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advantages which I have reckoned above, as likely to be connected with the allotment system, are trifling things; but small impulses, all tending one way, may lead to great results. The main objection which I suppose will be taken is, that to make allotments in crowded districts is scarcely practicable. Some beginning, however, has been made at a place so crowded as Leeds; and, at any rate, in any future building arrangements, room might be left for allotments of land, which would also secure many advantages with respect to the sanatory condition of the people. It may be remarked, too, that any manufacturer, who possessed cottages with allotments to them, would have an easy mode of rewarding good behaviour. Such cottages would be eagerly sought after by the men, and might be given, in preference, to those of good character.'

For much more excellent matter we beg to recommend this book to our readers and the public at large*.

SABBATH MEDITATIONS.

No. XXXII.

FEBRUARY 2.-QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY.-THE

PRESENTATION OF CHRIST IN THE TEMPLE, COMMONLY CALLED "THE PURIFICATION OF

ST. MARY THE VIRGIN."

Morning Lessons: Wisd. ix.; Mark ii.
Evening Lessons: Wisd. xvi.; 1 Cor. xiv.
MORNING.

Gospel for the Day: "They brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord."-LUKE 11. 23.

Meditation.

"Lo! to thy kingdom here below

We little children bring,

For to that kingdom such we know
The meetest offering;

That they, in thee, may here put on
Thy kingdom's panoply,
And in the path of duty run,

Like children of the sky."

WILLIAMS.

Prayer.-Most holy and blessed Jesus, who by conception and birth wast alike without spot, and, knowing no sin, wast the only meet sacrifice and oblation for us, thy erring creatures, we earnestly beseech thee, let thy grace and Holy Spirit be with us, that we may offer unto thee in thy temple a holy sacrifice, even ourselves, our souls and bodies. O, present us this day unto thy heavenly Father, not in the unworthiness of our poor and corrupted flesh, but cleansed with thy precious blood and clothed with thy righteousness; for thus only shall our prayers and praises find acceptance in his sight.

Thou, O Christ, wast holy from thy mother's womb, and didst not need that she should dedicate thee in the flesh unto the Lord of lords; neither didst thou know stain or blemish, to call for the legal requirements of his ancient covenant; but, in thy wonderful humility, didst condescend to an earthly ordinance, that thou mightest set before us the example of fulfilling all righteousness, and thereby teach us, likewise, that circumcision avail

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eth nothing, and uncircumcision nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of thy God and our God. Grant unto us the like spirit of obedience; that we may seek, not our own will, but his who sent thee, and strive not to please ourselves, but him in whose pleasure is life.

O Lord our Saviour, even as thou didst present this the morning sacrifice of thy entire obedience, and perfect it afterwards in the evening sacrifice, wherein thou becamest our passover and didst taste death for every man, even so let the grace of thy Spirit overshadow us; that we may, in spirit and in truth, show forth thy loving-kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness in the night-season. Clothe our souls with the beauty of holiness, that we may gather ourselves together in thine house with holy fear and reverence, and offer up unto thee our vows and supplications in an acceptable manner.

Bless us, gracious Father, bless us, and give us hearts, not only to devote ourselves wholly to thy service, but to dedicate unto thy honour and glory the children whose precious souls thou hast committed to our charge; that, growing up in thy fear and nurture and obedience, and in the love and knowledge of Jesus Christ, they may, in the end, sleep in him, and see and taste his great salvation. Amen.

EVENING.

S. K. C.

"I will pray with the Spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also."-1 COR. XIV. 15.

Meditation." In the catholic church it is divinely and unexceptionably delivered that no creature is to be worshipped by the soul. No worship is to be paid but to him only who is the Creator of all things" (St. Augustine).

"We must pray to God alone, who is God over all; and we must pray to the Word of God, his only begotten, and the first born of all his creatures; and we inust intreat him that he, as high-priest, will present our prayer, when it is come unto him, to his God and our God, and to his Father and the Father of all who rule their lives according to his holy word" (Origen).

him with a foul thought; and no sacrifice is pure by "He that offers a pure lamb to God may dishonour the skin and colour, but by the heart and hand of him that presents it (Bp. J. Taylor).

