SKETCHES FROM THE PILGRIM'S PROGRESS. NO. IV. THE HOUSE BEAUTIFUL. Thus (Christian) went on his way; and behold there was a very stately palace before him, the name of which was Beautiful, and it stood just by the highway side. So I saw in my dream, that he made haste and went forward, that if possible he might get lodging there. Then he went on till he came and stood where the porter Then said Christian to the porter, 'Sir, what house is this? and, may I lodge here to-night?' The porter answered, 'This house was built by the Lord of the hill, and He built it for the relief and security of pilgrims.' The porter also asked, Whence he was, and whither he was going? was. Christian. I am come from the city of Destruction, and am going to Mount Zion; but because the sun is now set, I desire, if I may, to lodge here to-night. Porter. What is your name? Chr. My name is Christian, but my name at the first was Graceless. I came of the race of Japheth, whom God will persuade to dwell in the tents of Shem. Por. Well, I will call out one of this place, who will, if she likes your talk, bring you in to the rest of the family, according to the rules of the house. So Watchful, the porter, rang a bell; at the sound of which came out of the door of the house a grave and beautiful damsel, named Discretion, and asked why she was called? The porter answered, This man is on a journey from the city of Destruction to Mount Zion; but being weary and benighted, he asked me if he might lodge here to-night. So I told him that I would call for thee, who, after discourse had with him, mayst do as seemeth thee good, even according to the law of the house. Then she asked him, whence he was, and whither he was going? and he told her. Then she asked him also, how he got into the way? and he told her. Then she asked him, what he had seen and met with in the way and he told her. And at last she asked his name ; and he said, it is Christian; and I have so much the more a desire to lodge here to-night, because by what I perceive, this place was built by the Lord of the hill, for the relief and security of pilgrims. So she ran to the door, and called on Prudence, Piety, and Charity, who, after a little more discourse with him, had him into the family; and many of them meeting him at the threshold of the house, said, Come in, thou blessed of the Lord. So when he was come in and sat down, they gave him something to drink, and consented together that, until supper was ready, some of them should have some particular discourse with Christian; and they appointed Piety, Prudence, and Charity, to discourse with him. Now I saw in my dream, that they sat talking together until supper was ready. So when they had made ready, they sat down to meat. Now the table was furnished with fat things, and with wine that was well refined: and all their talk at the table was about the Lord of the hill; as, namely, about what he had done, and wherefore he did what he did, and why he had built that house: and by what they said, I perceived that he had been a great warrior, and had fought with, and slain him that had the power of death, but not without great danger to himself, which made me love him the more. Thus they discoursed together till late at night; and after they had committed themselves to their Lord for protection, they betook themselves to rest. The pilgrim they laid in a large upper chamber, whose window opened towards the sun-rising. The name of the chamber was Peace, where he slept till break of day, and then he awoke, and sang, Where am I now? is this the love and care The house called Beautiful signifies a Christian Church-not the building in which Christian worship is conducted, but the society voluntarily associated together for the observance of religious ordinances. 'Christian,' as Burder observes in his notes, who had as yet pursued his journey alone, is now introduced into the communion of saints!' Now, regarding a Church under the notion of the house Beautiful, there are several things which we are here called to observe. In the first place, we have set before us the nature of a Christian Church.—It is a house; a house not built, however, by private enterprise or public speculation, but by the Lord of the hill. In other words, a Church is a regularly organized society, having appropriate officers and ordinances, constituted by Divine authority, and administered according to a Divine appointment. But what a house! How beautiful for situation, how lovely to the view! 'The beauty of the Lord our God is upon it.' The very idea of a Church is a beautiful idea, combining at once wisdom and benevolence; and the realization of the idea, in the union of a number of professedly regenerated persons, meeting together on the principles, and regulated by the laws of the Gospel, is as beautiful as the idea itself. Well is it called the house Beautiful. But we are taught, in the second place, the design of a Christian Church.