scriptures. By faith, Paul, when brought before kings and princes, of the earth, declared boldly the gospel of Christ, and his hope in the resurrection of the dead. By faith, the disciples, who were in Jerusalem when it was encompassed by the Roman armies, left the city and fled to the mountains, and thus escaped punishment in the overthrow thereof. By faith, John Huss, and Jerome of Prague, delivered their bodies to be burned, not accepting deliverance. By faith Luther burnt the Bull of excommunication, and repaired to the city of Worms, not fearing the wrath of Pope, Emperor, or Devil. By faith, the Pilgrim Fathers braved the fury of the ocean and the violence of the savage, and planted a habitation for God in the wilderness, yea, a refuge for the children of men.

The time would fail to speak of Elliot and of Brainerd, of Martyn and of Carey, of Wilson and of Schwartz, of Wesley and of Whitefield, and of others whose names are recorded in heaven who through faith, unlocked the fountains of truth, broke down the barriers of opposition, subdued nations to the faith of Christ, wrought righteousness, and preached to the poor the acceptable year of the Lord.

"The word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path"-Ps. cxix. 105. "Ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place."2 PET. i. 19.

THE SURE GUIDE.

Alone, bewildered, and in pensive mood,

A traveller wanders through a pathless wood;

Forward he goes, then back, then round and round;
And lists in vain to catch a friendly sound.
Soon night o'ertakes him on her ebcn car,

Robed in thick darkness, without moon or star;
No lonely light gleams through the misty air,
And tremblingly he wanders in despair;
At length he sinks, and now for once he prays,
And lo! a compass close beside him lays;
A light he gets and holds it at its side,
That he may well consult the faithful guide;

Within his breast hope now exulting springs,
And painful doubt and fear away he flings;
But now false guides advance across his track;
One strives with speeches fair to turn him back;
Another bawls with bold and blust'ring shout:
"Here! through this pleasant opening lies your route."
"I tell you," says a third, "it is not so;

This, and this only, is the way to go;"

He shuns them all, and trims his light anew,

And heeds his compass, and it guides him through.

AN honest traveller having, on his way home, to pass through a lonely forest, loses his way. Bewildered, he knows not which way to turn. Now he goes forward; now backward. Then, after wandering about for some time, finds himself where he first started from. He is discouraged; he listens, hoping to catch from the whispering winds, some tidings of companionship or safety. 'Tis all in vain. Thick mists now gather beneath the leafy canopy. The shadows of evening prevail, and night wraps the earth in her mantle of pitchy darkness. He gropes his way with fear and trembling; he becomes exhausted; hopeless and overcome, at last he sinks on the wet ground. For awhile he muses. A thought strikes him-he will pray. He lifts up his hands in prayer, and as they fall again at his side, he feels a something. Behold! it is a compass. Now he strikes a light, and looks with intense interest on his newly found guide. Hope now swells his bosom; he will again see his beloved home. Doubt and fear are thrown to the winds, and he springs up to pursue his journey.

Another

As he moves forward, with a light in one hand and compass in the other; several persons, attracted by the light, rush toward him and proffer their assistance; one pointing out an opening to the left, roomy and level withal, with many fair speeches and much earnestness, presses him to take it. pointing to the right, in a very confident manner, urges him to take that. It is smoother and less obstructed than the way ahead. The traveller, honest in his purpose of finding home, and relying upon his compass, rejects all their offers of advice. He crims his lamp afresh; looks again at his guide, and following implicitly the way it directs, he gets out of the wood, and arrives at home in peace.

The lonely forest denotes this present world. The traveller, man; home, happiness; the compass, the Holy Bible; the light,

the Holy Spirit; the false guides, those deceitful directors and false doctrines that abound in the world. The world, apart from the sacred light and holy influences of heaven, is dark, cheerless and impenetrable. Through sin, the darkness of ignorance and the shadows of death prevail. "Darkness has covered the earth, and gross darkness the minds of the people."

