Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

In the year 1666, an opinion generally prevailed in England, that the end of the world would come that year. Sir Matthew Hale going the same year in the western circuit, it happened, that when on the Bench at the Assizes, a most terrible storm came on very unexpectedly, accompanied with dreadful flashes of lightning, and peals of thunder; upon which a whisper ran through the crowd, that the world was at an end, and the day of judgment beginning. A general consternation in the whole assembly followed, and all men forgot the business they were met about, and betook themselves to their prayers. This, adding to the horror raised by the storm, looked very dismal; insomuch, that the relater of the story, a man of no ordinary resolution, confessed it made impressions on himself. But he stated, "that he observed Sir Matthew, the Judge, was not a whit affected, but went on with the business of the court in his ordinary manner."

Chap. ii, ver. 3, 4.-Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is wor→ shipped; so that he, as God, sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

One day, after prayer, King Charles I, asked Mr. Robert Blair, an eminent Scottish minister, if it was warrantable in prayer, to determine a controversy. Mr. Blair, taking the hint, said, he thought he had

"Yes,"

determined no controversy in that prayer. said the king, "you have determined the Pope to be antichrist, which is a controversy among divines."— To this Mr. Blair replied, "To me this is no controversy, and I am sorry it should be accounted so by your majesty; sure it was none to your father." This silenced the king, for he was a great defender of his father's opinions; and his testimony, Mr. Blair knew well, was of more authority with him than the testimony of any divine.

Chap. iii, ver. 10.—For even when we were with you, this we commanded that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

you,

Pisistratus, the Grecian general, walking through some of his fields, several persons implored his charity. "If you want beasts to plough your land," said he, "I will lend you some; if you want land, I will give you some; if you want seed to sow your land, I will give you some; but I will encourage none in idleness. By this conduct, in a short time, there was not a beggar in his dominions.

I. TIMOTHY.

Chap. i, ver. 9.-Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers.

In 1815, a person was brought before the court of Vannes, in France, accused of the murder of his mother. It appeared by the evidence given on the trial, that he had returned home intoxicated and wet through with the rain; on his arrival, he took it into his head to get into the oven, in order to warm and dry himself, but the oven having been heated not long before,

U*

he burnt his hands and knees in the attempt; this rendered him furious, and he returned to the room in which all the family slept, and which was in total darkness; he there fell into a passion against his son, a lad of 14 years, for not having told him that the oven had been lately heated, and took up a large bar in order to strike him. His father, more than 60 years old, ran and endeavored to cool the rage of his son, but this only enraged him the more, and he was about to strike him, when his mother went to the assistance of her husband. She was no sooner come near him, than the prisoner struck her twice on the head with the bar, of which blows she died a few hours afterwards, praying heaven for the pardon of her son. During the trial, the prisoner constantly denied these facts; but the jury having unanimously found him guilty, he was sentenced, as a parricide, to be conducted to the place of execution in a shirt with his feet naked, and his head covered with a black vail, to have his right hand struck off, and afterwards to be beheaded.

Chap. i, ver. 15.—This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

Mr. Bilney, one of the martyrs of Queen Mary's reign, compared the priests and friars to the physician, upon whom the woman, vexed twelve years with a bloody issue, spent all that she had, and found no help, but was still worse and worse; till at last she came to Christ, and was healed by him. "Oh," said he, the mighty power of the Most High, which I also, a miserable sinner, have often tasted and felt, * whereas before, I spent all I had upon those ignorant physicians, insomuch that I had little strength left in me. But at last I heard of Jesus: and that was when the New Testament was translated by Erasmus; for at that time I knew not what it meant.

But looking into the New Testament, by God's special providence, I met with those words of the apostle St. Paul," This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, whereof I am the chief.' Oh most sweet and comfortable sentence to my soul! This one sentence, through God's instruction and inward working, did so exhilarate my heart, which before was wounded with the guilt of my sins, and almost in despair, that immediately I found wonderful comfort and quietness in my soul, so that my bruised bones leaped for joy. After this the Scriptures became sweeter to me than the honey and the honeycomb; for by them I learned, that all my travels, fastings, watchings, redemption of masses, and pardons, without faith in Christ, were but, as St. Austin calls them, a hasty running out of the right way, and as fig leaves, which could not cover Adam's nakedThese things I preached, and for these things was cast into prison and condemned.

ness.

Chap. ii, ver. 9.-In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broidered hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array.

A minister of the Gospel occasionally visiting a gay person, was introduced to a room near to that in which she dressed. After waiting some hours, the lady came in and found him in tears. She inquired the reason of his weeping; the minister replied, "Madam, I weep on reflecting that you can spend so many hours before your glass, and in adorning your person, while I spend so few hours before my God, and in adorning my soul." The rebuke struck her conscience,she lived and died a monument of grace.

Chap. iii, ver. 3.-Not given to wine.
An Italian artist, who was employed by a cardinal

to paint the apostles Peter and Paul, was much provoked by the trifling criticism of his patron, who told him he colored the faces of the apostles, as if they took too much wine. "No." said the angry artist, "I have not painted them drunk, but blushing for the drunkenness of their successors.

Chap. iii, ver. 6.-Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride, he fall into the condemnation of the devil.

"The apprehension of cursed pride, (the sin of young ministers,) working in my heart," says Dr. Cotton Mather, "filled me with an inexpressible bitterness and confusion before the Lord. In my youth, when some others of my age were playing in the streets, I was preaching to large assemblies, and I was honored with great respect among the people of God. I feared, (and thanks be to God that he made me fear,) lest Satan was hereby preparing a snare and a pit for such a novice. I therefore resolved, that I would set apart a day to humble myself before God, for the pride of my own heart, and to supplicate his grace to deliver me from that sin, and from the dreadful wrath it would expose me to."

Chap. iv, ver. 8.-For bodily exercise profitteth little, but godliness is profitable unto all things; having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

"Oh blessed' be God that I was born," said the pious Haliburton when dying. "I have a father and a mother, and ten brethren and sisters in heaven, and I shall be the eleventh. Oh blessed be the day that I was ever born! Oh that I were where he is! And yet were God to withdraw from me, I should be weak as water. All that I enjoy, though it be miracle on miracle, would not support me without fresh supplies from God. The thing I rejoice in is this, that God is altogether full; and that in the Mediator Christ Jesus