man particle of affirmation Ia, in re ply to Vitus Winshemius, who had inquired if he understood him while reading. The last motion which his friends, who surrounded him to the number of at least twenty, could discern, was a slight motion of the countenance, which was peculiar to him when deeply affected with religious joy!" Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace."

At length," in the midst of solemn vows and supplications," at a quarter of an hour before seven o'clock in the evening of the nineteenth of April, one thousand five hundred and sixty, at the age of sixty-three years, two months and three days, he gently breathed his last. No distractions of mind, no foreboding terrors of conscience agitated this attractive scene. His chamber was "privileged beyond the common walks of virtuous lifequite in the verge of heaven"-and he expired like a wave scarcely curling to the evening zephyr of an unclouded summer sky, and gently rippling to the shore. It was a PARTURE"-a "SLEEP"-" the earthly house of this tabernacle was DISSOLVED!"

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Surely then, "such a pious and tranquil removal from a toilsome and afflictive life ought to be a subject of joy rather than of lamentation, and each of us should entreat God, that in the possession of a similar peace of conscience, firm faith, acknowledgment of the truth, and ardent devotion of mind, he would conduct us from our present imprisonment to his eter. nal presence."

Information of this event was immediately transmitted to the Elector, and means were adopted to bury him with suitable circumstances of respect. To gratify the anxious crowds who were desirous of seeing the body of this venerable person, the public were permitted for a day and a half after his decease to inspect his mortal remains; and of the hundreds who availed themselves of the opportunity, none could resist bestowing an abundant tribute of tears upon his beloved memory. Strangers who had never seen

him while living, pressed to take a view of the yet undeparted symmetry of his amiable countenance, and all who came were desirous of obtaining a pen, a piece of paper, however small, on which he had written, or, in short, any thing he had used, however insignificant in itself, which was scattered on the floor of the library.

His remains were placed in a leaden coffin, and deposited close to the body of Martin Luther-" lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided." A long Latin inscription was written on the coffin, containing a chronological notice of the principal circumstances of his life. Some of the professors in the University attended in funeral robes to convey the body to the parochial Church, where it was placed before the altar, and after the usual ceremonies and psalms, Doctor Paul Eberus, pastor of the Church at Wittemberg, delivered a funeral discourse; after which, the body being removed into the centre of the Church, Doctor Vitus Winshemius pronounced an oration in Latin. The crowd of students, citizens, strangers, and persons of every class attracted together to witness these solemnities, was never exceeded on any occasion within the memory of the spectators. Among the rest were several of the professors from the University of Leipsic, and many of the nobility, pastors of churches and others, from a large vicinity.

FOR THE CHRISTIAN JOURNAL.

WHEN Cyrus, the Persian monarch, previously, however, to his advancement to the Imperial throne, and while yet the commander of the united armies of Media and Persia, was engaged in a war with Croesus, king of Lydia, he at length took the king, after besieging Sardis, where he was shut up, and resolved on putting him to death by burning. For this purpose he prepared a large pile of wood, and bound Croesus on its top. Just as fire was about to be put to the pile, Croesus cried out, Solon, Solon, Solon, three times. Cyrus demanded the reason

of this earnest call upon Solon. The following facts were related in reply. When Solon, a wise Athenian philosopher, was at Sardis, on some occasion, he obtained a social interview with king Croesus:-the king, with a view to extort from the philosopher a compliment on his felicity, made a display of his riches and vast possessions. But instead of applause, the philosopher observed, that he could call no man happy in this life, because he could not foresee what was to befall him before his death. The recollection of these words, at this serious moment, with Croesus, caused him thrice to call upon the name of Solon. Hearing this story, Cyrus was touched with such compassion for the unhappy man, that he stopped the execution, and ordered him to be taken down; and for ever after Croesus was made a confident and chief counsellor in all Cyrus's affairs.

