people flocked in crowds to hear him. At first, and for two years after he had been called to the ministry, he directed his chief attention to the awakening of sinners; but after that period, he himself began to feel much comfort and peace in Christ, and he now therefore delighted in exhibiting Christ in all his offices as a complete and an everlasting Saviour. The following exhibition of the state of his mind, when engaged in his pulpit duties, may be interesting : "When I have been preaching, I thank God, my heart hath often, all the time of this and the other exercise, with great earnestness cried to God, that he would make the Word effectual to the salvation of the soul, still being grieved lest the enemy should take the Word away from the conscience, and so it should become unfruitful. Wherefore I did labour to speak the Word, as that thereby, if it were possible, the sin, and person guilty, might be particularized by it. And when I have done the exercise, it hath gone to my heart, to think the Word should now fall as rain on stony places; still wishing from my heart, Oh! that they who have heard me speak this day, did but see as I do, what sin, death, hell, and the curse of God is, and also what the grace, and love, and mercy of God is, through Christ, to men in such a case as they are, who are yet estranged from him. And, indeed, I did often say in my heart, before the Lord, That, if to be hanged up presently before their eyes, would be a means to awaken them, and confirm them in the truth, I gladly should be contented.' “For I have been, in my preaching, especially when I have been engaged in the doctrine of life by Christ without works, as if an angel of God had stood by at my back to encourage me; Oh! it hath been with such power and heavenly evidence upon my own soul, while I have been labouring to unfold it, to demonstrate it, and to fasten it upon the consciences of others, that I could not be contented with saying, “ I believe, and am sure;' methought I was more than sure (if it be lawful to express myself) that those things which then I asserted, were true." That the preaching of such a man was blessed to the conversion of sinners and to the edifying of the body of Christ, cannot admit of a doubt. A single instance may be mentioned of the benefit accruing from his labours : Quarter Sessions at Bedford, in 1660. No legal proof was adduced, no witnesses were brought forward, but a part of his examination was recorded as a confession, and he was sentenced to perpetual banishment; and though the sentence was never enforced, he was imprisoned in Bedford jail for twelve years and a-half. Sometimes during that long period Bunyan's heart sunk within him, more especially when he thought of his destitute wife and four children. And what tended not a little to aggravate the distress of this persecuted follower of Jesus, was that one of his children was blind. His reflections on this subject are deeply affecting:: "But notwithstanding these helps, I found myself a man encompassed with infirmities; the parting with my wife and poor children, hath often been to me, in this place, as the pulling the flesh from the bones, and that not only because I am somewhat too fond of these great mercies, but also because I should have often brought that my poor family was like to meet with, should I be to my mind the many hardships, miseries, and wants, taken from them, especially my poor blind child, who of the hardship I thought my poor blind one might go lay nearer my heart than all beside. Oh! the thoughts under, would break my heart to pieces. Poor child! thought I, what sorrow art thou like to have for thy portion in this world! Thou must be beaten, must beg, suffer hunger, cold, nakedness, and a thousand calamities, though I cannot now endure the wind should blow upon thee. But yet, recalling myself, thought I, I must venture you all with God, Oh! I saw though it goeth to the quick to leave you. in this condition I was as a man who was pulling down his house upon the head of his wife and children; yet, thought I, I must do it, I must do it; and now I thought on those two milch kine that were to carry the ark of God into another country, and to leave their calves behind them.' While in prison, Bunyan contributed towards the support of his family by making long pointed laces. The respectability of his character, and the propriety of his conduct, led the jailor to take a particular interest in him, and he even permitted him to go out occasionally and visit his friends. On one of these occasions, the following curious occurrence took place :"It being known to some of the persecuting prelates London, that he was often out of prison, they sent down an officer to talk with the jailor on the subject; and in order to find him out, he was to get there in the middle of the night. Mr Bunyan was at home with his family, but so restless that he could not sleep; he therefore acquainted his wife, that, though the jailor had given him liberty to stay till the morning, yet, from his uneasiness, he must immediately return. He did so, and the jailor blamed him for coming in at such an unseasonable hour. Early in the morning, the messenger came, and interrogating the jailor, said, 'are all the prisoners safe?' ، Yes. Is John Bunyan safe?' 'Yes.' 