66 tisfy the demands of the violated laws of heaven; to open a way for God's mercies, as a Father, to move in full harmony and consistency with his unchangeable and unbending righteousness, as the ruling sovereign of all worlds. Such is the nature of Christ's atonement; that wondrous act which" angels desire to look into;" whose magic operation made "war to cease between all rival interests, and conflicting claims; by which "mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other;" so that God might be just, and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus." But "the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil;" and conquer sin upon the field of the human heart. He came to reconcile man to God. It were in vain for us that an atonement had been made for sin, if we continue its wretched victims, and wilful slaves. No delusion can be greater than that, too common, I fear, amongst us, of rejoicing n, without availing ourselves of the privileges of the gospel. With how many is belief in Christ practically considered not merely as the means of our salvation, but as the end? Making no progress, finding no rest, conquering no lusts, floundering in the miry clay, and almost boasting that they are sinners, they still cleave to this weary world, and remain, in heart and mind, here below. It is true they see a door which leads from this desert waste to green pastures, to living waters, to pure, and pleasant, and celestial scenes. They believe that it is a door; and in this belief they glory. But by this way, or through the door, they never think of entering. Strange infatuation! which substitutes airy notions for divine realities; which prefers a title to blessings to the very blessings themselves; an interest, as it is termed, in a Saviour, to the salvation which he died to purchase. Wondrous delusion! the crown of whose rejoicing is this, that Christ came down to deliver us from a hell of our own imagining, while, of free will and choice, we linger upon the shores of that far country, whose deep interior is the true hell of hells; and refuse to set foot aboard the ark which waits to bear us to the promised land. The fact is, that Christianity is a real thing, a present life, and a substantial blessing. The plants for which a Saviour has purchased the fields of paradise above he prepares for transplantation, in the nursing vineyard of his church below. They are his husbandry, the travail of his soul, the joy that was set before him, when he endured the cross. For the nourishment of these precious plants, and for their growth in grace, the dews from heaven descend, and the uncreated sun shoots forth his warm, invigorating beams. In a word, all things work together for their good. The whole machinery of this world was constructed and contrived, for the alone purpose of fitting these plants of God's own planting, for the celestial soil into which they are to be at last removed.—The Shunammite, by Woodward. THE CRUSADES.-No. V. THE SEVENTH CRUSADE. DURING the sixth crusade, the emperor Frederick 11. of Germany had vowed to carry his forces into the Holy Land, to aid the crusaders. Frederick, however, was too well aware that advantages would be taken of his absence to extend the papal usurpations in Italy, and he continued to amuse the pontiff by acquiescence. When the enterprise failed, therefore, Honorius attributed the calamity to Frederick's delay, and he summoned him to perform his vows. At the same time, also, the pontiff effected a marriage between the emperor and Iolante, daughter of John of Brienne, titular king of Jerusalem. But it was in vain; Frederick represented that, before he entered upon the enterprise, it was necessary to put an end to the internal troubles of his own country, and a delay was granted him for the purpose; notwithstanding, the pope severely censured him for thus lightly abandoning his matrimonial crown to the infidels. The year 1227 was fixed for Frederick's enterprise, and he now proceeded towards Jerusalem. He took up arms against the Moslems, and left his empire to the protection of the pontiff. At this juncture, however, Honorius died, and Frederick availed himself of the event to forego the enterprise. But ambition was the motto of the Vatican, whence the policy of one pontiff was that of his successor. Honorius was succeeded by Gregory Ix., who was eightyfive years of age, and he urged Frederick again to take up arms against the infidel. The emperor received the cross a second time from his hands, and he again spread his sails towards Palestine; but pestilential diseases raged among the crusaders, and his fleet proceeded only to the coast of the Morea. The enraged pontiff now excommunicated the