-It is not intended to be the pilgrim's home. While a house, it is not a dwelling-house, but only a resting-house-a place of refreshment, not a place of residence. It is, so to speak, of the nature of an inn, 'built by the Lord of the hill, for the relief and security of pilgrims.' The Scripture representation of a Church, is equally removed from the view of those who would secularize it into a mere association of persons, for civil and social purposes; and of those who would spiritualize it into an institution for the making of men, who were not so previously, inheritors of the kingdom of heaven. According to it, a Church is indeed 'a spiritual house, a holy priesthood;' but it is meant not for the conversion of persons into Christians who were not Christians before, but for the edification and comfort of those who are Christians already—the preparing them for heaven, though not giving them a title to it. It is a banquetinghouse, where the King of heaven entertains His accepted guests. who passed along the way, must enter it. But neither, on the other hand, was it placed at a distance from it, so that those who entered it had to leave the way. It was just placed alongside the highway, inviting, though not necessitating every pilgrim to enter it. Accordingly, it is very observable, that while Christian is represented as entering the house Beautiful, and being hospitably entertained, Faithful is represented as passing it. As a general rule, all truly converted persons enter, in one form or another, the fellowship of the Church, as they ought to do. But there are exceptions. There are instances of persons, who, from some peculiarity of constitution or circumstance, are never in any way whatever connected with a Christian Church. The neglect is in no case without fault, and in every case entails injury, though we are not warranted to say, in any case, that it necessarily involves such a dereliction of Christian principle as to unchristianize a man. Again, we are called to remark the manner of admission into a Christian Church. The door of the house does not stand open, so that every one may enter that pleases. There is a porter to watch, and there are ministering officials to Further, we have presented to us the examine, and these ought to be satisfied position of a Christian Church—that is, the before any applicant is admitted. It is place which it occupies in the Christian different with regard to entering the economy. Now, there is to be noticed Church, from what it is with regard to here, first, its position in reference to the hearing the Gospel. In regard to the wicket-gate.-You will observe, that it is latter, all, without exception or distinction, not placed before or over it, as if men must are made welcome. All who have ears to enter the Church before they could be hear are invited to hear. But in regard to converted. It is represented as situated at entering the Church, distinctions are made, some distance on the other side. Christian tests are applied; and those only who can had not only passed through the gate, but stand the scrutiny, are, or at least ought to had been entertained at the Interpreter's be, allowed to enter. The Master of the house-had been relieved of his burden at house, the great Head of the Church, has the Cross and the Sepulchre, and had appointed ministers and other office-bearers climbed the hill Difficulty, before he arrived just for the purpose; and it is their duty at the house Beautiful. A person must to see that no one without the due title and not only be a converted person before he qualification shall be admitted. Though becomes a member of the Church, but give they are not to act as inquisitors, they are evidence that he is so-pass for this pur- faithfully, yet affectionately, in the exercise pose a longer or shorter period of probation. at once of piety, prudence, and charity, to The Corinthians 'first gave themselves scrutinize the knowledge, character, and unto the Lord, and afterwards to the conduct of those who make application. Apostles by the will of God. But there They are, first of all, to require from them is to be noticed, secondly, the position a profession of their faith; secondly, to of the house Beautiful in reference to the ascertain that the profession they make is way. It did not, like the wicket-gate, an intelligent profession-that they understand across the way, so that every pilgrim,stand what they say, and whereof they affirm; and, thirdly, to satisfy themselves that at least there is nothing in their practice which contradicts, or renders doubtful, the profession they have made. The manner of admission into the Church is a matter of vital importance, requiring great fidelity, and yet, at the same time, great discretion. course. In the last place, there is here brought into view the advantages of entering into a fellowship with a Christian Church.Though Faithful, as we have seen, kept on the way, though he did not enter the house Beautiful, he lost not a little which Christian gained. 'I wish,' said Christian to him, 'you had called at the house; for they would have showed you so many rarities, that you would scarce have forgotten them to the day of your death. The advantages of being a member of a Christian Church are very considerable. There is the advantage, first of all, of Christian interMen are made for society. There is a social instinct in their nature; and the constitution of a Christian Church meets, in the case of Christians, this instinct. What interchanges of thought! what communion of hearts! what sympathy of feeling does Church fellowship, when properly exercised, give occasion to! By this means, individuals who would otherwise be isolated, are bound together as the members are in the body by an electric chain of common interest, so that if one member suffers, all suffer with it; and if one member rejoice, all rejoice with it. But then, again, there is the advantage of public instruction and worship. An individual may by himself, indeed, acquire knowledge, exercise piety, and hold fellowship with his God and Saviour. But the doing this alone, and the doing it in concert with fellow-Christians united into a Church, are two very different things. There is an element in the latter case which is altogether wanting in the former, the social sacred element of public Christian union. 