have "turned like the dog to his vomit, and like the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire." The unclean spirit, with his hellish train of attendants, has reentered them, and their last state has become worse than the first." What are some of the probable causes of this sad apostatizing from God? Unwatchfulness, levity, the indulgence of a censorious spirit, an over-regard for the esteem of men, undue leaning to worldly things and affairs, to the neglect of the means of grace, private communion with God, and other duties. In what a deplorable state must those individuals be who have entirely drawn back from the ways of God! If some of them are altogether so unconcerned as that little or no impression can now be made upon them, what is this but an awful numbness or insensibility of spirit, from which, if they are not soon aroused here, they will be shortly aroused in eternity to their unspeakable anguish and torment? How unhappy now must others of them be, who have some degree of feeling or sensibility left! This cannot but be the case, since they have incurred, as it were, double guilt and criminality; and so are exposed to a more than ordinary measure of God's displeasure, and final wretchedness. "It is an evil thing and bitter that they have forsaken the Lord their God." Some back sliders keep up their profession; but they show by their worldliness, negligence, and other things, that they are in a fallen state. Some keep tolerably close to the form, who have, nevertheless, lost the " 'power of godliness;" for appearances may be kept up, and the instituted means of grace somewhat regularly attended, where all real delight in the worship and service of God is gone.

There is an awful possibility of falling, not only foully, but finally. Individuals once in a saved state, once fairly in the way to heaven, may draw back to perdition,-may fall so far as to lose their souls. "When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby."

(Ezekiel xxxiii. 18.) "If thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever." (1 Chron. xxviii. 9.) Final apostasy, then, is possible. It will hereafter bring upon its subjects great and endless misery; and if there are degrees of misery in hell, may we not conclude that that of damned apostates will be most deep and poignant? O how will this reflection, among many others, for ever sting them to the quick! "Once I was in the way to heaven, and might have been there; but I wickedly relinquished the service of my God. I basely trampled upon the blood of the blessed Saviour! I perversely resisted the calls of the Spirit to return, and refused every offer of restoring grace; and now I am a damned and miserable apostate!" There" their worm will never die, and the fire never be quenched." "Such as turn aside to their crooked ways, the Lord will lead them forth with the workers of iniquity."

Reader, art thou a backslider? Hast thou foolishly and basely relinquished thy Saviour's cause and service? If so, thou art in danger of being doubly damned. Return, or soon thou wilt sink into perdition! Be not stiffnecked and stubborn; for thou must either bend or break! Pray earnestly to God that he would thoroughly affect and subdue thy heart; and that no rest may be experienced by thee until thou have it from the right quarter; until, on thy penitently returning to God, and again believingly receiving the atonement, all thy backslidings are healed, and thou art once more made happy in his love! He says, "Return unto me, ye backsliding children, and I will heal all your backslidings; and I will receive you graciously, and love you freely." Here, then, there is an opportunity for thee to return. If thou wouldest rather live than die for ever, embrace it without any further trifling or delay. Every hour that is carelessly spent in a backsliding state renders your case the more miserable and hazardous.

JOHN WESLEY BARRITT.

o'clock in the forenoon, it appeared to be only twilight; for the sea and heaven were mixed together. There were no large waves, as in the Atlantic, on which a vessel majestically rides, like a duck, now ascending to the heavens, and then descending to the bottom of the abyss; but the water appeared like a vast boiling caldron, occasioned by the struggling of the former swell with the present storm. "Do you see that?" said the Master, a little Frenchman, in the utmost consternation. "Yes," I replied; "but I think you might turn her head the other way, and not go back again to Malta." "Would you wish to drown us all?" he shrieked out, in accents which forbade a reply; and I thought it prudent to sound a retreat, especially as there was some danger that a wave would force me downward more quickly than I liked. It happened as I expected; for the waves driven by the blast soon gained the ascendancy, and beat upon us tumultuously. Attempting to lie down in bed reresembled a gentle toss in a blanket; for the vessel was like a cork dancing in a bubbling caldron. But ever and anon a terrible crash was heard, as a sea struck her quarter; and then the little light given by the bull's eye was changed into complete darkness. Then there was the rushing of water overhead; for the waves now passed over in a sheet from stern to stem, clearing the deck, and forcing an outlet for themselves through the bulwarks; whilst the shouts of the mariners, and the working of the pumps, all told me that it was the euroclydon. How St. Paul's crew were able to "take up the boat," (verse 17,) I know not; for it was with the greatest difficulty that ours could be kept on board, though lashed to the deck and the two masts. Dr. Clarke does not understand what is meant by," and fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, (or syrts,) strake sail; " (verse 17;) because he says that it is wrong to suppose that the vessel was driven "down to the African coast, and near to the syrts, or

