be named:-A Brahmin, desirous of a court appointment, had obtained an introduction to the celebrated Bhoja Raja, and entering into learned discussion, delighted his majesty by the display of superior parts. After having exhausted his store of problems in the vain attempt to perplex the candidate, the king, in despair, demanded to be told why the serpent was made without ears. 'Oh," said the pundit, nothing at a loss, "the reason of that is very plain. When Bramah was engaged in the work of creation, he foresaw that, in process of time, Bhoja Raja would arise, and by unequalled achievements spread his fame through the fourteen worlds. Some great Rishi, in his delight, would hasten to Adi Shaysha, the serpent who upholds the world, and recount the wonders that were astounding the universe. Adi Shaysha, transported by the matchless rehearsal, would forget his position, and, as he does when delighted with music, would shake his head, by which the world would be cast out of equilibrium, and all things be reduced to confusion. To prevent this otherwise unavoidable catastrophe, the serpent was made without ears." A TEST OF KINDNESS. THE following incident is so beautiful and touching, that it should be read in every household in the country. It develops the true active principle of kindness. How many an erring mortal, making his first step in crime, might be redeemed by the exercise of this sublime trait in the character of the kind-hearted Quaker! William Savery, an eminent preacher among the Quakers, was a tanner by trade, and was known by all as 66 one who walked humbly with his God." One night a quantity of hides were stolen from his tannery, and he had reason to believe that the thief was a quarrelsome, drunken neighbour, whom I shall call John Smith. The next week the following advertisement appeared in the country newspaper: "Whoever stole a quantity of hides on the fifth of this month, is hereby informed that the owner has a sincere wish to be his friend. If poverty tempted him to this false step, the owner will keep the whole transaction secret, and will gladly put him in the way of obtaining money by means more likely to bring him peace of mind." This singular advertisement attracted considerable attention; but the culprit alone knew who had made the kind offer. When he read it his heart melted within him, and he was filled with sorrow for what he had done. A few nights afterwards, as the tanner's family were retiring to rest, they heard a timid knock, and when the door was opened there stood John Smith, with a load of hides on his shoulder. Without looking up, he said, "I have brought these back, Mr. Savery; where shall I put them?" 66 Wait till I can get a lantern, and I will go to the barn with thee," he replied; "then perhaps thou wilt come in and tell me how this happened. We will see what can be done for thee." As soon as they were gone out, his wife prepared some hot coffee, and placed pies and meats on the table. When they returned from the barn, she said, "Neighbour Smith, I thought some hot supper would be good for thee." He turned his back towards her, and did not speak. After leaning against the fireplace in silence a few moments, he said in a choking voice, "It is the first time I ever stole anything, and I have felt very bad about it. I am sure I didn't once think that I should ever come to what I am. But I took to drinking, and then to quarrelling. Since I began to go down-hill everybody gives me a kick. You are the first man that has ever offered me a helping hand. My wife is sickly, and my children starving. You have sent them many a meal. God bless you! but yet I stole the hides. But I tell you the truth when I say it is the first time I ever was a thief." "Let it be the last, my friend," replied William Savery. "The secret still lies between ourselves. Thou art still young, and it is in thy power to make up for lost time. Promise me that thou wilt not drink any intoxicating liquor for a year, and I will employ thee to-morrow on good wages. Thy little boy can pick up stones. But eat a bit now, and drink some hot coffee; perhaps it will keep thee from carrying anything stronger to-night. Doubtless thou wilt find it hard to abstain at first; but keep up a brave heart for the sake of thy wife and children, and it will soon become easy. When thou hast need of coffee, tell Mary, and she will give it thee." After The poor fellow tried to eat and drink, but the food seemed to choke him. vainly trying to compose his feelings, he bowed his head on the table, and wept like a child. After a while he ate and drank, and his host parted with him for the night with the friendly words, "Try to do well, John, and thou wilt always find a friend in me." John entered into his employ the next day, and remained with him many years, a sober, honest, and steady man. The secret of the theft was kept between them; but after John's death, William Savery sometimes told the story, to prove that evil might be overcome with good. Literary Notices. Healthy Homes, and How to make Them. By WILLIAM BARDWELL, Architect. London: Dean and Son. A very sensible book, on a very important subject. The extent to which healthy homes affect the well-being of society, has of late years begun to dawn feebly on the public mind. The work before us not only points out and forcibly illustrates the moral and physical evil to society at large from the prevalence of ill-built, ill-arranged, ill-ventilated, and unwholesome