Happy would it be, if Christians, on Christian principles, could view temporal possessions like this heathen philosopher, and act as if they were not to be depended on for happiness, and a security against the ills of life. Then we might look for greater ardour in seeking the only true and substantial happiness, beyond the limits of this life; and more liberal improvement of the means which worldly pos, sessions afford of promoting the spiritual and eternal blessings of religion. The true spirit of Christianity is calculated to raise the mind above the world, so as to view its pursuits and enjoyments as vanity, and lighter than vanity, when compared witheternity and happiness above. It is, however, a lamentable fact, that many Christians, instead of placing their greatest affections on things above, where they ought to be placed, show that their chief concern is here below. A very heathen teaches them that this is folly. He could call no man happy, while he did not know what was to befall him. The wretched Croe sus felt this truth, when his possessions, and honours, and all the appendages of royalty, so far from soothing, must have added to his misery. But the Christian has promise of an VOL. HI.

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inheritance that fadeth not away. How, then, must remorse be added to disappointment, if he forfeit this by criminal neglect! But how delightful will be his reflections, if, when about to lose all earthly good, he enjoys the sure anticipation of that which is eternal and unchangeable! How strongly is he urged, not only to seek himself the true and living faith, which is essential to this; but also to consecrate a liberal portion of his wealth to extending to his fellow-men the knowledge and means of this glorious privilege.

The time is coming, when Solomon's words, all is vanity, will be realized by every individual; when golden barriers will be insufficient to keep off the agitations of a guilty soul, about to quit its earthly tabernacle, and appear in the presence of its Judge. Let then Christians have at least as much reflection as a heathen philosopher, who judged that man ought not to felicitate himself on his possessions, as long as he knew not what were to be his misfortunes here. Let them think more of future happiness, and devote more of their earthly trea sures to the interests of religion, and to extend the borders of that holy and apostolic Church, which the Redeemer, at the expense of his atoning blood, established to lead them to heaven, where is happiness without alloy. In this way, riches may procure for them crowns of rejoicing,-bliss that shall never fade away, but be durable as eternity.

LONG-ISLAND.

LIGHT AND LOVE.

LIGHT is the great source of blessing in the natural world, love in the moral. The excellencies of both are united in the Divine nature: God is light, and God is love. A slavish and superstitious fear of God proceeds, therefore, from a misapprehension of him; as when the disciples saw Jesus walking upon the sea, and knew not who it was, they were scared with the appearance; and, therefore, our Lord, to take off their fear, only made himself better known to them: It is I, says he, be not afraid.

Baring Botany Bay Ship. (From the Christian Guardian for Jan. 1819.) In the Supplement to the December number we mentioned the sailing of this ship, with upwards of 300 convicts, from the river, having on board also the Rev. John Cross, an assistant Chaplain for New South Wales, with his wife and children; the Rev. Mr. Butler, a Clergyman belonging to the Church Mission ary Society, and his wife and children; Mr. and Mrs. Kemp; Mr. Hall, and two New Zealanders, for New Zealand, via Sydney: we we congratulated our readers on the probable accession to the cause of religion in our distant settlement, and among the Zealanders, by the services of such men as we believe them to be, and we heartily wished them a prosperous voyage, and great success in their ministry. And now we have to communicate, with a sorrow chastised with submission, and with thankfulness unmixed with any alloy, the result of a most narrow escape of the ship and people from destruction. Shortly after their sailing from Sheerness, on the bank, near the North Foreland, the vessel grounded! The shock occasioned by her position was so violent as to move the people off their feet; and the groans of the vessel, in her laborious conflict between the ground and the under-swell, were described to us by an ear-witness as most tremendous; and the tremulous motion of the mainmast was indescribably affecting to the women and children, and brought paleness into the countenance of one of those most accustomed to the sea. In this jeopardy they did not continue long, for, by the good providence of God, the ship touched at the time the flowing of the tide had commenced, so that by setting sails, and moving the people forward in the ship, the tide greatly helping, she launched forth into deep water. Till this period

