then? Why, there being no further use for them, they were laid aside. I don't know what has become of them, for my part. When a key has opened a door which is not to be shut again, there being no more use for the key, it does not matter much what becomes of it. Hence, in the history of the Acts of the Apostles, we hear no more about the keys; and Peter, in his Epistles, says never a word about them. He wrote his second Epistle to put christians in remembrance; but I don't find him reminding them of the keys. The truth is, having used them for the purpose for which they were given him, he had after that no more concern about them.

But many fancy that Peter kept these keys all his life, and then transmitted them to another, and he to a third, and so from hand to hand they have come along down till the Pope at Rome has them now. And they say these keys signify the authority given to the church, and especially to the Popes. But I find no bible warrant for this assertion. Christ does not say that He gave the keys to Peter to give to somebody else; and Peter does not say that he gave them to any body else; and nobody since Peter has been able to produce the keys. This settles the matter in my mind. I want to know where the keys are.

But some suppose that Peter took them to heaven with him, and that he stands with them at the gate of heaven, as porter, to admit and keep out whom he will. But this notion does not tally very well with certain passages of Scriptures. Christ tells His disciples that He goes to prepare a place for them, and that He will come again and receive them unto Himself: (John xiv. 3.) He will do it. He will not trust the business to Peter. "He that hath the key of David, He that openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth, and no openeth," is not Peter, but Christ. (Rev. iii. 7.)

man

But the catholics will have it that Peter is the one; and he having the keys, they think that they will all be admitted, while not a soul of us, poor protestants, will. They may be mistaken, however. I do not know what right they have to put in exclusive

claim to Peter. I see no resemblance between Peter and a roman catholicnone in the world. I never care to see a truer and better protestant than I take him to be. But if he does stand at the gate of heaven with such authority as the catholics ascribe to him, yet I suppose he will not deny that he wrote the Epistles called his. Well, then, if he shall hesitate to admit protestants, we shall only have to remind him of his Epistles. He does not say anything in them of his being a pope. No, he says, "the elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder." Not a word says he about the mass, or the seven sacraments, or transubstantiation. Let the reader turn to his Epistles, and see just what he does say; I think he will not find anything in those Epistles to frighten protestants.

But there is still another supposition, viz. that Peter is not perpetual porter of heaven; but each pope, as he dies, succeeds to that office-one relieving another. I do not know how it is, but I judge, if all the popes have been in their day, porters of paradise, many of them must have tended outside. They have not been universally the best of men, I think history informs us. But I will not mention any names.

In catholic pictures

One thing more. and prints (for that very spiritual religion abounds with these) you will see the keys of which we have been speaking represented as made to suit all the complicated modern wards, as if fresh from some manufactory at Birmingham or Sheffield! I do not suppose the keys Peter received answered exactly to this ingenious representation of them.—Dr.

A PASTORAL VISIT.

[FIRST CALL.]

Minister.-My friend, the object of my care,
I come to ask you how you are?
How fast you iun the heavenly race,
And how your spirit grows in grace?
Hearer. Your kind enquiries, sir, are such,
As often have concern'd me much;
My progress is so very small,
I fear, I have no grace at all!
M.-But, stay, my friend, lest you mistake,
Such rash conclusions do not make;
This plaintive tone, and mournful sound,
Among the saints is often found.
H.-Sure, saints can never feel like me;
No heart so hard as mine can be?
Produce its equal, sir, you can't
In steel, or stone, or adamant!
M.-Are you of sinners then, the chief?
Saul, Magdalene, the dying thief,
Your bold assertion would deny,
And each in turns, would say,

"tis I."

H.-No creature knows how much I feel,
Nor can my lab'ring spirit tell,

How cold, how barren, and how faint
I am, and can I be a saint?
M.-Did ever ice and stone thus feel?
Or can you bend the harden'd steel?
Since you this adamant have felt,
It surely has began to melt!

H.-The want of feeling I bemoan,

'Tis this, that makes me sigh and groan; While others light and joy obtain, Lifeless and cold I still remain.

M.-How inconsistently you talk,

I hope you more correctly walk?
You feel too much, yet feelings crave,
Such feelings christians often have.
H.-Do christians, when they try to pray,
Feel at a loss what they shall say?
How to address the heavenly King,
What words to use, what pleas to bring?
M.-Yes! when their humble knees they bend,
Their anxious thoughts to heaven ascend;
Their groans unutterable rise,
Like grateful incense to the skies!

