geous decorations of whose priests, as seen in the superb basilica of St Sophia at Constantinople, dazzled the barbarous imagination of the Scandinavian prince, and determined him to embrace the Christian religion, according to the forms of the Greek Church. Having submitted to baptism, his example was speedily followed by his chiefs and nobles, and those, again, by the numerous tribes that bowed to him as their king. It may serve to give some idea of the spirit in which the new religion was both imposed by Vladimir, and received by his subjects, to mention, that having one day issued a proclamation, ordering all the inhabitants of Kief to repair next morning to the banks of the river to be baptized, the people cheerfully obeyed the order, observing, that if it were not good to be baptized, the prince and the nobles would never submit to the ceremony. What ignorance of the heart of man, as well as of the true nature and genius of Christianity, is there in these simple facts. To us, nothing seems plainer than the utter incompetency of mere authority to produce that personal conviction and reception of divine truth which lies at the foundation of all religion. The ukase of a despot may impose a ceremonial, but it cannot renew a character; it may produce a change of form, but it cannot enkindle the inward life. The consequence of such a measure will, therefore, invariably be, the retaining of the spirit of Heathenism amid the forms of a purer faith-a consequence which, after the lapse of centuries, we may trace in many of the customs of Russia, in which the spirit of early Scandinavian superstition, still lifts its front to tell us how feebly Russian society has been regenerated.

The efforts of Greek missionaries, who had been labouring in Russia from the ninth century; as well as Vladimir's own character, which, from the time of his adoption of the Christian faith, exhibited, in its humanity and abstinence, a complete contrast to his former life; and, no doubt, we may add the instructions of a clergy among whom there still lingered the spirit of a purer Christianity-these were the more legitimate weapons of proselytism, and even the dim and dusty annals of Russian ecclesiastical history would lead us to believe were followed by truer success.

But supposing the Christian religion to have been propagated in Russia by instruction and persuasion alone-the only instruments which suit its spiritual nature, the only weapons which it owns still it must be remembered that, as received from the Greek Church, it was most enfeebled and deformed-far different even from the Christianity that was established by Constantine in the third century-far more different still from the Christianity which was preached by apostles, and sealed by the blood of martyrs in the first. If some of the elements of true evangelism still survived in her, the things that remained were ready to die; if the

sun was there, it was clouded by the traditions and commandments of men; in some respects, indeed, it found a nearer resemblance to the aurora borealis of those northern climes, shedding no steady radiance-splendid, but fitful, and illuminating the darkness, rather than dispelling it.

At the same time, we have no sympathy with those writers on Church history who, from superficial knowledge, or pure indolence of mind, are accustomed to speak of the Greek Church in the same terms of undistinguishing condemnation as of the Church of Rome. We believe that, in more respects than one, the Churches of the East have not drunk so deeply of the cup of apostasy; that in several features they approach much nearer to the Reformed Churches; and thus present more points on which a zealous and evangelic Protestantism may lay hold, and lead them forth into a fuller liberty, and a more effulgent light. What these are will appear by a brief statement of the leading points of resemblance and of difference be tween the Greek and Roman Churches. we shall attempt to give in our next article.

This

WANDERINGS FROM GOD. How many and how sad they are! All the sin of our nature, and all the evil that visits us in consequence, comes from wandering from God. Near to God, we are near to light and life; far from God, we are in darkness and death. The soul even of a true Christian may wander from God, and may do it very gradually and imperceptibly. But though the departure from God is easy, the return to him is difficult. The departure is amidst temptations, carelessness, and indulgences in sin; the return is amidst The departure is heedless and without effort; the fears, distresses, chastisements, and bitter sorrows. return is anxious-amidst tears and painful struggles. The departure is with our fallen nature; the return is all against it. The departure is driven on by Satan; the return is resisted by him, and must be a constant fight with him.

God, almost without knowing it, and gets at a great The soul of a Christian sometimes wanders from distance without knowing how far. It is like a child entering on the open borders of a forest, where at first the path is smooth and agreeable, running beside the plain road, amidst soft grass, all safe, at ease, and quiet. But as the boy runs on, the road is gradually lost sight of, and the path becomes entangled, and the thick woods conceal the light, and the day closes, and all is night, darkness, and terror. So is a careless Christian's heart, going astray from God. The beginnings of the evil are sometimes in very little things, not in sudden and great temptathan those which sudden and great temptations bring tions. But the consequences are sometimes worse denly overcome by them, are apt to be succeeded by with them. Great temptations, if the soul be sudsudden and great repentance, and renewed watchfulness. But little sins, carelessness and wanderings, grow into a habit without repentance, and the conscience is spoiled of its tenderness, and the heart becomes heavy and hard, and there is sin without the light is gone. O this is a dreadful case, when sorrow, and darkness almost without knowing that the soul has thus gone gradually and insensibly away from God!