'Lord, how delightful 'tis to see A whole assembly worship thee! But there is, in a word, the advantage of mutual Christian support. Two,' says the wise are better than one; for if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe man, 6 to him that is alone when he falleth, for he hath not another to help him up.'' Christians in the Church, strengthen one another's hands, and comfort one another's hearts. A Church is a centre of life, and a spring of action to all connected. That our Churches are not more so, is owing not to any defect in the original idea, but to our not properly carrying it out. If Christians would but act in the Church as the Master intended they should, how would their arms not only be strengthened, but lengthened weakness would be turned into vigour, and death itself almost be swallowed up of life. D. S. THE POWER OF LANGUAGE. WHEN God created the first of our race, it was His intention that they should be fruitful, and multiply and replenish the earth; and this was pronounced upon them as a benediction. Fallen or unfallen, this implies multitude, and in the end some such divisions as we call nations. But it is impossible to say how many of the separations among mankind have their origin in the grand defection and subsequent progress of sin. Among a thousand causes, there is none more remarkable for potency than LANGUAGE; and diversity of languages dates no further back than Babel. Though the history of our race was forcibly turned from its prescribed channel by the introduction of moral evil, it did not, in any degree, cease to be under the guiding hand of Providence. As Paul told the Athenians, God hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitations.' His eye surveys all countries and their inhabitants, for periods of many centuries together, and sways these mighty masses, for His own glorious ends, as easily and certainly as He sways the individual man, or the atoms which compose his body. That this is a matter of interest with the Almighty, we learn from the Sacred Scriptures. Our only authority for the partition of races over the earth, is, that great ethnographic scale, the tenth It closes thus: chapter of Genesis. These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their 3 over sea. nations; and by these were the nations hundreds of thousands are willing to go divided in the earth after the flood.' According to Revelation, nations are raised up for definite purposes well known to God from the beginning. Their rise, their continuance, and their fall, are per- | fectly conformable to this august plan. Much of Holy Scripture is taken up in exhibiting the development of this purpose; and to seek for it, by applying the same principles to the analysis of other annals, constitutes a large part of the advantage which we derive from the study of history. When we consider the life of nations, we find it subject to the same law of mutability, which controls individuals. It is a perpetual flux and reflux. No single nation is ever permanent in the same land. Conquest and migration are the chief causes of change. It is very doubtful how much of ancient Roman blood is now found in Italy. The Jews are expatriated; the Arabs are wandering tribes, having no coherence; and the sons of the ancient Egyptians are a despised race in the land of their fathers. There are, however, considerations of more weight than that of mere race. Our forefathers were partly Anglo-Saxon and partly Norman, both referring themselves, at length, to the same northern races; yet those, with tributary additions all along the way, bave formed a national current as marked and homogeneous as that of any people on the globe. Unity of language is often a more important bond of political union than identity of origin, or simple proximity on the earth's surface. But, whatever causes may operate subordinately, the diffusion of nations, and their separation from one another, are under a Divine ordinance, and for wise and sublime ends. From Ararat and from Shinar, this work has been going on. When the immense body of Roman dominion had reached the point of decay, Providence opened the northern sources, and sent down upon Southern Europe, and even Africa, the Indo-German barbarians; as if to give young blood to the old veins. And when there seemed scarcely another page yet to be turned, God revealed a new hemisphere, a discovery which colours all our condition this day. When the time comes to fill immense tracts which would otherwise have lain unpeopled, such as California and Australia, specks of golden ore are made the lure, for which Single nations, studied in the separate life of each, give undeniable signs of a Divine guidance. The histories and prophecies of the Bible afford us the best key to this interesting subject. Forms of government, with all their revolutions, are part of a sovereign plan. Even atrocious sins of whole communities, on which God frowns, and which He punishes, such as the slave-trade, are nevertheless made to come into the universal scheme as the occasions of incalculable good. And in the retrospect which will be taken from an eminence yet future, it