dwellings, both in large and small towns, but in clear and simple terms suggests the practical remedies. The book is intended for extensive circulation, and for the perusal of all classes of readers; we trust sincerely it will reach all, as it is full of important suggestions on a subject but too little considered or understood. A Letter to the Archbishops and Bishops of the United Church of England and Ireland, on the Order for Morning Prayer. By the Rev. JOHN W. LESTER, B.A., Incumbent of Ashton Hayes, near Chester. London: Seeleys. MR. LESTER suggests to the bench of Bishops the desirability of some modification and curtailment of the morning prayers, to bring them into conformity with the wants of the present age. Beautiful as unquestionably is much of the service of the Established Church, there can be little doubt but a better adaptation to the spirit of the day would be an improvement productive of benefit to the worshippers. The Antiquity, Literal Meaning, and Authen ticity of the Mosaic Narrative, examined and established. By the Rev. ALEXANDER STRACHAN. London: Longman and Co. THE substance of this little book was delivered, in two lectures, to the members of the Burnley Mechanics' Institute. Notwithstanding the multitude of existing publications on the evidences of the authenticity and Divine origin of the Bible, we think Mr. Strachan has done well and wisely in giving this volume to the world. It is full of interesting matter, at once original, curious, and important; and the style is eloquent as the matter is interesting. We very cordially commend this volume to the youthful portion of our readers, as not only supplying the most satisfactory evidence of the authenticity of the Mosaic narrative, but as being also full of information regarding the early history of mankind. The Latter Days. Railways, Steam, and Emigration, with its (sic) consequent Rapid Peopling of the Deserts; also, the present going to and fro, and Increase of Knowledge foretold by Isaiah, Daniel, and Joel, and indicating the Rapid Approach of the End of the Latter Days. Dublin: S. B. Oldham. THE writer of this pamphlet proposes the following inquiries: "Are the railways the 'highways' so frequently predicted in Isaiah? "Do the expressions in Joel and the Acts, 'fire and pillars of smoke, or vapours of smoke,' predict steam? "Does the expression in Daniel, 'Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased,' predict the railway transit, and increase of knowledge of the present day? "Does the expression in Isaiah, 'Make rivers in the desert,' predict the present rapid peopling of the desert places of the earth?" We leave those of our readers who are disposed to join him in the inquiry, to do so; merely suggesting, that it is considered well to acquire the ability to write the few sentences which form a title, grammatically, prior to undertaking to write any book, much more a book on prophecy. DIVINE EJACULATION. Poetry. GREAT GOD, whose sceptre rules the carth, I may proclaim how good thou art: Great God, thy garden is defaced, The weeds thrive there, thy flowers decay; O call to mind thy promise past, Restore thou them, cut these away: In all extremes, Lord, thou art still Because so much abhorr'd by thee: Shall mountain, desert, beast, and tree, Nor stir this stone-this heart of mine? Fountain of light and living breath, Whose mercies never fail nor fade, Fill me with life that hath no death, Fill me with light that hath no shade; Appoint the remnant of my days To see thy power, and sing thy praise. Lord God of gods, before whose throne When all the world belongs to thee? O Thou that sitt'st in heaven, and seest, What I possess, or what I crave, Be not possess'd and blest in thee: In making me, that have it, thine. When winter-fortunes cloud the brows Of summer friends,-when eyes grow strange, The Wesley Banner, AND CHRISTIAN FAMILY VISITOR. SEPTEMBER, 1854. Essays, Articles, and Sketches. RECOLLECTIONS OF HENRY MARTYN. THERE are, in the sidereal firmament, orbs whose shining services are almost entirely limited to one great globe, whose stately progress through the heavens they attend, ever sharing in all its fortunes. Besides these, however, there are other luminaries whose lustre and splendour, unconfined by sphere or system, go streaming down the pathways of the universe, and are objects of admiration and study to all worlds. Just so is it in the firmament of the church. Here, too, are moons and planets, and comets and fixed stars, of all magnitudes and all degrees of glory. Whilst we are often invited to bask in the waxing and waning light of some much-vaunted preacher-the mere meteor of a denomination, or the satellite of a sect-we are occasionally privileged to contemplate the shining career of some good man, whose work was rendered to humanity, instead of a party; and the calm, steady, far-reaching lustre of whose life and loving labours will go down undimmed and undiminished to distant ages. In such a category, who can refuse to place the subject of the present sketch? Who, in thinking of the name of Henry Martyn, does not picture to himself a star, beautiful and bright, burning in a sky of glory, and second to none in that constellation of worthies by whose examples we are cheered on in our earth-travels and toils ? Who, in the ranks of modern apostleship, can take precedence of this great missionary to the lands of the Mogul, and the descendants of the Fire-worshippers? The memory of this sainted