'Let me see him.' He was called, and appeared, and all was well. After the messenger was gone, the jailor, addressing Mr Bunyan, said, “ well, you may go out again just when you think proper, for you know when to return, better than I can tell you.' "Being expected to preach in a Church, in a country village in Cambridgeshire, and the people being gather-in ed together in the Church-yard, a Cambridge scholar, and none of the soberest of them, inquired what the meaning of that concourse of people was, it being a week-day; and being told that one Bunyan, a tinker, was to preach there, he gave a boy twopence to hold his horse, saying he was resolved to hear the tinker prate, and so he went into the Church to hear him. But God met him there by his ministry, the discourse making such an impression on his mind, that he embraced every future opportunity to attend to his ministry, and at length became an eminent preacher of the Gospel in Cambridgeshire. What a remarkable instance of the sovereign grace of God, who works when and by whom he pleases!' During the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell, Mr Bunyan was permitted, without molestation, to preach the Gospel of Christ; but immediately after the restoration of Charles the Second, he was apprehended by a warrant from a justice, and committed to prison for having absented himself from the parish church, and held what were considered unlawful meetings and conventicles. Non-conformity was at that period a very heinous crime, and he was accordingly tried at the It was during his long imprisonment that many of John Bunyan's works were composed, and among them, the first part of one of the most popular books in the English language the Pilgrim's Progress. For genius and strong imagination, that admirable piece is still unrivalled, and it may well be considered as entitling its author to be regarded as a boast of his country. Before his incarceration in the jail at Bedford, his time was so much occupied in travelling the country as a tinker, for the support of his family, that he never thought of engaging in writing; but when secluded from the world, and driven, as it were, upon his own resources, he employed himself in the preparation of those very works which were destined, in the course of Providence, to prove the support and the consolation of many a Christian in every future age. What a remarkable exemplification is this of the truth of God's own statement, that "he maketh the wrath of man to praise him, and the remainder of his wrath he will restrain." At last, by what means is not ascertained, but probably by the kind intervention of Dr Barlow, Bishop of Lincoln, Mr Bunyan was set at liberty, and entered upon the office of pastor over the congregation with which he had been formerly connected. Here he officiated for some years with much acceptance, and, assisted by the kind subscriptions of some friends, he built a new meeting-house in the same town, where he continned to preach to large audiences till his death. He was accustomed to pay an annual visit to London, where he was remarkably popular as a preacher, and was sometimes honoured with the attendance and decided approbation of the celebrated Dr Owen. He travelled, besides, through different parts of the country proclaiming the Gospel in all its freeness, and urging upon men everywhere to accept of its promised blessings. The last act of this good man's life was in the benevolent spirit of that religion which he delighted to promulgate. "A young gentleman, a neighbour of Mr Bunyan's, falling under his father's displeasure, and being much troubled in mind on that account, and also from hearing it was his father's design to disinherit him, or otherwise deprive him of what he had to leave, he pitched upon Mr Bunyan as a fit man to make way for his submission, and prepare his mind to receive him; which he, being willing to undertake any good office, readily engaged in, and went to Reading, in Berkshire, for that purpose. There he so successfully accomplished his design, by using such pressing arguments and reasons against anger and passion, and also for love and reconciliation, that the father's heart was softened, and his bowels yearned over his son." It was on his return home from this deed of charity and kindness, that Bunyan was seized with the illness which, in the short space of ten days, proved his He closed his earthly career on the 31st of August 1688, at the age of sixty, and was buried in Bunhillfields, where there is a tomb erected to his death. memory. Instead of dwelling upon the character of Bunyan, we content ourselves with quoting the following lines of the immortal Cowper, alluding obviously to the distinguished author of the Pilgrim's Progress : “ 0 ! thou, who borne on Fancy's eager wing, AN ASCENT TO THE TOP OF IT is well known that the summit of this mountain is supposed to have been the spot on which Noah's ark rested, after the waters of the deluge had subsided. A peculiar interest, accordingly, attaches to this mountain, and the following account of an ascent to the top of it, by Professor Parrot, may not be unacceptable to our readers. It is extracted from the appendix to Mr Morren's translation of Rosenmüller's Biblical Geography of Central Asia, which forms the 11th vol. of the admirable Cabinet Library, published by Thomas Clark, Edinburgh. Dr Parrot is the first who succeeded in reaching the top of this celebrated mountain. "The impression which the sight of Ararat makes on every one whose mind is capable of comprehending the stupendous works of the Creator, is awful and mysterious, and many a sensitive and intelligent traveller has endeavoured, with glowing pen and skilful pencil, to describe this impression; and in the feeling that no description, no delineation, can come up to the sublime object before him, every one who has made such an attempt, must certainly have experienced how difficult it is to avoid, both in language and in sketching, every