emperor, and laid his dominions under an interdict, the effects of which are well expressed by the poet : Realms quake by turns: proud arbitress of grace The church, by mandate shadowing forth the power She arrogates o'er heaven's eternal door, The sentence of excommunication which Gregory pronounced on Frederick was repeated in a council held at Rome, in which the pontiff, by a strange figure of speech, represented Jerusalem as speaking thus to Christendom: "O you who pass in the way, look and see if ever there was a grief like mine. Come then, all you who love me, to deliver me from the excess of my miseries. Once I was revered by all nations, but I am now subject to the tribute. Once I was full of inhabitants, but I am now desolate. The roads of Sion are in mourning, because nobody comes to my solemnities. My enemies have crushed my head; all the holy places are profaned. The holy sepulchre, once so glorious, is now surrounded with obloquy: they worship the son of perdition and hell, where a little while ago they bowed the knee before the Son of God. The children of the stranger load me with outrage, and, exhibiting the cross of Jesus, they say to us, Thou hast put all thy confidence in vile wood. We will see if this wood will save thee in the day of danger.' Notwithstanding the sentence of excommunication, Frederick proceeded, of his own free will, to the crusade. But it was too late to gain the sanction of the proud pontiff. Gregory excommunicated him afresh, for daring to sail before he had received absolution. He did more than this. He exerted himself to defeat the objects of the crusade, urged his soldiers to betray him, and instigated the patriarch of Jerusalem to pronounce an interdict against every place occupied by Frederick. In order to appease the wrath of Gregory, the emperor consented that orders should not be issued in his own name. This concession had no effect. Gregory sent hosts of Dominican monks to preach a crusade against him, and caused his hereditary estate to be occupied and laid waste by his own soldiers, and those of John of Brienne, his father-in-law! But Frederick was animated by an heroic spirit, and he despised these persecutions. He concluded a ten years' truce with the sultan Melek Kamel, in which he acquired for himself Jerusalem, the holy places, all the country between Joppa, Bethlehem, Nazareth, and Acre, and the important seaports of Tyre and Sidon. Frederick repaired to Jerusalem to be crowned, but the patriarch would not discharge his office. The very places of worship were closed, and no religious duties were performed during the time he remained at Jerusalem. Still Frederick was not daunted; he boldly entered into the chapel of the holy sepulchre, and taking the crown from the altar, placed it upon his own head. After this ceremony, he issued orders for rebuilding the fortifications of his eastern capital, and then returned to Europe. Though under the ban of the pontiff, Frederick effected more for the Christians of Palestine than any of the former crusaders : THE EIGHTH CRUSADE. Spirits of the warrior dead, Whose giant force Britannia's armies led! Whose bickering falchions, foremost in the fight, Still poured confusion on the Soldan's might; Lords of the biting axe, and beamy spear, Wide conquering Edward, Lion Richard, hear! At Albion's call, your crested pride assume, And burst the marble slumber of the tomb! Your sons behold, in arms, in arts the same, Still press the footsteps of parental fame, To Salem still their generous aid supply, And pluck the palm of Syrian chivalry.-HEBER. of war, The peace agreed upon between Frederick and the Moslem rulers was not held sacred by the latter. Hence, in a council held under the auspices of the pope at Spoleto, it was decreed that fresh levies should march into Asia as soon as the truce expired. Accordingly, in the year 1239, an army from France landed in Syria, in all the pride and pomp again to measure lances with the Saracens. But it was to no purpose. The nephew of Saladin, on hearing of their warlike proceedings, drove the Christians out of Palestine, and demolished the tower of David, which hitherto had been held sacred by both the eastern and western warriors. The combats which followed, also terminated to the advantage of the Saracens, so that the French were obliged to sue for peace. The templars entered into a treaty with the emir of Karac, while the hospitallers made an alliance with the sultan of Egypt. In the mean time, the English nobility, inflamed with warlike zeal, had taken the cross. They landed in Syria, in the following year, under the command of Richard, earl of Cornwall, and were surprised to find that the conquests of the former