, was more dishonouring to the cause of religion than their apostasy itself. By such a course

the world would entertain-as it does at the present day—an unfavourable view of the great and glorious principles of Christianity, and they would thus prove traitors to the cause they avowed. Unless, therefore, they became "fervent in spirit, serving the Lord," they were warned that they would be rejected by the God of purity. Nor should it be overlooked that, though the declaration was expressly intended for the Laodicean church, it is applicable to professing Christians of every age. As there are many who discourage those who are seeking the strait and narrow road by their own inconsistencies, it is well for each one to ask himself whether he falls under the like condemnation.

Laodicea, now extinct, is to be traced only by a confused heap of ruins on the green declivities of the mountain range of Messogies. Whether the members of the church there were roused from their sloth by the apostolic injunctions, or whether they heeded not the commands of Christ, the spectacle will not fail to impress the beholder and the reader with the conviction of the subsequent criminality of the city. The "half-entombed ruins" and mouldering sarcophagi which may still be seen, and the cry of the jackal, as it is wafted on the breeze over the desolate spot, declare, in terms not less clear than impressive, that punishment awaits the wicked, and that, if nations raise the arm of defiance to heaven's high throne, they will find that "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God!" F. S. W.

THE PENITENT MALEFACTOR.

He had seen and watched every movement of the lamb-like Sufferer who hung upon the neighbouring cross. He had witnessed the anxiety which, in the midst of his own pains, he had shown for his sorrowing mother; and the shelter which he had been careful to provide her under the humble roof of the friend he loved. He had heard his prayer for the forgiveness of his persecutors. Never, he thought, had man spoken like this man. Such meekness and gentleness he had never seen nor conceived before. Perhaps he had already been a witness of the unjust sentence forced from Pilate, and the denial of all fair justice which had marked the whole proceedings of his trial. But, at