the days of my pilgrimage shortening without a wish to add to their number. But O may I be stirred up to a further discharge of my high and awful work; and laying aside, as much as may be, all carnal cares and studies, may I give myself to this one thing!" 6 While in Persia he visited the ruins of Persepolis, and indulged those salutary reflections which impress the heart with the littleness of life and the nearness of eternity. He observes: "It was impossible not to recollect that here Alexander and his Greeks passed and repassed-here they sat, and sung, and revelled; now all is silence-generation on generation lie mingled with the dust of their mouldering edifices." In his return, being near the river Araxes, he says,"I went and sat down on the margin, near the bridge, where the water, falling over some fragments of the bridge under the arches, produced a roar, which, contrasted with the stillness all around, had a grand effect. Here I thought again of the multitudes who had once pursued their labours and pleasures on its banks. Twenty-one centuries have passed away since they lived; how short, in comparison, must be the remainder of my days! What a momentary duration is the life of man! Labitur et labetur in omne volubilis ævum,* may be affirmed of the river; but men pass away as soon as they begin to exist. Well, let the moments pass, 'They'll waft us sooner o'er This life's tempestuous sea, Having completed his translation of the New Testament into the Persian language, he visited the king in May, 1812, in order to present a copy to him. Upon * It glides on, and wave after wave will glide on forever. his coming into the presence of the king, two Moolahs attacked him with their arguments against the Law and the Gospel. The controversy was continued for an hour or two, when the vizier, joining in, said to Mr. Martyn, "You had better say, God is God, and Mohammed is the prophet of God." He replied, "God is God;" but added, "and Jesus is the Son of God." They no sooner heard this than they all exclaimed, in anger and contempt, "He is neither born nor begets;" and rose up as if they would have torn him in pieces. One of them said, "What will you say when your tongue is burnt out for blasphemy?” They treated his book with contempt, and he went back to his tent. His work in Persia being now completed, he designed to visit England, and, through great hardships, pursued his journey. The last words he penned in his journal show the desires of his soul:— 66 Oct. 6.-No horses being to be had, I had an unexpected repose. I sat in the orchard, and thought, with sweet comfort and peace, of my God; in solitude-my company, my friend, and comforter. O when shall time give place to eternity! When shall appear that new heaven and new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness! There there shall in no wise enter in anything that defileth: none of that wickedness that has made men worse than wild beasts-none of those corruptions that add still more to the miseries of mortality, shall be seen or heard of any more." Ten days after he breathed forth these aspirations, he entered the joy of his Lord. He died at Tocat, Oct. 16, 1812, in his thirty-second year. 12. REV. THOMAS SCOTT. "When I tread the verge of Jordan, Bid my anxious fears subside!" THE closing scenes in the life of this deeply pious, learned, and well-known commentator, are full of interest and instruction. His life was protracted for seventy-five years, and his active ministry nearly fifty. As this good man drew near the close of life, he was greatly distressed at the temporary withdrawal of the light of the Divine countenance. His biographer, an eye and ear witness, says:— "In the time of his darkness and gloom, he prayed without ceasing, and with inexpressible fervour. He seemed unconscious of any one being near him, and gave vent to the feelings of his mind without restraint. And O! what holy feelings were they; what spirituality, what hatred of sin, what humility, what simple faith in Christ, what zeal for God's glory, what submission!. Never could I hear him, without being reminded of Him, who 'being in an agony prayed the more earnestly,' and whose language was, 'My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?' 'I think nothing,' he said, 'of my bodily pains-my soul is all. I trust all will end wellbut it is a dreadful conflict. I hope-I fear-I tremble -I pray. Satan tries to be revenged on me, in this awful hour, for all that I have done against his kingdom through life. He longs to pluck me out of Christ's hand. Subdue the enemy, O Lord! Silence the accuser! Bruise Satan under my feet shortly! "Hide me, O my Saviour, hide, Safe into the haven guide, O, to enter eternity with one doubt on the mind! Eternity Eternity-Eternity! People talk of assurance not being attainable in this world, nor perhaps much to be desired. They and the devil agree on this point. O what a thing sin is! Who knoweth the power of his wrath? If this be the way to heaven, what must the way to hell be? "If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?"? "In the midst of his conflict he generally expressed hope of final victory, but thought he should die under a cloud. He accused himself of self-indulgence and slackness in prayer; of having made his religious labours an excuse for shortness in private devotion. "His first clear consolation was after receiving the Lord's supper, on Thursday, March 22, 1821. He had previously observed: An undue stress is by some laid upon this ordinance, as administered to the sick, and I think others of us are in danger of undervaluing it.' Shortly after the service was concluded, he said, 'Now .Lord, lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation.' Through the remainder of the day, though much exhausted, and during the night, he continued in a very happy state of mind. To his son-in-law, who came in the evening, he said: 'I feel a composure which I did not expect last night; I have not triumphant assurance, but something which is more calm and satisfactory. I bless God for it.' And then he repeated, in the most emphatic manner, the whole of the twelfth chapter of Isaiah: ""O Lord, I will praise thee; though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortest me," &c. O to realize the fulness of joy! to have done with temptation! "They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat; for the Lamb, which is in the midst of the throne, shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. They are come out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God." 'Sin, my worst enemy before, Shall vex my eyes and ears no more; My inward foes shall all be slain, "We know not what we shall be; but we know, that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." He frequently repeated, perfect peace! "In the night he had some refreshing sleep, and awoke in great calmness. This,' he said, 'is heaven begun; I have done with darkness forever-forever. Satan is vanquished. Nothing now remains, but salvation with eternal glory-eternal glory.' On Tuesday morning, March 27th, he appeared dying, and suffered exquisitely. 'O,' he said, 'it is hard work. Death is a new acquaintance; a terrible one, except as Christ giveth us the victory, and the assurance of it. My flesh and my heart seem as if they wanted to fail, and could not. Who can tell what that tie is which binds body and soul together? How easily is it loosened in some, what a wrench and tear is it in others! Lord, loosen it if it be thy will-I hope it is not wrong. to pray for a release. If it be, God forgive me! Yet if it be thy will that I should wait for days and weeks, Thou art righteous!' "Through the whole of Tuesday afternoon he was calm, and talked delightfully. He seemed to unite the cheerfulness, clearness of thought, and force of argument of his former days, with the extraordinary tenderness, humility, meekness, and love, of his present situation. On his second son's entering the room, he said to him, |