thing that is poetical in expression or exaggerated in form, and to keep strictly within the bounds of truth. ["Now follows the detailed account of his journey to the top. He appears to have been in the service of Russia, whose armies in the last contest with Turkey, were, at this period, (1829,) in possession of the surrounding country. After he and his party had failed in two attempts to ascend, the third proved successful.] "In the meantime, the sky cleared up, and the air became serene and calm, the mountain was more quiet, the noise occasioned by the falling of masses of ice and snow grew less frequent; in short, every thing seemed to indicate that a favourable turn was about to take place in the weather, and I hastened to embrace it, for a third attempt to ascend the mountain. On the 25th of September, I sent to ask Stephan whether he would join us, but he declined, saying, that he had suffered too much from the former excursion to venture again so soon ; he, however, promised to send four stout pensants with three oxen and a driver. Early the next morning four peasants made their appearance at the camp, to join our expedition, and soon after a fifth, who offered himself voluntarily. To them I added two of our soldiers. The deacon again accompanied us, as well as Mr Hehn, who wished to explore the vegetation at a greater elevation, but he did not intend to proceed beyond the line of snow. The experience of the preceding attempt had convinced me that every thing depended on our passing the first night, as closely as possible to this boundary, in order to be able to ascend and return from the summit in one day, and to confine our baggage to what was absolutely necessary. We therefore took with us only three oxen, laden with the clothing, wood, and provisions. I also took a small cross, carved in oak. We chose our course towards the same side as before; and, in order to spare ourselves, Abowian and I rode on horseback, wherever the rocky nature of the soil permitted it, as far as the grassy plain Kip-Ghioll, whence we sent the horses back. Here Mr Hehn parted from us. It was scarcely twelve o'clock when we reached this point; and, after taking our breakfast, we proceeded in a direction rather more oblique than on our former attempt. The cattle were, however, unable to follow us so quickly. We, therefore, halted at some rocks, which it would be impossible for them to pass; took each our own share of clothing and wood, and sent back the oxen. At half-past five in the evening we were not far from the snow line, and considerably higher 3 than the place where we passed the night on our pre- | vious excursion. The elevation of this point was 13,036 Paris feet above the level of the sea, and the large masses of rock determined me to take up our quarters here. A fire was soon made, and a warm supper prepared. I had some onion broth, a dish which I would recommend in preference to meat broth, as being extremely warm and invigorating. This being a fast day, poor Abowian was not able to enjoy it. The other Armenians, who strictly adhered to their rules of fasting, contented themselves with bread, and the brandy which I distributed among them in a limited quantity, as this cordial must be taken with great caution, especially where the strength has been previously much tried, as it otherwise produces a sense of exhaustion and inclination to sleep. It was a magnificent evening; and with my eye fixed on the clear sky, and the lofty summit which projected against it, and then again on the dark night, which was gathering far below, and around me, I experienced all those delightful sensations of tranquillity, love, and devotion, that silent reminiscence of the past, that subdued glance into the future, which a traveller never fails to experience when on lofty elevations, and under pleasing circumstances. I laid my self down under an overhanging rock of lava, the temperature of the air at 41°, which was tolerably warm, considering our great height. Only another icy plain was to be ascended, and at a quarter past three, on the 27th of September O. S. 1829, we stood on the summit of Mount Ararat ! ["The Professor and his five companions, viz., the deacon, two Russian soldiers, and two Armenian peasants, having remained three quarters of an hour on the summit, commenced their descent, which was very fatiguing; but they hastened, as the sun was going down, and before they reached the place where the great cross was erected, it had already sunk below the horizon.] "It was a glorious sight,' says the traveller, 'to see the dark shadows which the mountains in the West cast upon the plain, and then the profound darkness which covered all the valleys, and gradually rose higher and higher on the sides of Ararat, whose icy summit was still illuminated by the beams of the setting sun. But the shadows soon passed over that also, and would have covered our path with a gloom that would have rendered our descent dangerous, had not the sacred lamp of night, opportunely rising above the Eastern horizon, cheered us with its welcome beams.' the Lord.] "We have lately received (says the Quarterly Review) an account of an ascent of Mount Ararat in the middle of August 1834, accomplished by a Mr Antonomoff, a young man holding an office in Armenia, who was induced to make the attempt, partly to satisfy his own curiosity, and partly out of regard for the reputation of Professor Parrot; whose having actually reached the summit of the mountain is still obstinately denied, particularly by the inmates of the convent, who fancy that the truth would lower the opinion of the people with regard to the sanctity