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Scripture Cabinet.

WATCHING-WHAT IS IT?

"Watch, therefore," Matt. xxiv. 42.

LIFE is a battle. Man contends with crafty foes, who seek his immortal ruin. He is aided, if he desires to be, by the highest wisdom, by Almighty power. Still, his success is in his own keeping. He must fight earnestly, wisely, perseveringly, or he must fall. He must neither pause amid the strife, nor sink into dull forgetfulness after a victory. To do so is to be surprised and conquered; for his foe is wary and sleepless. Though foiled and beaten back, he is still at hand, preparing some new stratagem by which to resume the warfare and win a triumph. Hence it is, that the voices of Scripture sound a constant alarm in the ear of the church. They ring, like blasts of a trumpet in every ear; bidding every man, who would overcome, to watch! "What I say unto you, I say unto all, watch and pray, lest ye enter into temptation." "Let us watch and be sober." "Watch thou in all things;" are its warning voices.

To watch, as every one knows, is to be vigilant, attentive, guarded, and prepared. It implies the perception of some threatening evil, which the watcher is determined to resist. To be successful, he must know somewhat of the character of the expected foe. He must understand his object, and the stratagem, through which he may attempt its accomplishment. Otherwise, the most intense watchfulness may be in vain, as can be seen in the following illustration.

During some of the early wars of the English with the aborigines of North America, a small detachment of soldiers, stationed near the fortress, had its sentinels posted along the margin of the forest which skirted the camp. From one of these outposts, a sentinel disappeared one night, and no traces of his departure could be found. The next night, during the same watch, a second one was missing. The night following, a third was in like manner lost. By this time the post had become an object of terror to its soldiers. Accordingly the guard was doubled, and received orders to fire on the first symptom of danger. But they, too, shared the mysterious fate of their comrades. The troops now showed a manifest unwillingness to mount guard on that dreaded spot at the fatal hour; and the commander called for a volunteer, appealing to the honour of his men, and to the obvious necessity of guarding every point.

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The troops stood mute for a few minutes. Then a fine looking young man stepped forward and offered to run the fearful risk. At the appointed hour, some of his comrades bore him company, begging him to fire at the first token of danger, and wishing him farewell, with words and looks which showed they deemed him doomed to the mysterious fate of their lost companions in arms. The man, after examining the lock of his musket, commenced pacing his prescribed distance with every faculty fully awake to his danger. hour passed, and nothing disturbed him. He grew confident. Another hour, and he would be relieved. One half of that hour, too, had expired, and he was still safe. But now, through the deep gloom, he saw something moving stealthily toward him. He lowered his musket, and kept his eye fastened on the approaching object. moved so slowly, he fancied sometimes it must be a delusion of his brain. Then, again, he felt sure it did move, and was on the point of firing; but the idea of giving a false alarm restrained him. Presently he felt sure it was really advancing, and it seemed to him to be a black bear. He hesitated to alarm the camp for such an enemy; but observing that it made a quickened movement, and, stimulated by a strong impulse, he fired. The seeming animal sprang upward, groaned, and lay still. All the sentinels along the line discharged their pieces, the camp was aroused, the troops came rushing to the rescue, and found the foe to be an Indian concealed in the skin of a bear! The soldier's ball had pierced his heart and he was dead.

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The mystery was now solved. The Indians had stolen in this guise upon the previous sentinels and strangled them. The poor men, unsuspicious of the trick, and fearing to give an alarm by firing at the bear, had permitted their wily enemies to steal toward them, until near enough to spring upon and disarm, them; when they fell an easy prey. Their scalped bodies were afterwards found in a swamp, covered with leaves and branches.

Here, then, we have the idea of unsuccessful watchfulness illustrated. The men who perished, unquestionably were intent on guarding both themselves and the camp. But not understanding the stratagem of their crafty adversary, they knew not how to detect his approach. After it was discovered they were prepared to defeat it, if attempted again.

