LAMENTATION OF DAVID OVER SAUL AND JONATHAN.

2nd SAMUEL, CHAP. 1, verses 19-27.

Low are the warriors in their grave
That led the battle's might,
Cold are the bosoms of the brave,
And quenched is Israel's light,
Oh! tell it not in Ascalon,

Let Gath not hear the tale!

Their daughter's songs for triumph won
Will swell the lab'ring gale.

Ne'er on your brows be dews of Heaven,
Hills of Gilboa, shed,

But ever scath'd by branding levin
Rear high your leafless head.
Ye saw the great, the mighty fall,

Ye bore Philistia's pride,

There lay the broken shield of Saul,
There God's anointed died.

His sword return'd not from the foe
Till red with heroes slain ;
Nor sped, O Jonathan, thy bow
Its feather'd bolts in vain.
How lovely was the link that tied,

Through life, each faithful heart!
And Death, that severs all beside,
Rent not that link apart!

As the twin eagles of the rock
Sweep from their eyrie's height;
As bursts upon the shepherd's flock,
The raging lion's might:

So swift in their career they spread
Destruction from afar;

So terrible in strength they sped
The thunders of the war.

Daughters of Israel, weep for him,
Who deck'd your vests with gold,
And gave, to wreathe each virgin limb,
The crimson mantle's fold.
No more in beauty's proud array,

Lead on the festal train;

But sad, and slow, bewail the day,
That saw your monarch slain.

In battle conflict, where the gore
Of Israel's valiant ran,

Thou too art fallen, to rise no more,

My brother Jonathan!

My thoughts in tender sorrow stray,
Upon the years gone by,
For bright and pleasant is the ray
That gilds their memory.

Oh dear is lovely woman's smile,

Her soft affections dear;

Well can her care life's woes beguile,

And chase the starting tear.

But dearer yet, round friendship's shrine,

Our sacred union grew,

For more than woman's love was thine,

More tender, firm, and true.

Weep for the victims of the grave,
Low on their bloody bier!

Weep for the bosoms of the brave,
Gored by the foeman's spear!

Weep ye for Israel's slaughtered sons,
Her day of glory fled;

Weep, for the strong and valiant ones
Are numbered with the dead!

P.

A GOOD Conscience is kept pure by faith in the atoning blood of Christ. It has been foolishly held by some, that they were justified from eternity—were saints before they were sinners. Now, there is a manifest absurdity in supposing that we could be justified before we had begun to exist; but, besides this, God does not justify simply as a sovereign; he justifies as a moral governor also; therefore the blessing must be connected with the obedience of faith. As a sovereign, he cast all the sins of his people into the depths of the sea: but, that he may be honoured as a moral governor, it is necessary that the blessing should reach the soul by faith, and be felt and realized in the heart and conscience.

HOWELS.

CHARITY.

ས.

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal."

POSSESSED with the important subject which had been presented to my mind, I determined on calling on my friend Mrs. Reynolds, to know if she had received any further illustration on the tongues of angels. Being both interested in the same object, we were not many minutes before we were in full discussion, for little Edmund was just beginning to read his morning lesson, 145th Psalm, commencing, "I will extol thee, my God, O King; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever." I took my seat, signifying, I wished him to proceed without interruption, and waited until he concluded, " My mouth shall speak the praises of the Lord: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever." We were both remarkably struck with the example thus afforded of the language of the heavenly mind, and saw how through the whole psalm it sweetly accorded with those unceasing voices which are before the throne.

'Oh!' said Mrs. Reynolds, 'does not the language of inspiration reach the heart, and make one ready to pray to the Holy Spirit for the assimilating influence, and say, inspire me, even me also! How we perceive

the spirit of charity here, the spring-Love to the Lord, the desire to glorify him as good, great, and gracious-love to men, which makes the saints delight to spread amongst them their testimony to his goodness. "Thy saints shall bless thee: they shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; to make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of His kingdom.””

'What is so beautiful in the true language,' I remarked, 'is the pure unmixed intention of the heart, that it should be our God who shall be exalted, and His acts recorded-these are not words taken up to serve a purpose for exalting self, and of making an exhibition of self in its profession of faith. It is an exalted tongue out of a full heart,—not the noisy din of the hollow brass. It is the subduing harmony of the new song. "It is He that giveth salvation!" which the abundance of the heart utters by the mouth; not the vain display of the trifles so justly compared to the tinkling cymbal, and it is evident that it can never be learnt or uttered but by the Holy Ghost, whose fruit it is.'

'Shall I tell you,' Mrs. Reynolds said, ' what has passed under my observation?' I expressed my wish she should do so, and she proceeded.

I attended as usual my parish church the last Sabbath, and as is my custom, went early, but was surprised to see it most unusually crowded, and could scarcely make my way to my own pew: I when there, with difficulty obtained room for myself and Edmund. There seemed an eager expression in every countenance, as if on the expectation of something more than common, but I supposed it might be for some charity sermon, of which I had neglected to