of their mountain. Mr Antonomoff succeeded in reaching the summit; the large cross set up by Dr Parrot was nearly covered with snow, the smaller cross, planted on the summit, was not to be found, and was probably buried in the snow. One of his guides, who had also accompanied Mr Parrot, shewed him the spot where it had been set up. He asked some persons to look while he was at the top and try if they could see him. On his coming down, however, nobody would admit having seen him there; they all affirmed, that to reach the summit was impossible; and though he and his guides agreed, the magistrates of the village refused not only to give him a certificate of his having ascended the mountain, but even of his guides having declared he had done so. ["Having passed the night on the same spot as on their ascent, where they found their companions, they arrived the next day at noon at the convent of St. James, and on the following day, Sabbath the 28th of September, O. S., they offered their grateful thanksgiving to heaven for the success of their arduous enterprise, per"At day-break we rose, and began our journey at half-haps not far from the spot where Noah built an altar to past six. We crossed the last broken declivities in half an hour, and entered the boundary of eternal snow, nearly at the same place as in our preceding ascent. In consequence of the increased warmth of the weather, the new fallen snow, which had facilitated our progress on our previous ascent, had melted away, and again frozen, so that, in spite of the still inconsiderable slope, we were compelled to cut steps in the ice. This very much embarrassed our advance, and added greatly to our fatigue. One of the peasants had remained behind in our resting place, as he felt unwell. Two others became exhausted in ascending the side of the glacier. They at first lay down, but soon retreated to our quarters. Without being disheartened by those difficulties, we proceeded, and soon reached the great cleft which marks the upper edge of the declivity of the large glacier, and at ten o'clock we arrived at the great plain of snow which marks the first break on the icy head of Ararat. At the distance of a verst we saw the cross which we had reared on the 19th of September, but it appeared to me so extremely small, probably on account of its black colour, that I almost doubted whether I should be able to find it again with an ordinary telescope from the plain of the Araxes. In the direction towards the summit, a shorter, but at the same time a steeper declivity than the one we had passed lay before us; and between this and the extreme summit, there appeared to be only one small hill. After a short repose we passed the first precipice, which was the steepest of all, by bewing out steps in the rock, and after this the next Clevation. But here, instead of seeing the ultimate goal of all our difficulties, immediately before us appeared a series of hills, which even concealed the summit from car sight. This rather abated our courage, which had never yielded for a moment, so long as we had all our difficulties in view, and our strength, exhausted by the labour of hewing the rock, seemed scarcely commensurate with the attainment of the now invisible object of our wishes. But a review of what had been already accomplished, and of that which might still remain to be done, the proximity of the series of projecting elevations, and a glance at my brave companions, banished ay fears, and we boldly advanced. We crossed two more hills, and the cold air of the summit blew towards s. I stepped from behind one of the glaciers, and the extreme cone of Ararat lay distinctly before my enaptured eyes. But one more effort was necessary. "This disbelief of the assertion that the mountain has actually been ascended, is not confined to the people of the country, but is shared by the American missionaries, Messrs Smith and Dwight, (Researches in Armenia, p. 267, note,) who, in justification of their incredulity, say, that the report was not believed by many of the Russians, and hint that even the governor of the province was sceptical. But the idea that a man of Dr Parrot's scientific character could either be deceived himself, or could procure the men of his party to join with him in propagating a deliberate falsehood, presents too improbable a supposition to be for a moment admitted. The repeated ascents of Mont Blanc and other mountains, nearly as elevated, and in a much colder latitude, render Parrot's account perfectly credible. "The incredulity of the Armenians, as to the possibility of ascending to the top of Ararat, is based on their superstition. They are firmly persuaded that Noah's ark exists to the present day on the summit of the mountain, and that, in order to preserve it, no person is permitted to approach it. We learn the grounds of this tradition from the Armenian chronicles, in the legend of a monk of the name of James, who was afterwards patriarch of Nesibis, and a cotemporary and relative of St. Gregory. It is said that this monk, in order to settle the disputes which had arisen with respect to the Scriptural accounts of Noah, resolved to ascend to the top of Ararat to convince himself of the existence of the ark. At the declivity of the mountain, however, he had several times fallen asleep from exhaustion, and found, on awaking, that he had been unconsciously carried down to the point from which he first set out. God at length had compassion on his unwearied though fruitless exertions, and during his sleep sent an angel with the message, that his exertions were unavailing, but as a reward for his indefatigable zeal, he