which his attention was solicited. Indeed his appearance and manners were so very rough and forbidding, the whole style and bearing of the man were so coarse tendence of the school was sometimes afraid of him, and and ruthless, that the individual who had the superinalmost wished to be quit of such a pupil.

John's attendance, however, gradually became more regular, and, ere long, most punctual; and in the exercises of the Sabbath evening meetings especially, he began to exhibit some symptoms of pleasure. From being at the outset totally ignorant of the alphabet, he became, in the course of a few months, capable, in a certain rude way, of reading the New Testament, to be competent to do which, in an intelligent way, had fixed itself in his mind as an object of his greatest ambition. Night after night he wrought away with his letters and his syllables, and followed the course of reading by the other persons in the school with the greatest anxiety and application, so that, in process of time, he really became a tolerable reader, although the stock of information which he had acquired was more the result of what was orally communicated to him, than of his own studies. It was, however, very striking to observe the gradual influence which his tuition produced upon his ordinary language and manners, and even on his countenance and appearance. His sternness and roughness insensibly melted away, he became grave, even gentle, exceed ingly inquisitive, and very grateful for the kindness shewn him, and the opportunities of instruction which he enjoyed, insomuch that the person who conducted the school not only found the greatest encouragement forth as an example to others of all that was proper and from his progress and good conduct, but could hold him becoming.

before them." The Gospel assures us, that Jesus, by his blood, has obtained eternal redemption for his people, and that whosoever believeth on him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. Confiding in his perfect righteousness, the believer can say, "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth, who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died for us, yea rather who is risen again." Being justified by faith, he has peace with God, and views all his afflictions as proceeding from the hand of a reconciled Father, and as intended to make him more a partaker of God's holiness, and to prepare him for his heavenly kingdom. He experiences that when tribulation abounds, the divine consolations do much more abound; that God strengthens him upon the bed of languishing, and makes his bed in his sickness, and that, in the multitude of his thoughts within him, his comforts refresh his soul. Even death itself loses its horror in the view of him, whose trust is fixed on the Captain of his salvation, who was made perfect through suffering, and is become the Author of eternal life to all that obey him. He considers death as a conquered foe, or rather as a messenger of peace sent to conduct him to the mansions of perfect purity and peace. Though a high tide of joy is not always the privilege of believers, many of them have triumphed at death, in the hope of seeing Christ as he is, and being for ever with the Lord, In the course of a short time, John became a regular "in whose presence is fulness of joy, and at whose attendant at Church, and by this means, together with right hand are rivers of pleasure for evermore." his school instructions, made rapid progress in the knowThus does it appear, that though the preach-ledge of divine truth, till it became manifest that the ing of the cross be to them that perish foolish-Spirit of God had carried home that truth to his conness, it is to those who are saved the power of God; the most effectual source of consolation under the afflictions of life, and the prospect of death. The saints on earth and in heaven will unite their testimony in declaring, that, by the divine blessing, the doctrines of salvation by a crucified Redeemer have been the chief means of their conversion, of their progress in the divine life, and of their spiritual joy. I will not attempt at present to describe the happy effects of the preaching and belief of these doctrines in a future state; for though the ministry of reconciliation terminates in a present life, its glorious consequences reach through eternity; and it shall then appear, with the brightest evidence, to have been "the power of God unto salvation."

THE INFLUENCE OF CHRISTIAN

PRINCIPLE AND CONSISTENCY.

AN AUTHENTIC NARRATIVE.

JOHN W. a native of Africa, after spending several years as a sailor in the merchant service, visiting many parts of the globe, and encountering a variety of cruelties and hardships, came, in the course of providence, to reside in one of our large cities, and obtained employment as a workman at a distillery. Having been invited to give attendance at a school which had been opened for the education and instruction of persons of colour, he entered it, and made his appearance occasionally, but without, at first, seeming to take much interest in the objects to

science and his heart, and he stood forth a very fair example of what it is to become "a new creature." Having attracted the notice of the excellent pastor of the congregation which he joined, he was, by him, admitted to the Lord's table, after being fully satisfied as to the state of his mind and character, and till his death, which occurred several years afterwards, he maintained an upright, humble, and godly walk and conversation.

