water had I but ascended the intermediate ridge of hills. But no one would accompany me, there being a feud between them and the people of Ayer-Tau. I had penetrated about a dozen of paal further inland than other Europeans. What saved me, were my sex and my confidence. Both the Batacks and the Dyaks told me that I must be a superhuman being, or I would not have ventured to come among them without assistance and protection. The whole extent of my travels through Sumatra was 720 paal on horseback, and 146 on foot. After my return to Padang I suffered from fever; but my good constitution having carried me through it, I hope to be able to give you an account of all my future expeditions. MORE COLLATERAL TESTIMONIES TO THE TRUTH OF HOLY SCRIPTURE. To what extent the researches of are mentioned in ancient authors; travellers, the disentombment of cities, and the deciphering of ancient monumental inscriptions may yet reach, in bearing testimony to the records of Holy Writ, no one can determine; but it is an interesting fact to observe that testimony is continually accumulating. At a late meeting of the Royal Society of Literature, several important discoveries were announced illustrative of historical facts recorded in Scripture. We copy the following from the Athenaum of April 30: "ROYAL SOCIETY OF LITERATURE. -April 13.-Sir J. Doratt, V.P., in the chair. The Rev. Dr. Hincks read a paper On certain Ancient Arab Queens,' in which he questioned the truth of a discovery lately announced by Col. Rawlinson, to the effect that the Queen of Sheba, who visited Solomon, was the ruler of a northern district of Arabia, at no great distance from Palestine. Dr. Hincks contended that we had the best authority for believing that, as ' Queen of the South,' she did really come to Solomon from the uttermost parts of the earth,' probably from the shores of the Indian Ocean. Col. Rawlinson, from the fact that he has found on one of the Assyrian inscriptions that a Queen of Arabia paid tribute to King Pul in his eighth year, infers that the country called Sheba in the Bible must be Arabia. Dr. Hincks thinks that there is no doubt that there were many queens of Arabia besides the Chabiba,' who was contemporary with Menahem, and that many such moreover, the Assyrian inscriptions themselves notice a second Arab queen in a different part of Arabia. Dr. Hincks stated further, that in the historical inscription of Esarhaddon on an hexagonal cylinder in the British Museum, he is mentioned as having conquered Adumi (evidently Edom), a city of Arabia, which, of course, lay to the south of Palestine. Esarhaddon there states that his father, Sennacherib, had formerly taken it; and concludes by saying that he made Zabua, one of his concubines, its queen, and imposed on it a tribute of sixty camels, in addition to the tribute which his father had exacted.-Mr. Vaux read a paper On the Original Seat of the Chaldees,' in which he pointed out all that was known concerning them from the earliest notices in the Bible, and showed that, on the whole, the statements of the Greek geographers, Strabo and Ptolemy, coincided remarkably with the incidental notices in the Bible. Mr. Vaux then examined the later history of the same people during the period in which the Jewish kingdom was in most direct contact with Babylonia, and during the time when a Chaldean ruler, Nebuchadnezzar, invaded and conquered Judæa. In opposition to the theory proposed by Prof. Heeren, and still maintained by many writers on the Continent, Mr. Vaux expressed his belief that the Chaldean empire of Nebuchadnezzar was not the result of an immigration into Babylonia of a conquering tribe from the northern mountains of Kurdistan, but the gradual growth of many centuries, during which period the Bible and profane authors are equally silent. Mr. Vaux stated, that in his opinion this immigration from the north was a pure conjecture, unbased upon any historical data, and, at the same time, an unsatisfactory attempt to account for an event which is really explained sufficiently by the indications of the earlier history of this people which may be found in the Bible. Dr. Hincks made a few remarks in support of the view taken by Mr. Vaux; and stated, in confirmation, that on early Assyrian inscriptions, which he has deciphered, the Chaldees are mentioned by name, as a people living on the northern shores of the Persian Gulf, at the southern extremity of Mesopotamia." BLESSED ARE THEY THAT MOURN. How different the sentiment of these words from the current maxims of the world! What a contrast between the truth which they assert, and the views of most men! In worldly circles, the gay, the jovial spirit is esteemed the happy one. He that seems free from all care, that can laugh, and sing, and dance, and be the liveliest of the lively, is looked upon as the most highly favoured. Elevated on the giddy height of pleasure, he is admired, and caressed, and imitated by the thoughtless multitudes around him. This is the estimate of the world, but it is a false estimate. One who knew far better than the world has expressed a different opinion. In the face of worldly policy, the Lord Jesus has said, Blessed are they that mourn." Passing by all those looked up to by their fellow-men, he has decided that they are blessed of whom the world had never suspected that they could be so. What! says the worldling, the mourner happy! blessed! How can it be? And yet it must be, for Christ has said it is so. 66 But would Christ have said this of all who mourn? Is there no exception to be taken? No discrimination to be made? Doubtless he would have expressed a different opinion of those who lament the loss of worldly pleasures which they once enjoyed. Many, like the mixed multitudes which came out of Egypt, look back upon the sources of gratification which they once possessed, and, because these have failed, give way to grief and utter loud complaints. So, too, would he have spoken differently of those who give way to excessive grief under affliction. Such, refusing to be comforted, cherish hard thoughts of God. Their hearts rise in rebellion against the dealings of his providence. They mourn, it is true, but without submission to the Divine will. Surely