H.-But does not God from heaven declare,
Pollution shall not enter there?
Sin still defiles my holy things,
And must offend the King of Kings?
M.-All that's impure, Jehovah hates,
But Christ, our Mediator waits,
To cleanse our sinful songs and
prayers,
And bear them to the Father's ears.

H.-The encouragement you give is sweet,
My wretched case it seems to meet;
But ah! I want a lively faith,
To feast on what the Saviour saith.
M.-I'm glad the want of faith you know,
For Jesus Christ can faith bestow;
He is its author, object, end,
Come now upon His grace depend.

H.-Oh! that I could on Christ rely,
I fear to venture, yet I'll try ;

I tremble to approach His throne,
Yet know, without Him I'm undone !
M.-Such knowledge, and such anxious thought,
Prove that you are by Jesus taught;
And He who has such knowledge given,
Intends to train you up for heaven.
H.-I read of God's electing love,

And names of saints enroll'd above;
Fain would I know if mine is there,
Can you this secret now declare?
M.-Yes! if you will one moment pause,
And trace effects up to their cause:-
Where blossoms, leaves, and fruit we see,
We say there stands a living tree.
H.-Alas! when I my fruits compare,

None but wild grapes on me appear;
But all the souls Jehovah loves,
Bring forth such fruit as He approves.
M.-A sight of self, and grief for sin,
A thirst for holiness within;
Soaring to hold converse above,
Are fruits of God's electing love.
H.-Such evidence do I possess,

But still with grief, I must confess-
My mind is not well satisfied,
That Jesus Christ for me has died.
M.-Beware! of nursing unbelief,
He, like a noted artful thief,
Will rob you of your choicest food,
Unless he be by faith withstood.
Firmly believe, what Jesus saith,

And cry, "dear Lord, increase my faith ;"
Live near thy God, still trust His love,
And you shall see His face above.
Seven Oaks.

AN EPITAPH.

S. L.

As the fond dove, from Noah's hand let fly, Pursues her wand'rings o'er the wat'ry waste, And weary, turns her wing, to seek a rest Within the consecrated ark: so I,

Weary of earth and sin, with joyful haste
Seek to repose within my Saviour's breast.
PRAY FOR ME.

I pray, remember me,
Where oft thou lov'st to be,

At early dawn, at the twilight hour,
And when the oblivion of mimic death

Hath robb'd keen nature of her active power, Oh! fail not then my humble name to breathe. J. S. M.

"THE POT OF MANNA." "THE POT OF MANNA," with contents divine, Shall feed the hungry, give the thirsty wine; The wanderer call, to meet the King's embrace, And breathe the music of abounding grace. The bread, most holy, fit for christian priests, Gather'd by literati royal, for new moon feasts; Pure wine, from heav'nly grapes, divinely Shall be the meal, till all arrive at rest. [press'd. JUDAH.

April 22nd, 1853.

SHADOWS OF COMING EVENTS.-No. 1.

"When the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?"

THIS question of our Lord, is connected with a rapid sketch, or picture, of the state of the church, and of the world in the "last days"; and imports and implies that this distinguished feature faith, should, in the christian life and character, be rarely found.

Do we ask, why Jesus was pleased to separate the grace of faith, from other graces, as for instance, the grace of love, obedience, humility, self-denial? I reply, faith includes all these. It is the parent of these lovely and gracious children; and the question might assume another form, and one quite as true and satisfactory, were it said, "when the Son of Man cometh, shall He find love on the earth, or obedience, or humility, or self-denial? This then, will be our guide and direction, while in few words, we endeavour to trace the shadows, which the near approach of times, marked by the most serious consequences to the church and to the world, appear to challenge our

attention.

In the first place, then, we ask, "shall Christ find love on the earth, when He comes to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe?" " Now remember, love is the very opposite to selfishness; it is, as we may say, its antithesis; nothing is so truly disinterested as love: it is the distinguishing attribute of Jehovah,-"God is love." It is in violation of the principles of love, that men calling themselves christians, and christian members in a believing church, act from a spirit of selfishness; and in the last days of the church's history, and just preceding her final delivery from all her enemies, this spirit of selfishness will be fully and almost universally displayed. The very first feature or sign descriptive of those days, so graphically placed before the believing view of God's Israel, is of this character:-" in the last days, perilous times shall come; for men shall be lovers of their own selves." Their profession and standing in the church may be loud and long sustained; it may be high, but it is not holy; because, if it were

