its present situation: but the earthquakes to which it was subject, which several times nearly destroyed it, and the greater convenience of trade, caused its removal to the plain below. Smyrna is seated on one of the finest bays in the world; and, notwithstanding its subjection to the horrible despotism of the Turks, enjoys a great foreign trade, and has Consuls from all the European nations residing in it. It is forty-five miles north of Ephesus, of which it was originally a colony; is four miles in circumference, and contains one hundred and forty thousand inhabitants; of whom about twenty-six thousand are Greek Christians, five thousand Roman Catholics, and one hundred and forty Protestants. The rest, with the exception of some Jews and Armenians, (both of whom are found all over the East, wherever trade invites,) being, of course, Mohammedans. The Christians here are represented as being in a better condition than in most other eastern cities: a privilege they doubtless owe to the enlightening spirit of commerce, and to the influence arising from their connexion with Europe. Polycarp, the martyr, and disciple of St. John, who is supposed to have been the angel of the church of Smyrna, addressed in the Apocalypse, was Bishop of this city, and was burned alive in the year 166. This was one of the purest of the early churches; and in the time of St. John remained uncorrupted by the pollutions and heresies which had already contaminated most of the other churches; in consequence of which, giving no occasion for reproof, it met with the divine approval. "And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich,) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." (Rev. ii. 8-10.)Mansford. ANECDOTES, INATTENTION REPROVED. IT is said of Demosthenes, that, speaking to the Athenians on a very serious subject, and finding them to be inattentive, he paused, and told them that he had something of special importance to relate, which he was anxious that they should all hear. Silence being thus obtained, and every eye fixed upon him, he said that two men, having bargained for the hire of an ass, were travelling from Athens to Megara, on a very hot day; and, both of them striving to enjoy the shadow of the ass, one of them said that he hired the ass, and the shadow too; the other THE SUNDAY-SCHOOL. said that he hired the ass only, and not the shadow. Having made this grave statement, Demosthenes retired; when the people pressed him with great eagerness to return, and finish his tale. "O ye Athenians," said he, "will ye attend to me when speaking about the shadow of an ass; and will ye not attend to me when I address you on the most important affairs?" This reproof does not apply exclusively to the "men of Athens." English people are deeply concerned in it; and the Ministers of Christ who are accustomed to discourse upon subjects immensely more important than any that called forth the eloquence of the Athenian orator, have reason to urge the same complaint. Many persons have an ear for vanity, but none for the truth; they will listen to folly, but not to the words of wisdom. To the things of this world they will pay a fixed attention; but to Christ and his salvation they are criminally indifferent. J. DUEL PREVENTED BY A LADY. THE following remarkable anecdote appears in the memoirs of Martha Routh, an esteemed Minister of the Society of Friends, who resided many years at Manchester : : "The back part of our house (at Nottingham) looked into the yard of the inn. The landlord and his wife were very kind neighbours to us the latter would often come and ask advice of my mother. An officer of distinction happened to be taking up his quarters there. One evening, having got too much liquor, he began to quarrel with some of the company, and after some time concluded to go into the yard to decide the affray. The landlord was not at home, and the landlady, seeing the officer draw his sword, fainted. One of the servants, exceedingly alarmed, came to acquaint us with the circumstances, fearing murder might ensue. My father was from home; but my mother quickly slipped out, passed through those who surrounded the officer; and as he was 89 holding up his glittering sword, took it out of his hand, and brought it into our house. The act so surprised him and the rest of the company, that they soon separated, and the family thereby were greatly quieted. In about two hours after, understanding who had got his weapon, the officer sent a submissive request to have it returned; but my mother told the servant it was safely locked up in our parlour, that she wished it to remain there till morning, and would be glad if the officer himself would then call for it and put it into the sheath. This he did, and very civilly acknowledged her kind interference. Herein was the Scripture declaration fulfilled,—'The righteous are bold as a lion.'"'—Patriot. 