When the soul has thus got away from God, its life is all wandering, all earthly. Even its religious duties are wanderings from God, instead of joyful and warm approaches to him. All its religious feelings decay, and its devout sensibilities grow dim, and it no longer sees God, nor anything clearly in God's light. It lives on in darkness, a dark, sad, melancholy life; and what is saddest and most melancholy of all, it does not, for a long time, awake to a sense of this darkness, or become uneasy at it, or alarmed about it, or distressed and troubled because it does not see God. It may go on thus for many days, if external things are suffered, by God's providence, to be prosperous and quiet-if no calamity falls upon the household-if the plans of this life and its ordinary enjoyments are not interrupted, it may go on for many days without the light of God's countenance, and yet not be troubled. The spell and palsy of the world is upon it, the intoxicating atmosphere of the world is around it, is breathed by it, and it does not feel its need of God, nor how evil and bitter a thing it is to sin against God.

The Psalmist speaks of the common creatures of God as being troubled when he hides his face from them: Thou hidest thy face, and they are troubled. But men that have wandered from God are in this respect less sensible than the brutes; they are not troubled at the hiding of God's face-they are not even aware that it is hidden. How many a man, bearing the name of Christian, thus goes on through the world, and goes about the world, with God's face hidden from him, because he is wandering from God, and yet he is all the while quite insensible to the sadness, the disconsolateness, the darkness, and misery of his condition! So much the worse for him when he wakes up to it; so much the worse for him when God sends some grievous calamity upon him, or when his soul stumbles into some dark pit-fall laid for him by the great enemy. He will be filled with anguish, when he comes to be filled with his own way.

A man may be a very quiet and prudent stayer at home, and yet may wander far from God. And a man may be so much of a traveller, as to be quite the world's citizen and circumnavigator, and may nevertheless keep very near to God. It does not need a man to go to the planet Saturn, in order to wander from God. A man may never leave his own fire-side, nor his own room, and yet may make fearful journeyings away from God. A man also may be very steady at church, and also at family worship, and yet come not near to God. His habitation may be next door to God's altar, while his soul is far away from God. Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples. A man may be a door-keeper in the house of the Lord, and yet his heart may be dwelling in the tents of wickedness.-Dr Cheever.

PAPAL PRISONS.

A CORRESPONDENT of the Recorder, who has recently visited some of the Papal prisons, gives the following description of them :

All these prisons resemble each other in the cruelty, severity, mismanagement, bad food, and horrible tortures prevailing there, by means of which inmates often die in the most excruciating distress.

The condemned prisoners are fastened in pairs by enormous chains on their feet. Their beds are mere plank, without straw or covering. Being chained together at night, as well as all day, only one of each pair can sleep at a time, and then sit while the other takes his place.

Their work is to keep the port and city clean, to carry enormous burdens, and, in short, to perform

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the most disgusting labours. Political prisoners are treated with still more rigour than the criminals. Always followed by the lagozini, who, at the slightest negligence or transgression, beat these wretched beings with an enormous lash, perhaps because their physical nature is too feeble to endure the severe labours.

There are also separate prisons, kept under a more strict system, for other political offenders, where they are obliged to remain always in one position, either standing or lying down, for months and even years, if they live long enough.

Each bagno has its chaplain, who is always some monk approved by the Government, and keeps them acquainted with the state of the prisoners' consciences. They are obliged to confess once a-month, and, if they refuse, have to bear the infliction of from thirty to sixty blows of a stick. This Russian kind of legislation is even practised with the female prisoners, to compel them to confess crimes.

REPROOFS OF MURMURING.

EBENEZER ADAMS.

EBENEZER ADAMS, an eminent member of the Society of Friends, on visiting a lady of rank, whom he found, six months after the death of her husband, on a sofa covered with black cloth, and in all the dignity of woe, approached her with great solemnity, and gently taking her by the hand, thus addressed her: "So, friend, I see, then, thou hast not yet forgiven God Almighty." This reproof had so great an effect on the lady, that she immediately laid aside her violent grief, and again entered on the discharge of the duties

of life.

A HINDU FEMALE.

One day, when Lady Raffles, while in India, was almost overwhelmed with grief for the loss of a favourite child, unable to bear the sight of her other children, or the light of day, and humbled on her couch with a feeling of intensest misery, she was addressed by a poor, ignorant, native woman of the lowest class, who had been employed about the nursery, in terms not to be forgotten: "I am come, because you have been here many days shut up in a dark room, and no one dares to come near you. Are you not ashamed to grieve in this manner, when you ought to be thanking God for having given you the most beautiful child that ever was seen? Were you not the envy of everybody? Did any one ever see him or speak of him without admiring him? And instead of letting this child continue in this world till he should be worn out with trouble and sorrow, has not God taken him to heaven in all his beauty? O lady! leave off weeping, and rather thank God for his goodness."

A HUSBAND.

A lady, who had lost a beloved child, was so oppressed with grief, that she even secluded herself from the society of her own family, and kept herself locked in her chamber; but was at length prevailed on by her husband to come down stairs, and to take a walk in the garden. While there, she stooped to pluck a flower; but her husband appeared as though he would hinder her. She plaintively said, "What! deny a flower!" He replied, "You have denied God your

flower, and surely you ought not to think it hard in me to deny you mine." It is said, the lady suitably felt the gentle reproof, and had reason to say, "A word spoken in season, how good is it!"

