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Solomon built his mercantile navy at the place where it formerly discharged itself into the sea, as the most convenient point from which he might carry on his commercial enterprises. 1 Kings ix. 26.

Let us attend, then, to another incidental notice in Scripture respecting this district, which is in perfect conformity with all modern observations. All travellers agree that the waters of the Dead Sea are different from those of any other sea in the known world-specifically heavier-excessively bitter, and surcharged with bitumen, a sort of natural pitch produced in great quantities in several countries of the world: there is a lake of it in the island of Trinidad, so solid, that a man may walk across it; though it yields to his weight, and it would be dangerous to remain long in one place. This account of the Dead Sea is precisely what might be expected from the narrative of the Sacred Historian. He tells us, that the Vale of Siddim, which is now the Salt Sea, was, at the time when the hostile armies engaged in it, "full of slime pits," that is, pits of bitumen, the same substance which was used by the builders at Babel as a substitute for lime; for we are told that "they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar :" a fact confirmed by modern observation for the large bricks excavated where Babylon once stood, and now common in most of our museums, bear evident marks of having been cemented by pitch. Now, then, I think we may affirm that the mode in which the sinful cities were destroyed is peculiarly apWe are not, indeed, propriate to these circumstances. to suppose, that He who holds all the agents of nature in his own hand is limited in his resources, and obliged to adopt one plan as more convenient than another. is a great mistake to attempt to conciliate belief to a miracle, by endeavouring to bring it within the operation of natural causes; it is only a miracle when it is opposed to them. At the same time, when we find the Sacred Writer recording such minute particulars as that which has been mentioned, and which seems not at all essential to the history; and when we find that his account of the country agrees perfectly with modern observations, we are sure, at least, that he was well acquainted with the district; and we may infer, that in recording such apparently unimportant facts, God, in compassion to the unbelief of the human heart, was directing him to the selection of circumstances which might conciliate regard to the records of his Word, and teach mankind to apply to them as the only source of sound and saving knowledge.

It

Let us attend, then, to the way in which the sinful cities were destroyed. "The Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah fire and brimstone from the Lord out Gen. xix. of heaven: and he overthrew those cities." 24, 25. Now, the heathen authors mention the tradition that these cities had been destroyed by lightning from heaven. Tacitus, in the fifth book of his History, states, that the current report was, that flourishing cities had once stood where the Dead Sea now is, and that they had been destroyed by lightning. But the Sacred Historian gives a much more particular account; for he informs us, that the Lord destroyed not only the cities and the inhabitants, but "all the plain," and all "which grew upon the ground." Here was sweeping destruction; it was not enough that the sinful inhabitants should perish; the spot which had fostered such abominable wickedness was to bear for ever the mark of the blighting curse of heaven, and to be disqualified, for ever, from giving birth to any living thing. The fire and brimstone from heaven coming in contact with the inflammable materials with which the plain abounded, for it was full of slimepits, or of collections and reservoirs of pitch, the plain itself was consumed to such an extent and depth, as to excavate a bed sufficiently capacious to receive, without overflowing, the ample stream of the Jordan, which was instantly converted into a salt, bitter and bitu

minous lake, whose waters are hostile to the existence of every living thing.

Can the imagination form any idea of the scene which such a catastrophe must have exhibited? We have, indeed, the testimony of one eye-witness; but the im pression made on his mind is stated in the simple un"Abraham gat ambitious style of Scripture narrative, more impressive, perhaps, because little is attempted. up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the Lord; and he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and behold, and, lo! the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace." And who can form a conA district of upwards of ception of such a furnace?

seventy miles in length, and nearly twenty in breadth, ignited by fire from heaven, which was fed by brimstone from above, and by bitumen from below; which the waters of Jordan, rushing into the midst of it, were as inadequate to quench as an ordinary shower would be to slake a volcano, presents an image to the mind which overwhelms its conceptions, and which, perhaps, can only be exceeded by the terrors of the last day, when God will rain upon the wicked "fire and brimstone and a horrible tempest."—Psal. ii. 6.

I am aware that some German critics, whose humour is to explain away all miraculous agency in the govern ment of the world, and to ascribe every thing extraordinary to accidental circumstances operating on natural causes, have adverted to the physical constitution of the district in question, and have alleged, that lightning, accidentally striking the bituminous soil, would ignite the place, and account for all the phenomena. This is the method which they take to explain away the divine authority of Scripture, without denying the facts. Many are deceived by this insidious reasoning, and would wish to be excused from believing any thing but This notion strikes at what they can fully understand.

the foundation of all Religion, which depends on testimony, rather than on demonstration on faith, rather than on knowledge.

