like most hot countries, for wanting that fresh and lively verdure which is the almost perpetual ornament of our lands; we see there none of those smiling carpets of grass and flowers, which our meadows of Normandy and Flanders display.... The soil in Syria has generally a dusty aspect; perhaps, if the hand of man had not ravaged these lands, they might now be shaded with forests. c. 32. 1.

The strangers that shall come from a far land shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses which the Lord hath laid upon it; even all nations shall say, Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this land? what meaneth the heat of this great anger? Deut. xxix. 22, 24.

In passing along this plain to Gaza, one occasionally sees villages badly built of dry earth, which, like their inhabitants, bear the stamp of poverty and misery. These houses, when seen close, are mere huts; sometimes standing alone, sometimes ranged like so many cells around a yard that is closed by a wall of earth. . . . In winter, the room inhabited is that of the cattle. c. 31.

And the anger of the Lord was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book. Deut. xxix. 27.

The earth is defiled under the inhabitants thereof, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Isa. xxiv. 5.

O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant. And the sea coast shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks. Zeph. ii. 5, 6.

I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, which shall devour the palaces thereof. (Amos i. 6.) Gaza shall be forsaken. (Zeph. ii. 4.) Baldness is come upon Gaza. (Jer. xlvii. 5.) The king shall perish from Gaza. Zech. ix. 5.

I will cut off the inhabitants from Ashdod. Amos i. 8.

After Yabneh (Jamnia) one meets with a succession of different ruins, the most considerable of which are those of Eydoud, now celebrated for its scorpions.

The remnant of the Philistinės shall perish. Amos i. 8.

After Gaza, there is nothing but deserts.*

The kingdom shall cease from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria. Isa. xvii. 3.

They shall call the nobles (of Edom) to the kingdom, but none shall be there, and all her princes shall be nothing. Isa. xxxiv. 12.

I will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel. Hosea i. 4. I surveyed the kingdom of Damascus and Edom, of Jerusalem and Samaria, and the warlike states of the Philistines, and the commercial republics of Phoenicia. This Syria, I said to myself, now almost depopulated, counted formerly a hundred powerful cities. Her plains were covered with villages, towns, and hamlets. Every where one beheld cultivated fields, frequented roads, and thickly-studded houses.

I will cut off the pride of the Philistines. Zech. ix. 6.

From generation to generation it (Edom) shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever. Isa. xxxiv. 10.

All the cities thereof shall be perpetual waters.-Edom shall be a desolation: every one that goeth by it shall be astonished.... No man shall abide there, saith the Lord, neither shall a son of man dwell in it. Jer. xlix. 13, 17, 18.

I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. Ezek. xxxv. 4.

Thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof; and it shall be an habitation for dragons, and a court for owls. Isa. xxxiv. 13.

This country (Edom) has never been visited by any traveller, nevertheless it well deserves to be. For, as I have heard from the Arabs of Bakir, and from the people of Gaza, who go to Mâân and Karak, on the Pilgrims' Road, there are to the south-west of the lake Asphaltites, at a distance of three days' journey, more than thirty ruined towns, absolutely deserted. Many of them contain handsome buildings with pillars, which may be ancient temples, or at least Greek churches. The Arabs make use of them sometimes as folds for their sheep; but they generally avoid them, on account of the enormous scorpions abounding there. One need not be astonished at these traces of population, if one calls to mind, that this was the country of the Nabatheans,* who were the most powerful of the .Arabs, and of the Idumeans, who, in the last age of Jerusalem, were almost as numerous as the Jews. Travels, c. 31.

Thy riches, (Tyre!) and thy fairs, thy merchandise, thy mariners, and thy pilots, thy calkers, and the occupiers of thy merchandise, * Nebaioth, son of Ishmael. xxv. 13.

Gen.

and all thy men of war, that are in thee, and in all thy company, which is in the midst of thee, shall fall into the midst of the seas in the day of thy ruin. Ezek. xxvii. 27.

Where are those fleets of Tyre, those docks of Arad, those arsenals of Sidon, and that multitude of sailors, of pilots, of dealers, and of soldiers? and those labourers, those houses, and those flocks, and all that creation of moving beings, of which the face of the earth was proud? Ruins, c. 2.

