and landed at the city of Acre the 12th of October. Our fleet took all the French heavy artillery in the Red Sea, which we employed against themselves, and obliged them to raife the fiege with the lofs of the greater part of their army. General Buonaparte having proceeded into Egypt with his army, left us at liberty to go further into Turkey, which you will obferve we did. We lay here one month, and then marched to the city of Samaria, in Galilea, where we lay fix weeks, when we got orders to proceed to Jerufalem, We paffed by the land of Sodom the 20th of January, and encamped the 26th on the Mount of Olives, 20 miles from Jerufalem, and upon the 2d of February marched into that city. The religion here is that of Mahomet, and there are great numbers of pilgrims. The city, which is about as large as Dundee, is 45 miles from the fea. The fineft building in it is a temple, (formerly) dedicated to the fun, (but now) belonging to the Turks. There is another temple built over the place where our Saviour was buried, and an image of the Virgin Mary, of gold, to which the pilgrims pay their devotions. Here is to be feen likewife the cleft of the rock, which rent when our Saviour gave up the ghost. We lay here three weeks, and then came to this town, namely, Bethlehem, ten miles from Jerufalem. This town is about as large as Perth, with fome fine streets in it. The place where our Saviour was born is now covered with a chapel, about as large as the fteeple of the church in Dundee, where the Chriftians worship.

The most remarkable thing in this country is the cheapnefs of provifions, &c. Wine, to be had at two pence per bottle; lemons one penny per dozen, and oranges the fame; figs three-pence-halfpenny per pound; butter, milk, and cheefe, alfo very plenty. It may, with great propriety, be ftill ftiled the Promifed Land, "a land flowing with milk "and honey," for there is every thing in great abundance. In fhort, this country almoft wants for nothing; money being very little ufed. I got a cheft made in Jerufalem of the wood of Lebanon for two fhillings, which would have cost me two guineas in Britain, &c. (Signed) DAVID TAYLOR.

IN

A MEDITATION.

WRITTEN IN A TIME OF ILLNESS.

N this hour of languor and indifpofition, which loudly calls upon me to remember the weaknéfs and mortality of this tabernacle of clay, it behoves thee, O my foul, to retire, into thy fecret chamber, to clofe every avenue against the intrufions of bufinefs or amufement, and fpring forward on the wings of meditation to meet that folemn period, when this frail body must be ftretched upon the bed of death, and thou shalt take a final farewel (as to this world) of the companion, who has for fo long a feafon miniftered to thy wants, and fhared thy joys and forrows. Behold it tortured with pain, and finking under the preffure of weakness, falling a hafty victim to the fudden attack of fome inveterate difeafe, or gradually decaying under fome lingering, but incurable malady. The world, at this momentous feafon, appears to be, as indeed it is, lighter than vanity itself; and could I have attained the highest pinnacle of human honour, or amaffed riches enough to fill the univerfe, all would be of as little importance as the fmall duft in the balance; eternity, and eternity alone, is now the object of my attention. Perhaps fome dear, fome much-loved friend, may watch in fi lent grief my dying pillow, and anticipate with weeping eyes, the moment when even the ftrong ties of friendship fhall be rent in funder; or it may be, I fhall enjoy no fuch invaluable privilege, but the laft mournful offices will be left to those whole bufinefs it is to attend the fick and dying chamber, and whom habit has rendered indifferent to human woe; but this, (ftrong as are the emotions of nature on fuch reflections) even this, is comparatively unimportant, If thou, O Friend of finners, Saviour of Men! if thou art but prefent in that eventful hour, all fhall be well; fmoothed by thy gentle hand, my dying pillow fhall be fofter than the finest down; fupported by thy victorious arm, I shall triumph over Death and all his gloomy attendants, and, reclined on thy compaffionate bofom, I fhall enjoy fweeter reft than ever was experienced by the worldling in his happiest moments of health and tumultuous joy.

The period of diffolution now approaches; let me anti

cipate the awful moment. Thefe eyes, which have fo often been the organs to convey inftruction and delight to the mind, can no longer diftinguish furrounding objects; the film of death has covered them, and they are foon to be closed in total darkness! This tongue, which lately rejoiced to unite with the affembly of Saints below, in finging the wonders of redeeming love, now faulters, and can fcarcely articulate a complete fentence: yet, O my dearest Lord, deny me not one earnest petition, one importunate requeft! Let me, even when on the verge of eternity, be enabled to declare thy goodness to all who may approach my bed, and if I am incapable of finging thy praifes, affift me at least to whisper forth thy love!-but, hark! the laft groan that moment heaved the throbbing bofom, the painful ftruggle now is over; thy fetters are broken, thy prifon doors thrown open, and thou art releafed from thy long confinement; but who can fpeak the aftonishment of the difembodied spirit, or defcribe the fcenes which now open to thy view? A moment thou mayeft ftop, and behold the fenfelefs clay from which thou art juft efcaped; but foon, turning thy attention to what fo much better deferves it, thou fhalt foar far above thefe lower regions, and wing thy rapid way to brighter worlds; new beauties break upon thee as thou advanceft, while miniflering fpirits defcend from on high to accompany thy flight, and felicitate thee on thy emancipation. This wondrous ball, crowded with fo many myriads of bufy mortals, leffens to thy view till it appears but like a floating atom. The ftarry orbs attract thy notice as thou paffeft, but thefe too thou fhalt leave far, far behind: and, now behold! the portals of heaven appear, and the paffport is demanded by which thou canft claim admiffion into the realms of endless blifs. What haft thou to produce? nothing-nothing but the name of JESUS. Unworthy in myfelf, mayeft thou fay, "Of any portion but everlasting mifery, I plead only what Chrifl has done and fuffered on my behalf: he paid upon the crofs the full amount of my debt to divine juftice, and it is in virtue of a vital union with him, my living head, that I folicit an entrance here." The plea is accepted in the courts of heaven, and the faining gates are unbarred, and now thou art privileged with a feat among the bleffed. All the furrounding objects claim thy admiration; but, behold in the midft of yon refplendent glory is the throne of God and of the Lamb; hither, with transport unknown to Angels, thou flieft, and, in humble proftration breatheft forth the overflowing gratitude and adoration, which, through eternal

