and kindred, in the prospect of full redemption by the blood of the Lamb.

Reader, this narrative exhibits in a striking view, the horrors and miseries of war. Oh, how painful is it to contemplate man, originally made in the image of his beneficent Creator, thus transformed into the murderer, the butcher of his race! As if the ravages of natural death were too limited and slow, war, with its attendant evils, has in all ages extensively prevailed, numbering its victims by thousands and millions. Still, war, with all its dreadful horrors, is only the direful effect of that more direful cause, which dwells deep in the desperately wicked heart of every unrenewed man. "The carnal mind is enmity against God;" its desire is to hurl Jehovah from his throne, and to set up the idol of self in His place; and thus maintaining a warfare with God, and living in a state of continued rebellion against Him, need we wonder that the envy and malice which cannot successfully oppose our Almighty Creator, should seek its gratification in the misery and death of those who are His rational and intelligent offspring?

But this narrative shews, above all, the unspeakable value of the gospel. Possessions and honours may sustain and gratify us in the day of health and prosperity, but what do they avail in the day when God taketh away the soul? We have reason to fear, that on the fatal field of Barossa, many a soldier yielded up his spirit amidst the most embittered reflections as to the past, and the most hopeless anticipations as to the future; having lived without the faith of the gospel, they died without its hope. But how different was it with William; he, in believing penitence, had been brought to the feet of Jesus; in the hour of his extremity, he enjoyed the tokens of His everlasting love; and, leaning on His arm, he triumphantly entered through the gate of death, into the heavenly city. Be entreated, therefore, oh, reader, to enlist under the Captain of salvation, and following Him, to endure "hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." He is the resurrection and the life. He leads all His followers to victory and triumph; and if you depend on his atonement, intercession, and promised Spirit, He will carry you safe through the Jordan of death, and present you faultless before the throne of his glory with exceeding joy.*

AND THEN?

Filippo Neri was living at one of the Italian universities, when a young man, whom he had known as a boy, ran up to him with a face full of delight, and told him that what he had been long wishing

* Abridged from "The Church in the Navy and Army," by William Innes.

above all things in the world, was at length fulfilled, his parents having just given him leave to study the law; and that thereupon he had come to the law school at this university, on account of its great fame, and meant to spare no pains or labour in getting through his studies as quickly and as well as possible. In this way he ran on a long time; and when at last he came to stop, the holy man, who had been listening to him with great patience and kindness, said, "Well! and when you have got through your course of studies, what do you mean to do then ?"

"Then I shall take my doctor's degree," answered the young man. "And then ?" asked Filippo Neri again.

"And then," continued the youth, "I shall have a number of difficult and knotty cases to manage, shall catch people's notice by my eloquence and zeal, and gain a great reputation."

"And then ?" repeated the holy man.

"And then ?" replied the youth, "why then, there can't be a question, I shall be promoted to some high office or other; besides I shall make money, and grow rich."

"And then?" replied Filippo..

"And then," pursued the young lawyer, "then I shall live comfortably and honourably, in wealth and dignity, and shall be able to look forward quietly to a happy old age."

"And then ?" asked the holy man.

"And then," said the youth, "and then-and then then I shall die."

Here Filippo lifted his voice and again asked, “And then?" Whereupon the young man made no answer, but cast down his head, and went away. This last "And then ?" had pierced like a flash of lightning into his soul, and he could not get quit of it. Soon after, he forsook the study of the law, and gave himself up to the ministry of Christ, and spent the remainder of his days in his service.

young lawyer, is one When we have done

The question which Filippo Neri put to the which we should put frequently to ourselves. all that we are doing, all that we aim at doing, all that we dream of doing, even supposing that all our dreams are accomplished, that every wish of our heart is fulfilled, still we may ask, What will we do, what will we be, then? Whenever we cast our thoughts forward, never let them stop short on this side of the grave; let them not stop short at the grave itself; but when we have followed ourselves thither, and have seen ourselves laid therein, still ask ourselves the searching question, And then?

Varieties.