I will make her like the top of a rock. It shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea. Ezek. xxvi. 4, 5.

The whole population of the village consists of fifty or sixty families, who live obscurely by cultivating grains, and by fishing. Travels, c. 21.

Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down. (Isa. xxxiii. 9.) The cedar is fallen, the mighty is spoiled. Zech. xi. 2.

There, among the stones, the remains of the vaunted cedars of Lebanon present themselves, with little appearance of grandeur. Travels, c. 20. 2.

The rest of the trees of his forest shall be few, that a child may write them. Isa. x. 19.

There are only five or six of these trees remaining of any appearance. Travels, c. 20. 2. note.

I will sell the land (of Egypt) into the hand of the wicked: and I will make the land waste, and all that is therein, by the hand of strangers: I the Lord have spoken it. Ezek. xxx. 12.

Such is the case of Egypt: torn for three-and-twenty centuries from its natural proprietors, she has seen established successively within her, the Persians, the Macedonians, the Romans, the Greeks, the Arabs, the Georgians, and lastly that race of Tartars, known by the name of Ottoman Turks. Travels, c. 6.

Nineveh is empty, and void, and waste.-Their place is not known

DEAR SIR,-As a constant reader of the invaluable Guardian, and a cordial admirer of the principles which you so ably advocate, I trust you will pardon me for intruding on your time, and asking you how I may be most useful at the present crisis of the church's danger. When innovation has crept into our constitution, and the tocsin of war is sounding louder and louder every month, against our glorious privileges, how to be most useful in our endeavours to avert the impending storm is, I think, a laudable inquiry, and one on which, I hope, you or some of your friends will give me some satisfaction.

That the Church is in danger is, I believe, evident beyond a shadow of doubt. By the Church I mean not the Church of England exclusively, but the faithfully Protestant (not Popish-Protestant) commu nity who worship God in spirit and in truth. That this body, in its militant state in Britain, is in danger, is, I say, evident beyond a doubt. When I look around me, I see enemies innumerable encompassing the downfal of this godlike fabric, and encouraging each other in the words of their forefathers- Down with it, down with it, even unto the ground." Not to mention the infidel, the

deistical, the Socinian, or the professed popish phalanxes; I really believe that the carnal professors of different Protestant denominations, are uniting to aim a blow at the root' of the cause of Christ, in this island at this time. I would first include some of the Dissenters. If they were only conscientious Dissenters from the Church of England, I could still give them the right hand of fellowship; but as the supporters of Antichrist, which their representatives in London declared them to be, by their pro-catholic petitions, on a late occasion, I must withdraw from all communion with them, and say, with Jacob, "Oh, my soul, come not thou unto their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united!" There are others again, who have marked themselves the objects of the same reprobation, even those of the episcopal bench, who voted that the slaves of Babylon should legislate for our Protestant Church. Who encircled their brows with mitres ? Who gave them vineyards and olive-yards, and made their lines to fall in pleasant places ? It was the Church of Christ. What has been the requital ? "Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon!" They have conspired

with her open enemies to snatch her garlands from her head, and to prostrate her in the dust, so that the boar out of the wood may trample her under his feet.

But these are not the only enemies of our holy religion. On Sunday, when not engaged myself in ministerial duties, I enter occasionally the temple of God, to partake of other men's ministry. In some churches, the watchman is adorned in the habiliments of external sanctity-his looks are grave, and every syllable of his sermon is in its place-his emphasis and cadence are quite enchanting his text is scriptural, and his essay philosophical or moral

the form of religion is there, but the power is absent. But the end comes, and the sabbath passes away. On the morrow, the minister of the sanctuary puts on the accoutrements of the chase, mounts his swift steed, and follows eagerly the nimble dogs, exciting them to the prey with greater exertion and a louder voice than ever was used by him to call a sinner to Christ. Our theatres, our ballrooms, and card-tables, are too often attended by those whose cry ought to be" Come ye out from among them, and be separate ; " and religion "is wounded in the house of her" at least professed "friends." Does not this state of affairs call for earnest prayer and active exertion, lest our candle be removed, and Britain be left in total darkness. Should we not adopt the apostolic injunction"Preach the word, be instant in season and out of season?"