sent him a piece of the ark, the very same which is now preserved as the most valuable relic in the cathedral of Etschmiadzen. The belief in the impossibility of ascending Mount Ararat has, in consequence of this tradition, which is sanctioned by the Church, almost become an article of faith, which an Armenian would not renounce, even if he were placed in his own proper person upon the summit of the mountain.'" PAUL assures the believing Hebrews, that the Lord will not forget their work of faith and labour of love;" and the prayer of Nehemiah, in our text, amounts to nothing more than a petition, that God will be pleased to fulfil his own promise regarding him. It was not the dictate of a self-righteous spirit; for surely Nehemiah did not imagine that any good deeds of his, however valuable, could possess merit in the eye of that God, in whose sight the heavens themselves are not clean. He presumes not surely to bargain the matter with God, as if his civil and religious services could lay the Almighty under any obligation to remunerate him for his deeds; or, as if, independently altogether of recompense, he were not bound to consecrate himself wholly to the Lord. But surely there is no self-righteousness in the humble prayer, that God would look upon him in love; that he would deign to accept of his feeble services as proofs and evidences of a religious spirit; that he would be pleased to verify his gracious promise, that "it shall be well with them that fear the Lord," and that "godliness is profitable unto all things, having the promise of the life that now is, as well as of that which is to come." I. Nehemiah, one of the children of the captivity in Babylon, was the son of Hachaliah, and a descendant from the royal line of David. Though his early years were spent in a heathen land, and amidst many powerful snares, he held fast the principles of his fathers, and gave decisive evidence of the sincerity of his piety. By the special Providence of God he was raised to the honourable office of cupbearer to the Persian monarch, and this situation gave him easy access to the king, while it enabled him to perform essential services to his brethren of the captivity. After the return of the Jews from Chaldea, he succeeded Zerubbabel as the governor of those who, from the various connections they had formed, chose rather to remain in Babylon; and to them he became the object of reverence and esteem. But he had not forgotten Jerusalem. His affections gathered around its hallowed precincts, and the interests of Zion lay near his heart. An occasion soon offered to prove all the ardour of his patriotic and religious attachments. Having received information that Jerusalem still remained in ruins, and that the slow progress of the builders had be come an object of derision to the nations around, he betook himself to fasting and prayer, and implored the direction of God in the painful exigency. King Artaxerxes, observing him to be sad and dejected in his countenance, asked of him the reason. With some hesitation, and with a heart devoutly lifted up to God, he told him the cause of it; and the king instantly issued an edict, empowering him to go and rebuild Jerusalem. He ordered him to receive from the keeper of the forest of Lebanon the quantity of wood that might be required; and he furnished him with all the facilities in his power for the successful execution of his commission. Arrived at Jerusalem, he, with his servant, surveyed the ruins by night, assembled forthwith the chief men among the Jews for consultation, informed them of his powers and of his intentions, and with promptitude and skill set about the execution of the great work. By a judicious division of labour, the work proceeded with speed. Thirty-two of the principal men had the charge of so many departments upon the wall. Weapons of war were furnished to the workmen to defend themselves against the malicious assaults of Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem, who, with their adherents, proceeded from scoffs and taunts to deeds of assault and of murder. Defeated in their schemes, they had recourse to a vile stratagem; and under the pretext of inviting Nehemiah to a conference, had resolved to way. lay and assassinate him. Aware of their intentions, or at least distrusting the sincerity of their proposals, he told them that the work in which he was engaged, was too important to admit of his absence from it even for a limited time. The enemy, again disappointed, tried to spread reports unfavourable to the character of Nehemiah. They charged him with selfish and ambitious designs, and attempted to excite prejudices against him, both in the breast of Artaxerxes and in the minds of his own countrymen the Jews. These surmises Nehemiah treated with a noble disdain, and went on with calm intrepidity in the work of rebuilding the wall. In the short space of fifty-two days was it finished, and within a year afterwards, it was dedicated with solemn sacrifice and thanksgiving to the Lord, whose special providence crowned the undertaking with unlooked-for success. had But the building of the city and its walls was not the only work in which Nehemiah was en gaged. He curbed the inhumanity of the nobles and rich men who grinded the faces of the poor; and he gave to the children of depression and of want all the advantages which the year of jubilee was designed to secure to them. He observed, and caused to be observed, with greater exactness than had been known since the days of Joshua, the feasts of trumpets and of tabernacles, and on these occasions was the law publicly read and expounded to the people. The