of the nation. Claim protection of every Christian nation. They will guar rantee us every aid. It is easy to be slaves; but it is difficult to become free. To arms! if you wish peace." It is to be hoped that this pathetic appeal will produce the desired effect. There is a general sympathy over all Europe for the Greeks; and the sums of money and war ammunition sent to them is immense. In Paris, the Greek committee received $90,000 in five months.Lord Cochran, who has gone out to aid the Greeks, has published a long and interesting letter to the Pacha of Egypt, in which he remonstrates on his injustice and cruelty in his neglecting his own country, and his subjects, to attempt to enslave a brave Christian people. [Some of the European Journals consider this letter a forgery, but think it calculated to do good.] Lord Cochran will act under a commission from the Greek government; and the Turkish government surely cannot object to Lord Cochran, when they take into their pay the blood-thirsty Pacha Ibrahim from Egypt. The Sultan of Constantinople has ventured on the daring action of abolishing the order of the Janissaries. This will probably produce some revolution in his dominions. Our next intelligence will decide this.

AFRICA. It is a time of general health at our colony, and at Sierra Leone. The British government, the more effectually to put down the infamous slave trade, have put 300 miles of the African coast under strict blockade. These colonies have the sympathies and best wishes of the Southern new Republicans. Captain Chase of the Colombian service, had been off the coast to look after negro stealers. He presented the Colonists with 30 stand of arms agd eight casks of gun powder.

SOUTH AMERICA.-Colombia.-The news from this republic are very unfavourable. Two great political parties have arrayed themselves against each other. General Paez is at the head of the one: General Bermudez at the head of the other. There is every appearance of a civil war. The arrival of Bolivar, may perhaps, prevent it. May Heaven avert a disaster at which every tyrant in Europe would rejoice.

PANAMA.-The Congress is not assembled; even few delegates have arrived. The republics of Rio de la Plata are said to oppose it; and some begin to express their fears and jealousy relative to the influence and power of Bolivar!

UNITED STATES.-We have nothing remarkable to record. It is a, time of general health in our cities. The convulsions in the commercial world in Europe begin to be felt in some of our cities. Public credit has sustained a heavy shock by some late failures of Banking and Insurance companies.-In some of these failures, the most scandalous frauds and peculation have been practised on the community. And we indulge the hope, that an effectual example will be made by our grand juries and our upright courts, on some of these civil robbers and plunderers, who have been practising their infamous crimes on a large scale for many years. It would be gross injustice to send to the gibbet or a state's prison, the poor trembling wretch who steals or robs on the highway, to gain a morsel of bread for his starving family; and at the same time turn loose on society, the villain who has contrived to rob banks and the community of a hundred thousand dollars.

III. It is the duty of the heads of families to worship God with their houses. This is a duty which many neglect but few deny. It is altogether probable that it was observed before the flood when men called upon the name of the Lord. It was observed by the patriarchs who, when they removed from place to place, still built altars, for the purpose of worship. Abraham when he was called of God, came unto Moreh, and there he builded an altar; from thence he removed to Bethel and there he builded an altar and called upon the name of the Lord. After this he went down to Egypt to sojourn during a famine, and when he returned we are told that he returned to the place of the altar which he had made there at the first. And again, when he and Lot separated, we are told that he came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre and built there an altar to the Lord. It appears that wherever he and the other patriarchs dwelt, they still had a domestic altar for the worship of God in their houses. When the nation of the Jews were separated as a church, we find among the ordinances given them that an offering was to be made every morning and evening continually. And that this directed the worshipper to the spiritual sacrifices of praise and prayer, is evident from the frequent mention of the spiritual import of sacrifice in the Old Testament; such as the sacrifice of a broken heart, of thanksgiving and praise, and the offering of the calves of the lips. And that the ordinance of the morning and evening sacrifice was considered merely as the outward sign of a spiritual offering, is evident from what David says, (Ps. cxli. 2.) "Let my prayer be set forth VOL. III.

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before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice." David though a great king did not think it beneath him to establish the worship of God in his house; and instead of employing a chaplain to undertake this drudgery, he attended to it himself; and attended to it, even when many would have thought themselves excused. We are told that when the ark was brought into the city of David, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord, and then retired to bless his household. This is not recorded as an unusual thing but as what was his constant custom and as an evidence of his regularity in the duty. Neither the business nor bustle of the occasion, the company of friends, nor the general joy, nor his public duties, could make him forget what he owed to God in his family. In the 92d Psalm he tells us that he would show forth the loving kindness of the Lord in the morning, and his faithfulness every night. Cornelius was a devout man who feared God with all his house, and was employed in prayer at the ninth hour, the time of the evening sacrifice; an evidence that this was the usual time for worship in the families of both Jews and Proselytes. The families of primitive Christians were called churches or houses of God, because he was worshipped in the family. And Christ himself as the head of an household prayed with his disciples. In addition to these proofs of scripture, if other proofs were needed where we have the express authority of God, we might mention, the uniform consent and practice of all Christians, and the many advantages or rather the absolute necessity of the duty to keep up the fear of God and the fervour of devotion. What heart would not languish if not often warmed by the devotions of others? Who has not often felt himself refreshed and quickened by the prayers of his brethren. There are particulars in the life of every individual not known and not proper to be known to others, there are things peculiar to himself and therefore he should enter into his closet and pray respecting these secret things to that God who seeth in secret, and to whom the believer can unbosom himself more freely and fully than to the best of his friends. There are other things in which we feel a common interest with our families and this should be signified by united devotion. We have family sins and wants and mercies and should therefore, as a family, unite in confession, prayer and thanksgiving. Neither of the duties of the family or closet should supercede the other; neither of them can be pleasant or profitable to us, or acceptable to God if the other be neglected.