A MOTHER'S FAITH AND LOVE.

LECLERC was led to the place of execution. The executioner prepared the fire, heated the iron which was to sear the flesh of the minister of the Gospel, and approaching him, branded him as a heretic on the forehead. Just then a shriek was uttered-but it came not from the martyr. His mother, a witness of the dreadful sight, wrung with anguish, endured a violent struggle between the enthusiasm of faith and maternal feelings; but her faith overcame, and she exclaimed, in a voice that made the adversaries tremible, "Glory be to Jesus Christ and his witnesses! " Thus did this French woman of the sixteenth century have respect to the word of the Son of God: "Whosoever loveth his son more than me, is not worthy of me." So daring a courage at such a moment might have seemed to demand instant punishment; but that Christian mother had struck powerless the hearts of priests and soldiers. Their fury was restrained by a mightier arm than theirs. The crowd failing back and making way for her, allowed the mother to regain, with faltering step, her humble dwelling. Monks, and even the town sergeants themselves, gazed on her without moving; "not one of her enemies," says Beza, "dared put forth his hand against her."-D'Aubigné.

THE PSALMS.

COMPOSED upon particular occasions, yet designed for general use; delivered out as services for Israelites, under the Law, yet no less adapted to the circumstances of Christians under the Gospel; communicating truths which philosophy could never investigate, in a style which poetry could never equal; while history is made the vehicle of prophesy, and creation lends all its charms to paint the glories of redemption. Calculated alike to profit and to please, they inform the understanding, elevate the affections, and entertain the imagination. Indited under the influence of Him to whom all hearts are known and all events are known, they suit mankind in all situations-grateful as the manna which descended from heaven, and conformed itself to every palate. The fairest productions of human wit, after a few perusals, like gathered flowers, wither in our hands, and lose their fragrancy; but those unfading plants of Paradise become, as we are accustomed to them, still more and more beautiful; their bloom appears to be daily heightened, fresh odours are emitted, and new sweets extracted from them. He who has once tasted their excellences will desire to taste them again, and he who tastes them often, will relish them best.-Bishop Horne.

DAMASCUS.

SCENE OF SAUL'S CONVERSION.

WE mounted our horses to ride out of the city into the Ager Damascenus, where Saul of Tarsus was struck down by God. Passing through the gate of Jerusalem, I cast my eyes up to the top of the wall,

and observed that houses were built upon it; and near one of them was a walled up portal and window, through the latter of which, Christian tradition says, the apostle was let down by a basket, when he escaped for his life (Acts); and according to Moslem tradition, the reign of Mohammedanism will cease whenever a Christian shall enter the city through the former. Hence it is strongly built up. A quarter of a mile from the gate, on the Jerusalem road, we came to a naked ridge of stone, where the spot is shown on which Saul "fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" It is as likely to be the true spot as any other; and Christians have long consecrated it by the burial of their dead. Without the walls are seen groups of tents with hundreds of camels standing near, or browsing in the vicinity. These are the fleets of Damascus, which bring her the gold of Persia, India, and Arabia, and take back, in return, the products of her own looms, and the manufactures of England and France.

We traversed at will, sometimes on horseback, the streets of Damascus, one of the holy cities of the Moslems, and not only were not disturbed in any instance, but scarcely attracted the slightest attention. Ten years ago we should have been stopped at the gate, and made to dismount and walk, and even then run the risk of being assaulted, perhaps beaten to death, if we had appeared in European dress. At that time the Christian nations had no consuls there; now they are not only represented, but the represenand all persons under their protection, or subjects of tatives are treated with the highest consideration, their respective sovereigns, are free from the laws of the country, exempt from taxation, and amenable only to their respective consulates. The servants of subjects of Christian powers have advantages and protection unknown to the native citizen. The head of a principal Turk may be struck off without cause, at any moment, at the command of the Pacha; while that of a black Indian street-porter is safe, because he is the subject of Queen Victoria. This great and sudden change with respect to Christians and their commerce was wrought by Mehemet Ali; and now || that the five powers have driven him from Syria and restored it to the Porte, the Sultan is obliged to continue the same advantages to their subjects resident enterprise, the principles, and the religion of the within the empire. Thus the East is open to the West.-Observations in the East, by John P. Durbia,

D.D.

Dr TAYLOR of Norwich, said to me: "Sir, I have collated every word in the Hebrew Scriptures seventeen times, and it is very strange if the doctrine of the Atonement, which you hold, is there, and I have not found it." I am not surprised at this. I once went to light my candle with the extinguisher on. Now prejudice from education, learning, &c., often forms an extinguisher. It is not enough to bring the candle; you must remove the extinguisher.

Ministers would overrate their labours, if they did not think it worth while to be born, and spend ten thousand years in labour and contempt, to recover one soul.

I feel like a man who has no money in his pocket, but is allowed to draw, for all his wants, upon one infinitely rich; I am, therefore, at once a beggar and a rich man.-John Newton.