shoal-banks." I think the Doctor is wrong in this last assumption; for this was the fear of our Master, though we were in a more open part of the sea than St. Paul was, being considerably farther to the west. Besides, from the Apostle's situation "under Crete," he doubtless had the blast still more from the north, which would have driven them directly towards the much-dreaded quicksands of Africa. As soon as the storm moderated a little, and long before they dared to turn about, our crew hoisted a little sail, in order to keep the vessel to the north, as the wind gradually veered round to that point. Where large latine sails are used, "slackening sail" (as the Greek word imports) is still practised in some places; the greater part of the canvass being then made fast upon deck, and one end of it hoisted a little in order to catch the wind. It is thus indeed very loose, but answers sufficiently to steer by; and thus the Apostle's ship was proba bly kept a little to the north of the wind; and it is clear that a little sail may be carried when flying before the wind, which would be torn in pieces if in opposition to it. In this way we 64 were driven " till within sight of Malta, though a little to the south of its latitude ; whereas St. Paul, who was out "many days" in the foul weather, got to the north, and was wrecked on a reef opposite to a bay which still bears his name. The "two seas or currents meeting here have been easily accounted for.

3. Dr. Hales's third argument concerus the epithet "barbarous," which "was not applicable to the celebrity of Malta at that time." But it has been clearly proved by the learned that "barbarous" was a term applied to a foreigner, unacquainted with the polished languages of the day, and not to a savage, as we use it in the English. So it is employed by Ovid, Herodotus, and St. Paul himself; (1 Cor. xiv. 11, &c.;) and so the Carthaginians (from whom the Melitans were descended) were called "barbarous" by the Romans.

4. The Doctor's fourth argument is thus stated: "The circumstance

of the viper agrees with the damp and woody island of Meleda, but not with the dry and rocky island of Malta, in which there are no serpents now, and none in the time of Pliny." But we observe, (1.) That the viper inhabits sand and rocks as well as other places; and is found plentifully in "dry and sandy" 'dry and sandy" Egypt. (2.) Though Pliny knew of none, there still might be some there, especially as St. Paul's Bay is in a lonely part, at a distance from any town in the island. There not being any in the present day proves nothing as to former times; for there are no wolves now in England, though it was once overrun with them. But, (3,) It seems to have escaped the notice of critics, that there is neither soil nor space for fire-wood to grow in Malta; and it is accordingly all brought from Sicily in faggots and bundles, especially the latter. As to St. Paul's having 'gathered a bundle of sticks," it is a misconception. This Greek verb is no where else used in the Testament; and in this passage it has been turned out of its ordinary signification, to suit the familiar idea, (simple enough to us, but very mysterious at St. Paul's Bay, where there are no trees growing,) of gathering rotten twigs. Its meaning in profane authors is, to "turn together or in a heap ; so also, "to stir up a multitude or faction," &c.; and therefore simply denotes that Paul raked together a number (not bundle) of the half-burned sticks (the Greek word denotes "dry or warm," as ready for kindling, and never signifies "wet wood," as must have been the case if gathered in the rain) that were lying round the fire, and put them on it: when a viper (probably brought with the sticks from Sicily in a torpid state, because of the cold) came out of the heat," or hot bundle, in which it had be come animated, in order to escape the flames into which the Apostle was about to throw it; and then darting forward, "fastened upon his hand." This is quite intelligible: else how would the "no little kindhave been manifested in merely kindling a fire, if there had been

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plenty of wood lying about? for the shipwrecked crew could easily have made one for themselves. And what the kindness of "receiving us all because of the present rain and cold," had it been only to allow them to stand round a fire in the open air? Receiving" means, entertaining as a guest, " and is thus constantly used in the New Testament. This "barbarous " or foreign people, therefore, hastened to the shore, received the shipwrecked crew, entertained them in some large house or store-room, and made a fire, which would be expensive, and which is seldom needful in Malta "because of the cold." During the two most wintry months of the year (in which I was on the island) we did not light a fire except for cooking, though sometimes it was very chilling, especially during the rain. The word translated “chief man” (ver. 7) was the proper title of the Governor of the island; and his entertaining two hundred and seventy-six persons courteously for three days, shows at once his substance and hospitality: a thing quite impracticable to a savage or a desert island, like Meleda. Besides, Publius is a Roman name. As Governor he had a very good reason for entertaining with splendour so many Roman soldiers and citizens; and he evidently provided for their sustenance during the whole winter, (for which subsequent expense he would be reimbursed,) and equipped them with a ship and provisions for Italy.

5. Dr. Hales's last argument is worse than any of the former. It is deduced from the disease with which Publius's father was afflicted. This, he says, might well suit a country that is woody and damp, &c.; but was not likely to affect a dry, rocky, and remarkably healthy island, like Malta. The healthiness of Malta is a vagary of the imagination. Diseases, similar to that which the sacred writer has mentioned, are frequent and very fatal. A brother Missionary, who had suffered dreadfully in himself and family from such diseases, used to smile at his having been recommended to Malta for the establishment of his health;