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Prayer.-O Lord, heavenly Father, of whom is the precious promise that to him who asks, believing, it shall be given, even unto him who is athirst and comes unto thee, that thou wilt vouchsafe him to drink of living water, look down upon thy servant, labouring and heavy laden, and, I beseech thee, fulfil my humble and hearty desire that the grace of thy Holy Spirit, the Spirit of prayer and supplication, may rest upon me. let his divine influence be a light unto my soul; that it may lift itself up unto thee in holy aspirations, and ask only such things as shall please thee. In all my spiritual sacrifices may the blessed cross and him who gave himself for man be a sign unto me, like as was the brasen serpent to the perishing Israelite; and especially when wounded and stricken may I look upon it, and take a good heart with me, and live. In his draw nigh unto thy mercy-seat, and ask: from blessed name only dare I, thy unworthy creature, him only proceeds all my faith and affiance in thy compassions: through him only have I hope that thy loving-kindness and truth shall meet toge

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CHURCH OF ENGLAND MAGAZINE.

ther by him only art thou a Father near unto me, not a God afar off. Yea, thou, Lord, art my Maker: I am thy clay, and thou art my potter. Fashion and build me up, I beseech thee, wholly in Christ Jesu. Beget me anew, not of mortal but of immortal seed; and give me power, by thy Spirit, to become thy son, by his adoption and thy grace.

Be present with me, O merciful Father, by the self-same Spirit, whensoever I bow down my knee unto thee in prayer, that he may take possession of my inmost thoughts; that I may draw near unto thee with my whole heart, and honour thee with the pure and free-will offering of my lips: for I confess, O Lord, I am not able, of myself, so much as to think a good thought, much less to offer thee such an oblation as thou couldest accept. Hear my cry, O Lord; for even unto thee do I lift up mine eyes, who hast thy dwelling so high, and yet humblest thyself to behold the things in heaven and earth. Deal with me, that I may pray unto thee, not only with the understanding, but with my whole heart and soul, and receive grace to seek first thy kingdom and its righteousness, so that I may receive also all things else that be good for me, whether it be for this mortal life or for that eternity wherein the joy of thy saints shall be full. This I beg for thy dear Son's sake, Jesus Christ, my alone Mediator and Advo

cate.

Amen.

The Cabinet.

S.

SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHING*.-A faithful and constant exhibition of fundamental doctrines will materially assist your efforts in the class: it will tend to withdraw the attention of your scholars from inferior objects, and thereby do much to prevent or remove prejudice: it will enforce, by the most influential and unchangeable motives, a due performance of social duties; and it cannot fail, by the beneficial exercise of thought and reflection which it will continually demand, greatly to purify and strengthen the higher mental faculties. The natural depravity of the heart, and the indulgence of sinful habits, as the causes of present misery and destruction; the free mercy and inexhaustible love of God, as the sources of pardon and peace; the righteousness and death of Christ and the operations and gifts of the Holy Spirit, as the only means by which justification and sanctification can be obtained: these, with the eternal ruin of the ungodly, and the everlasting blessedness of the righteous, are the solemn and ennobling truths which you should faithfully and constantly exhibit to your scholars. Meditate upon these subjects in private, until your heart is filled with a sense of their supreme importance. Present one or more of the fundamental doctrines of the gospel every Sabbath-day, and do it as if you felt the solemn responsibility of such an employment. Make the bible the foundation of all your instructions; and, while professedly teaching the doctrines of the Christian faith, see that its first principles are thoroughly understood: resolve that, to the utmost of your ability, every scholar in your class shall clearly understand the scheme of re"The Teacher's Companion," by R. N. Collins. London, Houlston and Stoneman.

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demption, and the way by which alone salvation can be obtained. Whatever truth you exhibit, if it be possible, make that truth plain before you leave off; for what is not understood cannot be intelligently believed or perseveringly followed. The saving power of divine truth can only be conveyed to the heart by the Spirit of God; but a knowledge of the truths of revealed religion is communicated to the understanding, and impressed upon the memory through the agency of man.

Poetry.

THE BLIND GIRL'S HOPE.

I HEAR from thee of the setting sun,
How he sinks in the west when the day is done;
And that clouds of gold and azure float
In gorgeous lustre around that spot.
I hear of those glorious things from thee,
But their radiant beauty I cannot see.
And I hear thee talk of the stately trees,
And of meadows that wave in the summer breeze;
And of birds that fly through the garden bowers,
And of sparkling streams, and glowing flowers;
And I love to hear of those things from thee,
Though earth and her treasures are hid from me.
And I hear thee tell of the mighty sea,
An emblem, 'tis said, of eternity!
And how proudly its awful billows roll,
And yield to none other than God's controul.
And I think-what a blessed thing 'twould be,
If those varied wonders my eyes could see!
But shrouded to me is that world of light-
No ray can illumine unvarying night!
And vainly for me the sun may rise,
He sheds no beam on these darken'd eyes.