Everywhere, snares and pitfalls abound; dangers, pain, and death. With the desire of happiness strongly implanted in his bosom, man wanders in the midst of misery and uncertainty. What he is; what he must do; whither he is going; he cannot tell. What is life? what is death? He knows not. He tastes of life's bitterness; he approaches death with horror. If there is a God, -what is His character? how shall he worship Him? If there be a state after death, what is its nature? where is the place of its abode?

In this state of distressing anxiety, he wanders on, pathless, guideless, lightless, hopeless-he is lost! In the anguish of his soul, he exclaims, "Who will show me any good? "God for ever blessed," hears his prayer. He has been tenderly watching him while in trackless mazes lost, and in His providence presents him with a BIBLE. He opens it-he reads. Wonderful Book! It tells him all about the darkness; of what it is made, and how it came to overspread the earth. It tells too, of a Sun, a glorious Sun, that can disperse the gloom: who He is, and how He becomes the light of the world. It points out to him more distinctly than he ever saw, the snares and pitfalls, and the way to escape them. Wherefore pain, and how to endure it. Why the desire of happiness is implanted in the human breast, and how it may be gratified. It makes known to him, what he is; what he ought to do; where he is going, and what he may become. It tells him of life, and how to enjoy it; of death, and how to strip it of its

terrors.

It reveals to him a God, tremendous in power, glorious in holiness, accurate in justice, infinite in love. The Almighty Maker and Ruler of the universe. It prescribes the way in which He would be worshipped, through "Jesus Christ the Righteous." The sacrifices He would accept, a broken and a contrite heart;" this is more acceptable to Him than

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"Arabia sacrificed

And all her spicy mountains in a flame."

The Bible reveals to him Futurity. It raises the curtain of the

hidden world. Here he beholds the tormenting flame, the parched tongue, the useless prayer; there, the glory of Paradise, the bliss of heaven, the song of praise. It becomes to him just what he needs. He has found a way, a guide, a light, to happiness. Still he understands its mighty truths but imperfectly, yet he reads on; scales fall from his eyes; he beholds men as trees walking. But the consolations of hope are his; he has found God; he seeks for wisdom at its fount for light at its source. Open my eyes,” he prays, "that I may behold the wonders of thy Law." Light celestial shines upon the sacred page; he reads and understands enough for knowledge, enough for duty, and enough for happiness.

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As soon as the honest inquirer after truth has discovered the right path, began to walk in it, and let his light shine, numerous false guides appear and proffer their services. While he was stumbling along in darkness and in ignorance, the devil gave himself no concern about him. Now he is very much interested in his welfare. He sends his servants to put the poor man right. One of these, endeavours to dissuade him from using the Bible, for says he, "it is full of mystery; it is impossible to understand it. I, for one, will never believe what I cannot understand. Follow reason, that is the surest guide." "Indeed, friend," replies the enlightened man," it was by following reason that I was led into the possession of the Bible, and my Bible has led me to God. I acknowledge it is mysterious, wonderfully so; yet it has led me right hitherto, and. I am determined to follow it. The nature of its secret influence over my soul, I cannot tell. The nature of the power by which it guides aright, under all circumstances of life, I know not. Neither does the mariner understand the power by which the compass operates so beneficially under all circumstances; of storm and calm, light and darkness, heat and cold. It is ever a sure guide. He believes in it, he follows it. Were the sailor no more to weigh anchor and spread the flowing sail, until he understood the mysteries of the compass, verily he would have to learn another trade, for ships would rot in harbour, commerce would cease, and intercourse between nations come to an end. And what is worthy of remark, the common sailor-boy understands just as much of the practical use of the compass, as the captain; cease then to persuade me further. The Bible is my compass, my sure guide, I will follow it."

Other false directors, of different names, but all of them having the same end in view, viz., to make him distrust his guide, and