But, without prosecuting this view any farther, I would observe, in regard to the opinion alluded to, that according to the usual operation of natural causes, it is extremely improbable. The Dead Sea, which occupies the space once possessed by the Cities of the Plain, is surrounded by lofty mountains, and it is very unlikely that a thunderbolt should pass over them to strike the plain. The thunder is generated on the mountains, and there it generally expends its fury; and perhaps it was never known to strike an extensive tract of country, the Cities of the Plain. surrounded by such a barrier as that which encompassed

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But we have a surer argument than this to refute the theory of these sceptical refiners, viz., the suddenness of the destruction by which the cities and their inhabitants were overwhelmed; which could not have been effected by the mere ignition of the bituminous plain. "The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered And then the Lord rained upon Sadom The destruction into Zoar." for that same morning, was almost instantaneous; and Gomorrah brimstone and fire." Abraham gat up early," and looking" toward all the land of the plain, the smoke went up as the smoke of a furnace." By this account, then, the destruction was sudden and overwhelming; had it not been so, the victims would have escaped; but it could not have been so, had the plain been ignited by ordinary lightning. If it had been set on fire in one place, the inhabitants would have had time to fly from the danger; or if it had been set on fire in all parts at one and the same time, that would have been as great a miracle as the one which the expounders attempt to explain away.

I have only to observe, in conclusion, that the incredulity of these sceptics, in regard to miracles, in which they have too many followers, arises from the circum

stance that miracles are not performed in modern times. | and from that to Italy. At the recommendation of the And why? Because the greatest miracles ever dis- celebrated Cardinal Pole, he was admitted among the played to the world were manifested to testify the di- Dominicans in the city of Bologna, and was soon raised vine origin of that dispensation which was to establish to an honourable employment in that body. In the lithe reign of faith on earth; and that being accomplish-brary of the Inquisition, which was attached to the moed, miracles were no longer necessary. Every doctrine nastery, he found a copy of Calvin's Institutions. Being fond of books, he determined to read that work; and essential to salvation was fully unfolded, and every one of them confirmed by the most unquestionable miracles. the consequence was, that he became a thorough convert to the Reformed opinions. In the warmth of his first This was the highest and the last demonstration which God was to give of his mercy, his holiness, his justice, impressions, he could not refrain from imparting his and his eternal providence; and men were henceforth change of sentiments to his associates, and must soon to live under the power of his invisible and eternal have fallen a sacrifice to the vigilant guardians of the faith, had not the friendship of a father in the monastery kingdom. saved him. The old man, who was a native of Scotland, represented the danger to which he exposed himself, by avowing such tenets in that place, and advised him, if he was fixed in his views, to retire immediately to some Protestant country. With this prudent advice he complied so far as to procure his discharge from the monastery.

All the previous dispensations of God furnished materials for the confirmation of these important truths; and as they had all a reference to the great plan of salvation through Christ, and to the sovereignty of his kingdom on earth, they all merged and determined in these events; and henceforth, till the second coming of the Saviour, men are to "walk by faith and not by sight." But that was not first which was spiritual; the world was under a visible administration, enforced by visible sanctions, for a period of four thousand years, after which the Saviour appeared on earth; and having accomplished the work which his Father had given him to do, he ascended into heaven, from which he had come down to the abodes of men; and he now carries on the government of the world by the agency of his Spirit on the hearts of his people, establishing them in the faith of his second coming, and in the hopes of a glorious resurrection. Without miracles we could have had no idea of God, as separate from his works; we might have recognised an insentient course of nature, and might have found that it was our interest to conform to it, but we could have had no notion of future responsibility, or of a God who took an interest in the moral conduct of his creatures. The mere recognition, then, of an object of worship, and of religious duties, however imperfect the notions on these subjects may have been, affords a strong presumption, if not a demonstration, that miracles have been performed; for it is not easy to perceive how men should otherwise have recognised the personality and moral attributes of the Supreme Ruler.

SOME STRIKING PASSAGES IN
THE LIFE OF JOHN CRAIG,

COLLEAGUE OF JOHN KNOX.

THE providential interpositions which sometimes occur in the lives of God's believing people, are well worthy of marked attention. As an illustration, therefore, of the fatherly care which God exercises towards his own children, we extract the following brief sketch from M'Crie's "Life of Knox."