crusaders were once more reduced to a few fortresses. The earl marched to Jaffa, in order to concentrate his forces, but the sultan of Egypt, who was now at war with his brother of Damascus, sought terms of peace, which he willingly granted, upon receiving Jerusalem, Beritus, Nazareth, Bethlehem, Mount Tabor, and a large portion of the Holy Land. Palestine again belonged to the Christians. The walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt, its churches reconsecrated, and the usual rites of religion administered in the Holy City for two years. At the end of that time, however, a more formidable enemy than even the Saracens appeared on the fields of Palestine, which led to the ninth crusade. LAMBS AT PLAY. If there be a scene in nature that sets forth, in a more striking manner than another, that jubilee of joy which reigns in the animated world, when the winter is passed, and spring and sunshine walk abroad, it is the scene of lambs at play; simple, pure, and joyous, it acts as a cordial to the heart of the spectator. This scene I have just been gazing on. In a retired green field, half a dozen frisky lambs were racing to and fro round a high heap of earth, which had been piled up at no great distance from the hedge. The poor silly creatures were content to be happy, without thinking what simpletons they were making of themselves, and how they were being laughed at for their pains. They seemed to have nothing else to do in the world but to enjoy themselves. Not understanding their game, their running, frisking, leaping, stopping, and starting, appeared to me to be without an object. Now they clambered up the heap of earth, cutting a caper with their uncouth, thick, hind legs at the top of it, and then stopped and looked round as though they had done something uncommonly clever; and now they leaped down from the summit, and began to race after one another without the slightest regard to propriety and decorum. As I stood laughing to myself at their simple faces, their strange antics and fitful sports, a comfortable, staid, matronlylooking old sheep, who had for some time been a witness of their gambols, walked up with rather a stately air, saying to them, as plainly as the looks of a sheep, and a low baa, could speak, "You silly young creatures, why cannot you be quiet and conduct yourselves like well-behaved lambs? You do not see me forget myself, and race and romp about as you do, just as though nobody belonged to you! And you young blockheads," turning her head to the end of the heap of earth where two of the wildest among them for the moment were standing, "I should have thought that you would have known better." The only answer given to the old sheep was, that four of the lambs leaped up in the air, then began playfully to push one another with their heads, and at last set off all of a scamper down the field, as much as to say, "We really are so happy in our hearts, legs, heads, and tails, that we cannot help it." As for the two young blockheads, who ought to have known better, they plunged down at once, neck or nothing, from the heap of earth, and running, one on each side, under the belly of the old sheep, began to supply themselves with her milk, knocking her with their heads, and wriggling their tails, the very picture of delight. As I looked at them, it really would have been a difficult matter to decide which was the most happy, the staid, matronly old sheep, her light-hearted young ones, or the observer of their enjoyments. These scenes of joy in God's lower Both young men and maidens, Let them praise the name of the Lord, LABOURS OF AUTUMN. Hop Grounds. AUTUMN, according to one of our poets, is the Season of mirth and mellow fruitfulness, To bend with apples the moss'd cottage trees, cells. The season now referred to is one of great activity among those whose subsistence depends on rural toil. Waked by the gleamings of the morn, Around them falls in rows the severed corn, But when high noon invites to short repast The time of hop gathering is also a season of great interest and activity; it is known by the plants giving a strong scent, and the seeds becoming firm and of a brown colour. Men, women, and boys are employed at the same time. The greatest part of the hops, cultivated in England, is picked by people who come from Wales for this purpose every year. Various, indeed, are the fruits of the earth; the garden, the orchard, the field, yield richly their produce; would that He whose sun sheds far and wide its influence, and whose rains fall so richly and freely, received the tribute that is due to His name! THE CRUSADES.