Happy men! your felicity indeed commences when the duration of your mortal life is terminated. Let me devote a few moments to contemplate what will be your felicity then. The period of uncertainty and of difficulties will be passed; no more doubts, no more anxieties; you will no more know the dreadful fear lest you should sink into lukewarmness and ingratitude; you will no more be distressed by the society of sinners, they will interrupt you no more in your holy and heavenly employments; the time of pain and suffering will be no more, all tears will be wiped from your eyes; you will see in bis light face to face, Him who is the fountain of all beauty, and of all truth; as long as you are here below you see in his works and his word as in a glass, only a dim reflection of his glory, of his wisdom, of his goodnesss; but then you shall behold him personally, and without a veil; you shall know him even as you are known by him. 1 Abridged from a Paper in a late Number of " Archives du Christianisme au dix-neuvieme siecle," a periodical work now published in France, by the Protestants there; a specimen of which we have thought might be agreeable to our readers. 1 THE DIVINE COMMANDS URGED BY THE DIVINE EXAMPLE. WE observe in Scripture, that the divine commands are frequently enforced by the divine example. "Love your enemies." The motive is very affecting: "For he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust," Matt. v. 44, 45. "Be kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another." The kindDess of God to us is the pattern we are to copy. "God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you." "Be ye therefore followers, imitators of God, as dear children." "Walk in love," is the divine command; and the reason is, because "Christ also hath loved us, and given himself for us," Eph. iv. 32. v. 1, 2. No class of motives should have such weight on our minds as this. In connection too with this subject, we observe, that our requests for blessings from our heavenly Father should be urged by our example. The Saviour suggests this idea in the prayer which he taught his disciples. " Forgive us our debts;" the motive," As we forgive our debtors." "If ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,' Matt. vi. 12. 14. "Truth, Lord, I am a dog," said the Syrophenician, and then she mentions the motive, "Yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master's table." כל MEANS OF DETACHING THE HEART FROM THE WORLD, and of FIXING IT ON THINGS ABOVE. . THE following considerations have this tendency. The present world is of itself unworthy to engage the affections of a rational, immortal, and accountable being.-That cleaving to the earth, which unfits one for the noble employment of seeking the things which are above, or which excludes from the mind heavenly things, is highly criminal.-The enjoyments which the world can give are extremely precarious and shortlived. These are considerations which should fix and keep our minds on heavenly things. Heavenly things are intrinsically excellent, and perfectly adapted to our situation. As the followers of Jesus, all that we profess to value is in heaven. Our Saviour is there.-Heaven is the meeting place of all the redeemed. We have some valued friends in heaven.-If we are what we profess to be, we shall soon be there.-Our habitual attendance to heavenly things fits us to enjoy earthly things to the greatest advantage.-It renders the sorrows of life comparatively bearable. The following exercises have a tendency to give a heavenly bent to the desires and affections. A daily serious perusal of the Sacred Scriptures.-Abounding in secret prayer.-Frequent meditation. The practice of taking ourselves to a strict account how we conduct ourselves in the various circumstances in which we are placed.-They that thus wait on the Lord renew their strength. Z. fore his eyes, and appeared in prayer: he then looked at Thomas, and both burst into tears. When he was dying, the other youths hung on one another's necks, overwhelmed with grief; but, at that moment, Thomas was raised above sorrow, and did not shed a tear: he seemed transported with heavenly views. "Henry departed in perfect peace. He had no struggles; and the attendants said that the smile on his countenance surpassed any taken him to heaven. He was He was ripening for heaven, while we thought that it was for a mission to the heathen. But we trust his death is to be made a means of as great a sum of good, as a long life of usefulness might have been. "His deportment, in sickness and in death, has been of the most marked kind. Perhaps he came hither to teach Christians how to die. His heart, however, has constantly burned with an ardent desire to return to Owhyhee; and, on the day of his death-thing they had seen. I saw the though through the whole of it heaven seemed open to his viewhe several times burst into tears, remembering his native island and perishing brethren, to whom he had hoped to carry the news of the Gospel. Still he continually thought that God will do right; aud that it was better for him toed of Henry. 'Yes,' said he, depart and be with Christ. He sent a note, the Sabbath previous to his death, beseeching that he might be spared to carry the Gospel to Owhyhee; but that, whether he lived or died, God might. be glorified.' "He addressed a great deal of conversation to his brethren; and took leave of them all with the greatest affection and composure. Thomas was his bosom companion. They expected to go home together. They were continually praying and weeping together, and felt as though they could not be separated. You will not go with me to Owhylee now,' said Thomas to him, ' and I cannot go alone.' Henry put his hand be heathen youths stand round, to take leave of the remains of their beloved companion. I was struck with the dignity and affection which they manifested. I told Thomas he must not be discouraged; for perhaps God meant to do all that by him, which we expect I wish to stay and do God work; but I shall not see Henry in these streets again. There he walks! in the streets