The worship of God in the family consists in praise, reading the scriptures and prayer, none of which should in ordinary cases

be neglected. So frequent are the commands to praise God that we should trespass upon your patience and insult your understandings to repeat but a small part of them. They abound so much in the scriptures that it seems as if God designed that neither a page in the volumes of nature, providence, or inspiration, should not loudly reprove those who never open their mouths in songs of thanksgiving. That we should unite with others, and especially with our families in this duty, is evident from commands requiring not only all the people to praise God, but to praise him with one accord, to bless and magnify his name together. And in reference to this part of the family offering it is said, "The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous. Indeed it is strange that any should ever lay aside this part of divine worship so delightful to the renewed heart, and the only exercise of earthly worship which will be continued in heaven. There we shall no more be baptized for the remission of sin, no more eat and drink the sacramental bread or wine; there will be no more reading of the word, no more preaching, no more prayer; but the saints and angels will still unite in praise. It is strange to find families who profess to be worshippers of God neglecting this important part of their duty; and congrega tions instead of all uniting according to the express command of God, to praise him with one accord, delegating a few to offer the praises of the assembly. The scriptures no where recognise the principle of serving God by substitutes or representatives; it is not he who sees that the work is done, but he that does the work that shall be blessed in his deed. And it is not a little remarkable that those who have taken the most pains to render the praises of the church acceptable to man by the charms of music and poetry, are the foremost to neglect the duty. When praises lack the sanction of divine authority, they must lack the gracious presence of the Spirit, they must lack spiritual comfort and advantage, they must lack the powerful sanction of an enlightened conscience, and every thing but the outward form. And does not this neglect of praise wherever it prevails, indicate a depraved heart, a depraved taste, or a depraved psalmody. Do men say they have not voices for singing? There are few entirely destitute of all talent for music, and if the heart be right, though men may not be charmed, the principle thing may be attained,-acceptance with God. And if souls be all united, slight discords of voice will not, even among men, mar the true harmony of praise. Another part of divine worship is the reading of the scriptures. That heads of families should read them to their households is evident from the command to the Israelites to teach them dili

gently to their children. And that it is proper to read them as a part of worship some have endeavoured to prove from the ordinance of lighting the lamps evening and morning when incense was burnt. Ex. xxx. 7,8. Incense points to prayer or intercession which was made while the incense was burning. But what are we to understand by the ordinance of lighting the lamps? Does it not plainly point to the reading of that word which is a lamp to the feet, a light to the path, and a lamp ordained for God's anointed? As by the lighted lamp the priest might see his way in offering incense, so by the light of God's word we see the way of access into his presence, and are enabled to come to the throne of his grace with the incense of prayer.

That prayer also is a part of family worship is equally evident. This is the incense which we are morning and evening to offer unto God. We are to pray always, to pray without ceasing, and to be careful for nothing but in all things by prayer and supplication to make our requests known unto God. For uniting with each other in prayer we have many promises and examples for our encouragement; and it is a duty from which every believer must have derived many and lasting advantages.

The order in which these several duties of worship are to be observed is not so explicitly revealed; yet it does not appear to be wholly arbitrary. We should enter the gates of God's house with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Should we not for the same reasons commence with praise in the family? Does not even nature teach, that our first duty is to render thanksthat gratitude should be first in the heart and first in devotion? And as the word of God is our directory for prayer, teaching us our wants, and filling our mouths with arguments, is not the reading of a portion of that word a most reasonable preparation before addressing the throne of grace?

With respect to the times of worship, it should be observed every morning and evening; and, as the Jews on the Sabbath, offered a double offering, so, at least when destitute of public ordinances, this family offering should be more frequent. Where it can be done conveniently it seems most proper to commence. the day with the service of our Creator; to engage in it with that activity which the morning inspires, and before the business of the day has occupied the mind. Seek first, says Christ, the kingdom of God and his righteousness-give to those things the first and the best of your time; and in this he has set us an example, rising up early even a great while before day and engaging in prayer. If we labour more for the meat which endures unta eternal life, than for that which perishes, we should evince this

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