MAN. BY NATURE. Poetry. DEAD in trespasses and sin, BY GRACE. Quicken'd by the voice of God, Cleansed by his atoning blood, Clothed, blessed, light is given, Darkness from his spirit driven. See, the Son has made him free, And he walks at liberty. He is an adopted son, Dwelt in by the Holy One! He has found the pathway strait, Leading to the heavenly gate. He is strong in Christ the Lord, And he loves his Holy Word. Now he knows the better part, God has given a fleshy heart; He will follow after peace, Own the Lord his righteousness. He is holy, true, and just, In the Lord he puts his trust: Living, lives a life of faith; Dying, triumphs over death! IN GLORY. Life eternal shall be his, He shall cast his purchased crown Fill'd and satisfied with joy, Naught shall burden, fade, or cloy; Death shall ne'er his bliss dissever, He shall be with Christ for ever! CHILDHOOD. OH! no, I never shall forget; I love to live that time once more, The bubbling prattle of the rill, The golden clouds that crown the day, But where's their childhood light? Though hope yet whispers words to bless, But still it breathes an emptiness- Oh! lovely, sweet, enchanting hours, To scatter life's dark path with flowers, Oh! yes is whisper'd in my ear, In deep and soothing strain; In that pure land where all that's dear Live, love, and bloom again. "THY WILL BE DONE." Hearer of prayer! oh guide aright Giver of all!-for every good In the Redeemer came- Father, and Son, and Holy Ghost! Thou knowest best what I need most, The Children's Gallery. THE RUINS OF NINEVEH. A LECTURE TO SUNDAY-SCHOLARS. MY YOUNG FRIENDS,-You have heard of Jonah, and the City of Nineveh; you have also read what the Prophets say about its being destroyed; but, perhaps, you do not know what was its subsequent history, and this is what I now mean to talk to you about. It was not only made desolate by the removal of its people, but, by some strange means, actually buried in the earth-that is, floods of earth were brought or laid upon it. How this came to pass is wholly incomprehensible, as there is no information about it. The spectacle it now presents is much the same as would be that of London, supposing it to be covered with layers of earth some hundred feet in depth, more or less, here and there, so as to cover the highest buildings. If that were the case, and if that earth had once been clothed with green grass, shrubs, and trees, then the surface would present just such a resemblance to Nineveh as it was some years ago, when our countryman, Mr. Layard, first visited it. That gentleman having reason to believe, from conversation with the natives, that there was a city underground, procured Arabian labourers, and set to work to dig. He was not long kept in suspense; it became speedily apparent that there must be some truth in the matter, and every day added to the evidence. images of the Chaldeans painted with vermilion ?" By visiting the Nineveh marbles in the British Museum in London, you may see the remains of this red colour on the eyes and feet of the large figures. Mr. The horses are not the least remarkable thing in these sculptures. Layard notices how beautifully they are shaped. They are generally represented covered with rich trappings, and at full gallop, as if rushing on to battle, answering to the description of the prophet, who thus speaks of them: "Their horses are swifter than the leopards, and more fierce than the evening wolves," Hab. i. 8; while the horsemen, with graceful figures, and richly attired, remind us of Ezekiel's description: "Horsemen riding upon horses, all of them desirable young men, princes to look to," Ezek. xxiii. 15. There are several striking representations of the siege of cities. The besieged on the top of the walls are seen discharging arrows and darts at the enemy. Wounded soldiers are represented tumbling down from the towers. Women are depicted tearing their hair, which in the East was the sign of grief, or stretching out their arms imploring their foes to have mercy upon them. The enemy are represented, in others, planting their scaling ladders against the walls to engines, called " battering-rams," to beat them down. If the battle or siege be over, we have the conqueror leading the captive soldiers behind his car of triumph, with the women and children, and other spoil; or men bringing the heads of those slain in battle, and lay. ing them at his feet. This, we know from Bible history, was a cruel way they had in ancient times of counting the number of the slaughtered enemy, 2 Kings x. 8. At first he began by finding frag-climb up upon them, or bringing warments of brick and pottery with the cuneiform character. Every succeeding day brought the workmen to new wonders-beautiful specimens of alabaster and marble carving-figures of various kinds standing out from the stones (called bas-reliefs), representing