-No. VI. THE NINTH CRUSADE. Mourn! Salem, mourn! low lies thine humbled Thy glittering fanes are levell'd with the ground! Ar this period, 1244, the Moguls had left the pasturages of Tartary to overrun and spoil the natives of the west. They had invaded Muscovy and Poland, and had even penetrated into the dominions of the emperor Frederick. The Khorasmians were driven before them, from the east of the Caspian, as the Goths from the Huns in former days, and they flung themselves upon Syria. These were the foes that now appeared on the fields of Palestine; and so formidable were they, that the Saracens and Christians forewent their strife, and leagued against them; the cross and the crescent fought, for the first time, in alliance! They were unfortunate. The Khorasmians defeated them on the plains of Gaza, and the destruction of almost all the knights templars and hospitallers, with the massacre of all the Christians of Jerusalem, followed the victory. At the season of Christmas, it was the custom of great lords to distribute new dresses to their followers. Louis prepared a great number of such dresses, and, inviting his courtiers to attend mass with him before daybreak, they were distributed to them. When the day broke, each person was surprised to discover that the badge of the cross was attached to his mantle. Shame prevented them from tearing the sacred symbol off, and they were thus tricked into their warlike pilgrimage. It was in the year 1248 that the armies of Louis set forward on their enterprise. They wintered at Cyprus, and the next year, instead of disembarking in Palestine, Louis formed the project of attacking Egypt. This was a fatal step; for, after defeating the Saracens at Damietta and Manseurah, the Moslems, and a pestilence, cut off the flower of their hosts; and, soon after, those which remained, together with their chief, were made prisoners. Every Christian under the rank of knighthood had to choose between apostasy and death. He Notwithstanding, the sultan did not abuse his victory. He accepted a sum Christendom stood aghast at the tid- equivalent to 400,000 livres for the deings. Innocent Iv., however, suggested liverance of the army, and the town of another crusade, and summoned his Damietta as a ransom for the monarch. "faithful children" to take arms. He After this, Louis sailed for Palestine, wrote to Henry II., king of England, where he sojourned four years, endeainciting him to war with the Khoras-vouring to effect by policy that which he mians; but Henry would not listen to had failed to accomplish by arms. the summons, and but few of the English fortified Acre, Sidon, Jaffa, and other joined in the enterprize. towns held by the Latins, negotiated with the Arabs, and endeavoured to reconcile the differences betwixt the chiefs of Syria. At length, in 1254, having heard of the death of Queen Blanche, his mother, he returned home, bearing with him some pretended relics, which he purchased from the emperor of Constantinople.* He entered France in the deepest mood of melancholy. He turned a deaf ear to consolation, and It was not so, however, with France. At this time, Louis Ix. fell seriously ill at Pontoise, and was reduced to the last extremity. Some of his attendants, indeed, deemed him already dead; but he recovered, and his first words were a vow to take the cross, and lead a crusade against the infidels; a vow he would not forego even for the pontiff himself, who, bent on his own selfish schemes and the aggrandisement of the church, now sought to draw him into his party against the emperor of Germany. Louis induced a great number of his turbulent barons to accompany him, and, among the rest, Peter of Brittany, the count of Toulouse, and Thibaud count of Champagne. Many of these, however, did not join his ranks.willingly. The devotional and chivalresque zeal which had furnished so many thousands to the earlier crusades had vanished, and Louis had recourse to artifice to enlist his followers. *These relics were: 1. The Saviour's crown of thorns; 2. Part of the true cross; 3. A cross called the cross of triumph; 4. Some of the Saviour's blood; 5. The chain with which he was bound; 6. The clothes he wore in infancy; 7. Some blood that flowed from a miraculous image when struck by an infidel; 8. The holy table cloth; 9. A piece of the holy sepulchre; 10. Part of the head of the lance by which the Redeemer was pierced; 11. Some of the Virgin's milk; 12. The reed given to Christ as a mock sceptre; 13. Part of the purple robe; 14. Part of the sponge dipped in vinegar; 15. His grave clothes; 16. The towel with which he wiped his disciples' feet; 17. The top of the head of St. John the Baptist; 18. The rod of Moses; 19. The skulls of St. Baise, St. Clement, and St. Simon. Such was the superstition of the age of the Crusades!! |