THE BURIAL AT SEA+.

THE skies were dark with dusky night:

On outstretched wing the vessel flew ;
Upon whose deck, by lantern's light,
We stood-a sad and chosen few.
Hundreds were hushed below: on deck
One sleeper slept more sound than they ;
For there-of carly hopes the wreck-

An infant, shrouded, coffined, lay.
A fair young child, whose spirit light
Had parted on the wide, wide sea,
Taken to upper worlds its flight,

From earth and all its troubles free.
And we had met, o'er that loved child
To pay our simple funeral rite,
To make its bed in waters wild,

And breathe that babe our last "good night!"
We give thy body to the deep,

Sister, and friend of youthful years!
Dark is thy bed of breathless sleep:

O'er ocean's flood rain fast our tears.

From "Scattered Leaves;" by A. M. B. Dublin, 1844. +From "The Church."

Sadly below the sullen wave

Thy loved dust sinks to its long home. Would that thine were a gentler grave,

Where storms ne'er rock, nor billows foam! Would that beneath the spreading yew, Where heaves the earth with many a mound; Where pious hands fresh garlands strew,

And wild flowers deck the hallowed ground; Where village maids bright chaplets bring, And rosy wreaths to bind each head; While, morn and even, the redbreasts sing, Sweet warbling o'er the silent dead; Would that thou wert laid in gentle peace,

Thy green grave roofed with grassy sod, Till the blest morning of release,

When saints shall rise and reign with God!

I hear the sea-dirge loudly swell

The depths lift up their voice and weep: Old ocean tolls his hollow knell

Dull ear of death! how sound thy sleep! Sister, farewell! away, away

Bounds o'er the brine our fleet-winged steed: Though time may bring a happier day,

Long with this wound shall memory bleed.

Miscellaneous.

THE DAUGHTER OF TYRE.-Though it is quite foreign to my present object to say anything respecting the daughter of Tyre, yet I cannot help mentioning a word regarding her ruins. To those who feel a greater interest in the birth-place of Hannibal, I would recommend sir Granvil Temple's small, but learned and interesting, publication:-"I was prepared," says the eminent author just mentioned, "to see but few vestiges of its former grandeur: it had so often suffered from the devastating effects of war, that I knew many could not exist; but my heart sunk within me when, ascending one of its hills (from whose summit the eye embraces a view of the whole surrounding country to the edge of the sea), I beheld nothing more than a few scattered and shapeless masses of masonry. Yes, all vestiges of the splendour and magnificence of the mighty city had indeed passed away, and its very name is now unknown to the present inhabitants." The only well-preserved constructions are the cisterns situated under Burj-jedeed, or new fort. They form an oblong square of 449 feet in length by 116 in breadth. There are eighteen cisterns, each 93 feet long, 19 feet 8 inches wide, and to the summit of the vault 27 feet 6 inches high, but only capable of containing a depth of 17 feet of water. These cisterns were supplied by rain water, which, falling on the roof, was conducted by earthen pipes (which still exist) below. At the village Moalka there are about thirteen or fourteen cisterns, much larger than those just mentioned; and, though they are now converted into dwelling-places and stables, they are not in such good preservation as those at Burj-jedeed. These were supplied with water from Zowwaan, a distance of fifty miles. The water was brought by an aqueduct, the ruins of which are still seen. Through the praiseworthy exertions of sir Thomas Reade, several grand ruius have of late been discovered. He obtained permission from H. H. the

bey to excavate on the ruins of Carthage; and Mr. Honnegger, a clever German architect, undertook the superintendence. The British consul-general defrayed all the expenses. The ruins of an extensive building, about which there are many conjectures, have been laid bare. Nothing can exceed the solidity with which it was built. I believe sir Thomas endeavoured, when in England a few years ago, to establish a society for carrying out his noble object; and it is to be regretted that his plan did not meet with that success which it certainly deserved. At the foot of the hill at Moalka, and in the direction of the lake, are the remains of an amphitheatre, the length of which was 300 feet by 230, and the dimensions of the area 180 by 100. There are also to be seen the ruins of a small theatre facing the sea. These, and a few more ruins, are the only remains of a city which was at one time the seat of commerce, the model of magnificence, the common store of the wealth of nations; which was the rival of Rome, and which, notwithstanding the enormous sums it had expended during the war, contained, when taken, so much wealth, that we are assured Scipio collected, after it had been on fire seventeen days, and after it had been given up to the pillage of his troops, objects which were valued at a sum equal to £1,500,000.-Davis's "Voice from North Africa."

