His last words were, 66

pulpit to preach." 'Farewell, all relations and friends in Christ!-farewell, acquaintances and earthly enjoyments !-farewell, reading and preaching, praying and believing, wanderings, reproach, and sufferings !— Welcome, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! Into thy hands I commit my spirit!"

I

JAMES RENWICK.—In returning thanks after a slight meal, previous to his execution, he used these remarkable words: “O Lord, thou hast brought me within two hours of eternity; and this is no matter of terror to me more than if I were to lie down on a bed of roses; nay, through grace, to thy praise may say, I never had the fear of death since I came to this prison, but from the place where I was taken I could have gone very composedly to the scaffold. O! how can I contain this, to be within two hours of the crown of glory?" On hearing the drums beat for the guard to turn out, he exclaimed: "Yonder the welcome warning to my marriage: the Bridegroom is coming; I am ready!" Renwick, who suffered martyrdom at the early age of twenty-six, was the last victim of a long period of persecution that had continued in Scotland twenty-eight years.-Ibid.

HOLY SCRIPTURE.

His word is the lively water, (John iv. 10—14; Rev. xxii. 1,) whereby the heats of our lusts are quenched; the bread of life, (John vi. 35,) to feed our hungry souls; the pleasant wine, (Cantic. viii. 2,) to cheer and make us merry; the lantern, to guide our steps; (Psalm cxix. 105;) the sword, that overthroweth the enemies of the truth; (Eph. vi. 17;) the fiery shield, to defend us against our adversaries; (Nahum ii. 3 ;) the sure rock, whereupon to build; (Matt. xvi. 18;) the touchstone, to try our doctrines; (1 Cor. iii. 13;) and what spirits are of God; (1 John iv. 1;) the key, to open and shut heaven's gates; the sweet-tuned instrument, to pass away the tediousness of this our exile; the medicine for all diseases; the joy, the jewel, the only reliques of Christ departed hence; which, if we mind to know his will, as it becometh obedient children; if we do look to be heirs with him, as all men do

make a reckoning of; then must we seek, observe, and have always in reverence. For hence is the perfect knowledge of truth only to be had; and all other blessedness, in as ample wise as if that Christ were before our eyes, ready to pronounce and perform the things.-James Calfhill, D.D., Archdeacon of Colchester, Aa.d. 1565.

THE WAY TO CONQUER AN ENEMY.

AN ANECDOTE.

"THEREFORE if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”— Rom. xii. 20, 21.

A TRADESMAN in a town in America had had some disputes with a neighbouring tradesman, and the quarrel increased till it issued in violent enmity between them. One of them at length was brought under the influence of religion, and seeking the Lord with all his heart, obtained an interest in the mercy which pardons iniquity, transgression, and sin. He now became uneasy because of the existence of enmity between himself and his neighbour. They had not spoken to each other for some time: he therefore consulted his Minister as to the best mode of proceeding. The reply he received was, "Whenever a customer comes to your store, and you have not the article he wants, and you believe that your neighbour has it, send them to him for it." He took the advice thus given him, so that the other (to whom these customers thus sent to him often assigned as the reason of their coming that Mr. had told them to apply there) was so impressed with the conduct of his former foe, that he went one day to his store, proffered his hand, and the two, mutually interchanging forgiveness, thenceforward were warm friends.

Not only was their state in reference to eternity more safe, but were they not far happier? Anger is a most uneasy temper.

So American shops are often called. They frequently contain a variety of articles Many of these store-keepers are what we should call general

dealers.

NOTICES OF ANIMATED AND VEGETABLE

NATURE,

FOR OCTOBER, 1847.

BY MR. WILLIAM ROGERSON, of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich.

"WITH what a glory comes and goes the year!
The buds of Spring, those beautiful harbingers
Of sunny skies and cloudless times, enjoy
Life's newness, and earth's garniture spread out;
And when the silver habit of the clouds
Comes down upon the Autumn sun, and with
A sober gladness the old year takes up
His bright inheritance of golden fruits,

A pomp and pageant fills the splendid scene.
There is a beautiful spirit breathing now
Its mellow richness on the cluster'd trees,
And, from a beaker full of richest dyes,
Pouring new glory on the autumn woods,
And dipping in warm light the pillar'd clouds.
Morn, on the mountain, like a summer bird,
Lifts up her purple wing, and in the vales
The gentle wind, and sweet and passionate wooer,
Kisses the blushing leaf, and stirs up life
Within the solemn woods of ash deep-crimson'd,
And silver beech, and maple yellow-leaved.
From cottage roofs the red-breast sweetly sings;
And merrily, with oft-repeated strokes,
Sounds from the threshing-floor the busy flail.
"O what a glory doth this world put on,
For him who, with a fervent heart, goes forth
Under the bright and glorious sky, and looks
On duties well-perform'd and days well spent:
For him the wind, ay, and the yellow leaves,
Shall have a voice, and give him eloquent teachings:
He shall so hear the solemn hymn that death
Has lifted up for all, that he shall go

To his long resting-place without a tear.

The first half of the month.-SMALL birds now begin to congregrate the common linnet is the first to lead the way; and immediately after rearing its brood it unites with its fellows, and forms large associations: they are very cheerful, cleanly birds, and delight in assembling upon the head of some sunny tree, where they will dress and adjust their plumes with the greatest care, chattering with each other in the sunny beam by the hour together, in a low kind of symphony, in which all seem to unite this, heard at a little distance, forms a very pleasing concert, joyous and innocent. The prattle is not only observable when in company with others, but it is their constant custom thus to amuse themselves during any occasional bright warm morning in October.

