Messiah, the Gospel History, and the Creed, and was likewise baptized on February 17th, with the two others above-mentioned, he willingly joining them in repeating the Creed, and thus professing his faith in God the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost; his master being one of his sponsors. He has since continued coming to me for further instruction, and I intend preparing him for receiving the Lord's Supper.

66

May he, and also the other two, be endued with the Holy Spirit, and may they grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

SCRIPTURE ENIGMAS.

No. VII.

ONE kindly receiv'd by the king on the throne,
For favors his father had formerly shewn.

A deliverer sent by Israel's Lord,

Which told them their cry to Heav'n was heard.

A son of the wise, who wise counsel disdain'd,
Who saw nought but war so long as he reign'd.

One chosen of God, though last to be seen;
Who fell, but repenting, again was made clean.

A stranger who was to a prophet a friend,
To whom God, by that prophet, a message did send.

Son of him who was forc'd by famine to roam,
And seek among strangers a new earthly home.

One of Israel's kings in battle disguis'd,
In spite of his care by an arrow surpris'd.

The sire of him who a question was ask'd,
Respecting the number of years he had pass'd.

Eight initials you have, eight initials you need,
They will give you his name who spoke peace to

his seed.

Answer to No. IV., page 132.

EZEKIEL's words convey to us the story
Of Israel's greatness, likened to a vine,
Which grew and flourish'd wide in all its glory,
Till pride and disobedience did combine
To cause its leaves to wither and its branches fall,
Thus to be scatter'd to the winds of heaven,
Dispers'd so wide-but not beyond recall;
For in the cedar's growth is given
The type of restoration, yet to be fulfilled,
Whose signs are gathering under Eastern skies,
Where warriors fierce and fields untilled,
Portend events of wonder to our eyes.

Assyria, too, is likened to a cedar,

Which grew and flourished for awhile in pride; But fell at last for lack of some good leader, Deserted by the God they ceased not to deride.*

Answer to No. V.

NEMUS.

I shared the nature, we cannot evade,
But want of faith, of me a rebel made,
When order'd to escape, to save my life;
Back, to the burning cities, look'd LOT'S WIFE.
My form increasing ev'ry day in height,†
Reveals my awful punishment to light;
And uncorrupt my body still abides;

No earth conceals it, and no tomb-stone hides.

*See Ezekiel xxxi.

According to a description in the "Juvenile Instructor," for 1853.

Answer to No. VI.

From Ham descended one, we read in God's most Holy Word,

Whose daily occupation was, to hunt before the Lord. (Gen. x. 6, 8, 9.)

In journeying on their weary way by toil and heat oppress'd,

'Neath Elim's welcome palm-tree shade did Israel find (Exodus xv. 27.)

rest.

When, from Assyria, Pul came to fight with warlike

band,

By taking silver he confirmed Menahem in the land. (2 Kings xv. 19.)

As Moses watch'd the battle from the mount, and rais'd his hands in prayer,

Aaron and Hur on either side, his heavy arms upbear. (Exod. xvii. 12.)

To Zoar fled Lot by God's command, and was in mercy

spared,

Or he in Sodom's overthrow and fearful doom had (Gen. xix. 23.)

shared.

Ishbosheth, slain so cruelly, by traitors, on his bed, Their awful crime God visited with vengeance on their head. (2 Sam. iv. 5-7.)

Barzillai, faithful to his king, did quickly answer “Nay,”

"In my own country will I die," when urged with him to stay. (2 Sam. xix. 34-37.)

How thankful Noah's children felt, at the dawning of

that day,

When Ararat's top received the ark-all danger pass'd

away.

(Gen. viii. 4.)

Hiram, a man of wisdom, did God upraise, Who help'd to build a noble temple to His praise. (1 Kings vii. 14.)

Hath God forgotten Israel?

Oh! search the sacred Word;
"No more shalt thou be desolate,"
Saith thine exalted Lord;

Thy new name shall be HEPHZIBAH,
For God delights in thee!

Soon may'st thou in the Crucified
Thine own Messiah see!

WORTHING.

SHORT SERMONS ON JEWISH SUBJECTS.

No. IV.

FOR they being ignorant of God's righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God."-ROMANS X. 3.

THE Apostle Paul manifested the greatest love to his brethren the Jews. He thought no labours too great, no sufferings too severe, if by enduring them he might benefit their souls. He knew what his own sad state had been when he was living without Christ; how unhappy he was, and how great the danger to which he was then exposed. He had experienced, and was rejoicing in, the love of Jesus when he wrote the words of our text, and compassion for his perishing nation finds expression in the words," My heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved." But there was an obstacle in the way of their salvation, something which

prevented it, and what was this? It was no sentence of blindness sent upon them from God : it was no exclusion of them from the compassionate consideration of the Lord Jesus Christ; but it was self-righteousness. They went about to establish a righteousness of their own, and would not submit to God's righteous method of justifying the ungodly. A crucified Messiah was a stumbling-block to them; and salvation, by grace, through faith in Him was, too generally, rejected by their Pharisaic hearts. The religion of the Jews of the present day, bears a great resemblance to that of the same people in Paul's day. They still endeavour to establish a righteousness of their own. In describing their state, all over the world, we might adopt the Apostle's language. Oh that we had His loving heart, and that each of us could truly say, " My heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might

be saved!"

We propose, in illustrating the religion of the Jews, to refer to their Prayer-books, and from the solemn language of their addresses to God, in which surely there should be the prostration of humility, to shew that the principle which runs through it all, is self-righteousness.

We referred on a former occasion to a passage in the Jewish Prayer-book, in the service for the Day of Atonement, which says, "Every one of the children of men has merits and sins. If his merits exceed his sins, he is righteous; if his sins exceed his merits, he is wicked; if they be equal, he is a middling, or intermediate person."

In estimating the comparative state of a man, the quality as well as the number of his sins is to be regarded, and when the good and evil in him