MOUNT LEBANON AND THE CEDARS.-In the

language of a prophet it may be truly said, “Lebanon is bowed down." The few of these most remarkable trees remaining are about eight, standing on an uneven piece of ground, are 15 feet in height, twisted together; and here it is a curious fact, that in place of spreading out their branches with a natural irregularity, they are confined into a uniform pyramidal cone (Isaiah ii. 13). In point of striking grandeur and beauty, it may be truly said, they are altogether unrivalled in the vegetable kingdom, and often alluded to in the pastoral style of the Hebrew prophets (Kings xiv. 9). To break them and shake the enormous which the royal penman selects to express the majesty mass in which they grow, occur among those figures and power of Jehovah (Psalm xxix. 4, 5); to the full understanding of which, their countless number at one period, and also vast bulk, must not be lost sight of. Again, by the planting of this tree the kingdom of Christ has been described (Ezek. xvii. 22-24). The growth and extent of the New Testament church, and the great increase of her converts, are further most beautifully set forth by the psalmist under this emblem (Psalm xcii.). To this particular wood Solomon gave a decided preference in forming a chariot. The prosperity of the righteous, again, is compared to it; and it is further employed to denounce the judgment of the Almighty on the proud and high-minded (Ps. xxix. 4), besides the prosperity of Christ's kingdom (Isa. xxix. 17). Uniting so many qualities well adapted for building, they afforded the proper materials for the erection of the glorious temple. But, about this sacred and distinguished spot points out without going into further explanations, every object in the strongest manner the words of the inspired volume, namely," the glory of Lebanon."-Rae Wilson's" Egypt and the Holy Land."

London: Published for the Proprietors, by EDWARDS and HUGHES, 12, Ave-Maria Lane, St. Paul's; J. BURNS, 17, Portman Street; and to be procured, by order, of all Booksellers in Town and Country.

FRINTED BY

JOSEPH ROGERSON, 24, NORFOLK-STREET, STRAND, LONDON.

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LANERCOST PRIORY.

THE vale that descends from Naworth castle to the ruins of the abbey of Lanercost, in Cumberland, is about half a mile in breadth, and between two and three in length. The sides are gentle declivities, thickly covered with wood. At the bottom flows the Irthing; a short distance from the banks of which stand the remains of Lanercost priory, an Augustine monastery, founded by William de Vallibus in the year 1169, for a prior and monks, and dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene. It was frequently visited by Edward I., and partly destroyed by fire in 1296; but was restored, and continued to flourish until the dissolution, when it was valued, according to Speed, at 797. 19s.; and in the time of Edward the Sixth was granted to Thomas, lord Dacre. Few vestiges of the monastic buildings remain; though originally sufficiently extensive to become the residence of Edward the first, during one of his Scotch expe

VOL. XVIII.

ditions. Part of the structure is now used as a farm-house, and some portion of the cemetery has been converted into gardens. The gate of the burial-ground is a fine semicircular arch. The church is in the conventual form, with a low tower, embrasured. The portal at the west entrance consists of numerous mouldings, supported by pilasters, with plain capitals and bases. Over it is a well-sculptured figure of Mary Magdalene, in a recess, surrounded with a gothic canopy, apparently more modern than the rest of the building. On the right is a diminutive figure of a monk, kneeling. This part of the structure has been fitted up as a parochial church; but the other parts of the building are open, and exposed to the weather. Round the whole upper part of the edifice runs a colonnade, with pointed arches, supported on single pillars, which have a light and airy appearance: most of the windows are high and narrow. In the cross-arches are several tombs of the Howard and Dacre families, whose sculp

H

tured honours are now almost obliterated: "Their blazoned arms and gothic tombs, many of which are sumptuous, are so matted with briars and thistles, that even the foot of curiosity is kept at a distance." In the church was formerly this inscription:

"Sir Rowland Vaux, that sometime was the lord of Triermaine,
Is dead, his body clad in lead, and liys law under this stane.
Evin as we, evin so was he, on earth a levan man:
Evin as he, evin so maun we, for all the craft we can."

The principal materials for this edifice are supposed to have been obtained from the Roman wall, which passed within a short distance. "Near the place," says Pennant, "are some remains about four feet high, on the brow of a hill; but in an adjoining vale they rise to eight or ten, with very perfect facing-stones on each side. The middle part is composed of small stones and mortar, flung in (probably hot) without any order: the facingstones are from ten to eighteen inches long, and four inches thick." One or two Roman inscriptions have been found on stones built up in the walls of the priory. The manuscript chronicle of Lanercost, deposited in the British museum, mentions the election of a prior about the middle of the fourteenth century, whose name was Thomas de Hextoldsham; a man of such worldly conduct, that, besides the oath of canonical obedience, he was obliged by the bishop to make a solemn promise not to frequent public huntings, nor to keep so large a pack of hounds as he had formerly

done.

