the act of dying, it is instantaneous-the soul departs from the body, and, according to the Scriptures, we fall asleep. It is recorded in the New Testament concerning the death of Stephen, that he was stoned-" calling upon, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my soul—and he fell asleep."

go

And when our Lord went to Bethany to raise Lazarus from the grave, He said unto His disciples, "Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I that I may wake him out of sleep. Then said His disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit, Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that He had spoken of TAKING OF REST IN SLEEP. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.”

9

And St. Paul, when proving the certainty of Christ's resurrection, says, "He was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve. After that He was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are FALLEN ASLEEP."

Why then should the fear of death or dying take such strong hold of us? It is surely because we do not sufficiently exercise our minds concerning the things that are upon record in the Holy Scriptures for our consolation. A proper attention to them would, no doubt, be all-sufficient to sustain us against further dread of resigning our breath to Him who gave it. And the calmness with which some depart out of this life, is a con

sneer, would wonder how he came so mighty wise; and the bulk of sagacious critics, influenced by the general voice, by pronouncing him a confident blockhead for endeavouring to confute such well authenticated facts, would diminish the respect a few might feel inclined to bestow upon his discoveries; and thus blast his reputation for Whereas a celebrated name would at once enforce conviction; his researches would be crowned with success, as his labours would deserve it his ambition would be gratified-his fame would be established as the discoverer of truth false opinions would no longer be imposed on succeeding generations-and his memory would be revered in after ages.

ever.

3

The most noble order of the garter is very generally believed to have taken its rise from the circumstance of the Countess of Salisbury having dropped her garter at a ball, which our gallant King Edward the Third taking up, presented to her with these words, Honi soit qui mal y pense.

How this error crept into history may be difficult, at this distance of time, to ascertain; but that the public should give into the opinion, must be attributed to the historians who have copied one from the other, without giving themselves the trouble to inquire into the real origin of the institution; and being thus handed down from one generation to another, the story carries with it all the appearance of truth, and is naturally supposed to be asserted on good authority.

"The story of the Lady's garter, however," says Dr. Heylin, a learned writer, who has taken no small pains to satisfy himself and the world in this particular, “I take to be a vain and idle romance, derogatory both to the founder and the order; first published by Polydore Virgil, a stranger to the affairs of England, and by him taken upon no better grounds than Fama Vulgi, the tradition of the common people, too trifling a foundation to so great a building. COMMON BRUIT, being so famous an historian, that wise men will neither report after it, nor give credit to any thing they may receive from it." And yet many learned men, for want of reflection, have incautiously adopted this vulgar error, and by imposing it on the public as a fact, have brought it to the vogue it is now in.

Selden affirms that this noble order was raised to honor military virtue with some glorious favors and rewards, and to increase virtue and valour in the minds of the nobility. For King Edward finding that Philip de Valois had countermined his design at his court in France, by associating martial men there, as King Edward, in imitation of King Arthur's round table, had done at Windsor; he resolved upon a design more particular and select, and such as might oblige and tie those, whom he thought fit to make his associates, in a firm bond of friendship and honor: and therefore, having given forth his own garter for the signal

timid, perhaps, to meet a sneer or an overbearing rebuff, by advancing an opinion contrary to that which has been generally adopted; or, they may be too indifferent to national benefits to give themselves the least trouble to improve the public mind. Thus, error and prejudice make daily encroachments on a nation's judgment, and lead multitudes astray; the majority of mankind not having the opportunity of convincing themselves by referring to chapter and verse. And many, even admitting they had, have not the industry to trace out truths, and draw conclusions from clear and impartial accounts; but take all upon common report, and give into custom without a reflection, be the blunder never so palpable.

It may be asked-who's to decide when doctors disagree? or how it is to be known which are clear and impartial accounts?

To these inquiries it may be answered, by proving them, as we do all other accounts; which may easily be done by men of experience and research, though a Goldsmith or a Lyttleton be compromised in the attempt. When it is considered in what manner the former wrote his historical epistles, it may not, perhaps, seem strange that inadvertencies should appear among his literary performances; and yet this historian is generally put into the hands of young people. It is said of this great genius, that after dedicating the early part of the day in reading Gibbon's Histories, he usually rode out for a couple of hours

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NUMBER XLI.

ON THE EARLY KNOWLEDGE OF CHRISTIANITY IN BRITAIN.

The good old man, too eager in dispute,
Flew high; and as his Christian fury rose,
Damn'd all for heretics who durst oppose.

IT has been frequently, though falsely asserted, that Austin or Augustin was the first who introduced Christianity into the British dominions; and it is no uncommon thing to hear persons who are attached to the Popish doctrines tauntingly inquire, Where was your Church before Austin's arrival? were you not all Pagans till he Christianized you? and consequently subject to the See of Rome till that tyrant Henry the VIII. quarrelled with the Pope. Shew us a Protestant before Luther? the very word Protestant proves the priority of the Romish Church.

Upon the first view of these observations, many unreflecting persons fall into a snare, and take all for granted. It is a lamentable fact, that the people of England are not sufficiently acquainted