kings and chariots, cities and sieges, captives, priests, and sacred trees. On other slabs were found hunting scenes, as if Nimrod's descendants shared in his love for the chase. There were also strange devices painted in bright colours on tiles. May not these be what the Bible speaks of as "the In the early ages of the world, not only the invention of printing, but even paper, and the art of writing, were un known. The question then was, How | Layard smiled at their supposition. He at once concluded, and he turned out to be correct, that it was the head of a winged bull or lion, the huge body of which was still buried in the earth. It was the most important discovery that had yet been made; and in order to remove the terror which its appearance seems to have created, he caused multitudes of sheep to be slaughtered, and a feast prepared for the Arabs all around, at the village where he slept. Some wandering musicians were called in also, and they kept up their wild music and dances till midnight. were they to write the history of their Mr. Layard gives a most interesting account of the removal of this huge figure from the Nimroud mound to the banks of the Tigris. He directed some Arabs to go to the mountains, to cut some mulberry-trees, in order to construct a strong wagon to place it upon. He purchased a pair of iron axles, which had formerly belonged to Thus are the events in Assyrian his- M. Botta, and the mulberry wheels tory, which happened 2000 years ago, were bound with iron hoops. Across strikingly brought to light again by the the axle were laid three beams, and digging up of these "Stone Libraries." above them several cross beams of the Had they been written on paper or same wood. Large iron rings were parchment, they must have long since also fastened in for ropes, to enable perished by decay; but God has pre- the Arabs to draw the cart, as well as served them in a vault in the midst of buffaloes. This singular wagon bethe desert, and after the winds of came an object of wonder to all in the twenty centuries have swept over them, town of Mosul, and crowds came to he raises them up in our day, as new inspect it. At last it was brought into witnesses to the truth of Bible history. the deep trench cut in the mound in "Truth," as it has been well said, has order to receive the monster bull. The thus been made to "spring out of the bull was lowered from its place by earth." means of ropes and thick rollers well But I shall proceed to relate one in-greased, which had been obtained from teresting story about the discoveries the mountains. It was a moment of above alluded to, in the mound of Nimroud. One day Mr. Layard was on his way to the mound, from which he had been a few hours absent, when he saw two Arabs riding as hard as they could gallop on their horses towards him. "O Bey!" exclaimed one of them, "hasten to the diggers-they have found Nimrod himself. It is wonderful! It is true! We have seen him with our eyes!" When he reached the spot, he found all the Arab workmen gathered round one object. It was a very large human head of alabaster, which they had just opened up out of the rubbish. Mr. great anxiety The Chaldeans and Arabs were half frantic with excitement. The air resounded with their music and war cries. In vain did Mr. Layard use a whip made of the hide of the hippopotamus, or throw clods and bricks at the more noisy, to keep them quiet. Great was his disappointment when, after advancing a little, the cable and ropes all gave way, and the great bull rolled to the ground! Although Mr. Layard expected to find it broken in pieces, most fortunately it escaped quite uninjured. Again the Arabs resumed their war-cries, yelling and dancing, which they continued all night; but early next morning they were all once more at work, and it was soon ready again to be dragged to the river. Buffaloes were fast harnessed, but they refused to pull. The Chaldeans and Arabs, however, were not so unwilling; a procession was formed, headed by Mr. Layard himself on horseback. Immediately after him came a band of musicians, with their drums and fifes; then followed the cart, dragged by 300 men, screaming at the pitch of their voices. They were proceeding to a wish, dragging the monster figure through the waste plains, when a new accident stopped their progress. On reaching the ruins of a village, the wheels sunk into a deep pit, which had been concealed with mud and boughs of trees, and the Arabs pulled and yelled in vain. The ropes broke, and the wheels refused to move. Next morning, however, their labours to raise it were successful,-and once more, amid renewed shouts, it was dragged within a few hundred yards of the river. After some difficulties, they succeeded in getting it to slide gently down on the raft; and Mr. Layard afterwards, with honest pride, watched it until it