one arm remained, it was to be broken by several strokes in several places; and he lived in torture for nearly five days. When dead, his body was burned to ashes, and strewn before the winds of heaven.

PERILS OF FALSEHOOD.

WHEN once a concealment or deceit has been practised in matters where all should be fair and open as the dayconfidence can never be restored, any more than you can restore the white bloom to the grape or plum which you have once pressed in your hand. How true is this! and what a neglected truth by a great portion of mankind. Falsehood is not only one of the most humiliating vices, but sooner or later it is most certain to lead to the most serious crimes. With partners in trade-with partners in life with friends, with lovers, how important is confidence! How essential that all guile and hypocrisy should be guarded against in the intercourse between such parties. How much misery would be avoided in the history of many lives, had truth and sincerity been guiding and controlling motives, instead of prevarication and deceit. "Any vice," said a parent in our hearing, a few days since, "any vice, at least among the frailties of a milder character, but falsehood. Far better that my child should commit an error, or do a wrong, and confess it, than escape the penalty, however severe, by falschood and hypocrisy. Let me know the worst, and a remedy may possibly be applied. But keep me in the dark-let me be misled or deceived, and it is impossible to tell at what hour a crushing blow, an overwhelming exposure, may come."

READ YOUR BIBLE.

BETWEEN thirty and forty years ago, there was a lad who had a sister, and this sister was a missionary's wife. She was ready to leave England and go to Africa, and was on

her way to London. She passed through the town where her brother was at school. It was early in the morning, before the boys were up; but she was going to set sail, and she could not think of passing through without seeing her brother. She knocked at the door of the house, and awoke the servants. They called out, "Robert Noble!" Up he sat in his bed. His sister went to him and wished him good-bye, and gave him a kiss, and said, "Robert, read your Bible!" and again, as she parted from him, she said very earnestly, "Now, Robert, read your Bible!" She sailed for Africa; and in six months more she was in heaven, for God took her. But these words of hers, "Robert, read your Bible!" sunk into her brother's heart, like snow into the ground. He could not shake them out. And sometimes, when that wicked, wilful heart got the master of him, one of his school-fellows would say, "Noble, you've forgot what your sister said to you!" and he would be checked and stopped. Well, at last he did read the Bible; and the great change, the happy change was wrought in him also. And he is now, and has been for some time, a missionary, and a laborious and useful missionary too, in India; and is engaged in winning souls to Christ.-Juv. Ins.

RELIGIOUS DECISION.

How deep, and how just a reproach did the prophet cast on the tribes of Israel, when he addressed to the assembled multitudes on Mount Carmel, that memorable interrogation "How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him; but if Baal follow him." From this, it appears they were in a state of indecision, in reference to the most momentous question in the universe; not wholly satisfied that they were doing right in worshipping Baal, yet not sufficiently resolute to abandon his service. What a criminal, what a degrading, what a wretched state of mind! Not decided whom they would acknowledge to be their God! To whom they would pay Divine homage! But is this state of mind, my dear children, uncommon? By no means. Το

how many of the youth who attend our places of devotional resort, could we address, with propriety, the same question, "How long halt ye between two opinions?" How many are there who can go no farther than Agrippa, when he said to Paul, "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian." Almost! Only almost persuaded to be a Christian! What a melancholy thought!!

REV. J. A. JAMES.

POETRY.

SALVATION BY CHRIST.

SAD is our state through guilt and sin,
Our sins how great they are;
Without one single ray of hope,
Engulph'd in dark despair.

Down from the shining realms of light,
With pity in his eye,

On love's swift pinions Jesus flew,
And brought salvation nigh..

Despair fled on its gloomy wing,
And sin, and fear, and grief,
Hope kindling into rapture, raised
The song of sweet relief.

Joy brighten'd o'er the happy face,
Where dark despair had fled,
Love wept to think 'twas mercy all,

And life unto the dead.

Heaven's gates, thrice barr'd by sin and guilt,

Flew open wide again;

And blessings cluster'd round the head,

Of erring, guilty man.

Adored, beloved, exalted be,

Jesus, the sinner's friend;
What love can ever equal thine,

Which never knows an end.

W. I.

ABOUT nine miles, east, from the town of Newcastle, in the county of Northumberland, is the town of Tynemouth. It is situate on the sea shore, and on the north bank of the river Tyne, from which the name of the town has been derived. In the neighbourhood are several salt works, but the coal trade is the chief business of the place.

Tynemouth is a favourite place for sea bathing, and is much resorted to, in the season, by visitors. The Marsden Rocks, which have been separated from the shore by the encroachments of the sea, contain several large caverns; these are frequently visited as objects of curiosity. The rocks called the Black Middens, and other rocks, render the coast of Tynemouth dangerous to mariners.

Eastward of the town, on a peninsula formed of lofty rocks, there is a lighthouse, the remains of an ancient priory, and barracks. The priory is supposed to have been erected more than one thousand years since. The site on which it was erected, was chosen because of its security, and being elevated and near to the sea, it could easily be seen

from ships sailing on the ocean. Grose, in his work on the "Antiquities of England," says, "The exalted height on which the monastery stood, rendered it visible at sea, a long way off, in every direction, where it presented itself, as if reminding and exhorting seamen in danger to make their vows, and promise masses and presents to the Virgin Mary and Saint Oswin." Saint Oswin, we suppose, was the founder of the monastery or priory. This was a large establishment, as appears from the extensive ruins which remain.

When the Danes invaded England, Tynemouth priory was repeatedly plundered, and one year the church was destroyed by fire. In the reign of king Edward the Confessor, Tosti, earl of Northumberland, rebuilt and endowed the priory. It appears to have been a place of defence, as well as a religious establishment, for, in the year 1090, Robertde-Mowbray fled here for safety, and defended himself against William Rufus, who was then king of England. Here Robert-de-Mowbray was taken prisoner, and was conveyed thence to Windsor, where he, after a long imprisonment, was put to death.

In

The priory having been taken possession of by the Commissioners of Henry the eighth, it, with the land adjoining, was granted by Edward the sixth, to Dudley, earl of Northumberland, but was soon after forfeited to the crown. the reign of queen Elizabeth, it was occupied as a fortress, and was called Tynemouth Castle. In the war between Charles the first and the parliament, the garrison of Tynemouth declared for the king, and the place was besieged and taken by the Scotch forces, who took part with the English parliament. There was then found in the castle, thirty-eight pieces of ordinance, a large store of arms, ammunition, and provisions. The parliament repaired the castle, and made Colonel Henry Lilburne its governor, but he and the garrison deserted the cause of the parliament, and declared for king Charles. The parliamentary general, Sir Arthur Hazelrig, then stormed the castle and took it, and Colonel Lilburne was slain in the assault.

The following account of this ancient edifice, is from a work published rather more than forty years since.