ages, fhall tune thy golden harp, and fwell thy notes of praife.

How faint this reprefentation! yet farther, O my foul, thou canst not penetrate; and even from hence thou must now return to this terrestrial globe, and wait here in longing expectation, till death fhall introduce thee to happiness, of which the highest ideas thou here canft form are feeble and inadequate.

But let me now, for a moment, (if I can bear the thought) reverse the scene, and fuppofe myfelf at the point of launching into eternity, without an interest in redeeming love, unacquainted with a Saviour's name, unwashed in his blood, unconcerned in the bleffings of his falvation. The foul, diftracted at the prospect of an eternal duration, in which the has nothing to hope for but mifery, cleaves to the body which has engroffed all her cares, and ftruggles hard for life, but all in vain. Forced to quit her crumbling tenement, fhe groans in deep defpair; then, without any fupport from that God whom in life the difregarded, and whom the can now only confider as an angry judge: without one pitying angel to mitigate her agonies, the looks in vain to heaven, and finks in endless ruin !! I can purfue the awful idea no further! O all merciful God, fave me, fave every one of my readers, from ever realizing the dreadful picture; and grant that we may all in time fecure an intereft in that dear Redeemer, who can alone make a dying moment comfortable, a profpect of eternity delightful.

Sandwich.

E. T.

A GLIMPSE AT HEAVEN. I

By the late Rev. William Nimmo, of Roberton.

A workers of S the day will come wherein God will deftroy all the workers of iniquity, fo the day will come, O pious foul the day will certainly come, when the gracious God will reward and crown all that love his commandments, and feck the glory he has made them for. Why do ye mourn, ye children of light, to whom belong the promises of blifs? You who feed on the pleasant fruits of piety, and the continual feaft of a good confcience; who tafte already the fweetnefs of hope, and hereafter fhall be fatisfied with the full

nefs of fruition, what can moleft your happy state, whom the God of glory has chofen for himself; whom he has adopted into his honourable family, and defigned for heirs of the kingdom of heaven? That bleffed kingdom where all delights abound, and whence forrows and tears are for ever banished; where none are fick, grow old, or die; where all flourish in perfect health, and live an immortal life in all the beauty and vigour of eternal youth; where none are perplexed with cares or fears; but all dwell fecure and free for ever; where we shall no more be subject to change; no more be exposed to the danger of temptation; no more shall we be croffed by others, nor ever difgufted with our own paffions. There a ferene tranquility fhall always dwell within us, and innumerable joys be round about us: joy in the excellency of our glorified bodies; joy in the perfection of our enlarged fouls; joy in the fociety of Saints: joy in the glorious company of angels; joy in the ravifhing fight of our beloved Jefus; joy in the blissful union with the adorable Deity: all shall be joy, love and peace, and all endure for eternal ages. Let then the fervants of our Lord rejoice and fing, "Sweet is the yoke of thy love, O Jefus; and light is the burden of thy commands." But,.O! how far more rich are thy faithful promifes? how infinitely greater thy glorious rewards, when every divine virtue in us fhall there be rewarded with its proper crown and glory? The humble there fhall be highly exalted, and the poor in spirit fhall be preferred to be kings. The meek fhall poffefs the holy land, and the mourn ers be comforted with eternal refreshments. The clean of heart fhall fee the God of purity and the lovers of peace fhall have the privilege of his children. They who hunger and thirst after righteoufnefs fhall be filled, and the merciful will be entertained with the kind embraces of mercy. They who fuffer persecution for righteoufnefs fake fhall receive a great reward. They fhall blefs each charitable hand that was affiftant to their happiness. They fhall praife and admire the provident mercies of their God, and fing aloud the victories of his grace. With joyful wonder they fhall fay, "Is this the reward of the little pains we took? Are these the repairs for the petty loffes we fuffered? Happy we who denied ovrfelves a few toys, and are now advanced to thefe high felicities. Millions of years fhall pafs away, and our glory fhall but then feem to begin: yea, when millions of millions are paft, our glory fhall be no nearer to its end !"