the Rev. Gentlemen felt no confounding alarm; but a quiet and tranquil presence of mind, answerable to the promise, "As thy day is, so shall thy strength be," kept them from sinking while the ship was in danger; but when she floated on the bosom of the but now threatening ocean, they felt a sinking, perhaps in part from sensations of gratitude, and in part from the unbending of the nerves, which had been too highly stretched before with apprehension, mingled with hope and trust in God. The wind continued strong, but in their favour, till they reached the Downs, off Deal; and the moment they came into ten fathoms water, the wind of the Lord blew strongly in their teeth, and they were forced to anchor: this gave opportunity for more minute inquiry into the state of the hold, and they found that the ship was making three feet water in twenty-four hours. This induced the Captain to land and set off post for London, to lay the state of the vessel before the proper authorities, whose decision was to return into Sheerness to refit. So then the voyage is postponed, but the precious lives are saved most probably from destruction, for, had the wind not prevented, they would have proceeded down Channel; and, as the ship is deemed not sea-worthy, they might have looked in vain for any haven but that to which the Christians among them would have come suddenly and certainly, but the unbelievers never. But now, who can tell but that many of these lives may, through grace, be reserved for salvation work here, and the enjoyment of glory hereafter! The hand of God has been made manifest in the outset, and we trust it will be always viewed and owned in the sequel by many on board. The account given of the care and attention of the Captain, the good conduct and promising

WORDS are no otherwise important than as they are the signs of ideas. The connexion between the two, has, in but very few instances, any foundation in nature. It is merely arbitrary. By this, however, it is not to be understood that every man has a right to assign to words any sense he pleases. To avoid endless perplexity and misunderstanding, it is obviously necessary that there be a general consent in this particular. In some cases the derivation of a word is sufficiently evident to control this. In others, it should be governed by the authority of standard writings; or where their decisions are not given, general usage. I propose to submit a few remarks on the very prevalent misapplication of certain religious terms. The Scriptures, and the Liturgy of the Protestant Episcopal Church, are the stand ards by which the use of these terms shall be tested; they being supposed to be acknowledged by the reader as competent authority.

CATHOLIC.

This word is derived from two Greek words, which signify of the whole. From its etymology, therefore, we collect its evident meaning to be universal. It no where occurs in the text of Scripture. The word translated "at all," in Acts iv. 18, is from the same original, and obviously conveys the idea of universal restriction. The Epistles of St. James, St.

Peter, St. John, and St. Jude, are termed in their superscriptions, Catholic, or, as it is in our translation, General Epistles. The learned differ in assigning the cause for this. One opinion is, that as (with the exception of the short Epistles of St. John) they were not addressed to converts in particular places, but generally; they were, therefore, termed Catholic. Others are of opinion, that as the first Epistle of St. Peter, and the first of St. John, were, from the beginning, universally received as authentic, and doubts were entertained of the remainder of these seven Epistles, the former were termed Catholic; and that the name was afterwards applied to them all, when the claims of the others to genuineness had been fully examined, and universally approved.

In both these sentiments, we perceive the same signification of the word in question.

Where it occurs in the Liturgy, there can be no doubt of its retaining the same meaning. In the Apostle's Creed, we profess belief in "the Holy Catholic Church ;" and in the Nicene Creed, in "one Catholic and Apostolic Church." In the visitation of the sick, there is a prayer for "all present at the visitation," that they may die " in the communion of the Catholic Church." It is obvious that there is here meant what is expressed in the prayer for all conditions of men, the litany, and the prayer in the communion for the whole state of Christ's Church, by the expression, "Universal Church." This, again, is explained by the XIXth Article. 66 The visible Church of Christ is a congregation of faithful men, in the which the pure word of God is preached, and the sacraments be duly administered, according to Christ's ordinance, in all those things that, of necessity, are requisite to the same."

All, then, who come under this definition, belong to the Catholic Church. But by a very prevalent misapplication of that term, it is made, in a vast majority of cases, to convey a very different idea. It is claimed by a portion, and a very corrupt portion, of the Christian world, as peculiarly de