cheer; thy sins are forgiven thee.' He said it came with that power and life upon his spirit, which it was impossible for him to express, and he did not know whether it was by an immediate impression on his mind, or a direct voice from heaven, (which last he was inclined to think), but it had such an evidence and energy accompanying it, as at once put an end to all his fears and doubts, and which he could no more resist, than he could do the light of a sunbeam darted upon his eye."

Chap. ix. ver. 36.-But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.

"Five hundred millions of souls," exclaims a Missionary, "are represented as being unenlightened! I cannot, if I would, give up the idea of being a Missionary, while I reflect upon this vast number of my fellow-sinners, who are perishing for lack of knowledge. Five hundred millions! intrudes itself upon my mind wherever I go, and however I am employed. When I go to bed, it is the last thing that recurs to my memory; if I awake in the night, it is to meditate on it alone; and in the morning, it is generally the first thing that occupies my thoughts."

Chap. x. ver. 28.-And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Anaxarchus the philosopher, having sharply reproved Nicroceon, and being ordered by him to be beaten to death with iron mallets, said, "Strike, strike on; thou mayest break in pieces this vessel of Anaxarchus, but Anaxarchus himself thou canst not touch." So Socrates is reported to have cried out, when persecuted: "Amyntas and Meletus," said he, "can kill me, but they cannot hurt me.

Chap. x. ver. 31.-Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. The Rev. Mr Nosworthy, who died in 1677, had,

from the persecuting spirit of the times, been imprisoned at Winchester, where he met with much cruel usage. After his release, he was several times reduced to great straits. Once, when he and his family had breakfasted, and had nothing left for another meal, his wife, lamenting her condition, exclaimed, "What shall I do with my poor children ?" He persuaded her to walk abroad with him, and seeing a little bird, he said, "Take notice how that little bird sits and chirps, though we cannot tell whether it has been at breakfast; and if it has, it knows not whither to go for a diuner. Therefore be of good cheer, and do not distrust the providence of God; for are we not better than many sparrows?" Before dinner time they had plenty of provisions brought them. Thus was the promise fulfilled, "They who trust in the Lord shall not want any good thing."

Chap. xi. ver. 3.-Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?

At a solemn disputation which was held at Venice, in the 17th century, between a Jew and a Christian, the Christian strongly argued, from Daniel's prophecy of the seventy weeks, that Jesus was the Messiah whom the Jews had long expected from the predictions of their prophets. The learned Rabbi who presided at this disputation was so forcibly struck with the argument, that he put an end to the business by saying, "Let us shut up our Bibles, for if we proceed in the examination of this prophecy, it will make us all become Christians."

Chap. xi. ver. 30.-For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

"I remember a passage of his," says Matthew Henry, in writing the account of his father's life," in a lecture in the year 1674, which much affected many. He was preaching on that text, Matth. xi. 30. My yoke is easy; and after many things insisted upon, to prove the yoke of Christ an easy yoke, he at last appealed to the experiences of all that had drawn in that yoke: Call now, if there be any that will answer you, and to which of the saints will you turn? Turn to which you will, and

they will all agree that they have found wisdom's ways pleasantness, and Christ's commandments not grievous; and (saith he) I will here witness for one, who, through grace, has in some poor measure been drawing this yoke now above thirty years, and I have found it an easy yoke, and like my choice too well to change.'

Chap. xii. ver. 11.—And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the Sabbath-day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?

A native of one of the South Sea islands came and told the Missionaries, that while he was attending public worship, a pig broke into his garden; that on his return, he saw him devouring the sweet potatoes, sugar-cane, taro, and other productions, but that he did not drive it out, because he was convinced it would immediately return, unless he repaired the broken fence, and that he supposed was a kind of labour prohibited on the Sabbath. He therefore allowed the pig to remain till he was satisfied, and did not mend the fence till the following morning. He, however, wished to know, and the people in general were interested in the inquiry,-whether, in the event of a similar occurrence at any future period, he should do wrong in driving out the animal, and repairing the fence. He was told that the most secure way would be to keep the fence in good repair, but that, if pigs should break in on the Sabbath, they ought by all means to be driven out, and the breaches they had made so far repaired, as to secure the inclosure till the following day.

Chap. xii. ver. 34, 35.-0 generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man, out of the good treasure of the heart, bringeth forth good things; and an evil man, out of the evil treasure, bringeth forth evil things.

The Rev. John Flavel being in London in 1673, his

B

old bookseller, Mr Boulter, gave him the following relation," That some time before, there came into his shop a young gentleman, to inquire for some play-books. He told him he had none, but shewed him Mr Flavel's small treatise of Keeping the Heart, intreated him to read it, and assured him it would do him more good than any play-book. The gentleman read the title, and glancing upon several pages here and there, broke out into profane expressions. Mr Boulter begged of him to buy and read it, and told him he had no reason to censure it so severely. At last he bought it, but told him he would not read it. "What will you do with it then ?" said the bookseller. "I will tear and burn it." "Then," said Mr B. " you shall not have it." Upon this the gentleman promised to read it, and Mr B. told him, if he disliked it upon reading, he would return him his money. About a month after, the gentleman came to the shop again, and with a serious countenance thus addressed Mr B. Sir, I most heartily thank you for putting this book into my hands. 1 bless God that moved you to do it, it hath saved my soul; blessed be God that ever I came into your shop." He then bought a hundred of the books, and told him he would give them to the poor who could not buy them.

Chap. xiii. ver. 1, 2.-The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the seaside. And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.

George Wishart, one of the first Scottish martyrs at the time of the Reformation, being desired to preach one Lord's day in the church of Mauchline, went thither with that design; but the sheriff of Ayr had, in the night time, put a garrison of soldiers into the church to keep him out. Hugh Campbell of Kinzeancleugh, with others in the parish, were exceedingly offended at this impiety, and would have entered the church by force; but Wishart would not suffer it, saying, "Brethren, it is the word of peace which I preach unto you; the blood of no man shall be shed for it this day. Jesus Christ is

as mighty in the fields as in the church, and he himself, while he lived in the flesh, preached oftener in the desert and on the sea-side, than in the temple of Jerusalem." Upon this the people were appeased, and went with him to the edge of a moor on the south-west of Mauchline, where, having placed himself upon a mound of earth, he preached to a great multitude. He continued speaking for more than three hours, God working wondrously by him; insomuch that Laurence Ranken, the Laird of Shield, a very profane person, was converted by his discourse. The tears ran from his eyes, to the astonishment of all present; and the whole of his after-life witnessed that his profession was without hypocrisy.

Chap. xiii. ver. 51.-Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.

The Rev. Mr Berridge was remarkably careful to preach with great plainness of speech; so much so, that, if pos sible, there might not be a word uttered which the meanest of his hearers could not understand. On one occasion, when the Rev. Mr Romaine had been preaching at his church, after the service the good vicar said, "Brother Romaine, your sermon was good, but my people cannot understand your language.". Mr Romaine, whose style was remarkably simple, did not recollect any expression in his sermon that could be above their comprehension, and therefore requested him to mention it. Mr Berridge said, "You have endeavoured to prove that God is omniscient and omnipotent; but if you had said almighty, and knew every thing, they would have understood you.'

Chap. xiv. ver. 4.-For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.

Dr Edmund Calamy was a bold reprover of sin, and was never known to be intimidated when he thought his duty was concerned. He dared to censure the conduct of Cromwell to his face. His grandson informs us that he had General Monk for his auditor in his own church, soon after the restoration; and that, having occasion to speak in his sermon of filthy lucre, he said, "Some men will