disappeared from his sight behind a projecting bank. The Arabs and Arab workmen wondered much what could be his object in being at such care and expense with these large stones. One of them could think of no other reason than that they were going to the palace of our Queen, who, with her people, worshipped similar huge idols! It is enough to say, that the "Winged Bull" reached Bagdad in safety; and perhaps some who are now reading this may one day see it with their own eyes in the British Museum in London, among the other "Nineveh Remains." The large figures of white alabaster, similar to the one just noticed, seem to be the most curious of the many curious things of the buried city. Mr. Layard has since found very many of them of different sizes. They are found placed at the doors of the temples and palaces. They have a head like a man, wings like an eagle, and a body like a lion. The ancient Assyrians had no Bible to tell them about the true God; but they seem in these, as Mr. Layard re marks, to have carved (from objects and images derived from nature) their ideas of the wisdom, power, and omnipresence of the Supreme Being. The human head denoted knowledge or wisdom; the body of a lion denoted strength; and the wings of an eagle, being everywhere present. Kings, priests, and warriors, 8000 years ago, had, through these portals, borne sacrifices to their altars. I may just further tell my young readers, that it is supposed by Mr. Layard that there are ruins of other two great Assyrian palaces in the same plain; and if able to return, which we trust he will be spared to do, we cannot tell what new and wondrous light may be further thrown on the history of the early world. It is singular how these stones, which have lain buried for so many centuries, enable us to know how righteous the judgments of God were against Nineveh. They tell to this day what a proud, and haughty, and cruel city she was. Several of them represent warriors cruelly trampling on their foes, and exulting over them. Poor Nineveh! it never knew what a blessed Gospel tells us to do-"Love your enemies." God had to tell it, by its own terrible fate, that "he resisteth the proud!" Mr. Layard has rode to all the mounds where he supposes the ruins of Nineveh are. He finds that they measure round about sixty miles Now, do you remember how much the prophet Jonah said it was round about the walls of the same city? It was "three days' journey ;" and as twenty miles was reckoned, in ancient times, a " 'day's journey," how striking that the measurement of a British traveller and a Jewish prophet, who lived 2,500 years apart, should be the same! Such, my dear young friends, is the wonderful story of Nineveh; and if you would like to know more about it, you may procure the information by having recourse to Mr. Layard's own great books, or to his abridgement; but as these are very dear, you may get the "Story of Nineveh," a pretty book recently published by Paton and Ritchie, Edinburgh, and to be had of Hamilton and Co, London. The Cabinet. ABRAHAM AND THE SODOMITES. THERE is no part of the Book of Genesis, fruitful as it is of wonders, more affecting than the intercession of Abraham for the doomed city: "Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once; peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake." It seems, beyond doubt, that one of the angels referred to in the narrative was God the Saviour-the Angel Jehovah. This he is called many times in this and the succeeding chapters. The other two seem to have been the attendants of the Saviour. According to this view, the intercession of Abraham, on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah, was addressed to the Son of God. Abraham was emboldened to proceed in a most importunate manner by the success with which his previous requests had been granted; each demand was an advance upon its predecessors, till at last the suppliant was ashamed to ask more. The case before us shows very strikingly, THE ESTEEM IN WHICH THE SAVIOUR HOLDS his peoPLE'S CHARACTER AND PRAYERS. This is a great matter, which might be made to appear from a variety of considerations, such as the works he performs on their behalf, the names he gives them, the privileges they enjoy, the relations they sustain, and the destinies that await them. We shall confine ourselves to the illustrations furnished by Providence, through the performance of miracle. : First, He has subverted the laws which ruled the elements, to subserve his purposes towards his servants.-The authority of the chosen prophet has been maintained by the Earth opening her mouth, to swallow up his adversaries, and those who had invaded his office : "And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation. And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also,” Num. xvi. 31-34. What a manifestation of displeasure |