66 A CONFESSION BY DAVID HUME. THE following is told on unquestionable authority, in a note to the "London Quarterly Review," for February, 1817. It is related in the manuscript memoirs of the late Dr. Carlist, an eminent Clergyman of the Scottish Church," and friend of the historian "When David Hume and Mr. Boyle, brother of the Earl of Glasgow, were both in London at the period when David's mother died, Mr. Boyle hearing of it, soon after went into his apartment, (for they lodged in the same house,) when he found him in the deepest affliction, and in a flood of tears. After the usual topics of condolence, Mr. Boyle said to him, friend, you owe this uncommon grief to your having thrown off the principles of religion; for if you had not, you would have been consoled by the firm belief that the good lady, who was not only the best of mothers, but the most pious of Christians, was completely happy in the realms of the just.' To which David replied, "Though I throw out my speculations to entertain and employ the learned and metaphysical world, yet, in other things, I do not think so differently from the rest of mankind as you imagine.' My THE SUNDAY-SCHOOL. THE SABBATH-SCHOOL. THE Sabbath-school holds an eminent rank among the benevolent institutions of the day. It not only bears an intimate relation to others of kindred spirit and design, having the same great object in view, the salvation of souls; but it has become almost essential to, and identified with, their prosperity; so that they stand or fall together. The spirit of the Sabbath-school enterprise, is the spirit of Missions It is a system capable of indefinite expansion, until it shall be commensurate with the moral and spiritual wants of the juvenile population of our globe. It gives increasing momentum and efficiency to the Bible Society, by creating a thirst and corresponding demand for the word of God; at the same time that, as from an unfailing fountain, it is continually sending forth those pure streams that make glad the city of God, and animates and restores those who are sitting in the region and shadow of death. And where can the Tract Society find a more inviting and hopeful field of labour than the Sabbath-school? Those who are engaged in Sabbath-schools are engaged in a noble work. They begin at the beginning, at the opening of the intellect, while yet evil is in the bud, and there are encouragements to labour, which no subsequent period of life presents. And who can survey the amazing interests which hang suspended on the precious moments of the morning of probation, and the alternation of circumstances, which serve to depress and cast down the spirit, without recognising, with emotions of gratitude, the goodness and mercy of God, in providing our children with what may perhaps be denominated, extra means of instruction; so that, if parental and ministerial fidelity should fail, they may happily be converted in the Sabbath-school? And, on this subject, facts speak volumes. Thousands own the Sabbath-school as their spiritual birth-place. Thus God has set his own seal upon this work. What reflecting mind can contemplate such a scene as that of youth, and not be overwhelmed with a sense of responsibility? It is the duty of one generation to impart the knowledge of God to the succeeding, and so on this is precisely the responsibility of the parent, the Pastor, and the Christian; and great is that responsibility. In this department of labour, much has been, and much more can be, done. A few moments before his death, the pirate Gibbs said, "Sundayschools came fifteen years too late for me!" So we may say they came too late for thousands. From the amount of good already accomplished, we may hope that they have not come too late to save our country. If we improve it as we ought, here is a conservative influence that cannot fail us. An institution, of so benign and potent a character, planted in every state, if properly appreciated and improved, cannot fail to regenerate society, and make us a holy people. If, then, we could make ourselves heard on every hill-top, and in every vale, we would say to all, while we have this element of moral power among us, and so long as it is employed in humble dependence on God, we need not dread the ruin of our land, so often and confidently predicted by its enemies, and many professing to be its friends. Let, then, the friends of Zion, and of our country, redouble their efforts in the Sabbath-school.-Southern Christian Advocate. TABLE-TALK. THE WRONG SIDE OF THE OR, A CASE OF ABSENCE OF MIND. robed; and accordingly the priestly para- ..". Second Comer. "But, my dear Sir, Mr. is a Clergyman of the Church of England, and this is a Catholic chapel!" First Comer. "A what! Catholic chapel! So, so. I beg a thousand pardons. I have made a very singular mistake. I thought that I was in the Union over the way!"Worcester Herald. LONDON. THE traveller who looks on London for the first time; the foreigner who passes through the thick forest of masts that line its wide river, and gazes also on the dense, SCRIPTURE ILLUSTRATIONS. far-spread buildings; the citizen himself who regards it from St. Paul's, or some of the well-known hills in the neighbourhood of the huge capital, and sees its "dusky masses starting to the sky," feels conscious of pride at the seeming greatness of his country, but rarely pauses to think on the sad scenes in life's gloomy drama which are passing amid the majestic vastness of those crowded buildings; the aching hearts that beat under those sun-glittering roofs; the soul-sick pangs, the widow's tears, and the orphan's cry for bread; the kindness of the humble, the iron oppression of the proud, the charity of the needy, the bounty of those who have little to spare, and the savage, the grinding meanness of many of the great, whose good deeds are chronicled and blazoned to the 91 world; the sin and the sorrow, the infancy that is not innocent, the youth that knows no gladness, and the old age that is familiar with despair. No: the traveller, the stranger, and the citizen look only on the mass; but the beauty of the image would be sullied, the majesty of the grouping would melt away, if the pale array of misery's victims that are harboured there could mingle with the magnificence, and lead the imagination to other scenes than the pomp of domes, or the sovereignty of myriads! "Thy mind throughout my life be shown, J. K. SCRIPTURE ILLUSTRATIONS. SOLOMON'S DESCRIPTION OF OLD AGE.