holy, it would not be selfish; and because holiness, as well as love, are the fruit of the Spirit, and where these are found, selfishness cannot, as a predominating principle, be found in the same heart. We admire, therefore, the wisdom of the Spirit in placing in the category of the christian graces, as "the fruits of the Spirit," love, to occupy the first place: and in the list of infernal vices, to fix selfishness at the head, making this leading "work of the flesh" as prominent in the one case, as love is in the other; and proving how entirely opposite they are, the one to the other. This love is connected with the law in its moral bearings, in reference to the fulfilling of our duty to our neighbour: "love worketh no ill to our neighbour; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law." Here love is viewed in a negative sense; in another place the apostle views it in the same way," love seeketh not her own." In every heart where love has its residence, these properties of "the divine nature" are to be discovered. A jealous care is extended towards our neighbour, both as affects his temporal and spiritual interest and happiness. We look not solely and selfishly at our own things, but at the things whereby one may benefit another.

But what evidence have we that such marks of divine love will be visible in "the last days?" We are told by our Lord, that the minds of men will be mainly taken up by their own concerns: "they should eat and drink, marry and be given in marriage; they should buy and sell, plant and build," and be each occupied in his own calling, and with absorbing interests especially his own. This statement is twice repeated, both to confirm it, and to prove how ill prepared men would be to meet approaching judgment. Warnings had been given both to the inhabitants of the old world, and to those of the devoted cities of the

plain; but warnings were sounded in ears little prepared to receive them, for all objects and interests would be swallowed in one engrossing theme,-SELF!

GLIMPSES OF JESUS. CHRIST IN THE MULTITUDE.-Matt. iv. 24.

How chequered is the path of the christian! Through what changing scenes, and under the influence of what varied feelings he oft wends his way towards the celestial city! His experience may be compared to a deep flowing river, which in its winding course, now flows through vast deserts, where dreary silence reigns; anon it laves the margin of some densely populated city, amid all the busy hum and noise of life; lost to the eye, as it flows through gloomy caverns and cheerless solitudes, it again appears amid fields clothed in verdure, and overhanging trees which stoop to kiss it as it glides gently past, and seem to say-"sweet river, stay awhile," but all in vain; on, on, it glides to empty itself in the great ocean, towards which, through so many changing scenes, it keeps its ceaseless flow. So passes on the saint to his restthe great ocean of God's eternal and unchanging love. In the dreary waste of this world "grace" finds him, and often afflicted in mind, body, and circumstances; in darkness and sorrow, the sorrow of conscious guilt leads him to the cross, to gaze upon Him whom he has pierced, and receive the pardon of his sins. Here for a time his cup of joy runs over, and he rejoices in the sweet consciousness of his acceptance in the beloved. The language of the poet now describes his feelings:

Sweet the moments, rich in blessing,
Which before the cross I spend ;
Life and health and peace possessing,
From the sinner's dying friend.
Here I'll sit for ever, viewing
Mercy's streams, in streams of blood;
Precious drops! my soul bedewing,

Plead and claim my peace with God. Every meal is now a sacrament, every day a sabbath of rest and delight. The book of God is his constant companion, and every page is like a green meadow of budding grass, into which the Good Shepherd leads him to lie down by the still waters of love and holy and devout contemplation. This continues, however, but a short time; and lest too much joy should intoxicate his soul, the green fields and still waters must be left, the mountain top of holy and ravishing enjoyment

must be exchanged for the low valley of soul desertion, and perhaps bondage of spirit. Thus it was with the father of the faithful, of whom it is recorded, that after being favoured with the most intimate converse with God, and receiving the most precious promises from His lips,"an horror of great darkness fell upon him." And a still more highly favoured servant of Christ, the apostle Paul, after having been caught up into the third heaven, where he heard things unlawful for man to utter, had to descend to find a thorn in his flesh-" a messenger of Satan to buffet him." And thus it was with Christ, who, from the waters of Jordan and the smile of His Father, was led into the desert to be tempted of the devil, and from thence again into the midst of a vast multitude, drawn together by the rumour of His fame to gaze upon His miracles, and test His power to heal. How great the change! From the solitude of the desert, to the very heart of an excited crowd; from communion with God, to the noisy importunities of a curious multitude; from the company of angels, to immediate contact with creatures depraved by sin, stricken by disease, and even possessed by devils! Yet through all these changes we perceive infinite wisdom directing His steps, and a great and sublime purpose actuating all His movements. He went into the desert not for ease, but for conflict; not to become an anchorite, but to meet a foe; not to sentimentalize, but to pray; not to indulge in vain misgivings, but to conquer him with whom they originated. These things accomplished, He appears again in the midst of fallen men,-not to seek for fame, but to do them good. The christian may go into solitude, but is not to abide there: his secret conflicts are to

