'Is that old rascal Fitzgerald within now?' were the first words that met our ears.

'Why, yer riverence, if the truth must be told, he is,' was the answer; in which we recognized the voice of Owen Rua.

'Well, let him alone this time,' said Father Barret ; but if ever he darkens your door again, just take the pot off the fire, and give him a welcome of scalding water.* It's only what he well desarves, for goin' about doin' mischief.'

Owen made no reply, and the priest rode on. My father and I crossed over the style, and entered the cottage. We found Owen in the act of repeating the commands which he had just received from Father Barret; but he added, turning to the reader, 'But never you fear, Barny Fitzgerald, if he kem forty times a-day to give the same ordther, I'd never harm a hair of yer head and you readin' the good news to us.'

Lest our presence should prove a restraint upon the meeting, we remained in the shade of a partition-wall, which had been erected to screen off the draught from the door.

Beside a solitary rushlight, sat the grey-headed convert, with the volume of inspiration in his hand. A fire of gewsagh, or fir dug from bogs, threw its flickering light upon an indistinct crowd of human heads. The reader commenced, and was heard with breathless attention. The few men whose attitudes we could discern through the darkness visible, were bending forward, as if they feared to lose a syllable of the glad tidings. At the end of each chapter, Fitzgerald paused, and the

I have preserved the very words of Father, and hope that I may not incur the charge of overcolouring, where I am only copying from life.

impassioned gestures and enthusiastic eagerness of the rustics, as they poured forth inquiries in their native language, showed how much they were interested in the subject before them. I was not sufficiently acquainted with the vernacular tongue, to understand the whole conversation, but I could perceive that Fitzgerald usually corroborated his assertions by reading aloud parallel passages of scripture, which were received with a reverence, which is too often wanting in those, who, from infancy have enjoyed daily access to the treasures of sacred wisdom. The meeting was prolonged to so late an hour, that my father and I returned home without waiting for its conclusion.

THE JESUIT.

THE Country of the Jesuit is the world. He is a cosmopolite in the worst sense, for he is a patriot nowhere. The object of his education is to eradicate family and national affections. His motto is to be 'sicut cadaver,' a living mechanism. His politics depend on local expediency, for he has no opinions. He instils radicalism into Irish demagogues, and despotism into Sardinian princes. He has science for the educated, and fanaticism for the vulgar.—Sir C. E. Smith's Preface.

INVITATION TO UNITED PRAYER,

FOR THE

OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

On Thursday, 1st of January, 1846.

BEING THE FIRST DAY OF THE NEW YEAR.

DEARLY BELOVED IN THE LORD,

The privilege which I have enjoyed for the last NINE years, of inviting you to commence the new year, by

UNITING IN PRAYER FOR THE OUTPOURING OF THE

HOLY SPIRIT, is, by the kind providence of God, again vouchsafed to me. And it is with a heart desiring to express its thankfulness to the Giver of all good, for countless mercies, that I would renew my annual invitation for this GENERAL CONCERT FOR PRAYER, which, by Divine permission, will be held on THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 1846.

The present is a period which very particularly calls for such a devotional union; for surely the important events which have occurred during the present year, and which it is probable will be more unfolded in the coming one, are of a nature which, in a very special manner, make the abundant outpouring of the Holy Spirit, in his enlivening, enlightening, purifying, comforting, and sanctifying grace, especially needful. Oh! that our Heavenly Father, for his dear Son's sake, may DECEMBER, 1845.

2 M

first grant to his people the Spirit of grace and supplication, and then, in answer to their prayers, fulfil that gracious promise," Open the windows of heaven, and pour out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”

To mention only a few of these remarkable events :— First. The grant of the Firman for building a Protestant church in Jerusalem by the Sultan, which has been at length obtained through the powerful influence of her Majesty's ambassador at Constantinople.

The following sentences are extracted from this interesting state paper: It has been represented, both now and before, on the part of the British embassy residing at my court, that British and Prussian Protestant subjects visiting Jerusalem, meet with difficulties and obstructions, owing to their not possessing a place of worship for the observance of Protestant rites, and it has been requested that permission should be given to erect, for the first time, a special Protestant place of worship, within the British consular residence at Jerusalem. My royal permission is therefore granted for the erection of the aforesaid special place of worship. And my imperial order having been issued for that purpose, the present decree, containing permission, has been specially given from my imperial divan.

'When, therefore, it becomes known unto you, Vallee of Said, governor of Jerusalem, you will be careful that no person do, in any manner whatever, oppose it.'Written on the first day of Ramazan, 1261.’

This Firman may strike the student of prophecy from its date, 1261, or, that year of the Hegira; one year beyond the term for which it is said, "The holy city shall be trodden under foot of the Gentiles." (Rev. xi. 2.)

It is the more interesting, as it records that the grant has been made, for the first time for a Protestant place of worship, and this by the desire of the Queen of Great Britain and the King of Prussia, reminding us of that well-known prediction, "Kings shall be thy nursingfathers, and their queens thy nursing-mothers; and

as it also affords a very pleasing example of the benefits to be derived from the spiritual union of Protestants in the cause of our blessed Saviour. Seeing then that full liberty is now obtained for erecting a Protestant church in Jerusalem, and this when our mission there has all the advantages of a representative of the Protestant church, who is by birth a Hebrew, but by the grace of God a sincere believer in our Lord Jesus Christ; has at the same time a band of faithful watchmen set upon her walls (Isaiah lxii. 6, 7), " who hold not their peace day nor night;" seeing also that it is written, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts" (Zech. iv. 6); who would not entreat the Lord to pour out the abundance of his Holy Spirit, "That out of Zion the law may again go forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (Isaiah ii. 3.)

A second event which calls for this devotional union, is the very remarkable success which has attended the preaching of the gospel in France, and the present movement of the Roman Catholics in Germany. In France whole communes have left the church of Rome, and placed themselves under the teaching of Protestant ministers. One French pastor alone, during the last year, was instrumental to opening six churches, and gathering in six Christian flocks, all of whose members were previously either Romanists or indifferent to all scriptural religion.

As to the movement in Germany, however difficult it