"John Craig was born in 1512, and soon after lost his father in the battle of Flodden, which proved fatal to so many families in Scotland. After finishing his education at the University of St. Andrews, he went to England, and became tutor to the family of Lord Dacres; but war having broken out between England and Scotland, he returned to his native country, and entered into the order of Dominican friars. The Scottish clergy were at that time eager in making inquisition for Lutherans; and owing to the circumstance of his having been in England, or to his having dropped some expressions respecting religion which were deemed too free, Craig fell under the suspicion of heresy, and was thrown into prison. The accusation was found to be groundless, and he was set at liberty. But although still attached to the Roman Catholic religion, the ignorance and bigotry of the clergy gave him such a disgust at his native country, that he left it in 1537, and, after remaining a short time in England, went to France,

"At an early period of the Christian era, there were converts to the Gospel in Caesar's household:' and in the sixteenth century, the light of Reformation penetrated into Italy, and even into the territories of the Roman Pontiff. On leaving the monastery of Bologna, Craig entered as tutor into the family of a neighbouring nobleman, who had embraced Protestant principles; but he had not resided long in it, when, along with his host, he was delated for heresy, seized by the familiars After being of the Inquisition, and carried to Rome. confined nine months in a noisome dungeon, he was brought to trial, and condemned to be burnt, along with some others, on the 20th of August 1559. On the evening previous to the day appointed for their execution, the reigning Pontiff, Paul IV., died; and, according to an accustomed practice on such occasions, the prisons in Rome were all thrown open. While those who were confined for debt and other civil offences were liberated, heretics, after being allowed to go without the walls of their prison, were conveyed back to their cells.

A tumult, however, having been raised that night in the city, Craig and his companions effected their escape, and took refuge in a house at a small distance from Rome. They had not been long there when they were followed by a company of soldiers, sent to apprehend them. On entering the house, the captain looked Craig eagerly in the face, and taking him aside, asked, if he recollected of once relieving a poor wounded soldier in the vicinity of Bologna. Craig was in too 'But great confusion to remember the circumstance.

I remember it,' replied the captain, and I am the man whom you relieved, and Providence has now put it in my power to return the kindness which you shewed to a distressed stranger. You are at liberty; your companions I must take along with me, but, for your sake, shall shew them every favour in my power.' He then gave him what money he had upon him, with directions how to make his escape.

"We are not yet done with the wonderful incidents in the life of Craig. 'Another accident,' says Archbishop Spotswood, befell him, which I should scarcely relate, so incredible it seemeth, if to many of good place he himself had not often repeated it as a singular testimony of God's care of him.' In the course of his journey through Italy, while he avoided the public roads, and took a circuitous route to escape from pursuit, the money which he had received from the grateful soldier failed him. Having laid himself down by the side of a wood to ruminate on his condition, he perceived a dog approaching him with a purse in its teeth. It occurred to him that it had been sent by some evildisposed person who was concealed in the wood, and He therefore enwished to pick a quarrel with him. deavoured to drive it away, but the animal continuing to fawn upon him, he at last took the purse, and found

in it a sum of money which enabled him to prosecute | his journey. Having reached Vienna, and announced himself a Dominican, he was employed to preach before the Archduke of Austria, who afterwards wore the imperial crown, under the title of Maximillian II. That discerning prince, who was not unfriendly to a religious reform, was so much pleased with the sermon, that he was desirous of retaining Craig; but the new Pope, Pius IV., having heard of his reception at the Austrian capital, applied to have him sent back to Rome as a condemned heretic; upon which the archduke dismissed him with a safe conduct. When he arrived in England in 1560, and was informed of the establishment of the reformed religion in his native country, he immediately repaired to Scotland, and was admitted to the ministry. Having in a great measure forgotten his native language during an absence of twenty-four years, he preached for a short time in Latin to some of the learned in Magdalene Chapel. He was afterwards appointed minister of the parish of Canongate, where he had not officiated long, till he was elected colleague to Knox."

his image in my character, and his law in my heart; | and when the great Redeemer shall be glorified in his saints, and adinired in all them that believe! What a glorious object of pursuit; and blessed be God, however difficult, it is attainable through the power of that grace which can beautify the meek with salvation; so that, though they have lien among the pots, they shall appear as doves, whose wings are covered with silver, and their feathers with yellow gold. Too long have I borne the image of the earthly Adam, nay, of the Evil One, but from henceforth, for time and eternity, let me bear His image who is the Holy One and the Just, for His likeness is the perfection of beauty and felicity. BELFRAGE.

Walk with God. To walk with God is a word so high, that I should have feared the guilt of arrogance in using it, if I had not found it in the Holy Scriptures. It is a word that importeth so high and holy a frame of soul, and expresseth such high and holy actions, that the naming of it striketh my heart with reverence, as if I had heard the voice to Moses; "put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground." Methinks he that shall say to me, come see a man that walks with God," doth call me to see one that is next unto an angel or glorified soul. O happy man that walks with God, though neglected and contemned by all about him. What blessed sights doth he daily see! What ravishing tidings, what plea

heavenly kingdoms, with no fear of death, but with the possession of eternal life! What consummate and endless felicity! There the glorious band of apostles; there the crowd of exulting prophets; there the innumerable army of martyrs, crowned for their victory in conflict and suffering; there triumphant virgins; the compassionate rewarded who laboured in works of benevolence to the poor, who, keeping their Master's precepts, have transferred their earthly inheritance to the heavenly treasure-house. To these, most beloved brethren, with eager desire we hasten. Let our Master, Christ, see the resolution of our mind and faith, who will confer larger rewards of his glory upon them who after him have had larger desires.-CYPRIAN.