A SOLEMN QUESTION. The Mosaic dispensation was not so glorious as that of the gospel; and yet under that dispensation, every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward. How numerous and awful were the plagues of Egypt,-and how tremendous were the judgments that came upon Nadab, Abihu, and Koran, and his company,-and how many thousands of the Israelites were destroyed for their rebellions. Thus he that despised Moses's law, died without mercy. How, then, shall we escape if we neglect the salvation of Christ? How great and glorious is this salvation, and how tremendous will be the consequence of neglecting it. The deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage was great; but the salvation of Christ is much greater, being a deliverance from the dominion of sin, and the bondage of Satan. The salvation of Israel from a watery grave at the Red Sea, was great; but the deliverance of the sinner from the briny sea of eternal wrath is much greater. The deliverance of the Israelites from all the toils and perils of the desert, when they were settled in the promised land, was great; but to deliver the sinner from all the conflicts and dangers of time, and to bring him safe to the heavenly kingdom, is greater. The penitent, believing sinner is saved from the guilt, pollution, dominion, and sad consequences of sin, and restored to the favour and enjoyment of God. But, alas, how many neglect this great salvation! Those that continue to neglect it, will not escape the judgment of the great day, and endless perdition. Oh, sinner, awake to righteousness. Arise, and call upon thy God, if so be thou perish not. Let thy prayer be, "Lord, save, or I perish," "God be merciful to me a sinner." Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and He says, "Whosoever cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."

SALVATION ONLY THROUGH JESUS CHRIST.-A Sunday-school little boy was taken dangerously ill; one of the teachers went to visit him, and asked him if he was happy. By this time the little boy had lost his speech; but, putting his finger to the palm of his other hand, he repeatedly pointed to it. Unable to ascertain the meaning of this action, the teacher asked him again if he were happy,—if he had any ground of hope for heaven. At length the little boy recovered his speech, and repeating the action with his finger, he said, "Yes, through Him that was pierced." Here is the great object of saving faith-Him that was pierced. The little boy died happy, with his eyes fixed on the hands that were pierced on Calvary's brow; and so may you, but on nothing else. "Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved" (Acts iv. 12).

HOW STRANGE!

Strange, that thinking beings do not think; that intelligent creatures do not understand. Strange, above all, that we know best what is farthest from us, and know least what is nearest to us. What nearer to us than ourselves? Yet, who knows himself? Ancient heathens acknowledged that the command, "know thyself," descended from Heaven. The Bible records it as the command of God. All sensible men confess that wisdom begins with self-knowledge. A few of the thousand questions by which this knowledge is obtained, we have ventured to place on the second page of the cover. Permit us earnestly to request that our readers will fix one of these questions each morning, before the business of the day begins.

TIME was, TIME is, TIME ends! thy Time is now !
This precious Time to thee was given,

To watch, to pray, to supplicate,—and thou
Art fit, or UNFIT, MAN, for Heaven!

LIFE INSURANCE FOR THE POOREST.

Careful and prudent persons lay by against a rainy day. One of the best ways of doing this, is by paying a small sum annually to insure a considerable sum being paid on our death to our widow and family, if we have any. The difficulty is that so many are too poor to do this. But there has been established, and for a very long time, an invaluable Insurance-office, in which all may insure, for they may do so "without money and without price." They may insure, not merely for a small sum, but for "exceeding riches;" not riches which can "flee away as an eagle towards heaven,” but “durable riches;" they can insure for themselves as well as their families, and for their families as well as themselves (Jer. xlix. 11-Hos. xiv. 3). They cannot lose their principal, for God is their treasurer, and he will keep what they have committed to "Him." They will receive unheard-of interest, "an hundred-fold," while they are paying in during life, and in the world to come "life everlasting." It is, moreover, the only office in which we can insure to receive an inheritance ourselves after death. An innumerable multitude, dead to us, are now living happily and gloriously on what they insured for during this life; the poorest who insured here are now immensely rich; the richest who would not insure, have left all behind, and are now lifting "up their eyes in torments." Friend, this office is always open, -no higher premium is charged to old than to young, to the sickly than to the healthy. Repentance toward God, and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, is the only charge. Are you insured? "To-morrow we die." Then the office-door is closed to us for ever!