fit him for public labour. God lights not candles to hide them under a bushel, but that they may be seen, and enlighten those who behold them. He often leads His people unto suffering and sorrow, to give emphasis to truth, and that they, thus testing its value, may be compelled and better able to make it known. Thus it was with Christ: having overcome the great enemy of mankind, the people of Galilee hear a voice saying "repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

He

comes not with polished orations, but with a simple message to the conscience; yet how solemn is that voice! the same that said "let there be light, and there was light:" and how dreadful is the sleep that has come upon man that he must needs be thus addressed to wake him up. How affecting is that voice! the voice of the son who has come into his vineyard; the voice of the heir rejected of men; the voice of the Good Shepherd calling His sheep. Like as the cry of the sinking mariner rises from the ocean well-nigh lost amid the breakers' roar, so falls the voice of Christ upon the ear, amid the storm, the wreck, and multitudinous voices, the ever-heaving waves and surges of broken and tempest-tossed humanity, repent! Many laugh at the voice of the singular man, yet shall that voice increase in volume and strength, until thousands shall repeat its echo, and cry repent! and like the "sound of many waters," it shall spread east, west, north, and south, and bring myriads with weeping and supplication to the footstool of mercy. Mark, believer, how Jesus came into His public work. He comes clothed not in the technicalities of the schools, but in the language of simple, earnest appeal to the heart. "Repent!" He cries, and flings wide open the door of God's mercy to perishing men. Few imitate His example in the present day, and to repeat His words would by some be thought a crime! Yet myriads sleep! and who shall awaken them? O thou who art "the resurrection and the life," arise to the help of thy servants, and breathe, O! breathe life and vigour into their appeals. Carry thy words into their hearts and constrain them to utter them; and from their lips drive them like barbed arrows into the hearts of men. Oh! need they not repentance now, or has nature changed since, in Galilee of the Gentiles, thou didst lift up thy voice and cry, like a travailing woman, repent? Thus preached Jesus; and thus even the land of Zebulon and Napthalim "beheld a great light," and o'er those regions of darkness and death came the break of a glorious day. However great the moral darkness, may Jesus now scatter it; may He turn "the shadow of death into the morning," and we shall again perceive

that nothing is too hard for Him, while we behold Him scattering the powers of darkness.

Oh! ye missionaries, despair not, however dark the lands ye visit, while He who cried "repent," through the land of Zabulon, and transformed the ragged fishermen of Galilee into able ministers of His gospel, is with you-your companions, to help and to bless. How strong did Christ come from the wilderness to preach the gospel, and well He might. He had conquered the chief enemy, and should He fear inferior agencies? He had spoiled the Lord, should He shrink from his vassals? The victory was achieved by truth, and now the victor comes forth David-like to beard the lion, and by truth seeks to rob him of his prey. He knew the character of His foe, and the nature of his weapons, and hastens forth to give others the fruits of His victory, by teaching them how to meet him and conquer too. Temptation resisted, weakens not the object tempted, but rather gives strength. The Sandwich Islander believed that the strength of the foe he slew, passed into his own body, and so every new victory prepares the wrestler for further conquest. The more he fights the stronger he is; resistance gives him vigour, and by conflict he is made strong. The Ronians were overcome by effeminacy, the offspring of ease, and thus it is that the christian falls. Like the summer root from the Steppes of Siberia, which grows strong, and blossoms mid pinching winds with ice round its roots, so the christian thrives best amid the storms of hard conflict and the nipping frost of adversity; and if exposed to the warm climate of prosperity, unless the ice of many sorrows cover his roots, he soon loses his spiritual beauty and vigour, and the vital sap of his strength seems for a time to fail.

Happy the man, then, who thus imitates his Lord; who wrestles with God in secret, and fights against sin as well as works in public; his path may be chequered, but success is sure to attend his efforts. Wherever Christ came, the sick and diseased surrounded him, but He healed them all; He was not straightened with His numerous comCyprepedium: Leisure Hour, p. 213, this year