So in the spiritual life, it is essential to understand the purpose of the great adversary, and the plans by which he aims to execute it. Without such knowledge the believer is almost sure to be overcome, despite his watchfulness and care; for he cannot know what to watch, or where to expect his foe, and must therefore fight disadvantageously.

Now the grand object of the tempter of men is to persuade believers to cast away their confidence; this being the only means by which he can finally destroy them. Hence, the stress laid by the Scriptures on the necessity of keeping the faith. Paul sums up his Christian life, and states, as its triumphal results, that he had "kept the faith." To keep the faith, therefore, is the object for which the good man contends. To induce him to cast it away, is the aim of Satan. The whole battle of life is fought at this point, and for these issues. The man contends for his faith; the tempter seeks to destroy it.

Knowing this, how studiously should the Christian disciple watch his faith! How suspiciously should he scrutinize every fact, suggestion, influence, or solicitation which, in any way, tends to weaken his confidence in God, or to dim his vision of spiritual objects? With what keen attention and guardedness of mind, should he observe the relation of his habits of thought, of conversation, of business, or of indul gence, to the growth or diminution of his faith! For thus to observe is to watch, and thus to watch is to be saved from surprise and consequent defeat-for a faith thus resolutely guarded will, in all probability, be kept; until, standing in full view of the heavenly city, with its golden light pouring a flood of glory upon his soul, the victorious believer exclaims with Paul, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; henceforth, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness!"

now pursuing. He was, therefore, guilty of abandoning a good cause for a bad one. 2. This sin robbed him of all his courage, and made him a pitiful coward-a necessary result of crime. "The wicked flee when no man pursueth, but the righteous are as bold as a lion."

3. His fault and cowardice prompted him to lie, in order to screen himself from supposed danger. Lying is generally a prominent trait of these characters.

4. He not only continues to add lie to lie, to cover his faults, but swears to the truth of his falsehoods. Swearing is generally practised by these characters.

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5. But in the case of Peter there is one bright spot in the dark and gloomy picture. He at last saw the guilt and wretchedness in which he had involved himself by being one of them," and bitter tears of repentance followed the discovery, together with a thorough reformation of life. Happy would it be if all those who have secured this title would go and do likewise.

Application. We see by the foregoing remarks:

1. The danger of forsaking the right path. Each step is fraught with danger. Beware of the first false step.

2. We learn that the way of departure from God and right is a downward course, and that every step accelerates the speed towards utter ruin.

3. We learn from the history of this man, that when one has attained to the state here described, he is ashamed to own it.

4. Whenever we see a man pursuing the course here pointed out, may we not judge with unerring certainty that he is "one of them," though he may deny it?

5. And lastly, we learn from our subject that pardon may be obtained by these cha racters, by timely repentance, and turning to God. May all such embrace the gracious privilege, that it may no longer be said, to their reproach, "This is one of them."

A SHORT SERMON. "This is one of them," Mark xiv. 69. THIS averment was made in reference to Peter. It is a phrase in common use at the present day, in reference to certain characters, though, probably, no definite idea is attached to it, by those who use it. It will be our object in this discourse to describe some of the characteristic traits of "one of them," that those who use the term may understand its meaning. may observe, then :

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1. That the character here spoken of had known a better course than the one he was

THE BELOVED FAMILY.

ONE stands upon the Mount of Olives, and looks towards the east. Far, far in the distant are glimpses of water, for the Jordan is hurrying impatient to its home in the Dead Sea. Upon the slope of the mountain are groups of fruit trees. The broad and scolloped fig leaf moves slowly to the breeze; and the snowy almond blossom, or bright scarlet of the pomegranate, enliven the dark-green foliage. If it is the proper season, fields of grain may also be seen, with heads bowed to the scythe of the reaper.

