comfortably," that "he went on his way rejoicing." (See Acts viii. 26-39.)

VIII. When the prodigal son had wasted all his substance "in a far country," as he arose to go to his father, even "while he was yet a great way off, his father ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him," and spake indeed "to his heart." (Luke xv. 20-24.)

IX. It was after Abram had departed from his own country, and from his father's house, to go into the land of Canaan, that, withdrawn into "the plain of Moreh," there the Lord appeared to him, and spake "comfortably” unto him the word of promise. (Genesis xii. 1-7.)

X. It was to Daniel as a captive in Babylon that by the side of the great river Hiddekel, being "left alone,' an hand touched him, and most comfortable words were spoken unto him. (Dan. x. 4, 8, 11, 12, 17, 18.)

XI. And it was to John as an exile, in the isle that is called Patmos, that most glorious revelations of the future were vouchsafed to him, and that the Lord Jesus spake "comfortably" unto him. (See Rev. i. 17, 18, and i. 7.) A. L. N.

Torquay, 1848.

LITTLE BUILDERS.

THE coral insect buildeth well,
Far down beneath the sea:
Chamber on chamber, cell on cell,
In after days shall be.

The work shall through the waters burst,
Like walls about a town,

From small foundations, that at first
A child might trample down.

Then who shall say but little hands,
That little off'rings bring,

May houses build in Eastern lands,
For God our heavenly King?

May dwellings build for thee, O Lord,
In hearts like mountain stone;
When these shall hear the Holy Word
In Christian countries known?

Missionary Hymns.

THOROUGH STUDY.

PASSING Over a field of study has been graphically compared to conquering a country. If you thoroughly conquer everything you meet, you will pass on from victory to victory; but if you leave here and there a fort and a garrison not subdued, you will have an army hanging on your rear, and your ground will soon need reconquering.

There is such a constant mortification and loss of selfrespect attending the habit of going upon the surface, that, were it only for personal comfort, you should be thorough. At the first setting out, your progress will be slow-perhaps very slow-but in the long race before you, you will be the gainer. How often have I seen a man, with a mind originally bright, chagrined and humbled at his want of accuracy! He makes an assertion, and calls it a quotation from some distinguished author. "Does not Burke say so, and advocate that sentiment?" "I never understood him so," says an accurate listener. He now begins to hesitate, apologises, says it is a great while since he read Burke, but such is his impression. Has he not fallen in the estimation of every one present, and in his own also? And yet, such is the habit fixed upon him, that he will go on and again tread over the same ground with hesitating steps.

How much better is knowledge-something that you know-than any amount of conjecture, formed somewhere in the region of knowledge! One lesson, or one book, perfectly and thoroughly understood, would do you more good than ten lessons, or ten books, not half studied.

When you have a mind to improve a single thought, or to be clear in any particular point, do not leave it till you are master of it. View it in every light. Try how many ways you can express it, and which is shortest and best. Would you enlarge upon it, hunt it down from author to author; some of whom will suggest hints concerning it, which, perhaps, never occurred to you before; and give every circumstance its weight. Thus, by being master of every subject as you proceed, though you make but a small progress in the number of books which you

study, you will make a speedy one in useful knowledge. To leave matters undetermined, and the mind unsatisfied in what we study, is but to multiply half-notions and introduce confusion, and is the way to make a pedant, but not a scholar.-Todd's Student's Guide.

THE SILENT PREACHER.

In the middle of France stands a town, in which many English Christians take a deep interest. This is because they have had a remarkable opportunity of doing good there, through a lady from England, who has been led to reside in the town, and to spend her whole time in seeking to extend the knowledge of Jesus in it. The name of the place is Auxerre.

If you were to go into the burying-ground at Auxerre, perhaps your eye would be struck with one neat, white tombstone-the only one in the whole ground, which has a passage of Scripture engraven on it. On all the

tombstones round, there is written some such motto as, "Priez pour lui," (pray for him,) "Priez pour elle,” (pray for her,) but this tombstone bears on it the beautiful inscription, "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him might not perish, but have everlasting life." This must be a Protestant grave: it is very plain that they who erected this stone, disbelieved in purgatory, and loved their Bibles.