will be seen that each has had a problem, and that through good and evil it has worked it out. Hence, it becomes a matter of importance for wise men in any particular Commonwealth, to consider their own special vocation in Providence. The institutions and the language of a country, with its included literature and science, are the instruments by which it makes itself felt in the world. Consider that ancient people, the Jews; and, leaving supernatural influence out of the question, who can calculate the impression which has been made by the Hebrew tongue, and its handful of surviving books? The influence of the Greeks is well known, even to a proverb. It was, surely, not without a reason, that this | copious and expressive language, the wealthiest of all in its contents, was spread over all the Old World by the conquests of Alexander. Not to dwell on its philosophy and arts, it immediately became the vehicle for the conveyance of the Old Testament, as preparatory for subsequently conveying the New, over the earth. The Latin language, carrying the art of war, of civil structure, and the sublimest of ancient codes, in the wake of those amazing conquests, enlarged civilization, laid the basis of all the Romanee dialects and literature, and bore Christianity, not yet degraded into Popery, from imperial Rome and 'Cæsar's household,' to the remotest East and the Thule of the Britannic seas. When God would scourge His heritage, He let loose the sons of Ishmael, carrying a language which, at this moment, is perhaps the oldest unaltered speech of man; and these men of the sword, under the name of Arab, Saracen, and Moor, pervaded Western Asia, possessed Byzantium, overran Nor thern Africa, subdued Sicily and Spain, and, with their Turkish Allies, continued to menace South-Eastern Germany, even till the days of Luther. The mingled race of Celtic, Frankish, and Roman blood, which occupies beautiful France, has wrought wonders by its extraordinary language, which, by consent, has become the medium of travel, of fashion, and of diplomacy. The Revolution of 1789 would have less affected the world, if it had occurred in a nation, however populous, that had not already insinuated its language and its manners into the culture of every European nation. But mind, the ever-living, From each successive birth Less of hate and more of love, THE RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS. THE miracles of Jesus furnish such variety of pleasant speculation, that it is not to be wondered if we lose ourselves in them. At the same time, they have such a striking similarity of aspect, that, for the greater part, the observations which we make on any one of them are applicable to all. The miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead, is, however, an exception. It is, miracles. It is the fullest and most diversified in all its circumstances, and has beauties peculiar to itself, which demand our attention. At this moment, the same principle is exemplified by the German tongue, which, for fulness, strength, and comparative flexibility, may be called the Greek of modern Europe. Observe here, the power which inheres in the language of a people | unquestionably, one of the greatest of the as distinct from their politics. It is spoken in a number of countries under imperial, regal, and republican government; countries which have no commercial influence, and whose political maxims extend little beyond their own borders. Yet the language and literature of Germany are leavening the mind of all the civilized world. Agencies so subtle, and yet so powerful, are certainly included in those high providential counsels, under which the destinies of our species are wrought out. CHANGE! CHANGE! change! the mournful story The wrecks of perish'd glory The shatter'd tower and palace In broken language tell us Of the fleeting power of men. Change! change! the plough is sweeping O'er some ancient rural hearth- In the evenings used to spin, Still change! go thou and view it, The cloister of the Monk, With its bush-maned, staggering wall; Ask by whom these were unhallow'dChange! change! hath done it all! First. This miracle is remarkable as an exertion of private friendship. It gives a sanction to the exercise of this elegant affection, and displays the character of Jesus in a most amiable light. It has been often observed, that friendship was designed by the Author of nature, as a relief from the labours, and as a balsam to the troubles, of life. Jesus Christ took on Him all our innocent infirmities. His labours for the happiness of men were great; from these He took respite in the endearments of friendship. He had one friend among His Apostles, and one family among the multitude of His followers, distinguished by the honour of His frequent visits, and now by His raising one of them from the grave. The sickness of Lazarus, the distress of his sisters on that account, and the message which they send to Jesus, are the circum stances which introduce the narration of the miracle. In the message of the sisters, there is an energy and a pathos, which a person of tolerable sensibility must feel. It expresses at once their entire confidence in the friendship of Jesus, and the ardour of His affection. On other occasions, the messages or applications are usually introduced with some respectful expression of belief in His power: 'Lord, help me ;' 'If Thou wilt, Thou canst make me whole :' or they are direct applications to His pity and |