the Saviour would not call these blessed. No more would he those who weep over their sins, merely because they fear the consequences. Some, like Esau, will sell their birthright for a mess of pottage, and when they find they are in danger of losing the blessing, will, like him, lift up their voices, and lament their folly. In the case of any such, we cannot suppose that Christ would pronounce them blessed. Who, then, are they of whom he speaks? They may be found in the following classes; 1. Those who mourn under afflic tion, with hearts submissive to the will of God. When the afflicted soul rises to the Author of its afflictions, and cheerfully acquiesces in his allotment of events, it is in just that frame which fits it to experience the consolations of the gospel. Humble submission is the way to secure the good designed by the dispensation. He that cherishes it will find relief in drawing nigh to God, and will be able to say, It is good for me that I have been afflicted. The benefits secured will far outweigh the burden of grief for the time being. that thus passes through the furnace, will come forth as gold seven times purified. He 2. Those who shed the tear of sympathy. He who searches out the children of want and of sorrow, and mingles his tears with theirs as he listens to their tales of wretchedness, as he affords them the relief in his power, will experience a satisfaction of which others never dream. He will receive his reward, partly, in the possession of such a disposition, partly, in the fact that many of the sons of want will rise up and call him blessed, and partly in the watchful care of God, who will see that he never wants a friend to sympathize with him in his days of sorrow. 3. Those who mourn with a penitent heart, because of their sins. Theirs is a godly sorrow for sin, which worketh repentance unto life. It may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. He that entertains a sense of his sinfulness in the sight of God, and is truly penitent, though his heart is broken and his tears flow freely, is just ready to enjoy the gracious smiles of his heavenly Father. 4. Also those who mourn over the desolations of Zion. In a season of declension, when a few come up to the solemn feasts of the Lord, when the love of many has waxed cold, and when sinners are very thoughtless, the desolations of Zion are great. Such a season calls for grief on the part of the faithful few who stand fast. As they meet and speak often one with another, and pour forth their tears over the captivity of their beloved Jerusalem, they are blessed in the mourning. The set time to favour Zion is near, and they shall see her dust arise, her waste places restored. Who will not say that those who mourn in these ways are truly blessed? Who would not be of their number? Who would not choose their lot rather than that of the jovial worldling? This world is the appropriate place to weep. It is best for us to do all our weeping while we stay in it. We may mourn now and rejoice hereafter; or we may laugh now and weep in a future state. The alternative is before us. May both the writer and the reader choose that part which will render us truly blessed! THE SPIRITUAL BODY. BUT what is this spiritual body? I confess I cannot tell. There is nothing like it among things material. Neither I nor any on earth has ever seen it; nor, probably, could we recognize it by any of our senses. The apostle Paul, who, in the fifteenth chapter of the First of Corinthians, has treated on this subject more at large than it is elsewhere treated of, speaks of it as a mystery. He pretends not to describe it, but reasons analogically to show that our inability to recognize it is not proof that it does not exist. All the information which he gives is summed up in these words:-"It is sown in corruption, and is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonour, and is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body." Now, with this description-if, indeed, description it may be called -the body borne by the Messiah, so It far as we can see, corresponded. seems to have changed all its relations to matter. The stone at the mouth of the sepulchre could not confine it. That stone was rolled away, not to allow the spiritual body of the Messiah to come forth, but to allow the weeping disciples, who had come to embalm him, to see the place where their Lord had lain. Bolts and bars could not exclude it; for when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus, and stood in the midst, and said unto them, "Peace be unto you!" It seems to have been a body henceforth incapable of suffering from any form of material injury. It yet bore unharmed the print of the nails in its hands, and that ghastly wound in the side made by the spear of the soldier. "Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side, and be not faithless but believing." But these wounds created neither pain nor suffering to this glorified body. Nay, are we not taught the spiritual body of the Messiah yet bears those scars which it received in its last conflict with our spiritual enemies? "I beheld, and lo, in the throne stood a lamb as it had been slain. And I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing." This body of the Messiah seems to have been in all respects subject to the will of the spirit which inhabited it. It could, at pleasure, be present or absent, in the upper chamber at Jerusalem, or in the mountains of Galilee, or on the shore of the lake of Gennesaret. Even its outward manifestations to others seemed to depend wholly upon the volition of the spirit with which it was united. Now the Messiah seems to his disciples as an humble wayfaring man on the road to Emmaus; on the instant he appears to them in proper person, and vanishes out of their sight. Sometimes he is not only visible but tangible, so that they can have no doubt of his identity. All these manifestations are wholly inconsistent with the ordinary laws to which matter is subject. They belong not to a natural, but to a spiritual body. All this I know is profoundly mysterious. We know of nothing on earth like it. We must receive it as a matter of testimony, and we can go no farther. I do not suppose that in