There was one circumstance which occurred in the course of his history, (the introduction of which was the main object of this short narrative) which was a strong trial of John's integrity, and became also a signal proof of his worth and sound principle, as well as of the homage which the world is compelled to pay to these qua upon religion, and upon the conduct of conscientious lities, even amidst the scoffings which it so often pours men. As his general character improved, John's usefulness and value as a workman proportionally increased, and he was gradually promoted in the different departments of the distillery, until he was stationed at a post of great trust and responsibility, that of watching the rua ning off of the spirits at the last stage of the process of distillation. This ticklish office had been found to present temptations too strong for the virtue of others, and had been at last assigned to John, from the confidence which his employer reposed both in his fidelity and his temperance. But before the close of the first week after his appointment, John found, to his unspeakable mortiscation and sorrow, that the duties of his new office must be performed on the Lord's day, as well as others, and this he could not acquiesce in. What was to be done? He went immediately to the overseer of the work, and explained to him the difficulty in which he was placed, and his decided objection to continue his ordinary work on the Sabbath. He was told that he was too scrupulous,-that he must not hamper himself with notions

that sort,-that having got a good place he must not forfeit it for a trifling circumstance like this. John remonstrated, but was at last prevailed upon to take a week to consider the matter, and, at the end of it, to make known his determination. Every new reflection confirmed John in his sense of duty, and in the conviction that it was better to obey God rather than man. On the following Saturday he announced his resolution, calmly, but firmly, stating his reasons, that had made him resolve, at all hazards, to keep the fourth commandment, and to abstain from working on the Sabbath-day, let the consequence be what it might. Was he immeAnd what was the consequence ? diately displaced, and a less squeamish person appointed Far otherwise. No person possessing to his station? an equal degree of confidence could be found to fill it, -the work ceased to be required of him, or of any one else, on the Lord's day; and John W. continued till his death, occupying the post of honour in the distillery, with the highest credit and fidelity, and keeping the Sabbath holy, according to the commandment.

SCRIPTURAL RESEARCHES.

No. V.

NINEVEH.

BY THE REV. JAMES ESDAILE,

Minister of the East Church, Perth.

In the first settlement of nations and families, when "the world was all before them, where to choose their place of rest," two circumstances must have determined their choice; first, a fertile and well-watered district; and, secondly, facility of intercourse with other comThe situation of Ninemunities settled around them. veh, on the left bank of the Tigris, the Hiddekel of Scripture, and, of course, not far distant from the cradle of the human race, possessed the first essential requiThis river, skirting the site in a very high degree. eastern boundary of the fertile region of Mesopotamia, which had its name from its situation between the two great rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates, presented the most inviting inducements to the formation of a settlement, and the foundation of a city; and nothing could ever have led to the abandonment of such a station, but the diversion of commerce into a different channel, or the judgments of heaven inflicted on account of abounding iniquity. The latter of these causes operated first in the case of Nineveh; and the former has probably prevented the re-occupation of the site as a commercial station.

Nineveh lay in the direct line, overland, between India and the Mediterranean, and was naturally the key of intercourse between them; and we shall find it did not fail to avail itself of the advantages of its situation, and that its flourishing commerce, the natural parent of wealth and luxury, was the cause both of its power and its profligacy.

commerce.

Among the ancient nations, the Romans were the only people whose wealth and power did not arise from Their trade was war; their treasures were the riches of conquered kingdoms; and without engaging in commerce, to any extent themselves, they attracted the traffickers of all nations, and paid their wares with the wealth of plundered provinces.

The trans

Nineveh was built by Asshur, the second son of Shem. "Out of that land (Shinar) went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh." Gen. x. 11. lators of our Bible have given a different version in the margin, which ascribes the building of Nineveh to Nimrod.

"He (that is, Nimrod) went out into Assyria," &c. I venture to pronounce, that this suggested variation is entirely unfounded. There is no doubt that Asshur is the Hebrew name for Assyria, as well as of him who first settled in it with his family

and dependents. But if we use the personal pronoun
as the nominative to the verb went, the verse would
read, "Out of that land he went forth Asshur;" which
is scarcely sense, and, at any rate, cannot convey the
The insertion of the
sense intended by the variation.
preposition into, before Asshur, is totally inadmissible.
Nothing equivalent to it is to be found in any copy of
the Hebrew original, and the translators were aware of
Besides this, the
this, as into is printed in different characters from the
rest in their marginal translation.
subsequent history of Nineveh may satisfy us, that its
occupants were of a different race from the family of
Nimrod, the son of Cush, and grandson of Ham, among
whose descendants the earliest and most fatal corrup-
tions in morals and religion were introduced; whilst the
virtuous Abraham lived, with satisfaction, in contact
with the Ninevites, till he was called to leave his coun-
try to fulfil the purposes of heaven.