Mr. Jefferson, of Carlisle, in his very interesting account of Naworth, says. "The chapel, or oratory, is situated near the library at the top of the tower, and contains several interesting remains. It was originally fitted up with plain wainscot, painted red, and ornamented with escallop shells and cross-crosslets-armorial devices of the Dacres and Howards. There are also the fragments of what is supposed to have been the rich screen of the rood-loft of Lanercost priory church, consisting of carved ornaments of pierced work, in wood, richly painted and gilt, nailed up on the walls of the apartment. On the altar are several figures in white marble, about a foot in height, sculptured in alto-relievo, and of consilerable value. They represent the descent of the Holy Spirit; an abbess holding a sword, attending on a crowned personage, falling on a sword; Judas saluting his Master with a kiss; a monk carrying in his hand a head encircled with a crown, &c. It is probable that they were brought from the adjacent monastery of Lanercost, at its dissolu

tion."

A private communication, from Mr. Jefferson, contains the following statement: "Lord William died at Naworth. The inquisition post-mortem, taken at Carlisle 22nd April, 18th Charles I. (1642), expressly states that he died at Naward. Hutchinson's Cumberland erroneously says he died at Greystoke. A blue stone, under which he was supposed to be buried, in the church of the latter place, was raised in complianee with the wishes of the late Henry Howard, esq., of Corby castle, and of the earl of Carlisle it contained the remains of a body, and a small leaden chest, in which there was some dust-probably the remains

:

We trust to be enabled to give, by express permission, some most interesting information from Mr. Jefferson's works on Cumberland, &c.

of the heart of William, baron of Greystoke, who died in 1359. This information I had from the late Mr. Howard. He thought lord William Howard was buried in the old parish church of Brampton (near Naworth, and now in ruins); and it was his intention to have had a slab taken out which covered a vault in which the old lords of Gilsland were supposed to have been interred, and (with the concurrence of the earl of Carlisle) to have made an examination."

CHRISTIAN MASTERS".

"And ye, masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening; knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him."-EPH. vi. 9.

PAUL has closed his exhortations to the servants, in the epistle to the Colossians, with these words: "Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance; for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done; and there is no respect of persons" (Col. iii. 24, 25).

It is true, and it cannot be enough reflected upon by those who are placed in high stations in the world, that before God we are all equal, all of one origin, of one sinful nature; and all participate in the same mercy, the same Saviour, and the same glory: "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. iii. 23). No one is great before him, and no one is little. When he contemplates our species and race, and then his greatness and his grace, the names, the titles, the honours, the purple, the gold, the throne, the crown, disappear before his eyes, which are as a flame of fire (Rev. i. 14), for he looketh at the heart. It is also true that, as there are kings, so are there also governors, greater and less in the world, every one by the grace of God according to his order; and no subject should look upon this grace with discontent and envy, no servant with daring, ungodly feelings. God knows the thoughts, wishes, and designs of all, and will not suffer his government to be encroached upon with impunity: submission brings peace, obedience a blessing, rebellion a curse.

If one station has its advantages, its splendour, it has also its dangers. If the other has its subjection, its lowliness, it has also its security and its inward dignity, and bears its great tranquil blessings in itself. He who understands and acknowledges this, will, in the quiet obedience of his lowly situation, respect the powers that be, and will say, "I have never in commanding, but often in serving, received peace and blessedness. Jesus, thy promises are true and great" (Matt. xxv. 21; Luke xvi. 10. ; John xii. 25).

Those who are acquainted with the cruel customs of heathen masters in ancient times see the necessity of the apostle's exhortation to masters

From The Christian House Tablet; an Exposition for the

scriptural Rule of domestic Life." By the Rev. Theophilus Passavant. Translated from the German, by Mrs. Clarke. London: Wertheim. 1844. "The Christian House-Tablet, "

it is stated in the preface, "is a portion (so entitled by the author), of an exposition of St. Paul's epistle to the Ephesians, by Theophilus Passavant, an esteemed clergyman at Basle. The entire work is the fruit of much learning and study, combined with carnest piety and devotion. The present portion has been selected, as well for being complete in itself, as because it is on a subject of general interest and importance, and cannot fail. by God's blessing, to subserve Christian edification." Many most valuable hints will be found in these pages.

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