applies also to the writings of Bishop White, and it may be added, there are many traces of resemblance in the character of the minds, in the opinions, and in the style, of these two Bishops. I come now to speak of his knowledge. To physical science he had given little attention, the bias of his mind, the claims of his profession, his deliberate judgment, and perhaps the undue preference given to it, in our age and country, rendered him the almost exclusive student and the zealous advocate of intellectual and moral sciences, and hence his steady opposition to the views of some good men (among them, friends whom he could not but respect,) in disparagement of classical literature. ly so, By nature he was not without pride, (who is?) but Christianity moulded it in a good degree, into that self-respect, which helped him to resist temptation, and was a source of consolation, energy, dignity, and usefulness. While the evil qualities of his nature were, in a measure, corrected and controlled, and the good qualities also corrected and controlled, (for they need it too, since nothing in man is pure and holy,) and these good qualities directed and improved by the word and spirit of God-while the heart was made clean, not perfectly so, but in a degree, as we humbly believe; there was renewed within him, as we also humbly believe, a right spirit —we mean the spirit of true piety, true benevolence, true self-love, the love of God the His knowledge of Latin and Greek was Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, the far above mediocrity, and of literature in love of mankind, and the love and care for general, respectable. With civil history, so his own soul: to be more particular, we far as it has connection with Ecclesiastical, mean that he had the right spirit of humility, he was particularly conversant, and thorough- or a sense of his sinfulness and liability to with English Theology, Ecclesiastical the wrath of God, of his need of forgivehistory, the history of the Church of Greatness from God, and of strength from the Britain,—of its rise, conflicts, and existing same Divine source, to enable him to feel and condition, of its doctrine, its ritual, its mar- to do as the law of God requires, a deep tyrs, confessors, prelates, and other leading sense of gratitude to the Divine Father, Remen, lay or clerical; and with inspired his- deemer, and Sanctifier,-a deep sense of comtory, its biography, truths, precepts, and de- passion for his fellow-men involved in a comvotions, that is, with the Bible, as to its divine mon condemnation, and in danger of the authority, its contents, and its true sense. "second death,"-and a deep sense of the By nature, he had ardency; but this quality, comparative insignificance of those things though it added to his usefulness, would have which are seen and temporal, and the sudetracted from it, and been injurious to him- preme importance of those which are not self, had it not been guided and controlled seen, but eternal,—of the value of the soul,— by Christian principle and divine grace. It of the obligation, and of the wisdom, as we made him a generous friend, but it would would escape endless misery and gain happihave also made him a bitter enemy. It was ness ineffable and everlasting, of setting our Christianity which enabled him to be forgiv-affections on things above, and seeking first ing. There were occasions which put to a the kingdom of God and his righteousness. severe test this Christian grace in his heart. Do you ask for proof of these assertions,— By nature he had tenderness, but this amia- for the evidences of this right spirit,-of these ble quality may be injurious, and it cannot humble, pious, benevolent, holy, earthly moproduce its best effect, unless regulated by derated, and heavenly minded dispositions? Christian firmness, that is, indulged or re- God alone seeth the heart. Man must form sisted, according to circumstances, from Gos- his opinion, (he has no other way of doing pel motives; and so regulated it was in his so,) from the outward appearance. We take case, for he steadily preferred the true wel-you then to his chamber, study, family parfare of his relatives and friends to their wishes, lor, the Minister's seat, the desk, the chancel: and their spiritual and eternal happiness to we behold him on his knees-we listen to his that which is present and but for a moment.words-we sympathise with his tones—and one, they are to be understood not only as speaking comparatively, and with the Scriptural qualifications, but in.reference to that test-that rule laid down by our Lord, "By their fruits ye shall know them." In respect to the instance before us, there is but one al we ask you, Does not this man "walk humbly with his God?" Was he true and just in all his dealings,-did he "love mercy,"was he "temperate in all things?" Ask the thousands with whom he associated-the two large communities in which he has resided, Did he not live godly, righteously, and sober-ternative. If there was not great virtue, (and ly? Did not the fruits of the Spirit appear so we feel assured there was,) there must in him and abound: "love, joy, peace, long have been the very reverse. suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, patience, meekness?" Let me not even seem to attribute perfection to any man. "In many things we offend all. If we say we have no sin, there is no truth in us. There is none righteous, (that is, strictly so,)—no, not one." But we speak comparatively, in that sense in which Holy Scripture says of one, he was a good man,-of another he was "a just man and an holy,"—of others they walked in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless,-they through "faith and patience have inherited the promises." It is true, Divine inspiration can speak with certainty, but when it seems to represent any mortal as sinless, it is to be understood as speaking comparatively, and to be qualified by its many declarations as to the mixed motives, the omissions, the transgression, the imperfections which belong to all men. When the uninspired assign moral excellence to any My brethren of the Clergy and Laity,— Under our sense of loss, personal, for the departed was our wise counsellor, faithful mon(itor, and