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I will tell you who it is that is buried underneath this stone. She was one who had heard about the Saviour in the chapel which was built by means of the lady, of whom I have told you. She heard and believed. By and by she was taken very ill, and laid upon her dying-bed. The "Soeurs de charité," sisters of charity, or nuns, came to see her, and tried, as much as they possibly could, to persuade her to confess to the priest, that he might forgive her her sins. But she would not listen to them. The priest himself came, but all his pleadings were in vain. A few days only before she died, he called

again, and though she was sinking fast, he insisted on seeing her. For two hours did he stay, promising, threatening, persuading. She said, "I have confessed to God, and have done with man. It is God who forgives me." When he was gone, she fainted from the

two hours' exertion.

As the priest was leaving the house, he met at the door her brother. 'Well, Monsieur le curé," said he, "how have you got on with my sister?" Oh! I can do nothing with her." "And if she had confessed,' asked the brother, “what would you have done with her sins ?" "I should have sent them to the archbishop, to be sure." 'And what then?" "He would have sent them to the Pope, and he would have sent them to the Virgin, and the Virgin would have sent them to her Son." Well, Monsieur," replied the other, "with our new religion, we have learnt a shorter way, for Christ says, Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden.'

There are hundreds in Auxerre, who know nothing of Jesus as the way, and the only way, to God. The priests to whom they look up for direction, teach them nothing of his love; they persuade them that all is right with them, if they go regularly to mass, and do what they tell them, without asking questions. In their blind zeal, they even pray against the Protestants; they pray God to send the Protestant heretics quickly out of the town. We are afraid that such as these will not enter the chapel, where the pure word of God is read in the hearing of the people, and the true way to God is explained; but, as they wander about in the burying-ground, will not their eye be struck with the Gospel message, which silently meets their eye from the Protestant grave? As they are weeping, perhaps, over the graves of their departed friends, whose souls they think are enduring the fire of purgatory, will they not look up, and read that "God so loved the world, that whosoever believeth in Him might not perish, but have everlasting life;" and will they not say "Yes, this is a promise that comforts my heart-this is the religion for me, which tells me, if I believe in Jesus, of no purgatory, no fierce fire, no cruel

pains, after death, but of the love of God and life everlasting?"

May God grant that, while the minister is preaching in the chapel, that silent text may preach in the graveyard!-Missionary Repository.

NOTICES OF BOOKS.

The New Testament Pocket Commentary: compiled from Henry, Scott, Doddridge, Burkitt, and other writers: with numerous explanatory and illustrative notes. Pp. 356. The Religious Tract Society.

Christians are much indebted to the Religious Tract Society for the valuable Commentaries on Holy Scripture which they have published. We do not pretend to have read through the little work before us— -but what portion

we have read we like.

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In glancing lately at the preface to Bingham's laborious Antiquities of the Christian Church," we were struck with the following passage, in which he points out what he thought a desideratum in his time. We are not sure that Bingham's plan, which is surely a judicious one, has yet been realized by the execution of a simple textual Commentary such as he describes.

"A new work of short marginal annotations on the Bible, explaining only the most obvious difficulties, that seem to puzzle ordinary readers. The learned have annotations abundantly enough to serve their turn; but still there seems to be something wanting of this kind for ordinary readers. I have sometimes put learned friends upon this work, who perhaps were otherwise usefully employed and if I myself had not had the same plea, I would have attempted something of this nature for the benefit of inferior people, who are allowed to read the Scriptures, and yet many times want proper helps to understand them; which would be remedied very often, either by giving a little turn and light to the translation, or explaining some obscure phrase, or some ancient custom, upon which the understanding of the text many times depends, with other such ways of accommodating the Scripture to the capacities of the vulgar."*

* Bingham's Origines Ecclesiasticæ. Bohn's edition. Preface.