It is not until you begin to descend the

mountain, that you discover, hid in a ravine, the little village of El Azarizeh. Thirty small dwellings constitute the place. The ruins of a tower, built of square stones, are in its midst; and in the northern outskirts of the village is a curious cavern. You enter by an aperture three and a half feet high, and two feet wide. You then

descend a flight of twenty-seven steps, and find yourself in a room nine feet square. In the sides of this are four niches for the reception of human bodies. From this room you are conducted, by three steps more, into "an arched chamber eight feet square by nine in height." This appears to be an ancient Jewish tomb.

And, after all, the place does not seem so remarkable-thirty hovels, a broken tower, and a cave! But let us sit down beneath a fig-tree, and look at it. The dial of Ahaz is before us. Years roll back, and back, and now eighteen centuries and more have passed. Telegraphs are unheard of, and railroads have not entered the vision of the wildest seer. A little path winds over the mountain, and leads down through the ravine. There is the village of El Azarizeh-no, let us call it by its dear, familiar name, "Bethany." Tall palmtrees stand around it now, and, like enchanted knights, nod their green plumes to the stars as they come out in the evening sky. The sun has sunk behind the mountain, and the twilight of eastern climes, with a hasty "good evening," is hurrying after him.

A form appears moving along the path. We may not describe it; but our hearts stand still, and our eyes are suffused with tears.

Upon that form hang all the hopes of a ruined world. Princes and potentates come to earth to be ministered unto, but the Highest comes to minister unto others. All earthly service and pageantry to him would be poor and mean, so he dispenses with it all, and comes "in the form of a servant." No glittering crowds attend him, no pomp of circumstances surround him. He has left the din of the city. His robe is dusty from travel, his hair damp from perspiration, and his brow pale from exhaustion. He, the Christ, seeks solace from human sympathy. Is it, then, wonderful that our poor, weak hearts, should yearn for the love of a brother, a sister?

As he approaches this embowered village, let us see who comes to greet him. Two female forms emerge from an humble dwelling. Their hands are clasped. Their veils are thrown back, and reveal the glowing eye and noble contour of the Jewish face. They are evidently sisters. One gives a hasty glance back to see that all is right in the house, but the other bends forward with intense eagerness. By their side walks one whose resemblance bespeaks

His eyes, too, And now they

him to be their brother. are riveted on the Saviour. meet, but what pen can do justice to the inimitable tenderness of such a meeting! Yet, O Jesus, may we not approach Thee nearer when we think of it!

And now we see them in the house. Lazarus reclines beside Him, and Mary has brought a basin of water and a white napkin to bathe his swollen feet, while Martha prepares the simple meal; and tempting figs and dates, and pomegranates, like the pale pink topaz, lie before them, and white bread, and the pure juice of the grape, complete the repast. But the best of all are the warm hearts and loving glances. Tiberius dwells in his lordly palace on the Tiber, and Barbary gold and the jewels of Africa gleam about his throne; but the brightest spot on earth, and the most blessed, is this loving dwelling among the fruit-trees of Mount Olivet. Surely this is one peaceful hour granted to the "Man of Sorrows."

And now do you not see that the mountain has become glorious? And those hovels have been converted into goodly mansions, and that cave to the north, from which it is said Lazarus came forth, is a sacred place. They have witnessed the presence of the Son of God; and here may we sit and weave heart-histories for ever; yet never shall our fairest dream reach the reality of one such happy evening spent with loved ones.

LORD HAILES AND THE NEW
TESTAMENT.

"I was dining," said Dr. Buchanan, "some time ago, with a literary party at old Mr. Abercromby's, (the father of Sir Ralph Abercromby, who was slain in Egypt), and spent the evening together. A gentleman present put a question which puzzled the whole company. It was this: Supposing all the New Testaments in the world had been destroyed at the end of the third century, could their contents have been recovered from the writings of the three first centuries? The question was novel to all, and no one even hazarded a guess in answer to the inquiry.