man will ever be embalmed in the heart of the church universal; for no sect can ever establish a private proprietorship in such an illustrious witness for God and for his Christ. It never occurs to any large-hearted Christian to inquire, whether this zealous harbinger of the kingdom of heaven were an Episcopalian, a Wesleyan, a Congregationalist, or a Baptist; it is enough to know that his aims were the highest, the noblest, and the most spiritual that could excite the ambition of a sanctified man. The biography of Henry Martyn has long been before the world; and, although the last few years have been unusually fruitful of works bearing upon missionary operations, pervaded too with all the charm and romance of personal narrative and adventure, yet this memorial of the labours, and trials, and suf ferings of one of the earliest pioneers of Christianity among the heathen, will ever retain an honourable place in the library and the oratory of the earnest X minded Christian. The image of the seraphic Martyn, which is imprinted so deeply upon the religious mind of this country, has been derived mainly from those autobiographic records, and those self-revelations of thought, feeling, aspiration, and conflict, which were found in his valuable journal, and of which his biographers have so copiously availed themselves in the memoirs they have put forth. To this primary source of our information may be added the incidental allusions to his character, his spirit, and his labours, to be met with in the memoirs of some of his contemporaries, and especially of his missionary comrades; to whom, during his brief life, he was extremely dear, and whose souls, even in death, were not divided. Thirty-five years having elapsed since this excellent man fell a victim to the plague whilst travelling in Persia, we, in common with the Christian public generally, had long ceased to hope that any further contributions would be made to his history, or that any fresh light was likely to be thrown upon his character. In this expectation, however, we have been lately very agreeably disappointed. For in the admirable "Life of Mrs. Sherwood," which has just been published, we meet with some rather extended records of that lady's personal reminiscences of Henry Martyn, and of her intimate intercourse and Christian communion with him during her residence in India. There are few of our readers, we apprehend, who need to be reminded that Mrs. Sherwood was distinguished, until the period of her death, which took place in 1851, as a writer of beautiful tales for the young. Multitudes of those who are now battling with the world's trials and filling its posts of honour and usefulness, have learned to associate with her name some of their sweetest youthful enjoyments, and have derived from the perusal of her charming and fascinating writings some of the holiest lessons they have ever learned. But for other labours, besides those of her gifted pen, will this excellent lady be held in affeetionate remembrance. Her holy deeds, her sweet charities, her ministrations of love and gentleness, entitle her to a higher praise than that due even to her literary achievements. She was, during her life, the angel of comfort and the messenger of salvation to many a destitute outcast and many a forlorn orphan. She was the wife of a military officer, whom she accompanied to India, where she sojourned for many years, sharing all the disquietudes of a soldier's lot; though, at the same time, resisting all the temptations and dissipations of oriental life, and diffusing around the sphere in which she moved, the savour of a pure, pious, and beneficent life. It was while thus resident in India, that Mrs. Sherwood first became acquainted with Henry Martyn. This zealous ambassador of Christ arrived at Madras, as will be remembered, early in the year 1806, panting in spirit for the speedy conversion of the population of that vast continent. Nearly half a century has now elapsed since that apostle of this late age of missionary enterprise set his almost solitary foot upon that land of Juggernaut, the suttee, and the Thug. And although India is not yet subjugated to the Cross, as some of the noble enthusiasts of a former generation seem to have anticipated, yet what mighty changes and ameliorations have already been accomplished-what abominations have been abolished-what cruelties and crimes have been suppressed—what hoary strongholds of falsehood and priestly fraud have been undermined and overthrown-and what a beneficent revolution, in social condition, in intellectual training, and in religious culture, is still marching majestically onwards towards a glorious consummation. If enough has not already been effected, by the little band of heroic men and women who have sacrificed their lives for India, to realize all the sanguine hopes of its first apostles, still infinitely more has been wrought by despised Christian agencies than the early deriders and scorners of the missionary enterprise predicted. Leaving Madras, Mr. Martyn proceeded to Aldeen, where for a season he suffered great prostration from the effects of a tropical climate. After his convalescence, he advanced to Calcutta, where his spirit was stirred within him by what he witnessed, and where, his zealous indignation finding vent both in his public discourses and his private conversations, he excited against himself much hostility on the part of the public functionaries and the European population |