of the New Jerusalem!' Mr "On entering the buryingground, the anthem was sung, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord. Mr Dwight made a short address at the grave. Beecher preached on the occasion from, Clouds and darkness are round about Him: justice and judgment are the habitation of His throne."' Some memoranda of Henry's conversation were read, and the whole scene was one of the most affecting which a people are ever called to witness." Review. ་་་་་་་་ Iceland; or the Journal of a Residence in that. Island, during the Years 1814 and 1815. By EBENEZER HENDERSON. [Continued from vel. v. p. 427.] AFTER a fatiguing journey of four days across the sandy desert in the interior, our traveller descended into the picturesque valley of Eyafiord. The change in the prospect he represents as indescribably delightful. "The green grass with which the valley was richly clad, the beautiful river by which it was intersected, the cottages which lay scattered on both sides, and the sheep and lambs which were grazing in every direction, combined with the height of the mountains that boldly faced each other, and then sloped gently down into the valley, proved an agrecable relief to the eye, which for four days had scarcely beheld a tuft of grass, or indeed any thing but stones and snow." But Le was about to enjoy a much more exquisite satisfaction in receiving the warm hospitality of the peasant at the first farm-house in the valley, and in witnessing the eager solicitude which both himself, his family, and the inhabitants of the surrounding cottages, discovered to reap the fruits of his mission amongst them by obtaining the Word of God, and the devout attention, mixed with tears, with which a portion of it was listened to by a large circle that had collected round the door of the tent. "I forgot," he says, "all the fatigues of travelling During his stay at the factory of Akureyri, the place of his immediate destination, Dr H. formed a very valuable acquaintance with the Sysselman of the district, Secretary Brieme, whom he visited at his house in the envir ons. "The garden consisted of two divisions, with striking moral sentences written above the doors, and was laid out with a great deal of taste. In the parlour," he found "two excellent libraries, the one consisting of books on law, political economy, &c.; those in the other were of a mixed nature, but all works of merit and importance." After such an agreeable preparation, it is not surprising that when Mrs B. and the family were introduced, "all of them had something very interesting in their appearance. Mrs B. is distinguished for her piety, and devotes a considerable portion of her time to the education of her children and the improvement of her own mind. Her library consisted for the most part of choice theologi cal works, and contained about a hundred volumes. From the interesting apartment which contained them, I proceeded” says - Before proceeding farther on his journey, which he now intended to prosecute along the eastern and Dr H." to a large room adjoining, which is properly the bedroom of the servants. It gave me peculiar pleasure to be inform-southern coasts, it was necessary ed that this apartment also form- for Dr Henderson to make an exed the domestic chapel.-Here cursion westward as far as Holum, the whole family, which consists formerly the seat of the northern of twenty members, assembles bishopric. His way lay through every evening, when a Psalm is the most romantic and varied scesung, and after a chapter of the nery; but, in relating the comBible has been read, an appro- mencement of it, I was so charmpriate prayer is presented by the ed, he says, with the conversation head of the family. Besides this of my interesting companion, that exercise, the Secretary spends an I forgot the length of the road, hour or two in the long winter and was quite regardless of the evenings in reading to the family nature of the scenery, which must while at work; and what cannot otherwise have attracted a consibe sufficiently commended, he has derable share of my attention. substituted the reading of the This was the clergyman of Auda. historical books of Scripture for brecka, whom the Amptman or dethat of the Sagas which was for-puty-governor of the north, at merly in universal use, and is still whose house Dr H. had been very kept up by most of the peasants. politely entertained, had sent for The exercise of domestic worship on purpose to conduct him to the is attended to in almost every next station. For this favour, he family in Iceland from Michaelmas says, I consider myself under to Easter. During the summer great obligations to that gentlemonths, the family are so scatter- man, as I not only found in Sira ed, and the time of their returnJon the learned and intelligent ing from their various employ clergyman, but the tender-hearted ments so different, that it is al- philanthropist and the pious and most impossible for them to wor- zealous servant of Jesus Christ. ship God in a collective capacity; By Sira Jon he was întroduced to yet there are many families, whose the clergyman of Backa, and to piety is more lively and zealous, the poet, Thorlakson, who occuthat make conscience of it the pies a neighbouring parish,-the whole year round. The inhabi- former of whom is described as tants of this and several of the "distinguishedly serious and moneighbouring vallies are the most dest: a deep sense of genuine pienlightened and intelligent of any ety seemed to penetrate his whole on the island. They pay great frame," the latter is the successattention to the education of their ful translator of our exalted poet, children; and being favoured with Milton, and of various pieces from a richer share of the bounties different European languages, and of nature than their brethren in an original poet himself of distinother districts, they are better en- guished merit. An interesting poabled to provide them with books em of thanks, addressed by him, for their instruction and improve-in the name of Iceland, to the British and Foreign Bible Society, ment." |