"About two months after this meeting, I received an invitation to breakfast with Lord Hailes (Sir David Dalrymple,) next morning. He had been of the party. During breakfast he asked me if I recollected the curious question about the possibility of recovering the contents of the New Testament from the writings of the three first centuries? I remember it well, and have thought of it often without being able to form any opinion or conjecture on the subject.'

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'Well,' said Lord Hailes, that question quite accorded with the turn or taste of my antiquarian mind. On returning home, as I knew I had all the writers of those centuries, I began immediately to collect them, that I might set to work on the arduous task as soon as possible.' Pointing to a table covered with papers, he said, 'There have I been busy those two months, searching for chapters, half chapters, and sentences of the New Testament, and have marked down what I found, and where I have found it, so that any person may examine and see for himself. I have actually discovered the whole New Testament, except seven or eleven verses (I forget which), which satisfies me that I could discover them also. Now,' said he, 'here was a way in which God concealed, or hid, the treasures of his word, that Julian, the apostate emperor, and other enemies of Christ who wished to extirpate the Gospel from the world, never would have thought of; and though they had, they never could have effected their destruction.'"-Memoirs of Haldane.

THE DEAD SEA.

THE Dead Sea presents in many respects a very remarkable subject for contemplation, whether it be considered in a theological, philosophical, or geological point of view. Few places are to be found around which so many mysterious associations have clustered. These have been owing in a great measure to its inaccessible position. Notwithstanding the great curiosity which has been felt for at least more than two thousand years respecting this collection of waters; yet such have been the difficulties in the way of attempting to explore even its barren and desolate shores, that until within a very recent period it has appeared more like some dim and shadowy form of some fairy land than a positive material reality with a geographical position and limitations. But the perseverance of modern travellers, and especially the expedition of Lieut. Lynch, of the United States Navy, made in 1847, have not only dissipated a score of strange and fabulous stories respecting this sea of wonder, but have collected and presented to the world an amount of information respecting it and its tributaries, which must very materially subserve the cause of truth. The more is this to be regarded as an important benefit to the Christian world, from the fact, that aside from all geographical and geological advantages to the cause of literature, every such exploration of these waters necessarily tends to bring up before the public mind, and impress upon it a sense of the superintending providences of God over our world; for the

more the mind is brought to dwell upon those facts which stand out prominently upon the pages of the history of our race as monuments of the moral government of Jehovah over his creatures, the more will it be influenced to yield to him that homage of the heart which is so justly his due. And it is from this fact, that the lake Asphaltites and its thrilling associations furnish not only ample materials for the reflection of the curious and inquisitive, but also a subject of the most grave and dignified importance to the believer in revelation. In its contemplation a number of interesting and instructive thoughts are naturally suggested. It is undoubtedly one of the greatest and most astonishing existing, and we might say living, monuments of the displays of God's power against a wicked and rebellious people since the deluge, that is anywhere to be found upon our globe. Only think!

within the limits of this sea once stood in conscious strength and security the proud cities of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim. Yes! as strange as it may appear, here towers, and palaces, and temples, once stood in imposing grandeur. Here caravans, after toilsome and dangerous marches, deposited their eastern treasures. Here thousands luxuriated in wealth and fashion, and even king and nobles glittered in the regalia of royalty. Here, from public entertainments rose the voice of mirth and revelry; and the incessant hum of crowded cities murmured over the luxuriant plains of Seddim. And here councils of war were held, and daring chieftains marshalled their warlike hosts, and with heroic bravery led on their legions to the sanguinary contest for victory and dominion! But, alas! the scene is changed the actors are gone-the curtain has fallen-the drama is ended-at least so far as this world is concerned. The wickedness of these cities towered to the very heavens, until God at length provoked by their polluting presence rose, and in his righteous indignation blotted them out of being, and even buried their foundations deep beneath those briny waves, that not a trace of their former existence might ever be seen by succeeding generations. Thus they were cast down to rise no more for ever! But not so with their guilty inhabitants. Their deathless spirits live far beyond the reach of the elementary convulsions of our lower world. And even their charred remains, which have been submerged beneath those dreary waters for a period already of nearly four thousand years, shall at the sound of the last trump shake off the long sleep of ages, and start forth from their dark and cherless beds to meet the Judge of all the earth.