-ECCLES. XII. 2-7. WE have here an elegant description of old age. "Then the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars, will be darkened." That is, all outward comfort and prosperity, whether by day or by night, will be eclipsed, and withdrawn. "And the clouds will return after the rain." That is, one bodily distemper and trouble will follow another in quick succession. Then will "the keepers of the house tremble." That is, the arms and hands, which defend the body, will, by reason of their cold and dry temper, shake and quiver. "And the strong men will bow themselves." That is, the thighs and legs, which have strongly borne up the structure of the body, will be weak, and need the support of a staff' to assist them. "And the grinders will cease, because they are few." That is, the teeth, which chew and grind our food, will break, decay, and fall out; so that, being reduced to a few, they will be unable to do their office. "And those that look out at the windows will be darkened." That is, the sight will fail; the eye, through which, as through a window, the soul looks out, being dim and weakened. "And the doors shall be shut in the streets." That is, the lips and mouth will be disabled from speaking and eating. "When the sound of the grinding is low." That is, digestion, which is assisted by chewing, will be weak and imperfect, so that the system will be ill supplied with nourishment. "And he shall rise up at the voice of the bird." That is, our sleep will be so shallow, that the least noise will awake us, and so short, that it will prevent the cock crowing. "And all the daughters of music shall be brought low." That is, our ears will grow dull, so that the sweetest music will have lost all its charms. "And they shall be afraid of that which is high." That is, we shall by reason of weariness, dizziness, and want of breath, be afraid of ascending high places, and of attempting such high things as in youth we adventured upon without hesitation. ་ "And fears shall be in the way." That is, we shall be afraid of and in our journeying, lest we dash our weak and weary foot against a stone. "And the almond-tree shall flourish." That is, our head will grow white, like the almond-tree, which soon ripens. "And the grasshopper shall be a burden." That is, the least weight will be too heavy for our infirm body; yea, we, being then like enough to grasshoppers, shall be a burden both to ourselves and to others. "And desire shall fail." That is, all our bodily appetites will cool and cease. At length" the silver cord will be loosed." That is, the back-bone, with the spinal marrow which it encloses, and the nerves and fibres belonging to it, will be weakened. "And the golden bowl will be broken." That is, the vessel and membrane in which the brain is enclosed (which is aptly called "golden," both for its colour and value) will at last be shattered. "And the pitcher will be broken at the fountain." That is, the veins will cease from doing their office, at the right ventricle of the heart, which is the fountain of life; and so, our blood stagnating, we are soon extinguished. "And the wheel shall be broken at the cistern." That is, the great artery, which is knit to the left side of the heart, by which THE OAK. In the early books of Scripture the oak is always mentioned as connected with some sacred place, rendered holy by the near neighbourhood of a sanctuary, an altar, a pillar of memorial, or the grave of some remarkable person. After Abraham had left the land of Haran, at God's command, and had journeyed into Canaan, his first resting-place was at the oak of Moreh, and in the place of Sichem ; which oak, even at that time, probably marked a sanctuary; for when Joshua made a covenant at Sichem, with that numerous people descended from Abraham, which Moses had led up out of Egypt, he placed the pillar of the covenant "under an oak that was by the sanctuary of the Lord." Again, Abraham came and dwelt in the oak-grove of Mamre, † and builded an altar * "Plain of Moreh," English version. ↑ "Plains of Mamre," English version. unto the Lord. "And the Lord appeared unto Abraham in the oak-grove [plain] of Mamre, and he sat in the tent-door in the heat of the day." Abraham's hospitable reception of the three strangers who bore the message of the Lord is thus related:"He said, Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the TREE." He does not say, "on the plain," or "in the tent," but "under the tree;" the chief tree of the grove. The first time that our version mentions the oak refers to the oak in Sichem. When Jacob learned that his wives, on leaving Padan-aram, had brought away the family teraphim, or sacred images, of their father Laban, he collected them all, and buried them under the oak in Sichem, already a consecrated place. A few verses farther on we read of the death of Deborah, Rebekah's nurse; and that Jacob buried her under the oak that was in Bethel: that is, the very place where |