regulations regarding marriage, and the due observance of the Sabbath, he punctually enforced; and renewed, with solemn fasting and prayer, the national covenant with God. The order of Levites and other attendants on the temple was rectified and established; and due provision made for the regular observance of the worship of the sanctuary. Suitable precautions were taken for securing the defence of the city, and its civil government settled on judicious and patriotic principles. we admire the grace of God in the display, and we are compelled to acknowledge that there is a reality in religion. With comparatively few advantages of a religious nature, and dwelling amid scenes very uncongenial to the progress of piety in the heart, Nehemiah displayed a firmness of principle and an ardour of religious feeling, truly admirable. The early lessons of his parents he duly prized and improved. Attachment to the God of his fathers he fondly cherished. Love to Jerusalem and its worship was in him no feeling of common patriotism merely, but the dictate of a heart dedicated to God. Amidst the enticements of a splendid and licentious court, he sought the glory of his heavenly father, and not the gratification of vanity, ambition, or carnal desire. Surrounded by the ensigns of a gross and impious superstition, he reared a standard for the true God, and stood forth as a witness for him, in the midst of his enemies. Like Daniel, he held After Nehemiah had governed the Jews for fast his integrity. Neither the blandishments of twelve years, he returned to Artaxerxes; but court favour at one period of his life, nor the bitter soon did he find that his presence and authority assaults of his foes at another, could tempt him to were necessary in Judea, to reform abuses that swerve from the good path. And why? because had begun to creep in, as well as to give vigour and by the grace of God holy principles had been imstability to the state. Partly by expostulation, and planted in his mind; because these principles were partly by force, he succeeded in rectifying these well understood and practically felt; because love disorders. The noted enemies of the Jews, who, to God was enthroned in his heart; and because in his absence, had presumed, for treasonable ends, a sense of God, on his mind, led him to stand to take up their residence within the city, and habitually in awe, and not to sin. "Shall such even within the precincts of the temple, he in- a man as I flee?" was his bold and impassioned stantly expelled. The civil and ecclesiastical sta- reply, when assailed by temptation. Confidence tutes of God's own appointment, he rigidly and in God kept him steady in the scene of danger; righteously enforced. Religion, morality, and ge- and the lofty aims of a devoted spirit raised him nuine patriotism he cherished by his own exam- above the grovelling pursuits of sense. In the ple; and after a faithful and prosperous govern- circumstances in which Nehemiah stood, grace, of ment of Judea for the space of thirty-six years, he no common degree, was necessary to produce such gave up the ghost, and was gathered to his fathers. steady piety. And his example is an affecting reIt is worthy of remark, that as from Ezra's com- proof to those, who, in situations much more favourmission to rectify the affairs of Judea to the year able, and with all the advantages of a finished in which Nehemiah died, is exactly forty-nine Revelation, satisfy themselves with a form of godyears, this may correspond to the seven weeks of liness while they deny its power. It speaks to the Daniel, in which the city and wall of Jerusalem guardians of youth a lesson of instruction, while were to be built in troublous times, (Dan. ix. 25.) it demonstrates the high value of systematic knowSo minutely is God's predictive word accomplish-ledge of God, early and devoutly imparted to the ed, and so satisfying is the evidence from histori- youthful mind. It speaks to the young, while it cal fact, that " prophecy came not of old time by proves the importance of steady principles in rethe will of man, but holy men of God spake assisting temptations. It reproves and admonishes they were moved by the Holy Ghost." II. Character of Nehemiah. 1. Nehemiah was characterized by well-grounded and steady religious principle. We do not wonder at finding that the children and the domestics of a truly pious family are generally pious and sober-minded; we rather wonder that our reasonable expectations, in this respect, should so frequently be disappointed. But when, as in the case of the corrupt house of Rehoboam, we find a young Abijah in whom "there was some good thing towards the Lord God of Israel," and when, as in the case of Nehemiah, we find the vigour of holy principles bidding defiance to all the snares of a wicked court, and rising superior to all the enticements of idolatry, all, by exhibiting a practical illustration of the comprehensive proverb of the wise man, that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." 2. Nehemiah was distinguished by his selfdenial. One of the best evidences of sound religious principle is self-denial. When the will is subjugated to the will of God; when the mind feels itself completely satisfied with the wisdom and goodness of the divine economy; when self is thrown into the back-ground, and a noble disinterestedness of feeling gives its tone to the character, then have we some good proof that our religion is sincere. Nehemiah dwelt in the court of Artaxerxes, where he might have lived in ease and splendour, and where his ready access to the powerful monarch of Persia gave him many opportunities |