Natural History and Philosophy.

MUSCULAR ACTION: A SERIES OF

WONDERS.

THE sight of a steam-engine, of the interior of a watch, of a water-mill, of a threshing-machine, of a power-loom, or, indeed, of any other form of mechanism, when in working gear, and in actual operation, strikes the mind at first sight with admiration. Man stands, gazes, and is in raptures with the proof of human skill. Inattention, and the neglect of a habit of observation, can alone account for the fact, that motions more delicate and varied are perpetually occurring within the framework of animal structures, and yet pass off unnoticed, and yielding no source of intellectual pleasure to man, and no revenue of praise to him who has given us life and all things. Accustomed as we are to trace mechanism in sharp lines, in the configuration of hard materials, in the turning, moulding, chiselling, and filing into shape, of wood, stone, and metal, we overlook the mechanism of animal structures, because the instruments of motions in these consist principally of soft, flabby, and tender substances.

With great propriety has it often been observed, that a man, in lifting his hand to his head, may find enough to convince him of the existence of a God Familiar as this act is, and simple as it appears, many arrangements and a varied apparatus are necessary to its performance. There must be a long and hard bone to give the arm firmness and strength. As this bone is rigid and inflexible, it can only turn upon joints. Joints are provided, at the shoulder to raise the arm, at the elbow to bend it, and at the wrist and fingers to give any angle of flexure that may be required or serviceable. These joints are continually fed by a mucilaginous substance, making the parts easily slip upon each other, and far surpassing the provision whereby man makes his oil-can to drop the lubricating fluid where, else, friction would embarrass motion, and even destroy the mechanism. Then, that these joints may not be displaced, they are held together with strong membranous braces, which allow sufficient freedom of action, and yet guard with due precision against possible displacement. Muscles and their tendons next appear, drawing the bones in the direction for which the joints are adapted and designed. All this is mechanism,-not men

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chanism, but the mechanism of the Creator -and as far as its artificial arrangement and mechanical structure are concerned, is as intelligible as the disposition of any lever, pulley, or wheel, in ordinary machinery. But to put this apparatus into motion another provision is requisite-a provision with which mere machinery presents no analogy. There must be a means of communication with the brain of the animal. Nerves accomplish this result. Thread-like in their appearance, they may be traced to the brain. Let them be cut asunder, and the muscle to which they belong at once suffers paralysis. Beyond this, as a bare fact, we know nothing. Beside all this, we must take into account all that is necessary to the growth, nourishment, sustentation, and reparation of waste of the limb; its system of arterial and venous circulation; its lymphatics, its exhalents, and its absorbents; its secretions, its excretions, and its integuments. For all these contribute to the result, and serve to show, that simple as the act appears to be, to raise one's hand to one's head may well serve to raise man from thoughts of self to adoration of his blessed Creator. What has been said of nature generally by a living writer is applicable to this fact of muscular action:

"The face of Nature is inwrought With purest beauty and serenest thought; And the fair, visible, external sign, With a rich, deep, and heavenly meaning fraught, Making of earth a temple and a shrine, The written promise, only more divine."

Muscles, with their tendons, are the instruments by which animal motion is performed. In the human body 450 have been dissected and described by the anatomist. Muscular fibres are the basis of this elaborate apparatus for motion and action. Equally limited and simple is the fact, known to science, respecting the muscular fibre. Its length is contracted where the nerve in connection with it is stimulated. By this simple process every motion in the animal system is produced! Who is so great a God as our God? As the extremities of the muscular fibre approx. imate, the fibre becomes more dense and tenacious, in some cases becoming conspicuously wrinkled. All that can be said with a view to explain how this approximation and condensation occur, may be thrown into this scientific formula,-the attraction of cohesion in the fibre augments

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