I have already alluded to the favourable situation of
Its territory extended over
Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian empire, for either
agriculture or commerce.
all the space comprehended between the two great ri-
vers, the Tigris and Euphrates; and it commanded these
streams for the greater part of their course: they con-
stituted, in fact, its riches, its glory, and its strength:
any person may easily perceive that this must have
been the case, from such rivers with their tributaries,
in such a country, and in such a clime; and the word
of God, addressed to an imaginative people, never fails
to seize on the most appropriate figures, and the most
picturesque imagery to produce a suitable impression
on the mind. Accordingly, the prophet Isaiah, in de-
nouncing the judgments of God which were to be exe-
cuted on Israel by the kings of Assyria, personifies the
might and the power of those kings by the rivers which
constituted the strength and resources of their country.
"Forasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of Shi-
loah, that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah's
son; now, therefore, the Lord bringeth up upon them
the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king
of Assyria and all his glory; and he shall come up over
And when another prophet was employed to denounce
all his channels, and go over all his banks." Isa. viii. 6, 7.
judgment against Assyria, which had been employed as
a scourge to chastise the rebellious house of Israel, he
alludes to the same resources of the Assyrian kings, but
declares that they should not be available in saving them
"Behold the Assyrian
was as a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches,-the
from impending destruction.
waters made him great, the deep set him up on high,
with her rivers running round about his plants, and sent
out her little rivers unto all the trees of the field.
Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his
branches, for his root was by great waters." Ezek. xxxi.
3, 4, 7.

Here a melancholy reflection presses on the mind: the country is still the same; its resources are still the same; but the aspect of nature is totally changed, and presents nothing but unhealthy marshes or arid wastes, or unimproved fertility; the scanty and miserable population subsisting by plunder rather than by industry, and showing what an influence, for good or for evil, the mind of man has, not only on human happiness, but on the face of external nature.

With regard to the commercial advantages of Nineveh, it is evident, from its geographical position, that it opens up the most direct communication by land between India and Europe. These advantages were not neglected: a communication was opened up with Tyre, the greatest emporium of commerce that ever existed in the world; and I do not believe that the immense trade of Great Britain, which all the world regards with astonishment and envy, is at all to be compared with the trade of ancient Tyre. I may be wrong in this calculation, but I do not speak at random. Great

pass in the reign of the second Jeroboam, which stamps | him anterior to all the other prophets. 2 Kings xiv. 23-25. He was one of the prophets who belonged to the kingdom of Israel, many of whom were men of very exceptionable character; and from all that we learn of him, there seems to be more room for animadversion than for praise. He was a most reluctant missionary; and was disappointed and affronted because God was moved to mercy and compassion by the repentance of the Ninevites. But without dwelling on his character, or on the extraordinary circumstances by which his compliance was enforced, I would call attention to the description of the city of Nineveh and to the conduct of its inhabitants: "an exceeding great city of It was three days' journey." Had this measurement applied to the circumference, it would have indicated great extent: but it is evident that it does not apply to the circumference, but to the length of the place; for it is said, "Jonah began to enter into the city, a days' journey," and he cried, and said, "Yet forty days and Nineveh There is here no Jon. iii. 4. shall be overthrown." room for mistake, whatever there may be for astonishment and wonder; and all commentators struck with the improbability of a city three days' journey in length, have applied the measurement to the circumference; but if language has a meaning, the words quoted compel us to reject this interpretation. But why should it appear incredible that the city should have been three days' journey in length? All the heathen authors declare that Nineveh, or Ninus, as it is styled by them, was much larger than Babylon; and they represent the a latter as sixty miles in circumference, being a perfect square of fifteen miles each side. But Nineveh was much larger, and not a square but a parallellogram, and consequently, must have greatly exceeded it in length. Besides, it is evident that there was a great quantity of pasture land included within the walls; for there was "much cattle," iv. 11; and this would greatly extend the enclosed space denominated the city.