true friend;-domestic, for he felt an interest in our children and households, and was ever ready to minister to them;—civil, for he was emphatically a good citizen, promoting the common weal by his example, influence, and services: and ecclesiastical, for he was a judicious, learned, zealous, affectionate, impartial, and active Bishop, whose counsels, and discipline, and labors, were blessed of God,—I say, under our sorrows for ourselves, and our children, and our country, and our Church, we have much consolation, in his life and character. Good has been done which cannot be undone. The memory of his example lives and will long live, to control, and guide, and animate. His lessons are inscribed on that soul which shall never die. ww THE EARLY PERSECUTIONS OF CHRISTIANS. FIRST CENTURY. PART I. (Continued.) T length arrived a day re-, scale, are presumed to have directed the ap- plication of the torch of the incendiary to sioning undeserved yet awful consequences to the Christians of that age. The emperor had found it expedient It was night; and however deep may have to lay to their charge an act which been the darkness, it was as nothing comfilled the queenly city with horror and pared with that of the dismal dispensation laid it waste in desolation. Vengeance was then brooding over the city. Never before wreaked upon the followers of our LORD as had the rage of fire been as great within the much because of a common hatred of their walls of Rome as in the conflagration which principles, as because the wicked ruler had then commenced. "The flame," says Tacitus, indicated a disposition to have them suffer." broke out in that part of the circus which Hundreds of thousands of them were sub- adjoins on one side to Mount Palatine, and, jected to the vilest tortures of cruelty, and on the other, to Mount Cælius. It caught a for years the crimson stream of persecution number of shops stored with combustible was fed with their blood. goods, and, gathering force from the winds, The tyrant, when boasting of his actions, spread with rapidity from one end of the cirused to say, that "None of his predecessors cus to the other." Thence it hurried in every knew their own power." And sometimes he direction with a force and manner not unlike would add,"He had rather be hated than the progress of our modern trains when proloved, because men loved him according to pelled upon their iron-shod roads at the hightheir own humors, but hated him according est speed the skill of the scientific conductor to his." It was in conformity with the spirit will allow. To the east, west, north, and thus indicated that when one in his presence south, and all the intermediate subdivisions said as a proverb, "When I am dead let the of the compass, the devouring element diworld be burnt," he replied, "Nay, let it be rected its energies and efforts; and from the while I am alive." Perhaps the purpose to neighborhood of the circus as a centre, went destroy the city then first entered his mind. It forth flames like so many rays from the sun may have been, however, that something like ere yet their influence and power are diminit had previously been in his thoughts, and ished by travelling from the mighty orb that the quoting of the proverb but encouraged whence they have been emitted. Neither or prompted him to do that to which he was the walls of the houses, the inclosures of the before inclined. The cruelty and self-will he temples, nor the massive buildings erected assiduously cultivated and pampered, com- for other uses, could stay the element in its bined with a desire to render his name illus-fearful forward rush for prey and victims. trious by rebuilding Rome on a magnificent The heavens were as an infinitely extended light burning flakes. It groaned under the burden of the anguish made so appallingly vocal and caught up and distributed as freely and with as little discrimination as the winds throw about the dust which, in their sportive moods as well as in their anger, they sweep together and hurl from the loose surface of the earth. Some there were who had infirm parents or other aged relatives, and some whose precious little ones were lying ill upon the couch of what they feared was impending death. The destroyer came upon them so swiftly that to save themselves these objects of their tender solicitude had to be abandoned to the mercy of the flames. The helpless ones saw the approach of the destroying agent without the abatement of anguish administered by the lake of fire: or rather, mirror-like, they re-as full of sounds of grief and fear as it was of flected the blazing desolation, and as far as the eye could reach wore the appearance of one continuous and yet diversified sheet of brilliant flame. The amazement and distress of the citizens were unutterable. In every direction they beheld ruin effected before they had time to devise means to check the vivid and lightning-like agent of the emperor's wickedness and folly. Even in remote streets where because of previous experience it was deemed improbable that the fire could reach, the flames were roaring in the very madness of fiendish delight before the inhabitants could resort to the usual methods of protection and escape. Persons and property were removed in succession, in many instances a number of times, to various places promising safety, to be at last swallowed up in some unexpected approach and attack of the voracious ele-slightest chance of relief. But, in most cases, ment. All over the city were cries of dis- they were not compelled long to endure the tress mingled with the confused noises of the horrors of unmitigated anticipation. The raging flame, the falling of stones and timber, element was too savagely rapid to allow of the tramp of frightened beasts and equally suspense and though of necessity it occafrightened men. Conspicuous among the sioned tortures which few other agents can sounds were to be heard the screams of wo-bring on the mortal frame when animated by men whose husbands or children were miss-the spirit of life, it applied its power so resoing in the crowd, or supposed to be enveloped (lutely that soon the cringing form had yielded in the fire. Such piercing expressions of up its tenant, and either