The Christian Warfare.-Our battle is to be called before your tribunals; there we contend for the truth at the peril of our lives. What you contend for is victory. The object of our victory is the glory of pleasing God, and the spoil eternal life. A Mutius, an Empedocles, a Regulus, devote themselves to death, and you exclaim, what bravery, what energy of soul! O, glory, allowed because it has a human object, therefore its daring is not thought wasted, nor its confidence desperate in despising death and pain, and it is permitted to suffer for country, for empire, for friendship, but not for God! TERTULLIAN.

first in order-then peace, for there can be no solid or Love the Truth, and Peace.-Truth is here put the abiding peace that is not based on truth.

from the fit and orderly disposing of things according to truth. If one must be dispensed with, it is peace-for better truth without external peace, than peace without saving truth. That peace is far too dear bought that mental truth. Let them then go together; truth as the costs us the loss of truth,-I mean necessary and fundaroot-peace as the fruit; truth as the light-peace as the heat; truth as the foundation-peace as the strucIt is like the smile upon a beautiful face when peace flourisheth with truth. "Have salt in yourselves," said Christ," and have peace one with another." But some men love neither truth nor peace, they are full Some love truth, but of error, and fond of dissension.

ture.

sant melody doth he daily hear, unless it be in his sorWhat health sows or sickness! What delectable food doth he daily taste! He seeth by faith the God, the glory which the is to the body-what calmness is to the sea-what seblessed spirits see at hand by nearest intuition! Herenity is to the day-such is peace to the mind, arising seeth that in a glass and darkly, which they behold with open face! He seeth the glorious majesty of his Creator, the Eternal King, the cause of causes; the composer, upholder, preserver, and governor of all the worlds. He beholdeth the wonderful methods of his providence, and what he cannot reach to see he admireth, and waiteth for the time when that also shall be open to his views. He seeth by faith the world of spirits, the hosts that attend the throne of God; their perfect righteousness, their full devotedness to God, their ardent love, their flaming zeal, their ready and cheerful obedience, their dignity and shining glory. He heareth by faith the heavenly concert, the high and harmonious songs of praise, the joyful triumphs of crowned saints, the sweet commemoration of the things that were done and suffered on earth, with the praises of him who redeemed them by his blood, and made them kings and priests unto God. And in the beholding of this celestial glory, some beams do penetrate his breast, and so irradiate his longing soul that he is changed thereby into the same image, from glory to glory; the spirit of glory and of God doth rest upon him. And what an excellent holy frame doth this converse with God possess his soul with! How reverently doth he think of him! What life is there in every name and attribute of God which he heareth and thinketh on! The mention of his power, his wisdom, his goodness, his love, his holiness, his truth; how powerful and pleasant are they to him! while to those that know him but by the ear, these are but like common names and notions.-BAXTER.

The Joy of Heaven. Most beloved brethren, we must consider and bear in mind that we have renounced

the world, and live here, meanwhile, as guests and foreigners. Let us embrace that day which assigns to each his proper home: who that dwells from home would not hasten to return to his country? Our native country we reckon heaven. There an innumerable company of beloved ones expects us; a gcodly band of parents, brothers, sons, longs for us, already secure of their own immortality, and now anxious for our salvation. What mutual joy to them and us in beholding and embracing each other! What the pleasures of these

not peace; they are zealous but instead of being bumble and meek, they are violent and bitter. Some love peace, but not truth, indolent and indifferent what encroachments are made on truth, if they may live at their Many again seem to love both, but it is only for the selfish ends they gain by them, not on account of the things themselves, as some other ends combined with them. Others love what they think truth, but it

case.

is only their early prejudices, which they are never
careful to revise. Some likewise say that they love
truth, but it is not universally, such as when it crosses
their credit, their plans, or their pleasures.
The eye,
to see objects clearly, must be pure and clear. It is a
sound stomach that relishes substantial food.
So also,

the mind must be in health, to chuse and love whole-
some truth and sound doctrine. And it must be carefully
sought after, and separated from error. For truth lies
deep, and there is much rubbish and loose earth to be
cleared away, ere we come to the clear stream of truth.
Wherefore, let us show our regard for the truth, by
searching for it diligently-by maintaining it firmly and
fearlessly-by following and obeying it implicitly-by
striving to impart its blessings to others and by pray-
ing earnestly for its progress and success.- Old Author.