How pleasant when the air is calm, and the sun (below the equator) diffuses mild rays over the autumn scene, to wander along the margin of some lake, where the lovely forget-me-not continues to unfold its latest cerulean tinges to the admiring eye!

"And lo! there dives the hungry coot!

I know him by his sable suit,

Streak'd with his pinion's border white,
And o'er his bill the frontlet bright.
Again he dives: you well might know,
There's store of finny prey below:
Even heard you not the frequent dash
Break the still lake with sudden splash,
What time emerging from the deep,
The fish with spring elastic leap,
Nor saw the rippling motion pass
In circles o'er the wavy glass.
The wavy glass is smooth again;
And mark, nor wrinkle now, nor stain
Disturbs the crystal mirror's face;
Where in illusive traits we trace,
Complete as limner's brush can show,
The sun-bright sky's cerulean glow."

Insects are at this time every day diminishing in numbers. The garden-spider, however, is now a conspicuous object.

"On coppice bower, and hedger spray,
That flaunting skirts the' amusive way,
The spider there her mazy line
Suspends,-how delicately fine!"

The larva of the glow-worm emits freely its brilliant spark each mild evening, while in quest of small snails, on which it feeds. This discovery I made at Pocklington, in Yorkshire, in the year 1811, at the time the famous comet used to gild the nocturnal hours.

The gardens are yet ornamented with the flowers of stocks, nasturtium, holly-hocks, &c.: St. John's wort, periwinkle, some species of scabious, and the China-rose, are in flower: minionette and wall-flowers continue to give the fragrance to the autumnal breeze. Several common field-plants are in bloom; such as shepherd's-purse, polypody, rock hound's-tongue, wall-rue, yarrow, branched broomrape, &c.

The last half of the month." The season, so apparent in the changing leaves, has now produced a decided effect on the tribes of earth and air. No longer is the bat to be seen, as evening draws over all her dusky veil, in chase of his prey, wheeling on flickering wings, and uttering his shrill and exulting cry. The mole has ceased to throw up mounds of earth, dotting the level meads with mimic hills: he is working further from the surface. The hedgehog is preparing his winter dwelling-place among the roots of some old tree, or at the bottom of the tangled thicket. The little dormouse has retired to his snug retreat: the squirrel is hoarding up his store of winter food. The few predatory animals which now inhabit our island become bolder, as the means of subsistence diminishes. The fox prowls at night around the barns of the farmer; and the weasel, the stoat, and the pole-cat, enter the hen-roost, intent on their feathered victims. The frog has left the

sedgy margin of the pond, to bury himself deep beneath the mud. The noonday sun ceases to invite the snake to bask in its beams; the little reptile has hid himself in some secure place, till spring shall arouse him to renewed activity. The flies that have buzzed about our rooms and in the windows have almost all disappeared, and the few that yet linger about are dull and torpid.

"If we look among the feathered race, we miss many of our favourites. All our summer birds of passage have left us for a warmer climate. The swift and the nightingale led the way; the blackcap and redstart, the white-throat and the wheatear followed. The swallows, as if loath to depart, continued long to gather, night after night, in flocks of countless thousands, to roost among the sedges of the swamp, wheeling, chattering, and settling, ere they sank to sleep. At last they fixed their time; morning rose, no swallows were visible, or only a few stragglers; night came, but the reed-beds were deserted: they had commenced their flight to other climes.

"The place of our summer visiters begins, however, to be occupied by a race of hardy natives of the north. Driven from the morasses and frozen lakes of the polar circle, they wing their way to more temperate latitudes. They come hither, not for the purpose of incubation, nor to build their nests and rear their broods with us, but for the sake of food, which our inlets, marshes, and lakes, and also our hedgerows and copses, supply in abundance. Wild ducks, of various species, are now thronging towards our shores; and the snipe is scattered over our boggy meadows and waste lands.

"But though our island is subject to so great a flux and reflux of the feathered tribes, still there are many species which are stationary with us throughout the year. Flocks of rooks, intermingled with starlings, blacken the fallows in search of the buried caterpillars of wing-sheathed insects. Troops of sparrows collect round the barns, and the clear song of the robin is heard at our window.

"Our winter visiters are of three kinds. Some are berry-feeders, such are the wax-wing, red-wing, and the field-fare. Others live on aquatic caterpillars and worms, which they grope for in the slimy mud, by means of their long and slender beaks constituted as feelers; and to these they add aquatic plants, and soft fresh-water snails. Such birds are the snipe and the curlew. Others are true aquatic birds, some of which feed on fishes, and soft-bodied creatures, called mollusks, aquatic plants, the produce of lakes, marshes, and inlets of the sea; and others on grain, young corn, and grasses. Such are the duck tribe."-Sights in Autumn.

In our gardens a few flowers of the china-aster still remain; the stately dahlia still attracts attention, and the Michaelmas-daisy is conspicuous. The chrysanthemum of various hues is beginning to exhibit its interesting flowers, and the little saffron or autumnal crocus puts forth its blue bloom and fragrant orange stigmas. It is not unusual at this time to see here and there a polyanthus, which had blossomed in spring, unfolding second flowers. In the fields