R

The Scripture affords some means, though not very decisive of ascertaining the amount of the population; it tells us that there were upwards of a hundred and twenty thousand persons in it, who could not " discern between their right hand and their left;" that is, infants; and supposing each family in which there was an infant to consist of five persons, including the parents, it would give six hundred thousand as the gross population. But I have no doubt that this is greatly below the truth; for this calculation leaves out of view every family in which there was no infant, and every unproductive couple, and all the unmarried retainers and domestics in a family. But I will not attempt even an approximation to the truth: it is more interesting to attend to the deep and unfeigned repentance of the king and his subjects. "He arose from his throne, and he laid aside his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes," when he heard of the denunThe ciations of Jonah against himself and his people. whole city imitated his example; God saw their penitence, and heard their prayers, and granted a respite from the threatened judgments; and to inculcate the efficacy of repentance and reformation in arresting the ruin of a corrupted community, seems to be the chief lesson in

tended by the extraordinary mission of a Jewish prophet to a hostile and a heathen state, whose overthrow was irrevocably fixed; for the whole prophecy of Nahum consists of the denunciations of God against Nineveh, proclaiming its utter and irrevocable destruction, and pointing out by expressive figures the way in which it was to be accomplished.

This clemency of the Almighty gave great offence to Jonah," and he was very angry;" and we may now obtain some insight into the origin of his feelings, both in his reluctance to go to Nineveh, and in his chagrin that the threatened judgments were not executed. His

aversion to the mission arose from fear. He was com-
missioned to denounce vengeance against the chief
enemy and oppressor of the land of Israel, and as he had
not sufficient confidence in the protecting providence of
God, he had nothing to expect but insult and punish-
ment on account of his supposed presumption; there-
fore," He rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence
of the Lord." Being defeated in this attempt, he pro-
ceeded to discharge his duty faithfully, having been
strengthened in his confidence in the divine protection
by his remarkable preservation in the belly of the whale.
This interposition rendered him fearless in the discharge
of his duty; and having denounced the coming judg-
ment, he waited anxiously, and with earnest expecta-
tion for its fulfilment within the specified time. His
discontent and disappointment were great when God
Whence arose these
announced his purposes of mercy.
feelings? Was it because he considered himself af-
fronted in being employed to announce a false predic-
tion? This feeling might have some influence in a mind
so undisciplined as Jonah's appears to have been. But
a more natural motive, I will not say a more excus-
able one, may be found in the feelings of false patriot-
ism, which made him delight in contemplating the utter
ruin of the most formidable enemy of his country.
knew what Israel had suffered, and what it had reason
to fear from the Assyrian kings; and the denunciation
These were feelings
which he was, at first, afraid to deliver, he afterwards
ardently longed to see fulfilled.
quite natural to a sinful and prejudiced man; but en-
tirely foreign to the character of a merciful and long-
suffering God, who presents the most beautiful and af-
fecting contrast between his feelings of unbounded
mercy, and the irritable temper of the wayward prophet.
Jonah exulted over the expected ruin of a hostile and
wrecked city; God declares his merciful purposes to
the speechless infant, and the irrational creatures.
"Should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein
are more than six score thousand persons that cannot
discern between their right hand and their left hand;
and also much cattle."

CHRISTIAN TREASURY.

He

Put on Christ.-It is the will of God the Holy Ghost,
He at first convinced
that we should put on Christ.
our mind of sin, made us sensible that we have no
righteousness in ourselves, and caused our consciences
to tremble under a sense of guilt. Why did he do
this? Because he is the glorifier of Christ, and the
Therefore he
would drive us out of our naked selves to the fulness
comforter of all his beloved members.
of Christ. He sheweth the corrupt judgment we na-
turally have of ourselves, of sin, and of righteousness,
that we may take shelter in nothing but the wounds of
Jesus for our sins, clothe our minds with his righteous-
ness, and ever remember that all our salvation is in
Christ, that so we may find, in and from him, peace
of conscience, joy of soul, and holiness of heart and
life.-MASON.

Charity. True charity receives her instructions as
well as her existence from faith in God's Word; and
when faith points to human beings in danger, charity,
without delaying to propose questions, hastens to their
relief. Our houses are built, our vineyards are plant-
ed around the base of a volcano; they may be fair and
remains. Open, then, your hands wide, while they
flourishing to-day,-to-morrow ashes may be all that
contain any blessings to bestow; for of that which you
give you can never be deprived.—PAYSON.

Religion sweetens Life.-Religion will always make the bitter waters of Marah wholesome and palateable, but we must not think it continually will turn water into wine, because it once did.—WARBURTON,