nected with them? Can the reading of a sermon, the contents of which, except the text, could as well have been inculcated by the ancient moralists, be called preaching the gospel? Is reading a theological essay preaching? Has not reading sermons been condemned by high authority? How then can the reader of mere moral disquisitions say conscientiously, "I preach Christ Jesus the Lord ?” How can I best feed the people committed to my charge, and how is vital religion most likely to spread through our land? Does

*

the Holy Ghost generally bless the preaching of the unadulterated word of God to the salvation of souls or the reading of what Epictetus wrote or might have written? I perfectly agree with Mr. Wilberforce in his Practical View of the prevailing Religious Systems,' that the grand reason why Britain is irreligious is to be attributed to the departure from the good old way of apostolical preaching. I shall be very glad if you or some of your able correspondents will give me some directions to know the way more fully, how I may most effectively fulfil my ministry, so as to save myself and those that hear me.

I am, dear Sir, Yours,

DYFEDENSIS.

* Has the statute, to be found in the Statute-Book of the University of Cambridge, p. 301. Car. II. Rex, been repealed?

[We believe the prohibition here referred to is not a statute, and has not now, if it ever had, any legal authority. If men really compose their own sermons, and deliver them with earnestness and affection, the question, whether they are written or delivered from notes, &c. is of very minor importance. Where holy zeal and active industry exist, the minister may safely be left to adopt that mode of preaching which appears to him most advisable.-ED.] ·

MY FRIENDS-I am quite sorry to see so many of you careless about your souls and eternity, for it is an awful thing to be living in such a state. Do listen, I beseech you, to the plain truth, for I wish you well, soul and body, from the bottom of my heart. The Bible says, all mankind are "born in sin ;" and does not conscience tell you that you have sinned against Almighty God in thought, word, and deed, thousands of times ?-Now the Bible also says, "the wages of sin is death;" eternal death! If therefore you die in your sins, you will be lost for ever, you will be cast into the burning lake, where " the worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched!"

God sees you by night and by day. Remember, He is a Holy God, and abhors all sin. Be assured, no drunkard, no swearer, no Sabbath-breaker, no unclean person, no profane scoffer, no liar, no dishonest character, no unconverted person, of any description, (continuing such,) will be saved. You must therefore repent, or you will perish for ever!-Remember, true repentance is shown by a change of heart and life-by sorrow for sinby forsaking sin-by hating sin!

But before you can make your peace with your offended God, you must have your sins washed away in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. -Without Christ, there is no pardon-no salvation-no hope!

Bear in mind also, that the HOLY SPIRIT alone can give you repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit alone can convert your hearts —make you new creatures, and fit you for heaven. The Holy Spirit is given to them who ask in the name of Jesus Christ. Ask, and it shall be given YOU": 25

Reflect take advice-seek forgiveness Resist the devil, and

he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you."-Humbly pray, and say,O Lord, I have sinned against Thee, and deserve eternal wrath and condemnation-God be merciful to me, a sinner. Hear me, O heavenly Father, for the sake of Jesus Christ, the righteous, thy beloved Son, who died upon the cross to save sinners. Lord, grant me Thy Holy Spirit. Turn thou ine, and I shall be turned. Lord, give me true faith. Lord, give me a new heart. Lord, help me to cast off all sin. Lord, make me and keep me thy true and faithful servant. Lord save me, I perish! Jesus, Master. have mercy on me!'

To earnest prayer, add watchfulness.-Watch your hearts that you may not think any thing evilwatch your words that you may not speak any thing evil. Watch your actions, that you may not do any evil thing. Avoid temptation. Shun all bad company. Keep holy the Sabbath. Stick close to your Bibles. Follow Christ fully and wholly.

Do not be tempted to put off the care of your soul, for death may strike you unawares, and after death comes the Judgment.-The Bible says—“ Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." "Behold, Now is the accepted time; behold, NOW is the day of salvation." Therefore, "Flee from the wrath to come," without delay." Prepare to meet your God," NOW.O be persuaded.—“ God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Jesus Christ, the Divine Saviour, invites you to enter his service and be happy for ever!-O refuse not these gracious offers of mercy. "How shall you escape, if you neglect so great salvation ?""Why will you die?”