our present state we possess the faculties for obtaining any more perfect knowledge on the subject. The apostle Paul does not pretend to explain it. He, however, teaches us that this doctrine finds its analogy in the ordinary process of vegetation. We plant a seed; it decays in the ground. Soon it germinates and appears in a form wholly unlike the grain which we had planted; "God having given it a body as it hath pleased him." So, now in the autumn of the year, a dry and unsightly seed falls, and is buried in the earth. It lies for months beneath the snow of winter. At length the sun, emblem of the Sun of Righteousness, warms it with its beams, and it rises from its lowly bed in a new and beautiful form, resplendent in colour and refreshing in fragrance, to show forth the praises of Him who hath clothed it by any act of his Almighty power. Thus the body of the Messiah was laid in the grave mortal and corruptible; but soon it appeared clothed in the garments of immortality, prepared to ascend and take its appointed place at the right hand of the Majesty on high, where he ever liveth to intercede for us. It was in this glorified body that I suppose our Saviour to have dwelt for some weeks on earth, showing himself alive by many infallible proofs. In this body, as he was blessing his disciples on a mountain in Bethany, "he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven, and a cloud received him out of their sight." In this body he still lives to intercede for his people. In this body he will come to judge the world. For, said the angels on his ascension, "This same Jesus shall come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." When this last act shall have been performed, the mystery of redemption will have been complete, the history of this world will be closed, and the Messiah will render up the mediatorial kingdom unto the Father, that God may be all in all. WISDOM OF GOD IN SLEEP. To know what God is, and to realize the greatest proofs of his wisdom and power, there is no reason why we should have recourse to extraordinary events; they are suffi ciently seen in the daily changes that are taking place in nature around us, and even in ourselves. That the creatures do nothing in the way of self-sustentation is evident; for there are moments, as in sleep, when all the voluntary powers and perceptions, to speak in the popular sense, are buried in profound insensibility; and yet, in those silent moments, we are as much preserved as when we are sensibly awake. The coming on and passing off of sleep, when we closely consider, is one of the most wonderful subjects with which we are acquainted. It is a proof of the wisdom of our Creator that we go to sleep imperceptibly. Let us try only to watch the moment in which we are falling asleep, and that very attention will prevent it. We shall not go to sleep till the idea is lost. Sleep comes uncalled. It is the only change in our manner of existence in which reflection has no share; and the more we endeavour to promote it the less we succeed. Thus God has directed sleep that it should become an agreeable necessity to man; and he has made it independent of our will and our reason. Let us pursue this meditation, and reflect on the wonderful state we are in during sleep. We live without knowing it, without feeling it. The beating of the heart, the circulation of the blood, the digestion, the separation of the juices-in a word, all the animal functions-continue and operate in the same order. The activity of the soul appears for a time in some degree suspended, and gradually loses all sensation, all distinct ideas. The senses deaden, and intermit their usual operations. The situation of the brain becomes such that it cannot transmit to the soul the same motions as when awake. The soul sees no object, though the optic nerve is not altered; and it would see nothing, even if the eyes were not shut. The ears are open, and yet they do not hear; in a word, the state of a per APPEAL TO PARENTS IN As a strong motive to exertions for the conversion of your children, consider that you have to meet them at the judgment-bar. On that great day, when the King of kings shall sit upon his judgment-throne, what a happy, or what a dreadful interview son asleep is wonderful in all respects. Perhaps there is but one other in the world so remarkable, and this is death. Sleep and death are so nearly alike that it is right to observe it. Who, in reality, can think of sleep without recollecting death also? As imperceptibly as we now fall into the arms of sleep shall we one day fall into the arms of death. It is true that death often gives warning of its approach several hours or days before; but the real moment in which death seizes us happens suddenly; and when we shall seem to feel the first blow, it will already be our last. In the same manner the ideas are confused, and we forget the objects which surround us. To the Christian, the moment of death will be as agreeable as the moment of falling to sleep. But we said, God had måde sleep an agreeable necessity. The question is, for what? During the day we digest. The chyme becomes chyle. The chyle passes into the blood. Here ends, physiologically considered, the business of the day. Nourishment is prepared, but it needs to be added to increase the substance of the living tissues of the body. This is the business of the night, and it is accomplished during sleep. The digestive organs repose, circulation becomes slow, the lungs act at fuller intervals. Other organs at length go to work; the material prepared during the day is added to the frame in the very moments of our unconsciousness; and by the wonderful processes of that great workshop of the whole interior, man becomes skin, hair, nerve, nail, muscle, bone, ligament, and everything else that is needful to repair the wasted frame. Is it any wonder the man on waking up, then, should be strengthened and refreshed ?Christian Intelligencer. VIEW OF THE JUDGMENT. will you have with those who are now committed to your care! If you meet them at the Saviour's right hand, if you behold them crowned with glory, redeemed from the ruins of the fall, with everlasting joy upon their heads, what a happy meeting! How will |