in ashes or in a blackagony compelled a momentary attention even ened shapeless mass surrendered every mark amid the general confusion, horror, and dis-or characteristic by which it could be distinmay. But the attention could not be more guished and known. than momentary: for every man had his own There were instances where death had anabsorbing losses: almost every man was op- ticipated the very beginning of the conflapressed with the apprehension that, besides (gration; and sorrowing friends were collected his property, he was losing some precious around the loved and venerated remains, derelatives beneath the unconscious tread of the liberating as to the form and manner of the bewildered crowd, or in the edifices which last sad rites. The cries of consternation and together constituted so imposing and brilliant the shrieks of horror with which now the and yet so terrible a sacrifice. Little chil-streets were filled, turned their thoughts from dren who could not at other times, on the the dead to the living, and from the sepulcommon high ways, manifest a sense of any ture of their relative to the preservation of cause of sorrow without exciting sympathe-themselves. They rushed from the aparttic emotions and witnessing the kindest efforts for their relief, were now rushed by in utter disregard of their piteous laments and accompanying tokens of absorbing bereavement. If they escaped being thrown down and trampled under feet as so much mere clay, they had a better fate than many of maturer years and more rugged frames. The air was ments in which they were gathered, some of them to find safety beyond the city, and some to run into greater danger and more sure destruction. Occasionally, perhaps, under the influence of an almost stupifying grief, or, better still, impelled by an imperishable affection for the dead, they endeavored in their flight to bear the corpse with them. The burden was too much for such an occasion. They who bore it shared its fate. They mingled their own ashes with those of the body which in even such an hour they strove to preserve. burning heaps, as is often done by brutes, in the very infatuation of fear; or acting as persons have been known to do when threatened with shipwreck, threw themselves into the sea of flame which, as they judged from what they deemed unmistakable evidences, was about to engulph them. Language cannot describe the sufferings endured by the citizens of Rome from such bereavements and apprehensions as have here been alluded to rather than described. What then will be thought of the terrible reality when in addition we endeavor to convey a limited idea of the other items or ingredients which were mingled in their cup of anguish? For six days and seven nights they who survived the calamity had to behold the progress of ruin and death. They saw the fire communicated to houses without number, along entire streets dear to them because of many precious associations. The residences of the poor were united with those of the middle classes, in condition and doom. They looked on as the flame ran from street to street like the spirited courser in the race, or like a large accumulation of water when it breaks through the dam by which it long has been pent up and confined. They noted how the edifices melted away when it touched them as if they had been smitten with the wand of some malicious magician: and selfish as they were by nature, and doubly selfish as they were in their regrets and reflections at that particular time, there was little that a part of them would not have sacrificed if they could have arrested and restrained the furious element within the quarter in which it then was rev Every where there were fugitives, but every where they were encompassed with danger and filled with dismay. The flames were as much before as behind them, and in multitudes of instances efforts to escape but hastened the death all were anxious to avoid. As the fire began to rage in the lower parts of the city, they who were first impressed with the extraordinary extent to which it seemed disposed to stretch its devastations, ran to the higher parts. But all in vain. The rapidity of its motions was as great as theirs and though it assumed to do so much and such terrible things by the way, it was in the higher districts of the city nearly, and in some cases quite as soon as they. The alternative was to die under its violence there, or quit the city in the fleetest haste. Thousands chose to abandon the seat of imperial vice, cruelty, and destruction: but there was time to take nothing with them. They left the gates to wander, and perhaps die of hunger, exhaustion, or the diseases incident to exposure on fields and plains and hill-sides, away from friends and sympathy, and in sufferings, because prolonged, greater than those who more directly became the food of flames. How like the condition of Egypt on the day when in every family there was one dead! Rome was convulsed with one agonizing throe composed of millions of items of the intensest mental suffering. Her inhabitants bewailed the destruction of their fairelling. But their wishes were vain: their and proud and powerful city. They mourned fears were only as so many melancholy proover the loss of public property and private phecies of the ravages yet to be seen and sufwealth but they lamented with a deeper and fered. The destroyer claimed the most costinconsolable grief the desolation of their ly aliment: the fire would feed upon the hearts. Many Rachels wept for their chil-dwellings of the rich as well as those of the dren and "would not be comforted, because they were not." So great was the sorrow and consternation during the days and nights of the prolonged conflagration, that some in despair sat down giving themselves up for lost, and waiting only for the flames to reach them and finish their pains. Some absolutely ran into the poor. It was no protection to property that it had been procured and adorned by wealth brought by valor and effort from distant countries. The flames were not in the least deyed at doors overlaid with a profusion of ornaments that served mainly to indicate how extravagant was the luxury within. It was no argument to stay their progress that the |